Spinach Italian Chicken Pasta

Well it's only been 2 months since my last post!  It's been about that long since I made something good for dinner.

You think I'm joking.  I have, however, done other things.  I'm not sure exactly what, but surely I've done something in the last two months.

Anyway.  This pasta.  For dinner.  Like, tonight.

It was awesome.  My husband said it should be on the menu at an Italian restaurant.  My kids scarfed it down. (This is actually news because my kids do not love food mixed together.  As in, they want food to stay with its own kind.  As in, they love spinach, tomatoes, chicken, pasta and cheese, but don't let it touch.  Sometimes I go with this.  Sometimes I tell them to get over it and eat dinner and say thank you mama for dinner.)

I got the idea from a recipe on Pinterest, naturally.  But I deviated from the original a bit.  I thought it might be a bit dry if I baked it, so I just served it as a "skillet."  As Sunny Anderson would say, it's a "one pan plan, man."

There's only one picture of this meal.  If I described what was going on under my feet while I made this skillet and snapped this one lone picture, you'd be impressed that I cooked anything.

At least, I was impressed that I cooked anything last night.  It's WILD here!

Spinach Italian Chicken Pasta
Adapted from Key Ingredient

8 oz. penne pasta, cooked and drained (this is about 2 cups uncooked)
1 onion, chopped
1 T butter
2 cloves garlic
10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach
8 oz. chive & onion cream cheese
15 oz. Italian-style diced tomatoes
2-3 cups cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup milk
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups shredded)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook the penne in salted boiling water (always heavily salt your pasta water!).  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet.  Saute the onion over medium-high heat for several minutes until tender.  Add the garlic and spinach.  Stir until the spinach is thawed.  Add the cream cheese and stir until creamy and melty. Add the tomatoes, chicken and milk.  Turn the heat to low.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in half of the cheese and the cooked pasta.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and cover.  When the cheese is melted, it's ready!

*If using raw chicken, just saute it with the onion and proceed.

Creamy Spinach & Orzo

I made this the other night as a side dish with some salmon...it was awesome.

I just love orzo, and I had some spinach I needed to use.

The creamy combo was just delicious!

Creamy Spinach & Orzo

1 T butter
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T flour
1 cup milk
5 oz. package spinach, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 cups cooked orzo (about 1 cup uncooked)
3/4 cup romano cheese (or parmesan)

Saute the onion in the butter for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Stir in the flour.  Add the milk and spinach and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  Serve immediately.

Roasted Vegetable & Orzo Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

I made this salad awhile ago and it was AWESOME!  I'll definitely make it again.  Probably soon.  The leftovers were as good as it was fresh.  My whole family loved it.  I can't believe I haven't blogged it until now!  No excuses.

Since I'm not going to make up an excuse for myself and my lack of blog posting, I'll tell you about the afternoon wherein I almost went postal at Target.

I just have a question: have you been to Target lately?  What has happened to this store???  It used to be a nice alternative to Wal-Mart (for about a zillion reasons...you fill in the blanks).  Now it's like Wal-Mart's red-headed step-child.

So I ran to Target because I need a cupcake carrier (yes, I know.  It was an actual need, despite how it might sound.) and I needed a heap of things for my MOPS group.

When I got to Target, there were no 3-seat carts available (you know the really huge carts where two kids can sit in the back and then the third child sits in the usual child seat in the cart.  Those carts are a total lifesaver for me and anyone else with three or more children.).  Fine.  A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.  I put my boy in the cart and let the girls run wild.

You think I'm joking.

So then I proceed to be able to find approximately nothing on my list without asking an employee, who may or may not have known where the item was located.  While shopping, I ran across someone using one of the 3-seat carts that I DESPERATELY NEEDED.  How many children did this couple have with them?  ONE.

Three seats.  One child.

I had three children.  One seat.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???

I may or may not have given the dad the evil eye as I walked past him.  He was casually pushing his ONE CHILD in the cart made for three children while I wrangled my three children who were, as I mentioned, running wild.

My luck continued at checkout.  I somehow managed to choose the a cashier on his first day of work.

Said cashier was living proof that Target has tossed employee training to the wind.  Help us all.

I won't give you all the details, but let me just use the Southern catch-all: bless his heart.  While I waited for him to come up with my total, my sweet baby boy emptied the checkout lane of its merchandise.  On both sides.  Candy, toys, trinkets, mini-lint rollers, chapstick...  The woman behind me was giving me about the same look that I gave the one-child-three-seat-cart-couple.

Whatever.

And THEN, when I put my sweet baby boy back into the cart, he proceeded to fill his diaper with sewage.  Then he opened several of the items I was trying desperately to purchase.  Unfortunately my cashier missed the day they taught "how to check a customer out" in Target cashier training school.

AND THEN the brand-new cashier apparently thought it would be a good time to ask me if I wanted a bag for the approximately 29 items I purchased.

I'm just the wrong person to ask that question and this was most certainly the wrong afternoon to ask it.  Do I look like someone who is concerned about the environment?  I'm just trying to get to my van with all of my children and at least most of the things I paid for today.  Um, yes. A bag would be helpful, thanks.

Did I look like the kind of person that carries around those germ-infested reusable bags?

Not a chance, dude.  I don't drive a Subaru and I have too many children to keep up with a passel of dirty, scrubby-looking reusable bags.

Next time I have the urge to go to Target, I'll just make this salad and place an order on Amazon.

Roasted Vegetable & Orzo Salad

1 eggplant, peeled

1 red bell pepper

2 zucchini

1 large sweet onion

4 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

8 oz. orzo pasta (about 1 1/4 cups uncooked pasta)

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 T prepared pesto 

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Chop the veggies into a small-dice.  Toss the veggies together with the salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil on a large baking sheet.  Roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.  Use a spatula to toss the veggies once about halfway through.

Allow the veggies to come to room temperature while you make the orzo.  Cook the orzo according to the package directions in salted boiling water.  Drain and pour pasta into a large bowl.  Add the veggies.

Whisk together the vinaigrette and pour over the veggies and pasta.  Toss to coat.  Crumble in the feta cheese and add the pine nuts.  Stir to combine and serve at room temperature (can serve chilled as well).

Spaghetti Pie

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to post all the recipes my mama made for us growing up.

Actually, that's not true.  While I do plan to eventually post all of my mom's recipes, I don't do New Year's Resolutions.

And here's why: I don't do resolutions because they're annoying.  And everyone's sound the same: lose 10 pounds, eat healthier, work out 8 days/week, drink more water, don't sweat the small stuff, etc. etc. etc.

Resolutions are either too vague to be measurable or too unrealistic to be accomplished.

And yes, I was raised by a father that said if you can't measure it, you can't reach it.  A goal, that is.

So where was I?  Yes. Spaghetti pie. I love spaghetti pie.  And I don't think it probably fits your New Year's Resolutions.  But since I didn't make any resolutions, I'm going to have some spaghetti pie.

My mom did make this for us.  A lot.  We loved it.  We still do.  It's so good.  What's not to love?  New Year's or not.

You've probably had this in some version or another.  It's called "pie" because you make a "crust" with the spaghetti, eggs and parmesan cheese.

Then you spread on a layer of sour cream.

And then you top it with sauce.  You can do any kind of sauce you want.  Sometimes I make my own marinara; sometimes I add ground beef to it; sometimes I use a jar of Prego.  Whatever you want.

And then you want to top it with cheese, of course.  I think my mom always used mozzarella, which is great.  But I usually combine mozzarella with cheddar.  Something about the cheddar sets it off, I think.  But you could also use a 5-cheese Italian blend.  Or colby jack.  It doesn't matter a whole heck of a lot. As long as you use a lot of cheese.

So good luck with those resolutions.  And eat a few carbs while you're at it.

Spaghetti Pie

12 oz. (or so) angel hair pasta
2 eggs
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups sour cream
Marinara sauce (one recipe of homemade; if using jarred, you'll need 2 jars); add 1 1/2 lbs ground beef cooked with an onion if desired
4 cups (about a pound) shredded cheese - I like a combo of mozzarella & sharp cheddar

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for the recommended time on the package.  Drain it and return it to the pot.  Scramble together the eggs with the parmesan cheese.  Dump it on top of the pasta and quickly stir it around with a fork, tongs or a pasta scoop to coat the noodles (but stir quickly so the eggs don't scramble!).  Spread the pasta "crust" in a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Spread the sour cream on top of the pasta.  Top with marinara sauce.  Top the whole thing with cheese and cover loosely with foil.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes uncovered until the cheese is bubbly.

Let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Angel Hair with Tomatoes and Artichokes

Last year, I made this dish all the time.  And then I forgot about it!  Until the other day...I made it again.  And I remembered why I made it all the time last year!

It's a pasta that I love...not so much my husband.  He doesn't do artichokes.

But I adore artichokes!  And pasta, and cream and tomatoes.  That's my kind of meal.  There's no meat, which doesn't bother me.  But sauteed chicken would be great in this if you want to make it a main dish for your family.

Just start out with some butter and olive oil.  I'd say that's a good start to any dish.

Saute some garlic and onions.

Add the tomatoes and artichokes, saute for a second, then dump in the cooked angel hair.  Do not even think about using fat spaghetti.  For this dish...or any dish.

Fat spaghetti is not allowed in my house.

Then add the cream!  Or half-and-half.  I used half-and-half, because it's what I had.  So use whatever you  have.  It will be delicious.

Serve it up with lots of Parmesan.  Yummy yummy!

A perfect fall dish, and you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry.

Another Pioneer Woman favorite.  Thanks, PW.

Angel Hair with Tomatoes and Artichokes
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

8 oz. (1/2 lb) angel hair pasta, cooked in salted boiling water according to package directions
1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. can tomatoes, not drained
15 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and artichoke hearts and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken stock and stir in the cooked pasta.  Add the remaining ingredients, saving about 1/2 cup Parmesan for the top.  Check for seasonings and add more salt/pepper if you need it.  Just don't oversalt it, because the Parmesan is plenty salty!

Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top of each serving.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

I'm on a Pioneer Woman kick these days.  I just love her!  I can't wait to show you these muffins I made the other day...

But for now, it's Sour Cream Noodle Bake.  I was hooked at the title.  We love sour cream 'round here.  And noodles?  Yes, pasta please.  And bake.  Do I even need to go there.

So yeah, we all liked this.  It's not overly Italian - it really is just a noodle bake.  The noodles are so creamy, the sauce is nice and meaty without being too much, and the cheese...well, cheese speaks for itself.  It stands alone.

If you hate cottage cheese, then please get over yourself for once and just use it in these noodles.  You won't know it's there...it'll just be very creamy and yummy!

Trust me.

Oh!  And one of the things that I liked about this is that it doesn't make a huge dish like some casseroles.  It's kind of nice to not have an enormous amount of leftovers sometimes, you know?

But if you want a huge dish, just make double.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 lb. ground beef (I use 80/20)
1 onion, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1 T sugar
15 oz. can tomato sauce
12 oz. dry egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cup small-curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the onion and the meat in a skillet, breaking up with a wooden spoon.  Drain the grease.  Add the salt, sugar and tomato sauce to the meat in the skillet and simmer on low for about 20 minutes while you make the noodles.

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions.  You don't want them to be mushy, though, so don't overcook!  Drain the noodles and return them to the pot.  Add the sour cream, cottage cheese, green onions and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Spread half of the noodles in the dish.  Cover with half of the sauce.  Sprinkle half of the cheese on top.  Do another layer - noodles, sauce, cheese - and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Macaroni Salad

I made this for a church picnic a couple of weeks ago.  It was so good!

Macaroni salad is a great summery side for hamburgers.  There's tons of flavor in this salad, too...I married about four different recipes and I was happy with the result.

I would tell you that Baby Bear loved it.  But he eats virtually everything, so I'm not sure his vote counts for much?

One last thing.  Don't leave out the mustard.  I tried to be clever and leave it out but it was so much better with the mustard!

Happy summer, y'all.  Eat it up.

Macaroni Salad

1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked in salted water according to package directions and rinsed
12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
3 T sweet pickle relish
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp yellow prepared mustard
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Place the rinsed pasta (make sure you drain it WELL!) in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours until chilled.  Stir again and add a little bit of mayo if it seems dry (the pasta will drink up the sauce).

Creamy Orzo with Tomatoes and Peas

The week before Baby Bear was born last summer, my dad went fishing in Kodiak Island, Alaska.

In case you're not familiar with Kodiak Island, it's the second-largest island in the US.  And it just so happens that the island is populated by MORE BEARS (those would be Kodiak Bears) than PEOPLE.  (This is my dad's definition of heaven on earth.)  And since my dad is more into hunting than fishing, I knew it had to be quite a place for him to spend his time fishing.  Quite a successful fishing trip it was.

We have been the very blessed beneficiaries of my dad's once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip.  He shipped home several hundred pounds of frozen salmon, halibut and cod.  He caught it, shipped it home, and we've been eating it ever since.

Y'all, I've bought and eaten a lot of fish in my life.  This Kodiak Island fish does not even come close to any fish I've ever had.  It's amazing.

I've baked it, grilled it, fried it and pan-roasted it.  My kids LOVE it.

So what does orzo have to do with fish?  Well, since we eat fish quite often, I've made this to go alongside the fish (and asparagus, since it's in season) a few times.  The whole family loves this orzo...it's creamy, cheesy and colorful with tomatoes and peas.

As for the fish?  I'm going to be so sad when it's gone.  And as for Baby Bear?  He waited an ENTIRE WEEK past his due date just so my dad would get home in time for his birth.  Wasn't that sweet of him.

Creamy Orzo with Tomatoes and Peas
Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis

1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta (12 oz.)
1 T butter
2 shallots, minced
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup milk
1/2 cup pasta cooking water
10 oz. (about 1 1/4 cups) petite frozen peas

1 cup cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar, romano and parmesan)

Cook the pasta according to package directions - cook it on the al dente side because it will continue to cook when you mix the remaining ingredients in.

In a skillet, melt the butter and saute the shallots for about 5 minutes.  Add the drained tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add the salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Add the cooked and the drained orzo, milk and pasta water.  Stir well and remove from the heat.  Cover the skillet and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  Stir in the peas and cheese.  The heat from the pasta will melt the cheese and warm the peas.

Chicken Piccata

Okay, so this probably isn't a very authentic version of chicken piccata.  It's sort of a cross between chicken piccata and chicken scaloppine.  But, for lack of a better name, I picked chicken piccata.

It made me feel Italian to call it that.

So you can call it whatever you want, as long as you call it.  Or make it.

Whatever.  It's late at night and my brain has already gone to bed but my body is sitting at the computer typing.

So what I'm telling you is that I'm not responsible for what I type.  And that's the bottom line.

Start with chicken breasts, and mine were a little uneven (as are all chicken breasts) so I pounded them to a uniform thickness.  You don't want them too thin - just even.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and saute it on both sides until it's golden brown.  You don't need to cook it through at this point because we're going to simmer it in the sauce in a minute.

When the chicken is golden, take it out of the pan.  Add the other tablespoon of olive oil and butter and saute the mushrooms and garlic.

Sprinkle in some flour to thicken the sauce.  Pour in some chicken broth and add salt and pepper.  Bring it to a boil and return the chicken to the sauce.

When the chicken is cooked, it's time to add the capers, parsley, lemon juice and half-and-half.

Yum!  This sauce is so delicious.  Tangy from the lemon, creamy from the half-and-half and the mushrooms and capers add great texture and flavor.

When you serve, nest some pasta on the plate, place the chicken next to it, and spoon plenty of sauce on top.

Life's all about the sauce.

And everything I make these days has lemon in it.  I. Can't. Get. Enough.

Chicken Piccata
Inspired by Pioneer Woman and Barefoot

1 T olive oil
4 chicken breasts, pounded to a uniform thickness
Salt & pepper
1 T olive oil
2 T butter
12 oz. mushrooms (use a mixture of white button and cremini), sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
2 T capers
2 T chopped Italian parsley
Juice from one lemon
1/2 cup half-and-half
3/4 pound angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of chicken.  Saute the chicken over medium heat until brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side.  The chicken will not be cooked through.  Remove it and put it on a plate.

Heat another tablespoon of olive oil with the butter in the same skillet.  Saute the mushrooms and garlic for about 8 minutes, until tender.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir, cooking for another minute.  Stir in the chicken stock, salt and pepper.  Return the chicken to the sauce and and simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Stir in the capers, parsley, lemon juice and half-and-half.  Remove from the heat and serve the chicken with the pasta and plenty of mushrooms and sauce.