Greek Pasta Salad

Dressing
As always, these proportions should be customized to taste

1/4 c. olive oil

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Red wine vinegar might be nice here too

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 sliced green onions
1 - 2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped 

Dash black pepper
Salt to taste
1 scant tsp. sugar

Salad

1/2 lb penna pasta, cooked and chilled

3 chicken breasts, fillet, season cook, chill

1 bag mixed field greens

Whisk together all of the salad dressing ingredients and let sit at least 30 minutes. I made mine the night before for an easy and quick dinner the next day. I also cooked the chicken and pasta then as well for the sake of ease. 

Toss it all together and eat.

Cucumber feta salad

Hmmmm, what can I throw together from my fridge for lunch? This would be really good in a wrap with some chicken or tossed with some cold pasta for pasta salad.

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. kalamata olive, chopped

2 - 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1 green onion, chopped

1/3 or a large English cucumber, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

Stir it all together, taste of salt and enjoy!

Kielbasa Pasta

This is my version on "Creamy Jambalaya Pasta" from Plain Chicken via pinterest.  I changed things a little to make it a one pot dinner. 

This would also be a great place to use up leftover cooked chicken or ham. Just throw it in towards the end of cooking to heat it up. 

1 lb kielbasa, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

9 oz. small pasta

4 c.water

4 beef bouillon cubes

4 oz tomato sauce

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp parsely

1 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/8 tsp. oregano

1/8 tsp. thyme

3 Tbsp flour

In a large pan saute the kielbasa, when you can start to smell the kielbasa cooking add the onion, usually about 2 - 3 minutes. When the onion is tender add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. 

Add all the remaining ingredients, except for flour and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender. 

Combine the flour and just enough water to make a pasta. Stir into hot simmering pasta and cook for another minute or two.

Cajun Cream Pasta

2 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

seasoning mix (recipe below)

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp oil

1 c. chicken broth

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 onion, chopped really fine

1/2 bell pepper, chopped really fine

1 Tbsp garlic

1 Tbsp flour

1 c. half-an-half

Salt & Pepper to taste

Hot cooked pasta

Trim the chicken breasts of fat and cut in half lengthwise.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of seasoning mix on both sides and cook in the oil and butter. Don't turn the chicken until it looks golden and the seasoning is dark brown. Flip and cook on the other side. Remove from heat and keep warm. 

If the pan looks dry add an additional splash of oil and saute the onion and pepper until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Stir in the flour and cook another 30 seconds.

Add the chicken broth to the pan and simmer to deglaze the bottom. Add the tomato paste and simmer all together for 5 minutes. Stir in the half-an-half and simmer an additional minute. 

Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices on the plate. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. Turn once to coat and serve over hot pasta.

Seasoning mix

2 Tbsp Kirklands Signature Seasoning mix

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/4 tsp onion salt

Mix all together. Reserve extra for future use. I only used about 3/4 of the seasoning. 

If you don't want to make your own seasoning mix any Cajun seasoning mix will do

Presto Pasta Nights this week is at Simple Kitchen Seasons

Cabbage Broccoli Salad

I made something very similar to this a few months ago with a sesame dressing and mandarin oranges in the salad. I made it this time almost exactly like my mom used to make it but with the addition of broccoli. 

And since Ramen noodles are technically pasta (I checked) I am sending this to Presto Pasta Nights 258 at Once upon a Feast.

1 small head cabbage or 1/2 large head

1 head broccoli

2 pkg oriental ramen noodles

3/4 c. sunflower seeds

1  - 2 c. sliced almonds

2 lb. chicken breasts

season salt

oil

Dressing (Recipe follows)

Cut the cabbage into quarters and cut out the core. Cut each quarter in half again, lengthwise and then slice into thin ribbons. Dump into a really large bowl.

Chop the broccoli pretty fine and place in the bowl with the cabbage. Add the sunflower seeds and the almonds. Crush the ramen noodles pretty well before opening the package and add the noodles to the bowl, reserving the seasoning packets for the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir well to combine.

When that is all done trim the chicken breasts and season generously with season salt. Cook in hot oil until no longer pink in the middle and both sides are browned. Immediately chop the chicken into small pieces and add to the cabbage bowl. Stir to combine. You can use leftover chicken here, I like to add it hot to the salad though because it cooks the broccoli ever so slightly and makes it a nice bright green color. 

Dressing:

1 c. oil

6 Tbsp Red wine vinegar

2 Oriental ramen seasoning packets

3 Tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all together and set aside. 

In a pinch you can use apple cider vinegar in place of the red wine vinegar but you will need to reduce the oil by 2 Tablespoon and make up the difference with vinegar since apple cider doesnt have the same flavor as the red wine. 

Beef Stew (for the freezer)

A traditional beef stew needs a few modifications to be frozen, but it is possible.

The main things are potatoes and flour thickened sauces dont freeze well. 

For the flour I simply didn't thicken it with anything, you can add a flour paste at the end of reheating to serve if you want it thicker, I plan on just serving it as as.

A to potatoes I just left them out. I plan on serving this over rice, baked potatoes, or pasta

but you could boil a pot of potatoes chunks and stir them in at the end. 

10 lb of beef, cubed

8 large carrots, cut into thick coins

4 large onions, diced

10 stalks of celery, sliced

2 family sized can cream of anything soup

1/2 c. dehydrated onions

8 beef bouillon cubes

2 tsp granulated garlic

black pepper

6 c. frozen peas

2 can corn

2 disposable turkey sized foil roasting pans

(I used the cheapo kind that where 13 inches x something, not the biggest but the cheapest)

Toss half of the beef, carrots, onions, and celery in each pan. Add 1 can of soup to each pan along with 1/4 c. dehydrated onion, 4 beef cubes, 1 tsp garlic, and black pepper sprinkled across the top. Add 3/4 c. of water and stir everything together. Cover with tin foil and bake at 290 for 2 hours. Stir everything, recover the pans with the tin foil and bake at 350 until the meat is tender, about 2 - 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Stir 3 cups of peas and 1 can of corn into each pan. Let cool to room temperature and divide into serving sized pan. 

I got 6 pans out of this recipe. You can make the portions a little smaller than you think since this is served over something the meal will be bigger than just what is in the pan. Cover the top with tin foil and freeze fat. Once the pans are frozen solid you can stack them on top of each other in the freezer. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To Serve
Leaving the tin foil on top of the stew, bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the gravy is bubbly. If you freeze in a plastic baking pan or tupperware this can be reheated in to microwave. Cook for a few minutes, stir, and then cook again, stirring every few minutes, until hot.

French Onion Chicken

We had a late dinner, so no natural light, it really was normal colored I promise

So a while ago I made a French onion pasta and all was good. But I saw something on pinterest that was a French onion chicken. And I knew I would be trying it for dinner. But I can't find the pin anywhere now, despite seeing it everywhere for a few days (if you have it let me know so I can give proper credit) So I made up my own version. The hubby said he hoped to see it again soon.

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 large onions, sliced

6 Tbsp butter, divided

2 tsp sugar

Salt & Pepper

1 c. beef broth

(I used water and bouillon)

6 oz. brie cheese

3 - 4 c. hot buttered pasta to serve over

In a large skillet melt 4 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and turn the heat to medium high. Cook the onions, stirring, until translucent. Push the onions to the sides of the pan, away from the middle. 

Trim the chicken and slice into 1 inch thick chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the middle of the pan. Cook over medium high on all sides until browned. Near the end of cooking the center of the pan should be starting to turn a dark brown on the bottom. Add 1/4 c. of water and let bubble so the browned bits on the bottom don't burn. This will turn the chicken brown as well and add a great flavor. 

Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and stir, still on the sides, to combine. Add the remaining butter. Stir the chicken and onions together and continue cooking until onions are a caramel to brown color. Add the beef broth and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Remove the rind from the brie cheese and slice, its soft so it will squish quite a bit. Top the chicken pieces with the sliced brie. Turn the heat off and cover to melt the cheese. When the cheese is melted serve over pasta

Chicken Paprikash

 

 

About paprika, since that is the main flavor of this dish. Make sure it is bright red, I know quality is talked about quite a lot, but I get mine in the huge containers at Sams club and still love the taste. I store it in the fridge though, once it starts to turn brown, chuck it.

 

Come see who else is joining Presto Pasta Nights this Friday at Souperior

 

 

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 c. paprika

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced

Salt & Pepper

3 Tbsp flour

2 c. warm water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

3/4 c. sour cream

Hot buttered spatzle or pasta

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Sprinkle with most of the paprika. Add the chicken strips. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and remaining paprika. Cook thoroughly on both sides. Cut one in half to check for doneness. Remove to a plate and keep warm. 

When the chicken is removed whisk in the flour. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken broth (or water and bouillon cubes) Simmer until bubbly. Stir the sour cream until it is smooth then stir into the hot sauce. Whisk to combine. Simmer for 3 minutes more to incorporate the sour cream. Add the chicken back to the pan, stir, and then simmer 2 - 3 minutes again. 

Serve over spatzle or pasta

 

 

Cheeseburger Macaroni

I want to preface this post by reminding everyone that I'm pregnant. 

That's really the only excuse (defense?) I can come up with 

for why I was thinking about Hamburger Helpers cheeseburger 

macaroni. But I did, and my version at least, was good, so here it is.

I'm also glad to be back at Presto Pasta Nights,

this weeks host is Ruth at "Once upon a Feast"

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp (scant) steak seasoning (I used McCormick)

8 oz. elbow noodles

3 c. beef broth

3/4 c. half-an-half

3 Tbsp. catchup

1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1 c. cheddar cheese
Salt to taste

Combine the beef and steak seasoning and cook until browned. 

I broke it up as I was cooking but not too much,

I liked the bigger hamburger pieces in there. 

When the beef is no longer pink add the pasta, 

broth, half-an-half, catchup, mustard, and onion powder. 

Simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender 

and at least half of the liquid is absorbed. 

Stir in the cheese and continue stirring until the cheese is melted.
Taste for salt, adjusting as needed.

Serve immediately. 






On a side note, I made a cake:

Coconut cake with homemade lemon curd, 
Swiss buttercream, and yellow sugar

Lasagna. That takes all day.

I had a little bit of sauce and ricotta leftover so I made a small individual size lasagna to eat while waiting for dinner :)  If my pan was deeper I would have added more layers. I cheated and used bottled sauce, make sure you like it as sauce though or you wont like it as lasagna either. I used Paul Newmans brand  (I think the garden) and it's decent. If you make your sauce from scratch feel free to use it here, just make sure it isnt too thin, you will need about 3 - 4 cups of sauce.

I rolled my pasta really thin, so I ended up only using about half of it. You can cut the recipe in half, make thicker noodles, or save what you have leftover for another meal. Homemade noodles freeze well.

Meat sauce

1 lb (90% lean) ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 bottle spaghetti sauce

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 low sodium beef bouillon cube

Cook the meat in separate pans until cooked through. Combine the causes and beef cube, reserving 3/4 cup of the sauce without meat in it. Combine the sauces, tomatoes, and meat; blend the sauce to crumble the meat really fine and crush the tomatoes. I used my immersion blender, if using a high powered blended, such as a vitamix, be really careful or you will end up with meat paste. I know this for a fact. Set aside. 

Cheese Layer
15 oz. Whole milk ricotta cheese
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour

2 c. half-an-half, at room temp

Salt to taste, I used 1/2 tsp
1 (8 oz) bag shredded Italian five cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan until bubbly. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring until bubbly. Whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thick, if the milk is cold when you add it to the roux it will seize up and be lumpy. Remove from the heat and stir in half the bag of cheese. Keep stirring until melted and really thick and stringy. Mix in the ricotta and salt to taste.

Pasta

3 1/2 c. flour

6 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp water

Combine the salt and the flour, I did this with my hands to also remove and clumps in the flour. Whisk together the eggs and water. Add the eggs to the flour and mix until a dough forms, adding more water if needed. On a heavily floured surface, knead the dough until smooth. Cover with plastic and let rest for 30 minutes. I used my grandmothers hand crank pasta maker to roll it out pretty thin.

In the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish add enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom. Add noodles, sauce, noodles, ricotta, noodles, sauce, alternating layers until the pan is full. Make sure with the tomato sauce layer you add lots, more than you think you will want, it disappears when baking. Pour reserved tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Pre-heat oven to 375. Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes; turn the oven off and leave the door shut for 40 minutes. Turn the oven back on and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake until the cheese is golden.

Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

The Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

I have been searching for a really long time for the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe. I'm talking years here, and either the texture was wrong, it wasn't cheesy enough, it was too stringy, it was bland, something was always wrong. 

I've tried flour thickened sauce, cornstarch, cream soups, cream cheese, baked, you name it, I've tried it. Ask Husband Man, he's had to live through them all.

In between looking everywhere for new ideas I have been trying some things on my own. And I have finally settled on something I consider the perfect macaroni and cheese, with a few weird things I am particular about. First off, use a good quality block of sharp cheddar cheese and secondly shred it yourself. Thirdly, this is not low fat, don't try and fix that or it wont be the same. I'm not a big mustard fan myself, so rest assured, this isn't a mustardy sauce, but it's not the same without it.

Now that I have the basics down I can't wait to start playing with other cheese and flavors.

1 1/2 lb elbow or corkscrew pasta

3 c. half-an-half

2 eggs

16 oz. good quality extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 stick butter

1/4 tsp. yellow mustard

1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Generous dash freshly grated nutmeg

Same with freshly grated black pepper

dash Tabasco sauce

3 Tbsp. flour 

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until desired tenderness, drain and set aside. 

Heat the half-an-half until small bubbles form. Slowly whisk the hot half-an-half into the eggs in a separate bowl. Add the egg and half-an-half mixture back to the pot on the stove and cook, over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for about 20 minutes until thick and coats the back of a spoon.  Stir in the butter

Pour into the vitamix along with the cheese. Run on high for 4 - 5 minutes until the cheese is mixed in. Add the mustard, Worcestershire, nutmeg, pepper, and Tabasco and blend until mixed. 

Combine the flour and enough water to form a pourable paste. Pour into the cheese sauce and blend on high until the sauce thickens a bit, about 10 - 15 minutes. Pour over pasta and let stand for 10 minutes and then enjoy!

Bacon Spatzle

I saw someone mention not too long ago that they had bacon spatzle. Enough said, it had to be done. 

I would normally add sauteed onion as well but I can't stand them right now. Whole chopped or green would both be great.

I served this with a side of steamed kale drizzled with Italian salad dressing. Don't salt or season the chicken and go really light on the salt in the water when cooking the spatzle. Between the bacon and the kielbasa there is more than enough.
Look for this at Presto Pasta Nights over at Briciole this week. 

1/2 lb bacon

1 kielbasa, sliced thin

1 chicken breast, cut into tiny cubes

4 c. hot cooked spatzle

1/4 - 1/2 c. half-an-half

Saute the bacon until crisp, remove and crumble. Pour off all but 2 Tbsp of the drippings.

Add the Kielbasa to the pan and cook until browned around the edges

Push the kielbasa to the side and add the chicken, sauteing until cooked through.

Turn the heat to medium low, and add the hot spatzle and stir. Continue stirring until the juices from the pan are mixed in and the spatzle starts to take on their color.

Add the half-an-half to taste and stir in.

Top with the cooked, crumbled bacon and serve.

Asian Soba Soup

1 small chicken breast

slash oil

Salt and pepper to taste

3 green onions, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 carrot, julienned

1 c. bean sprouts

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce

dash sesame oil

Sambal oelek to taste (I used 2 tsp)

3 oz. soba noodles

Cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook in oil on both sides until done. Remove from pan and set aside. When cool slice really thin.

Add the celery and onions to the pan and saute a few seconds until the bottom of the pan is starting to brown. Add 1/2 c. water and let it bubble. Add 2 1/2 more cups of water and the garlic, carrots, bean sprouts, chicken cubes, sesame oil, and sambal oelek. Simmer until the celery and carrots are tender.

Add the soba and simmer jut until the are tender. Remove the pot from the heat and add soy sauce and chicken. Serve immediately.

Taco Shell Pasta

I cooked the pasta shells and the hamburger and then let my 6 year old daughter and her friend fill the shells. They had a lot of fun, and helped me make dinner.

Presto Pasta Nights 229 is being hosted by Ruth, at Once Upon a Feast

1 (12 oz) box. Jumbo pasta shells (about 35) 

1 can refried beans

1 lb hamburger

2 Tbsp Taco seasoning

12 oz. cheddar cheese

1 can enchilada sauce

Cook Pasta shells in lightly salted water until al dente. Drain and toss with a little butter or olive oil.

Heat hamburger with 1 Tbsp of the taco seasoning. Cook, crumbling, until no longer pink and cooked throughout. Add 1/2 cup of water and remaining taco seasoning and simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid is gone. 

Divide between the shells a scoop of beans, filling each shells about halfway, then a sprinkling of cheese and top with hamburger. Place in a 9x13. Pour the can of enchilada sauce over the shells. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, uncover and bake just until cheese is starting to melt. 

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. 

Serve over a bed of lettuce, top with fresh tomatoes and ranch.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

I wish I could say I thought of this on my own, but sadly, that is not the case. I first saw the idea at Yeastfree-Painfree, and then after googling it, I decided to stick with her recipe, making a few small changes based on what I had around. The number one reason for this was I couldn't find a single other recipe that still used swiss cheese in the sauce and well, it didn't look like it actually needed to be changed.

I can cook, photography is obviously not my strong-suit. Click on the Yeastfree-painfree link for a better picture


8 oz. shell pasta
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. milk
6 (1 oz) wedges laughing cow swiss cheese triangles
1 chicken bouillon cube
4 oz. good quality emmental cheese, grated or shredded
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 - 2 c. leftover ham, cut into strips
(a can might work or deli ham)
1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. fried chicken seasoning
(I use McCormick)
oil

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until tender.

Meanwhile, mix the flour and chicken seasoning. Cut the chicken into thin strips and toss with the flour. Cook in hot oil on both sides until browned and cooked though. Drain on a paper towel and slice into bit size chunks.

Combine the cream, cheese triangles, emmental, and chicken bouillon cube. Cook over medium heat until the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Stir in the milk.

Toss the drained pasta, ham, chicken, and cheese sauce.


This is being sent over to Presto Pasta Night 227, being hosted this week at "For such a time as this"

Eggplant Pasta

This can be so many things. I first tried it as soup. Then I used it as a pizza sauce. Next it was a casserole and lastly it was just tossed with some pasta for lunch. All were loved. Don't let the really basic looking appearance of the pasta in the picture fool you. It's amazing stuff.

And since it's amazing, I'm sending it to the amazing Presto Pasta Nights being hosted over at Briciole

1 egg plant, quartered lengthwise
2 roma tomatoes, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, quartered
olive oil
Salt

Brush vegetables with oil and lightly sprinkle with salt.
Roast at 400 for 40 minutes.

In a pot combine and simmer 10 minutes
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. lemon juice

Scrape eggplant from purple skin. Add eggplant, onion, tomatoes, and garlic to broth.
Simmer 30 minutes until vegetables really are tender. Puree until smooth and add
1/4 c. cream
let sit for 15 minutes.

Roasting the vegetables, I used more than the onion shown, I had just already started throwing it in the pot before I remembered to take a picture. They will be a dark brown on the bottom, you want that.

Thats what it looked like in the pot simmering, not so very tasty looking, admittedly

Ok, so thats the basics of it. Here are the Variations:

Soup:
Use 6 cups of chicken broth and a half a cup of cream

Pizza Sauce:
Use as is instead of your regular tomato sauce on pizza, top with cheese, bake and enjoy

Casserole:
Toss cooked pasta, the sauce, chunks of cooked chicken and/or Italian sausage, and some small cubes of mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake at 350 until the cheese starts to melt

Pasta Dish:
Much like the casserole, just toss the sauce with cooked pasta and enjoy. You can add sliced chicken and top with Parmesan cheese is you want.

Rosie Chicken or Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Chicken and Prosciutto Rolls

I made this for my daughters birthday but didn't know what to call it, and since i'm not a fan of names that are actually descriptions, I decided against naming it "Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Chicken and Prosciutto Rolls" Since the child in question is named Rosie, it is now Rosie Chicken. I didn't think of it till after I had eaten it, but I think a little fresh chopped rosemary might be good in the spinach mix. Other cheese might be great too.

I am also going to send this as a second submission to Presto Pasta Nights #225 hosted by Ruth at "Once Upon a Feast"

And over to "Double Takes" Spinach and Cheese Challenge. At Double take we take two ingredients and make anything you want with them, then post the collection of everyones spin on the same two ingredients.

3 Tbsp butter
4 handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 large or 2 medium Boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 large slices Havarti cheese
5 slices prosciutto

1/2 c. flour
2 tsp 5th Season seasoned meat tenderizer
large dash black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder (NOT onion salt)
Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Oil for frying

8.8 oz pasta

Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until tender. Add the spinach and saute until dark and wilted. Remove from pan and set aside

Remove the fat and any other inedible parts from the chicken. Cut in half lengthwise and the in half in the middle. You should have 4 squareish pieces of chicken when you are done.

Divide the spinach evenly on top of the chicken. Take one of the pieces of havarti and break into fourths. Mine was about 5 inches square, so each piece covered the top of the chicken.

Place a piece of prosciutto on your work surface, place the chicken with the spinach and cheese on top and wrap the sides up around and over the top.

Combine the flour, tenderizer, pepper, and onion powder.

Brush with just enough water to moisten the sides and dip in to flour coating both the bottom and top. Repeat until all four are coated in flour.

Mist with a little water and dip in the bread crumbs.

Place in really hot oil chicken side down first and cook until dark golden brown. Flip and cook until browned on both sides. Drain on a paper towel.





While all that was going on you should have cooked your pasta and then drained it when tender.I cooked the remaining 2 slices of proscuitto in a little butter until crisp and added 3/4 c. half and half and the remaining havarti cheese. once it was melted in and had formed a sauce I tossed it with the pasta

Breakfast Pasta

I made macaroni and cheese last night for dinner, the kind with the flour thickened sauce (from the vitamix cookbook) that you pour over the cooked pasta and then bake until hot and bubbly. So this is my revamp of the leftovers

I made my macaroni and cheese with a can of ham in it, but you could just use leftover ham or skip it.

Presto Pasta Nights 225 is at "Once Upon a Feast"

(This is before I added the cheese so you could really see the pasta itself)

1/2 package of bacon
6 sausage links
1/2 onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
Salt to taste
3 - 4 c. leftover macaroni and cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon until crisp, crumble, and set aside. Remove all but 3 Tbsp of the bacon drippings. Cook the sausage in the bacon drippings until browned. Remove from pan and chop. Add the onion and peppers and cook until both are tender.

Whisk together the milk and eggs and some salt to taste.

Push the peppers to one side of the pan and cook the eggs in the other until set. Chop the eggs into small pieces and toss with the peppers. Add the macaroni and cheese to the pan and toss with the veggies and eggs. Keep stirring to heat through without it sticking to the pan.

Add the sausage and bacon and mix in.

Sprinkle with the cheese and stir to melt the cheese

Serve

Chicken and Spatzle with Herb Butter

There are so many ways you can change this up a bit, but just make sure if you do, that you still crisp the vegetables, that's where a lot of the flavor comes from.

Cook a half pound of bacon reserving the drippings. Use half drippings and half butter. Sprinkle the bacon over the top right before you serve it

Skip the chicken and add a can of white beans for a vegetarian dish

Leave the chicken breasts whole when you cook them, serve over a bed of the spatzle and veggeies or just use the spatzle and veggies as a side dish to something else

The next day serve as a chicken spatzle soup, just boil some chicken broth and add the mix, heat until warm throughout.

Add a little milk for a creamy soup

It freezes great in broth too

I really like the spatzle here, but any small pasta would do

Presto Pasta Nights 224 is going to held at Truth Personified


1 stick unsalted butter (yup, the whole thing)
1 lb skinless chicken breasts,cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. granulated garlic
7 oz frozen petite green beans, thawed
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 large carrot, diced
8 oz dried spatzle

Cook spatzle in boiling salted water until tender.

Place the carrot in a bowl and cover with water, microwave until tender, about 3 minutes.

Melt half the stick of butter in a large skillet. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until cooked through. Turn the heat up to high and continue to cook until starting to brown. Add the onion, celery, basil, rosemary, celery seed, and granulated garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add the carrots, green beans, corn, and remaining half of the stick of butter. Cook over medium high heat until the veggies are starting to brown a little bit on the bottom and get crisp. The key is to brown the vegetables, but not so uch they taste charred. Add the cooked and drained spatzle and toss to mix.

Serve immediately

I only used half the bag, so a little over 8 oz.

Confit Byaldi aka Ratatouille

For something so simply seasoned, this has an excellent flavor. I just happened to have the sundried tomatoes in my fridge, but if you don't have them don't worry about it. Just add a tablespoon of olive oil or butter to the tomato sauce before baking.

I started my recipe by looking at Smitten Kitchens version, she uses the red pepper instead of tomatoes, then I made a few changes of my own. For another tasty looking twist check out her Ratatouille Tart.

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes, drained really well

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

3 sundried tomatoes packed in oil and herbs,

plus about 1 Tbsp of the oil they are packed in

1/4 tsp dried thyme

I added the diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, sundried tomatoes, and the oil from the tomatoes to a food processor and processed until smooth. Stir that into the tomato sauce and add the thyme.

Pour into the bottom of two 9x9 inch casserole dishes

2 large zucchini

2 large yellow squash

1 large bell pepper

2 thin eggplants

Slice all the vegetables thin and layer over the tomato layer alternating vegetables. I only placed a bell pepper slice every few layers. My eggplant was a lot bigger around than my zucchini and squash so I cut the slices in half and put the cut side down, so the rounded purple outside shows.

1/4 c. olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

I used a spray bottle and misted the top of the vegetables.

Sprinkle with

salt

a dash of freshly cracked black pepper

and a little bit of dried thyme

Cover with parchment paper and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the vegetables look tender and the sauce is bubbling up around the vegetables. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes