Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

From the lovely Ree at Pioneer Woman. Check out her recipe. I've simplified it quite a bit.

Ingredients
Jarred Pesto - a couple tbsp
½ cups Heavy Cream (or whole milk)
2 Tablespoons Butter
¼ cups Grated Parmesan (optional)
12 ounces, weight Pasta (cavitappi, Fusili, Etc.)
2 whole Tomatoes, Diced (or red pepper, diced)
Chicken Breast, cooked and sliced (optional)

Cook pasta until al dente.

Heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pesto and stir.

Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Pour pesto cream over the top. Toss to combine. Add diced tomatoes (or peppers) and toss quickly. Top with grated parmesan.  Serve immediately.

Pizza Dough

We've tried this a couple times now, and it is the recipe that has worked for us both times. It's really close to my grandma's recipe too that we've made at home for years.

Courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients
2-3/4 to 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
2 Tbsp. cooking oil or olive oil

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1-1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. (Alternatively, use the dough hook and let your mixer do all the work!)

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total) . Divide dough into 8 pieces. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Makes 8 mini pizzas.

Jambalaya!

I took this recipe from Budget Bytes, adapted from Joy of Cooking.  It was delicious. I made a few changes, but nothing substantial. It's so good - and mine was certainly spicy!  Husband and toddler did not eat it, but I'm going to attempt freezing it to see how well that works.  I ended up omitting the celery (not a fan), and replacing peppers and tomatoes with diced tomatoes with chiles.  Hot, hot, hot!

INGREDIENTS COST
1 lb. cooked chicken
1 lb. smoked sausage (I used turkey sausage)
4 cloves garlic
12 oz. seasoning mix
(onion, bell pepper, celery) - I only used onion that I had in the freezer
2 cups long grain rice
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3.5 cups water
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes - I used tomatoes with chiles
2 whole bay leaves - oops, didn't have
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 bunch parsley
to taste salt and pepper

STEP 1: Slice the sausage and cook in a large pot over medium heat until thoroughly cooked (about 5 minutes). Don't worry if the drippings begin to stick and coat the bottom of the pan, it will be deglazed later. Remove the cooked meat (leaving the fat/drippings in the pan) and set it aside for later.

STEP 2: Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the pot with the meat drippings and cook until soft (about 3-5 minutes). The moisture from the vegetables should loosen anything stuck to the bottom of the pan from the meat (all of that flavorful good stuff).

STEP 3: Once the vegetables have softened, add the dry rice, cayenne pepper and tomato paste. Stir it all together and cook for approximately 1 minute more. This will allow the tomato paste to caramelize and the rice to toast just slightly.

STEP 4: Add 3.5 cups of water, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, fresh cracked pepper (about 20 cranks) and salt (about 1/2 tsp). Stir it together, then add the meat back into the pot. Bring it up to a simmer, add a lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow the pot to simmer on low until all of the moisture has been absorbed by the rice (about 30 minutes). Stir in the chopped parsley and serve.

Pioneer Woman Fettucine Alfredo

This alfredo sauce was very good and easy!  And, I am sure, so bad for you!  Make it, you will not regret it (although you may have to make salads the rest of the week to make up for it)!  We made half a batch and stuffed ourselves on it - way more than enough for the two of us (plus a toddler).

By the way, who knew that freshly grated parmesan cheese is so good? This week is the first time in my life I've actually bought REAL parmesan cheese and grated it on a grater, and we've all been munching on it before it made its way into the alfredo sauce. It's SO GOOD!  No more parmesan powder in this household! And none of that nasty pre-packaged parmesan either!

Recipe courtesy of my current favorite: Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
1 pound Fettuccine Noodles
1 stick Butter
1 cup Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a saucepan or skillet, warm butter and cream. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Grate Parmesan cheese and place half of it into a large serving bowl. Pour warm butter/cream mixture over the top.

Drain pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl.
Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan.

Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary.
Serve immediately as a main course or accompaniment to meat or salad.

Delicious!

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

I was perusing the website of Diary of a Recipe Addict this morning... and I ran into this recipe from Pioneer Woman!  Since we have a freezer half full of beef that still needs to be used... including cube steak which I have a hard time figuring out how to cook.... I thought this seemed worth a try! 

My measurements were a little lighter - 1 pound of cube steak (I think - 4 patties), 3 hoagie rolls that I browned in the oven, 1 1/2 small onions and no tabasco (we don't like heat).  I did add a light sprinkling of paprika. 

Here is the recipe:

Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

1 whole large (or 2 small) onions
1 stick butter (I used 3 tbsp)
2-3 lbs. cube steak (tenderized round steak that's been extra tenderized)
Seasoned Salt
1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco Sauce, to taste
4 whole French/deli rolls (like Earthgrains)

Slice the onions & cook in 1 Tbsp. butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with seasoned salt.

Heat 1 Tbsp. butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.

Add 1/2 c. (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5-6 shakes Tabasco, and 1 Tbsp. butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet or under broiler in oven.

To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with the other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!

Beef Dip Sandwiches

Courtesy of Joelen... I only used 1/2 cup of soy sauce, I forgot the bay leaves and it was still delicious! And very nice to drop on the crock pot and check on at the end of the day without worrying that it was overcooked!

4 pounds beef chuck roast
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 cup soy sauce
6 cups water

Directions
1.Place roast in slow cooker. Season with garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves. Pour in soy sauce and water. Cook on low setting for 6 to 10 hours. Unlike most roasts, the longer the better.

Creamy Taco Mac

I've seen this across many different blogs.  I'm not a big hamburger helper fan.  But since we have half a cow in the deep freeze, I often need creative ways to make ground beef, so I put this on the menu.  It's good for what it is - nice and creamy and cheesy.  I like my steak bites better, but this wasn't bad:-)

I used a version from Lauren's Kitchen

Ingredients

1.25 lbs ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
8 oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water
1 16oz jar of salsa
4 Tbsp mild taco seasoning
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese, plus more for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add taco seasoning and salsa. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melty and incorporated. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

Penne a la Betsy

Penne a la Betsy

From the Pioneer Woman

It is delicious - even though my husband is not a shrimp and tomato sauce fan, I made it and LOVED it. He didn't even try it - what a punk;-)

Ingredients
¾ pounds Penne Pasta
1 pound Shrimp
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
½ cups White Wine (or To Taste)
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Parsley, to taste
Fresh Basil - To Taste
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.
Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).
Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.
Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Pacific Pork Kabobs

with pineapple rice (mine was WAY overcooked and terrible - not the recipe's fault, I'm just awful at cooking rice!)

From Annie's Eats

For the kebabs:
Juice reserved from draining 1 (8 oz.) can pineapple tidbits (for rice)
1/3 cup honey, warmed
1 (1 lb.) pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

For the rice:
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Lime wedges, for serving (optional)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice and the honey. Mix well. Season the pork cubes with salt and pepper. Add to the bowl with the glaze, toss well to coat, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium heat. Lightly oil grates with vegetable oil.

To assemble the kebabs, alternately thread the pork and bell pepper pieces onto skewers. Brush with any of the remaining honey mixture. Grill until the pork is cooked through and peppers begin to char, about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the rice, cook according to package directions. Once cooked, mix in the scallions, pineapple tidbits, and ginger. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fluff with a fork. Serve the kebabs with rice and lime wedges.

Note - I used red onions for my husband's kabobs, he doesn't care for red peppers. The glaze was excellent!

Baked Ziti

From The Way the Cookie Crumbles.

Delicious.  Here's the recipe - it took much longer than I expected at the beginning.

Baked Ziti (from Cooks Illustrated)


Serves 8-10

Healthy tricks: Use 1% cottage cheese, whole wheat pasta, part-skim mozzarella, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch plus 1 cup milk instead of ¾ teaspoon cornstarch with 1 cup heavy cream.

1 pound whole milk or 1% cottage cheese (I used FF)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces parmesan cheese (about 1½ cups), grated
table salt
1 pound ziti pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 5 teaspoons)
1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon sugar (ha - I used 1 cup instead of tsp! Oops)
black pepper
¾ teaspoon cornstarch (2 tsp)
1 cup heavy cream (I used skim)
8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼ inch pieces (about 1½ cups)

I also added diced onions to the sauce, 1 pound Italian sausage & 8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms.  I made 2 dishes - one meatless, and added the mushrooms and sausage on top of the pasta, topping it with sauce.

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not brown. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in ½ cup basil and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in small bowl, transfer mixture to Dutch oven set over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato sauce and ¾ cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.

4. Transfer pasta mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle with remaining ¾ cup mozzarella and remaining ½ cup Parmesan over top. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons basil and serve.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

From Crockpot Tuesday's.  I like her recipes, they are easy prep work, not a lot of ingredients, and very tasty.

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breast
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 stalks of celery, chopped (omitted)
half of a large onion, chopped (omitted)
1 cup carrots, chopped (I used three large)
Rosemary and parsley, to taste (or whatever seasonings you like)
8 oz. egg noodles (I used 6 oz)

Directions:
Place everything in the crockpot except the egg noodles. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. At end of cook time, shred the chicken. Add egg noodles; cover and cook on high for about 30 minutes.

Mine was VERY thick, it was basically chicken and noodles.  I even added about 3/4 of a cup of water when I added the noodles.  It was good, though, and very easy!  The chicken shreds very nicely after being in a crockpot all day, and the noodles are very tasty on top of it.  If only it were healthy...

Campbell's Kitchen Beef Stroganoff

Straight from allrecipes.com, no pictures today.  Note to self- don't use stew meat, it's to tough unless you slow-cook it!


INGREDIENTS

1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak or beef top round steak
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
4 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles
Chopped fresh parsley


DIRECTIONS
Slice beef into very thin strips.
Heat half the oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef until browned, stirring often. Set beef aside.
Add remaining oil. Add onion and cook over medium heat until tender. Pour off fat.
Add soup and paprika. Heat to a boil. Stir in sour cream and return beef to skillet. Heat through. Serve over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.

Caprese Lasagna

This was good... but I messed it up. I should have cooked the noodles first, they were still a little crunchy, and I had added the rest of the chicken broth and baked for another 30 minutes to try and get them to cook. From Lauren's Kitchen.



Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
A few grates of fresh nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles
4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
Half a bunch basil, chopped (about 30 leaves)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.
Place a large saucepot over medium-heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk and chicken stock into the butter-flour mixture and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes.
Assemble the lasagna by ladling a small amount (about 1/4 cup, just eyeball it) of the sauce into the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and laying three lasagna noodles over the sauce. Top the noodles with about a third of the sliced tomatoes, a third of the basil, 1/4 cup of sauce and about a third of the shredded cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, topping the lasagna off with a final layer of sauce and shredded cheese.
Cover the pan with foil and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the baking dish and bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. When ready to serve, top with the remaining chopped basil leaves.

Chicken Tetrazzini

I have made this quite a few times - it is always delicious. I got it from the Kraft website. I served it with my version of Caprese salad - the store was out of fresh mozzarella and basil, so I did the best I could! Those are tomatoes out of my garden... the few that grew this year. Next year I hope to plant the tomatoes in the ground, hopefully they will grow better!

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium red pepper, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup flour
1 can (14 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken, peppers and mushrooms; cook and stir 5 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; set aside.
PLACE Neufchatel, flour and broth in skillet. Cook and stir with wire whisk until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min., stirring frequently.
DRAIN pasta; return to saucepan. Add Neufchatel cheese mixture, chicken mixture and 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese; mix well. Spoon into 2-qt. round casserole dish; cover with foil. Bake 25 min. Top with mozzarella and remaining 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese; continue baking, uncovered, 2 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

French Dip Sandwiches

No picture tonight - I forgot! And, technically, I didn't even make these. My mom is staying with us to watch Calvin this week, so she cooked for me. Either way, these were good and easy to make. Also a good recipe for all of those roasts that we have in the freezer.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe, adapted from Dinner's Ready.

1 pot roast, anywhere from 2 to 4 pounds
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
mozzarella slices
1 McCormick Au Jus sauce packet (found in the gravy mix aisle)
Rolls /buns

In crockpot, dissolve Au jus packet in 3 cups of cold water then add the roast (my roast was still partly frozen). Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours (I cooked mine about 8 hours on low before adding the peppers and onion for another hour). One hour before you plan to eat, shred the beef then slice the peppers and onions and add to crockpot. When it is finished, remove meat and veggies with a slotted spoon. Place mozzarella slices on buns and put under low broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Fill the rolls with the meat and veggies, then divide the Au Jus sauce into smaller bowls for dipping.

Creamy Orzo served with Herb-Rubbed Grilled Chicken

I was confused by Giada's recipe, from Smells Like Home, so I made it a little differently. For some reason, I thought that the chicken was cooked in the same pan as the orzo. Next time, I'll do it right! Also, it calls for shallots, but I have no idea what those are and couldn't find them in the store anyway, so I omitted those. I used half of the orzo that it calls for, and I didn't have a garlic clove or fresh parmesan, so I did my best without those (garlic powder and mozzarella/canned parmesan seemed to work just fine).

1 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, juices drained
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
reserved pasta water
2 tsp herbes de provence
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2″

Bring a heavy large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 10-11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Season pounded chicken on both sides with herbes de provence (1 tsp per breast), salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat and pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Put chicken on grill, turning after 4-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas*. Add the orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the Parmesan to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency. Season the orzo generously with salt and pepper, and serve.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

I made this delicious crock pot meal yesterday from Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipes. I modified it a bit, and we ate it as tacos instead of on rice. Very easy and good flavor.

Ingredients:

24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast (I used 3 large chicken breasts)
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro - skipped
14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped - skipped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste

Directions:

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. We ate as tacos; you can also serve over rice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I made Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Sunday afternoon. Actually, I made two - one for the freezer, one to eat. It was delicious! I also omitted the pepper and actually ended up using only 2 cups of cooked rice - that's all I had - and since I didn't have garlic, I used garlic powder. It would be better with the full amount, but it wasn't bad. I used diced grilled chicken breasts also, I don't shred chicken if I can help it. I ended up putting a ton of cheese on it - way too much for me, but Jeremy loved it. He's a big cheese fan.

This was also from Lauren's Kitchen.

2 T EVOO
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb diced ham
2 c cooked, shredded chicken breasts
4 T butter
1/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
14 oz can chicken broth
3 cups cooked rice
1 c shredded cheddar
1 c shredded mozzarella or swiss

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.I precooked the chicken by cutting it into thin strips (to cook faster) and throwing it into a skillet with a bit of oil. Then I shredded from there.Heat oil in a large, rimmed skillet over medium heat.Add the onions and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender.Then add the garlic, chicken and ham and cook for another 5 minutes until heated through.Add the butter until it is melted, then stir in the flour, salt and pepper until combined.Slowly stir in the chicken broth, then mix in the rice.Transfer mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle the top with your cheese.Bake for 20-25 minutes. For the last 10 minutes place aluminum foil overtop for oozing cheese.

Chicken Scallopine

I tried Chicken Scallopine from Lauren's Kitchen last night. It was fantastic! I didn't get a picture, but here is the recipe. I only used four chicken breasts, omitted the capers, and used chicken broth instead of dry white wine. I felt like such a professional, deglazing the pan and reducing the sauce! I'm excited to try this again with white wine next time.

Ingredients:
1 pound linguine
6 boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts
Flour
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup dry white wine
Chicken broth (optional)
1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream (can use half & half)
1 heaping tablespoon capers
chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions.Flatten chicken breasts to uniform thickness. Salt and pepper both sides, then dredge in flour.Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.Throw mushrooms into the pan and stir. Immediately pour in wine, then squeeze juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon. Stir to deglaze the pan, then cook vigorously for 1 minute, until sauce reduces.Pour in cream and stir, then add capers and parsley and stir. Turn off heat. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Don’t undersalt!Place pasta and chicken on a platter and top with every last drop of sauce. Generously sprinkle Parmesan Cheese over the top.