Chicken Carbonara

Every time I make this dish, Chris says he would marry me all over again. It's darn delicious. Oh the rich and creamy sauce is to die for! Quite a bit of prep, but TOTALLY worth it. And it feeds an army. You could cut the recipe in half, but I like to make it all at once, and freeze the other half in a separate casserole dish.

Chicken:
1 cup EVOO
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 lbs boneless chicken strips
1/4 cup crumbled bacon

Sauce:
1 cup butter (yep, a whole cup!)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons crumbled bacon
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 cups heavy cream
4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:
3 tablespoons romano cheese
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (panko are the best here)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

2 lbs. cooked pasta (thicker noodle - linguine, fettucine)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Whisk extra virgin olive oil together with hot water, seasoning and chopped garlic. Add the chicken strips. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Melt butter in an extra large skillet/saucepan (you'll be adding in the pasta and chicken later) over medium heat. Add garlic and bacon. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add flour, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, milk, pepper and salt. Use a whisk to whip all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer.

Combine Romano, Parmesan, mozzarella, breadcrumbs, chopped garlic, melted butter in a mixing bowl. Stir until well blended. Set aside.

Preheat skillet. Add chicken mixture to pan. Add garlic and bacon. Cook chicken on both sides.

Add chicken (oil and all) to the cream sauce. Stir until well blended. Add in cooked pasta. Place in greased 9x13 glass dish.

Evenly distribute topping over chicken. Place in broiler until top is golden brown (just a few minutes).

Serve immediately, enjoy and then go hibernate!

Lemon Cream Chicken Pasta

Rob told me this tastes like something he'd order at Macaroni Grill. This might be the highest compliment he's ever paid my cooking. (Yes, around here Macaroni Grill is haute cuisine. :o) Don't judge, we don't get out much.)

I made this dinner for my mother-in-law for her birthday. It's easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but tastes like a "special occasion" meal.

-1 (8 oz) box penne pasta
-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (see below for how I prepare mine.)
-2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
-1 cup heavy cream
-zest of one large lemon (zest before you juice it)
-juice of one large lemon, about 1/4 cup
-1 tsp garlic powder
-fresh cracked pepper to taste
-grated Parmesan cheese
-fresh chopped parsley

Bring chicken broth, garlic powder and pepper to a boil. Add lemon juice and pasta. Cover and simmer until all the liquid is gone, about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally*. Remove from heat, add chicken and stir in cream and lemon zest. Heat through, about 5 minutes. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

*You may fear soggy pasta boiling it this long. I certainly feared it. But, the pasta just tasted really darn good and was the perfect texture. I used Barilla Plus; our fav.

I think this would also be great with roasted grape tomatoes or roasted asparagus stirred right into the pasta. Will try that next time.

Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This is one of our favorite recipes from Barefoot Contessa. We make this a lot in the summer! Enjoy!

1 lb. fusilli (spirals) pasta (I get the tri-colored fusilli)
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 package grape tomatoes, halved
1 can black olives, halved
1 lb. pound fresh mozzarella, diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup fresh basil, julienned

For the Dressing:
10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 tsp capers, drained
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Drain well and allow to cool.

Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil and toss well.

Spinach Stuffed Shells

I'm sure everyone has a good recipe for stuffed shells, but I just made these tonight and wanted to share. I make it with low-fat ricotta cheese and 2% mozzarella to make it a little more figure friendly. This is a great way to get spinach in kids, I'm learning! :o) E loves these.

1 box jumbo shells

2 cups marinara sauce (I use Shana's recipe for meat sauce)

10 oz. box frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Cook shells according to package directions; be sure to leave al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Mix together spinach, ricotta, parmesan, garlic, egg, oregano, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon spinach and cheese mixture into shells and place in bottom of the dish. Pour sauce over shells and top with cheese. Bake for 35 minutes until cheese is melty and sauce is bubbly.

Chicken Lasagna Florentine

This is one of my favorite low calorie, Crock pot recipes.

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup (reduced fat)
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1/2 pound cooked chicken (I used shredded rotisserie chicken breasts)
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
9 uncooked lasagna noodles (don't use the oven-ready noodles)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine the soup, spinach, chicken, sour cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Grease Crock pot with cooking spray and place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom of the Crock pot. Break noodles as needed to fit. Spread 1/3 of the mixture over the noodles; sprinkle with 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese. Layer three more noodles, half of remaining mixture and 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles, mixture and mozzarella cheese.

Cook on HIGH for 1 hour and then reduce heat to LOW and cook for about 3-4 hours or until done.

Tammy's Toasted Ravioli

Okay, so I didn't invent this, but I've certainly perfected it (if I must say so myself!). Chris and the kids love toasted ravioli and if you make enough, it will fill you up fast. I think it was intended to be an appetizer, but in our house, this turns into a meal some nights.

2 eggs
splash of milk
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
parsley - chopped or fresh
fresh cheese ravioli - about a pound
(you can use frozen too, just make sure they're thawed)
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Beat eggs and milk with salt and pepper. In a second dish, combine bread crumbs with cheese and parsley. Coat the pasta in egg mixture then bread crumbs. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet then toast the ravioli until deep golden brown, about five minutes on each side.

Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

* WARNING: these suckers can be deceptively hot - the filling inside is much warmer than the crunchy outside.