My Take on a Pasta Primavera

So one of my biggest problems when cooking for the blog is taking pictures. These are meals that I'm really making for dinner, throwing my own spin and ingredients into the mix and posting them. This one was really delicious. So good, in fact, that Scott was sad when the sauce (vegetables) were gone!!!

Need: Adjust accordingly based on your family size... Mine serves 2. 

• 1 box of pasta (I prefer angel hair and we make more than the 2 serving, I leave room for leftovers every time, so use what you need for your family)
• 1/4 of an onion (This is about 1/4 cup) - Diced
• 2 Cups fresh spinach - chopped 
• 1 can on diced tomatoes - Drained
• 1/2 Cup of mushrooms - Diced
• 1/4 Cup Green Pepper - Diced
• 1/2 Cup Italian Dressing
• Butter, Salt, Pepper - to taste.
• 2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - Cubed

What to Do:

• Boil the pasta in oil, water and salt al dente - drain water and sit to the side.
• In a small saute pan, melt some butter (I usually use a small spoonful) and add onion and green pepper. Saute until onions are transparent and green peppers are soft.

• In a larger saute pan add: chicken, spinach, diced tomatoes, Italian dressing, and mushrooms. Cook on medium until chicken is no longer pink, add onions and green peppers. 
• Season your sauce to taste, simmer on medium-low for about 10-15 minutes.

• Top your pasta with sauce, add Parmesan cheese if desired. 

Enjoy!!!

I love the flavors of this meal and the health factor here also. 

~Amanda 

Turkey Meatloaf

Hey Everyone!!!

Today we're going to make a delicious turkey meatloaf. Compliments of a couple different recipes with my own flair. I Completely forgot to snap a picture before I ate it, but it was yummy!

Need:

• 1 pound of Ground Turkey Breast
• 2 Slices of Bread
• 1/4 Cup of Green Peppers
• 1/4 Cup of diced Tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup of Diced Onion
• Splash of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 Cup of Ketchup
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Cheese
• Salt/Pepper/Seasoning to taste

What Now?:

• Preheat your Oven to 350 degrees
• Butter or grease a loaf pan.
• In a Large bowl mix raw turkey breast with any seasoning you wish to add, I use the a paprika mixture and some salt and pepper.  

• Add all of your chopped veggies (tomato, onion, green pepper) and blend together with the meat.
• Then add your bread. Break the bread into small squares and mix in. 
• Next, the 2 eggs. Make sure you are mixing this especially well, as this is what keeps the meatloaf together in the loaf pan and maintains it's shape when you go to eat it.  

• Finally, add your sauces, ketchup and Worcestershire and the cheese. Mix it all up and transfer it to the loaf pan.
• I normally add a layer of ketchup to the top of my meatloaf and make a BBQ and Ketchup sauce for it when it is finished.
• Cook for about 45 minutes (internal temperature should be at least 165 F)

Finally, Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next week, is a healthy tortellini and spinach soup.... YUM! 

Savory Italian Chicken

Look at that yummy looking meal! ^

Next week I am moving, so the cooking will stop for a short time, so I'm posting a little more readily than a week. Shown above is a savory Italian chicken and a garlic bowtie pasta. I was sitting at home starving for something edible, and I remembered all those commercials with that attractive man who puts Italian dressing in a pan and his shirt burns off. Besides the fact that the hot guy is shirtless, it also gave me an idea for my own cooking... It turns out he not only has sex appeal, but brains too, who knew! It was delicious, add a salad or some greens and you'll be in heaven! The recipe serves one, so multiply for your family!

Need:

1 Boneless, Skinless chicken breast, thawed.

1/4 Cup of Portabella Mushrooms 

1/8 Cup White Onion chopped

1/4 Cup Italian Dressing

Seasoning: Salt, Pepper (to taste) 

1 Serving pasta

Splash of Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese (to taste) 

• For the seasoning, I love this stuff called Emeril's Essence, it's got paprika and other delicious spices, it just adds so much flavor! (Pictured below)

What to do now:

• Boil water, salt and oil for the pasta, cook the pasta normally, drain the water.
• Heat a splash of olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat, add chicken and onion.
• Season the chicken.
• Chicken will begin to brown on the outside, but remain relatively uncooked on the outside. Once chicken is browned, add Italian dressing and reduce to medium heat. 
• Heat for about 10 minutes, or until chicken is mostly done, add mushrooms.
• Simmer for about 5-10 more minutes, until mushrooms and chicken are cooked. 
• While the chicken in cooking, add a splash of either garlic oil, or butter to the pasta, then season with salt, Italian seasoning, or garlic salt, top with Parmesan cheese. 
• Remove chicken from heat, and Enjoy!

This is a wonderfully simple, quick, and somewhat healthy dinner option. I loved this dinner, and will certainly continue to make it in the future!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Batman Cake

So for Scott's birthday, I threw him a Batman Surprise Birthday Party, granted he's 25 years old, but still a kid at heart and 25 was somewhat scary for him. I decided to make him a cake with his favorite flavors! Enjoy!

Need:

• Black Chocolate Melts (Half a bag will do, chocolate chips work well also, but the black is best for the Batman symbol
• 2 boxes of Chocolate cake (I'm a simple girl, a box cake is totally fine!)
• 1 Cup Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Cup Butter, Softened, Unsalted
• 3 TBSP Milk, Room Temp.
• Splash of Vanilla
• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar (May need more or less depending on consistency)
• 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 Icing
• Small amount of Vanilla Icing - food colored Yellow

What to do:

• For the Batman Logo
• If you can believe it, the logo is chocolate. All I did was go online and print off this logo and 'traced' the logo with an icing bag full of melted chocolate, and cleaned it up with a clean, unused paint brush. Then put it in the freezer to harden. Below is the link for the logo.
• http://www.vectortemplates.com/raster/batman-logo-big.gif
• Make 2 8-10 inch Chocolate cakes, according to directions on the box. Cool.
• For Peanut Butter Icing
1. Mix butter and Peanut Butter in Mixing Bowl
2. Add vanilla
3. Slowly add in powdered sugar, mixing constantly
4. As the mixture gets thick, add milk to smooth it out (you may not need all the milk)
5. Continue mixing until consistency is smooth, like icing.
• Add the peanut butter icing to the center of the cake, not too much, you should have some icing left over when you're finished.
• For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Icing
• Take your chocolate chips, and any left over chocolate from the logo and melt it, if you have trouble with it, you can add some butter. This chocolate should be fairly thin.
• Add your melted chocolate to the leftover peanut butter icing. This will make a sort of ganache/icing mixture, which spreads and tastes amazing.
• Ice your cake with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Icing
• Let the icing sit for a bit, it should 'harden' a bit. It will still be soft, just won't bleed into the yellow icing. 
• Make a yellow icing circle
• Add the Batman Logo!

It's a really simple recipe, but let me tell you, everyone adored this cake. I received so many compliments, and I'm sure this cake will make another appearance in our house! Hopefully, you enjoy it as much as I do!

~Amanda

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole!

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole!

Are you ready for a delicious dish that serves a hoard of people for a low cost?! This is a savory and yummy meal!

What you need:

1. 1 Container of Savory Garlic Cooking Creme 
2. 1Lb. of boneless skinless chicken breast,  cubed.
3. 2 bags of frozen peas, carrots, and corn. (This can be whatever you want, add different veggies if you'd like)
4. 1/2 Bag of Egg Noodles
5. 2 Packages of Biscuits
6. 1/4 Cup of Cheese
7. Butter or Margarine

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to the temperature set forth on your container of biscuits.
2. Cook your vegetables, noodles, and chicken. Make sure you've seasoned everything!
3. Put them all together, add the cooking creme. You shouldn't need any stove heat for this because it should all still be hot, if it isn't, make sure to add some heat so the sauce mixes well.
4. Add the mixture to a large casserole dish distributing evenly.
5. Top the mixture with biscuits, covering it entirely.
6. Add a little cheese to the top.
7. Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes. Chances are the biscuits will be browned on the top, and not all the way cooked in the center, in this instance, cover with foil, and cook for a few minutes longer, checking often.

Scott and I had this for about 4 different meals, and it was so tasty, he told all the guys at work about it. Hopefully, you enjoy it just as much!

If you like Recipe Thursdays, let me know and we can make a habit of this!

~Amanda