Chicken Pasta with Lemon & Artichokes

I know that I've talked a million times before about my favorite cookbook, Grand Temptations.  You know, the one that was made by the Grand Rapids Junior League that I was a part of?  Yeah....that one.  I really wish that I could buy a bunch of copies and give them to y'all because it really is a fantastic book.  There is not one single item that I've made from it that wasn't good.  And believe me when I say that I've made a ton of recipes from it and every dish has been superb!  It's such a great book for entertaining as well because it really helps you to be a "show off" in the kitchen (but not in a mean, snotty, "I'm better than you" way).  They're impressive recipes and they come from renowned chefs and restaurants in West Michigan, so they better be good, right?!  I'm telling you, you need to go out and get this book.  Who knows?  Maybe someday (soon) I'll end up giving one away!

Okay, enough about the book and onto the recipe.  I needed to talk about the book a little bit as my segue into this dish because, well, it's a recipe found in the book!  This was actually my first time making it and I've been eyeing it for a while but just never got to the actual task of preparing it.  So in planning my menu for the week, I went through my list (yes, I have a list...a long list, actually, of dishes I'd like to make in the next couple of months) and saw it on there.  It actually reminds me of an adaptation of Chicken Piccata, which if you're ever looking for a good recipe, Ina Garten's version is definitely the best!

Anyway, this recipe is a little more heavy than Chicken Piccata but the lemon juice helps to lighten it up a touch and the breading on the chicken is rather light as well.  All around, it's a great dish to make for Fall and into the Winter and served with a nice salad and some Italian bread, it'd be a great meal to entertain with as well!

Chicken with Lemon & Artichokes

Ingredients
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Flour
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs (I prefer Panko)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Olive Oil
1 Sm. Onion, minced
1- 12oz. jar Artichoke Hearts, roughly chopped
1 Lemon, juiced
1/3 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Tsp. Dried Basil
1/2 cup Butter
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/2lb. Spaghetti, cooked

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.

Set up a station to coat the chicken breasts with 3 shallow bowls.  In the first bowl, add the flour.  In the second bowl, combine the eggs and milk; whisk until blended.  In the third bowl, combine the bread crumbs and cheese; mix until combined. 

Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and begin the breading process by dipping each breast in the flour, then into the egg mixture followed by the bread mixture (be sure to coat both sides). 

Carefully place each chicken breast into the hot skillet and saute' until golden brown on each side (about 1-2 minutes). 

Remove the browned chicken breasts to a baking dish and bake until the juices run clear (about 25 minutes).

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over med-high heat.  Add in the onion and saute until tender.  Add in the artichokes, lemon juice and chicken stock; mix well and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally.  Mix in the basil and butter to create a smooth sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the chicken over the pasta and top with the lemon and artichoke sauce.


Yield: 4 Servings
Source: Adapted from Grand Temptations

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Summer Orzo Salad

So, I've been a little out of it lately as far as cooking and updating things around here and I apologize.  To be honest, I really haven't done too much cooking lately.  But, it was definitely well overdue and I decided to get out of my rut, concoct a weekly menu for this week and do a little grocery shopping to make it all happen! 

As you know, we recently made these Boneless Wings and they went over tremendously well with the online community!  I've had lots of emails and comments and views regarding this recipe and it has seemed to be quite the pleaser all over.  Why wouldn't it be?  Boneless wings are great and these are super simple and delicious, giving Buffalo Wild Wings a run for their money!  It's definitely one of Chris' favorite foods and now is definitely one of his favorite meals to make.  I like making them too because it's a team effort when these bad boys go down in our house and we work really well together in the kitchen when we're not getting in each other's way!

So Boneless Wings were on the menu, again, for this past weekend.  When we make them, I usually like to accompany them with lighter side dishes since the wings are typically a little more heavy and spicy in flavor (depending on the sauce you use...we like ours spicy).  Last time I made this Black Eyed Pea & Ham Salad to go with them and while it was really tasty, I wanted to do something different.  I wanted to do a summer pasta salad of some sort.  I came across this recipe a while ago, in Everyday with Rachael Ray.  It really inspired this dish, but I adapted it quite a bit that the changes really make it stand on it's own as an entree too.

While the original recipe calls for rotini, I substituted in orzo for a light and fun twist.  In addition, I added in fresh squash and panko bread crumbs for additional flavor and textures.  This is such a light and summer dish and is great served warm or cold.  It's versatility and combination of flavors really make it hearty but not heavy.  A little grilled chicken or shrimp mixed in could go a long way!  I don't recall his exact words, but Chris really enjoyed it (so much that I caught him sneaking a helping or two out of the container in the fridge)!  This is definitely a dish we'll be eating more often and it's also great for picnics, BBQ's and summer parties alike!

Summer Orzo Salad

Ingredients
1 lb. Orzo
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3/4 cup Panko Crumbs
3 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
1 Med. Zucchini, sliced thinly
1 Med. Yellow Squash, sliced thinly
1 1/2 cups Corn (fresh or frozen)
Salt
Pepper

Directions
Add orzo to salted, boiling water and cook until al dente (about 10 minutes).  Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat olive oil over med-high heat.  Add in the garlic, zucchini and squash; sautee until tender (about 5 minutes).  In a small pan, toast panko crumbs over medium heat and let cool.

Drain orzo and return to pan.  Toss together the zucchini and squash mixture with the orzo.  Add in the corn; mix well.  Add in 1 1/2 cups of Swiss Cheese to the mixture and mix until cheese melts in.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To the panko crumbs, add the remaining cheese and basil; toss to combine.  Place orzo into a serving bowl and top with panko mixture.  Serve warm or cool.

Yields: 4-6 Servings
Source: Inspired by Everyday with Rachael Ray

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Taco Mac 'n' Cheese

Seriously, who doesn't love a good bowl of mac 'n' cheese, especially the homemade kind?  Don't get me wrong, I've been known to treat myself to my fair share of Velveeta Shells and Cheese from time to time and even the stuff that comes in a blue box as well, but the homemade version is so good, so comforting and so easy to make!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to add-ins and mix-ins for mac 'n' cheese.  In college, I loved mixing it with a little tuna and frozen peas...kind of a semi-homemade version of tuna casserole (and on the cheap too)!  But one thing I've never done before is make a taco version.  And with my love for Mexican-inspired food, for the life of me, I can't think why!  Taco Mac has been all the buzz lately in the online foodie community; it's sort of a homage to Hamburger Helper.  Remember that stuff?!  I used to eat that a lot in college too and I'm not gonna lie....it's pretty darn tasty, but also pretty darn bad for you! 

So I had a few different versions of Taco Mac bookmarked to make, but in the shower the other day (yes, I think about food in the shower and everywhere else and at all times of the day), a few ingredients came to mind that would be perfect pairings with the mac 'n' cheese recipe to replicate the currently infamous Taco Mac.  While most everyone else used ground beef or turkey, I decided to spice it a bit and use chorizo!  Sauteed in some diced onions and poblano peppers, it flavored this dish in so many other ways than just using plain old taco seasoning.  I used a mixture of Mexican cheeses for the sauce and, of course, my homemade taco seasoning.  It was so creamy and so delicious, I am highly anticipating the leftovers for lunch today!

Taco Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients
1 lb. of Chorizo
1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
1 Sm. Poblano Pepper, diced
1 lb. Pasta (I used Rotini)
1 1/2 cups Milk
8 oz. Cream Cheese
3 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
2 cups Mexican-blend Cheese, shredded (any kind of cheese would suffice, especially Monterey Jack)
2 Tbsp. Sour Cream

Directions
Cook pasta in large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente (about 10 minutes).  In a large skillet, begin browning the chorizo over med-high heat.  Drain the grease from the pan and mix in the onion and pepper; saute' until tender (about 5 minutes).  Drain the pasta and place back into the pot.

In a small saucepan, mix together the milk and cream cheese.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted and the sauce begins to thicken (about 5 minutes).  Stir in the taco seasoning; mix well.

Pour the chorizo mixture into the pasta and top with the sauce; mix together.  Add in the cheese and stir until it's melted in.  Mix in the sour cream until incorporated into the pasta.  Serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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Pasta Cordon Bleu

A while ago, Chris decided to take it upon himself to go out and buy some groceries! Now, I really don't have a problem with this except I normally plan out my menu for the week on Sundays. Included in that process is making out my grocery list with everything we need from meats to produce to canned goods to baking supplies. The problem is, however, when he goes, he tends to pick up random and unnecessary items like, for instance, a 3 pound Black Forest Ham! Now I don't completely blame him. Why? Because he's a man and they really don't know any better! But the problem remained that I didn't have ham on my weekly menu and it was a good sized ham. What do I do with that?! I'll tell you what I did. I froze the sucker until I could figure out what I wanted to use it for.

So every stinking time I opened up the freezer, I saw that ham staring me straight in the face. What do I do with ham other than bake it?! Easter is coming up and traditionally in my family, we have baked ham. So that was out. Plus, it's just kind of boring to me. I thought about Cuban Sandwiches (which I'm still thinking of since I have so much of it left over). I thought about Scalloped Potatoes & Ham but that just seemed blah to me. Then Chicken Cordon Bleu came to mind! I had the chicken and I had the ham, so all I needed were the other ingredients. BUT I really didn't want to fuss with pounding out chicken and rolling them with ham and cheese and then breading them and....well, you know the rest.

But I love the flavors of the dish, so I decided to put my own spin on it and make it with pasta because, well, pasta goes with everything. Doesn't it?! And it was much less of a hassle to make then the latter idea. So my wheels began to turn of how I was going to compose this dish. It started with a fun bow tie pasta (which I highly recommend for fun), chunks of ham and chicken and a creamy Swiss cheese sauce in between. To top it off, a nice crunchy Panko breading to give the effect of the breaded chicken. Now, I will tell you that I thought about actually breading the chicken and then mixing it in, but I didn't. The reason: I know that the chicken would get soggy sitting in that cheese sauce (especially for leftovers) and that just ruins the whole thing for me! Really this dish turned out to be very flavorful, very creamy and very much like Chicken Cordon Bleu!

Pasta Cordon Bleu

Ingredients
1 lb. Pasta (bow tie, cavatappi, orechiette, etc.)
1 cup Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup Ham, cooked and cubed
1 1/2 cups Milk
8 oz. Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion
2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper
1 cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over med-high heat. Salt it and add the pasta; cook until al dente (about 10 minutes). Drain and return to the pot. Add in the chicken and ham and toss to combine.

Preheat the broiler. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream cheese and minced onion over low-medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a smooth texture (about 5 minutes). Stir into the pasta mixture. Stir in the Swiss cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer pasta to a baking dish and top with Panko crumbs. Pour melted butter over crumbs and broil until browned (about 3 minutes).

Note: I parboiled my chicken for about 20 minutes to cook it and I used Black Forest Ham in this recipe; however any type of cooked ham would do.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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Chicken Ravioli with Peas, Shallots & Warm Butter Sauce

Who doesn't love pasta?! I honestly cannot think of one single person I know that doesn't enjoy a good, hearty pasta dish. Can you? I mean, really, I can't. I can tell you people who don't like all sorts of things that are loved by many (and I think they're crazy) but I don't know of anyone who will turn down pasta every now and then!

There is something so warm, inviting and reminiscent about eating it. It's comfort food (especially mac 'n' cheese)! But most pasta is certainly not inviting to our bellies (the shape of it, that is) and in my case, the hips. But I will be the first to tell you that I will never officially "diet" because that would mean cutting out pasta and that just aint gonna happen. Period.

So when I came across a "lighter" version of a pasta dish on Noble Pig's blog, I was immediately drawn to it and knew I needed to make something similar. She made a ravioli dish with peas and shallots in a warm buttery sauce. It sounded good, it looked good and I was 99% sure it would be good. I was right. It was amazingly good. Even though it sat in a butter sauce on my plate, it wasn't drenched and there wasn't a ton of it, so it really was a rather lighter dish (unlike the heavier cream and marinara sauces you normally get).

The flavors exploded with my first bite and the warm butter with the sweetness of peas and shallots married with hints of lemon was like sunshine in my mouth! The only modification I made to this dish was making homemade ravioli using up leftover chicken from this meal. In my opinion, there is nothing better than homemade pasta (especially in chicken noodle soup) and the combination of the ricotta cheese, grilled chicken and basil paired so well with the sauce. It was a perfect ending to my day!

Ravioli with Peas, Shallots & Warm Butter Sauce

Ingredients - Ravioli
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 cup Hot Water
3/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg
1/2 cup Chicken, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, finely chopped
1/2 cup reserved Pasta Water
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Pepper

Ingredients - Sauce
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Shallots, sliced
1 - 10oz. bag Frozen Peas
1 Tsp. Lemon Zest
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Salt
Pepper

Directions - Ravioli
In a large bowl, combine the flour and water. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine into a large ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, chicken, Parmesan, basil, salt and pepper. Mix together well.
- Rotisserie chicken or other forms of meat can be substituted as well as no meat at all.

To form the ravioli, cut the dough into 4 evenly sized pieces. Note: the dough should be slightly sticky. Add extra flour as necessary for rolling, but use only a little as necessary. Roll each piece into approximately a 4"x19" rectangle. Place 9 rounded teaspoons of filling about 1" apart down the center of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing down around the edges of each section of filling. Cut the ravioli into small squares and seal the edges by pressing around the filling with your fingertips. Place the finished ravioli on a baking sheet and continue forming ravioli with the remaining dough.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add half of the ravioli and cook until they begin to float (approximately 4 minutes). Drain into a bowl and cook the remaining ravioli.

Directions - Sauce
In a large pan, melt the butter over med-high heat. Add shallots and cook until they become tender and slightly translucent (approximately 3 minutes). Stir in the peas, lemon zest, Parmesan, water, basil salt and pepper to taste. Cook until peas are heated through (approximately 2-3 minutes).

Serve immediately over ravioli. - Store bought ravioli may be substituted for homemade.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: Recipe adapted from Giada at Home & Noble Pig

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Creamy Shrimp & Pasta

One of my dreaded weekly chores includes planning our dinner menu for the week and making up a grocery list.  I dislike it.  A lot.  Almost as much as I dislike doing laundry.  But, it's a necessity in order for us to stay on budget and it helps with my sanity of not having to figure out what I'm going to make for dinner each night (instead, I'm just crazy for about 4 hours every Sunday figuring our menu for the week)! 

I found this week to be incredibly difficult, especially now that we're approaching a new year.  As with most normal Americans, we're faced with the challenge of resolutions and that infamous one of losing weight with the attachments of eating healthier meals and exercising.  With that in mind, I was trying to also plan our menu by utilizing and using up some of the items we already have (another budget saver).  I knew that I wanted to make a shrimp entree of some sort because we had quite a bit of it in our freezer and shrimp is health, right?  Right.  But, for some reason when I think of shrimp, I think of pasta.  I don't know why but I just love shrimp paired with pasta and trying to come up with a semi-healthy meal including pasta can be a challenge in itself because pasta is just SO much better when it's loaded up with cream and cheese!

I came across a recipe that I believe actually came from Kraft, which inspired me to make this meal.  While I'll admit, it does have cheese in it, we paired it with a nice green salad to balance it out and I guess for psychological purposes, make me feel better about it!  We have been eating very well during the day and one meal with a little cheese can't hurt, right?!  This dish was so yummy.  In fact, I was trying to take pictures of it to post on here and I couldn't help myself from going back and forth to the stove and grabbing a forkful of it.  It was that good.  Honest.

Creamy Shrimp & Pasta

Ingredients
1 lb. Shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 Tbsp. Kraft Parmesan Basil Vinaigrette with Olive Oil
1/4 cup Pasta, uncooked
1 cup Grape Tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp Light Cream Cheese
1 Tsp. Basil
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, crumbled

Directions
In a small bowl, pour the dressing over the shrimp and let marinate, covered, in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package.

Heat a large skillet on med-high heat; add the shrimp mixture and cook 3-5 minutes or until pink.  Remove the shrimp from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add the tomatoes, cream cheese and basil to the marinade in the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes or until blended well.  Add shrimp and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta and add to the skillet with the shrimp and cream mixture.  Toss gently to coat and sprinkle cheese on top.  Serve immediately. 

Source: Adapted from Kraft

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