Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes

Artichoke hearts...really, need I say more.
Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes

From: The Pioneer Woman

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs.  butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 med. onion, finely diced
1 (14.4 oz)can artichoke hearts, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth or more as needed
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1lb. thin spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. chives, chopped

Cook spaghetti till alienate.  Drain and set aside.

Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes.  Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Stir in cream and chicken broth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Make sure not to under salt.  Cook over low. Heat until heated through, turn off heat.

Place drained pasta in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan.  Pour sauce over the top.  Add chives.  Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick

Creamy Orzo with Chicken, Mushroom and Red Peppers

Creamy Orzo with Chicken, Mushroom and Red Peppers

From: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 Tbs. olive oil
2 (about 1-1 1/2 lbs.) chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2" pieces
8 oz. white button mushrooms, quartered
1 tsp. dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 lb. orzo
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup reserved pasta water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs. flat leaf parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the orzo and cook until done.  When the orzo is done, set aside 1 cup of the pasta water, drain orzo and set aside.

While the orzo is cooking, in a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on all sides.  When browned, but cooked through, add the peppers, mushrooms and thyme.  Stir and let cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken in cooked through and the mushrooms and peppers have softened and browned and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.

In the skillet over medium heat, add the softened cream cheese in small chunks and stir so that the cheese melts and coats the chicken and vegetables.  Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer.  Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.  Stir.  Add the orzo, Parmesan, lemon juice and parsley. Stir to combine and heat through.  Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Haandi Chicken

A friend recently posted this recipe on Facebook and I was so smitten with the ingredients I just had to make it. Good thing I did because it was amazing and will be permanently added to my repertoire of quick, easy, delicious meals.


And pardon the HORRENDOUS picture. Some of the best tasting food is just plain ugly.
We double this recipe, because apparently my family is huge now. But I recommend doubling it anyway. You're going to want the leftovers (which were just as good).

Haandi Chicken
1lb chicken, cubed
2 onions, diced
1Tbs olive oil
6oz coconut milk
2tbs sour cream
1tsp Each: coriander, chili powder, garam masala, ginger, garlic salt
1/4 tsp cardamom 
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
8 oz pineapple pieces 
1/2 c cashews
Red pepper flakes

Cook onions in olive oil over med heat until just tender. Add chicken and cook util browned. Don't over cook (about 2-3 min). Add all spices except cilantro and pepper flakes. Add coconut milk, sour cream and pineapple. Simmer on low about 4-5 min. But don't let it come to a full boil. 1 minute before serving, add cilantro and red pepper flakes (optional). Serve over rice. Garnish with cashews. 

Sausage and Potato Bake

Sausage and Potato Bake

From: Real Mom Kitchen

2 pkgs. brown and serve sausage patties or links, thawed
3 1/2 cups frozen hash browns (I used the cubed kind)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1  cup of milk
6 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Cut thawed sausage into slices or patties into quarters.  Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Pour into prepared dish.  Bake 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes.

Chilled Fruit Cups

These were so fantastic. I kept a bunch covered in my freezer and would pull them out here and there (ok, so every night until they were gone) for a treat.
Chilled Fruit Cups

From: Real Mom Kitchen

1 (12 oz.) can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs. lemon juice
3 med. firm bananas, sliced
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen unsweetened strawberries
1 (15 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple
18 clear plastic cups

In a large bowl, prepare pineapple juice concentrate according to package directions. Add orange juice concentrate, water, sugar, lemon juice and the fruit.

Spoon 3/4 cupful into each plastic cup. Place cups in a pan and freeze. Remove from the freezer at least 40-50 minutes before serving. Serve with spoons.  You break up the frozen fruit with your spoon and eat it like a slush.

New Potatoes in Creamy Dill Sauce

New Potatoes in Creamy Dill Sauce

From: Kraft Foods

1-1/2 lb. small new potatoes, quartered

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup chive and onion cream cheese spread

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp. dill

 

Microwave potatoes and water in covered 3-qt. microwaveable dish on HIGH 15 to 17 min. or until potatoes are tender, stirring after 10 min.; drain. (I boiled mine on the stove.) Return potatoes to dish; set aside. 
 
Microwave cream cheese and milk in microwave safe bowl 1 min.; stir until smooth. Pour over potatoes; sprinkle with dill.


Microwave 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through; stir gently.

Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake

I made this for my friend's daughter's birthday! It was a huge hit and with good reason. It is yummy! In the picture below I doubled the recipe so as to feed a crowd.
Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake

From: Kraft Foods

1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed, divided

1 (3.9 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding

8 oreo cookies, chopped (about 1 cup)

12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

 

Pour fudge topping into medium bowl. Whisk in 1 cup of cool whip. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. Stir in chopped cookies. 
 




Arrange 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long sheet of foil; top with half of the cool whip mixture. Repeat layers.  Top with remaining sandwiches.  Frost top and sides with remaining cool whip.  Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet. 
 

Freeze 4 hours or until firm. 

Black Bean Tostados with Mango Avocado Salsa

 Avocado and Mango...really can you go wrong with this?

Black Bean Tostados with Mango Avocado Salsa

From: The Sisters Cafe

1-2 ripe avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
3 Tbs. lime juice
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tsp. lime zest
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped + more for garnish
4 Tbs. olive oil
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
black pepper, to taste
Spring greens (I just use whatever salad greens I happen to have) 
4 whole wheat tortillas
olive oil flavored Pam
kosher salt
Cotija cheese for garnish (I substitute in Feta)
 
In a medium bowl, toss mango and jalapeno with 1 Tbs. lime juice and salt. Add avocado and gently toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining lime juice, zest, sugar, cilantro and oil. Toss the black beans with the vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, spray both sides of the whole wheat tortillas with olive oil flavored Pam and sprinkle with kosher salt. Broil 3-4 minutes, flip and broil reverse side until lightly browned.
 
To assemble, sprinkle tostados with spring mix greens. Then spoon the black beans with vinaigrette into the center of the greens and top with the mango-avocado mixture. Garnish with chopped cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese and black pepper.

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

So So So delish!
Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

From: The Sisters Cafe

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa:
1 lb. tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced

Enchiladas:
olive oil
1/2 med. onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
cilantro leaves, chopped
3 lbs. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 lg. flour tortillas
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup sour cream + extra for serving
Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, optional- for garnish
Guacamole, optional
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor.  Add the cumin, salt and cilantro and pulse the mixture until well combined but still chunky.
 
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for another minute.  Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn’t burn then gradually add the chicken stock. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat and 1 cup of sour cream. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa.  Microwave your tortillas for a few second to make them soft and pliable.  Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll up. Place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas.

Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish with cilantro and tomato.

Serve hot with the remaining tomatillo salsa, sour cream, and fresh guacamole.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

From: The Sisters Cafe

2 Tbs. garlic, minced
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 lg. head cauliflower, washed and separated into small florets
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, not the powdered stuff
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a large casserole dish.  Place olive oiland garlic in a large resealable bag. Add cauliflower, and shake to mix. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with parmesan cheese and parsley and return to oven for 3 minutes.