Baked Tortellini

I don't know how it happened but it seems like all the meals I have planned lately have been from Real Mom Kitchen. She just has a lot of recipes that look good to me I guess!

This recipe was another hit! Super easy to prepare, this rich pasta went a lot further than I was anticipating.

This pasta is not for the feint of heart. Although it is a meatless dish it is packed with cheeses and heavy whipping cream. I tried to lighten it up a bit by using spinach and cheese tortellini and low fat cheeses. I also paired it with a salad with fat free dressing. May as well cut calories where you can!

This entire recipe came together in less than 30 minutes and only has a few ingredients. It would be delicious served with garlic bread as well.

The recipe is courtesy of Real Mom Kitchen and can be found here.

Baked Tortellini

From Real Mom Kitchen

Reminder Recipe! One Year Ago: Sloppy Joes

• 3 cups or 1 (13 oz) bag fresh cheese tortellini
• 1  (24 oz) jar of marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 11 x 7-inch baking pan.
2. In a pot of boiling water, cook tortellini for 3 minutes.  You don’t want it fully cooked because it will cook more in the oven. Drain and place in a bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoons of butter to prevent sticking.
3. Combine the marinara, cream, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Then add to the pasta and gently toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
4. Place the tortellini into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and mozzarella.  Then bake uncovered for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until lightly browned.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blackberry Sauce

What more could you want in life than breakfast for your birthday dinner? I contest there is nothing else you could want! And since it is my birthday today I get to have whatever I want to. I have so many wonderful breakfast recipes that I want to try that it was hard to decide which one I wanted the most, but I cannot kick my lemon craving this pregnancy so this recipe ultimately won out. And it was AMAZING! Don't be afraid of the amount of lemon juice this calls for - it is the perfect amount and they are divine. And the blackberry sauce is a perfect compliment. Serve them up with some sausage and hashbrowns and you may as well die and go to heaven!!!! This is one we will do in our home again and again!

The recipe and picture are courtesy of Real Mom Kitchen and can be found here.

LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES
From Real Mom Kitchen

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In another bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest, and canola oil.
3. Gently fold the ricotta mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined. Do not over mix. This batter will be thick.
4. Heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat with canola oil. Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook the pancakes until browned on the underside and beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about two minutes longer. Continue making pancakes until batter is gone. Serve warm with blackberry sauce. Makes about 10 pancakes.

BLACKBERRY SAUCE
From Real Mom Kitchen

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 2 cup frozen blackberries

1. In a small sauce pan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk the water into the sugar mixture until well blended. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
2. Remove from heat and gently stir in blackberries. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Serve warm over the lemon ricotta pancakes.

Pancake recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod, Blackberry Sauce recipe a Real Mom Kitchen original

Barbecue Chicken and Penne Skillet

If you are in the "small family" position like we are then you probably also frequently have leftovers. Sometimes we do things in completely but a lot of times the meals that I make are just big enough that we have quite a bit to eat for subsequent days. After doing the Throw And Go BBQ Chicken last night we had a lot of chicken leftover and, although it is delicious as leftovers, I saw this recipe in my arsenal and wanted to try it out. I think my favorite part about this rollover recipe is that it is so different from the original. We had BBQ Chicken sandwiches, green beans and mashed potatoes for dinner last night. Tonight we had heaping bowls of this spicy and flavorful pasta with toasted garlic rolls. Yummy!

This recipe comes together so quickly and easily. It is almost a one skillet meal. In the time it takes for your noodles to boil the whole thing will be done. As I said before, it is richly flavorful and spicy. If you are not an avid onion lover I would suggest cutting back on the amount in the beginning because after adding the Rotel and the green onions on top this is quite an "onion-y" dish. Which, of course, we love! I had everything on hand except for the roasted red peppers. They can be quite pricey so I just left them out and didn't feel like the dish was lacking in anything.

This picture and recipe are courtesy of Real Mom Kitchen and can be found here.

Barbecue Chicken and Penne Skillet

From Real Mom Kitchen

·         1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta

·         3/4 cup chopped onion

·         1 tablespoon butter

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         1 container (18 ounces) refrigerated fully cooked barbecued shredded chicken or 3 cups leftover shredded bbq chicken

·         1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained (like Rotel)

·         1/2 cup diced roasted red pepper (optional)

·         1/2 cup beef broth

·         1 teaspoon ground cumin

·         pepper to taste

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1-1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

·         3 chopped green onions

1.      Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in butter and oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Stir in the pork, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, broth, cumin, pepper and salt; heat through.
2.      Drain pasta. Add pasta and cheese to chicken mixture. Sprinkle with green onions. Serves 6-8

 Recipe adapted from Simple and Delicious April/May 2011 issue.

Throw and Go BBQ Chicken

I am always excited to find new crockpot recipes! We have very long days on Tuesdays and unless we want to be eating at 10 pm I have to prepare a crockpot recipe or plan something that my husband can make himself.

I was really concerned about the cooking time for this recipe: 6 hours on high in my crockpot sounded like nothing but burnt chicken to me! I contacted Laura at Real Mom Kitchen (where I got this recipe) and she assured me that that is the correct cooking time.

I went ahead and tried the recipe and cooked it for 6 hours on high. As I feared, the sauce around the edge of the pot burned completely. Luckily, only 1/2 of 1 of my chicken breasts was unsalvageable. The rest were shreddable but very dry. I ended up adding about another cup of BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce and a little more liquid smoke to the cooked chicken. It was still very tasty and my family loved it. My husband "oooohhhed" and "ahhhhhed" through the whole meal.

But it made me wonder, what happened? The only thing I changed about the original recipe was to use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce instead of the Kansas City. I looked up the Kansas City BBQ Sauce online and it didn't look like it was exceptionally more liquid based that it would have made that much of a difference.

So I contacted Laura again and asked if maybe my crockpot is just too powerful. She responded:

"Not all crock pots cook the same, unfortunately. Some do cook higher than others. You also don’t want to use a crock pot that is too big. That can cause issues too. Next time, try low for 8 hours. Chicken thighs are also good to use instead. They never dry out in the crock pot. Hopefully this helps, if not let me know."

So now you know! This recipe really is worth giving a try. The combination of spaghetti and barbecue sauces is DELICIOUS. If your chicken happens to turn out like mine just make the adjustments that I did by adding some more sauces at the end.

Thanks so much to Real Mom Kitchen for this recipe, the picture and the advice! Please check out her wonderful site for this and many other awesome recipes by going here.

Throw and Go BBQ Chicken

From Real Mom Kitchen
Reminder Recipe! One Year Ago: Brazilian Lemonade

·         5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         1/2 tsp garlic powder

·         1/2 tsp onion flakes

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1/4 cup brown sugar

·         1 cup spaghetti sauce

·         1/2 cup Kansas City Style bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's instead)

·         1 Tbsp. liquid smoke

·         rolls or buns to serve on

·         butter

1.      Place all the ingredients in the crock pot in the order listed above.

2.      Cook in the crock pot on high for at least 6 hours.  Remove the chicken and shred.  Return to the crock pot and mix into the sauce.

3.      Butter the inside of your buns or rolls.  Place them on a cookie sheet.  Broil them in the oven on the second highest level for the oven rack (this prevents burning).  Broil until golden brown.  You want them toasty because this bbq chicken is so moist and saucy you will end up with soggy bread if you don’t toast them.  Sandwich bbq chicken inside toasted buns or rolls.

 Recipe adapted from The Pearson Familee

Barbecue Beef Cheese Melts

I will admit up front that I wasn't the biggest fan of this recipe - but it definitely has potential to be a lot better. I really liked the roast beef mixture on top but the bread mixture on the bottom was too thick for my liking. It was almost like eating an American version of a Navajo Taco - and I have never been a fan of those. For my taste buds I would prefer a more thin and crispy crust. In fact, next time I make this I will either make this into a pizza or use a pre-refrigerated pizza crust to line the bottom of my pan.

The picture and recipe are courtesy of BettyCrocker.com and can be found here.

BARBECUE BEEF CHEESE MELTS

From BettyCrocker.com
Reminder Recipe! One Year Ago: Taco Rice Bowls

2 cups Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup barbecue sauce
3/4 lb cooked roast beef (from deli), chopped
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix, mustard, milk and egg until mixed. Pour and spread in pan.
2. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Top will not brown.)
3. Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in barbecue sauce and beef. Cook until hot.
4. Spread beef mixture over baked bread base. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.
5. Bake 4 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares.

Makes 8 servings

No-Roll Mexican Rice Enchiladas

I guess I have been on a meatless/vegetarian kick lately! It is a really nice change to not have to prepare meat to go with our meals and I have enjoyed the lack of meat with the summer heat upon us. Not that I don't enjoy a juicy hamburger now and then and tomorrow we are having barbecue beef (stay tuned!) but my husband grew up not eating a lot of meat so he has been enjoying it as well.

These enchiladas were really tasty and REALLY easy to make. I don't know if there is some secret to Rice-a-Roni that I just don't know but whenever I make it it seems to be less tender than I think it should be. But despite that we still loved this meal. It was flavorful and filling. I even enjoyed the beans and I am NOT a bean person.

The only change I might make next time would be to try green enchilada sauce. Don't get me wrong though - the red sauce was really good! Make sure to check out the tips at the end of the recipe for other changes suggested by Pillsbury.com

This recipe and picture are courtesy of Pillsbury.com and can be found here.

NO-ROLL MEXICAN RICE ENCHILADAS
From Pillsbury.com
Reminder Recipe! One Year Ago: Crockpot Creamy Southwestern Chicken Nachos

1 box (6.4 oz) rice and vermicelli mix with Spanish seasonings
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 ¼ cups water
1 can (19 oz) Old El Paso® mild enchilada sauce (red or green)
1 can (16 oz) pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) Green Giant® Southwestern style corn, drained
1 package (8.2 oz) Old El Paso® flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (ten 6-inch tortillas)
2 cups finely shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 oz) (I just used normal cheddar cheese)

• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook rice and vermicelli with butter over medium heat until rice mixture is golden brown, stirring frequently. Stir in water and seasoning mix from rice box. Heat to boiling. Cover; reduce heat to low. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until rice mixture is tender. Stir in 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, the pinto beans and corn.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Place about 1/2 cup rice mixture on center of each tortilla; top rice mixture in each tortilla with about 1 tablespoon of the cheese. Fold each in half. Arrange tortillas in 2 rows of 5 in baking dish, placing tortillas open end up, slanting and overlapping. Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas. Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and sauce begins to bubble. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

TIPS!

~Enchiladas can be assembled earlier in the day. Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas just before baking. Refrigerate enchiladas and sauce until just before baking. Enchiladas may need to bake 5 to 10 minutes longer.

~One can (15.25 oz) Green Giant® whole kernel sweet corn, drained, can be used instead of the Southwestern style corn. One can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed, can be used in place of the pinto beans.

~One and a half cups finely chopped cooked chicken can be used in place of the beans.

Penne with Roasted Asparagus (or Broccoli) and Balsamic Butter

Yummy! What a great summer pasta. I really enjoyed the vegetarian change and the opportunity to not have to cut up or cook any meats. Light and flavorful - our whole family loved this one! Even our little 2 year old had an entire bowl to herself. It came together really fast and was so easy to make. We used the broccoli to save some money and it was sooo tasty roasted. I read from another wonderful blogger who tried this one that it isn't good as leftovers. So get hungry, gobble it down and enjoy!

Recipe and picture are courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe and can be found here.

PENNE WITH ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND BALSAMIC BUTTER
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/
Reminder Recipe! One Year Ago: General Tso's Chicken
Reminder Recipe! Two Years Ago: Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup

*Note: If asparagus aren't in season, cut 1 pound of broccoli into small spears for roasting. Toss them with 2 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes.

*Serves 4-6
1 pound fresh asparagus spears
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar
1 pound penne pasta
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ of the pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the asparagus roasts, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.

Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until just done, 11-13 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the butter and vinegar mixture. Toss to combine well. Add in the asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese for serving.