Penne in a White Sauce

I'm sorry I haven't posted a lot lately. We have had so many expenses this month that we have been eating as simply as possible. Lots of quesadillas and taco rice. lol. But this is a dish that I threw together with things that we just had around the house the other night. When I make a dish up it is usually because it is a bunch of things that just sound good. We really liked it and it was really easy - so here you go! It was really late when we made this and so I didn't take a picture. But the picture looks a LOT like it and is courtesy of this site.
PENNE IN A WHITE SAUCE

8-12 oz. penne noodles
3 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup sliced green onions
juice of 1 lemon
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup - 1 cup milk to desired consistency
1 - 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (optional, or you can just use canned chicken)
Paremesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. In the meantime, in a large skillet, saute the garlic until golden brown on medium heat. Mix in green onions and lemon juice and mix together. If you are using chicken, add it to the skillet and mix. If you want to make this a vegetarian meal you can add cooked broccoli or peas instead. Mix in cream of chicken soup and milk. The sauce should be slightly thick so don't add too much milk. Also, the thicker the milk you use the creamier your sauce will be. Mix in the cooked penne and toss to coat. Serve warm with paremesan on top.

Beach Street Lemon Chicken Linguini

Oh.My.Yum!!!!!! This is one of my new FAVORITE pasta dishes. Such a great flavor and, as long as you remember to marinade ahead of time, relatively simple to make. The flavors are a rich combination of so many different kinds of flavors that they just roll over your tongue. And it is still subtle and light without the thick creams added to so many pasta sauces.

Don't be afraid of the lemon zest. Just rub a lemon on the small part of a cheese grater. It takes about 2 minutes, if that. And the picture shows SHREDDED  parmesan, but we used grated and it was wonderful.  Seriously, this is one you will WANT to try! It ranks up there in my book with the Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl!

The recipe and picture are courtesy of My Kitchen Cafe and can be found here.

BEACH STREET LEMON CHICKEN LINGUINI

From My Kitchen Cafe
**This recipe requires marinating the chicken for 3-12 hours so plan ahead!**

1 lb. linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
3 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Marinade:
½ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 chicken breasts, sliced

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly before pouring into a ziploc plastic bag. Pat chicken dry and toss in marinade to coat. Refrigerate 3-12 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat skillet over medium heat and pour contents of plastic bag (both marinade and chicken) into the skillet. Saute over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked.

Combine juice of one lemon, lemon zest, olive oil, green onions and fresh parsley together in a small bowl. Set aside.

While the chicken is sautéing, cook linguine in boiling salted water until done; drain and return to warm pot. Pour lemon juice/olive oil/green onion mixture over pasta and mix lightly. When chicken is finished cooking, add hot pasta mixture to the skillet with the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss in parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

Mango Pico De Gallo

When I was pregnant I could not stand Mexican food. The only exception? Chips and Salsa. I craved chips and salsa more than anything else that there was available. Since I have had my baby I have not been able to quench my Mexican craving. I CONSTANTLY want tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, or especially, CHIPS AND SALSA!!!!

My favorite salsa is the Garden Fresh Salsa from Sam's Club. But this one is my favorite homemade salsa! I love Our Best Bites and they definitely didn't disappoint with this recipe. It is the perfect combination of flavors, and this is coming from someone who DOES NOT like Mangos!!!

The picture and recipe are courtesy of Our Best Bites and can be found here.

MANGO PICO DE GALLO
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 c. small cubes of mango (about 1 medium to large mango)
1/2-1 large jalapeno pepper (1/2 without seeds is a nice, mild-medium heat; go from there)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher or sea salt to taste

ROCKET SCIENCE ALERT: Combine ingredients. Serve. This will keep for a day or so (like it will last that long), but after that, the mangoes will get mushy.

PS! Do you remember the Crockpot Creamy Southwestern Chicken Nachos? This salsa makes that recipe, if it were possible, a million times better!

Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was craving a dessert and I had all of the ingredients for this one on hand. I have tried them before but they turned out so FLAT! This time they were much better, as evidence of the picture. YUMMY! Super easy to make too. This is a great cookie go-to recipe! I have highlighted what I believe to be the crucial step below.

CLASSIC OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
From My Kitchen Café

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 3/4 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add Baking soda, powder, and salt and mix. Add flour, oatmeal and chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Yield : about 3 dozen.

Pizza Casserole

We had something else planned for dinner tonight but I thought pasta sounded good and Jake was craving spaghetti. I had all of the simple and mostly basic ingredients for this recipe on hand and I am so glad that I did! It was cheesy and delicious, substantial and hit the spot! Healthy? No... but then, when do you eat pizza to be healthy? But it really is good and is sure to be a hit. Jake loved it and is really excited to take the leftovers for lunch. The original recipe doesn't call for olives but I feel it is a must add. And really, you could add whatever toppings you wanted: green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms. This was a lot like my Meat Lover's Lasagna! Yummy! The recipe is courtesy of Blog Chef and can be found here.

PIZZA CASSEROLE

From Blog Chef

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion (chopped)
1/2 clove garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces rotini pasta, (cooked and drained)
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (20 oz)
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
½ can olives, sliced

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add oil and heat to medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion, and garlic. Add Italian seasoning. Cook until the beef is browned. Drain.

Step 2: Stir in pasta, sauce and 1 1/2 cups of cheese into the meat mixture. Place mixture into a greased 9×13” baking dishes. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and top with pepperoni and olives.

*The dish can be covered and frozen as this point if you are freezing.

Step 3: If you are cooking it now- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

(Makes 7 servings)

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

We always love enchiladas and I was excited to try this new recipe! Definitely not the healthiest meal that you could have but it was very delicious. A bit more involved to make and Jake and I both agreed that we liked the Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas  better but that is because they are very creamy while these ones were more true to form. Also, we're not huge "bean" people around here and so next time I make them, because I do want to make them again, I will probably leave the beans out. They will probably be more creamy then, but definitely less healthy! LOL! The picture and recipe are courtesy of My Kitchen Cafe and can be found here.

*AFTER NOTE: My mom commented on this post, August 18th, and said this, "I made these for dinner tonight. After Shayla's comments, I decided to try Great Northern White Beans instead of black beans so that they would give substance without taking away from the other tastes. They were excellent!! My whole family loved them and I have to say that we liked them better than the sour cream enchiladas which have been a favorite around here for a lot of years!! Thanks Shay for the great recipe!!"

CREAMY GREEN CHILE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
From My Kitchen Cafe
*Serves 4-6

Filling:
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
1 can white or black beans, rinsed and drained (you can really use any type of bean you prefer here)

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can (7 ounce) green chile enchilada sauce
½ cup sour cream

8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 medium (soft taco size) flour tortillas
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add the chicken and black beans. Mix to combine. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple tablespoonfuls for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full (I can easily fit 8 enchiladas in one pan).

Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe (melskitchencafe.com)

Cherry Dump Cake

Talk about a delicious and easy dessert! This is the one for you! My sister and I were in charge of dessert for a family get together today and I thought about this recipe because it only has 3 ingredients. THREE!!!! And it turned out SOOOO good. It is just like a cobbler only with so much less work. And the greatest part? You don't have to use cherries. You can use raspberry, peach, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, etc, etc, etc... you choose! I choose raspberry and it was so good, there wasn't any left! The picture and recipe are courtesy of Three on Food and can be found here.

CHERRY DUMP CAKE
From Three on Food

2 cans cherry pie filling
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In the prepared dish, layer the cherry pie filling and then sprinkle the dry cake mix over the top, covering evenly. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix, and pat down with a spatula until the all the cake mix is covered. Bake 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until browned and bubbly.

* Store in the fridge. This is even good the next day - the crust stays good and crunchy!