Food Friday - Tortellini Soup

Boil one cup of cheese-stuffed tortellini in
1 1/2 C of water for about five minutes.
Add one can of Tomato soup. Stir

Optional: add Italian spices and/or some cheese

Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Food Friday - Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake

I got the idea for this from a restaurant in Utah. My mom duplicated it and then I decided to try to duplicate it too. As too many of my "jazz" recipes, this one doesn't have specific measurements but I'll try to give you a good idea of what to do.

1 Chicken Breast - cubed
4-5 Mushrooms - sliced (you can also use a can of sliced mushrooms)
1/2 Onion - chopped
1 T Garlic - minced
1 1/2 C Chicken Broth
1/2 C Flour
2 T Olive Oil
1 1/2 C Milk (or Half and Half)
1 C Dry Penne Pasta
Salt, Pepper, Italian Spices (thyme, oregano, basil) to taste
1 Tomato - chopped
1/2 C Bacon or Ham - cut in pieces (I just use the ready-made bacon bits that come in a bag)
1/3 C Parmesan Cheese
1/3 C Mozzarella Cheese

Saute (in the 2 T of oil) the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Add chicken cubes and seasonings. Next add the 1/2 C flour and mix until the chicken is well coated (it will be pasty). Add the chicken broth and cook until it becomes thickened. Add the milk and stir until smooth (but don't thicken). Remove from heat.

Place the dry pasta in a medium-sized casserole dish. Pour the chicken mixture over the pasta. Mix in the tomato, bacon, and parmesan cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Serve with bread and veggies and a side-dish of fruit.

Food Friday - Chicken Scampi*

3 Chicken Breasts (thawed or fresh)
2 C Chicken Broth
2-3 Sliced Bell Peppers (I used red, yellow and orange because they were on sale - they are also sweeter)
1/2 C Diced Yellow Onion
3 Crushed Cloves of Garlic (or 1 T of the jarred stuff)
3/4 C Sliced Mushrooms (fresh or canned)
1/3 C Milk (or cream)
1/3 C Flour
1 T Olive Oil
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
1 t Oregano Flakes
1 t Basil Flakes
Angel Hair Pasta

Place 1 T Olive Oil in a medium frying pan with the heat on medium high. Saute onions and garlic until they turn clear. Add 1/3 C flour to make a thick paste. Add 1/3 C milk (or cream) to make a thick cream sauce. Add the chicken broth and stir well (with a whisk) until it is smooth. Add red pepper flakes, oregano flakes, and basil flakes. Add mushrooms and pepper slices.

Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer. Cook for approximately 45 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The sauce should cook down to be moderately thick (saucey, you know). Salt and pepper to taste.

As far as the meat goes you have some choices here:

1. You could grill the breasts and serve on top of the pasta.
2. You could bread and fry the breasts (this is what Olive Garden does) and serve on top of the pasta.
3. You could be totally lazy (like moi) and cut the breast into cubes and throw it in the sauce at the beginning of the 45 minutes and let the sauce cook the chicken.

Cook the pasta according to directions. Mix the pasta into the sauce and serve as one (or if you are a rebel you can serve the sauce on top). Top with parmesan cheese (the real stuff is best but if you are like me you'll just grab the tall green vat of Kraft out of your fridge, wince a bit, but serve it anyway).

*Phil and I both loved this but the Bambino said it was "yucky." (Actually she only says "cky.") This word (or fraction of a word) has been reserved for dirty diapers and things found on the floor that really want to find their way to her mouth but that she knows shouldn't. It has never been applied to my cooking ... until now. She tried it, ate the bread and melon, and then handed her plate to Phil while saying "cky." And so it begins...

Food Friday - Easy Pasta Bake

This is one of our favorite meals because it is both tasty and easy.

Ingredients:

Favorite Pasta

Favorite Meat

Favorite Cheeses

1 Can of Stewed Tomatoes

1 Can of Tomato Sauce

(you can replace the tomatoes and sauce with Ragu or something)

Mushrooms (canned or fresh) (can be deleted)

Italian spices

Preheat oven to 350

Take a medium sized baking dish.  Put about 1 1/2 C of dry pasta (we've used small shells, bows, elbows, angel hair, whatever we have). Open a can of stewed tomatoes - dump it in.  Open a can of tomato sauce - dump it in.  You can add sliced mushrooms for extra texture. Add whatever spices you like (oregano, basil, garlic, pepper - the tomatoes are usually salty enough that you won't want to add salt). Mix.  If you want you can add cooked meat (ground beef, chicken strips, ham strips, bacon, etc.). Sprinkle your favorite cheese on top (parm., ched., moz., etc.). Put a lid on your dish and bake for 1 hour. Remove the lid for the last 15 min. to get the cheese nice and crispy (Phil's favorite part).

Serve with your favorite veggies and fruit and some french bread and you have a yummy, nutritious meal. You also have very few dishes since you mixed, baked, and served it all in the same dish.

Food Friday - Chicken Cacciatore

Prep Time: 1/2 Hour
Cooking Time: 2 Hours
Total Time: 2 1/2 Hours

In a large pot combine:
2 Cans - Stewed Tomatoes-Diced
1 Can - Sliced Mushrooms (or fresh)
1/2 Chopped Green Bell Pepper
1/2 C Chopped Yellow Onion
1/2 T - Corn Starch
1 T - Minced Garlic (fresh or bottled but not dried)
1 t - Dried Basil (or fresh)
1 t - Dried Oregano (or fresh)
Ground Black Pepper to taste
(there is enough salt in the tomatoes and broth that you shouldn't need to add any)
1/2 t - Red Pepper Powder
1/2 t - Creole Seasoning (Emeril has a recipe for it or you can buy it - I have Tony Chachere's)
cook until it begins to get thick then add:
1/2 C - Chicken Broth
1/4 C Brown Sugar
simmer with a lid for 1 hour then add:
2 Cooked Chicken Breasts - Shredded
simmer without a lid for an additional hour then serve over:
Cooked Angel Hair Pasta (or other pasta or rice)

I made this one up and it was really, really good! Feel free to change it, improve it, and pass it along. This is great served with French bread.