Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken

My family tends to love pasta, especially creamy pasta. My kiddos go crazy for it, and I always know when I serve pasta that they will eat their fill. I have spent a long time looking for the perfect alfredo sauce recipe. I have tried so many different ones, and some are too greasy, some don't have enough sauce for the specified amount of pasta, some are too thick, some are too thin. I think I finally have the perfect recipe. This recipe for alfredo sauce is a very creamy sauce, and it's thick enough to stick to the pasta, but not so thick that it's globby. And it has great flavor! And last (but definitely not least) it is a little lower in calories than some of the other recipes I have found. Still not what I would call a "healthy recipe" but I guess you have to sacrifice a little extra calorie intake for some good flavor!

Creamy Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken (and broccoli)
1/2 C (4 oz) cream cheese
1/2 C butter
1/2 C heavy cream
3/4 C milk
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound of chicken (I like to grill it, slice it, and put it on top of the pasta)
1/2 pound of fettucini pasta
1 C broccoli florets, steamed

1. Cook chicken however you desire. We like to have the chicken grilled and placed on top of the pasta, so I usually do it in advance and let it set while I'm making the pasta.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. If you haven't already cooked the broccoli, put the broccoli in the boiling water for about 4-5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Remove the broccoli using a spider spoon.
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water, cook according to package directions.
4. Melt the butter and cream cheese over medium-low heat, whisking until fairly smooth and completely melted. Add garlic powder. Add milk and cream slowly, whisking to remove any lumps. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until it reaches your desired consistency.
5. Remove pasta from boiling water, and add to sauce pan. Add broccoli to sauce pan. Stir together, and place sliced chicken on top.
6. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

During the summer, one of my favorite desserts to eat is Strawberry Shortcake. I love love love it! However, I can't stand those greasy pound cakes that you buy at the grocery store. My favorite way to have strawberry shortcake is either with yummy fluffy biscuits, or this delicious pound cake. This pound cake is so moist and delicious, with a perfect crunchy top crust. I started making it to enjoy with strawberry shortcake, but I now often make it just to eat by itself! Although if you are looking for a low calorie treat, this is definitely not it!

Ingredients:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan (I like to use two loaf pans sometimes, too).
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.
3. Add eggs two at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour all at once and mix in. Add vanilla.
4. Pour into a 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check for doneness at 1 hour. A toothpick inserted into center of cake will come out clean.

Tips for the best pound cake:

1. Make sure ALL your ingredients are at room temperature when you start.
   
2. When you add the sugar to the creamed butter and cream cheese mixture, add it very slowly. I usually put the sugar in a liquid measuring cup with a pour spout, and pour it into the mixture very slowly as it is mixing.
   
3. When I use the loaf pan, I like to put a piece of wax paper in the bottom, to prevent it from sticking. When the pound cake is cool, it peels right off
   
4. When checking the pound cake for readiness, insert a toothpick into the center. It must come out completely clean. If it is "almost clean" and you're not quite sure, leave it in for a few more minutes, or it will be doughy in the middle.
   

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I seem to spend a lot of time looking for recipes that I can use my crock pot for that I actually like. I'm not really a big fan of most meats cooked in the crock pot, except for maybe barbecue. So I tend to go with soups and chilis in the crockpot. This recipe is extremely delicious, and one of my favorite soup recipes I've made. Even my husband, who is not a huge fan of soup, said it was great!

Ingredients:
1 lb shredded cooked chicken
1 (15 oz) can peeled whole tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
sour cream
cheese

Directions:

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Chicken Piccata with Angel Hair

This is one of my favorite things to make because it is super simple, but it feels like a gourmet meal. It started out as a recipe from Giada De Laurentis, whose food I love, but I modified it to make it my own.

Chicken Piccatta with Angel Hair

Ingredients

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half (or 4 chicken tenderloins pounded to 1/4 inch thickness)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup thinly sliced onions

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

8 oz angel hair pasta

Directions

Start a pot of water to boil for pasta.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove chicken from the pan, and place on a plate.

Into the pan add the garlic and onions and let cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes, until soft. Add the lemon juice and stock. Bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, add angel hair to boiling water, and cook for 4 minutes.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. When pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the sauce, and stir to coat. Place chicken on top of pasta. Serve and enjoy!

Baked Macaroni and cheese

Having two small children, we eat a lot of macaroni and cheese. I am not a big fan of the boxed macaroni and cheese myself, so I usually make it from scratch. I typically use my mother-in-law's recipe (using Velveeta), which is fairly simple and really takes no more time than making it out of a box. But since I find myself making this so often, usually about once a week, I started the search for a different way of making it that would be a little more enjoyable on the culinary scale. I came across this recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese from Alton Brown. It has much more flavor, since it calls for REAL cheese, and it has a crunchy topping that gives it a very appealing texture. On the down side, it takes much longer and is more difficult to prepare, but in my opinion it is worth it every once in a while. I forgot to take a picture of this one, but will include it the next time I make it!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

3. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

4. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

5. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

My husband is not a big fan of chocolate, but he loves white chocolate. So when my friends and I got together for our monthly bake-fest, where the theme was "brownies" we decided to do one that wasn't chocolate, but white chocolate instead. I found this recipe in my Taste of Home - Fall Baking magazine. Even though it would be great for fall, it was also perfect for Valentine's Day because of the colors. It is a dense, moist, and chewy brownie, with great white chocolate flavor, and a hint of tanginess from the cranberries. Yum!

White chocolate Cranberry Blondies

3/4 cup butter, cubed
1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used white chocolate chips)

Frosting:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel, optional
6 ounces white baking chocolate melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Directions:
1. In a microwave, melt butter; stir in brown sugar. Transfer to a large bowl; cool to room temperature. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; gradually add to butter mixture. Stir in cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick).
2. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack.
3. For the frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and the orange peel if desired until blended. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended. Frost brownies. Sprinkle with cranberries. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

Wild Rice Stuffing (with mushrooms)

So I found this recipe actually under "stuffings", you know, like to go inside your turkey? Well, there was a picture that accompanied the recipe, and it looked so tasty by itself, that I just decided to try it out. I just made it as a side dish with dinner, and it worked out perfectly! I especially love the flavor from the green onions, and the crunch from the almonds!

Wild Rice Stuffing

1/4 cup wild rice
1 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup brown rice
1 tsp instant chicken bouillon granules
1/8 to 1/4 tsp thyme (dried)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced celery
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds or pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

1. Rinse uncooked wild rice in a strainer under cold water about 1 minute. In a medium saucepan combine wild rice, the 1 3/4 cups water, uncooked brown rice, bouillon granules, and thyme. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. (I actually used a pre-mixed wild rice mixture, and I had to cook it for about 45 minutes before it was tender.)
2. Add mushrooms and celery. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for about 5-10 minutes more, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender. Stir in green onions and almonds.
3. Serve and enjoy!