Cajun Chicken Pasta

Wow - the 200th post! Roger and I decided we like this one better than the usual chicken spaghetti recipe. Plus it had lots of veggies in it. This is another one from the Pioneer Woman website. There are so good recipes there - go check it out!

Ingredients
■3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
■3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
■1 pound Fettuccine
■2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
■2 Tablespoons Butter
■1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
■1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
■½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
■3 cloves Garlic, Minced
■4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
■2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
■½ cups White Wine - I bought white cooking wine....you can find it in the cooking section
■1 cup Heavy Cream
■Cayenne Pepper To Taste
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
■Salt To Taste
■Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!

Ginger Spice Cookies

My visiting teacher made these for me and they are really good!

3/4 c butter flavored crisco

1 c sugar

1 large egg

1/4 c molasses

2 c flour

2 t baking soda

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground ginger

1/2 t cloves

1/2 t salt

preheat oven to 350. With an electric mixer, combine shortening and sugar and cream until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until completely incorporated.

Sift or whisk together flour, bakind soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add to the mixture. Stir until combined. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar.

bake for 8-10 minutes.

Summer Tortellini Salad

1 pkg. (9 oz.) uncooked refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini (I like the 5 Cheese Tortellini from Costco)
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (I use the equivalent of baby carrots instead)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
1/2 cup home-made or really good ranch dressing (I used the Brianna's Brand one)
Parmesan Cheese - to taste
*Optional - I have added grilled chicken

Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Placetortellini in a large colander and set aside. Meanwhile, slice zucchini. chop carrot(s). Cut tomatoes in half and slice green onions. Snip parsley, if using fresh. Add vegetables to tortellini. Pour salad dressing over salad. Grate parmesan cheese over salad. cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 6 servings

Mexican Rice

Here you go Marianne.....

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

This is one from the website Dasha suggested - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

There are a lot of yummy looking recipes on there - I am trying a few out this week. This was dinner tonight and it was very yummy.

Ingredients
■8 whole Flour Tortillas
■Butter Or Margarine
■2 cups Grilled Pineapple, Sliced
■3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
■Salt And Pepper, to taste
■3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
■1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
■Cilantro
■3 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce
Preparation Instructions
(To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices.)

(To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness.)

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Drizzle olive oil on a grill pan and grill on both sides until done, brushing with barbecue sauce. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.

Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.

To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. (You’ll have four complete quesadillas at this point.)

Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, and lime wedges.

Beef and Black Bean Chili

8 oz. extra-lean ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes with juice
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
11/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2T Worcestershire sauce
1T chili powder
11/2 t. dried oregano
1/8 t ground black pepper
3 T fresh cilantro

1.Cook the beef in a large soup pot over medium heat until browned all over, about 5 minutes
2. Remove the beef to a bowl and add the onion, carrots, bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, and garlic to the pot. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes
3.Add the tomatoes(with juice), beans, broth, Worcestershire, chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and reserved beef.
4.Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until thickened and flavorful, about 45 minutes. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.

Mexixan Sheperd's Pie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup hot water
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8.5 ounce) package corn muffin mix
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Place the beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly brown and onion is tender. Drain grease. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in the tomatoes, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until thickened. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, and top evenly with corn, cheese, and olives.
3. Prepare the corn muffin mix according to package directions. Spread evenly over the corn layer in the baking dish.
4. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until puffed and golden.