Sesame and Garlic Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

From Stolen Moments Cooking

1/2 cup tahini (check in meditteranean foods section)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil (asian foods section)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bag frozen California veggie mix (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)
1 cup frozen peas
1 lb cooked soba noodles (I used regular spaghetti)
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

In a small bowl, combine tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Whisk until smooth.

Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. Cook in a large skillet with a tbsp of oil. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and add veggies (I actually used broccoli and peas and carrots. I left out the cauliflower because I don't care for it cooked. Choose veggies you like. Sugar snap peas would have been great. Baby corn, etc). Cook veggies about 10 minutes.

Once veggies are cooked add chicken back to skillet. Add cooked noodles and stir to combine.

Stir in sauce and mix well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds

Comments: This. Was. AMAZING. I love chinese food (Have you figured out yet that I like most food?). This tasted like some wonderful dish from some wonderful take out place. I was honestly impressed with myself. I was so sad when the leftovers were gone. I actually made this 2 weeks ago and I'm making it again this week. I've been craving it. I plan to add in a few more veggies this time. This is definitely a new favorite of mine.

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti

From Cooking During Stolen Moments

1 lb spaghetti, fully cooked and drained
1 lb chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 cups chicken stock
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup hot sauce (this is for a mild heat level)
1 cup ranch dressing (or bleu cheese if you prefer)

Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Place in skillet with chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover and cook 10-15 minutes (until chicken is done). Remove chicken and reserve a 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.

In a sauce pan combine the cream cheese, hot sauce, and reserved cooking liquid. Cook over meduim low heat until the cream cheese is completely melted (it took some major stirring for this to happen). While the sauce is cooking shred or cube the chicken.

Add dressing and chicken to sauce. Stir to combine. Toss with the cooked spaghetti.

Review: This was amazing. AND EASY! I told a few friends about it and I actually got mixed reviews about whether it sounded yummy or not. That made me nervous. I should have known that I shouldn't be. This really is a big favorite of mine now. C ate 2 platefuls!!!! I got 2 thumbs up from the whole family. I will definitely have this one in heavy rotation. This is not something I say often but I am actually looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

3-4 chicken breasts

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can rotel

1 onion, chopped
tablespoon of cumin

12 oz. package spaghetti

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
half block of velvetta, cubed

butter

Preheat oven to 350

Cook your chicken and spaghetti to your liking. Saute onion in butter.

Mix together cream of mushroom, sauted onion, cumin, chicken, and velveeta cubes.

Drain spaghetti and place in a prepared casserole dish. Pour soup mixture on top. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Cook at 350 for 25 minutes.

When removed from oven stir together and serve.

Comments: I love chicken spaghetti. It could be one of my favorite dishes. I like it so much it was served at my wedding. I've tried many, many chicken spaghetti recipes. This is the conglomeration of my two favorites. It comes from my friend, Meredith, and my Mother-in-law. I love how cheesy and creamy combining the two recipes have made it. J and C both love this recipe just as much as I do. I like to use the Hot Rotel to add a little spice. Other veggies could always be added to up the nutritional value.

Neopolitan Baked Ziti

From Rachael Ray

1 lb ziti
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can whole plum tomatoes
4-5 basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper
3 tbsp butter
2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
nutmeg
mozzarella
1/4 parmigiano reggiano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cook pasta to just shy of al dente according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, start the red sauce: In a medium sized pot over medium-high heat place 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring every now and then until the onions start to get tender (about 3-4 minutes).

Add the tomatoes and smash them up into small pieces. Add the basil and season with some salt and pepper. Bring up to a bubble and simmer for 15 minutes.

To make white sauce: Heat medium sized sauce pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook for about a minute. Whisk in the milk and add the bay leaf. Season with some salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a bubble, turn the heat down to low and gently simmer, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf.

Combine the cooked ziti with the red sauce in the pot the pasta was cooked in and then transfer into a prepared baking dish. Top with the white sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano over the top. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Comments: I felt big time with three pots going on the stove at the same time. It sounds like a lot, and I was afraid I might get overwhelmed. It really wasn't as bad as I thought. So this obviously isn't the most simple recipe. And I'm not sure it was really worth the effort. I wasn't overly impressed with it. I expected more flavor with both a white and a red sauce. Maybe I wasn't heavy handed enough with the seasoning. I would like to give it another try because I feel like it should have been better than it was.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

1 lb spiral pasta
1 lb ground beef
6 strips bacon, diced
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
barbecue sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with slotted spoon to paper towels. Discard drippings.

Drain pasta. Add to skillet. Add soup, beef and bacon. Mix together and heat through. Mix in desired amount of barbecue sauce (I use a whole bottle, we like it saucy). Sprinkle with cheese and cover until cheese melts.

Comments: This is an old favorite of ours. I have had this recipe for years. Its super quick. It reminds me of hamburger helper, but a homemade, slightly healthier version. Sometimes J and I like to reminisce about poor college days and how we ate way too much hamburger helper. One of my favorite things about the dish is there are so few ingredients.You can kind of throw it together super quick.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

From ZOE

1 lb ground chicken
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz tomato paste
1 cup water
1 cup milk
4 tbsp chicken broth
1/2 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp thyme
8 oz spiral pasta (or whatever you have/like)
2 cups mozzarella
1 tbsp bread crumbs

Heat a pan over medium heat with olive oil. Cook diced onion until softened. Mix in minced garlic.

Place chicken in pan and cook until no longer pink.

Pour in tomato paste, milk, water, and broth, Stir together. Mix in thyme and oregano.

While sauce is simmering boil water and cook pasta until al dente.

Prep dish. Layer half of pasta, half of cheese, and half of sauce mixture. Repeat.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs

Bake at 325 for 25 minutes

Comments: I don't do a lot of measuring when it comes to spices. I can usually judge pretty well and make adjustments according to our (aka: my) tastes. I missed it on this one. I definitely did not put in enough oregano or thyme. Otherwise this dish would have been wonderful. Next time I make it I will definitely adjust my spices. I also will probably use a different cheese, possibly an Italian blend. The leftovers on this have been really great also.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

From Blog Chef

1 pkg jumbo pasta shells
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/ cup chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup peeled and chopped cucumbers
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
3 oz hard salami, chopped
Salad dressing (I used a garlic Caesar dressing)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and allow to cool.

Place all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and combine together.

Stuff each shell with mixture and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Comments: I'm not really sure what I was expecting this to be when I purchased the ingredients for this meal. Its basically a salad inside a pasta shell, but thats not really what I was expecting. It wasn't until I started cooking that I realized what I was going to have. I got concerned because J doesn't really care for cold pasta.

This turned out so well. It was so quick and so easy. Its a perfect summer dish. It was very refreshing. Its also so simple to make it to your own tastes. Add in or take away whatever ingredients you want. I was quite skeptical, but this has definitely become a summer favorite.

This would also make a great potluck dish as well.

Pasta E Fagioli

adapted from Full Bellies, Happy Kids

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 strips bacon, uncooked and cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 jar spaghetti sauce
15 oz cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp grated pecorino-romano cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 lb of any tubular pasta, cooked

Cook your pasta.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute onions for 3 minutes. Add bacon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 2 minutes.

Turn heat to medium-low. Add sauce, beans, cheese, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and cook for 15 minutes. Add pasta to sauce and mix well. Turn heat to low for a few minutes.

Review: First of all, sorry for the lack of pictures here. I was hungry and my camera batteries were dead. Not a good combination.

Second, I'm going to be honest. I was very skeptical about this dish after I started cooking. I prefer my pasta to be saucy. Like really saucy. I just didn't feel like this was going to provide "coverage" for the amount of pasta. I was also a little skeptical about beans in my pasta. .

This was good. Surprisingly good. The beans were probably my favorite part. I might use less pasta next time I make it because, really, nothing is bad with a little extra sauce.

*I am going to label this as vegetarian because it would be super easy to skip the bacon. I really don't feel like it would take away from the dish at all.

Baked Spaghetti

J loves spaghetti. I'm ok with it. My big issue is that I can't eat it leftover for some reason. I'm always look for recipes that J and C will love, and that I can eat leftover. I found this recipe and thought I would give it a try. Usually a layer of cheese on top will make anything acceptable leftover.

Baked Spaghetti

16 oz Angel Hair pasta (any pasta will work. J prefers Angel Hair and thats what was in the pantry)
1 Jar/Can of Spaghetti Sauce (we had big cans in the pantry. I think it was 26 oz)
1 lb Ground Beef (any ground meat will work)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 flour
1/4 Shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
12 oz Evaporated milk
3 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles and brown meat.

Combine noodles, sauce and meat in a large bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium to low heat. Add flour, parmesan cheese, salt and garlic powder.

At this point the recipe said to stir until smooth and bubbly. Mine never got smooth and bubbly so I just stirred until everything was mixed together well.

Add evaporated milk and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Stir until thickened.

Pour half of the noodle mixture into greased casserole dish. Top with cheese mixture. Pour the remaining noodle mixture on top. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 min

Review: This recipe was great! It makes A LOT, so its good for a big crowd or if you want leftovers for several days . C has become less of a human garbage disposal and a little more picky, but she loved this. I also think this is going to be great left over. Next time I make it I might add in some veggies to the sauce (olives, chopped onions, etc).