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.

Ham and Cheese Chicken Rolls

From Full Bellies, Happy Kids

4 Chicken breasts
4 slices of cheese (I used pepperjack, the original calls for swiss. You can substitute anything)
4 thinly sliced pieces of ham
1 tsp paprika
6 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tbsp parmesan
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
3 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Pound each chicken breast to a 1/4" thickness (I usually place the breasts into freezer bags for this to cut down on the mess)

Layer the cheese and ham onto each chicken breast. Roll each breast to enclose the filling and secure with a toothpick.

Mix together dry ingredients. Dip the chicken rolls in butter and roll in the crumb mixture.

Place rolls seam down in a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Comments: This is just a super easy version of chicken cordon bleu, which is a favorite of mine. It got the approval from every member of the family. Remember to remove the toothpicks before serving, or at least warn everyone. J swears I am trying to kill him by hiding toothpicks in things.

Marsala Chicken Casserole

From Living The Road Less Traveled

2 tbsp butter
10 oz fresh, sliced mushrooms
1.5 tbsp flour
1/2 cup Marsala or white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups chopped/shredded chicken
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium high heat until just melted. Saute mushrooms in butter about 5 minutes..

Sprinkle with flour and stir for about a minute

Stir in wine and cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. About 3 minutes.

Stir in 2 cups of water, parsley, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

In a casserole dish, spread (uncooked) rice in an even layer. Top with chicken. Pour the mushroom gravy on top. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

Sprinkle with parmesan to serve

Comments: I love chicken marsala, so this was any easy way to serve it. I had very high hopes for this dish. I was a little disappointed by it though. It didn't have the flavor I hoped it would. It was good and I will likely serve it again, but it was just slightly bland for my tastes.

Artichoke Chicken

From Kelly's Recipes



15 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 Mayonnaise
1 tbsp garlic salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix together all ingredients excluding chicken

Place chicken in a greased baking dish. Cover chicken with artichoke mixture.

Bake for 30-45 minutes.

I served it with orzo (its my go to side)

Review: J really enjoyed this dish. I am very so-so about it. I love artichokes. I may have over salted the mixture or the orzo. It just seemed too salty for my taste. C wasn't a huge fan, but its also a pretty beige dish. She requires a little more color in her food. It was super easy, so we might have it again.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

From Rachael Ray

14 oz black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, diced
1.5 tsp ground Cumin
2 tsp hot sauce
lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine everything in a large bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Review: This is possibly my new favorite thing. Ever. Perfect for summer. So fresh. So colorful. SO EASY. Be prepared to see this as a side dish to everything I cook from now on. Just kidding..... Probably.....

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

From $5 Dinners

16 oz sour cream
1 can diced green chilies
1 cup chicken broth
1.5 cups shredded chicken
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Flour tortillas
1-2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet, whisk together sour cream, green chilies and 1 cup of chicken broth. If the sauce is not to the consistency you'd like, add more broth. Stir in garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Reserve 1 cup sauce

Add in chicken and mix in well. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Spoon chicken mix into tortillas. Place seam down in baking dish.

Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.

Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with Black Bean and Corn Salad

Review: I was not super impressed with this. J tried to talk me into it but saying that sour cream enchiladas usually are fairly bland. I don't do bland. I've already thought through ways to spice it up a little next time. I might drain a can of Rotel and use it in place of green chilies. I also just boiled my chicken before shredding it. Next time I will season it and cook it up in a skillet. It was a good dish, just a little bland for my taste.

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.