Spicy Sausage Pasta

This recipe was super popular on Pinterest for a couple of days, so I decided to give it a go.  I actually already have a spicy sausage pasta recipe that I like a lot, but the more the merrier, right?  Plus, this one called for turkey sausage, which is a nice little twist.  Here's the recipe:

Spicy Sausage Pasta

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings.

Okay, I don't know if I was being lazy or just thought I knew better, but I didn't make this recipe the way it said to make it.  I actually cooked the pasta separately and then just threw it in with the sauce and the sausage and added the cheese.  That was stupid, because a huge part of making this recipe turn out right is to cook the pasta with the sauce so that it absorbs a lot of the sauce and ends up being creamy instead of runny.  Oops.  So yeah, I failed.  Goes to show me once again that I really should follow the recipe.  

Anyway, this didn't end up tasting bad, but it probably would have been much better if I'd followed the recipe.  However, I'm not sure I'll try to make it again because we decided that we're not huge fans of turkey sausage.  It kinda tastes like hot dogs, in my opinion.  I like hot dogs, but I like them in a bun with ketchup.... not in my pasta.  :-)

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

I don't have a ton of awesome breakfast recipes, so I was excited to try this recipe.  It looked so delicious, and was so easy!  I was sure it would be amazing.  Here's the recipe:

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 1/2 tubes Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits 

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup (any brand you like, I used Mrs. Buttersworth)

1/3 C. packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

Instructions:

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired). Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

This was super easy to make, which is always a plus.  It also looked and smelled heavenly when I pulled it out of the oven.  It definitely wasn't gross, but it wasn't amazing either.  This is because of the dough - in this case, if you don't put in the work to make your own homemade dough, it won't be as good.  Duh, right?  I pretty much already knew this, but I was hoping for a miracle.  I am so lazy when it comes to making my own dough, so I was really hoping that this recipe had magic powers and would taste just as good as a recipe that called for homemade dough would taste.  

If you really don't want to make your own dough, feel free to try this recipe.  It really isn't bad at all.  However, there are better recipes out there- and even though they are harder, they'll also taste better.

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

I am not really a fan of vegetarian dinners.  Of course there are some good ones out there, but they definitely aren't in my top 10 favorites.  :-)  However, I really try to keep an open mind when it comes to new recipes, so when I found this recipe, which the Pioneer Woman was raving about, I figured that this would be a good experiment.  Not only is it vegetarian, it involves tofu!  Talk about going outside my comfort zone.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons Peanut Or Olive Oil
• 1 package (about 12-14 Oz. Size) Firm Tofu
• 2 ears Corn (or 1 1/2 Cups Frozen Corn Kernels)
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• Romaine Lettuce Hearts
• 2 whole Avocados, Sliced
• 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the tofu, then break it up into very small pieces. Cook tofu for several minutes, until much of the liquid cooks off and tofu starts to turn golden.

Cut kernels off the cobs of corn and throw it in with the tofu. Cook for a few minutes (corn can remain crunchy.)

Add chili powder and soy sauce, then cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off heat and stir in balsamic if using.

Pile mixture into romaine hearts, then add sliced of avocado. Fold up and chow down!

So the reason I wasn't a huge fan of this recipe isn't because the tofu was gross, which is what I was most afraid of.  The tofu certainly wasn't amazingly delicious, but it was fine.  The way it was cooked and covered in soy sauce (I used low sodium soy sauce, by the way) made it taste okay.  For me, the problem with this meal was that it just didn't have enough ingredients.  Even with the avocado, I wanted more.  Chopped tomatoes, maybe some beans??  That would've added a lot I think.  When I make this again, I'll add more to it.  Oh, and I might try it with ground turkey instead of tofu.... I know that that makes it no longer vegetarian, but I think it would be delicious.  And hey, we're certainly not vegetarians in this house.  If this recipe is better with the tomatoes and beans, I'll probably switch off making it with ground turkey and tofu.

Oh, and for the record, my husband didn't hate it.  He was horrified when I told him we were eating a vegetarian dinner with tofu, but he ate it just fine.  It wasn't his favorite meal either, but I don't think he'll have a problem with me making it every now and then.

*** Update!  I tried this again a couple weeks later, this time adding cayenne pepper for more flavor, and also with black beans, chopped tomatoes, and onions.  Much better!  Lots and lots more variety and flavor, and I loved the spice of the cayenne pepper!  I even used tofu again, and it was delicious.

Forgotten Chicken

This recipe gets its name because supposedly the amount of time it spends in the oven is really flexible, so if you "forget" about it, it's no big deal.  I decided to try this one out on a really busy day because not only is it super easy, I also wanted the cooking time flexibility.  Here's the recipe:

Forgotten Chicken

The ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, minute rice, 1 pkg. onion soup mix, can of cream of chicken soup, can of cream of celery soup, water.

Mix together "cream of" soups, 1 can of water, and 2 cups of minute rice (uncooked.)  Pour into a buttered casserole dish.

Lay chicken breasts on top of rice mixture and sprinkle onion soup mix on top. Cover with tin foil.

(My dad hates onions so a lot of the time my mom would just mix the onion soup in with the rice.  I guess out of sight, out of mind?  Either way works.)

Here is where the name Forgotten Chicken comes in.  Once you have it in the casserole dish you can put it in the oven and forget it!  My mom would always put it in on a low temp. (around 250-275) before we left for church and when we got home three hours later it would be ready.  Or you can cook it at 350-375 (depending on your oven) for one to one and a half hours.   It is hard to mess up so if you forget it is in there don't worry, it is probably still okay!

The rice on the outside edges should be slightly browned and crispy and the rice on the inside soft and moist.  Serve with a side salad and a nice big slice of bread and you have yourself one tasty meal.  It's my favorite!  (in case I haven't mentioned that enough times in this post.)

I definitely liked how easy this was to make, and I liked the flavor.  (I love dry onion soup mix).  I also liked that the rice gave me a super easy and quick side dish.  My only complaint is that my chicken was a little overcooked and as a result, it was kind of dry!  Ugh!  This recipe's claim to fame is that if you forget about it and accidentally cook it too long, it's not a big deal.... but that's kind of a lie.  Haha.  Whatever - next time I'll just take it out of the oven a little sooner.

Avocado Chicken Parmigiana

If I see avocado as a main ingredient in something, I am immediately drawn to it.  I love avocados!  I saw this recipe and was super excited to try it.  It had a nice, thick layer of avocado on top of breaded chicken.  Looked delicious.  :-)  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breast Fillets, halved lengthways
1/2 Cup Plain Flour
2 Tablespoons Fresh Milk
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Dried Breadcrumbs
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil/Cooking Spray
1/2 Cup Tomato Pasta Sauce
2 Avocado, Sliced
1/2 Cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese 
Salad Green, to serve

Method:-

1. Place chicken breast in a clear plastic bag(alternatively between 2 sheets plastic wrap), using a rolling pin or meat mallet pound until 0.5cm thick.

2. Place flour and breadcrumbs on two separate plate and lightly whisk milk and egg together in a shallow bowl. 

3. Coat 1 piece of chicken breast in flour(shaking off excess), dip in egg mixture then coat in breadcrumbs using your fingertips pressing on to secure.

4. Place on prepared baking tray lay with foil or baking paper, repeat the same process with the remaining chicken breast with flour, egg and etc.

5. Lightly spray or brush the prepared chicken with oil, bake for 8 minutes(turning after 4 minutes to have evenly colours on the breadcrumbs) in preheated 200 degree Celsius fan-forced oven. 

6. Remove from oven and spread each chicken breast with 1 heaped tablespoon of pasta sauce. Arrange avocado slices over sauce and sprinkle with decent amount of mozzarella cheese.

7. Return to oven and bake for another 5 - 7 minutes or until golden and chicken is cooked through.

8. Serve with either garden salad or use it as a main topping on cooked pasta.

So.... my chicken turned out dry.  Not exactly a huge shocker - dry chicken is one of my biggest weaknesses in the kitchen.  Other than that, I liked this recipe.  Simple, different, and delicious.  However, next time I'll be more careful about not overcooking the chicken... ugh.  

The avocado in my picture looks rotten, but that just happened when I stuck it in the oven.  I promise it was delicious and not rotten.  :-)

Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Okay, sausage is a bit of a weakness of mine.  I hate how much I like it because it's not exactly the healthiest of the healthy.  While I'm nothing even close to a health food nut, I still notice when I'm eating one of the worst meats for you.  Oh well.  As long as I'm not eating sausage too often, I'm going to make sure to enjoy it every now and then!  Here's a recipe using sausage that I adore:

Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Spinach

Print

Author: Joanne

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

The filling for these stuffed shells are not too gooey or soft, so not only do they make for an excellent dinner served with a salad on the side, they double as finger food for your next party. Substitute pork sausage for chicken sausage, just add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan before adding the chicken sausage so it does not stick to the pan.

Ingredients

• 16-18 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 pound fresh pork sausage links, casing removed
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze dry
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook according to package directions. Drain well then add to ice water until ready to stuff.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork sausage then use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage, cook 5-6 minutes until browned.
3. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds then add tomatoes and spinach (make sure the thawed frozen spinach has been squeezed dry); cook 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese.
4. Using a spoon, fill pasta shells with pork filling and arrange in a baking dish (9-inch x 9-inch baking dish works well). Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then bake in the oven 25-30 minutes until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown.

I couldn't find ricotta cheese anywhere in the grocery store, so I substituted more mozzarella cheese instead.  And these were so good!!  The spinach even made me feel slightly less guilty about eating them.  :-)  It's one of my new favorite recipes using sausage.  They were even good the next day.  If you like sausage, I highly recommend this recipe.

If you don't want to serve this as a main dish but want to try it, you could definitely serve it as an appetizer for a bunch of people, or freeze half of them and use them later.

Bowtie Chicken Caesar Salad

I love caesar salad.  I love chicken caesar salad even more.  Throw some pasta in there and you get the best chicken caesar salad I've ever tasted.  I got the recipe here.  Here it is:

Bowtie Chicken Caesar Salad

by Amy Bench

2 bunches green leaf lettuce, chopped

1 bag croutons
1 bag Almond Accents/ Roasted Garlic Caesar
2 Chicken Breasts, boiled with an onion and salt and pepper
2 cups bowtie pasta, cooked
4 - 6 oz. shredded parmesan cheese 
Caesar Dressing

Toss all the above ingredients with Caesar dressing right before serving.

I baked the chicken instead of boiling it, but whatever works for you is fine.  I also didn't put in the almonds because I forgot to buy them, and I added chopped tomatoes.  

Anyway, I liked this dinner a lot.  The pasta and chicken made it great as a main course, but it would also be great as a side dish for a party.  (This recipe makes plenty).  My husband was nervous about having salad as the main course, but he admitted that it was a pretty great meal "for being a salad."  Ha.