Creamy Pesto Chicken & Pasta!

I found this recipe on the back of a can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup. The original name is Creamy Pesto Chicken & Bow Ties but I used penne pasta so I changed the name.

This recipe is super easy but definitely has the "wow factor." The recipe below is from the Campbell's website with minor alterations. I thought the sauce was a little too thick so I reserved some of the cooking water from the pasta and thinned the sauce down a little bit. I think I used a little over a 1/4 of a cup. I think next time I'm going to sprinkle in some freshly diced tomatoes when I add the pasta to the sauce. It will not only add color but compliment the creaminess of the sauce. After I plated it, I sprinkled fresh shaved Parmesan and a little fresh parsley on top.


Creamy Pesto Chicken & Pasta

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), cut into cubes
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup pesto sauce
1/2 cup milk
3 cups penne pasta, cooked and drained (reserve some of the pasta water)

1. Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.

2. Stir the soup, pesto sauce and milk in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the pasta and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling. If the sauce is too thick, use the reserved pasta water to thin it down until you feel it's the right consistency.

3. Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley and enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff!

Several weeks ago my blogging friend, Darlene of Darlene's Days tried a Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff recipe. Her family loved it and after reading her rave reviews on her blog, I decided to make it for dinner that night.

I didn't have any stew meat or the right canned soup so I made a few adjustments and incorporated some of Darlene's suggestions and it came out PERFECT!

You can click here for the original recipe and the recipe I am listing below is the one I've adjusted and will continue to use.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
1 pound of sirloin steak (2 steaks), fat trimmed off and cut into strips
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 small can of sliced mushrooms
1 packed of French onion soup mix
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
4 oz. cream cheese
Sour cream for top, optional
egg noodles or white rice

Directions:
1. In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil on an almost high setting. When the oil is hot and rippling, add the steak and onions. Sear the steak on all sides to give it a dark brown color on the outside. Do not cook it through. You just want to seal in the juices.
2. After the meat and onions are seared, place them in a slow cooker and add the soup, mushrooms, package of soup mix, Worcestershire sauce and water. Stir well to combine.
3. Cook on low setting for 8 hours or high setting for 5 hours.
4. Stir in cream cheese just before serving.
5. Serve over cooked egg noodles or white rice.

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Farmer's Breakfast Casserole!

I found this recipe online about 7 or so years ago. It's from the Strutton Inn Bed and Breakfast in Custer, South Dakota. I'm so glad I printed it out and didn't lose the recipe because the link I have bookmarked doesn't work anymore.

Anyway. I needed a way to make a quick breakfast on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings before we start our travels to my parents' and Curtis's parents' homes. Although I did make it the other night for dinner and everyone was so excited. I guess I need to make it more often instead of just on the holidays.

This recipe is perfect because I make it the night before and pop it in the oven in the morning before anyone gets up. It's easy to put together and there isn't any prep in the morning so there is less clean up too!

Farmer's Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup cooked ham or Canadian bacon, diced
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
4 eggs, beaten
1 12oz. can evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:
~Grease a 2 quart square baking dish. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish.
~Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onion.
~In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, pepper and salt. Pour egg mixture over ingredients in the baking dish. (At this point, you can cover the dish and refrigerate over night or several hours.)
~Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until center appears set. ***If the casserole was made ahead and chilled, you will need to bake it for 55-60 minutes.
~Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Notes:
~Instead of ham, try with ground pork sausage that's already been browned and drained.
~Try substituting pepper jack cheese for the cheddar.
~Can substitute 1 cup frozen egg product for eggs.
~Can use evaporated skim milk instead of regular for a lighter recipe.

Stop back tomorrow and see what I serve with this casserole!

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie!

Have you noticed that 90% of the recipes I post on my blog are easy peasy lemon squeezy?

I love easy! I don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen every day! In fact, I don't know many wives and Mothers that do have the time. Anyway. I think it's pointless to do everything from scratch when there are so many great products out on the market these days.

In this recipe, I took advantage of one of those products...already prepared pie crusts that you find in the dairy section at the grocery store. Using them enables you to make this pot pie in minutes.

Another thing that I also pick up sometimes when they are on sale is the baked chickens that the grocery stores carry. I will bring it home, clean it and freeze the chicken so I can use it in recipes later. It cuts my cooking time tremendously!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 box of Prepared Pie Crusts, let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes
1 - 1 1/2 lbs. of Chicken, cooked and diced
1 1/2 cups of Frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 can of Diced Potatoes, drained
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
Salt and Pepper, to taste

~Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
~In a large bowl, add prepared chicken, frozen vegetables, diced potatoes, soup, salt and pepper.
~In a pie plate (I use a glass one), line the bottom with one of the prepared pie crusts.
~Put the chicken, veggie and soup mixture in the pie plate on top of the first crust.
~Cover with the second pie crust. Fold the edges under the bottom edges and pinch the two together.
~Using a sharp knife, cut some air holes into the top crust so pie doesn't build up steam and explode.
~Cover the edges of the crust with foil so it doesn't burn before the whole pie cooks.
~Bake with the edges covered for 20 minutes.
~After the first 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
~Let sit for 10 minutes to set.

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Pizza Pasta!

I literally threw this together for dinner the other night. I had planned on pasta but wanted something a little different so I started looking around the kitchen.

I had browned off a pound of Bob Evans's roll sausage to make my breakfast casserole for New Year's Day but only used half of it. I threw the other half in the freezer for later. Well. This was my later and the perfect time to use it up! Hmm, pasta, sauce, sausage...see where I was going with this? Yup! Pizza Pasta!

Here's the best I could do for writing a recipe. I didn't measure anything out because I didn't think I was going to post it. So these are all an approximation of what I used. It worked for my family of three with little leftovers. If you have a bigger family, you'll want to make more and just use the method and not the measurements. Use your judgement, it isn't brain surgery!

Pizza Pasta

Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 cups rotini pasta (corkscrews)
1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.)pasta sauce with mushrooms
1/2 roll sausage, browned and drained
12 slices pepperoni, cut into 4
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese
dried or fresh chopped parsley

Other optional add-ins: sliced mushrooms, diced green peppers, diced onions, sliced black olives or any other toppings you like on your pizza would be good too.

Directions:
1. Cook rotini in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well.
2. In a sauce pan, heat pasta sauce over medium heat. Add in sausage, pepperoni and any other optional ingredients.
3. After pasta is cooked and sauce is heated through, combine together and put in an appropriate sized baking dish.
4. Top evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese then sprinkle lightly with grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with chopped parsley for color.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until heated through and cheese is golden and bubbly.
6. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Beef & Bean Skillet Casserole!

Okay friends! I came up with this because I had a pound of thawed ground beef that I needed to use. It was also right before my grocery shopping trip so I had a limited amount of supplies in my pantry which forced me to get creative. Curtis loved it and had a big second helping. Allison picked the beans out of it and ate the whole thing. It was voted a "repeat" in my home so I thought I would share it with all of you.

I only used one skillet and one pot (to boil the noodles) so clean-up was easy. The skillet I used is a Cooks Essentials from QVC. It is one of their hard coat enamel skillets and is oven safe up to 350 degrees so I put it right in the oven to melt the cheese on top and finish off the casserole.

Beef & Bean Skillet Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground beef
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup milk
1 t. soy sauce (I use low salt)
1/2 t. black pepper
1 can of green beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups of dry egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~Brown ground beef in skillet and drain grease.
~Next add Cream of Mushroom Soup, milk, soy sauce and black pepper. Mix until well blended over medium heat.
~Turn heat off and stir in cooked egg noodles and green beans.
~Fold in Parmesan cheese.
~Top with shredded cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of more Parmesan cheese.
~Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
~After taking it out of the oven, let it set for 10 minutes before serving.

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Smoked Sausage, Potatoes, Peppers & Onions!

Here in this area, it's good luck to have pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day.

Curtis and Allison don't like sauerkraut. I love it but as I get older it's not my friend if you know what I mean.

So instead of making something that my family won't eat and I can't eat, I decided we could still have the "pork" of the good luck tradition.

I don't really have a name for this dish. It's something my friend, Nancy, used to make when I lived across the street from her. I'm not sure if it's really the recipe she used but it's what I kind of remembered. I loved it when she invited me to dinner. She's a good cook!

Smoked Sausage, Potatoes, Peppers & Onions

Ingredients:
1 lb. smoked sausage (you can use kielbasa but we like the sausage better)
6-8 medium to large potatoes (we like potatoes so I always do more)
1 large red pepper (or green if you like)
1 large onion
3/4 stick of butter
Frank's Hot Sauce

Directions:
~ Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
~ In a large roaster sprayed with non-stick spray, layer the following in order:
~Potatoes, cut into large cubes. We like the skins on but you can peel them if you like.
~Smoked sausage, sliced on the diagonal into 1/2 inch "coins".
~Onions, peeled and sliced into thin slices then cut the slices in half.
~Peppers, cleaned and cut it into large cubes.
~ Shake hot sauce all over the top of the layers. Start with a little as you can add more half way through cooking.
~ Layer the top with sliced pats of butter.
~ Bake covered for 30 minutes.
~After 30 minutes, remove lid and stir well to mix everything together. You can taste a potato at this time to see if you would like more hot sauce. If needed, add more and stir well again.
~Put back into the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes more.

A couple of notes:
~I wouldn't make this in a Crock Pot. It wouldn't give it the crispness that cooking it with the lid off gives you.
~You can make this ahead of time and then keep it warm in a Crock Pot for a party. This does work well and it's a big hit for the men at a party.
~Great idea for a Superbowl Party!

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My Crock Pot Chili Recipe!

Although I love chili, I haven't made it in years. Allison wouldn't eat it and since I don't believe in cooking separate meals for the family, I would only order it out in a restaurant. Last week when we had dinner out, Allison tried it and LOVED it! She ate her whole bowl! I was so excited because that was my sign that I can make chili at home again. So last night I asked her if she would like chili for dinner tonight and she gave me a big smile and said "YES!" and then she said she can almost taste it now. How funny is she?

Cindi’s Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
2 - 15.5 oz. cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 – 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes in juice
2 – 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
½ green pepper, chopped fine
4 oz. mushrooms, chopped fine
3-4 Tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Directions:
~Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl.
~Put mixture in a Crock Pot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray for easy clean up.
~Cook for 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.

We like ours with soda crackers, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

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Crock Pot Swiss Steak!

I tried a new recipe for Swiss Steak in the Crock Pot or slow cooker. Although Curtis liked the recipe I used previously, I thought the tomato flavor overpowered the dish. This new recipe is just perfect for me. I put it in the Crock Pot on Thursday because I wasn't sure how long I was working that day. I wanted to have dinner ready for them just in case. Good thing I did too because I didn't get home until after 7:00. Part of my new healthier eating is not to eat after 7 pm so I had something little for dinner earlier. However, when I got home the house smelled so good from the Swiss steak cooking all day that I had to have a little. This picture is of my little. I must have said "Mmmm" ten times while I was eating this. Curtis had 2 1/2 helpings and Allison loved it too. Next time I'm going to try fat free gravy in it. I wanted to this time but the store didn't have any. The only change I made in their recipe was to dredge the steaks in seasoned flour before browing in the skillet.

Crock Pot Swiss Steak
(adapted from Betty Crocker)

Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef boneless round steak
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon peppered seasoned salt
6 to 8 new potatoes, cut into fourths
1 1/2 cups baby-cut carrots
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups petite diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
1 jar (12 ounces) beef gravy
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired
Directions:
1. Mix flour and seasoned salt together.
2 Cut beef into 6 serving pieces. Dredge through flour mixture. Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook in skillet 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until brown.
3. Layer potatoes, carrots, beef and onion in 4- to 5-quart Crock Pot or slow cooker. Mix tomatoes and gravy; spoon over mixture in slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours

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Pierogi Skillet Dinner!

This recipe is quick, quick, quick! You can have it on the table in 15 minutes. It also can be served out of the skillet but I put it in a bowl so I could take a pretty picture for all of you.

I found this recipe a few years ago in a Woman's Day magazine. Of course, I had to change it a little to fit my family. It actually called for frozen peas but the other humans in my family don't eat peas by themselves. I know. They are odd. It also called for 1 chopped medium onion. I've never used it because it slows down "the dinner on the table in 15 minutes thing" which is why I like this recipe. I really don't think it needs it. It has lots of flavor without adding the onion. If you try the recipe and put the onion in it, let me know how it turns out!

Make sure you read the directions through before you start. It may look long but is actually really easy. The clean-up is a breeze too. Any questions, please let me know!

Pierogi Skillet Dinner
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. smoked sausage (I use lite. The WD recipe called for kielbasa)
1 box of mini pierogies (I use the potato and cheese but use what ever your family likes)
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables.

Directions:
~Cut the smoked sausage diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices.
~Put a large pot of water on high to start it boiling. Once boiling add the frozen vegetables. Stir to prevent sticking. Make sure you don't over cook the vegetables. You will be adding them to the skillet and they will continue to cook there. You'll want to bring the water back to a boil so you can add the pierogies into the same water with the vegetables.
~Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
~Add smoked sausage to oil and cook until browned.
~While the sausage is browning, it should be time to add the pierogies to the vegetables and water. Be careful...these cook quick.
~As soon as the pierogies float, strain the vegetables and pierogies.
~Add the vegetables and pierogies to the skillet and continue to cook until the pierogies brown a little.

This recipe serves 4. I do not add salt or pepper to this recipe. I think it's salty enough with the smoked sausage and I put a pepper shaker on the table for those who want it.

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