Beach Street Lemon Chicken Linguine

Another mykitchencafe. I know, I know. I have an addiction.

I think the name is quite misleading for this recipe. There is lemon involved, though we barely tasted it. (Which is a good thing, cause we don't love a strong lemon taste). To me, it was just so light, and the chicken. Oh the chicken! The marinade is perfection. We couldn't stop eating it!

The Goods

1 package of linguine

2 tbs olive oil

zest from 1 lemon

juice from 1 lemon (we used about 3/4 of the lemon juice, just because we didn't want it very lemony, and it was just tasty!)

3 green onions chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated parm

Marinade (YUMMO)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tbs Cajun seasoning

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs fresh minced parsley

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs soy sauce

2 chicken breast sliced thin

Combine marinade ingredients and chicken in zip lock bag and let it sit for a good 3-4 hours.

When you are ready to cook, pour entire contents of the bag into a skillet, and let the chicken cook through.

Combine juice of lemon, parsley, lemon zest, olive oil, and green onions in a small bowl and set aside.

While the chicken is sauteing, cook linguine in boiling salted water till cooked. Drain and return to pot. Pour your lemon juice, parsley, grn onion mixture in with the pasta and stir to coat. When he chicken mixture is cooked add the pasta mixture to the pan and stir through, adding parm as you go.

Serve warm and devour!

Chicken Tortillini Bake

Another delicious recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. If you can't tell, we love pasta. It's something that actually pleases every single person in the family, which isn't really as easy as you'd think!

This one was so easy, peasy, and just yummy.

The Goods

16 ounce package of cheese tortellini

(I used bertolli, like always)

1 tbs oil

2 cups (about 2 chicken breasts) chicken cut up into bite size pieces

3 green onions finely chopped, white and green parts

2 tbs flour

1 cup chicken broth

8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

8 oz (2 cups) shredded Monterrey jack cheese

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook your tortellini for a few minutes. (It will continue cooking while baking, so you just need to get the process started). Drain and set aside.

Heat you oil in a large nonstick skillet, and add chicken pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and green onions till chicken is cooked through and the veggies are softened. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir for a few minutes. Next add the chicken broth, and stir till thickened. Then add the sour cream, and let sit till it is warmed through, and creamy.

Spray 13 by 9 inch pan with pam. Add the tortellini, half the cheese, the chicken mixture, and then the rest of the cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes till it is bubbly and melty, and gooey too!

Enjoy!

Skillet Chicken, with Broccoli, Pasta, and Parmasean

Another one from mykitchencafe. I love trying out her recipes, it seems they always work for me. We LOVE this one. Each person in our family is excited when I make it, and it is great reheated too. She got this one from "The best skillet Recipes from Cook's Illustrated" cookbook. She adapted teh recipe to serve 4-6 people, and this amount was PLENTY for our family with plenty of leftovers.

I'll star any changes I made to her reicpe.

The Goods

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares

Table salt and ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 package good seasons italian seasoning (optional)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 ounces ziti

4 1/4 cups water

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4-5 cups broccoli florets

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped coarse *I didn't rinse mine. I LOVE the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes and this infused the oil perfectly.

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup grated parmesan

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. *I added some Good Seasons Italian seasoning the second time I cooked this and I think it added a bit to the flavor*. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add your onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In her recipe she says that the broth will be thick and syrupy and almost all the way absorbed into the noodles. This has NEVER worked for me. It thickens a bit, but is never super syrupy. *The first time it worried me, and I tried to drain some of the broth, but then the final product wasn't "saucy" enough. The second time I just let it be and it ended up just fine. Don't worry if your broth isn't like syrup.* Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water (I only add 1 cup)*. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes.Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more grated parmesan at the table, if desired.

Chicken Florentine

I realize that this picture isn't the best, but this dinner was delish. Full of spinach and my kids still ate it!

8 oz. dried bow tie pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)
1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions
Chicken florentine
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In medium skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.
2. In bowl whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir in chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. Transfer to 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
3. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden.

Baked Ziti

Okay, this is nothing fancy, but it is oh-so easy, cheap, and everyone in the fam will eat it! You can always add Italian Sausage or Hamburger to it, but I prefer it without.

The Goods
1/2 lb ziti pasta
16 ounces ricotta cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Boil ziti, following package directions, drain and place in a large bowl.
Mix all the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella with the ziti.
Spray a 13x9 pan with Pam.
Cover the bottom half of the pan with about half the sauce.
Put the ziti mixture on top of sauce.
Pour remaining sauce on top of ziti.
Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and it is lightly golden.

Serve with a green salad and some garlic bread and enjoy!

Lemon Sour Cream Pasta

Forgive this picture! I promise this dish really is so pretty in real life! I'm no photographer!

Another one from here. This pasta had great potential for us, but it was way too lemony (is that a word?) for us. I think 1/2 a lemon would make this perfect and will try that when I make it again. And I think I will make it again! Maybe our lemon was too juicy? If you try this I would recommend adding the lemon juice in quarters and tasting it along the way.

The Goods

1/2 lb. fettuccine.

1 cup frozen peas.

1 tablespoon butter.

3 cloves garlic, minced.

1/2 cup sour cream, (light works well).

juice and zest of one lemon (make your adjustments according to your liking!)

1/2 cup chopped green onions.

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

grated Parmesan cheese.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding peas during last minute of cooking time. Drain pasta in colander. To the same pot, add butter and garlic and cook over low heat for one minute, or until garlic is softened. Add pasta and peas back to pot. Stir in sour cream, lemon juice and zest, green onions, and salt and pepper. Warm through.

She recommends serving this with freshly sliced tomatoes. We are not tomato fans so I just served mine with some homemade rolls and it worked very well.

Parmesan Garlic Bread Sticks

I made these for the first time tonight, and was pleasantly surprised. They are light and fluffy, and buttery delicious! (And easy...of course.)

The Goods
5 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup warm milk (I heat mine up in the microwave for about a minute)
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, divided in half and melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
4 1/2-5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, for sprinkling on top.

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and let it sit until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Add the milk, sugar, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, 3 tablespoons butter, salt, and 2 cups flour.
Beat until smooth.
Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Knead with bread hook for 10 minutes adding additional flour as needed.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead about 15-20 times.
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Punch the dough down and let it rest a couple of minutes.

Roll out on a floured surface, and cut into sticks with a pizza cutter.

Twist your bread sticks into the shape you desire.
Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25-35 minutes.
Melt remaining butter and brush over the dough.
Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.
Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Ravioli with Sun-dried tomato cream sauce

Oh My, this is my new favorite recipe! It's not a healthy one, but it is a delicious one! I found it here, (can you tell I like this blog? I keep using her recipes...). My kids liked it, hubby liked it, and I liked it. My house smelled amazing while it was cooking too!

2 Tbsp. butter

1 garlic clove, minced (more if you want)

1 c. chicken stock or broth

1/2 c. sun dried tomatoes

2 cups whipping cream

3 tsp. cornstarch

8-12 oz. fresh or frozen ravioli *I used bertolli 20 oz., and there was plenty of sauce to cover this.

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried

2 T. chopped fresh parsley (only if using dried basil)

salt & fresh ground pepper

Melt butter in med. saucepan over low heat. Add garlic and cook 30 secs. Add stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered over medium heat about 10 mins. or until tomatoes are tender. Remove tomatoes with slotted spoon. Cut into smaller pieces. Return tomatoes to saucepan. Add cream and bring to a boil, and add your corn starch stirring consistantly. While this is simmering cook ravioli according to directions. Drain well. Add basil and/or parsley to sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix with your pasta, and that's it.

NOTE: I didn't have any fresh parsley, and totally forgot to add my basil, and this was still perfect.

Serve with a side of crusty bread to sop up the extra sauce, and there you have it!

Lasagna Roll-ups

I found this recipe here and we tried it tonight. It was pretty tasty, and a meal that the whole family ate! And it even had spinach and the girls totally loved it. Wahoo.

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry

½ c. sour cream

¼ c. bread crumbs

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 t. garlic powder

12 lasagna noodles

1 bottle of your favorite spaghetti sauce

½ c. shredded mozzarella

Cook lasagna noodles according to package and lay on cookie sheet to dry a bit. Combine 1st seven ingredients to make filling. Spread 1/3 cupful down each noodle, leaving a little tab at the end to make it stick. Roll up and place in a 9x13 dish. Original recipe says to let it sit overnight covered, but if your noodles are dry enough, they will stick to themselves and you won’t need to. Cover with sauce and spread over roll ups. Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Immediately sprinkle with ½ c. mozzarella and serve.

Linguine with Turkey Meatballs

I found this recipe while blogging a while back, and wrote it down right away and promptly forgot about it. The other day I found the recipe and we tried it last night, and it was delish. I wish I could give credit to where I got it from, but I don't remember, so if this is your dish, thank you!

Turkey Meatballs

3 TBSP olive oil

2 oz pancetta , finely diced

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 C freshly grated Romano cheese

1/4 C fresh flat leaf parsley

1/4 C plain bread crumbs

1/4 C chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 eggs

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

Sauce and Noodles

1lb linguine

1/8 C extra-virgin olive oil

1 can whole tomatoes

2 garlic cloves - smashed

1/4 C chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 can tomato paste

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried basil

First, make the meatballs.

1. Preheat oven to 450

2. Heat olive oil in a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the pancetta and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onion and continue to cook until the pancetta is crisp and the onion is soft. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, combine the pancetta/onion mixture with the rest of the meatball ingredients and stir them all together.

4. Form 2 inch balls and place on foiled and greased baking sheet.

5.Bake them for 20-25 minutes.

Now for the sauce

In a large pan heat up your olive oil. Add the tomatoes, paste, garlic cloves, parsley, basil, salt and pepper and let simmer. (I added a bit more salt, but just keep tasting till it suits you.)

Start boiling your water for the noodles, and add the meatballs to the sauce when they are done. Let that simmer till your noodles are done.

We served ours with homemade rolls, and a little fresh grated Romano cheese over the top. Delish.

NOTE: This recipe calls for pancetta. I HATE pancetta (it's a texture thing.) So we added crumbled bacon and it worked beautifully.