Chicken, asparagus, goat cheese pasta

This recipe originated from a blog called Smitten Kitchen.  I found it with a google search for asparagus and goat cheese.  The only thing I changed from the original recipe was to toss in some rotisserie chicken shreds.

Photo from Smitten Kitchen

1 pound spiral-shaped pasta
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon (1 Tbl grated peel plus all the juice)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 5- to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (Costco always has this at a great price)



Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed.

Stir in shredded chicken.

 Season generously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice.

Sweet and Tangy Lemon Chicken

3 to 4 pounds chicken parts (I used frozen legs and a few breast halves)
1 (6-ounce) box Lemon Jello powder
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dried minced onion flakes (or one tiny onion, finely diced)

Directions.

Use a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. My chicken was frozen solid, too. If you have thawed chicken, shave about 90 minutes off of the cooking time.
Place the chicken into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the jello powder, melted butter, dijon mustard, and onion flakes. Stir together to make a paste. This isn't liquidy at all--- it's sort of a combo between paste and playdough. Smear this onto your chicken the best you can.
Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. I cooked our chicken on low for exactly 7 hours, then kept it on the warm setting for another 2 hours.

I thought this one was very tasty.  The kids weren't totally in love though.

Slow Cooker Ham & Cheese Hashbrown bake

2lbs shredded frozen hash browns
1 stick melted butter
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion (I cooked it first in some butter so it was soft)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
2 cups fully cooked diced ham ( I just used deli meat and sliced it up)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Mix everything together in a large bowl, transfer it to your crock pot. This makes a lot so plan to use about a 6qt size slow cooker or so. Place on med/low heat for 8hrs or high for 4hrs. You could also bake it in your oven for one hour at 375 degrees. We had this for dinner but it could also be served for breakfast!!

Creamy Slow Cooker Beef & Noodles

--2 lbs stew meat

--2 T butter

 

--1 T worcestershire sauce

--1 T black pepper

--2 T dried minced onion

--1/4 cup beef broth

--1/2 t kosher salt

--1 t herbs de provence

--1/4 cup milk

--1/2 block of cream cheese

 

Mix together all ingredients except cream cheese and milk in your slow cooker.  Cook on low for a long time, at least 8 hours.  This makes the beef very tender.  Before serving, stir in cream cheese until incorprated.  Serve over noodles.

Salmon / Fish Recipes

Last week we had steelhead trout for dinner.  I decided to try my two favorite salmon recipes, and they turned out great. 

Recipe #1:  A thin layer of mayonaise, then sprinkle garlic powder and dill on top. Tastes a lot like ranch.

Recipe #2: This one is more like a glaze.  Pour on a thin layer of honey, then sprinkle brown sugar on top.

Bake in the oven at 350 for about half an hour.

Easy Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients

1/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, milk, and oil to flour mixture. Pour half of the batter into your pan.  Then sprinkle a generous layer of white sugar and cinnamon.  Top with the other half of the batter.  Bake for 45+ minutes or until done.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Ingredients

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 can diced green chiles (4 oz)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 cans green chili enchilada sauce (10 oz, each)

2/3 cups red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese (any kind)

1 cup sour cream

Penne pasta

Topping Ideas

Avocado

Green Onions

Black Olives

Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Directions

1. Shred chicken (I recommend doing this earlier in the day, or even the day before to save time, as well as chopping the veggies).

2. Boil pasta according to package. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

3. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

4. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Slowly add the sour cream, but DO NOT bring to a boil (so as not to curdle the sour cream). Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

5. Drain pasta and add to the skillet with the cheese sauce; mix well. Serve and garnish with desired toppings.