Chicken and Pasta, Couldn't Be Better

So, it's been a long while since I've updated. My appologies. My computer crapped out on me and I haven't had a whole ton of chances to do cooking recently. So this is what I came up with the other day.

Chicken Penne Cordon Blue

Makes about 8 servings

What You Need:
1.15 lbs of Chicken Tender Breasts (I used the Tyson ones, use all of the package)
1 lb Penne
8 oz Italian Cheese Blend (I used Tilamook, but Kraft works just as well, or whatever the cheap brand is)
Ham/Pancetta/Bacon/Prosuito-2 or 3 slices of ham will do, I used Honey Ham
2 c of Milk
1/4 cup of Butter
1/4 cup of Flour (I used whole wheat because I was out of white, if it sits in the fridge for several days, it'll turn a funny color, the whole wheat flour I mean)
4 cloves of Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Basil
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Parsley
Freshly grated Nutmeg
2 tablespoons of Cream Cheese
EVOO to cook the chicken in

Things I didn't use but would probably be good in it:
1 small onion or 1/2 a medium sized onion
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

And I would definitely recommend using bread crumbs, but I didn't have any of bread crumbs to use.

What to do:
1. Cut and cook the chicken till it's done, and preheat the oven to 350
2. Boil the water
3. Cook pasta 6-8 minutes
4. Melt the butter and add the flour, and stir to make a paste (AKA: A roux)
5. Let the flour 'cook out' for a couple of minutes
6. Add the milk and let it thicken, stir the lumps out of the milk. Should only take a few minutes
7. Add the seasonings to the milk, the garlic powder, the onion powder, some salt and pepper, nutmeg, parsley, Basil (make sure it's fresh), the cream cheese, and the garlic(and if you were using these things) the mustard, red pepper flakes, and onion. (You could cook the garlic and onion first, till they're translucent)
8. Add 1/2 the cheese into the mixture, and stir till it's smooth and incoorperated
9. Crisp the ham in a pan
10. Mix the chicken with the pasta, and put in a baking dish, put a layer of plain pasta down, and a little bit of chicken, put just a little bit of sauce on the pasta, and a little bit of ham, then layer the rest of the chicken/pasta mixture, and the sauce. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese and the ham, and if you have breadcrumbs, sprinkle them up on top here.
11. Bake for 20 minutes
12. Remove and let cool for a little bit
13. Enjoy!

And that's Chicken Penne Cordon Blue! :)

More Awesome Chili Mac

Just when you thought that Chili Mac couldn't get any more awesome, IT JUST DID!

So...

You Need:

1 box of Mac and Cheese
1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of milk
1 can of Chili
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Boil your water
2. Add the noodles and cook per the directions on the box (I did 8 minutes)
2.5. (Optional step) Add salt, I find that it helps the noodles from sticking together too bad, and it also helps the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Drain the noodles
4. Melt the butter in the bottom of your pan (again, I find that it helps the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan so bad)
5. Add the noodles back into the pan
6. Add the milk
7. Add the cheese sauce
8. Stir together
9. Add a huge handful of shredded cheese
10. Stir the cheese and noodles together
11. Dump in your can of chili and stir together
12. Let the chili heat up for a few minutes.
12.5. Add a few red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick if you want
13. Dish up
14. Add a dollop of sour cream and top with a tad bit more cheese
15. NOM UP AND ENJOY!



The ingredientsNoodles bubbling away
Draining the noodles


The butter melting


Mixing together the butter and noodles


Mixing together butter, milk, and noodles


Mixing in the cheeseCheese all mixed together



Adding in the shredded cheeseAdding the chiliStirring everything together





Mixing in the red pepper flakes




READY TO NOM UP!
Clearly, it was very good!

ENJOY!

Happy eating!

Till the next time!

Not Your Average BLT

So, I like a good sandwich every now and again. Subway is a weakness. OMM is that place GOOD! But yesterday, I was hungry for a BLT, and well, this is what I came up with.

You Need:
2 slices of good wheat bread
1 piece of cheddar cheese
A couple of slices of deli ham
4 slices of microwave bacon
5 cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half, length wise, not width wise
A few onion slices
A handful of spinach
Ranch dressing
Dried oregano
Dried basil
Salt
Pepper
Small frying pan
Spatula
Knife

1. Heat the frying pan over medium heat
2. Butter one piece of bread and lay it in the pan. Add your cheese and ham and top with the other slice of bread.
3. Butter the top piece of bread.
4. Let the first side cook for a bit and then flip
5. Let the other side cook for a few minutes, and remove from the pan
6. Add some EVOO to your pan and add the onions. Let cook till translucent.
7. Cook the bacon in the microwave according to the directions on the box
8. Place on top of the ham
9. Add the onions on top of the bacon
10. Add the tomatoes on top of the onions
11. Add the spinach
12. Add the ranch
13. Shake on some salt, pepper, oregano, and basil
14. Close the sandwich and slice to your preference
15. ENJOY!

It's really good paired with some wheat crackers and a Diet Dr Pepper (which, is what I paired it with. LOL)

Enjoy y'all!



I know it doesn't look real pretty. But it's SO GOOD!

Enjoy! :)

Till next time,
Happy Eating!

Vanilla Cinnamon Coffee

Ok, so it's been forever and a day since I've updated this. My apologies. Things have been interesting around here, and I haven't had any new recipes for a long while. Unfortunately, I have no pictures for this one. But it's my favorite way to drink coffee, especially if I don't have any of the flavored creamer stuff, and this is way cheaper too. Especially since most of the ingredients are just hanging around in your pantries.

So...He is the recipe!

You Need:
Coffee
Milk or Cream (but if you want to use non-dairy creamer, go right ahead, but it tastes better with milk or cream)
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Splenda or your preferred sweetener

What you do:
1.Pour yourself a cup of coffee
2. Add just a little bit of your dairy product
3. Add a cap full of vanilla into the coffee
4. Add the amount of sweetener you like, I usually add 2 packets of Splenda
5. Add just a pinch of cinnamon, not too much, otherwise it'll overpower the drink.
6. Stir together
7. Enjoy!

Note that this drink can be enjoyed hot or cold, if you want it cold, just pour over ice!

Until next time,
Happy Eating!