Roasted Red Pepper Chipotle Fettuccini

This was a.maze.ing. It's sweet, it's spicy, it's creamy. And I love the color of the sauce. It'd be great for a Valentine's dinner! You could add some chicken or sausage if meatless isn't your thing. But it's not needed!

 

Roasted Red Pepper Chipotle Fettuccini 

1lb fettuccini 

1 jar roasted red peppers - drained

1/2 onion - diced

 2 cloves garlic - minced

1-2T chipotle in adobo (more or less per your heat preference) 

2T butter

1 1/4C heavy whipping cream

1T dried basil

Parmesan cheese  and chopped parsley for serving

Cook the pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Sautee the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add in the red peppers and the chipotle. Cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer all the ingredients to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Return the mixture back to the skillet. Add the heavy cream. Stir until well combined. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Toss with the cooked pasta. Garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley. 

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Chicken Tetrazzini

This casserole reminded me of when I worked at a deli in high school. We always served some sort of tetrazzini! The girls loved this, and had 3 servings! 

Chicken Tetrazzini 

2C cooked shredded chicken

8oz spaghetti 

4 stalks celery - chopped

1/4C onion - diced

2 cloves garlic - minced

2C shredded mozzarella 

1/2C parmesan cheese

1 can cream of chicken

1/2C sour cream

1/2C french fried onions

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. In a small skillet, sautee the celery, onion and garlic until soft and golden brown. In a large bowl stir together the cream of chicken and sour cream. Stir in the chicken, celery mixture, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and the parmesan. Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella. Cover and bake at 375* for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with french fried onions. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. 

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Italian Cabbage Soup & Homemade Greek Salad Dressing

What a great supper!! I love a good soup and salad combo. The soup is warm and hearty and the salad dressing has a nice bite. Serve with some crusty bread and it's a perfect meal for a cool fall day! Best part? This is a CHEAP meal and most of the ingredients I always have on hand.

Italian Cabbage Soup

2 large carrots - peeled and diced

4 stalks celery - diced

1 small onion - diced

1 small head cabbage - shredded 

2 cloves garlic - minced

1 6oz tomato paste

4C chicken stock

1 15oz can great northern beans

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf 

In a large stock pot sautee the carrots, celery, onion and garlic until they start to soften. Add the cabbage. Stir occassionally, until the cabbage starts to wilt. Stir in the tomato past, chicken stock, beans (don't drain the can), thyme and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occassionally. 

Although I haven't tried it, I'm sure this would also work well in a slow cooker. Mix everything together and cook on low for 6 hours. 

Greek Salad Dressing

1/4C olive oil

2 cloves garlic - finely minced or pressed

1tsp Greek Seasoning (I used Penzey's) 

1/2tsp dried basil

1/2tsp sugar

1/2tsp black pepper

1tsp yellow mustard

1/3C red wine vinegar

1/2tsp salt

Add all the ingredients to a container with a lid ( I like to use a mason jar). Shake until well combined. Let set for 10 minutes for flavors to blend. This would also be good with a teaspoon of minced blacked olives and grated parmesan cheese. 

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Cheesy Creamy Rice Bake

This recipe is so quick and easy!! It's creamy, cheesy and very family friendly! It could also be easily doubled for a 9x13 baking dish. 

Cheesy Creamy Rice Bake

1lb ground beef

2c cooked white rice

1 can tomato sauce

1C cottage cheese

1/2C sour cream

2C shredded cheddar

1T season salt

1tsp garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350*. In a skillet, brown the ground beef. Stir in the tomato sauce, season salt & garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a bowl mix together the cooked rice, sour cream and cottage cheese. In a greased 2 quart baking dish spread in half of the rice mixture. Then layer half of the meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar. Repeat the layers. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. 

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Autumn Lasagna

Yesterday was so dark and cold and dreary...it rained all day. And not the man, it seems like it's been raining all day but it really did rain from the minute I woke up until I went to bed. This meal was perfect for yesterday. Warm, rich, and full of flavor. I served this with some cheesy garlic bread. 

Autumn Lasagna

2C butternut squash puree 

1 1/2C heavy whipping cream

1 stick butter

1C parmesan cheese

1tsp rubbed sage

1/4tsp nutmeg

2 cloves garlic - minced

1 box frozen spinach - thawed and strained

2C shredded cooked chicken

2C shredded mozzarella 

9 lasagna noodles - cooked

In a large sauce pan, melt the stick of butter. Add the garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Stir in the heavy whipping cream. Bring to a low boil. Stirring occasionally, let cook for 10 minutes. Whisk in the butternut squash and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese until well combined. Stir in the sage and nutmeg. Let simmer for 10 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350*. Spoon a small amount of sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Layer 3 noodles, some of the chicken, spinach, mozzarella and remaining parmesan. Ladle with some of the sauce. Repeat 2 times. Bake covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for 30 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. 

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Taco Stroganoff

Tacos and pasta!!! My 2 favorite things!!! This recipe is quick, simple and delicious!! If you like things spicy, add in some chopped jalapenos. Black olives would be good too!!  Add a few dashes of hot sauce on top for an added kick!

Taco Stroganoff

1lb ground beef

1/4C taco seasoning (or 1 packet)

1/2 cup water

8oz package cream cheese - cubed

1/4 C milk

4oz can chopped green chilies

1 can mexicorn - drained

2 c shredded cheddar

8oz wide egg noodles

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese, milk, chilies, corn and one cup of the shredded cheese. Cook over medium heat, stirring occassionally, until the cheeses are all melted and combined. Stir in the egg noodles. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar on top. 

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Jalapeño Bombs

These are a family favorite! Smoky bacon, spicy peppers and juicy chicken - YUM! The first time I had them was at a friend's house, her mom had made them. And she couldn't cook them fast enough! I instantly fell in love and have been making them myself ever since! The spicy pepper with the cool ranch is pure heaven!! If jalapeños aren't your thing, you can quarter a bell pepper and use that instead! These are great appetizers for a party but we like to cook up a bunch as a main dish all the time!

Assembling these can get a bit slippery and tricky! Using kitchen gloves (especially since you are handling spicy peppers!) helps and so does having an assembly line set up!!

Jalapeño Bombs 

6 large jalapeños

6 chicken tenders (or 2 breasts cut into 12 pieces)

1T season salt.

12 onion pieces

6 slices of bacon

ranch dressing for serving

Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. Cut the chicken tenders in half. Sprinkle with the season salt. Cut the strips of bacon in half. Take a pepper piece, add an onion slice and then a piece of chicken. Wrap the entire thing in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining peppers. Grill over medium high heat until bacon and chicken are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Serve with ranch dressing. 

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