Italian sausage and pasta toss

Summer is so close I can taste it, literally this dish has so many great summer veggies and incorporates the grill- what better summer dish could you ask for?

 

Italian Sausage and pasta toss (courtesy of www.kraftfoods.com)

2 green peppers, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

2/3 cup  red onion wedges

5 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

6 Tbsp.  KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing, divided

1 lb.  Italian sausage links

3 cups  cavatappi pasta, uncooked

1 cup  KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Italian* Three Cheese Blend

HEAT grill to medium-low heat.

COMBINE vegetables; place on large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle with 1/4 cup dressing. Fold to make packet.

GRILL packet and sausage 15 to 20 min. or until sausage is done, turning sausage occasionally. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.

CUT sausage links lengthwise in half, then crosswise into thin slices; place in large bowl. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening packet. Add vegetables (with their juices) to sausage. Drain pasta; add to bowl with remaining dressing. Toss pasta mixture until combined; sprinkle with cheese.

Healthy Chicken Pot Pie

I love chicken pot pie, I was searching the internet and came across this healthier version and thought I would give it a try!  Usually healthier versions are never as good, and are full of low fat everything, but for this recipe the only substitute that you really use is a non-fat greek yogurt in replace of sour cream for that creaminess.  It was actually very good, I didn't tell Ross it was low-fat, I don't think he even noticed!

The recipe can be found at Food Network, here or I have the recipe below!

For the crust I just used crescent rolls rolled out on the top, so i skipped that step, if you do use crescent roll, be sure to only cook it for 15 minutes, the top got pretty golden brown, but still tasted good on mine!  You could also use a pre-made pie crust it will save some of the time but might cost you more calories depending on what you use!


Ingredients
For the Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
2 tablespoons 2% milk
For the Filling:
2 small russet potatoes
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup 2% milk
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed
1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Prepare the crust: Pulse the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter, one piece at a time, pulsing until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Separate the egg; refrigerate the egg white. Beat the egg yolk and milk in a bowl, then add to the food processor, pulsing until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake directly on the oven rack until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly, then peel and break into small pieces.

Bring the chicken broth, carrots and thyme to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook 2 minutes; cover and keep warm. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the milk, celery, potato pieces and the warm broth mixture and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, yogurt, peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the filling to a 2-quart casserole dish. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/2 inch thick and slightly larger than the dish. Beat the reserved egg white in a bowl; brush over the dough and season with salt and pepper. Press the dough against the sides of the dish. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/light-chicken-potpie-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken with cheddar cheese sauce

On Saturday morning I am usually watching The Food Network, Paula Deen's Best Dishes was on and she made this dish and I knew I had to try it!  It was very simple and not a lot of ingredients go into it so I gave it a shot!  It seemed rather healthy, I mean before the cheese sauce, but if you know Ross you know he is much more satisfied if something has cheese in it!  I have noticed most of my recipes I share involve cheese.  You can always try it without the cheese sauce but life is short.

Crunchy cheesey goodness :)

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken with cheddar cheese sauce

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 

1 1/2 cup crushed pretzels

2 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme

1 1/2 lbs chicken cutlets

1/4 cup olive oil

For cheese sauce

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups milk

Make it:

In a shallow dish whisk eggs and mustard together.  In a separate dish mix pretzel and thyme.  Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then in pretzel.  

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat.  Cook half of the chicken at a time.  I used rather large chicken breasts and cut them in half.  After the outside got nice and crispy I transferred the chicken to a 350 degree oven to finish cooking.  

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour.  Cook, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.  Slowly add milk whisk until smooth.  Cook, until thick and bubbly and add the cheese.  Stir until the cheese is smooth and spoon over chicken.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

I love potatoes, seriously the greatest side dish in my opinion.  These parmesan roasted potatoes go with everything and they are super easy to make.  The only thing bad about this recipe is they take about an hour to cook, so if you have an hour definitely make these!

Do I even have to say that I found this recipe while on Pinterest?  Yeah big surprise right!? You can find the original recipe here , or I have generously copied it at the bottom!

Pre-oven potatoes

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

Red potatoes (depending on how much you want to make, I usually use around 4, depending on size)

1/2 c. parmesan cheese (it's a lot better if you use real parmesan)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. garlic salt

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground pepper

Make it:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, cut up your potatoes into small cubes, I leave skin on.  Combine all the ingredients and mix those potatoes up so they are completely coated.  Spray your dish with coking spray, or add some olive oil to the pan.  Bake for 1 hour or until soft, stirring half way through.  This recipe makes about 4 servings, well if your eating with Ross about 3 :)

Cheesy Potato Soup

Another great comfort food is soup. Ross bought me a ginormous soup pot so I really wanted to use it and when I asked him what type of soup I should make, he replied potato.  What better than a cheesy potato soup!  I found this recipe somewhere I do not remember but luckily I printed the recipe to share :)

Cheesy Potato Soup

What you need:

1 lb. thick sliced bacon, diced
1 white onion diced
1 cup minced celery
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. flour
6 cups peeled and diced russet potatoes (2 lbs.)
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. paprika
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cup half and half

Cook bacon in a large pot over medium high.  Remove the bacon with tongs to a paper towel lined plate.  Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. of the drippings.

Add onion, celery and garlic to drippings in pot and sweat over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in flour cook 1 to 2 minutes and add potatoes, dry mustard, and paprika stir to coat potatoes.  Stir in broth, worcestershire and tabasco and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and cook partially cover, until potatoes are soft about 10 to 15 minutes.  Mash potatoes slightly then stir in cheese and half and had until cheese is melted.

Remove from heat and serve with the bacon on top, yum!

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Comfort food at its best!  Not too spicy and very flavorful, this is a nice twist to regular mac and cheese.  I wouldn't change anything from the original recipe, from the food network and here it is or see below.

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
• Salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsleyblue cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter (i just used cooking spray) a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan (use a LARGE pan, mine was too small then I had to transfer so all the cheese would fit!)  over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

Red Lobster is my favorite place to eat mostly because of their amazing biscuits! I found this recipe on pintrist and it claimed to be as good as the original.  Well I'm telling you they are! Easy to make and oh so good I recommend making two batches of these babies

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

What you need

2 1/2 c. Bisquick

4 Tbsp. cold butter

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 c. milk

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

For butter glaze

3 Tbsp. butter melted

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 tsp. parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 400 spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or use a silicon baking sheet.

Combine bisquick and cold butter with a pastry cutter until combined then add milk, garlic powder and cheese.  Mix by hand until combined.

Using a 1/4 measuring cup, drop biscuits onto pan and bake for 11 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. 

While the biscuits are baking make the butter glaze by melting butter and adding garlic powder and parsley flakes.  After the biscuits are done place them on a cooling rack and brush the butter glaze on top.  Enjoy!

Find original recipe here :Cheddar Garlic Biscuits