Catalina chicken

So i made up this recipe a few weeks ago & loved how simple it was. I took a picture of it, and then I lost it.
I will keep searching, until then...
Catalina Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

2 tsp canola oil

¼ cup Catalina salad dressing

4 ½ tsp onion soup mix

1 Tbsp grape jelly

In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in oil.

Transfer to a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine the salad dressing, soup mix & jelly. Pour over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 170. 

Lemon Chicken Pasta

This is one of my other top 5 best recipe go to's.

I have made this dish for years, 

mainly because everytime I ask my husband what he wants for dinner, he says this.

This recipe is so versatile; 

you can make it any pasta you like {my favorites are farfalle & angel hair}

and you can add as much {or as little} lemon as you like!

You will need:

3 cups Farfalle pasta

1 ½ cups cooked chicken, strips or diced

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 Tbsp lemon juice ( I add more)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp marjoram

¼ tsp garlic powder

Boil water & cook pasta, strain.

Toss pasta with remaining ingredients.
 I like to cook our chicken on the grill & then slice it up & serve it over top of the pasta.
Mix everything together and enjoy!
I like mine with a side salad, preferably the Bosc Pear Salad!

Tortellini with Olive Oil, Tomato, & Parmesan

Tortellini with Olive Oil, Tomato, and Parmesan

This is a wonderful pasta dish that you can use tortellini or gnocchi for. It has great herbs and feels nice & light after you eat it.

You will need:

1 (32 oz.) chicken broth

1 (16 oz.) package tortellini or gnocchi

2 Tbsp. EVOO

1 Tbsp minced garlic

10 -12 fresh sage leaves

4 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh black pepper

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Place broth in a dutch oven; add even water to equal amount necessary to cook tortellini or gnocchi according to package.

Drain & reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

Heat oil in medium skillet, add garlic & sage. Cook 2-3 minutes. Remove leaves & pat on paper towels.
Set leaves aside.

Reserve EVOO mixture in skillet.

In large bowl, combine pasta, reserved garlic oil, reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid, tomato, & salt/pepper.

Sprinkle with cheese & sage leaves!

have you seen these?

Have you seen these awesome little spice packets from McCormick?
They are fantastic!
They come all packaged up and....

on the back they have a great recipe!

I marinated my chicken with it & it made wonderful fajitas!

Check them out, there are quite a few varieties!

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is my favorite dish to eat at Chili's, so I decided to try to make a version of it myself. I liked how it came out & next time I will add even more cajun spice to mine!

Ingredients:

5 boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

12 oz. linguine pasta

6 tsp Cajun seasoning (more or less- I like more)

couple tbsp. butter

4 thinly sliced green onions

2 cups heavy whipping cream

6 tbsp. sun dried tomatoes

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

When I was making this, I didn't have sundried tomatoes on hand, so I just made it without them. I'm sure it would taste even better with them in it!

To make: 

1. Place chicken and cajun seasoning into a bowl and toss to coat.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in butter or margarine until chicken is tender, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Reduce heat, add green onion, heavy cream, tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and heat through. (let stand for a couple minutes to thicken a little)

4. Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese.

3 Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine


This turned out to be a great cheesy, chicken casserole! I loved the spinach in it & the creaminess of everything blending together!


You will need:

·        1 teaspoon EVOO

·        Cooking spray

·        3 cups chopped fresh spinach

·        1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

·        1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·        1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese

·        4 cups hot cooked penne

·        2 cups shredded chicken breast

·        1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

·        1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

·        1/2 cup milk

·        1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

To make:

Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. 
Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. 
Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray.
 Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 
Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Note: You can cook the pasta mixture in individual eight-ounce ramekins; bake for 15 minutes.

penne, balsalmic, & feta

Penne with tomatoes, feta, & balsamic dressing

This recipe is perfect for a outdoor summer lunch or a light dinner with some yummy crusty bread!

It has a kick to it from the balsamic, but it is delicious!

6 oz. uncooked penne pasta

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

1/3 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp chopped shallots

2 tsp capers

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp bottled minced garlic

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

4 tsp evoo

1 (4oz.) package crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta & drain. 

Combine pasta, tomatoes, grapes, & basil in large bowl.

Combine vinegar & next 6 ingredients in small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

 Gradually add oil to vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with whisk. Drizzle vinaigrette over pasta; toss well to coat. 

Add cheese, toss to combine.

Then dish up & enjoy!

lemon garlic linguine

Lemon Garlic Linguine


This is a super fast, easy dish to whip up. Nice & light & you can add as little or as much lemon as you like!
As for me....i LOVE lemon, i actually like to eat them like an orange!

8 oz. uncooked linguine

1 Tbsp EVOO, divided

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp grated fresh lemon rind

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Cook pasta & drain.

Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp oil, garlic, & lemon rind. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add garlic mixture, remaining 2 tsp oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper to pasta. Toss well. Serve immediately.

Grilled Chicken with spinach & mozzarella

Grilled Chicken with Spinach & Melted Mozzarella

·                   (3 large) chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise to make 6 cutlets

·                  salt and pepper to taste

·                  1 tsp olive oil

·                  3 cloves garlic, crushed

          9 or    10 oz frozen spinach, drained

·                  3 oz fresh mozzarella

·                  1 roasted red pepper, sliced in strips

·                  olive oil spray

For this recipe I used fresh pearl mozzarella (i think they almost look like mini marshmallows!)

I could only finf a box of 9 oz. frozen spinach, so either works. I also bought the glass containor of roasted red peppers for convenience. 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. 

Season chicken with salt and pepper,  grill outside Cook chicken on the grill until no longer pink, careful not to overcook or you'll have dry chicken.

Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan on medium heat. Add oil and garlic, sauté a few seconds, add spinach, salt and pepper. Cook a few minutes until heated through.

When chicken is done, lay on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment for easy clean-up. Divide spinach evenly between the 6 pieces and place on top. 

Top each with half oz mozzarella, then slices of roasted pepper and bake until melted, about 6-8 minutes.

Fettucine Alfredo with chicken

Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken

So this is my all time favorite dish to eat.There is a fabulous restaurant in Logan, Utah that makes it & I am continuously trying to re-create it. So you will probably find me making this dish LOTS of times with various recipes.

I have to say that I made this the other night & it is the best I have found so far!

So good in fact, that I ate the leftovers for days after!!

Here's the recipe:

8 ounces uncooked fettucine

6 Tbsp butter, cubed

2 cups heavy whipping cream

¾ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

½ cup grated romano cheese

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper & ground nutmeg
boneless, skinless chicken breast
EVOO

My hubby went out to get the ingredients and he couldn't find Romano cheese, so instead I used Kraft's combination parmesan & romano & just did about 1- 1 1/4 cup of that instead of them separately.

Directions:

Cook fettucine according to package.

For the chicken, I just put some EVOO in a pan & cooked it on the stove until it was done, then sliced it up!

Meanwhile, in a saucepan melt butter over med-low heat.

You could also slice up some grilled chicken, that would be super tasty!

Stir in cream, ½ cup parmesan, romano, egg yolks, nutmeg, s&p.

 Cook & stir over med-low heat un thermometer reads 160 (do not boil).

Drain fettucine, toss with sauce. 

Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.