MagPad Dinner Table

MagPad Dinner Table

Friday, October 21, 2016

One-Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta and Chicken


SERVES 6  |  ACTIVE TIME 20 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 30 Minutes

8 ounces baby spinach leaves, divided
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and Italian herbs, drained (about 7 ounces)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1/2" bite size pieces)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound dry linguine
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 cup (8 ounces) chardonnay wine
4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine 1/2 of the spinach with the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, linguine, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour chicken stock and wine over top. Cover and bring to a boil.

Cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente (with a bite to it). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You will still have some liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking. This is going to make the base for our delicious cheese sauce.

Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Toss pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. Toss in remaining spinach. Serve and enjoy!

DONNA'S SIMPLE KITCHEN TIP: Dried Italian Seasoning is a fabulous convenience ingredient. If you do not keep it on hand, combine 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

This dish is just spicy enough to make your tongue tingle. For a very mild sauce, reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.

I know some people are sensitive to alcohol. The wine adds a fabulous rich buttery flavor and a bright citrusiness to the pasta. If you can use the chardonnay, I highly recommend it. However, you can substitute with chicken stock, white grape juice, or lemon water (1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup water).

Recipe developed by Donna Elick -  The Slow Roasted Italian 

I saw this recipe on my sis-in-law's FB page and decided to post it here.  I'm excited to try it.  You can find the recipe source by clicking here

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Chinese Chicken Salad



This recipe is from Sue Cornwall's blog found here.  Sue and Kent had us over for dinner before we moved and served this salad.  It was delicious.  I have made it several times since we have moved to our new area and everyone I have served it to loves it.  I bought a basel plant from the grocery store produce section and pick off basel leaves from my plant every time I fix this salad.



Friday, July 22, 2016

Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes

4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup sliced scallions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup roasted salted cashews, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 TBS white wine vinegar
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 head lettuce

Combine chicken, celery, grapes, scallions and cashews in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, curry powder, honey, salt and pepper.  Drizzle vinaigrette over chicken mixture.  Toss well to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve on top of chopped lettuce.  Makes 4 servings.

From the magazine Runner's World.  Light and delicious--perfect for summer!

Monday, March 7, 2016

Ranch Chicken Rollup Bake


Ingredients

2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (6 oz)
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dough sheet
2 tablespoons sliced green onions (2 medium)


Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch round pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix chicken, ranch dressing and cheese.

On large cutting board, unroll dough sheet; spread chicken mixture evenly over dough, leaving about 1/2 inch on 1 long side uncovered. Starting with topped long side, roll up dough toward uncovered edge; pinch seam to seal tightly.

Using sharp knife, cut roll into 8 equal slices; place cut side down in pan. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until dough is deep golden brown and baked through. Cool 5 minutes in pan; top with green onions.

I found this recipe on my Facebook page.  I haven't tried it yet, but it looks simple to make.   

You can get the the link source by clicking on the Pillsburry recipe page here.  

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Crock-pot Ravioli Casserole


1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt/pepper to taste
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed (I used fresh spinach)
16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic.  Put in crock-pot and add sauce, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook for 6-7 hours on low.  Add the last 4 ingredients during the last 30 minutes of cooking and turn crock-pot to high.  I added the fresh spinach, pasta, parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella and I mixed it all up really well.  Then I added the last 1/2 cup of mozzarella to melt on the top.


I found this recipe here

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Ingredients:
12 sticks mozzarella string cheese (each 1 oz sticks)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp salted butter, melted
Marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions:
1.Preheat the oven to 400. Cut each cheese stick in half, so you have 24 pieces.
2.Pour the flour into a wide bowl or pie tin. In a second bowl,mix the eggs and milk together. In a third wide bowl, mix the panko, Italian breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper together.
3.First roll a mozzarella piece in the flour to coat it evenly. Then drop it in the bowl of eggs to coat with the egg wash. Then roll the mozzarella in the bread crumb mix to cover completely with the crumbs. For maximum crispiness and to ensure the mozzarella wouldn’t leak out of the breading when cooking, I dipped the mozzarella into the egg and then the breadcrumbs a second time before laying on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Repeat with all of the mozzarella sticks.
4. Place the baking sheet of breaded mozzarella sticks into the freezer for an hour. Don’t skip this step! If you do, the cheese will melt out of the breading onto the pan when you bake them.
5. After an hour, remove the cheese sticks from the freezer and drizzle or brush the melted butter evenly over the cheese sticks. (This step is to help the breading brown since we’re not deep-frying them in oil.)
6. Bake the cheese sticks in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, turning over halfway through the cooking time, until they are lightly browned and crisp on the outside.
7. Once they’re cool enough to handle, serve them with marinara sauce for dipping!
Makes 24 cheese sticks. 
I saw this recipe on my Facebook wall.  It is from the tiphero website.  Click on this link to watch the movie to see how to make them.