Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Cajun Chicken Pasta



Last year, Sarah mailed me a cookbook and I have been having so much fun trying the recipes! This one quickly became one of my family's ABSOLUTE FAVORITES!!! Not only does it SMELL SO GOOD cooking on the stove, it is quite easy to whip up and tastes AMAZING! I made the mistake of not making enough and my husband and I jokingly fought over who would get the leftovers the next day...he won when he found the hidden tupperware in the fridge, haha! Hope you all enjoy this meal as much as we do! It is definitely a keeper! :)

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
2 tsp butter
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
4-6 large mushrooms sliced
1-2 cups heavy whipping cream (generic walmart brand is the best)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp basil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
4 oz linguini pasta cooked and drained
grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Mix chicken with Cajun seasoning and saute over medium heat with butter until chicken is browned and cooked through. Add peppers, onion, and mushrooms and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat. Add cream* and seasonings (add more cajun seasoning if you prefer spicier). Heat thoroughly...I crank up the heat and boil it for a bit until the sauce thickens a bit. During this time (while sauce is heating), I cook the pasta in another pan. When cooked to my liking, I add the pasta to the chicken sauce pan and mix it all together. Top with parmesan cheese!

*for a healthier option, add 1 cup of apple juice and 1 cup cream instead of the 1-2 cups cream called for in the original ingredients

Thursday, March 3, 2011

My Favorite No Bake Cookies

This is my FAVORITE no bake cookie recipe! It has the perfect amount of peanut butter and I LOVE the fact that the recipe calls for ingredients that most everybody has on hand. My family and I ENJOY these most when they are frozen! These are super YUMMY, super EASY and I love the fact that there is no baking required.... especially on those HOT summer days that are just around the corner!


Ingredients:
1/2 C butter
2 C sugar
1/2 C milk
3 t cocoa powder
1/2 C peanut butter
3 C oats
1 t vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring to a boil and turn off heat.
3. Add peanut butter, oats and vanilla; mix well.
4. Line cookie sheet with wax paper and drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet.
5. Refrigerate for 1 hour and ENJOY!