Fettucine with Pesto and Easy Chicken

Last night I was in the mood to make something new and different. After a search through my favorite cookbook with pictures and a quick trip to the store, a new family favorite was born. I wish I had known before how easy it is to make pesto!

12 oz uncooked fettuccine
3 cups (1 oz) loosley packed fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, place basil, cheese, walnuts, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in food processor or blender; process until well blended. (Sauce will thin out over hot pasta.) Place hot past in a large bowl; add sauce. Toss until well coated. Serve immediatly.

Along with the pasta I made some super easy chicken. I tossed a few chicken breasts into a skillet with a little EVOO and poured some Italian dressing on top of each one. I browned them and cooked them covered on medium heat for a few minutes...until they were done. It turned out really yummy and combined well with the Pesto flavors.
Happy cooking.

Appetizers

My friend Karyn just emailed these appetizer recipes to me to help me with my Book Club Hosting next week. I need Old Testamentish food and we thought maybe these were close enough. Enjoy. I love the first one.
Appetizers

Marinated Cheese

8 - 9 ounce block sharp ¼ tsp black pepper
Cheddar cheese 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
8 oz pkg. cream cheese ¼ cup chopped green onions
3-4 coves garlic, crushed 1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup white wine vinegar

Combine all but the cheese and mix well. Cut cheese blocks in half lengthwise, then slice into ¼ inch slices. Alternate cream cheese and Cheddar cheese in shallow covered container. Pour marinade over all and leave for several hours or overnight. Serve with crackers.

Stuffed Mushrooms (Julie Manning recipe)

1 lb Jimmy Dean sausage 2 boxes mushrooms,
1 8oz pkg cream cheese stems removed
1 bunch green onions
Tops only, chopped

Fry sausage and drain well. While warm, stir in cream cheese and green onions. Stuff the mushrooms. Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes.


Spinach -Artichoke Dip

1 cup mayonnaise 1 can diced green chilies (4 oz)
1 ¼ cup cheese (1/2 Parmesean 1 can artichoke hearts
Plus other cheese such as packed in water and quartered
Cheddar or Jack (I chop them small)
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach Pita bread or chips

Cook spinach according to directions and drain well (squeeze excess water out by hand). In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, cheeses, spinach and chilies. Mix together well, then fold in artichoke hearts. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 or until bubbly and heated through. Serve with pita bread or chips.

French Bread, Italian Bread and French toast

Okay, please excuse my laziness for not typing all of this up, but I figured you could get it just as easily on the link sent to me by my gourmet cook friend. I cannot wait to try it as I have heard raves about it from lots of my other friends. Hope you enjoy. Here is what she had to say about it, along with the link.

Here is the link for that bread recipe. It's a good one, I've made it so many times and it always turns out great. Just don't try it on a humid day. To make the Italian version, after I rolled out the dough I brushed it with about a half stick of melted butter and then generously spread powdered garlic, Italian seasoning and extra oregano. The recipe as is makes two loaves. Here is the link for the recipe: http://marenmadsen.blogspot.com/2009/03/bread-of-month-french-plus-bonus-recipe.html

Beef and Broccoli

Beef and Broccoli
1) cut thin strips of ½ lb. to 1 lb. of round steak
2) 1 head broccoli, 1 Tbls. flour, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
3) Dredge meat in flour, moisten with soy sauce
4) Heat frying pan – add 1 Tbsp. oil
5) Stir fry 2-3 min. (or until meat is cooked through)
6) Add broccoli cut up and 1 cup water
7) Cover for 3-5 minutes and steam until bright green
8) Uncover and sprinkle with salt to taste.
9) Cook 2 minutes longer without the lid.

This is my sister-in-law Nikki's recipe. Very easy but yummy! I like to serve it over rice.

Chicken Pasta Salad

2/3 c. oil
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/3 cup white wine vingegar
1 lb. cooked pasta
2 tsp. chili powder
1 c cubed, cooked chicken
1 tsp salt
6 oz grated jack cheese
½ tsp dry mustard
1 can chopped green chilies
¼ tsp pepper
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 avocado, cubed
tortilla chips
Mix the oil, vinegar, chili powder, salt, mustard, pepper, garlic and lime juice for the dressing. Toss the pasta, chicken, cheese, green chilies, onions and avocado with the dressing. Crumble the chips over the salad and serve.


This recipe is from my friend Kareena Mullens. It's yummy. My family doesn't necessarily love it, but I make it for adult parties I attend, baby showers, etc. Enjoy!

Confetti Beans and Rice

We had this at when we went D.C. to visit Kasey and Kathryn. We thought it was yummy. I have made it without the chicken and added extra black beans, we also liked it with some cilantro and red onion.


4 cups cooked rice (this is sort of a guess :)
2 tsps Dijon mustard
1/2 cup light Caesar salad dressing
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
12 ozs chicken, cooked, diced
1 can (11 oz) Mexican-style corn, drained
4 green onions, thinly sliced
spinach leaves, optional

Directions

Prepare rice according to package directions.

In a large bowl, combine Dijon mustard and Caesar salad dressing. Toss in rice, beans, chicken, corn and green onions.

Chill or serve at room temperature. Garnish with spinach leaves, if desired.Serving suggestion … Serve in large tomato with pulp and seeds removed. My sister-in-law served this in pita pockets.

Pao De Quejo

Thanks to Heather here is our first contribution to our family recipe blog. Thanks for sending it in my hour of need Heather.

4 cups tapioca flour or tapioca starch
1 cup water
1 cup milk
½ cup oil
1 t. salt
2-3 eggs
8 ounces Parmesan cheese

Pre-measure the tapioca flour into a mixing bowl. In a saucepan, boil the milk, water, oil and salt. Slowly add the flour to the liquid and mix well. Refrigerate until cold. Once cold, add eggs and Parmesan cheese and knead until dough is smooth. Grease your hands with oil and roll one tablespoon of dough into a ball. Continue with the rest of the dough. Place balls on a greased baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Note: The bread will be chewy in the middle after cooking. This recipe is gluten free.