Cajun Chicken Pasta

Hey everyone, this is Dresden, hopefully I'll be posting a recipe every week or so to add to Natalie's delicious recipes! Want to know more about me? Visit my blog and feel free to visit often. Today I'm sharing a recipe that happens to be one of my very favorite. I cook this as often as my husband will let me, especially because it's really easy and quick. I hope you enjoy!


Ingredients:
3 cups Rotini, cooked & drained (or any other pasta works, I use penne a lot)
2 Tbl. butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced in strips about 1/2" thick
3 glove of garlic (minced)
1 bunch green onion chopped
2 Tbl. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne pepper)
8 ounce heavy cream
1 green bell pepper (cut up)
1 red bell pepper (cut up)
8 oz. fresh mushrooms quartered (optional)
½ cup parmesan cheese grated (fresh really makes a huge difference)


Directions:

Cook rotini (or similar pasta) according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook stirring frequently done (10-15 mins). Add garlic, onions, Cajun seasoning, ground black and red pepper. Add bell peppers and mushrooms. Stir to combine. Cover for 5 minutes.

Uncover stir in cream and let it simmer another 2 minutes. Stir in parmesan cheese. Stir in cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Side notes: Cajun seasoning can be a little spicy,
I would start with a little less if you do not like spice.
This makes quite a bit, for two people I usually only do 1 large chicken breast and 2 cups of pasta. This recipe can be stretched really far by adding more pasta and whipping cream.



garnish with more parmesan cheese

Stuff that looks good

These two little goodies have been waiting for me to make them for a while.

Danish croissants. With orange marmalade or jam inside?? YUM



Pumpkin steel cut oatmeal. It looks soooo comforting.

BBQ Onion Rings

I've never made onion rings before but I've always liked them. I never order them but I'd eat them if someone made them for me... Well now I think I'm going to be eating a lot of them. I found a recipe for BBQ onion rings here the other day and showed them to my cousin Blake. He's in love with onion rings. He made us make them that night. He couldn't wait. They were AMAZING.

I took the general idea of the recipe and made it a little simpler. I even put some of the rings on my pulled pork sandwich. YUM.
We also didn't dip them in anything- they were good by themselves. Here's what you need, and what i did:

Serves 4 as a side dish.

1 BIG yellow onion
Buttermilk
BBQ sauce
Hot sauce (optional)
Flour
Salt + Pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Cut the onion into thick rings. I like mine a little thinner so I did probably 1/4 inch slices. It's really up to you and how thick of an onion ring you like. Separate all the rings in a bowl. Add 1/4 of bbq sauce and a few dashes of hot sauce on top of the rings and oll them around in it. Cover the onion rings with the buttermilk. The longer you let them set the better they get. Mine sat for only about 15 minutes because we were starving, but up to an hour would be good.



Heat your oil in a pan (I like to use a deep pot so there's less splattering all over my counter) and meanwhile, start dipping your buttermilk covered rings into the flour (season the flour with a little salt and pepper). Shake off the excess flour and fry a few at a time.


Don't crowd the pot too much, otherwise they won't cook well. I cooked mine on medium heat and they took a minute on each side. They should be golden brown when you take them out. Here they are again!

Stuff that looks good!

We've decided Wednesday will be our weekly post dedicated to recipes we've been saving forever that we need to finally make~ and hoping that posting the link on here will help us remember the goals we have!

Kari says:
Now that fall is here I am dying to get my hands on something pumpkin delicious. And how can you go wrong with Paula Deen? These Pumpkin Bars are on my list this year for sure.



And while we're on the subject of not going wrong, Pioneer Woman never dissapoints. That's why I'm drooling over this Pasta w/ Tomato Cream Sauce Recipe. Perfect for a cold fall/winter evening!



Natalie says:
I love all things chocolate- and I've been wanting to make Ina Garten's Brownie Pudding for wayyyy too long. It will happen soon.


Kristine says:
I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter and these look so cute! Although, when I make them, they probably won't look as cute as this!


I love Cafe Rio. I always see copy cat recipes for their salad, but this is one of the first I have seen with the entire burrito.

Green Chili Soup - and a new author!

Hello everyone!  My name is Kristine and I am going to be posting recipes on this blog as well.  I wish that I could say that Natalie invited me to post, but she didn't - I volunteered!  If you want to know more about me, you can blog stalk me here.   

Today, I am sharing a recipe for a delicious soup that I adapted last year from my sister's recipe blog here.  With fall FINALLY making an appearance (maybe?), this is the perfect soup to warm you up on a chilly day.

Green Chili Soup

1 chicken breast

2 c. salsa verde/green salsa--I used medium and it was SPICY (the kind that makes your nose run). If you can't handle the heat, go with a mild salsa

1 4 oz. can fire roasted chilis

5 c. chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. milk

1/4 heavy cream

2 c. frozen corn

1 can black beans - drained and rinsed

salt + pepper, to taste

1 avocado, diced (optional)

sour cream 

grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breast in a baking dish, cover with a splash of olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Roast chicken for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. (Or if you have an outdoor grill that you can still use, grill it!)

In the meantime, combine salsa verde, chilis, chicken broth, corn, black beans and cream of chicken soup in a large stockpot. Bring to a soft boil (just heated through and beginning to bubble a little bit--I just let it heat up while I was waiting for the chicken to roast). Once chicken is roasted, dice up and add to the soup mixture. Add cream and milk (only if you want it to be more creamy).  Serve hot with diced avocado, sour cream and your choice of cheese. I also served this with some roasted chips and cheese (aka, chips and cheese that I put under the broiler).

This made enough soup to feed my husband and I for two dinners and I also had the leftovers for lunch a few days. It makes a lot of soup!

Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

above:pizza ready for the oven

I'm so excited to welcome Kari to the blog! She posted the great recipe below and I'm patiently waiting to see what else she will add to this neglected blog! Hopefully things will slow down for us so I can actually remember to take pictures of my dinner before I eat it. :)

Yes, another pizza recipe. But who doesn't like pizza? It's always a good go-to and since the dough is so easy, and there's a million variations that work to mix things up. BBQ chicken is one of my faves. Plus its easy.

Start with my favorite pizza dough recipe.
Last time I made it I used half white flour half whole wheat flour to make it a little healthier.

Let it rise, roll it out- Here's what you can top it with:

-BBQ sauce instead of tomato sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is my favorite BBQ sauce right now)
-tons of mozzarella
-grilled chicken
-chopped onion: red onion is good, green onions, or shallots (david's favorite)
-chopped fresh cilantro
-sprinkle of salt and pepper
-sprinkle of red pepper flakes to give it a little spice
For a hawaiian twist you can even add some pineapple.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes- or until the cheese is bubbly and brown and the bottom of the pizza is browned.

Wraps!

Hey all, Kari here. Natalie invited me to start sharing some recipes here on her blog. And well, I'm honored because if you've ever eaten at Natalie's casa, you know she's a super amazing in the kitchen and will tackle just about anything and come out with shining colors.

So for my first post on here I thought I'd share a recipe that is a staple in our humble abode, I kinda developed this when Robert and I were just dating (and I'd impress him with my culinary skills trying to get a ring on my finger). It was inspired by the Sicilian pizza he loves to get from CPK. If you've never gotten it...go.now.

In our house we just call them wraps, or deliciousness wrapped in a tortilla, if you will.

This recipe serves 2

Ingredients:
- 2 Tortillas (right now we are flat-out addicted to these tortillas from Costco)

- Grated/Shredded Cheese of your choice (we love sharp cheddar)

- Lettuce (Romaine, Green Leaf is what I'd recommend)

- Caesar dressing (I prefer the creamy fatty stuff)

- 1/3 8 oz. package of Pepperoni

- 4-6 Ham, Turkey or Chicken thin cut slices (like lunch meat size)

- Any veggies you'd like to add to give it some extra nutrients I've been known to add: Hothouse Cucumbers, Tomatoes, grated carrots, scallions, corn, peas, cabbage and jicama.

Start cooking your tortillas, that is if you bought the doughy ones, on a griddle.

Shred lettuce and toss with Caesar dressing in a bowl, include any additional veggies you'd like, set aside.

Meanwhile, slice pepperoni and meat slices into thin short strips, toss these strips into a small frying pan on medium heat. Saute slices in their natural juices, or you can add Pam to the pan for extra protection, until Pepperoni is almost crisp and the meat slices turn a nice golden version of their original selves.

Once your tortillas are cooked turn on your oven broiler to high. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and sprinkle with grated/shredded cheese of your choice. Place the tortillas in the broiler for 1-2 minutes just until cheese is melted.

Top cheesey tortillas with tossed lettuce mixture and top that with your sauteed pepperoni and meat slices.

Here's the final product (excuse the cruddy photos, I am not blessed with Natalie's photog skills)

It's quick, it's delicious and it's one of my husband's favorites. Not to mention a great way to get veggies in him...yes, I married a 5 year old when it comes to veggies. Love you Roberto!