Chicken Riggies

This caught my attention on the all recipes site. Apparently there is an annual Riggifest in upstate New York where the recipe originated. This is my interpretation, since a lot of other recipes call for olives, mushrooms and cayenne which wouldn't be too popular in my house. Most puree the tomatoes or use a tomato sauce, which would be good, but I like it kind of 'topping' like. My picture isn't too good, but it does have a lot of great flavor and is quick and easy.

Sauce:

1/4 C butter
4 T olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
salt and pepper
1 jar (370 ml) of roasted red peppers, drained and julienned
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp sugar and black pepper
*red pepper flakes or 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
3/4 C heavy cream

1 pound of Rigatoni noodles, cooked to your preference.(I hate al dente--too chewy. Just my opinion.)

In a good sized skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion. Saute until soft. Add the chicken and cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Then add the peppers, tomatoes, spices. Simmer on low for 10 minutes then add the cream. Keep simmering and stir occasionally for a few minutes longer. Add salt and pepper if needed. Serve over hot rigatoni noodles. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired. -- I always desire ( :
Bon Appetit!

Penne with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

I love any kind of pasta-- especially anything from Giada. Start to finish, this really tasty, flavorful pasta dish comes together in 20 minutes--( but tastes like it took a whole lot longer!)


Cook 1 lb of pasta in boiling, salted water, for approximately 12 minutes, or until tender.

While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto. You will need:

1 270ml jar (9 oz) of sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil--do not drain
2 garlic cloves
1 C packed, fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper

Put the above ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Scrape the pesto into a bowl and stir in:
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

When the pasta has finished cooking, drain, reserving 1 C of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the pesto, tossing to coat, adding enough of the cooking water to moisten. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bon Appetit!

Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne

I get hooked on one cookbook and everything I cook comes from it for a while. Yes, Giada again. There are no changes here except I added some cornstarch to thicken the sauce. It was not as much creamy, but rather runny before the miracle of the thickening power of cornstarch helped it out.
It has a lovely, fresh lemon flavor which tastes great on a warm summer night-- or any night. Herbes de Provence sounds fancy, but it can be picked up at any grocery store in the spice aisle.

1 lb penne pasta
3 T olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1" cubes
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
pinch of salt, plus 1/2 tsp
pinch of pepper, plus 1/4 tsp
1 C chicken broth
2 C heavy cream
zest of one lemon
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 C fresh, flat-leaf parsley
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Season the chicken with the Herbes de Provence and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Take the chicken out of the skillet and set aside. Pour off any excess oil from the pan. Add the chicken broth to the pan and cook over med-high heat, using a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, lemon zest, and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes. ( At this point, I dissolved about 1 T of cornstarch in a little cold water, or you could us chicken broth, and stirred it into the sauce.)

Add the pasta, chicken, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Toss to coat the pasta and chicken with the sauce and serve. Bon Appetit!

Peanut Sesame Noodles

This is a recipe I've adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

She called her recipe Simple Sesame Noodles.

You may look it up if you'd like, the changes I made were subtle.

You could add chicken to this dish for a more "manly" meal,

but mine was working, so I didn't need to worry about his needs:)

I added 1 T. peanut butter to the sauce

and chopped peanuts as a garnish.

Both could be left out if you have nut allergies to consider.

On with it...

Peanut Sesame Noodles

12 oz, fluid thin noodles, cooked and drained (angel hair pasta is what I used)
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. rice vinegar
3 T. pure sesame oil
2 T. sweet chili sauce (this will still have some heat to it, despite the word "sweet")
6 T. canola oil
2 T. hot water
1 T. creamy peanut butter
4 green onions, sliced thin, to garnish
1/4 c. dry roasted peanuts to garnish

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles, green onions and peanut butter) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over hot noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and peanuts, toss.

Bon Appetit!

Creamy Orzo

I really love this recipe from Giada. The creaminess reminds me of a speedy risotto-- comfort on a plate. If you haven't cooked with Orzo before, it is a fun change from other pasta noodles.

1 lb orzo pasta
2 T olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, juices drained
1 1/4 C of whipping cream
1 C frozen peas, thawed
3/4 C freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper

Bring a heavy large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas. Add the orzo and toss to coat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the Parmesan to the pasta mixture, continue stirring until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Bon Appetit!

Farfalle with Pesto, Chicken and Tomatoes

This is a great alternative to the usual pasta salad.

It incorporates

*pasta

*basil pesto

*chicken

*tomatoes

*feta cheese.

It could even be served as a main dish if you

paired it with a nice crusty bread.

Farfalle with Pesto, Chicken and Tomatoes:

1 lb. farfalle pasta, cooked according to directions

8 oz. pesto

1 1/2 c. chicken, cooked and shredded

5 roma tomatoes, diced

8 oz. feta cheese, I used the tomato and basil variety

1/4 - 1/2 c. oil - whatever kind you prefer, I used vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta, drain and cool by running under cold water. Add pesto, chicken, tomatoes and cheese. Stir well. Add enough oil to moisten the pasta. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve. If the pasta seems dry, add a little more oil.

Bon Appetit!

Baked Pastina Casserole

Unfortunately I only took one photo and it happens to be really blurry, however, the pasta dish courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis is a really tasty one. It is from her Everyday Pasta cookbook. I love all her pasta dishes and this one can't be easier.


1 C pastina or any small pasta (I used shells)
2 T olive oil
1/2 C cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 C diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice
1 C shredded mozzarella
1/4 C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 C bread crumbs
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
1 T butter, cut in small pieces

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta, just until tender. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Add the chicken mixture to the bowl with the pasta, then add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Butter or spray with cooking spray an 8X8 pan and spread the pasta in the dish. Mix together the bread crumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle over the top. Dot with small bits of the butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Bon Appetit!

Peppered Bacon and Tomato Linguine

This one is a crowd pleaser! It couldn't be easier and really...Who doesn't like bacon? I found it on Allrecipes and have made it so many times since. All 3 of my kids love it and that is virtually unheard of. I didn't have any linguine, so I used spaghetti.




Peppered Bacon and Tomato Linguine:

1 lb bacon, diced
2 green onions, chopped
2 t. minced garlic
1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 T. fresh basil, julienned or 1 t. dried basil
1 t. salt
ground pepper to taste
1 lb linguine
Parmesan cheese

Place bacon in a large deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until crisped. Drain, reserving drippings and set aside.

Saute green onions and garlic in the same pan used to cook bacon over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large pot of slightly salted water, cook pasta. Add pasta and cook according to direction. Drain.

Toss hot pasta with tomato sauce, add bacon right before serving, giving it one last toss. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bon Appetit!

Penne with Cauliflower, Tomatoes & Cream

This pasta dish is an all-time favorite in our family.

Even my brother who doesn't like cauliflower OR tomatoes requests it.

Creamy, rich and even great the next day...if there is any left.

Penne Al Cavolfiore E Panna (Cauliflower Penne Pasta, as we call it):

3/4 lb cauliflower, cut into florets
4 T. butter
1/3 c. onion, chopped
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
salt
1 lb. fresh roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Cook cauliflower in unsalted water until just tender. When cool, cut into bite sized pieces.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until it has softened and turned a rich golden color.
Add red pepper flakes and cauliflower - season generously with salt. Saute until cauliflower is lightly browned: 8-10 mins. Stir in tomatoes. Remove mixture from heat and add cream. Cook until slightly thickened.
In a stock pot cook pasta until al dente. Drain it and toss with sauce and parmesan cheese. Taste for salt and serve at once.

***Chef's Note: When I make this I always double the sauce. It is great the next day and I don't like dry pasta. I also use half & half for part of the cream. If you do have leftovers, store pasta in a separate container and then toss it with the sauce the next day.