Penne with Sun-dried Tomato Cream

This is seriously one of the quickest and tastiest pasta meals to make during the work week. It came together in about 30 minutes or less and it's so flavorful for something that doesn't take long to make. Dr. Sweetpea told me to keep this in my repertoire so we can eat this more often. 

Penne with Sun-dried Tomato Cream

(Source: Journal Sentinel - Zilli Hospitality Group)

36 ounces cheese tortellini (I used 1 pound of dried penne pasta)

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic

4 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons cold water

Shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook pasta as directed on package. When done, remove from heat and drain. Keep warm.

For sauce: In a large saucepan, combine stock, cream, wine, basil, oregano, garlic and tomatoes. Bring to a light boil over high heat. With a whisk, mix cornstarch with cold water. Slowly add mixture to saucepan, whisking until all is incorporated. Turn heat to low and let it simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add pasta. Stir until all is incorporated. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan cheese.

 

Ground Beef Topping for Dr. Sweetpea's Pizza

One of Dr. Sweetpea's favorite toppings on his homemade pizza is ground beef. Yes, ground beef. So I came up with my own recipe to make his ground beef topping flavorful. It doesn't take very long and all seasonings are typically in our spice pantry, so it's super easy to whip together. The best part? After I make the ground beef topping, I freeze half of it to use later.

1 pound lean ground beef

1 teaspoon salt (or less)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Black pepper

As the ground beef is browning in a hot skillet, add all the seasonings and mix together. Cook until meat is completely browned and drain some of the fat. Use as topping for homemade pizza. 

One Bowl Brownies

I was craving some homemade brownies a few days ago and made One Bowl Brownies. The recipe is almost always on the back of a Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate box and it's probably took all of 10 minutes for me to whip everything together. The best part? I only had to use ONE BOWL! Score!! I hate using 3 or 4 bowls to make something because that means I have to do more dishes. Plus, these brownies are so fudgy that nobody would guess that they're make from scratch. Definitely make these if you want a super quick and easy brownie recipe that is sure to please.

One Bowl Brownies

(Source: Baker's Chocolate)

1 pkg (4 oz.) BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate

3/4 cup butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray foil with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and nuts; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely. Use foil handles to remove brownies from pan before cutting to serve.

Spicy Chicken Flautas

There is a Mexican Restaurant in the Twin Cities that we absolutely love. Their food is reasonably priced and always delicious. That said, the one thing that I never miss to order is their flautas. So I reached out to them asking for their recipe, and they responded with a skeleton recipe. I adjusted their recipe a little bit (ie: made our flautas super spicy) for Dr. Sweepea's tastebuds. These are SOOOOOOO good. In fact, Dr. Sweetpea has said these are the best flautas that I've made so far.

Spicy Chicken Flautas

(Source: Our Favorite Mexican Restaurant)

Store bought rotisserie chicken, shredded

1 small can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, ground up in a food processor to make a paste

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Tortillas 

In a mixing bowl, mix together the shredded rotisserie chicken meat and cheddar cheese. Add Chipotle paste to your taste. Dr. Sweetpea likes his food spicy, so I added about 5 tablespoons of the Chipotle pepper paste to the chicken mixture. Add salt and pepper to your taste as well. The restaurant fries their flautas, but I actually baked ours. Place 3 Tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the flautas on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Sweet Hot Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs

I'm always looking for easy chicken marinade recipes. Seriously, marinating some chicken in the fridge and throwing them on the grill or baking them is one of the easiest ways to make dinner during the week. So when I saw this recipe for Sweet Hot Mustard Glazed Chicken, I made it the very next day. It's got the perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and spicy. We devoured our chicken in a few minutes flat, and Dr. Sweetpea told me to keep this recipe in a safe place. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of our chicken, but I'm posting the recipe on my blog so we can always reference it on here.

Sweet Hot Mustard Glazed Chicken

(Source: www.kitchme.com)

8 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp dry mustard powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1/2 tsp ground dried chipotle pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

4 clove garlic, minced

1 onion, sliced into rings

2 tsp vegetable oil, or as needed

Place chicken in a heavy duty resealable plastic bag. Whisk together dijon mustard, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, mustard powder, salt, black pepper, ground chipotle pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl until smooth. Mix in garlic. Pour marinade into the bag and massage into the chicken, coating each thigh thoroughly. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for best flavor. Move a rack to the center position in oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. Scatter onion rings on prepared baking sheet. Place chicken on top of onion rings. Spray or brush thighs with vegetable oil and sprinkle with additional salt and cayenne pepper, if desired. Roast chicken for 35 to 45 minutes or until the skin is browned, meat is tender, and the juices run clear.

Transfer chicken and onions to a serving platter. Pour pan drippings into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and continue boiling, stirring often, until drippings are reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Skim off any excess fat and spoon reduced pan sauce over each chicken thigh.

Seriously The Best Chicken Fajitas

We absolutely love grilling food outside on our balcony when the weather is warm. Surprisingly, it has been very spring like here in the twin cities, so we have been grilling our food a lot. Since Dr. Sweetpea said he had a huge craving for awesome chicken fajitas, I decided to try out the Chicken Fajita marinade in my Science of Good Cooking Cookbook. We were not disappointed with the end result. We actually made these chicken fajitas three times in two weeks!

Chicken Fajitas

(Source: The Science of Good Cooking)

6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup lime juice
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (we omitted since we both hate cilantro)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
Salt and Pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) cut into equal sized pieces
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds (do not separate rings)
2 large bell peppers, quartered, stemmed and seeded

Whisk 1/4 cup oil, lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, Worcestershire, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade and set aside. Place marinade and chicken in 1 gallon zipper lock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. flipping bag halfway through marinating. Brush both sides of onion rounds and peppers with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and salt and pepper both sides. Grill the chicken until it's done. Then grill the vegetables until they are nice and brown on both sides. Serve with warm tortillas.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

If you're a fan of Cajun cooking, this is will definitely hit the spot. Dr. Sweetpea was very skeptical about how good this pasta dish would turn out when I told him I was making this for dinner. In fact, he even tried to persuade me into making something else. I can also be very stubborn, and still made this even with Dr. Sweetpea's hesitations. I'm SOOOOOO glad I did though! This is seriously one of the best pasta dishes that I've made at home. As for Dr. Sweetpea? It seriously took only ONE BITE for him to be raving about how good his dinner was. He was still talking about how good this Cajun Chicken Pasta was the next day even after having leftovers. Definitely a keeper recipe for us and I will definitely be making this again sometime in the near future.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

(Source: Ree Drummond)

3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes

3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste

1 pound Fettuccine

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced

1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced

1/2 whole Large Red Onion, Sliced

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced

2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1/2 cup White Wine

1 cup Heavy Cream

 Cayenne Pepper To Taste

 Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

 Salt To Taste

 Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine. Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!

Dr. Sweetpea's Favorite Pizza

Dr Sweetpea's favorite pizza toppings are cheese, chopped green peppers, mushrooms, and ground beef. He very rarely sways away from his toppings. So I decided to make pizza for him at home but added my on twist and Dr. Sweetpea LOVED it!

I added some seasonings to the ground beef to make it more flavorful and topped the pizza off with some feta cheese. I personally think the Feta cheese is what made this pizza even better.

Dr. Sweetpea's Favorite Pizza

Your favorite pizza dough

Pizza Sauce

Crumbled Feta

Chopped Green Peppers

Ground Beef

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt

Pepper

Dried Oregano

Sliced Mushrooms

Red Pepper Flakes

Shredded Mozzarella

Shredded Parmesan

Make the Ground Beef topping:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, sprinkle with a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook until the meat gets nice and golden brown. Set aside.

Make the pizza:

 Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out your pizza dough until it’s about 1/8^th of an inch thick. Liberally spread your pizza sauce over the dough. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella, chopped green peppers, and sliced mushrooms over the pizza. Bake for about 15 minutes. Once you take the pizza out of the oven, sprinkle some crumbled feta on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Take your hot pizza out of the oven, sprinkle some shredded parmesan and red pepper flakes on top and slice into desired portions. 

Chicken Katsu

I grew up eating Chicken Katsu pretty frequently as a kid, especially since I loved dipping my pieces of meat in the katsu sauce. So when I saw this recipe for Chicken Katsu, I had to make it! The batter and the panko makes the chicken super crispy. This will be my go to recipe from now on.

Chicken Katsu

(Source: L&L Restaurant)

2 eggs

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup water

4 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 lb panko breadcrumbs

Open the chicken thighs and flatten with a rolling pin. Combine eggs, cornstarch, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and water to make a batter. Coat chicken in the egg batter, then the roll in panko crumbs. Fry in oil (maximum 325 degrees) until brown and crispy. 

Orange Chicken

Dr. Sweetpea and I don't order take out regularly. We're the ones that prefer to eat homemade meals, even if it's time consuming, because we know what went into our food. Plus, it's SOOOO much healthier to make food at home because we always use fresh produce in our meals. So when we had a craving for Orange Chicken earlier this week, I scoured the internet to find a good recipe. I came across the recipe from Big Bowl and decided to give it a try. We were BLOWN away by how good this was. Seriously, the sauce was identical to what we had in restaurants. The chicken could have been crispier, but I think I didn't heat the oil enough so our chicken wasn't as crispy as we would have liked. Dr. Sweetpea told me to put this in our regular monthly rotation because it was SO good. 

Orange Chicken

(Source: Big Bowl)

Chicken:

3/4 pound chicken breast cut into 1 to 2″ slices

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

Orange Sauce:

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

5 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons julienned scallion

3 tablespoons julienned ginger

8 slices red Fresno pepper, julienned (I used Serrano peppers)

2 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and sliced

2 1/4 cups peanut oil

3 thin orange slices, peeled and cut into quarters (I sliced up a whole orange)

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water

Mix the chicken slices with the beaten egg, flour, cornstarch and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes and, rubbing with your fingers, work the chicken together with the flour mixture again—repeat in another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the orange sauce. Combine the light soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, and salt.

In a wok or skillet, heat 2 cups of the peanut oil to 375 degrees. Keep it at that temperature while you cook the sauce.

Heat a skillet or saucepan to hot and add the remaining 1/4 cup peanut oil. When hot, add the scallion-ginger mixture. Cook, stirring rapidly, for about 15 seconds just to coat with oil. Add the orange slices and cook another 10 seconds. Add the soy-lemon-sugar and salt mixture along with the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Recombine the cornstarch-water mixture and add to the sauce. Allow to boil, thicken and clear, then turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, add the chicken to the oil and fry until crispy. Remove to drain. Immediately add the chicken to the sauce that you just made and toss briefly to coat. Serve with rice.