BBQ Chicken Salad

The name of the blog where I got this recipe kind of says it all! :) Here is the link - BBQ Chicken Salad.

Rusty and I love salads! Surprisingly, so does Rylan. We always seem to get in a salad rut, though, so I love finding new salad recipes to try, and I love it even more when they are, um, damn delicious. ;) This recipe is very easy! It was perfect to put together on a week night after work.

Ingredients:
*1 tblsp of olive oil
*2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
*Salt & Pepper
*Romaine lettuce
*1 can of corn, drained
*1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
*diced tomatoes
*Tortilla strips
*Grated cheddar cheese
*Your favorite BBQ sauce
*Your favorite ranch dressing

One ingredient not listed above that I will add next time is avocado. I LOVE avocado slices on a salad, and they would've gone well this one.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. While the oil is heating, lightly salt and pepper the thinly sliced chicken breasts. Once the oil is hot, add chicken to the pan and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and dice. Serve over romaine lettuce, and top with as much or as little of the remaining ingredients as you desire!

Chicken Lo Mein

This is another one pan recipe. While I do use a few other items, I love only having one pan to hand wash at the end of the night. Rusty and I recently discovered how much we really do like Asian food. The journey is slow, but we are branching out. This recipe for Chicken Lo Mein is a really good recipe that everyone in our house loves!

Ingredients:
*2 chicken breasts
*16 oz box of linguini or fettuccini
*4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half length wise, and then cut into 2 inch pieces
*1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
*4 garlic cloves, minced
*1/4 cup of soy sauce
*1 tsp garlic powder
*1 tsp corn starch
*1 tblsp sugar
*1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
*4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
*2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Cut the chicken breast into small pieces, and put into a large pot. Break pasta pieces in half, and place them on top of the chicken. Continue to add remaining ingredients, in the order listed above. Gently stir ingredients to allow spices added on top to disburse through pan. Cook over high heat, until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir the ingredients well, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 15-18 minutes, stirring half way through cooking time. Most of the liquid will cook into the meal, so don't be surprised by the reduced amount of liquid. If you find your finished product to be too dry, it was probably cooked just a few minutes too long (I did this the first time... oops!!) Maybe add just a little bit of water, to thin it back out. Allow the dish to cool for just a couple of minutes prior to serving. Enjoy!

I usually add more vegetables than stated in the ingredients. I like to add snap peas or broccoli as well. It's up to your preferences!

TTFN!

Chicken Fried Steak

This recipe is my first experience with a recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I'm behind the times, I know. Here is her recipe for CFS. And oh my word, it's delicious.

I didn't make the gravy or mashed potatoes from her recipe, so I can't speak to the deliciousness of those recipes. The ingredients listed below are only for the CFS, and also note they are half of what the original recipe calls for. I found that this is just enough for my family of 3, plus one extra serving for leftovers.

Ingredients:
*1 1/2 lbs of cube steak
*3/4 cup of milk (I used 2%, because it's what I had)
*1 large egg
*1 1/2 to 2 cups of all purpose flour
*1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
*Seasoning Salt
*Salt & Pepper
*Oil for frying (I used vegetable)

You'll need 2 bowls for the ingredients to coat the CFS, as well as a clean dish to put the prepared CFS on, prior to cooking them. In one of the bowls, mix the milk and egg together. In the second bowl, mix the flour with the cayenne pepper, seasoning salt and some black pepper. The amount of the seasonings are really to your taste, so it may take some experimenting to get it just perfect. I use the seasoning salt sparingly, only because I don't want the CFS to be too salty. I add just enough of it to add a bit of flavor. I prefer more black pepper. Set the mixtures aside for just a minute.

Get a large skillet, and pour enough cooking oil into it to coat the bottom, to about a half inch deep or so. Turn the heat on to medium-high, and allow the oil to heat while you prep the CFS.

Now for prepping the CFS. First, sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper onto both sides of the cube steak. Second, dip one of the cube steaks into the egg/milk mixture, then into the flour mixture (coating both sides well), and then repeat into the egg/milk mixture and into the flour mixture again. Set the finished CFS on the clean plate. Continue this process for all pieces of cube steak.

Once the cube steaks are ready, and the cooking oil is heated (you can test by sprinkling some flour into the oil to see how it reacts), place the prepared CFS into the oil. Allow it to cook for about 3-4 minutes, until brown, before flipping and allowing the other side to cook. Once both sides are browned, remove the CFS from the oil and place it onto a clean plate covered with paper towels. Depending on how thick the meat was, you may need to cut into to make sure it's cooked all the way through.

Of course this is best served with mashed potatoes, gravy and some veggies. We like corn and either green beans or carrots around here, but the veggies are yours for the picking!! I will say that I prefer to make this dish on a Saturday or Sunday night, because it does take a little longer to make, and it's a bit messy to clean up. It is absolutely 100% worth it though. I hope that you love it as much as my family does!

TTFN!

Tortellini Pasta Salad

This recipe is a relatively easy and quick fix! Both of the boys liked it, as did I. It made a big enough portion to allow for plenty of leftovers, which was nice when I was looking for something last minute to take to work for lunch.

Here is the original recipe I used - Tortellini Salad.

Ingredients:
*20 oz package of refrigerated cheese tortellini
*1 cup of fresh mozzarella, cubed
*1 cup of pepperoni, chopped
*1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
*1/3 cup of fresh basil
*2/3 cup of Caesar salad or Italian dressing

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Rinse thoroughly with cold water, and drain. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy!

I found this recipe because I had a package of pepperoni on hand to use up... I thought it was good, but I would rather have chicken with it. Next time we make this, I'm going to either cube up a baked chicken breast or use canned chicken breast. I'll report back and let you know the results!

TTFN

One Pan Chicken Alfredo

As soon as I saw that this dish only required one pan, I was sold! While I enjoy cooking, I hate dishes. The end. :) Before starting, make sure your one pan is plenty big for all of the deliciousness and that you have a lid to fit it. This is the blog I found this recipe on - No. 2 Pencil.

Ingredients:
*3 tblsp of olive oil
*2-3 chicken breasts (1 1/4 lb)
*2 cloves of garlic, minced
*2 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium)
*1 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
*1/2 lb penne pasta (you can use any small bite sized pasta)
*2 cups fresh parmesan cheese
*Salt and pepper to taste
*Parsley, for garnish, if desired

Cut chicken breasts into small, bite size pieces, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until it's mostly cooked. It will continue to cook, as the rest of the meal is made, so it does not have to be completely cooked at this point. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Add chicken broth, cream and uncooked pasta to the pan - stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Once the pasta is tender, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the parmesan cheese, and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

The pasta goes well with wine and garlic bread. ;) TTFN!!