Homemade Alfredo

Inevitably, whenever someone finds out that I "know how to cook," they will ask me how to make Alfredo sauce. I'm surprised by this one because it's actually one of the easiest sauces you could possibly make. I've seen some people make it (incorrectly) with a flour based bechamel (white sauce), but that's technically a mornay (bechamel with cheese added to it). Alfredo sauce is even simpler than that!

Homemade Alfredo

Makes: 8 servings

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups (16 oz) heavy cream

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the shallot and garlic in olive oil until they are fragrant and become soft, about 2 minutes. It's important to make this in a skillet because it has more surface area which will help to reduce the cream once you add it.
• Add the heavy cream to the pan and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the cream starts to bubble, continue cooking until it has thickened slightly and sticks to the back of a spoon (this is called "reducing the sauce"), about five minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese until they are melted. Technically mozzarella isn't traditionally included in Alfredo, but it just helps the sauce stay nice and smooth.
• Toss hot cooked pasta (fettuccine, linguine, penne, etc) into the same pan with the sauce and stir to coat.

Lola approves!

Variations (you know I love variations!)

Pasta Primavera - add sauteed zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, mushrooms, and grape tomatoes to the finished pasta and sauce.

Cajun Shrimp Pasta - season shrimp with blackened seasoning, saute over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan, make the Alfredo sauce. Toss the pasta and shrimp with the finished sauce. (This could also be made with chicken instead of shrimp).

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta - add steamed broccoli and grilled chicken that has been cut into strips to the finished pasta and sauce.

Spinach & Artichoke Alfredo - add steamed chopped spinach and diced artichokes to the finished pasta and sauce.

The possibilities are endless!

Chicken & Vegetables in Thai Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce is one of the easiest sauces you can make. It's a raw sauce - no cooking required. And it's literally just a combination of peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and a few other goodies. I like to add this to some noodles with stir-fry vegetables and some chicken. I used carrots, celery, and onions because that's what I happened to have on hand. You could also use pea pods, mushrooms, asparagus, water chestnuts, or even a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables! You can also leave out the chicken for Meatless Mondays. This also makes a great make-ahead lunch for the week!

Chicken & Vegetables in Thai Peanut Sauce
Makes: 4 servings

1/2 lb spaghetti, lo mein noodles, or ramen noodles
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 medium onion, cut into 1/2" dice
8 scallions
2 tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger (or 1/2 tsp dried, ground ginger)
3/4 cup hot water
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce

• Cook the spaghetti until al dente, about 9 - 10 minutes. Make sure to salt the water well.
• Strain the pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken into 1/2" cubes.
• Chop the carrots, celery, and onions. Set aside.
• Slice the scallions, add the white part to the carrots, celery, and onions; set aside the green tops for garnish.
•  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high. Add the carrots, celery, and onion mixture. Cook for about 3 minutes until the vegetables just start to soften.
• Add the chicken to the skillet and continue cooking for 5 - 6 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from the heat.
• Make the sauce by combining the garlic, ginger, water, peanut butter, and soy sauce. It's true that you can use powdered garlic and ginger, but I highly recommend using fresh. There's just nothing like fresh ginger. Whisk the ingredients together - the sauce will have a lumpy texture at first, just keep whisking and it will smooth out.
• Add the sauce to the hot chicken and vegetables. Add the pasta then toss it all together.
• Garnish with the green scallion tops.

If you want to make the sauce a little spicy, you could add some Sriracha sauce.

Roasted Garlic & Italian Herb Chicken

I had some left-over roasted garlic compound butter from my Broccoli with Roasted Garlic Butter so I decided to put it to use in this chicken dish! The result was really great and it was a super fast meal. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Roasted Garlic & Italian Herb Chicken
Makes: 4 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
pinch of salt
1 tbsp roasted garlic butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

• Cut each piece of chicken in half length-wise so that you have four thin pieces of chicken.
• Mix together the panko, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and salt. Then mix in the melted butter. Set aside.
• Dip each piece of chicken in the beaten egg, then the panko mixture.
• Place the chicken on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes until completely cooked and no longer pink.
• Serve with pasta.

I made a pasta side dish with the remaining butter. It paired really well with the chicken. You can make this while the chicken is baking.

1/2 lb penne or other tube pasta
2 tbsp roasted garlic butter
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried parsley (or 2 tsp fresh)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

• Cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 - 12 minutes. Make sure to salt the water well.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saute pan. Once the butter is bubbling, add the pepper flakes then remove from the heat.
• Strain the pasta then add it to the garlic butter. Add the parsley and parmesan and toss until the pasta is coated.

Pan Seared Sage Chicken

I've been on a big sage kick lately. I have no idea why. I guess it just "feels" right with how cold it's been lately. I made this chicken dish to go along with the Butternut Squash Mashup that I made. One thing that I like to do is keep a common theme in my meal. Since I used sage in the butternut squash, I figured I would add it to the chicken too. It turned out really well. I hope you like it.

Pan Seared Sage Chicken
Makes: 4 servings

Pasta:
1/2 lb penne or other tube pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter or butter substitute
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp rubbed sage

Chicken:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp rubbed sage

Make the pasta:

• Boil the pasta for 11 - 12 minutes until al dente. Make sure to salt the water really well.
• While the pasta is cooking, saute the garlic over medium heat until the garlic becomes fragrant and starts to soften. Remove from the heat.
• Strain the pasta then add to the garlic butter. Add the sage then toss together.

Make the chicken:

  

• While the pasta is cooking, make the chicken.
• Cut each chicken breast in half length-wise so that you have 4 thin pieces of chicken.
• Combine the seasoned salt and sage. Sprinkle the mixture over both sides of each piece of chicken.
• Spray a thin layer of non-stick cooking spray into a skillet. Heat over medium until hot.
• Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 3 - 4 minutes on each side until fully cooked and no longer pink.
• You can serve the chicken whole or cut into thin strips. Serve over top of pasta.

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

I'm experimenting with a new idea that I want to call "Cupboard Cleaners." These will be recipes that can easily be made with ingredients that you likely already have in your cupboard, refrigerator, and/or freezer. One thing that completely amazes Matt is that I can look at what we have in the cupboard and just kind of pull a meal out of thin air. Cupboard Cleaners will help you use up those ingredients that you're not sure what to do with - half an onion in the fridge, that last clove of garlic on the counter, that one tablespoon of butter that's left, half a bag of chocolate chips in the cupboard, a bag of couscous, you get the idea. We all have ingredients that have been partially used up in other recipes and then the left overs just seem to hang out with nothing to do but create clutter in the kitchen!

My first Cupboard Cleaner came from just such a scenario. I was cooking dinner last Saturday and I didn't have an idea yet for what I was going to make. I looked in the freezer and saw that I had half a bag of frozen mushrooms, I had half a box of penne in the cupboard, and a very small amount of shredded cheese in the refrigerator. Thus, Cheesy Chicken Casserole was born!

The word "cheesy" is really messing with my brain tonight. It doesn't look like it's spelled correctly. I keep staring at it which makes it worse. I could swear it should be spelled "cheesey" but then that looks even worse. I digress...

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

Makes: 4 servings

1/2 lb penne

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" dice

1 tsp blackened seasoning (I like Zatarain's)

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp butter (I use Smart Balance)

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 bay leaf

2 cups milk

3 slices American cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

• Cook the penne for 11 - 12 minutes, or until al dente. Make sure to salt the water well.
• Drain the pasta and set aside.
• While the pasta is cooking, toss the chicken with the blackened seasoning.
• In a large saute pan over medium high heat, cook the chicken until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink, about 5 - 6 minutes.
• Set the chicken aside.
• In the same pan that was used to cook the chicken, heat up the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute until the mushrooms release their liquid and the liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes.
• Add the flour to the mushrooms and garlic. Stir to make sure that all of the flour has absorbed the butter. Add the mustard powder and bay leaf.
• Add the milk and stir until the flour is completely dissolved in the milk.
• Continue to cook the sauce over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce has thickened.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Remove the bay leaf.
• Add all three cheeses. Stir until completely melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the chicken and pasta to the sauce.
• Transfer to a greased 13" x 9" glass baking dish.
• Top with additional cheese and panko bread crumbs. Since this dish is a whole lot of creamy stuff and not much else, the bread crumbs help to add a little texture and crunch.
• Bake at 350° F for 20 - 25 minutes until bubbly and brown.

And after all of that, you may be thinking, "ok, but what if I don't have all of those ingredients in my cupboard/refrigerator?" Great question! Here's how you can customize.

Add-ins - instead of chicken or mushrooms, you could add: broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, spinach, zucchini, summer squash, caramelized onions.

Cheese - instead of American, Parmesan, or mozzarella cheese, you could use: cheddar, Gouda, Havarti, feta, pepper jack, provolone, Swiss, bleu cheese.

Sauce - instead of a milk-based sauce, you could use: chicken broth and white wine, or beef broth and red wine. If you do this, skip the cheese.

Chicken Parm

Chicken parm is a really simple dish that I like to make during the week. It's fast and everyone loves it. It might seem like something fancy because it's the kind of dish you would order at a restaurant, but trust me it's a lot easier than you think. I guarantee you'll be adding this to your weekly line-up.

Looking back through my posts, I've realized we eat entirely too much chicken haha! What can I say. It's cheap, easy, and everyone likes it.

Chicken Parm

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced super fine

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten

6 oz shredded cheese (I like the pizza cheese blend)

1/2 lb pasta

1 jar tomato sauce

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• Trim any excess fat off the chicken breasts. Then cut each chicken breast in half length wise so that you have 4 pieces of chicken. This will make the pieces thinner which will help them cook faster and more evenly.
• Combine the panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, and olive oil. Make sure that the garlic is minced super fine so that it actually cooks while in the oven. You don't want to bite into raw garlic!
• Dip the chicken breasts into the egg, then the bread crumb mixture. Place in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. If there are any extra bread crumbs, sprinkle them over top of the chicken breasts.
• Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta and heat up the sauce.
• Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven. Top each piece with some shredded cheese. Place back in the oven for 2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven and serve over top of pasta and sauce.

Walnut Parsley Pesto

I really love pestos. They're so easy, so delicious, and completely customizable. Traditionally when we think of pesto, we think of basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. However, you can make pesto out of any combination of herbs, cheese, olive oil, and nuts. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Sun dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
• Roasted red peppers, garlic, oregano, asiago cheese, and olive oil.
• Artichokes, chives, garlic, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
• Arugula, pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest, cracked black pepper, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.

You get the point! Gather some ingredients that taste great together, puree them into a smooth paste, then toss with warm pasta. Today I made a walnut parsley pesto.

Walnut Parsley Pesto
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp dried parsley)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lb linguine (or fettuccine, spaghetti, etc)

• Combine the walnuts, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil in a food processor.
• Puree until smooth.
• Cook the pasta until al dente making sure to add plenty of salt to the water.
• Once the pasta is cooked, strain it then immediately transfer to a bowl. While the pasta is still hot, add the pesto and toss until all of the noodles are coated.

This makes a great side dish for grilled chicken, steak, or fish. Today I happened to be making this for lunch. I separated it into 4 portions and placed them into plastic containers that I can just grab when I'm on my way out the door to work!

Note: if you only have raw walnuts, you can toast them by adding them to a dry saute pan over medium heat. When the nuts start to release their aroma, swirl the nuts around in the pan. Once they are golden brown, remove them from the pan. You don't want to take your eye off of this for one single second! The nuts could burn in a matter of seconds. And burned nuts smell... bad..

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

On a whim, I decided to get a jar of roasted red peppers. I didn't really plan on what I was going to do with it. It just sounded really good at the time. So today I'm going to grace you with two red pepper recipes!

This first one I made for dinner and it was delicious!

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

1/2 lb penne or other tube pasta

1 chicken breast, cubed

1 roasted red pepper, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream

2 oz cream cheese (1/4 package)

1 tbsp parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• Cook the pasta until al dente, making sure to salt the water well.
• While the pasta is cooking, brown the chicken in a skillet over medium high heat until thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Strain the pasta and reserve some of the cooking liquid.
• Saute the peppers and garlic over medium heat in the same pan you used for the chicken.
• Add the milk and cream cheese to the peppers. Stir until the cream cheese has completely melted.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
• Toss in the pasta and chicken. If the sauce is too thick, stir in some of the reserved cooking liquid.

Chicken Cacciatore

This is my version of chicken cacciatore. Normally, I'll take all of the ingredients below and throw them in the crockpot for a few hours. But, on this particular night, I decided to make a deconstructed version. You know, just to shake things up hehe.

I make chicken cacciatore with chicken thighs or leg quarters. Dark meat gets a really bad rap because it is high in fat and calories. However, here is why I love dark meat:

1. It has a lot more vitamins and nutrients than white meat.
2. It has more flavor and is more moist and juicy.
3. Last but not least, it's cheaper!

I'm a firm believer that there is no such thing as a food that's bad for you. It just depends on how much of it you eat. So, keep your portion size small and only go for the dark meat chicken once in a while.

Chicken Cacciatore
4 Chicken thighs or 2 leg quarters
Garlic powder
Italian herbs
Salt
Pepper
1 Jar of Pasta sauce
1/4 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• Place chicken thighs or legs into a glass baking dish. Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray oil. This will make the skin nice and crispy.
• Lightly sprinkle each piece with garlic, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Use your judgement as far as how much or little you want to use.
• Bake at 375° F for 45 minutes for chicken thighs and 75 minutes for leg quarters.

  

• When the chicken has about 15 minutes left, mix together the sauce and red pepper flakes.
• Heat over medium low, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is finished. Remove from heat.
• You can serve this over top of rice, pasta, or even a bed of roasted vegetables.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Green Beans Almondine

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. We were on vacation last week visiting our family back home in Massachusetts. It was a lot of fun. Those vacations never last long enough...

Anyways, onto the reason we're here! We had Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner tonight. I love this dish because it seems so fancy but it really is simple. It's an easy weeknight dinner and it will pass the test with even the pickiest eaters (ahem! Matt!). You can serve this with potatoes, rice, or pasta. Tonight we had pasta. I like to keep a common theme with my meals and a great way to do that is to use the same herbs on the vegetables or pasta/rice/potatoes as you use on the meat.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
2 Chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise so that you end up with 4 pieces of chicken
1 Cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp chives, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1/4 lb sliced ham
1/4 lb sliced Swiss cheese

• Place a chicken breast on your work surface. Layer 1 slice of cheese, 2 slices of ham, then 1 more slice of cheese on top of the chicken. Leave about ¾" of room at the top end of the chicken breast.
• Roll up the chicken, ham, and cheese. Then secure with 3 toothpicks.
• Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
• Mix together the bread crumbs, chives, and olive oil.
• Dip each chicken roll in the beaten eggs, then roll in the bread crumb mixture.
• Place the chicken rolls on a greased baking sheet, seam side down.
• Bake at 400° F for 30 to 35 minutes, until cooked through.
• Don't forget to remove the toothpicks!

While the chicken is baking, you can make the pasta and green beans.

Garlic and Chive Pasta
1/2 lb penne or other tube pasta
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter (I actually use Smart Balance)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp chives, chopped

• Cook the pasta until al dente, making sure to salt the water well.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant and soft.
• Strain the pasta, then add to the garlic and olive oil.
• Add the chives, then toss together.

Green Beans Almondine
1/2 lb green beans (I use the kind that come in the steamer bag)
2 Tbsp toasted slivered almonds
Salt and Pepper

• Steam the green beans until al dente. Make sure you don't over-cook them!
• Toss with the toasted almonds. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like a lot of pepper on mine.

Parmesan Pasta with Zucchini & Turkey

One thing I can say for sure is that having Lola has completely changed my life.  When I started feeding Lola solid food, I decided I wanted to make her baby food homemade.  It made sense to me to cook for her in the same way that I cook for Matt and me.  For the most part, I try to make my food as homemade as possible (with a few processed foods here and there for those nights when I need an "easy" dinner).  I believe in balance.  Everything in moderation.

This is one of Lola's favorite dishes.  It's nice because she can eat it with her hands - she's not that great at using utensils yet.  You'll want to make sure that everything is pea sized or smaller to avoid choking.

Parmesan Pasta with Zucchini & Turkey
2 Large Zucchini, finely diced
1 Clove garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp thyme
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/4 lb Ditalini pasta
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

• Cook the pasta for 12 - 13 minutes.  You do want to cook this a little beyond al dente but not too much.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic about 1 - 2 minutes until fragrant.  Add the zucchini and cook until softened.  Transfer the cooked zucchini to a bowl and set aside.
• Brown the turkey over medium high heat until completely cooked and no longer pink.  Make sure to break up any large pieces to avoid a choking hazard.  Drain off any excess liquid.
• Strain the pasta.  Add it to the ground turkey along with the zucchini, thyme, and Parmesan cheese.  Allow to cool then serve to that hungry baby!

This will make quite a few baby-sized servings.  You can freeze individual portion sizes, then reheat.  I've even packed some of the left-overs for myself for lunch!

Garlic Herb Grilled Chicken and Parmesan Pasta

Ok, here we go!  First post!

This recipe is a favorite of my husband's.  The oil sauce on the pasta is delicious and so different from the traditional red sauce or cream sauce that you usually find on pasta.  My husband actually refused to try it at first haha.  He was convinced that he wouldn't like pasta if it didn't have tomato sauce on it.  Now, he begs me to make it every week.

Matt and I actually call this pasta dish "Rattlesnake Pasta" because it's spicy. But, I didn't think that sounds as nice as "Parmesan Pasta" so I renamed it for my blog ;)

Parmesan Pasta:

½ Lb Farfalle, Penne, or other pasta

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Olive oil

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 Tsp Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 Tbsp Dried parsley or 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 C Parmesan cheese

• Cook the pasta until al dente.  (make sure to heavily salt the water, there's nothing worse than unseasoned pasta!)
• While the pasta is cooking, sauté the garlic over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 - 2 minutes.  Add the crushed red pepper flakes and remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the strained pasta, parmesan cheese, and parsley and toss to coat.

On to the chicken!  I usually make this on our George Foreman grill because we live in an apartment, so outdoor grilling isn't always a possibility.

Garlic Herb Marinade:

1/3 Cup Canola oil

1 Tsp garlic powder

1 Tsp Italian herbs (I usually use the McCormick blend)

• Whisk together all ingredients.  Marinate the chicken for at least 10 minutes before grilling or baking.
• This marinade can be used for chicken, seafood, pork, or vegetables.

You can reserve some marinade for your vegetable side.  I like to slice zucchini and summer squash into long strips, marinate them in the Garlic Herb Marinade, and then grill those on the George Foreman grill.  Delicious!