Creamy Chicken Marsala

 I LOVE ordering chicken marsala out...it's one of my favorite Italian dishes despite not like mushrooms. So yes I did make this dish and yes I did NOT eat the mushrooms, but it was pretty darn near perfect of a marsala recipe that I've made.

Creamy Chicken Marsala
1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
10-12 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup marsala cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb pasta(I used penne)
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese

Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper, cook until lightly browned. Remove to a plate.

Cook pasta according to directions.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan, add in garlic, mushrooms, and onion. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. Add chicken back in. Combine marsala, cream, and chicken broth and add it to the pan, bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened.

Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Cook until sauce has been  absorbed a bit by pasta. Add cooking water in needed. Sprinkle with paremsan cheese and season with salt and pepper if desired.

**I almost doubled the sauce mixture...but I figured it was the first time I made it so I wanted to keep it the way it was written until I knew what to change next time. I do think next time I'll double the sauce...I think it also needed to be thicker, but the flavor was SPOT on and delicious!! YUM! Even my boys liked it, which surprised me!

Grilled Chicken Tzatziki

 I'm always looking for new way to make chicken and this sounded tasty and it combined yogurt with chicken for protein packed dinner!


Grilled Chicken Tzatziki-shared from Style At Home
Marinade:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp fresh lemon juice+2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp hot sauce
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Place all ingredients except chicken in a zip top bag. Mix together until well combined. Add in chicken and cover completely with mixture. Squeeze air out, seal, and allow to marinate for up to 4 hours.

You can then go on to grill the chicken until no longer pink. I cooked it in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 mins and then turned the broiler on for 5 mins to get the charcoal look!

Let chicken rest for about 5 mins and then slice. Serve as is. OR I took a pita, and spread on some hummus, topped it with some lettuce, and then the chicken and wrapped it up.


**This chicken was SO moist and flavorful! It was the best chicken I've had in a long time. I loved the kick the hot sauce added and the citrus tang. Definitely will be made again! YUM! Even the leftovers were still moist and flavorful!

Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia

 We are trying to get more fish into our diet and we recently discovered Tilapia...we also like cod. This sounded delicious when I found the recipe and couldn't wait to try it!

Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia-How Sweet It Is
1 lb tilapia filets, patted dry
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
honey and lime zest for garnish

Place 2 tbsp oil, honey, lime juice, zest, and garlic into resealable bag. Place fish inside and marinate for one hour.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan until hot. Season fish with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Once oil is hot add fish and fry until golden brown. Flip and continue to cook on other side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Drizzle with additional honey and lime zest.


*This was BY FAR THE BEST FISH I've ever had! I can't wait to have it again. It was flavorful and crispy on the outside! YUM-O

Tilapia Peach Packets

In the wake of a Hurricane coming through I decided to start this marinating...if we loose power it will cook wonderfully on the grill! Hopefully I don't/didn't loose power though! Hope everyone stayed safe during the storm!

Tilapia Peach Packets-How Sweet It Is
1 lb tilapia fillets, patted dry
2 peaches, peeled, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley(I used 2 tbsp dried)
1 red onion, sliced

Place ingredients except fish in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Place sauce in zip top bag and add in fish. Marinate for 12-14 hours.

When ready to cook, take 4 pieces of tin foil(about 10x10 inches) and lay a few slices of onion on each piece. Place fish on top and wrap up. Grill for 10-12 mins or until fish is flaky.

**I have a picture of this...but photobucket doesn't like this computer operating system so if I switch it I'll get the picture for you!

This was tasty and different, plus it was really easy to make!

Taco Rice

This is has a bit long name that I have no idea how to say...which is Okinawa Takoraisu. I like taco rice better...it's much easier to say! I thought this recipe sounded interesting so I couldn't wait to try it.

I had picked up a package of beefalo at the farmer's market...pastured raised local meat! I figured with the price of meat lately I might as well get some that is healthier for us. We couldn't really tell the difference between this and regular beef.

Taco Rice-shared from Siggy Spice

1 lb ground meat

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp chili powder

3 tbsp soy sauce(I used tamari)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 cups steamed rice

2 cups lettuce, chopped

1-2 tomatoes, chopped

salsa

sour cream

shredded cheese(I used sharp cheddar)

Brown beef, drain if needed. Add in onion and garlic and cook for about 5 mins until soft. Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Let simmer until liquid reduces. 

Spread about a 1/2 a cup of rice on plate. Top with some meat mixture, tomato, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and salsa. Serve and enjoy!

**I actually really liked this! Like siggy mentioned the soy sauce is subtle but the combination is delicious! I really liked it so did K. A did eat the meat but that was about it.

Cheesy Meatball Rice Skillet

This has been on my Tasty Tuesday list to try for a while. I really only like meatballs now with the meatball/meatloaf mix(beef, veal, pork) and I haven't been able to find it! I found some last week so I picked it up with this recipe in mind!

Cheesy Meatball Rice Skillet-adapted from Eat At Home
20 meatballs, cooked
1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil, dry
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 pkg frozen veggies(I used mixed)
2 cups 6 blend italian shredded cheese

Mix together all the ingredients expect for cheese and veggies. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until rice is cooked through.(This will depend on the rice you use). Once rice is cooked, add in veggies and stir. Let sit for 5 mins. Stir in cheese until throughly melted.

**This took FOREVER to cook...I think it was the brown rice I used. Next time I'll use already cooked rice or even white rice. It was delicious none the less! It would be quick and easy with minute rice and kid friendly too!

BBQ Chicken Cheddar Braid

 This was another recipe that was pretty quick and easy to make. I can't remember where I got the recipe from, but it's not original! I also used pre-cooked chicken.

BBQ Chicken Cheddar Braid
1 recipe for pizza dough
2 cups chopped chicken
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
water
garlic salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread dough out into a rectangle. Along the middle of the dough spread your bbq sauce, chicken, and cheese. Cut remaining side of the dough into strips and alternate them back and forth to form a braid over the mixture. Brush with water and sprinkle on garlic salt. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown.

**This was almost to pretty to eat! But it was delicious!

Macaroon Crusted Tilapia

We have been trying to eat more fish...when it's on sale. We have never had Tilapia before so I picked some up one night. Then I came across this recipe and seen as I have a love for coconut I couldn't wait to try it!

Macaroon Crusted Tilapia-shared from How Sweet It Is
1 lb tilapia filets, thawed and dried throughly
3/4 cup almonds, crushed by blender(should yield 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten +2 tbsp water

Preheat to 425. Grease baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place egg and water into shallow plate and mix together. Add coconut and almonds together and mix throughly. Season fish with salt and pepper. Dip fish into egg mixture and then into almond/coconut. Press gently to get coating to stick. Place on baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 mins until fish is cooked through(it should be white and flaky). *My fish was really thin filets so they only cooked for about 15 mins.

**I forgot to season the fish and did it afterwards. The salt I found to be KEY in this recipe. We both really enjoyed it...although my husband claims it's still not as good as the one I made with a bag of potato chips and a stick of butter!

CHicken Hummus Wraps

On my friend Lori's blog, Teacher turned mommy, she hosts Tasty Tuesday and she will share a recipe each week with her readers. This was one of them!

I altered this as I was having a very unproductive day. Lori actually slathered the chicken with hummus then grilled it, I just grilled it. So you can do it either way!

Hummus Chicken Wraps-shared from Teacher Turned Mommy
1 lb chicken
flour tortillas
romaine lettuce
your favorite hummus

Grill chicken until cooked through. Allow to rest for 5 mins. Slice.

Slather hummus on tortilla to your liking, top with lettuce and sliced chicken. Roll or fold and enjoy!

**I normally make my own hummus but we had just gotten back from vacation and it was on sale. I wasn't feeling like waiting 2 days to get it made. So I used the Red Pepper Hummus from Tribe. I love this and it might be a new go to chicken recipe! I liked how fresh and easy it was to make!

Restaurant Style Beef Tacos

This recipe sounded FABULOUS, I of course tweaked it quite a bit, so this is my version. I had planned on making a homemade soft bread wrap and found out I needed potato flakes, I had already been to the store so I wasn't going back(I know have the potato flakes for next time!) I started this out in the crock pot too!

Restaurant Style Beef Tacos
1 lb beef
1-2 avocados,mashed with salt and pepper
corn
homemade pitas or flatbread

Place meat into slow cooker. Add in 1 cup of water and season. I used some steak seasonings. Turn on low and cook for 6-8 hrs.*I used stew meat, which was a bit tough when I went to check it, so I cut it all up even smaller(after cooking) and placed it back in the crock pot for another hr and it was much more tender.

Lay pita flat, spread avocado on top followed by beef and corn. Fold in half and enjoy!

**I loved all the flavors in this meal! We couldn't wait to have the leftovers either! Next time I will add in some halved grape tomatoes for a bit more color and flavor!

Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos with Avocado and Strawberries

I stumbled upon this recipe one night and it sounded delicious! I ended up changing it around a bit as we are headed off to vacation soon and my lack of planning resulted in me not having some of the stuff on hand for the salsa. This way was delicious, but feel free to also make the salsa if you wish! I also am not a fan of chunks of avocado, so they were mashed!

I would have had more strawberries for the meal too if I didn't have 2 red faced strawberry steelers!

Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos w/Avocado and Strawberries-adapted from How Sweet It Is
1 lb chicken tenderloins
1/3 cup white tequila(about 2 nips)
zest and juice of 3 limes,divided
2 tsp coriander, divided
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 avocado
strawberries, diced
salt and pepper
corn or flour tortillas

Mix together half of lime zest, tequila, and 1/2 the lime juice, add in chicken and allow to marinate for about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix together panko, rest of the lime zest, flour, and coriander together. Dip chicken in breading and press onto chicken to get it to stick. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 10 mins, flip and bake for another 10 mins or until cooked through.

Mash avocado and mix with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Spread onto tortillas, top with chicken and sprinkle with strawberries. Fold in half, eat and enjoy!

**These were a delicious summer time dinner!  I loved the tart of the limes with the sweetness of the strawberries along with the creaminess of the avocado. I did use corn tortillas, but next time I will fry them in a bit of oil to add in some more texture! You can follow the link to actually MAKE the salsa, I'm just not a chuck of avocado fan...or raw onions so I changed it a bit!

Beef and Peppers

I love looking at Pioneer Woman's blog...her pictures are truly stunning even if they are of food! This one roped me right in!

Beef with Peppers-adapted from Pioneer Woman
1 lb steak(I used london broil) thinly sliced
2 sweet peppers, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 pkg rice noodles
1/2 cup soy sauce
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp hot sauce(or chili paste)

Mix together hot sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and corn starch. Add in beef and stir to combine, allow to marinate. Cook rice noodles according to the package directions.

Preheat frying pan or wok. Add in 1 tbsp oil, once hot add in onions and cook for 1-2 mins until edges become brown, but still tender. Remove from pan. Heat pan back up and add in another tbsp of oil add in peppers and cooked for a few mins until edges are brown but peppers are still al dente. Remove from the pan. Heat pan up again and add in beef until browned and caramelized, 2 mins per side(approx.). Add veggies back in and stir to combine. Add the marinade into the pan and cook for about 5 mins. Stir in noodles.

**This was delicious...despite the fact that I over cooked the noodles, so next time I'll cook them less! I will also double the sauce/marinade. K really enjoyed it!

2 Quiches-one meat, one meat freer!

Not sure if you have ever gone out to eat on Mother's day, but it's usually crazy busy! So we opted to stay home and have our friends over instead! I had the meat quiche on the menu for this week, but our friends are meat freers...no big deal as quiche is easy to adapt to vegetarian. So I made one of each!

I'm not usually a quiche fan, but this one sounded really good and I'm always looking for new ways to use Italian Sausage.

Italian Sausage, Tomato, and Cheddar Quiche-Woman's Day Magazine
1 pie crust
6 oz italian sausage(I used 3 links, 2 sweet, 1 hot),casings removed
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 onion, chopped
4 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven 425 degrees.
Place pie crust in pie plate and bake for 12-15 mins until golden brown. Remove from the oven and drop temperature down to 375.

Place sausages in pan and brown, breaking up meat as you go. Add onion and cook about 5 mins. Remove from pan and drain.

In a large bowl mix together eggs, sour cream, and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in sausage/onion, cheese, and tomatoes. Bake for 35-45 until knife inserted into middle comes out clean.

**This was pretty good, at first it wasn't cooked long enough as I don't have 2 pie plates so this was thicker than a regular pie would be. But after cooking for another 15 mins or so, it was finally done. I did notice it was a bit wetter, but I think this was from the tomatoes, so the crust wasn't as crispy as I would like. But those of us who ate it all enjoyed it...although we liked the flavor of the vegetarian one better. So next time I'll add in a bit of shredded parmesan cheese to this one as well!

Vegetarian Quiche-my own creation, using the base of the above recipe!

This quiche you can use anything you would like to go in it! Broccoli, spinach, peppers, onions, zucchini, etc. 

1 pie crust

Base of above recipe(eggs, sour cream, milk, and cheese)

leftover steak fries, chopped

1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped, drained well

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions, see above! Just put in the potatoes, parm cheese, and peppers in place of the sauage/tomatoes!

**We all LOVED this one! Even my husband who is usually against anything vegetarian(although he will eat it) liked it better than the sausage one! He is a huge sausage fan, so this was a surprise for me!

Creamy Italian Chicken and Orzo Skillet

I had gotten some really good deals on the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme Cream Cheese. Then I had to figure out WHAT to make with it. The first recipe I tried, I wasn't all that impressed. I then tried this one and it was DELICIOUS!

Creamy Italian Chicken and Orzo Skillet-shared from Kraft
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking creme
1-2 zucchini, sliced
1-2 tomatoes, diced(or 1 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained)
2 cups cooked orzo

Place zucchini in skillet and cook for about 6-8 mins until fork tender. Add in chicken and allow to heat through. Add in cooking cream, tomatoes, and orzo. Cook until hot.

**I really liked how fast this came together especially since I already had the zucchini and chicken cooked! It was a delicious summer meal.

Minestrone Casserole

I LOVE minestrone soup, but it isn't really soup season...although soup would be good at anytime. But I saw this on $5 dinners last week and thought it was perfect! I did alter it a bit, because I was missing some of the ingredients, but you can put anything you like it in as far as veggies go and also came together fast!

Minestrone Casserole-adapted from $5 Dinners
3 Italian Sausage links, casing removed
2 cups beans(I used small white beans)
1-2 cups sliced zucchini(mine was pre-cooked)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tbsp italian seasoning
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 lb egg noodles, cooked(or pasta of your choice)
10 oz box chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained well(omitted)

Cook and crumble sausage until browned. Add in garlic and saute for 5 mins. Add in zucchini and cook until tender. Stir in beans, italian seasoning, and tomatoes. Cook until heated through. Stir in noodles. Serve with parmesan cheese.

I didn't bake it into a casserole. If you wanted to do that place the noodle mixture into a pan and top with cheese bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins until cheese is melted.

**This

Coconut Chicken and Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Fries

I love anything coconut and then add in curry and I'm REALLY there! I saw these and knew I had everything on hand to make them. I was looking forward to this meal ALL week and it did NOT disappoint!

There is a recipe for the Pineapple Curry Dipping sauce also found in the link, but I decided to leave it out as I didn't think it was needed!

Coconut Chicken -shared from Cooking During Stolen Moments
1 lb chicken, cut into fingers or bite size
1/2 cup flour
salt, pepper, curry powder to taste
2 eggs
2 tsp water
1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together flour and spices, place on a plate. Beat together eggs and water in a shallow plate or bowl. Mix together coconut and panko and place that into a shallow bowl. Dredge chicken in flour, followed by the egg mixture, and finally the coconut mixture. Press this onto the chicken if needed. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown and cooked through!

**These were delicious! I love the crispy panko with the sweet coconut! I'm not usually a fan of making breaded chicken and I was thinking that as I had 2 kids running around my feet and I was covered in goo, luckily these were very much worth it!

Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Fries

I know I saw this recipe on someone's blog, but I can't remember which one. I did actually combine 2 different recipes I wanted to try.

2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into fries
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp curry powder

Melt coconut oil. Stir in curry. Coat potatoes with mixture and lay on baking sheet. Cook at 400 degrees for about 20 mins. Potatoes should be soft when poked with a fork and crispy on one side.

**These were pretty delicious, but I do think they were missing something. I think next time I'll add just a little salt to the coconut/curry mixture. The coconut flavor was very subtle.

Thai Steak and Fried Rice

I love that flavors of Thai food and love trying new steak marinades so I thought this would be perfect!

I did make a different Fried Rice recipe than what is on this link...I realized I was missing 2 ingredients!

Thai Steak-Jenn's Food Journey
2 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp srirachu sauce(i use plain hot sauce)
1/4 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp canola oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 lb steak(I used a london broil)

Mix together marinade ingredients and place steak inside. Marinate for 4-6 hours. Grill for 4-5 mins per side or until desired doneness is achieved. (This was cooked about 5-6 mins on each side under the broiler.

**I think this definitely needed more marinating time, but the flavor was pretty good and tasty!

Mini Chicken Meatballs with Pasta

I didn't quite read this recipe all the way through to discover I needed chicken broth for the sauce...so I adapted it to something else! I do have to say it tasted WONDERFUL! (oh and please excuse the picture!)

Mini Chicken Meatballs with Pasta-adapted from What Megan's Making
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten*
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp ketchup
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley(I used 2 tbsp dried parsley)
1/2 lb pasta, cooked to pkg directions

*I thought the mix was a bit wet with 2 eggs in it, but they did cook up nicely and were moist.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together all the ingredients. Form into mini meatballs and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 mins until cook throughly.

Sauce/veggies
1-2 qts grape tomatoes
sliced sweet peppers(optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp tomato and basil seasoning mix(I used tastefully simple)

Place tomatoes and pepper on cookie sheet with sides. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast with meatballs until tomatoes start to pop.

Place drained pasta in large serving dish. Scrape veggies and all the juices over the pasta and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on seasoning and stir to combine. Let sit a few minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add in meatballs.

**This was better than I thought it was going to be! It was perfectly light and flavorful! WE did cut the meatballs in half for the leftovers to help stretch them out more. The meatballs were moist and very flavorful!

Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Peppers, and Kale

I found some natural chicken sausages marked down at the store one day. They were provolone and wine flavored thought they sounded interesting, but once I got home I wasn't sure what to do with them! Then I found this recipe and thought it sounded perfect for them. You can use any kind of sausage of course! I also replaced the escarole with Kale, I never had it before, but I knew I liked Kale.

Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Peppers, and Kale-adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes
1 lb chicken sausage
3 sweet peppers, sliced
1 onion, sliced
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
1 lb pasta
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook sausage until no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside. In hot pan, add in peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook for about 5 mins until tender. Add in kale and cover for about 3 mins, stir and continue cooking for another 3 mins until kale is wilted. Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water.

Mix together veggies, pasta, and sausage. Add in crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and water. Stir to combine. Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top!

**This was tasty and different. The sausage had a unique flavor to it, not sure if will be something I purchase again, but it was still tasty! I loved all the veggies that are in it, of course I had added more! This could easily be adapted to vegetarian. It was an easy dish to prepare and perfect for a light meal!

Baked Fish with Sour Cream Parmesan Sauce

Being that we are still in the season of Lent I've had to come up with meatless meals on Friday. K has been craving fish which is fine, but sometimes I like to change up what I do with it! This recipe sounded perfect, but was still pretty closed to the baked cod I've made before!

I did use Cod instead of Tilipia.

Baked Fish with Sour Cream Parmesan Sauce-shared from Jenn's Food Journey
4 fish fillets(cod or tilipia)
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
3 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp italian Seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tbsp panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse and pat fish dry(VERY important if you use frozen fish) Lay fish in greased baking dish. Mix together sour cream and spices. Spread on top of fish. Combine breadcrumbs, panko, and cheese.
Sprinkle on top of sour cream. Bake for 12-15 mins or until fish flakes.

**This was by far the best fish recipe I've made! Well K will tell you about the one I made once that involved a bag of potato chips and a stick of butter, but that doesn't tend to be very healthy! This fish was cheesy and had a tang from the sour cream! Delish!