April 8, 2011 - chicken primavera pasta

i had some awesome  coupons for the new philadelphia cooking cremes and they were on sale so i bought some to try.  on the back of the italian cheese & herb cooking creme was this recipe i decided to try.

chicken primavera pasta

ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups vegetables (i used zucchini, green pepper and carrots- all from my bountiful basket)
1 tub philadelphia italian cheese & herb cooking creme
2 cups hot cooked fettuccine

directions: cook and stir chicken in skillet for 5-7 minutes or until done.  add vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

add cooking creme, cook and stir 3 minutes.  stir in pasta.

april 6, 2011 - cafe rio pork barbacoa

this cooked on low in my crockpot for almost 24 hours and let me tell you what.... my house smelled awesome!

i got this recipe from my friend collette.  i didn't have regular coke so i used diet coke - don't know if it makes a difference.  also, after about 12 hours (overnight), i shredded my pork and then left it to sit in the gooey goodness for another 10 hours on low.


cafe rio pork

ingredients:
pork roast
1 cup salsa
1 cup brown sugar
1 liter coca-cola

directions:
In a crock pot slow cook pork roast overnight with salsa, brown sugar and coke. When pork is done, shred with two forks.  Additional salsa, brown sugar and coke may be added to enhance flavor or add more moisture.

april 4, 2011 - grilled chicken and pasta with asparagus

i wanted to use up some more of the asparagus i got in my bountiful basket, so i found this recipe: pasta with asparagus.  i also grilled some chicken breasts to go with it.

a few notes about how mine differed from the original recipe.  i used 2 cans of mushrooms since i didn't have any fresh ones on hand.  next time i will use only 1 can and put in more asparagus. 

pasta with asparagus recipe

ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

8 ounces angel hair pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

directions:

cook pasta according to package instructions.  heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. saute asparagus in the pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes. add chicken broth and mushroom slices; cook 3 minutes more. drain pasta, and transfer to a serving dish. gently toss pasta with asparagus mixture; sprinkle with parmesan and crushed red pepper.

april 3, 2011 - french onion soup

made french onion soup and served it with a thick slice of bread with cheese on top.  it was good, but didn't go over too well with the kids.  they liked the cheese but didn't care for soggy bread or the onions in the soup... oh well.

march 28, 2011 - cafe rio chicken salad

i made the cafe rio chicken recipe from this day to make salads with.  started with a flour tortilla on the bottom, then added some of the shredded chicken.  topped it off with shredded lettuce, chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and some dressing.

march 23, 2011 - fajitas & bean and cheese burritos

first i cut up a few sirloin steaks into strips and sauteed them up with some red pepper strips.  then i cooked up a can of refried beans for the kids and chopped some lettuce.  i served it with the regular toppings of shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa.  so good!

march 22, 2011 - tuna helper italian fettuccine alfredo

i know, i know....  boo to overly-processed food.  But it was quick and easy.  plus i threw in some frozen peas to make it a little more nutritional.

march 21, 2011 - spaghetti & meatballs with garlic cheese bread

this was super simple because i still had some armour frozen meatballs.  just threw them into a skillet with some spaghetti sauce and cooked up some noodles.  the bread is the new york texas toast brand and was really quite good.  i probably should have cooked up some vegetables for a side....

march 17, 2011 - eggs in a basket w/steamed asparagus

so yummy!  the kids really like eggs in a basket and i was really wanting to eat some of the asparagus that i got in my bountiful baskets last saturday, so this is what i came up with and it was so good.  i used a round cookie cutter to cut the middle out of slices of bread and then cracked an egg inside the hole. i topped it with some cheese and then the asparagus (steamed).  nathan and i put a little creamy horseradish on top of ours and it was perfect.

we had sliced tomatoes (also from bountiful baskets) with cottage cheese.

march 15, 2011 - wisconsin cauliflower soup- but 10 times better - and lion house rolls

in my bountiful basket this last saturday, i also got a head of bright green cauliflower (i know weird) and i immediately knew that i would be making this soup.  although i forgot that i needed onion and i didn't have any, so i improvised a little and it actually turned out better than the way i had been making it.  instead of the onion, i used a red pepper.  that is why the coloring of the soup in this picture is darker than the previous ones.

then i also made some lion house rolls to eat with the soup.  i used my bread machine and set it on the dough setting.  i was nice because i didn't have to get my hands all dirty, but the bread machine did struggle a little to get it all mixed and needed a little help from my spatula.

here's the recipe the way i made it.  changes are in blue.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup
Yields: 9 cups or 8 first-course servings

2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick)
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.