July is National Ice Cream month, and I’m so excited to show you how making your own homemade ice cream is easier than you may think!

No ice cream maker? No problem. Out of rock salt? Don’t need it! You can make this ice cream in just four easy steps.

And let me just get one thing straight. This ice cream is so incredibly smooth and creamy you would never, ever know it’s not churned. Seriously. Creamy. You must trust me on this. I would not lead you astray! :)

Homemade Ice Cream without the machine couldn’t be easier!

Basically, you start with 2 cups of heavy cream and 1 can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks…

Add your flavors, toppings, and mix-ins to the sweetened condensed milk…

Then fold in the whipped cream.

That’s it! Freeze and enjoy!!

So what can you add to the cream & milk??

How about butter, cinnamon, and vanilla for… Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream! Oh my gracious, it totally tastes *just* like cinnamon buns! You have to try this one.

Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream Recipe

Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream

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2 cups heavy cream
1 (14 oz.) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks in large bowl. Whisk sweetened condensed milk, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla in large bowl. Mix well. Fold in whipped cream.

Pour into a 2-quart container and cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Store in freezer.

What about Nutella & Peanut Butter?? Seriously yum!

Nutella Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream Recipe

Nutella Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream

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2 cups heavy cream
1 (14 oz.) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup peanut butter chips

Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks in large bowl. Whisk sweetened condensed milk, butter, and Nutella in large bowl. Stir in peanut butter chips. Fold in whipped cream.

Pour into a 2-quart container and cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Store in freezer.

Do you like Krispy Kreme Doughnuts??! Oh yes I did. I added little bits of Krispy Kreme doughnuts people!

Krispy Kreme Ice Cream Recipe

Krispy Kreme Ice Cream

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2 cups heavy cream
1 (14 oz.) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts

Add vanilla to heavy cream and whip to stiff peaks in large bowl. Chop Krispy Kreme doughnuts into small pieces. (I used a food processor and it did excellent.) Stir into sweetened condensed milk. Fold in whipped cream.

Pour into a 2-quart container and cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Store in freezer.

How about adding Smucker’s Magic Shell for a really cool fudge swirl effect??!

Hazelnut Mocha Fudge Swirl Ice Cream Recipe

Hazelnut Mocha Fudge Swirl Ice Cream

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2 cups heavy cream
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons Hazelnut or French Vanilla ground coffee
1/2 cup Smucker’s Milk Chocolate Ice Cream Topping
1 bottle Smucker’s Magic Shell Chocolate Fudge Flavor

Combine the cream and coffee in a medium, heavy saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat to dissolve the coffee. Remove from heat and strain the mixture into the bowl of your mixer. Cool in fridge. Meanwhile, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and chocolate ice cream topping in large bowl. Set aside.

When chilled, beat the cream to stiff peaks. Fold into sweetened condensed milk mixture.

Pour into a 2-quart container and cover. Store in freezer. After 1 hour, remove from freezer and swirl on the Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell. Stir gently once or twice. Return to freezer for another hour, then remove and gently stir, breaking up the fudge shell. Add more if desired, and repeat 2-3 times as desired.

***

The options are endless!

What Ice Cream Flavor would you create??! :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

This is one of my all-time favorite side dishes. It’s colorful and sweet and really easy to put together. Some nights I don’t have a whole lot of time to put too much thought into a side dish, so it’s nice to have these vegetables on hand and know I can just throw them together. The colors look great on a plate and the vegetables complement everything from fish, chicken, to steak. Plus.. they’re delicious! :)

Start with equal parts of diced zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, and corn kernels.

You can cut the corn fresh off the cob, or use frozen kernels like I have here. In fact, one of the reasons why I love this recipe so much is because you can use all frozen vegetables. I have so much zucchini in my garden this year, I have been picking it as it gets ready, dicing it, and keeping it in the freezer for when I need it. Same with the bell peppers. And the red onion, I almost never use an entire onion all at once, so I just dice it all at the same time and freeze the leftovers. I use a mandolin and cut-proof glove to dice my vegetables. Makes the task quick and easy. When I get ready to use them, I just pull my ziploc bags out of the freezer and mix everything together. No thawing necessary. Turns out great and it’s so nice to have them on hand!

For two people, I go with a 1/3 cup of each vegetable.

Your choice of color on the bell pepper, btw. I like red because then I have something red, yellow, green and purple on the plate. :)

Add some minced garlic while you’re at it…

Plenty of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper…

And just enough olive oil to coat. Stir gently to mix everything together.

Throw everything in a baking dish- one that’s big enough to arrange the vegetables in mostly a single layer. This is an 8×8 dish here.

Roast the vegetables at 400 degrees for 15-20 mins.

And serve! The sweetness of the corn & bell pepper and the freshness of the red onion really make this side dish shine.

Try it this week with our favorite salmon! ♥

Sweet, Summer Roasted Vegetables

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1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup zucchini, diced
1/3 cup frozen corn kernals
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Toss all to combine & roast at 400 for 15-20 mins.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

This delicious, cheesy, ooey gooey lasagna is so yummy! It may sound weird, but with fresh, summery zucchini, plenty of bacon, three types of cheese, and a little pinch of nutmeg, it’s just bursting with flavor. It’s fun to make and super impressive because you get to toss around phrases like “fontina cheese”, “freshly grated nutmeg” and “Oh, I’m just whipping up a béchamel sauce!”

Give it a try… you won’t be disappointed! :)

What better place to start than with bacon! I’m seriously considering making this my desktop background. You’ll need about 6-8 slices cooked bacon, and here’s how I do it: Arrange bacon slices on a cooling rack (like for cookies) and set on top of sheet pan. If you don’t have a cooling rack, you can just put it in the sheet pan. Or a 9×13 dish. Either will work! :) Place bacon in a cold oven, then turn heat to 400. You don’t have to wait for the oven to preheat, go ahead and set your timer for 16 mins. After 16 mins, flip the bacon and bake for another 16-18 mins, or until done.  Quick. Easy. Painless. Not to mention crunchy & yummy! :)

While the bacon is baking, let’s prepare the zucchini. You’ll need 1 zucchini, or about 2 cups, diced. This summer I planted eight zucchini plants and ended up with more zucchini than any two people could ever possibly eat. So I just pick my zucchini as it’s ready, dice it, and freeze it in ziploc bags. Then when I get ready to use it, it’s all diced up and ready to go. Perfect!

Toss zucchini in olive oil, just enough to coat, add 1-2 cloves minced garlic, and plenty of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I never used to grind my own pepper until I got this. Love it! Now I never use anything else.

Roast zucchini in an 8×8 baking dish at 400 degrees for 15 mins… You don’t need to spray it, there’s plenty of oil to keep it from sticking. Go ahead and toss it in the oven with your bacon after you flip it if ya want! :)

You’ll also need 3 ounces of shredded fontina cheese. Ooh. I forgot to measure how much that is. I would guess about a cup. I just get the deli to cut off a 3 oz block, then bring it home and shred it.

Now for the good stuff. Once your bacon has cooled, chop into bite sized pieces. Combine bacon, roasted zucchini, fontina cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1 egg, and more kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside while you whip up your béchamel sauce… :)

You’ll need just a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg… delicious! :)

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tbsp flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 cup milk. Increase the heat to just above medium. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk a pinch each of salt, pepper, and nutmeg into your béchamel sauce. Perfect!

Pour the béchamel sauce into the bottom an 8×8 dish. I use the same dish I roasted the zucchini in. Top with 2 lasagna noodles.

I like no-boil, oven ready lasagna noodles. Plus these are perfectly sized for 8×8! Nevermind the weird waves. Not sure what that’s all about.

Top with the zucchini mixture…

2 more lasagna noodles…

And 1 cup of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce.

Now for the really good stuff. Top with fresh mozzarella. I use smoked mozzarella when I can find it.. It gives the lasagna a wonderful smoky flavor. But… this time I couldn’t find it. I did find these mozzarella pearls though.

Very cool.

Aww. They’re cute.

Cover with foil bake at 400 for 20 mins.

Uncover, add a little more parmesan cheese on top, then bake for an additional 15 mins.

Until it looks like this.

Just look at those beautiful, crispy, golden brown and delicious bubbles of mozzarella.

*chomp*

If you can resist, let stand 10 mins before serving. It’s beautiful, cheesy, gooey and delicious! Enjoy! :)

Zucchini & Bacon Three Cheese Lasagna

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

 

Béchamel Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
Pinch of salt, pepper, & freshly grated nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 zucchini, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt & pepper

3 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
6 slices bacon, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt & pepper

1 cup of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce
3 oz smoked mozzarella cheese
4 oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles

Directions:
Dice zucchini, add garlic, coat with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Roast in an 8×8 baking dish at 400 degrees for 15 mins until soft. Leave oven on at 400, and save the 8×8 dish for the lasagna.

Combine the zucchini, bacon, Parmesan, fontina, egg, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside.

To make the béchamel sauce: Melt 1 tbsp butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the béchamel sauce.

Pour the béchamel sauce into the bottom of the 8×8 dish. Top with 2 lasagna noodles, the zucchini mixture, 2 more lasagna noodles, the marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a little more parmesan cheese to top.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 400 until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Hi. My name is Amanda. And I am totally addicted to Blondies.

Buttery and brown sugary, soft and chewy, rich and delicious- they’re squares of pure heaven. How can you go wrong with a combination like that? They’re super easy to make and you can totally customize them with your favorite drop-ins and add-ins. Blondies are definitely in my Top 5, all-time favorite desserts.

Now, I usually make Blondies just plain- I am in love with this simple, original Blondie recipe- I want to marry it. But today I decided to add in a little extra chocolatety and hazelnutty goodness- yes, I am talking about those creamy, delightful swirls of Nutella. *swoon*

Here’s how I did it- along with some other suggestions of how you can customize these Blondies to make them totally your own! What would *you* add in to these Blond Bombshell Beauties?? :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Tall, fluffy, buttermilk waffles… I’m talking hot & fresh, and straight from the iron: These special harvest-spiced waffles made with cinnamon, brown sugar, and freshly grated nutmeg are perfect- my current obsession. The warm, rich aroma of the cinnamon & nutmeg coming from the waffles as they bake is complete and utter heaven.

You can find whole nutmeg in the spice aisle and use any old cheese grater to freshly grate it right in your kitchen.

Just a few quick swipes on the grater will give you a bunch- there’s no slaving involved here! :)

And seeing the tiny flecks of cinnamon & nutmeg in each and every bite? Deeply satisfying. Not to mention delicious. :D

So sorry I never got a picture of the waffles topped with butter & syrup… but I’ll let you use your imagination. :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo is one of our absolute favorites around here. Just one beautiful bowl full is so rich and hearty- it’ll fill you right up and warm you straight down to the bone. It’s just a little bit spicy and a whollllllllllle lotta delicious. It’s perfect on a cold winter night… like tonight! :)

To start we’ll need 1/2 cup diced onion, 1/4 cup diced celery, and 1/4 cup diced celery. I use a mandolin slicer with a dicing blade and a cut resistant glove- I just got mine few months ago and I don’t know how I’ve lived without them! They make slicing and dicing vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, potatoes…) a breeze- they’re done in a snap. It’s one of those items that practically lives in my dishwasher because I’m using it and washing it every night! :)

I go ahead and dice all my vegetables at once, measure out what I need, then freeze the rest in individual quart-sized freezer bags. That way I always have diced vegetables on hand for cooking- I almost always have diced celery, onion, red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, carrots, and zucchini in the freezer.

Now that you’ve got your vegetables, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium-low heat in a large pot or dutch oven. When the butter starts to foam, add the onion, celery, red peppers and 1/2 tsp salt and “sweat” for 5-7 mins, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 5 more mins until the onions begin to turn translucent.

Meanwhile, you’ll need 4 cups chicken stock. I prefer to just make it using chicken bouillon granules. They’re like the cubes, only you don’t have to unwrap them. I use 1 heaping tsp per cup of water, and I pour the boiling water in using another kitchen item I can’t live without- this electric tea kettle my mom gave me for Christmas! :)

Once the vegetables are soft, add the chicken stock. Add 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.

At this point you’ll want to go ahead and start the rice- for 4 people, I do a ratio of 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, and 1 tsp salt. Add all to a sauce pan, bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer over low heat for 14-15 mins.

Now for the sausage- we’ll need 1/2 lb, sliced. My absolute favorite brand of smoked sausage is Eckrich- and since most smoked sausage only comes in 1 lb packages, I usually just go ahead and slice it all, and put the other half in the fridge for Red Beans & Rice or jambalaya later in the week. Or just go ahead and use it all in the gumbo. I won’t tell. :D

Add the smoked sausage to a skillet and then turn the heat to medium- cook, stirring occasionally until browned, about 7-10 mins. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the gumbo. Pour off any excess fat left in the skillet.

In the same skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter. When foamy, add 2 tbsp flour and whisk until incorporated and the roux is light brown and fragrant, about 2-3 mins. Add to gumbo and stir.

Now to give the gumbo it’s distinct brown color and also to thicken it a little more, I use 1 tbsp filé power (pronounced fee-lay). Add to gumbo and stir (I use the whisk from the roux) until well incorporated.

And finally, add 3/4 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp to the gumbo. Turn off the heat, cover and allow to sit for 10 mins before serving. There will be plenty of residual heat in the pot to cook the shrimp to perfection.

Or if shrimp isn’t your thing, feel free to substitute with cooked, chopped chicken. This makes an excellent chicken & sausage gumbo! :) If making that way, I would boil 8 oz of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with 4 cups of water and 4 tsp chicken bouillon granules for 10-15 mins. Shred the chicken and reserve the 4 cups chicken broth to use in the gumbo. Then, when browning the sausage, add the chicken  for the last couple of mins, then add to gumbo with the sausage.

Either way, you can’t go wrong- it’s delicious. I can’t get enough of this gumbo! :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

These baked beans aren’t just any baked beans- they are manly baked beans. They’re meaty, mouth-watering, and topped with bacon. They’re perfect for parties, pot lucks and 4th of July. They also are an excellent accompaniment to this Perfect Pulled Pork.  Not only is this scrumptious side dish sure to please, it’s also quite convenient- you can make it up a day ahead and pop it into the oven when you get ready to make it. If your goal is to win friends and influence people at your 4th of July party- make these right away. ;)

Here’s what you’ll need. Wait. First let me say- since I made this for just me and Kevin, I halved my usual recipe. It normally makes an entire 9×13 dish of baked beans. Which, yes, of course I could eat the entire thing, all in one sitting, because they’re just that good– but anyway. Bathing suit season people. I halved it. The half recipe makes an 8×8 dish. If you want to double this recipe, double everything except the onion soup and the bacon. Still use just one package of onion soup and 1 lb of bacon, even if you double it. Got that? Alright. :) Here’s what you’ll need for the half recipe:

1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp white vinegar
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 (15 oz) can Van Camps pork & beans
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb  bacon

I start by cutting my bacon in half (to get it out of the packaging) and putting it in the bottom of a 9×13 dish. It takes two 9×13 dishes, and if it doesn’t quite fit, I just shove it in there anyway. :) There’s no way I’m using more than 2 dishes! I’m not even happy about using the two- but it’s *way* better than doing it on the stove.

Oh yeah! I’m doing my bacon in the oven these days. Turns out great! I’ve even got my *dad* doing it and he is the KING of frying bacon. I don’t mind doing bacon on the stove, it’s just that you have to stand there for 30+ mins and watch it the whole time. With the oven, you can just stick it in there and forget about it for at least 25 mins. Here’s how I do it- put the bacon in a cold oven, then turn the heat to 400 degrees. Check on it after 25 mins. If it’s not done to your liking, check on it every 3-5 mins after that. For this recipe, you don’t want it allllll the way done. It’s still going to cook for another 45 mins in the oven on top of the baked beans. So you don’t want it to be extra crispy or anything. But you do want it to be mostly done. (I did mine for 25 mins.) Got that?

While the bacon’s going, brown and drain the hamburger meat.

Then throw the hamburger meat, and all the other ingredients- the water, vinegar, onion soup, beans, ketchup, mustard (don’t skip this even if you hate mustard like I do :D), brown sugar, and garlic- into a large bowl. Now, I like to let my Kitchenaid mixer (with the paddle attachment, on low) stir this up for me. But you could certainly also just use a spoon, of course. :)

Whoops! Did you notice anything missing from the mixing bowl picture?? The BEANS! I forgot add the BEANS!! But don’t worry- I remembered and added them before I got to the dishing up point. :P

When the meat and beans mixture is combined, layer it in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish and cover it with plenty of bacon. Yes. I realize that doesn’t really look like an 8×8 dish. As it turns out, all of my 8×8 dishes were dirty. Along with the two 9×13 dishes I used to make the bacon in. I’m going to have a lot of dishes to do tonight. But anyway! Since I didn’t have an 8×8 dish, I used the next size up. Not quite as big as a 9×13 dish, but slightly bigger than 8×8. Oh, nevermind. Now at this point, I wasn’t ready to cook it, so I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. But you could definitely go ahead and make it right away if you wanted to.

Either way, when you get ready to make it, preheat your oven to 350, cover the beans with aluminum foil, and bake covered for 30 mins, and then uncovered for 15 mins, for a total of 45 mins cooking time. And when it comes out it’ll look crispy and delicious. :D

When it’s ready, dig in! And be sure and get plenty of that bacon. :D We had this tonight with Perfect Pulled Pork sandwiches. I’m happy to report that I tried the pulled pork in the crock pot for the first time today and it turned out great! For a 5lb roast, it needed at least 10 hours on low. I put it in at 8 this morning, and by 6 pm, my meat thermometer was reading 198. Usually I cook it to an internal temperature of 200, and then turn off the oven and let it cool for another couple of hours until it cools down to 170, but tonight I just couldn’t wait so I went ahead and pulled it at 198. It was perfect and literally falling apart in my hands. Just right. :)

Have some baked beans leftover? They make a *great* lunch- it’s got your beans and your meat all in one dish! :) I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit I’ve eaten this straight from the fridge- cold. It’s GOOD! :)

Whether you’re looking for something to make for a crowd or just a weeknight side dish- give these Ultimate Baked Beans a try! :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2009. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

This fresh, colorful pasta dish is *perfect* for summer. The sweet, crisp bell peppers add such a wonderful flavor to the chicken and creamy alfredo sauce. The color and taste really bring this dish to life! :) Pour over some funky farfalle pasta and top with a little fresh basil if you’ve got some- this dish is definitely pasta perfection! :)

To start we’ll need…

1 lb chicken breasts (I used bone-in, skin-on chicken cause it was on sale- but you could definitely use boneless/skinless too)
9-10 bouillon cubes (or 3 tbsp bouillon granules- I like to use these because it’s easier than peeling the paper off 10 cubes! ;))
2 cups farfalle pasta
1/2 cup reserved chicken broth
4 tbsp butter, divided
1 cup half and half
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 green bell pepper
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Let’s go ahead and get that chicken simmering- add your chicken and bouillon cubes (or granules) to a large pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, and simmer over medium heat for 20 mins, or until chicken is done.

While the chicken is simmering, grab one of your bell peppers and lop off the top and bottom.

Cut the remaining piece into 4ths, and cut out the seeds and membrane and stuff.

Until you’re left with 4 pieces that look like this.

Now take a piece and flatten it skin side up on your cutting board and cut it into matchsticks. Or french fries. Or “julienne” if you want to get all Food Network on me. ;)

Now since it’s just me and Kevin, and this dish serves 2-3 people, I only use about half of the peppers.

I put half aside to use and the other half in a ziploc bag in the freezer for when I need bell peppers again. They are good in the freezer for up to a year, but they never, ever last that long around here. ;) If you want to double this recipe, feel free to go ahead and use all the bell peppers- or save for next time like me. Because oh yes, trust me, there will *definitely* be a next time. ;)

When all your bell peppers are sliced and your chicken is done, remove the chicken to a plate to cool and go ahead and strain that chicken broth. (This probably would have been better done in the sink. ;)) Before I got this fancy wire mesh strainer, I was known to use a sifter… But don’t tell anybody that, ok? You’ll need 1/2 cup of the broth for the alfredo sauce and definitely *save* the rest of that broth! :) I freeze mine in 2 cup containers and pull it out whenever I make rice. Rice made with chicken broth is so-so-so-so good! :) (If you want to make rice like I do…2 cups broth, 1 cup rice, 1 tsp salt, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 mins. no more, no less. But that’s for another day. No rice in this recipe! ;))

Anyway! At this point, you’ll probably want to go ahead and get started boiling the pasta. Add 2 cups of farfalle pasta to a large pot and cover with  at least 1 quart of water. Add 1 tbsp salt and boil for 10 mins (or according to package directions). I rinsed out the big pot I boiled the chicken in and used the same pot for the noodles. I only have one big pot.

Now for the creamy alfredo sauce… Heat 3 tbsp butter and 1/2 cup of the reserved chicken broth to a sauce pan over medium heat until the butter is melted.

Then add 1 cup half and half- wait. Stop. I know. I know. Half and half?? Half and half?? It’s not really alfredo sauce without HEAVY cream. I know. But it’s bathing suit season people. Bathing suit. *shudder*. You can understand right? Besides- I’ve made it both ways and this sauce tastes *just* as divine with half and half. The heavy cream really only makes the sauce thicker, it’s not like using half and half changes the taste or anything. :p That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. ;)

After the half and half, add the minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and then slowly whisk in 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. Simmer over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally.

While the sauce is simmering, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium high heat.

Saute bell peppers for 5-6 mins, stirring occasionally until they’re crisp tender and look like this. :D

While the bell peppers are sauteing, go ahead and chop up that chicken, which should be cooled by now. But don’t forget to give your sauce and peppers a quick stir every now and then. :) Add the chopped chicken to the bell peppers, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low, then pour the alfredo sauce over the chicken. Oh man- the sweet bell peppers bring out such a *sweet*, amazing flavor in the alfredo sauce! :) Not to mention it makes it pretty and colorful. :D Let it simmer to combine flavors while you drain and plate the noodles.

I like to put my pasta in a large bowl and toss with the chicken, bell peppers and sweet, creamy alfredo sauce. Tonight I topped it with some fresh genovese basil from my garden, since I had it on hand. Man, oh man was it good! :)

Make this tonight! You (and your bathing suit ;)) won’t regret it!

© kevinandamanda.com, 2009. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts
10  bouillon cubes
2 quarts water
2 cups bisquick
2/3 cups milk
2 tbsp butter
4 eggs
2 stalks celery
salt & pepper

(Note: If the amount of the ingredients looks different in the pictures, it’s because I’m doubling it for the blog. This recipe on the blog will serve 4 for a main dish. Sometimes I try to half it for just the two of us, but I always end up regretting it because it’s so good I want to go back for seconds!! :D)

Begin by placing chicken breasts & bouillon cubes in a large pot & cover with 2 quarts of water. I’m using bone-in, skin-on breasts tonight because Kroger had them on sale super cheap. But I’ve also used boneless/skinless breasts before too and they work just fine. :) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 mins until chicken is done. If you’re using the boneless/skinless breasts, they’ll probably be done much quicker, like after 10-15 mins.

Meanwhile, boil the eggs. I know there’s tons of different theories on how to boil an egg, but here’s what works best for me: I put the eggs in the bottom of a small pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and boil for 10 mins. After exactly 10 mins, I remove immediately from the heat, pour out the hot water and cover the eggs with cold water to stop the cooking. This keeps the yolk from turning green.

When the chicken is almost done, mix together the bisquick and milk until a soft dough forms.

When the chicken is done, remove from the pot and set aside to cool. Drop spoonfuls of the dough into the chicken stock.

Simmer over low heat, covered, for 10 mins, then uncovered for an additional 10 mins.

Meanwhile, dice 2-4 stalks of celery (depending on how much you like! I usually do 2.

Now, you could use any vegetable you want here. You could add in onions, bell peppers, carrots, heck, even frozen veggies from a bag. Any mixture of vegetables you like, really. I just really like celery. :D You want to end up with about 1/2 – 1 cup of vegetables when you put them all together. As soon as your chicken is cool enough, cut or shred into bite-sized pieces.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. When foamy, add in celery/vegetables and saute for 3-5 mins.

Add in chopped chicken and season well with salt (I like kosher) and a little pepper. Stir to combine. By this point, the dumplings should be done. Add the chicken and celery to the broth/dumplings. Remove the yolk from boiled eggs (and in my case, give them to 2 greedy little puppy monsters),  chop up the whites and add them to the soup. Stir all to combine. :)

And serve. :) For fun, I wanted to add a little garnish to the soup. I didn’t have any fresh parsley, so I took some of the leaves from the celery and chopped them up. I don’t know if you’re allowed to do that, but in my experience, it was so aromatic and added a great flavor to the soup! :)

Every bite is chock full of hearty meat & vegetables, creamy soup, & so, so much flavor. If you need a soup to make you feel all warm and happy inside- this is it! :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2009. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

This is my new go-to meal, especially when I need something quick, easy, filling and delicious!! My bestie friend Stewy made this for me when I was visiting him in Georgia, and his friend made it for him when he was visting him down in New Orleans (cheering for Auburn in the 2004 season Sugar Bowl!). This is authentic, Nawlins Style Red Beans & Rice. It’s so simple and man pleasin’. Stewy & Kevin approved. And tonight, I’m gonna make it for you.

First, make sure your hubby is watching football in the background. This is a must.

Ingredients
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pkg (14 oz) smoked sausage
1 can red beans
Zatarains Creole Seasoning

Now. A word. See that “Ragin’ Cajun” smoked sausage in the picture up there? Yeah. Kevin thought it’d be fun to try that this time. Well let me tell you. It was HOT! HOT HOT HOT. Way too hot for me. I prefer just the *regular* smoked sausage, especially for this. Now Kevin liked it, mind you, but wow. My mouth was on fire for like a week. For reals. So anyway! You’d been warned. ;)

Directions
Onto the good stuff. Start by adding 1 cup of long grain, white rice to a sauce pan with a lid.

Add 2 cups hot water and 1 tsp salt. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, turn heat to LOW, cover with lid and simmer for exactly 15 mins.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the sausage.

Drain the juice from the red beans into the sink.

Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to to a large skillet and begin heating over medium heat.

Add the sausage, and I usually give a healthy sprinkling of creole seasoning at this point. Stir occasionally for about 7 mins until the sausages start to get sizzly on both sides. Yes, that’s the official term for it. ;)

Add the red beans and stir until warmed through.

About this time, your rice should be done too, so serve it up! :)

I put the creole seasoning on the table- cause everyone likes to add their own amount. At this point, I like to stir mine up real good until my rice gets all brown from the sausage, beans and seasoning. Yummy. Makes about 2-3 servings.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2009. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!