I am a huge fan these crispy, restaurant-style wontons. They’re such a fun treat for dinner, and so easy to whip up at home. Here’s one of our favorite recipes for hot, lightly fried wontons stuffed with a cheesy southwestern ranch filling. Hope you enjoy these!

Here’s one of my secrets to make weeknight dinners quick and hassle-free. I keep frozen, diced vegetables on hand so they’re easy to grab and a cinch to throw into recipes. Here’s what I normally have on hand at all times: bell peppers, carrots, celery, zucchini, white onions, red onions, and corn. There’s also usually okra, edamame, peas, and broccoli, but I wouldn’t hyperventilate as much if I ran out of those.

Whenever I’m dicing vegetables, I use whatever I need for the recipe, then throw the rest in a Ziploc bag to keep in the freezer for the next time I need it. Makes things so much easier on me knowing I can just grab pre-diced vegetables from the freezer and whip something up!

All right, let’s put these vegetables to work. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add 1/4 cup diced onions and cook for about five minutes until they’re starting to turn golden.

Then add 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper and cook five more minutes until softened. Add 1 clove of minced garlic, and stir for about 1 minute.

Immediately add the frozen corn kernels and canned black beans, 1/4 cup each.

Next you’ll need about a cup of shredded chicken. Here I used leftover rotisserie-style chicken from this Brown Butter Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts and Crispy Sage, perfect for this execution!

Add the chicken to the vegetables and beans, stir to heat everything up, then move everything to a bowl, like the one above.

Season with a little pepper…

Add some cheese, about 1/2 cup.

And cover with about two tablespoons (1/2 package) of dry ranch dressing. Love this cool, tangy flavor boost.

Stir everything to combine.

At this point we can start heating the oil for the wontons. Rinse out the skillet used for the vegetables, (I could’ve done a better job of that here!) dry it completely, and fill with about a 1/2 inch of canola or vegetable oil. Begin heating over medium heat.

While that’s heating up, it’s time to break out the wonton wrappers. I found this brand at Publix and I’m really partial to it. Unlike some other brands I’ve tried, these are nice and thick, so they don’t stick together when you’re trying to pull them apart, and they don’t rip when you’re stuffing and sealing the wrappers.

Scoop about a teaspoon of the chicken and vegetables into each wrapper.

Rub some water onto two sides of the wonton and fold over to seal, making sure to press out any extra air pockets in the wrapper.

Repeat for the remaining wonton filling. Here’s my assembly line!

By the time you have all your wontons stuffed and sealed, your oil should be good and hot. Set up a plate lined with a paper towel for draining, then go ahead and add about 6 wontons to the oil.

Or less, if you have a smaller skillet. You don’t want to crowd the wontons.

When they’re lightly golden (about 1 minute) flip to the other side. When both sides are perfectly golden and crisp, remove to the paper towel to drain and repeat with the remaining wontons. By the way, save that oil when you’re done, you can use it again next time. You’ll definitely want to make these again. :)

Lovely! I just want to take a big crunch out of these.

We also love stuffing these wontons with our favorite taco fillings or pizza toppings. They’re great for using up leftovers, because pretty much anything is delicious when stuffed in a wonton and fried.

You know what’s also cool about this recipe? After the wontons are sealed and stuffed, instead of frying you can place on a baking sheet and freeze overnight, then move to a Ziploc bag for long term freezing. Then when you’ve got guests you can whip these out for a quick and easy appetizer, no need to even thaw!

This recipe makes about 24 wontons, and if you’ve got a few extra wrappers leftover, hang on to them because I’ve got another recipe coming at you next week for a fun way to use them up.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Here’s an incredibly scrumptious ravioli dish that I just love. Love. This is definitely one of my favorites here, I could eat that crispy sage all day long! The flavor combinations in this dish blow me away every single time. I know you’ll love this one!

I normally use leftover rotisserie chicken in this dish, but just in case you don’t have any on hand, let me show you this quick and easy chicken technique I picked up from the fabulous Picky Palate blog.

Start with 1 lb split chicken breast with rib meat, skin on.

You’ll also need kosher salt, pepper, and this menagerie of spices — dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Smoked is very nice.

Combine 1 tsp of all your spices…

And sprinkle over both sides of the chicken.

Heat one tablespoon of canola oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven or a large, oven-safe pot. We’ll be moving it to the oven later. And if you happen to have leftover bacon grease, like I did, I highly recommend that you use that instead. Like I did.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Like this.. check out that beautiful crispy skin! Any longer and the spices will start to burn, in which case the dish would become Brown Butter Ravioli with Blackened Chicken, Toasted Walnuts & Crispy Sage.

Flip the chicken over and cook on the other side for 2 more minutes, then move to a 350 degree oven to finish cooking for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, you’ll need about 1/3 cup of these gorgeous, soft, fragrant sage leaves.

Then go ahead and boil and drain your ravioli. I like this mini three cheese ravioli.

When the chicken is done, allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then chop into bite-sized pieces.

Grab about 1/2 cup walnuts…

And place them in a large skillet over medium heat and toast for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, especially during the last couple of minutes so they don’t burn.

Here they are all nice and toasted.

Remove from the skillet and chop.

Next, wipe the skillet of any remaining walnut crumbs, place it back over medium heat and melt 4 tablespoons of butter.

When it just starts to turn brown, add your sage leaves.

And stir constantly for one minute. It burns easily, so after one minute,  immediately add the drained ravioli and stir to combine, then turn the heat to low and add the chicken and most of the chopped walnuts.

Plate the ravioli and top with the remaining chopped walnuts for garnish. For a truly nirvana-like experience, get one of everything in a single bite — cheesy, brown buttery ravioli, crispy sage, a few toasted walnuts, and a bite of your rotisserie chicken. I die.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2011. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

What is it about bacon & avocado that I absolutely love?? And these quesadillas… with their buttery, crispy, heavenly tortilla shells… are seriously yum. Don’t let the green scare ya, avocados have a really delicious taste. I promise they’re not just thrown in to “healthify” this recipe! ;) Quesadillas are one of our favorite quick and easy weeknight meals. Come on, let’s make these, you’ll love ‘em!

Let’s start with the bacon. Here’s how I do it. Arrange bacon on a cooling rack (like for cookies) and set it on top of sheet pan. If you don’t have a cooling rack, you can just put the bacon straight on the sheet pan. Or in a 9×13 baking dish. Either way will work. Place bacon in a cold oven,  turn heat to 400, and cook 15 mins per side. Crispy strips of bacon, the easy way!

Now take about a tbsp of the bacon drippings and add to a skillet over medium heat. Add diced scallions & saute about 2-3 mins until softened.

Add bite-sized pieces of chicken in a single layer, season with salt & pepper, and cook for about 5 mins or until chicken is golden and cooked through, flipping just once during cooking.

Remove the chicken & scallions to a plate and rinse out the skillet.

Then add a little butter over medium heat…

And when foamy, add a tortilla and swirl it around to get it nice and buttery.

Now we can start layering with the good stuff. Chicken.

Bacon.

Avocado.

Do you know how to pick out a good avocado? We’ve all been there… trying to scoop out a rock hard avocado! First check the bottom and make sure it has a green stem. Then give it a little squeeze. It should have a little give to it. Not too squishy, but not rock hard. Touch the tip of your nose. About like that. You’ll get a good one every time. If all they have at the store are rock hard, let it sit on the counter overnight. If you have a paper bag you can put it in with an apple, even better.

A little cheese..

Now use some tongs to flip the other side of the tortilla over.

And pat down in place.

Oh my stars. When it’s golden, brown and delicious like this, flip it over to brown the other side. It’ll just take a minute or two on each side.

Super easy. Super quick. Super delicious.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2010. | 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!

I loove chicken & dumplings. I really, really love chicken & dumplings. I especially love *this* chicken and dumplings. :D It is so hearty, so, so creamy, and sooooooooooooo full of flavor, you can’t even imagine. You just have to taste it. It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken, or use up some chicken breasts you got on sale (*raises hand*), and it’s perfect when you need a warm, filling, comforting soup.

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!

I love pasta. And noodles. And sauces. And cheese. And all of them mixed together. I could eat pasta every single day for the rest of my life. And be very, very happy.

I love this classic meal. It’s juicy, tender chicken breasts, lightly breaded in Parmesan cheese, golden fried, then topped with marinara sauce and soft, melty, mozzarella cheese. All served on a bed of pasta. And it’s delicious!

This recipe looks like it’s got a lot of ingredients, but most of it is stuff you’ve probably got in your pantry already.

Here’s what you’ll need for the breading. Flour, grated parmesan cheese, salt and steak seasoning (you can also just use pepper).

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.

Now get your chicken… BTW, have you seen this chicken?? Each breast is individually wrapped, so you can use however many you need and save the rest for later.

The best part is that they’re already pounded all nice, flat, and even.

Coat both sides of the chicken with the breading.

And then set it aside for a sec while we make…

The Marinara Sauce!

Begin melting 2 tbsp of butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium to medium low heat. Add in 3-4 cloves minced garlic, stirring constantly.

My garlic was on steroids tonight.

When the garlic is golden and soft, pour in the tomatoes and add in the sugar. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat back to medium-low, cover and continue simmering for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce has simmered, stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. I used 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Cover and simmer for an additional 3 minutes, then lower heat and keep sauce warm until we’re ready for it.

While your sauce is simmering, let’s go ahead and start the noodles. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add 1 tbsp of salt. Then add your favorite pasta. Tonight I used angel hair pasta. But you could also use spaghetti or linguine.

Our sauce is simmering, our noodles are boiling, what are we missing?? Oh yes!! The perfectly Parmesany breaded chicken. This is going to be good.

Begin heating 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it is nice, hot, melted and brown.

Add your chicken breasts and cook 4 to 5 minutes each side until they are golden.

While the chicken is cooking you can chiffonade your basil and chop up the parsley for the sauce! To chiffonade basil, stack up 6-8 leaves, roll them tightly and thinly slice.

For parsley, you could just use a knife and chop it up, but I find it much easier to use my Pampered Chef chopper. It does the job for me. :)

You’ll want to keep chopping the parsley until you have 1 tbsp to add to the sauce, plus a little more for garnishing the chicken.

As soon as your chicken is done, remove to a plate, top with a little sauce and then sprinkle on mozzarella cheese.

You know what just occurred to me just now as I’m typing this? I didn’t top the chicken with sauce tonight.

Huh.

You know what? It still tasted amazing. lol. Oh well! So top it, or don’t top it with sauce, but either way you want to top it with cheese immediately so it’ll start getting melty.  Then sprinkle on a little parsley.
With the rest of the parsley and basil, throw it in the sauce, stir together, and serve over noodles placed next to the chicken. Top everything with an abundance of Parmesan cheese. For this is Chicken Parmigiana.

Then prepare to be worshiped.

For at least the rest of the evening.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2008. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Do you want the most perfect, flavorful, creamiest Alfredo sauce in the *entire* world? This recipe is seriously, the best. I could eat this every day. This is the perfect “for company” recipe when you want to serve a delicious dish that everyone will *love* and will super-impress your guests and have them all *begging* for the recipe. And it has a nice presentation on the plate!

I adapted this recipe from a recipe on the Sunday Baker’s recipe blog. She’s got a lot of really good recipes, check out her site when you get a chance! :)

Here’s how I make mine.. Let’s start with the chicken.

Rinse 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts in cold water.

Layer between 2 sheets of wax paper and pound until even thickness.

I almost always pound my chicken breasts, no matter what method of cooking, because if they’re even, they’ll cook more evenly *and* I think they make a better presentation. Culinary *and* cosmetic benefits! :)

Now for the marinade…

Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice (mix together and let sit for 10 mins and this becomes a substitute for buttermilk)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

Mix together milk, lemon juice, egg and garlic powder. In a perfect world, you’ll want to pour this in a ziploc bag with the pounded chicken and marinate in the fridge for 2-4 hours. However, I can hardly ever get my act together enough to marinate the chicken 2-4 hours before I eat so…..

Usually I just go ahead and put the chicken right in and let it hang out in there while I’m making the breading mix.

The Breading Mix…

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning

Whisk together flour, bread crumbs, salt, baking powder, and steak seasoning in a medium bowl.

Did you know that whisking produces the same texture as sifting? And it’s much easier! :)

Remove chicken from milk mixture, shake off excess, and coat both sides in flour mixture.

Now we’ve got all three of our chicken breasts nice and breaded. Let’s just let them hang out on this plate for a sec while we ready the noodles!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tbsp of salt.

When the water has come to a nice, rolling boil, add your favorite pasta. I like to use 1/2 lb of linguine noodles for this recipe. It’s the perfect amount for 2-3 adults. Cook according to package directions.

Now… The Sauce…

Ingredients:
1 scant cup chicken broth (Scant means “a little less than”. So “a little less than” 1 cup. You may also use white wine instead of chicken broth. I give you permission. ;))
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

In a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth over medium high heat, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in heavy cream, cornstarch, and garlic. Bring to a soft boil and whisk for one minute. Reduce heat to low, whisk in parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 mins to melt cheese, let thicken, and incorporate flavors, whisking occasionally.

Meanwhile…

Add 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.

We want to let the butter and oil get nice and hot before we add the chicken, so let it get all sizzley, then it’ll calm back down when the butter starts to brown:

When it looks like this, it’s time to add the chicken.

Let the chicken cook 4-5 mins on one side.

Wow! 3 pots at one time! I feel all professional and stuff! ;)

Back to the chicken.

After 4-5 mins, or when the bottom is nice and golden, flip the chicken to the other side and cook an additional 4-5 mins, or until the other side is nice and golden. :)

While the chicken is cooking, let’s chop our herbs. Now I just ran right over to my lovely neighbor’s beautiful garden and picked some fresh basil and parsley right from the ground! :) But if you don’t have access to your neighbor’s garden, you can buy fresh basil and parsley from the produce section of your grocery store. Usually they are hanging in bags on the wall. They are labeled and everything! Very easy. :) But, if you can’t find them, don’t let that stop you from making this recipe. Go ahead and try it without the herbs, I bet you’ll still love it. :) (Note: I would try to buy the basil on the same day you plan on using it. It tends to wilt quickly. Parsley lasts forever though. Okay, maybe a week or two. I haven’t really tested my theory.)

Oh right! Back to the herb chopping.

Grab 6-8 basil leaves

Roll them up tightly

And slice thinly with a sharp knife (I use a paring knife). Oh btw, I am using a cutting board, I’m not doing this straight on my counter! LOL. The cutting board is just clear, so you can see right through it. hah.

Now! We have some chiffonaded basil. Pretty isn’t it? :) Basil smells soooooo good.

Now let’s chop up some parsley.

You could just take a knife and chop up these parsley leaves, but…

I have this Pampered Chef chopper and it does the job for me, much better than I could ever do. :p

Keep chopping until you have about 1 tbsp of chopped parsley.

Now! At this time, everything should be coming together!

Go ahead and throw your herbs into the Alfredo sauce and stir well with a spoon.

Your chicken should be all nice and golden now.

So it’s time to put it all together.

A Parmesan cream sauce with a hint of garlic, served over fettuccine noodles and topped with a lightly breaded, golden fried chicken breast.

And if you feel like it, go ahead and pour some more sauce right over that chicken. It’s *de*licious.

This recipe as is serves 2-3 adults. If you’re serving more than that, you’ll need to double the recipe or adjust it accordingly. :)

Have fun and enjoy! :)

© kevinandamanda.com, 2008. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Have you tried the The Pioneer Woman’s Penne a la Betsy yet? I tried it a few weeks ago and Oh. My. Gosh.

It’s wonderful! The first time, I made it following her directions exactly and used shrimp. It was wonderful. I definitely wanted to try it again, this time with chicken. You could also leave out meat all together and this would make a scrumptious pasta side dish. The sauce, really, is to die for, I don’t know where Tomato Cream sauce has been all my life but now I’ve found it and I’m never letting it go again.

First, rinse your chicken breasts in cold water, then lay on some wax paper.

Cover with another sheet of wax paper.

And pound breasts with the smooth side of a mallet until even thickness.

You don’t want to get them too thin, you just want them to be even, so they’ll cook evenly. If you don’t have a meat pounder you could also use a rolling pin or the side of a can or something. See? Nice and even. :)

Season both sides of the chicken with Montreal Steak seasoning. This stuff is awesome and it’s good on everything.

At this point, you can either grill the chicken outside, or if you prefer, you can cook it in a skillet inside.

For Grilling…

Preheat grill for medium high heat, lightly oil grate (we spray with Pam for Grilling), and grill chicken breasts on medium high heat for 6-8 mins each side.

Or…

Heat 2 tbsp butter & 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter and olive oil is nice and hot, add chicken breasts and cook 5 mins each side.

You’re going to be slicing the chicken up later anyway, so it’s okay to go ahead and cut it right in half to make sure the chicken’s done. I always do! :)

Now let me stop you right here. This chicken is wonderful, flavorful and *delicious* just the way it is. I could eat this as a meal just like this. :D

But tonight we’re making pasta so we’re just gonna leave it on this plate and let it cool off for a bit, kay?

Let’s start making that pasta right now. In a large pot, add water and 1 tbsp salt. Bring to boil and add penne pasta and cook according to package directions. I usually dump in 1/2 of a 1 lb box of noodles and that’s plenty for the two of us. I made this for 4 adults once and I used 3/4 of a 1 lb box and that was perfect for 4 people.

Now. About that 1 tablespoon of salt. :) Salt water really brings out a wonderful flavor in dry pasta that you can’t get if you don’t salt your water properly. Noodles boiled in salt water? I could just eat ‘em plain, they’re so good. If I’m using a large pot (like for spaghetti) I add in 1 tbsp salt. If I’m using a small sauce pan (like for mac and cheese) I use 1 teaspoon. Here’s a good gauge: Taste test your water- it should taste like the sea- salt water! :) Try it, you won’t be disappointed. :)

Now… onto the heavenly, tomato cream sauce. :)

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender, but do not let the garlic turn brown. This should take about 3-5 mins.

Add in 1/2 cup chicken broth and turn up heat to medium high.

Now, we’re gonna let this chicken broth reduce while we slice up our chicken. It should be cool enough to handle by now.

Slice it up!

Now let’s check on our chicken broth…

That’s what I call McSteamy! It is important to let your chicken broth reduce by half because if you don’t, the sauce will be runny and soupy. This looks good here, I could’ve left a little more broth in there, but whatever. :)

Pour in your tomato sauce…

And your cream… and try to make a psychedelic design, please.

Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and mix it all up.

Now taste it. This is important. :D

I ended up adding another 1/2 tsp salt and another 1/2 tsp pepper because it needed it. And then it was perfect. :D

Turn your heat to low and keep the sauce warm. We’re gonna go chop some herbs. Now, if you’re like me, you can just run over to your neighbor’s beautiful, lush garden and pick some fresh basil and parsley right off the bush. :D However, I realize not everyone is as fortunate as I am to have a generous, green thumbed neighbor with a beautiful, lush garden right next door. In that case, fresh herbs can be found in your grocery store in the produce section! They are in zippered, labeled bags and hanging up on the wall. Couldn’t be easier, and if you’ve never cooked with fresh herbs before you are in for a *treat*!!! The flavor is amazing, wow, oh wow. This dish alone could inspire you to start your very own herb garden. :) Oh, one more thing, I would try to buy the basil on the same day you’re going to be using it. It really is only good for a day or so, then it starts to wilt. Parsley, on the other hand, easily lasts a week. Probably more.

Okay. So. Whether they’re from a bag or a garden, grab 6-8 basil leaves, and stack them up:

Then roll ‘em up, as tight as you can:

With a good paring knife, slice thinly:

Til you have this! This is what’s called a chiffonade. We have chiffonaded the basil. :p

Now. Onto the parsley. Grab some parsley leaves… Okay, that doesn’t look like many in the pic. I probably used about twice what this picture looks like. lol.

Can you keep a secret? I cheat chopping up my parsley leaves. You could use the same paring knife you used on the basil but….

I use this. My Pampered Chef chopper. I love it. It works great. It does a better job than me. :p

See?

You need about 1 tbsp of chopped parsley.

When all your herbs are chopped, throw em in the sauce, and mix well.

Now, my camera must’ve gone AWOL at this point because I don’t have a pic, but anyway, drain your noodles and pour them in the sauce. Stir until all the noodles are coated. At this point, you could go ahead and stir your chicken in too, or…. for a cool presentation….

Serve the noodles on a plate and top with sliced chicken:

Are you hungry yet? :D

© kevinandamanda.com, 2008. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

These are, without question, the best best best best BEST chicken enchiladas ever. Ever! They are drizzled in a creamy, cheesy sauce and baked until golden and bubbly.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas are one of my favorite meals ever! :)

Here’s what you’ll need:
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cut up and softened
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
8 (8″) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pint whipping cream

Directions…
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add rotel and saute 1 min. Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish.

Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Take off foil and cook for another 15 mins, or until top is golden brown.

Look at that bubbly cheesy goodness! :) One enchilada is plenty for one adult but these things are soooooooooo good I usually end up stuffing myself with two. I just cant help myself. :p

I got this recipe from one of my students in the recipe class I taught at the scrapbook store. She made it one night and brought it in for all of us. I was instantly hooked. Here’s the scrapbook page we made in her honor:

Try this one tonight! You won’t regret it :D

© kevinandamanda.com, 2008. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!

Chicken Packets has been one of my favorite meals since childhood. My mom had this recipe book, and she would draw a smiley face next to the recipes we liked. I remember coming across this recipe one day and drawing like 50 smiley faces all around the recipe. I loved it. I still love it. And now I can appreciate how quick and easy it is to make. Kevin calls them Hot Pockets. He *always* comes up with a fast food / boxed food alternative name for all my recipes. :p Whatever you call them, they are just downright good. And picky-kid approved. :D

Here’s what’ you’ll need:
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp milk
2 pkgs refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

For the chicken, you can cook it any way you like. Boil it and shred it, grill it and slice it, cut it up and cook it in the skillet with some olive oil, or you can even buy that pre-packaged stuff from the grocery store. :D However you do it, just make sure you have about 2 cups of bite-sized chicken.

Let’s get started:
Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a rectangular baking sheet with Pam. Or don’t, if you use a Pampered Chef baking stone like me. :) Unroll the first package of crescent rolls. Each tube will contain 4 rectangles of dough with a diagonal perforation. Press along diagonal perforation to seal together and arrange on baking sheet. Like this:

Mix chicken, softened cream cheese, and milk a large bowl. I can never remember to soften my cream cheese on the counter, so usually I put it in the bowl first and warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so until it softens up. Then I mix in the chicken and milk. Stir that up really good, then start spooning it into the middle of each rectangle.

Make sure you leave some room on the edges so you can seal the packets. Open the second package of crescent rolls and lay those 4 rectangles over your chicken mixture.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a small bowl and brush over packets. Sprinkle on seasoned breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins or until golden brown.

Yummy, yummy, yummy. And ya know? I bet these would be good with other stuff mixed in. Salt and pepper? Fresh herbs? Maybe a packet of Italian or Ranch dressing?? I’m always looking to spice up my favorite recipes, so if you make a modification that you just love, leave me comment and let me know!! I wanna try it!! :D

And of course, Chicken Packets has its own scrapbook page in its honor! It was one of the first ones I ever made.

© kevinandamanda.com, 2008. | Link to this post | Comment on this post | Stumble This Recipe!