Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Finally back to my blog! I knew that this month would be a pretty busy one. I had a gut feeling that it would keep me from cooking and baking for awhile. Unfortunately, it did.

This month was just a very, very busy month for me. It usually is. Towards the beginning of this month, I left for a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I use go as a kid, so I was very excited. It was such a fun trip! It was so beautiful! I didn't realize how much I missed being around to so much land! Being in Orlando, I'm so use to all the tall buildings and compacted buildings and homes stacked on top of each other. It was such a great thing to go do. Something I don't get to be around all the time. I enjoyed each and every minute of the trip with my family. I really didn't want to come home, but, the time came and it was time to leave dream land..

As soon as the trip was over and we were back home, we were heading right back to school. I had 2 days to get ready for school. Obviously, I was not ready to go back to school. After rushing to get all my things for school, I'm told we have a hurricane coming our way. Great. I went to school for one day before they had to cancel school.

Fay, the hurricane, ended up weakening to a tropical storm. However, the storm decided to party over Florida for about a week. It rained and rained and rained non stop. I feel so bad for the people in the other county's around me. I live in Orange County, and in the county's next to Orange, Brevard and Seminole, they got flooded so bad! This storm broke records. They got somewhere to about 4 feet of water in the streets. It's horrible! Homes flooded, cars can't move, people traveling by little boats... It's really sad. I hope those people are able to get things situated.

I'm just glad that it's gone and that the sun has actually been starting to come out. For about 2 weeks, we didn't see blue sky's or sun at all. Totally uncommon for Florida. I mean, we are the Sunshine State! I was so glad to just get out of the house. Went to the movies, saw Tropic Thunder (hilarious!), and me and my boyfriend went to Olive Garden last weekend. Something I hadn't gone to in some time.

I knew what I wanted. I always love to get the same thing. What happens when I get there? They took my dish off the menu! I was so bummed! They had this awesome dish, Tuscan Garlic Chicken. Honestly, in my opinion, best meal ever. I love it. It really depressed me to see that they took off such a delicious meal from the menu.

When I got home, I decided to go on their site to see if it was true. Sadly, it was. After I let that sink in, I decided to see if they had the recipe for the dish on their site. Ta-da! They did! I was so happy to see that. Since I had to time today, I decided to make this for everyone to have and make up for the fact that I didn't get to enjoy it last weekend. Turned out just as I remembered it. I a very happy girl today.

Recipe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 tbsp.
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 lb fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package directions
5 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, julienne cut
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lb whole leaf spinach, stemmed
2 cups heavy cream
1 cups Parmesan cheese, grated


1. In a shallow dish, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.

2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 2 at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp (2-3 min). Add more oil for each batch as necessary.

3. Place cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet and transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 F.

4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a sauce pan. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for approximately 1 minute. Stir in 1 Tbsp flour, wine, spinach and cream and bring to a boil. Sauce is done when spinach becomes wilted. Complete by stirring in parmesan cheese.

5. Coat cooked, drained pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Tetrazzini

This recipe was adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, one of my absolute favorite cooks on Food Network. I remember watching one of her episodes with her making Chicken Tetrazzini. I'd never heard of anything like it, so I was intrigued. After watching and seeing the entree, I defiantly kept the recipe in my memories from when I'm craving some serious pasta. Today happened to be one of those days.

I hadn't had pasta in awhile. The heavy duty pasta is what I mean. The heavy kind of pasta, thats so bad, but so good. And I was really wanted something like that today. At first, I was just going to make some Fettuccine Alfredo. But, then I decided since I was going to heavy, why not try Chicken Tetrazzini?

I certainly made a huge mess while making this. Though, I'm a messing baker/cook to begin with. And while this bakes in the oven, the smell is so devine. The parmesan is just heavenly. That was probably my favorite part out of this; The top. Where all the parm was. But the whole thing was delicious. A great comfort food. Can't wait to have it again!

Added to Presto Pesto Night Roundup.

Recipe

9 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces linguine
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs


1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Spread 1 tbsp of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tbsp each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

3. Meanwhile, add 1 tbsp each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

4. Melt 3 more tbsp butter in the same pan over medium-low. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 tsp salt, and remaining 3/4 tsp pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

6. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Garden Lasagna

This recipe has been on my to do list for what seems like forever now. Why I didn't get to it till now, I have no idea. But I wish I had now. I'm a huge lasagna fan. And to be honest, I use to think that lasagna isn't lasagna with out the meat. Well, apparently, I thought terrible wrong after tasting this recipe.

My mother has been on a diet lately, and she's asked me, for when I cook for everyone that I make something light. But, of course to still taste good. So I thought making this lasagna was a great time and also a great opportunity to make it and try it out. This lasagna is filled with a load of delicious vegetables; All my favorites I might add. Had really every veggie that I really loved. However, it also had every veggie that my boyfriend hated in it (who hates anything vegetable).

Side from my boyfriend, everyone else really loved it, especially my mother. She was very pleased. She loved it right away, as did I. This is defiantly become a new favorite recipe of mine, and whats so great about it is I don't have to feel that guilty about eating it! A plus!

Recipe

2 tsp. olive oil, divived
2 1/2 cups zucchini, chopped
2 1/2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups fat free milk (or whole, or 1%)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
12 precooked or uncooked lasagna noodles *SEE NOTE


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and saute till tender. About 4 minutes. Spoon into a large bowl.

2. Heat remaining 1 tsp. oil in pan and add sliced carrots. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add broccoli and mushrooms. Saute for another 4 minutes or until crisp tender. Add to bowl with zucchini. Sprinkle with salt, toss and set aside.

3. Place flour in a sauce pan. Gradually add milk to flour, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg; Stir until smooth. Stir in spinach.

4. Combine cottage cheese and 1 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese; Stir well. Spread 1/2 cup spinach mixture in the bottom of a 13 x 9" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over spinach mixture; Top with half of cottage cheese mixture, half of vegetable mixture, and about 1 cup spinach mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining spinach mixture over noodles, and then sprinkle with remaining parmesan and remaining shredded cheese.

5. Cover and bake for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

*NOTE: You can either make this with uncooked noodles like I normally do, or make it with precooked noodles. If you prefer your noodles to be a little bit more chewy, and not really soft, then make them with uncooked noodles. Just bake for 30 minute covered, then 20 minute uncovered. If you prefer the normal Garden Lasagna with precooked noodles, then follow the time in this recipe as is.

Baked Mushroom Macaroni

I'm notoriously known to love macaroni and cheese. Maybe not as much as my boyfriend who lives off it, but close enough. There are two ways people usually like it. Creamy or not. To be honest, I really do not like creamy macaroni and cheese at all. It's just to... Well, creamy. My boyfriend, however, is different. He's a creamy guy. But, he does like the baked macaroni's I make.

It was me and my mom who came up with this recipe. We didn't really know what to make for dinner and we really didn't have much to cook with to begin with. We did however have plenty of cheese! But we didn't necessarily want it to be the same old macaroni and cheese. After looking threw the pantry and pondering for awhile, we found a can of cream of mushroom soup. We thought, "Why not?"

All I got to say is; Yum! And the pepper jack cheese really give it a bit of a spice. Which, I love! Than again, I love pepper jack cheese to begin with, so it just made it even better for me!

Recipe

16 ounce elbow pasta
1 can (10.75 ounce) condensed cream of mushroom
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup processed cheese, chopped (I used VELVETA)
1/2 cup cup pepper jack cheese, chopped


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain and set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, and cream of mushroom soup. Add mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, processed cheese and pepper jack cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Add pepper and salt.

4. Stir in pasta into cheese mixture and combine the cheese with the pasta. Pour into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese.

5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Tagliatelle with Smashed Peas, Sausage, and Ricotta Cheese

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of peas. However, I came across this recipe the other day, and I thought it would be a good dish to my boyfriend Chris, who actually likes a vegetable! Chris, my picky eater boyfriend is so picky that it literally will sometimes drive me insane. Theres a lot that I can't cook with because of the fact that he can't stand some of the things I cook with. And me being me, I use a lot of different spices and love to add a lot of vegetables to my food; Which he hates.

For example, I can't cook with onions. He will ultimately taste it right away if I cook with it. It's ridiculous! I can't cook with carrots or garlic and nor can I cook with broccoli, spinach or green beans. Most of them being vegetables and also being stuff I love to cook with, which, makes it hard for me to cook something for him that he'll actually enjoy and like.

The recipe sounded pretty easy and something that he'd actually eat since there were peas in it. I didn't really instead to really eat it because I'm not to big of a fan for peas, but I decided to at least try it. And to my surprise, I now have a new liking for peas. I think I came to dislike peas from my mother whom would always buy the canned peas with all the juice, which I loathed! The dish was actually kind of light, not to heavy, and really satisfing. Best part, there was garlic in this dish and Chris didn't even notice! Hehe.

Recipe

1 pd. tagliatelle pasta
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pd. hot italian sausage, casings removed
1 pd. frozen peas, thawed
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 bunch of basil leaves, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
1 tsp. salt


1. Bring a large pot to a boil on medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain and reserve one cup of the pasta cooking water. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon the break up the sausage into bite size pieces. When sausage starts to brown, after about 5 minutes, set aside.

3. Add the peas to the pan and using the back of the wooden spoon, smash the peas. Turn off the heat. Add the ricotta cheese along with the cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding the reserved cooking water in 1/4 cup additions, if needed, to moisten the pasta.

4. Return sausage to the pan. Add the basil, pecorino romano cheese, and salt. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately.

Spicy Baked Macaroni

Giada never lets me down.

The other day, I was watching 'Everyday Italian' with Giada De Laurentiis, and she made something that sound just so delicious! I love Baked Macaroni and Cheese, but when I say her making this Spicy Macaroni with tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach; I was intrigued. And I knew I defiantly wanted to make this as soon as possible.

When I told everyone that I was making this, they were all also very interested as to how this would taste. That is, except my boyfriend. He's a very, very picky eater. But, he loves Macaroni and Cheese and he didn't really like the idea of ruining Macaroni and Cheese by having all the things that were in this recipe. But, I told him had to at least try it.

No only was I in love with this, but my entire family fell in love with this recipe! Honestly, it may be better than the original Baked Macaroni. It was just enlightening and all the flavors contrasted very well together! And... My boyfriend even liked it! Kudos!

Recipe

1 pd. elbow macaroni pasta
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus 1/3 cup
2 tbsp. butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons
12 ounces mozzarella cubed (about 2 cups)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of salt water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and spinach. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and parmesan. Spread the softened butter in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumbs mixture inside the dish to coat.

5. In a large bowl, combine the vegetable mixture with the cooked pasta, cubed mozzarella, the remaining bread crumbs and nutmeg. Spoon into the baking dish and top with and remaining bread crumbs, and dot the top with remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Momma's Mash Potatoes

Simply put, these are my mommas mash potatoes at which she is hugely famous for. Every holiday or event that has to do with family and they're food involved, everyone is always begging my mother to make her famous mash potatoes. It's an ordinary mash potato recipe, however, everyone says that my momma makes it just right.

My mother hadn't made her famous mash potatoes in what seems like forever. She's been getting lazy and stopped making it. She's been getting the store bought kind now. Eww. Yesterday though, my boyfriend requested that my mother make her mash potatoes at least once for him to try. He had never tried he mash potatoes before, and he being the mash potato freak that he is, he was interested to see what these mash potatoes were all about.

So, my mom actually made her famous mash potatoes for the first time in a couple years. My father and my brother were extremely happy that she made her mash potatoes for once, and my boyfriend really enjoyed and approved her mash potatoes as being one of the best he'd had. Major kudos to my mommy!

Recipe

8 large white potatoes, cubed
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper


1. Place potatoes in a saucepan with water; Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. If you don't like the skin for the potatoes, then peel them as well. I prefer the skin though. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until tender.

2. Drain and mash with . Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper. Beat well. Add milk and beat till smooth. Then, add cheddar cheese.

3. Place into a 2 1/2 qt. dish and place into a 350 degrees oven for about 15 minutes. Just until it heats through.

Homestyle Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

There comes a time every once in awhile when you just need to have some really good comfort food. And I defiantly got my comfort food fix with this. Not only is this comforting, but its a great meal during this time of year. When it's cooling down and the leaves are changing they're colors. It's just suits this time of year.

I had been craving Chicken Pot Pie for sometime now, but, my mother did not want chicken pot pie. Instead, she wanted biscuits. A chicken and biscuit casserole and a chicken pot pie are just about the same thing. Just, the chicken and biscuit has no pie crust. However, the biscuits makes an awesome substitute for the pie crust!

I was very satisfied with this meal. It was so homey and makes you feel so good. It's why its a comfort food, no? I was also very pleased with the fact that my little brother, whom is incredibly picky about what he eats, actually ate it. He was skeptical at first as he watched me make it, but I threw a plate in front of him and told to at the very least try it. To his own surprise, he really liked it! Which made me extremely happy.

Both my parents were very happy with this meal as well. My mothers the one that wanted it in the first place, so she was pleased. My father enjoyed it very much as well. Though, he was disappointed knowing that he ate so much. Now he knows he's going to need to work out for a while tomorrow!

Recipe

2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
1 can refrigerated biscuits
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine chicken, soup, vegetables and milk. Heat until bubbly and hot. Pour hot mixture into an ungreased 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, then sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Arrange biscuits over chicken mixture. Spray a little bit of butter on top of biscuits.

3. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve.

Rotini and Cheese with Broccoli and Ham

Recipe

2 cups rotini pasta
1 (10 ounce) package frozen broccoli
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup velveeta cheese
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup reduced-fat ham, chopped

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until pasta is done. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, spoon flour in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk and whisk until well blended. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes or until its thick.

3. Add cheese, mustard, salt, garlic, pepper and ham, combining all of it together. Remove from heat and pour over pasta and a large serving bowl.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I didn't think it was possible! But, I found something that I enjoy just as much as Ruth Chris Steakhouse's Sweet Potatoes!

A few months ago, me and my family went to Ruth Chris Steakhouse to celebrate my fathers birthday. I've never been one to enjoy Steakhouse, since I'm not to big about steak, but Ruth Chris is pretty darn good! I love they're potatoes. They have from mashed to julienne to lyonnaise. And they're all extremely good! But, what they've become pretty famous for, that is, beside they're steak and bread pudding for me, is they're Sweet Potato Casserole! Usually, if you have Sweet Potato Casserole, you'll find Marshmallows on them. Well, thats how its always been more me, don't know about others...

What I found so intriging about theirs was that had a Pecan Crust on top! Can you say, Heaven?! I took a bite and I swear I died and went to heaven! In my view, this dish is so sweet that I see it more as a dessert of some sort! I never bother to try and see if I could even make a dish close enough to compare to they're sweet potatoes, but I tried anyways. And to my surprise, it tasted just as great! I have a new food that intent to be making more often. No more waiting for Thanksgiving!

Recipe

CRUST

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick butter, melted

SWEET POTATO MIXTURE

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes [baked]
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick butter [You can leave out if you'd like]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture.

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.