"Blow Your Mind" Tomato Basil Pasta

This is a recipe I found online and it attracted me not only because it looked so tasty, but also because it’s all done in one pot. And part of me wanted to see if it really would come out as good as the picture I saw. While it didn’t look exactly the same, I was definitely not disappointed, and neither was the family.

So, let’s get cooking!

First slice the garlic, onions, and peppers. I have no idea why the peppers are not shown here. I guess they missed the memo about the photo shoot. You’ll just have to use your imagination with this one. ;)

Pull the leaves off of two sprigs of basil and chop it coarsely.

Now, break in half the pasta. I made it twice, using linguine first as the recipe suggested, and using fettuccini the second time. It definitely came out better using the fettuccini. So, after you break the pasta, place it in a pile in a large pot.

Add the sliced veggies and garlic, along with the basil and the can of diced tomatoes.

Pour in the chicken broth. I used 4 cups water and 5 chicken bullion cubes.

Add the olive oil and red pepper flakes.





You’re ready to go! Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. You’ll need to stir a few times during cooking. A thickened sauce will result from the starch in the pasta.

                            Here it is halfway through....

And here it is when it’s done. You can reduce the sauce more if you’d like, or discontinue cooking earlier for a more saucy dish. Serve it up with freshly grated parmesan cheese on the table and a nice sour dough boule. Enjoy! ~TMMF




“Blow Your Mind” Tomato Basil Pasta

16 oz linguini or fettuccini
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 Vidalia onion
1 sweet pepper
5 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh basil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
4 c chicken broth (5 bullion)
2 Tbl olive oil

Tomato Parmesan Chicken Linguine

This is a recipe I came up with the other night because I was needing something to feed the crew for supper, and I had made a new pizza the night before, and the ingredients were so good on it, I kept thinking about that yummy taste. I had some asparagus leftover, so quick as a flash the idea for it flew through my head and I got down to work.

So, without further ado, here it is!

Set your chicken breast to sauté with a little oil in a skillet on the stove. When it’s done, you’ll want to cube it and set aside.

Meanwhile, you can be working on the rest. Wash the bunch of asparagus, and cut into about 1 ½” pieces. Set into a bowl, add approximately ¾ to 1 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for about 4 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking, wash and dice the Roma tomatoes. You can use all fresh tomatoes for this recipe, or 4 fresh Romas and then a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, which is what I happened to have on hand, so I used it.





Peel the garlic and mince, setting aside in a bowl. I just peeled it and kept the cloves waiting so at the right time I could use my garlic press and just press it right into the sauce.

In a 4-quart pot, start the roux by melting the butter, then adding the flour and mixing well with a whisk. Let it bubble for a minute…

…then slowly add some of the milk, stirring constantly to blend in. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the roux from around the outer edges and then use the whisk to blend in. Add the rest of the milk and keep stirring with the whisk, over medium heat, until it thickens.

Turn the heat down a little, and add the salt and pepper, and the parmesan cheese. Add the minced garlic if you did it up beforehand, or use a garlic press and press it right into the sauce.

Add the tomatoes, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring a few times throughout.

Meanwhile, put water on to boil in another large pot for the linguine, and when boiling, add linguine and cook until al dente. Drain and place back in the pan with a little olive oil mixed in to keep from sticking.

After the sauce has cooked the aforementioned 10 minutes, add the asparagus and chicken and heat through. I basically let it heat until the linguine was done.

Place a portion of linguine on the plate and add a generous helping of the sauce on top. Enjoy! ~TMMF




Tomato Parmesan Chicken Linguine
    (serves 6-8 with leftovers)

1 lb linguine
½ c butter
½ c flour
4 c milk
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 c parmesan cheese
6 Roma tomatoes
    (or 3 Romas & a 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes)
6 cloves garlic
1 bunch asparagus
2-3 chicken breasts

Buffalo Chicken Cups

This is a recipe I saw online when a Facebook friend shared it. It comes from Jessie’s Pampered Chef Page, and it looked so delicious. I never got into the taste of buffalo chicken until several years ago when one of my sisters brought Buffalo Chicken Dip to the family Christmas party. I think one reason I hadn’t liked it before was that, until then, I had seen Buffalo Chicken anything served only with blue cheese, which I have never liked. But when my sister made this dip, it was made with sharp cheddar cheese, and I tried it and have been hooked ever since!

Thus, I did change out the blue cheese in this recipe for my much preferred extra sharp cheddar. I also replaced the wonton wrappers with the store brand of “Grands” flaky biscuits. I felt the wonton wrappers would be too crispy, and the flaky biscuits lent a delightful slightly sweet taste to the heat of the hot sauce and the tang of the cheedar. I think you’ll like how these taste too!

So, set the chicken breasts to cooking in a sauté pan with a little olive oil.

While the chicken is sautéing, melt the cream cheese with the Ranch dressing in a saucepan, stirring to mix in. Grate the cheddar cheese also during this time.

When the chicken is fully cooked, place in a bowl and pull apart with two forks to shred. Add the hot sauce and thoroughly coat. I have found the store brand to be just as fine as Frank’s hot sauce, and it’s less expensive.

Now for the biscuits. Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray first. Take the “grands” biscuits, and cut each one in half. Press each half flat and round it out as you go.

Press each flattened half biscuit into the sprayed muffin tins, pressing up the sides. You’ll end up with leftover biscuits, as this recipe made 24. Just pop them on a cookie sheet and bake afterwards for the kids to eat.

Next, spoon about a tablespoon of the hot sauce coated chicken breast into the biscuits in the tins.

Add approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of the cream cheese -Ranch dressing mixture on top of the shredded chicken. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top lastly, dividing it up between all 24.




Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 10-15 minutes, until biscuit dough is lightly browned. Enjoy! ~TMMF

                                              Buffalo Chicken Cups

                                             2 cans large flaky biscuits
                                                   (or 3 cans small)
                                             1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
                                             1 c. Ranch dressing
                                             2 small chicken breasts
                                             ½ c. Frank’s Red Hot sauce
                                             1-1 ½ c. sharp cheddar cheese

Rosemary Potatoes

Rosemary Potatoes are another childhood favorite of mine that my mom often made at home. I’m not sure if other children would have turned up their noses at this fragrant side dish, but my siblings and I loved it. I hope your family will too!

Scrub the potatoes well if you’re leaving the peels on them. You can peel them if you’d like; I can’t, therefore I leave them on for extra nutrition and fiber, as well as saving time. Slice them into wedges (cut in half, then each half into sixths or so) and rinse well to remove the excess starch.

Melt the butter in a small bowl using the microwave. Add the oil to it and mix.

Place the drained potato wedges in a large bowl. Drizzle the butter/oil mixture on the wedges and mix well to coat. It may solidify, but that’s okay. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Add the rosemary leaves, rubbing through your hands before releasing them into the bowl, and mix.

Spread on a sheet pan evenly and bake in a preheated 400° oven for 30-45 minutes, until toasty browned. You can turn them in between if you’d like, but I never do and they come out just fine. These go very well with a chicken meal, and they’re so easy. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Rosemary Potatoes

4-5 large potatoes, any kind
2 Tbl butter
1 Tbl oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1-2 Tbl dried whole rosemary

Pizza Part Sieben: Steak Arrabbiata

Steak Arrabbiata Pizza is one of those heavenly good gourmet pizzas you don’t forget. I only know of one place that makes them, Ronzio’s, in the New England area, and from the first bite, I was hooked. Here is the recipe I came up with, based on what I know Ronzio’s puts on theirs. Believe me when I say this is just as good as theirs! And being that 2 large Steak Arrabbiata pizzas from Ronzio’s costs $28.60, and I can make 2 at home for $11.37, that’s a big incentive.

So, let’s get cooking!

First, start sautéing your Steak-Umms in a sauté pan with a little butter, oil, or just some cooking spray. For this I used a different brand that I had picked up at Sam’s Club, so they won’t look the same. If you need to use Steak-Umms, just use a griddle. When done, set aside to cool.

While that is cooking, start your sauce. Ronzio’s uses a very peppery cheese sauce. First, you’ll need to make your roux by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then adding the flour and stirring with a whisk, until bubbly.

Slowly add the milk, stirring with the whisk and making sure to scrape the edges with a rubber spatula to get it all blended. Stir over medium heat until thickened. Add the parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper, cooking for about 3-4 minutes more. Set aside.

Slice the Roma tomatoes. I like to use my serrated bread knife, which is very sharp and works great on slicing veggies to whatever thickness level I need.

Spread the pizza dough (either store bought or homemade pizza dough) in a greased sheet pan. Using a spoon, spread the peppery cheese sauce over the pizza dough. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce on the pizza.

Take the Roma tomato slices and lay them over the cheese on the pizza, randomly. Layer the banana pepper rings about on top of the Roma tomatoes in the same manner.

Using your fingers, separate and distribute the Steak-Umms steak evenly on the pizza.

Bake in a 425° oven for 18 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom, and the cheese is melted and bubbly on the top. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Steak Arrabbiata Pizza

1 pizza dough
1 ½ Tbl butter
2 Tbl. Flour
1 c milk
¼ c parmesan cheese
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1-2 Roma tomatoes
¾ c banana pepper rings
5 sheets Steak-ums
2 c mozzarella

Baked Stuffed Turkey Rolls

Okay, so…this is a recipe I came up with simply out of sheer desperation. I needed to make something for supper one night, and the fish that I had planned just wasn‘t to be. Because there wasn‘t any. The supper hour was looming ever nearer. When I saw the package of sliced turkey breast in the freezer, it came to me in a flash. And this is what I came up with:

Dice the onion and celery, and sauté in the butter until tender. Fry up the bacon at the same time.






While those are cooking and making the house smell absolutely wonderful, cube the bread. You can use the 14 slices of bread, or you can use anything you have on hand to measure the equivalent. I frequently use leftover bags of lone hot dog buns, hamburg rolls, or “bread bums.” That’s what we call the end slices of bread loaves. ;)

When the bacon, celery, and onions are cooked sufficiently, add to the cubed bread in the bowl.

Add ½ cup of the chicken bullion, the salt and pepper, and the poultry seasoning. Mix well.

Taking about 1/3 cup of the stuffing with your hand, place in the middle of a slice of the turkey, and roll the turkey around it.

Place the turkey rolls in a 13 X 15” baking dish (greased with cooking spray).

In a bowl, use a whisk to mix the cream of chicken soup with the other ½ cup of chicken bullion.

Pour evenly over the stuffed turkey rolls in the baking dish.

Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes. Serve with some Rosemary Potatoes and a veggie. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Baked Stuffed Turkey Rolls

20 oz sliced turkey
14 slices bread
½ lb. bacon
1 stalk celery
½ small Vidalia onion
3 Tbl butter
1 c. chicken bullion, separated
   (1 c. hot water and 1 bullion cube)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. poultry seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup

Gumbo!

The first time I had Gumbo, it was at a Memphis Roadhouse restaurant, and I think it was the first time I ever had anything Cajun. I was immediately enamored of that savory, spicy soup! I haven't had it much over the years, but seeing my cousin David's picture of some Gumbo he made a couple months back made me crave it. Thus, I present to you, this most delectable and hearty dish that will appease the demands of your taste buds for  Cajun cuisine. For this recipe, I used the best spice, Cajun Blend from PepperMary.com. They have the most excellent quality spices at very reasonable prices. Check them out!

So, let's get cooking!

In a large pot, bring the water with chicken breasts to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer until done. Cook the rice at the same time.

Dice somewhat smallish the onion, bell pepper, and celery, and mince the garlic but set aside separately.

Slice the smoked sausage. Remove tail shells from shrimp.

When the chicken is done, set it on a plate and when cool enough, cube.

Pour the broth in a bowl to use after. I added the bullion at this time to soften while I was doing other steps in the recipe.

Sauté the diced onions, bell peppers, and celery in the butter using the pot the chicken was cooked in, until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute.

Add the reserved broth, both cans of tomatoes, the smoked sausage, okra, corn, and PepperMary Cajun Blend. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.





Add the rice and simmer another 15 minutes. Lastly, add the chicken and shrimp, cooking just enough to heat through. Serve with a nice crusty French bread and butter, if you'd like. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Gumbo

2 small chicken breasts
1 lb. smoked sausage

1 14 oz. pkg. small shrimp
5 c. water
4 bullion cubes
2 tsp. butter
½ onion
½ bell pepper
1 stalk celery
2 large cloves garlic
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with      chilies
2 c. frozen okra
½ c. corn
2 c. cooked rice
1 ½ Tbl. PepperMary Cajun Blend