Creamy Penne Bake

I love broccoli and pasta with a cream sauce, so when I found this recipe at Mels Kitchen Cafe I knew I needed to give it a try. I have used both smoked and regular mozzarella and while the smoked adds an incredible flavor regular mozzarella works perfectly in a pinch. I did reduce the amount of sundried tomatoes. I think a small amount adds flavor while too many overpowered the dish.  The creaminess of the pasta with a crunch from the topping makes this incredible!

Creamy Penne Bake

Topping:
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces penne pasta (I have used both veggie and wheat and you cannot tell)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
4 oz. sundried tomatoes, diced (if you are not a fan leave them out, I have tried both ways and the dish can hold its own without.)

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.

While pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until shimmering in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.

Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cashew Chicken

I made this tonight and everyone gobbled it up!  It's adapted from a recipe on Rasa Malysia's website.

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds boneless & skinless chicken breast (cut into small cubes)
1 cup cashews
1 large green bell pepper (cut into small square pieces)
1/2 onion (cut into small square pieces)
1/4-1/2 tsp ginger

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon water

Sauce:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1.5 teaspoon soy sauce
6 tablespoons water
6 dashes white pepper powder
2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (this tenderizes the chicken)
2. Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the cornstarch and water for 15 minutes.
3. Mix the sauce together and set aside.
4. Heat up a large, deep frying pan (or a wok if you have one, I don't) with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked.  Set aside.
5. Add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan and add in the bell peppers, onions, and ginger.
6. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes and add the chicken back in.
7. Add the cashews and do a few quick stirs.
8. Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve with rice.

Sloppy Maple - BBQ Turkey Joes

I have to admit that I am a Sloppy Joe fan but not out of the can kind. I like mine made from scratch. I am always on the look out for a new one to try. This one is my latest.

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey

1 onion chopped

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

Salt and pepper

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. cider vinegar

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

8 soft hamburger buns, my favorite are the potato ones

You can garnish it with cheese, any kind, chopped pickles. We like ours plain.

In a large skillet brown the ground turkey with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until browned, then stir in the pepper, onion and garlic and cook until tender. In a bowl combine the tomato sauce, maple syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard. Pour the sauce over the meat and simmer for a few minutes. Serve it on the rolls with the toppings. Enjoy!

Molten Chocolate-Nutella Pudding Cakes

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. Nutella

Peheat oven to 350. Mist 6 6 oz. ramekins with cooking spray. Place a roasting pan in oven; pour in 1/2 inch of hot water. In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa and baking powder.
Combine chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl; cook on high, stirring once or twice, until almost melted. Stir until smooth.
In a bowl, with a mixer on medium high, beat eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt until pale yellow, about 5 miinutes. Beat in melted chocolate mixture. Stir in flour mixture. Spool half of batter into ramekins. Drop 1 tbsp. of Nutella into center of each. Cover with remaining batter.
Transfer ramekins to roasting pan. Bake until cakes have risen and are cracked on top, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm with whipped cream.
If you want something rich and chocolatey this is the dessert for you. They were yummy. I found this recipe in my All You magazine.

Cream Cheese Filled Cookies

These cookies were SO good. I got the recipe from www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com.

Cookies

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

(I halved the filling recipe and it was just enough.)

Topping

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips melted

Directions

In a large bowl cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla, beat again.

Mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

I used my cookie scoop and then pressed them down a bit.

Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes. Immediately after removing them from the oven make an indention in the middle with the back of a wooden spoon.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread on cookies.

For the chocolate topping I put the chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag and put in the microwave. Heated in 30 second increments until it was melted enough and drizzle the cookies. Enjoy. Keep in fridge.