Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

This

was

simply

a m a z i n g.

I found it on Pinterest, via Pioneer Woman.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

2 tbs Olive Oil

2 tbs butter

1 whole medium onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (15 oz each) tomato or marinara sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup heavy cream

Grated Parmesan cheese to taste

FRESH basic, chopped

1 1/2 pound pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

Crockpot Mexican Chicken

William and I love this. I will be making it again and again and again and again and again.

Crockpot Mexican Chicken

(from See Jane in the Kitchen)

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken

1 1/2 cups italian dressing

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon chili powder

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup cilantro

Place chicken in a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Pour dressing over top and sprinkle with chili powder and garlic. Cover and cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Remove chicken from crock pot, shred with a couple of forks, then put back in crock pot. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes. Add lime juice and cilantro.

Of course, I serve mine with this salsa... just plan on making that salsa on a weekly basis.

Creamy Chicken with Biscuits

If you love crockpot recipes and Pillsbury Biscuits, then get ready for this one.

I ripped this recipe out of a Real Simple Magazine and thought I lost it. I couldn't find it online, so when I finally found my paper copy, I had to quickly type it on the bliggidy blog.

And William loves this dish.

Creamy Chicken with Biscuits (via Real Simple)

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

salt and pepper

1 cup chicken broth (The REAL recipe calls for 1/2 cup, plus 1/2 cup of dry white wine but I changed it since my cupboards don't ever have wine in them.)

6 biscuits (Canned Pillsbury Biscuits are where it's at.)

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, toss together the carrots, celery, onion, and flour. Place the chicken on top and season with the poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add broth.

2. Cover and cook until the chicken and vegetables are tender, on low for 5 to 6 hours OR on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

3. Thirty minutes before serving, prepare the biscuits.

4. Ten minutes before serving, add the peas, cream, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes more.

5. To serve, place the bottom halves of the biscuits in shallow bowls, then top with chicken mixture and the remaining biscuit halves.

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

A couple weekends ago, I stayed over at my mom's house while William was out of town visiting his family. I got to looking through all my mom's cookbooks and flagged several easy recipes from this blog's cookbook, so you'll be seeing several of their recipes here soon.

Here's my photo of the first recipe I tried:

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

12 chicken tenders

1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)

1/2 C flour

1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

preheat oven to 450 degrees. Give coconut a rough chop so it’s about the same size as the panko pieces. Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices. Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating. Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour and then dip in egg, and then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.

Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a teeny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely, but it’s optional.

Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they’re big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.

It was perfect with salad, garlic bread, and corn on the cob.

I also didn't have time to make a proper dip for the chicken, so the morning I made it, I drove to Chick-Fil-A and mooched their Polynesian Sauce:

Easy AND tasty... you can't beat that.