Yummy Chicken Alfredo/Pesto Tortelloni

My hubby went on a business trip a few years back, and they had a pasta bar at the office he went to where they could pick their own sauces and ingredients to put with their pasta. He loved it! When he got home, he told me about this yummy pasta that he had. This is my attempt at re-creating it!

Mushrooms, sliced
Onion- sliced into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
Chicken, cubed (For the two of us, I usually just do 1 chicken breast or 3 tenders)
2 TBSP oil
1 package of Tortelloni pasta (We like the 3 cheese flavor)
1 package of pesto sauce prepared per instructions
1/2 cup butter
1 cup cream (or fat free half and half works too)
Parmesan cheese to taste

Cook the chicken in a pan with oil. When it starts to brown, add in the vegetables. Saute until done. In the meantime, boil some water. Cook the pasta according to the directions. Drain. In the same pan, melt 1/2 cup of butter. Pour in cream and stir. Add in desired amount of Parmesan cheese to make it taste like alfredo sauce. Pour pasta into the alfredo sauce. Mix in desired amount of pesto. Add chicken/vegetables and stir together. I like to top it with shredded Parmesan. Enjoy!!

Popcorn Goodies

This recipe came to my attention when we were first married. My hubby worked for the DMV, and one of his co-workers made this for us for Christmas that year. It's really yummy and even my hubby (who doesn't like caramel popcorn) likes it!

In a large bowl combine:
6 quarts popcorn, popped
3 cups marshmallows

Melt 2 cups of butter in a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup Karo Syrup and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Heat until it boils. Let the sauce stand for 1 minute, and then pour it over the popcorn mixture. Stir until mixed. When it cools down, you can add in your favorite candy. (We usually put in M&Ms.) Enjoy!!

Chicken Parmesan

Tonight for dinner, I decided to try to recreate one of our favorite meals! When my hubby and I were on our honeymoon, we drove up to Portland, Maine one night. We ate dinner at this little restaurant that is on a boat in the harbor. We both ordered the Chicken Parmesan. Since then, we have loved eating it because it reminds us of that really fun night! Here's how I made it:

Chicken Tenders or Breasts
Parmesan Cheese (As much or as little as you would like)
1 egg, beaten
Chicken Shake 'N Bake or Italian Bread Crumbs
Mozzarella Cheese
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
Spaghetti noodles

Combine Parmesan cheese with the chicken covering. Dip the chicken in the egg to cover it, and then place it in the crumb/cheese mixture. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. When it is done, put some Mozzarella cheese on each chicken piece and cook until the cheese is melted. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions. Heat up spaghetti sauce. Serve it all up and enjoy!!!

Kneader's Key Lime Pie With Pretzel Crust

I was just looking at an email and saw this recipe. We have a Kneader's down the street, but I've never tried this before. It looks really yummy!!!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CRUST
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. pretzel crumbs
3 Tbsp. sugar
7 Tbsp. butter (melted)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9" pan with non-stick baking spray.
• Crush the pretzels until very fine; processing in a food processor for about 30 seconds works well.
• Add the sugar and melted butter, mixing to combine; you can do this right in the food processor.
• Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes; the crust won't change color much, but will firm up. Remove from the oven and make the filling.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING
½ cup fresh lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
4 tsp. grated lime zest
4 egg yolks
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

• It's easiest to remove the lime zest from whole limes so start with that.
• Cut the limes in half and squeeze out the juice being careful to not include any seeds.
• Whisk the egg yolks and lime zest together in a bowl until tinted light green. This takes about 2 minutes.
• Beat in the milk, then juice and set aside at room temp till it thickens. Pour into the crust and smooth with a spatula.
• Bake the pie for 28 to 32 minutes, until the filling is set, with a small spot in the middle still soft looking. Cool for several hours before serving. Top with whipped cream and a garnish of crumbled pretzels.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I love good homemade soups. This one is really good! The frozen noodles make it even better!

(measurements are approximate)

1 roasted chicken, shredded

2 stalks celery, chopped

6-8 potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 c. chicken broth, low sodium

1 small pkg. mini carrots

4 c. water

1 small onion, chopped

1 pkg. frozen egg noodles

Cook all ingredients except noodles until veggies are tender. Add noodles. Cook until done. Salt to taste.

Mexican Lasagna

My mom used to make this when I was young. She calls it Tortillas and Eggs, but when I made it for my husband, he told me that I should change the name to Mexican Lasagna because that sounds more appetizing! :) My 2 year old had about 3 servings of this the night I made it.

1 pkg. flour tortillas

1 group green onion

6 eggs

1 can olives (chopped)

1 cube margarine

1 can enchilada sauce (I really like the Rosarita brand the best)

1 pt. sour cream

1 ½ c. grated cheese

Cut 1 pkg. flour tortillas into 1” squares. Combine tortillas and ¾ cube margarine in frying pan. Cook till margarine is absorbed and tortillas are a light golden color. Remove tortillas from pan. Using the remaining ¼ cube of margarine, scramble 6 eggs till still slightly runny. Combine tortillas and eggs and cook till eggs are set. Put tortillas and eggs in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Top with 1 pt. sour cream, 1/8-1/4 cup green onions (reserve a few for very top), 1 can chopped olives, 1 cup mild enchilada sauce and about 1 ½ cup grated mild cheddar cheese for the top. Put the remaining onions on the top. Put in a 350 deg. oven till cheese is slightly bubbly. Remove from oven and let set at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

Macaroni and Tomato Soup

This recipe comes from the Lion House Cookbook. (We added the hamburger.) It is one of my favorite soups!!

2 T. butter or margarine

Dash Pepper

½ c. onion, chopped

½ t. salt (or more to taste)

1 c. diced celery

½ t. sweet basil

1 (10 oz) c. tomato soup

1 T. sugar

1 can water

1 to 2 bay leaves

1 (46 oz) c. tomato juice

1 lb. hamburger

4 (1 oz) macaroni, cooked

Brown hamburger and set aside. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter, cook onion and celery until limp but not brown. Add remaining ingredients, except macaroni. Heat to boiling. Serve over macaroni. Makes 10 – 12 one-cup servings.