Garlic Basil Pasta with Chicken

Garlic Basil Pasta with Chicken (Slow Cooker)

Recipe:                                                           Dinner for 2 1/2                      Cook Time: 5 hours

1/2 pound of pasta (garlic basil pasta)
2 frozen chicken breasts 
10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
32 oz of chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

In the slow cooker add your chicken broth, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. 
Mix well. Put the chicken in. Cover the chicken with the cream of chicken soup.
Cover and cook.  When 5 hours rolls around put a pot of water on to boil. While that heats up shred your chicken. Cook your pasta, then add it to your chicken. The left over liquid should be enough to coat your pasta. Enjoy.
Now some may ask where do get this amazing garlic basil pasta! Check out http://www.pappardellesonline.com. They have lots of great pastas! 

Thoughts

Codi: This is amazing and easy to make for large or small groups!

Stephen: It was really good. The chicken was very tender and juicy! 
Krysta: Pasta yummy.

What to do different next time?

Just try different pasta from Pappardelle's.

Creamy Tomato Sauce with Fettuccine and Turkey Sausage

Creamy Tomato Sauce with Fettuccine and Turkey Sausage   

Recipe:                                                           Dinner for 10                                  Cook Time:45 minutes
3 15oz cans of tomato sauce
1 package of Johnsonville turkey sausages
1 1/2 lbs fettuccine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 whole medium onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, pepper, and sugar to taste 
2 cups grated Parmesan
dried basil to taste

In a large saute pan heat oil and butter with onions and garlic for about 3-5 minutes.
Add tomato sauce along with salt, pepper, sugar, and basil.
Over low heat let sauce simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook pasta, then drain.
Cook/Grill sausage.
Cut sausage into bite sizes.
Once sauce is done take it off the heat and add the cream and Parmesan. Stir until the Parmesan is melted and sauce becomes orange in color.
In a large bowl combine pasta, sauce, and sausage.
Mix together until pasta is completely coated.

Thoughts

Codi: This sauce is so amazing and addicting. It take a little while to make but it is easy and so so so good! It was a huge hit with my in-laws. I wish I had bread to clean my plate with so I could eat more of the sauce.

Stephen:It was really good. I can't wait to have it again.

What to do different next time?

Well like I said I would make some bread to go with it to get the rest of the sauce on my plate. :) I would like to try different noodles. Once again my husband would like the onion to go through the blender so there are no chunks in it.

Beef and Noodles

Beef and Noodles (Slow Cooker)

Recipe:                                                           Dinner for 4                     Cook Time: 7-8 hours low heat

1 2.5oz. Crokery Gourmet Seasoning Mix for Beef

1-2 pound steak (or whatever is on sale, like a roast or cubed steak)

2 1/2 cups of water

3 beef bouillon cubes

1 tsp garlic powder

2 cups egg noodles

In the slower cooker combine seasoning, water, garlic, and bouillon cubes. Whisk together.

Add in meat.

Cook for 7-8 hours on low heat.

When meat is done shred with fork.

Boil water and cook egg noddles.

Once the egg noodles are done drain and mix in with meat.

Thoughts

Codi: My Aunt Julie made this for us last summer and we loved it. It is so great for cold winter days.
It is my favorite slow cooker recipe thus far! I crave this one a lot, we have it about every other week during the winter. This is also is great to make when you have a lot of people over! I use whatever beef is on sale. This week it was marinating steak, some times it is a pot roast or steak cubes. Whatever works in your budget. :) (husband of many words)

Stephen:It was good. The best so far.

What to do different next time?

I have been perfecting this one since we had tried it and this is perfect!

Fancy Grill Cheese aka Panini

Fancy Grill Cheese aka Panini (Panini Maker)

Recipe:                                                           Dinner for 2                                  Cook Time: 3-5minutes

Sourdough bread (4 slices)

Lunch meat Smoked Turkey

Mayo

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

black pepper

garlic powder

Spread Mayo on one slice of bread

Sprinkle black pepper and garlic powder to taste

Spread a thin layer of shredded cheese 

Place three to four slices of meat

Place other slice of bread and place on grill 

(If you don't have a panini maker you can use a hot skillet like you would a grill cheese)

Cook till cheese is nice and gooey.

Thoughts

Codi: I love how many things you can do with this panini maker. We received it as a wedding present and this is our first time using it, and I seriously just fell in love. There are countless options to make. Mark my words this is just the beginning. Such an easy dinner!!!!

Stephen: I like how the panini cooks. (He likes the fancy grill stripes lol) Butter the outside of the bread.

What to do different next time?

It is not what I would do different on this one more like what else I would like to try. Cucumbers and tomatoes would go great on this sandwich! So many different meats and sauce to try!

 

Smoky Cheesy Potatoes and Chicken

Smoky Cheesy Potatoes and Chicken (Slow Cooker)

Recipe:                                                         Dinner for 6                 Cook Time: 5 to 6 hours on low heat

3 cups smoked or roasted chicken

(I used Hormel pre-cooked chicken, 3 packages)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

8 ounces sour cream

10.75 ounce can cream of chicken soup

28 ounce package of diced hash brown potatoes, peppers, and onions thawed 

Liquid Smoke to flavor

Cooking spray

Spray the indside of your slow cooker with the cooking spray.

Mix together in the slow cooker the cheese, sour cream, soup, and liquid Smoke.

Mix in the chicken and potatoes until they are completely coated.

Cook until potatoes are tender, 5 to 6 hours on low heat.

Thoughts

Stephen: I like how cheesy it was.

Codi: I really like the smokyness and how it warm it is.

What to do different next time?

I would get a fresh onion blend it so Stephen could not pick them out and get fresh peppers chop them up larger so Stephen can pick them out and I get the crunch.

 

Dinner was a fail :(

I tried a new slow cooker recipe Sloppy Pizza Turckey Joes it was awful! So gross! That's what we are doing though figuring out good recipes. We found our first dislike! So what did we have for dinner (yes it was that bad we did not eat it) I had cheese and crackers and Stephen had milky ways. Lol! That's life! I hope you all had a good dinner!

Mesquite with Lime and Taco Rice

Mesquite with Lime and Taco Rice

Recipe:                                                           Dinner for 2                      Cook Time: 15 minutes

2 Chicken Breast

12 oz bottle Mesquite with Lime Marinade

(I used the Kroger brand)

1 package Taco Rice (Knoll brand)

I put the chicken breast into a zip up baggy and pored half the bottle over the chicken. (It is a 30 minute marinade but I let mine sit for 3 hours.)

In a medium sauce pan cook chicken with the extra marinade from the bag. (It keeps the chicken tender)

Cook rice according to package.

This a great easy dinner! It has amazing flavor and is quick to make! You can always add more chicken to feed more. I get two meals out my bottles!

Thoughts

Stephen: It's good. Wants to try different rice. (He liked the taco rice he just wants to try others.)

Codi: The chicken is so good. I am not a big meat eater but I would eat this again!

What to do different next time?

I want to try and make my own rice. I think I will take white rice and cook it like you would normally but add my own spices. Maybe just a packet of taco seasoning!

We will be eating this again. It was so quick to make with very little prep time! We have another winner from our dinner table.

 

Creamed Chicken and Corn Soup

Creamed Chicken and Corn Soup (Slow Cooker)

Recipe:                                Feeds 4 good servings could make it stretch to 6        Cook Time: 4 hours   2 Chicken Breasts

1-26 ounce can Cream of Chicken Soup (condensed)      

1-14.75 ounce can Cream style Corn

14 ounces of Chicken Stock

2 cups Frozen Corn

2 medium Carrots (chopped)

1 stock  Celery (chopped)

1/2 cups Water

4 strips of Turkey Bacon

In slow cooker put in chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream style corn, chicken stock, frozen corn, carrots, celery, and water.

Cook for 4-5 hours.

Take chicken out; let it cool slightly. Chop it up stir back in to soup.

Cook bacon and chop it up. sprinkling bacon over each severing.

(I cooked our soup for 4 hours cut the chicken and cooked for another 2 hours, because we were not hungry yet and the chicken was so tender.)

Thoughts

Stephen: Use regular bacon, the flavor would be stronger.

Codi: The chicken is so tender.

  What to do different next time?

Blend celery before putting into soup. (I have a very picky husband!)

We will be eating this again. It has a short cook time so I can make it halfway through the day and it will still be done before Stephen gets home! We ate with roasted veggie crackers, so good!