White Chicken Chili Spaghetti with Cheese

My kids made this dish up and gave it a name!

It started out as warmed-up leftovers dressed up with a bit of shredded cheese. I guess if you put shredded cheese on pretty much anything they'll love it.

It was actually parts of two dishes -- white chicken chili and chicken noodle soup with the noodles separated from the broth. I served the chili and the noodles in two parts on their plates, sprinkled all of it with cheese, and was very doubtful that they would eat any of it when I served it. They mixed it all up together, loved it, and dubbed it White Chicken Chili Spaghetti with Cheese.

Here's how you make this interesting dish.

White Chicken Chili Spaghetti with Cheese

4-6 chicken thighs (or whatever kind of chicken you like)
1 can white beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. spaghetti noodles
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheese

Put the chicken in a pan with water and set it to boiling. After it gets about three-fourths done, get another pan and start the spaghetti to cooking. I used regular spaghetti and broke the sticks into thirds.

When it's all almost done, get another pan and mix the beans and tomatoes (I didn't drain anything) and start them cooking.

When the chicken gets done mix it up in the beans and tomatoes.

Put the spaghetti on a plate and top it with the chili. Sprinkle with cheese.

Shrimp and Veggie Pasta

My husband has been planning this special shrimp dish for me for a few weeks now and he finally got a chance to make it for me today. It was absolutely delicious!

I hope I got all the ingredients right so I can make it again!

Shrimp and Veggie Pasta

1 pkg. shrimp
1 pkg. stir fry vegetables
1 pkg. farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1 jar alfredo sauce
Onions and garlic to taste
Olive or safflower oil

Put the onions and garlic in a skillet with a little bit of oil to brown. Cook the pasta until it is halfway done. When it is halfway done and the onions and garlic have cooked a little, put everything in the skillet with the onions and garlic and cook until done.

You can change this recipe up by using sausage or beef instead of shrimp and marinara sauce instead of alfredo sauce, my husband says. I'd love to try it with turkey link sausage and marinara sauce!

Shrimp Linguine

Oh how I love shrimp and pasta! From All Recipes:

Shrimp Linguine

• 1 (12 ounce) package linguine pasta
• 1/4 pound bacon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 3 roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 pound cooked shrimp
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic, basil, and oregano in oil for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and green onions, and saute for 3 minutes. Add bacon, half and half, Parmesan cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese. Cook until cheese is just melted. Stir in shrimp, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
4. Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Here's an easier version:

Fettucine Carbonara

• 1 pound dry fettuccini noodles
• 8 slices bacon
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• ground black pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccini and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat until crispy, remove and drain on paper towel. Chop with knife into bits.
3. Beat the eggs, cheese and cream in a bowl, then add the bacon. Pour over the pasta in the pan and toss gently using tongs.
4. Return the pan to a very low heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Don't overheat or the eggs will scramble. Season well with black pepper and serve.

Famous Pork Chops

That last pork I cooked would have tasted a lot better had I cooked it like this!

Famous Pork Chops

• 1 cup crushed butter crackers
• garlic salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 4 pork chops
• 1/2 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a shallow bowl combine crushed crackers, garlic salt and pepper; mix well. In a separate bowl beat eggs.
3. Dip your pork chops in the egg batter and then in the cracker mixture. Place the pork chops in a casserole dish. Place chunks of the butter around the pork chops. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

The recipe comes from All Recipes. I get a daily recipe from them via email!

Forkworthy Chicken Noodle Soup

It's unbelievable how easy it is to make chicken noodle soup and how delicious it is. I suddenly decided last night around 10 p.m. that I wanted some so I used my super easy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. It was delicious last night and even better today.

It turned out to be Forkworthy Chicken Noodle Soup because I only broke the angel hair pasta in half and you had to eat it like spaghetti!

Here's my son and I finishing up the pot today. He and I were the only ones impressed with the soup, as usual. More for me!

Taco Pie

This taco pie sounds yummy! A friend of ours makes something similar (without the crust) and the kids just love it.

Taco Pie

• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 8 ounces shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
• 1 (14.5 ounce) package crushed tortilla chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Lay crescent dough flat on the bottom of a square cake pan and bake according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the taco seasoning and stir together well. When dough is done, remove from oven and place meat mixture on top, then layer with sour cream and cheese, and then top off with the crushed nacho chips.
4. Return to oven and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Turkey Pot Pie

This looks like a pretty simple recipe for turkey pot pie from All Recipes. I haven't ever made a pot pie, but I sure do love to eat them. I'll have to give this one a try!

Turkey Pot Pie

• 1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 2 cups water
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10 inch pie pan, and set aside.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Anniversary Chicken

This sounds like an easy and delicious way to prepare chicken, one of our favorites! It's called Anniversary Chicken because the submitter on All Recipes served it at her in-law's 50th wedding anniversary, and everyone loved it.

Anniversary Chicken

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup teriyaki basting sauce
• 1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 (3 ounce) can bacon bits
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
3. Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Crockpot yogurt

Well I'll be. I just ran across a recipe for making yogurt in the crockpot. It's from the blog A Year of Crockpotting.

My mom always made yogurt when we were growing up and she recently loaned me her yogurt maker.

This recipe for making it in the slow cooker seems very easy although you do need to be around to monitor it. The only ingredients you need are milk and some plain yogurt from the store, and some fruit if you want to add that.

Yogurt can be substituted for a lot of things in recipes, so before I make a bunch I need to find out some of its different uses!

Granola!

Merely a coincidence in light of yesterday's "Adventures in Oatmeal" but I just ran across a recipe for homemade granola from the blog Eat from Your Pantry!

I keep thinking of the yummy granola my mother made when I was a child. I loved it. I'd put it in a bowl with some milk and let it set for a few minutes while I got ready for school or work. I liked it a little softer than normal for some reason.

This should remind me to get her recipe and I'll try this one out in the meantime.

Adventures in oatmeal

Our road to eating oatmeal was long and rough this morning, but we got our oatmeal after all.

I got the wrong kind at the store the other day, for starters. I got the regular old-fashioned kind with the big oats instead of the quick-cooking old-fashioned kind with the smaller oats. I like the smaller oats better.

This morning I put a half a cup of oats and a cup of water in a bowl and put it in the microwave. My son was already crying for it even though I'd given him a handful of frosted flakes to keep him busy while his oatmeal cooked.

Finally it was done (it takes a few minutes with the regular kind) but when it finished I needed to cool it off for him quickly. I put it in the freezer and of course by now he was really upset and still crying.

I left it in there for about a minute and when I reached in there to pull it out I grabbed it wrong somehow because it landed on the FLOOR, BOTTOM SIDE UP.

Now I'm practically crying.

Thankfully there was a few bites left in the bowl (kind of sticky and mushy after being cooked in the microwave). I cleaned the mush up out of the floor and finally sat down with my son.

He was so thrilled to get it and practically inhaled it. Yay!

Of course he wanted some more. So I grabbed the oatmeal container, put a quarter of a cup of oats and a half a cup of water in the bowl. When I was putting the container up it slipped and dropped on the counter and dry oats went everywhere.

Good grief. One of THOSE days.

I somehow managed to get the oatmeal fixed quickly, cooled off and fed to the baby without any more mishaps and crying.

He's finally full and happy!

Great Aunt Nina's Noodles and Chicken

It's not from MY Great Aunt Nina (don't have one) but it's Great Aunt Nina's Noodles and Chicken recipe anyway. It comes from All Recipes this morning and I really have to try this.

Dana Smith, who submitted it, had this to say: "To a slow cooker chicken, I added an old family noodle recipe. If you want it to be more like a soup, add another quart of broth. This was a fixture at family reunions when I was a child, and the slow cooker makes it even easier."

Great Aunt Nina's Noodles and Chicken

• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 (4 pound) whole chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 2 quarts low salt chicken broth

1. Place the carrots, onions and celery in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the whole chicken on top of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the white wine and sprinkle basil over the top. Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, water, salt, shortening and flour to form a stiff dough. After I've mixed in as much flour as possible using a fork, I knead the dough with my hand in the bowl to incorporate as much flour as possible. Let the dough rest for a few minutes.
3. Roll the dough out on a well-greased board to 1/8 inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter or pie crust cutter to cut into strips about 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long. Dust lightly with flour, and leave to dry for a few hours while the chicken cooks.
4. When the chicken is done, remove the meat and vegetables to a platter. Transfer the juices to a large pot and stir in 2 quarts of chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add the noodles. Cook for about 10 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, remove the meat from the chicken and shred. Discard bones and skin. When the noodles are done, return the vegetables to the pot and add shredded chicken meat. Serve.

Rice with Goodies

This one from All Recipes sounds delicious! I might eliminate some of the ingredients just for the sake of ease, though.

Rice with Goodies

• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
• 3 slices bacon
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 cup cooked, chopped turkey meat
• 1 teaspoon chicken soup base
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• ground black pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.
3. Mix the onion, celery, carrot, peas, mushrooms, almonds, raisins and apple into the skillet. Slowly cook and stir over medium heat until tender.
4. Mix in the turkey, chicken soup base, soy sauce, parsley and pepper. Mix in the rice. Serve hot.

Chicken Tacos

This recipe comes from All Recipes today, and sounds like something we've just got to try! It's got more ingredients than we would normally use but everything is pretty much already in the pantry anyway.


Chicken Tacos

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup lemonade
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
• 1 head lettuce, shredded
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, lemonade, olive oil, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, and bay leaf. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink, and juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave until soft. When chicken is fully cooked, transfer to serving bowl. Place lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, and sour cream in serving dishes. Each person can create their own wrap, using their preferred ingredients.

Cheesy Pasta Casserole

Mmm, we're having Cheesy Pasta Casserole tonight! I got it from the Kraft Food and Family magazine that I subscribe to, free of charge of course!

The directions call for putting everything in the dish together and baking it, but I don't seem to have much success doing that. I'll cook everything on the stove top. When it's almost done I'll mix together with cheese in a baking dish and pop it in the oven for a few minutes.

Cheesy Pasta Casserole

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

4 cups cooked rotini pasta

1 pkg. (1 lb.) frozen Italian-style vegetable combination, thawed

1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

3/4 lb. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

HEAT oven to 400ºF. Combine ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with foil.

BAKE 40 min. Let stand 5 min.; stir.