Creamy Red Pepper Chicken Pasta

Creamy Red Pepper Chicken Pasta
1 box fettucine or linguine
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Italian seasoning to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow onion (2 if the onions are small), sliced
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, season chicken breasts with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook in olive oil in a skillet until juices run clear. Remove chicken from skillet and let rest.  In a medium saucepan, cook onions over medium heat until they just begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Place peppers in a food processor or blender (the Magic Bullet works perfectly for this!) and pulse until peppers form a puree.  Add Alfredo sauce to onions, then add milk and mozzarella cheese to desired consistency. Stir in the red pepper puree and heat through.  Once chicken has rested, slice at an angle and mix with pasta, reserving some strips for presentation. Add sauce to pasta and chicken. Top with additional mozzarella or parmesan cheese, if desired.

Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders

Sweet Ham and Swiss Sliders
12 dinner rolls, cut in half
24 slices Honey Ham
16 slices Swiss cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 400°.  In a 9x13 glass baking dish, place bottom half of dinner rolls and top with 2 slices of ham and 1 slice of Swiss cheese. Spread about 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise on each top-half of roll and place on top of ham and cheese. You want the rolls to be snug together.  In a small bowl combine the mustard, melted butter, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and brown sugar. Mix until combined and evenly pour over the assembled rolls. You will not need all the sauce. Cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 20 minutes.  Bake covered with foil for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the tops are browned, and cheese is melted. Serve hot or warm.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Quesadillas

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Quesadillas
4 strips bacon
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
4 flour tortillas
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain.  Season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add to the same skillet you used for the bacon and cook until both sides are browned and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for a couple of minutes, then dice it into small pieces.  Mix together the cream cheese and the jalapenos. Spread the mixture evenly over the flour tortillas. Top half of each tortilla with a strip of bacon, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, and some of the chicken. Fold the top of the tortilla over the filling and press together gently.  Cook the quesadillas in batches in a skillet coated with cooking spray until both sides are browned. Cut into slices and serve.

Bacon Pierogi Bake

Bacon Pierogi Bake
1 16-ounce package frozen potato and cheddar pierogies
4 center-cut bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange the pierogies in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan. Set aside.  Add garlic to drippings in pan, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth to pan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, top with cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Top with reserved bacon, green onions, tomato, and a sprinkling of black pepper if desired.

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup dill pickle relish (depending on how pickle-y you like it)
Paprika
Cook pasta according to directions on box; drain. Rinse in cold water and drain again.  While pasta is cooking, whisk together Miracle Whip, mustard, vinegar, and salt and pepper.  Gently fold pasta, eggs, and relish into the sauce. Taste for seasoning; re-season as necessary.  Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate until serving (it’s best the next day).

Candy Shop Truffle

Candy Shop Truffle
1 box chocolate cake mix
2 boxes of low fat chocolate jello instant pudding
4 cups of milk (as per the pudding directions)
1/4 cup peanut butter (plus 2 tbsp for drizzling)
1 large container of low fat cool whip
1 bag of mini Reese peanut butter cups (chopped into pieces)
1 large bag of Reese's pieces
Bake the cake as per the directions on the box. Let cool completely.  Let cool whip thaw out until it's easier to spread.  Make the pudding as per the directions on the box, at the very end before you let it set stir in the 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Let set.  Crumble the cake into a trifle dish (or bowl), top with 1/2 of the pudding mixture, then add a layer of cool whip (1/2 the container), and then sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped Reese peanut butter cups and 1/2 the bag of Reese's pieces.  Do another layer exactly the same: cake, pudding, cool whip, candy.  Put the 2 tbsp of peanut butter into the microwave for about 45 seconds to melt, then drizzle over top of the trifle.

Pumpkin Better Than… Cake

Pumpkin Better Than… Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
14 oz pumpkin puree (NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. tub cool whip
1/2 bag Heath Bits
Caramel Sundae Sauce
 Mix together the cake mix, the pumpkin puree (DO NOT add the other ingredients on the cake mix box), and the pumpkin pie spice until a batter forms. Using the 14 oz. can of pumpkin puree will yield a thicker batter. You can add up to 1 cup more pumpkin if you'd like a thinner batter (which will yield a slightly fluffier cake).  Pour batter into a well greased 9x9 (9x13 if you added more pumpkin) baking dish. Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool completely after baking. Using the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the top of the cake (this post from a friend has great step by step photos for this part).  Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake, aiming to fill the holes. Refrigerate for 60 minutes or until the sweetened condensed milk has soaked into the cake.  Spread the cool whip over top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and drizzle caramel over top (just to your liking). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight (best).

Crock-Pot Zuppa Toscana

Crock-Pot Zuppa Toscana
1 lb. Italian sausage (I like mild sausage)
2 large russet baking potatoes , sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion , chopped
1/4 c. bacon bit (optional)
2 garlic cloves , minced
2 c. kale or 2 c. swiss chard , chopped
16 oz. can chicken broth
1 quart water
1 c. heavy whipping cream
Brown the sausage links in a pan OR cook it in a 300 degree preheated oven on a sheet pan for 25 minutes (or until cooked).  Cut links in half lengthwise, then dice into 1/2-inch slices.  Place cooked Italian sausage, chicken broth, water, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker.  Cover. Cook on High for 3-4 hours until potatoes are cooked and soft.  Optional: Mash the potatoes a bit with a potato masher for texture.  Turn the crock pot off and add the kale.  Return the lid and let sit for 5 minutes.  Add whipping cream and serve.

Popeye's Cajun Gravy

Popeye's Cajun Gravy
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 chicken gizzard
2 tablespoons minced green bell pepper
¼ cup ground beef
¼ cup ground pork
2 cups water
1 14 ounce can beef broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
1 dash dried parsley flakes
Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté chicken gizzard in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes until cooked. Remove gizzard from the pan and let cool. Finely mince the gizzard after it has cooled. Combine beef and pork in bowl, mix with your hands until well blended.  Add bell pepper to the saucepan and sauté it for 1 minute. Add meat mixture to the pan and cook until brown. Mash meat into tiny pieces as it browns.  Add water and beef broth to the saucepan, then immediately whisk in cornstarch and flour.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gravy until thick, about 30 to 35 minutes.