BowTie Chicken Pesto Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

Bow Tie Chicken Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

1 box or bag bowtie pasta

1 jar of alfredo sauce

2 large spoonfulls of pesto sauce

3 Tablespoons of sundried tomatoes cut up (I buy the kind in the jar)

Shredded cheese

1 rotisserie chicken

Boil a large pot of water for the pasta, add pasta when its boiling. Begin to shred the rotisserie chicken into a large microwave safe bowl. I don't like to use the dark meat, but you can if you want. Add the entire jar of Alfredo Sauce. Then add the pesto sauce and the tomatoes.

Mix together.

Put in the Microwave for about 2 minutes, take out mix and add about 1/4 cup shredded cheese, put back in the microwave till HOT. Take it out and mix in about another 1/4 cup cheese and mix.

When the noodles are done drain them and add them to the chicken sauce mixture. I usually don't use the whole box. I like mine saucy.

Now its ready to serve!

Serves about 5-6 people

You can add mushrooms too.

This is a family favorite! Its so easy and SO fast. This is what I make when I am in a hurry. My kids LOVE it too!

Enchiladas

1 lb. ground beefsalt
pepper
minced onion
shredded cheddar cheese
10 taco size flour tortillas (9-10 inch)
1 (16 oz. ) can mild enchilada sauce

Brown hamburger with salt, pepper and minced onion. Drain. Divide hamburger between the 10 tortillas and put a small handful of cheese onto hamburger. Roll up and place in greased 9x13 inch pan. I pour a little of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan before putting in the rolled up tortillas. Top with enchilada sauce and a little shredded cheese. Bake at 350° for approx. 20 minutes.

Variation: for cheese enchiladas, put a handful of cheese on flour tortilla and a little bit of chopped green onion. Roll up and cover with enchilada sauce. I usually make a few of these along with the ground beef ones. They are really good too!

Homemade Pizza

1 Chef Boyardee Cheese pizza kit
Pepperoni
2 sm. cans of mushrooms
1/2 lb. hamburger
1 lg. bag of cheese (pizza blend)

Mix crust according to directions on box. Spread crust on large greased cookie sheet (jelly roll pan). Pre-bake for 9 min. (I think it is at 425° but I'm not sure. It does tell you on the box though). Brown hamburger, seasoning with salt, pepper and minced onion. Drain and set aside. Remove crust from oven and spread with most of the can of sauce (I personally think they put too much sauce in the can for the amount of crust so I don't use it all... just most of it:) Sprinkle with cheese (not all of the cheese, just a thin layer). Layer pepperoni, browned hamburger and mushrooms. Sprinkle with more cheese. Bake for an additional 9 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

This is our kind of homemade pizza. It goes together pretty quickly and our family loves it. Of course you can add whatever toppings you like. Enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes

2 pkg. shredded hashbrowns
1 cube butter
2 c. sour cream
2 cans. cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. minced onion
salt
pepper
4 c. shredded cheddar cheese (or more)
crushed potato chips (optional)

Thaw hashbrowns in microwave. Approx. 5 min. per package. Melt butter in large bowl. Add hashbrowns, sour cream, soup, and about 3 cups of cheese. You can add more cheese if desired. I like alot:). I never measure my onion, salt or pepper. I just sprinkle a thin layer before I add the cheese. Stir it all together and spread into a greased 10x13 inch pan. Sprinkle with cheese and crushed potato chips. Cover with foil and bake at 325° for 1 1/2 hours or until heated through.

Tip: For best flavor include 1 c. sharp shredded cheese in with the cheese.
You can also bake at 350° for 1 hour. If I have time, I prefer the lower temp though.

Lemon Cream Cheesecake Dessert

60 vanilla wafers, crushed (about 2 cups)
2/3 c. melted butter
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
16 oz. cool whip, thawed
2 small pkg. lemon instant pudding
2 1/2 c. cold milk
1 c. sour cream
sweetened whipped cream or more cool whip for top

Mix vanilla wafers with melted butter. Reserve about 1/3 cup and press remaining mix into bottom of 9x13 inch pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
*Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and well combined. Mix in about 3/4 of the cool whip. Spread onto crust.
*Mix pudding packages with cold milk. Mix in sour cream and remaining cool whip. Spread onto cream cheese layer. Refrigerate.
*Just before serving, spread sweetened whipped cream or cool whip on top and sprinkle with the reserved crumbs.

Variation: Substitute 1 pkg. vanilla pudding mix and 1 pkg. coconut cream pudding mix. Add in 3/4 c. toasted coconut and sprinkle top with more toasted coconut.

Beef Tips & Mushrooms

Stew meat - browned and seasoned as desired (I sauteed the mushrooms with the meat.)

In crockpot:
Meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. water
1 can beef gravy
1 pkg. dry gravy mix
1 can mushrooms (drained) or fresh mushrooms
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix (see note below**)

Cook in crockpot on low for 4 to 6 hours. Add 1/2 carton of sour cream when ready to serve.
**We added a packet of dry onion soup mix. Next time, we are only going to add 1/4 of a packet.)
Serve over cooked noodles, etc.

Pizza Bites

These pizza bites are fun, perfect for parties, or anytime. This is made in my mini muffin tins using my favorite pizza dough and sauce. Using mini pepperoni and spicy italian sausage adds a kick…you’ll love these!

Deep Dish Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

In a large mixer bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 2 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup oil, and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, along with herbs and garlic (I use basil, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder; just small palm -fulls of each.) 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky; 3-5 minutes. Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 2 tsp. oil.
Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size; 1-1.5 hours. Divide into 2 equal portions and it’s ready to use!

Old World Style Pizza Sauce:

Ingredients:
6 ounces tomato paste
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 can tomato sauce (29 ounces)
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary
1-3 tsp. dried red pepper flakes–to taste
2 cups water
salt to taste

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir the tomato paste and olive oil together, then stir in the tomato sauce.
Add all of the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered for 3 hours, stirring frequently. Add water if sauce gets too thick, but it should reduce down to a thick paste that has enough body to cover a pizza.
Makes 3 cups, enough for 2-3 pizzas.

Notes:

I’ve added herbs and garlic to this crust which gives it lots of flavor. I’ve also tried this with white whole wheat flour if this interests some… it works wonderfully.
I like to throw this on my pizza stone fully topped and with a pastry brush and little olive oil, brush the dough with the olive oil; it helps create that crispy crust.
Bake at 425 degrees if using a pan… 500 degrees if using a stone.

Added toppings:
•Mini pepperoni bites
•Ground Italian sausage, sweet or hot, depends on you taste. I used spicy in my recipe. Brown the Italian sausage before assembling.
•Hand shredded mozzarella. About 3 cups.

Assembly:

Spray a mini muffin tin with a non-stick spray. Tear off a small piece of dough, roll in the palm of your hand and stretch to line the muffin tin up to the lip, creating the shape of the muffin. Add about a tsp. of pizza sauce, Italian sausage, a small dollop of cheese and the tiny pepperoni.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Pop out of the tins, place on platter and watch them disappear!