Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

I found this recipe on Our Best Bites and it is absolutely divine. I made it for dinner last night and will definately be making it again!

8 oz penne or bowtie pasta
1 recipe guiltless alfredo sauce (previous post)
2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped into bite size pieces
6 oz cooked bacon, chopped
1 14 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion, about half a bunch
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package.
While pasta is cooking, prepare alfredo sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to sauce. Toss with chicken, bacon, artichokes, green onion and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Season to taste. Transfer to an 8x8" baking dish. Top with rest of mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

For those of you who are like me, you prefer alfredo sauce over marinara. Its really hard to find a good alfredo recipe that you can make at home at actually tastes good. I've tried a lot of alfredo recipes and they all have the same problem. They are too thin. This sauce, however, is not. Its delicious, thick like alfredo sauce should be,its easy to make, and low in fat. I found it on Our Best Bites and it is definitely something I will make again! I'm sorry there is no picture.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup (3oz) cream cheese
2 Tbso flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Place milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. In a non-stick pan, melt butter and med-high heat and add garlic. Let garlic saute for about 30 seconds, do not burn.  Add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for 3-4 min or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring a few more min. It should be much thicker now. When its nice and thickened, remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese, stir it up and cover immediatly. Let stand for 10 min before serving. It will continue to thicken upon standing.

Buttermilk Syrup

Sterling loves french toast, and I must say we make pretty good french toast. But this syrup take sit to a whole new level. It is a thing of beauty. One batch makes quite a bit. It keeps well in the fridge too. It won't be frothy when you reheat it, but it still tastes good.

Ingredients:
1 cube butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions
Bring first five ingredients to a boil. Remove from heat immediately and add Baking Soda. That's it!

Lasagne Soup

Well, don't mind me, I'll just keep on a postin' if nobody else is going to. Okay, so my kids are sick, and we haven't left the house in a few days, so I've got some time on my hands. :) This recipe is for the lasagne soup we all love, but if you don't already have the recipe I thought I'd post it.

***Before getting started, I have a tip for you with the noodles. When it tells you to add the noodles, DON'T. Just cook them and leave them on the side. Then, when you put the cheeses in the bottom of your bowl, add a few noodles and then ladle the soup over it. If you add the noodles to the soup, and you have leftovers, the noodles soak up all the soup and get mushy. If you leave them separate, you can freeze the soup and/or reheat it without the noodles getting gross.

Lasagna Soup

for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings: 8

White Bean and Tuna Salad

I am trying to be more dedicated to getting rid of my baby weight, so when I saw this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, I wanted to try it.  It is yummy, fresh tasting and is a really good healthy lunch.  I ate it with pita chips, but I think eating it on cucumbers would be awesome too!

*Makes about 4 1/2 cups of salad

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup chopped red onions
The zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 (5 or 6-ounce each) cans of tuna (I prefer albacore tuna packed in water)
2 (15-ounce each) cans of Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
A few splashes of Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt and olive oil to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, sprinkle some of the lemon juice over the chopped onions while you prepare the other ingredients. This will take some of the oniony edge off the onions.
Drain the tuna and put it into a large bowl. Add the beans to the tuna and gently stir to combine. Add the onions, parsley, black pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix to combine. Add Tabasco or hot sauce to taste. If the salad needs more acid, add a little more lemon juice. If the salad seems a little dry, add a little bit of olive oil. Add salt to taste.
Serve chilled or at room temperature. The salad develops great flavor if tightly covered and refrigerated for a couple hours, or up to a day, before serving. Serve with crackers, lightly toasted bread, lettuce cups/leaves, fresh vegetables, etc.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I know that Michelle wants to hurt people who post a recipe without a picture, but I'm doing it anyway. And besides, what's there to see? It's chicken noodle soup, but creamy.

When I had Olivia, a friend of mine brought us this soup for dinner. Super simple, but a nice variation on regular old chicken noodle.

2 tsp. chicken boullion
3 cups chicken broth (or just water)
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery
1 chopped onion
2 10.5 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2.5 oz. (about 4 cups) cooked egg noodles

Heat chicken boullion and broth together. Add carrots, celery, and onion and simmer until veggies are tender. Add cream of chicken soup and milk and heat through. Add cooked chicken and noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste.