Skillet Chili Mac

Can't go wrong with this!
If you make hamburger helper's... once you try this, you won't want to go back. And if you do, something might be wrong with ya. :)

Serves 6

**If you want a traditional chili mac, omit the corn, chiles and cilantro**

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, minced
3/4 tablespoon chili powder (add more if you want more heat)
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander (substitute ground cumin for a smokier flavor)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 cups water
8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen corn
1 4.5-oz can chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of cheddar and monterey jack but you can use pepper jack or a mexican shredded cheese blend)

• Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, chili powder, coriander, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 
• Cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. 
• Drain off any excess fat or grease (the amount will depend on how lean your beef is). 
• Stir in garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
• In larger pan, mix tomato sauce, water, and macaroni. Stir in ground beef mix. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping the heat at a steady simmer, until the macaroni is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
• Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, frozen corn, green chiles and cilantro and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top. 
• Cover and let sit off the heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Chicken Tequila Fettuccine

The other night, mom and I went to California Pizza Kitchen with my step brother and his wife. I asked our server what his favorites were, and when he mentioned this one it stuck. And now, it is one of MY favorites. I scarfed down the whole thing! (plus dessert) My brother asked if I were "with child"..... and just so we're clear, I'M NOT. I'm just a pig. :)

this pic is from their menu.

Within 5 minutes of getting to my brother's house, my awesome sis-in-law found a recipe for it online. I couldn't wait!  I made it tonight. It is delicious!!!! Be sure to read my * notes at the bottom for those of you concerned about the alcohol, and some other tweeks I may have made. So without further ado, here you go.

 Ingredients:

1 lb dry (or 2 lbs fresh) spinach fettuccine *

1 1/4 pound chicken breast, diced

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro reserved for garnish

2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic

2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper (seeds and veins removed)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (reserve tablespoon for saute ) **

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons gold tequila ***

2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium of course)

1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 medium yellow bell pepper thinly sliced

1/2 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Boil salted water to cook pasta; cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes for dry pasta, approximately 3 minutes for fresh. Pasta may be cooked ahead of time, rinsed and oiled and then reheated in boiling water.

2. Cook 1/3 cup cilantro, garlic and jalapeno in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Add stock, tequila and lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a paste like consistency; set aside.

4. Pour soy sauce over diced chicken; set aside for 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile cook onion and peppers, stirring occasionally, with remaining butter over medium heat. When the vegetables have become limp, add chicken and soy sauce; toss and add reserved tequila/lime paste and cream.

Doesn't this look beautifully delicious!?

 6. Bring the sauce to a boil; boil until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick (about 3 minutes).

7. Toss with drained spinach fettuccine and reserved cilantro, and squeeze a lil more lime if desired.

Not as pretty as their picture... but you get the idea.

* Noodles. Walmart did not have the spinach noodles. (go figure) So I used the regular. Still delicious, but I really like the spinach noodles.

** Canola oil can be used to sautee, instead of butter. Keeps it a little bit healthier.

*** Alcohol. Even though the alcohol will be cooked out of it, if by personal choice you don't want to use it, comments on the recipe said it was still delicious without it. Plus, if no one in your household is a drinker, it'd be an expensive purchase to only use 2 Tbsp of a whole bottle. So up to you.

Linguine carbonara

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound uncooked linguine
  
• 1/2 Tab olive oil
• 1/4 pound bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste
  
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, (if you like)
• 1/2 tea of fresh chopped garlic
  

Cook linguine in a pot of lightly salted boiling water until al dente.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a frying pan and saute the bacon for three minutes until browned. 

Add chopped garlic and saute for a minute.

In a bowl whisk together the milk, egg yolks and cheese, salt and pepper.

Once cooked, drain the pasta, save a tablespoon of pasta water in the pot to help thicken the sauce. 

Return the pasta to the pot, immediately stir in the egg and cheese mixture until well combined. 

Add the bacon and oil mixture, ( you dont have to add all the oil if you dont want it just gives it more flavor) Toss with pasta and sauce and heat through gently, til the cheese melts and the sauce thickens up.

(if you heat too high the eggs will scramble).

If you are adding peas put them in a bowl and add a tab of water and microwave for about a min and drain, then add to the pot. 

If the sauce gets too thick add a little more milk.

Classic Italian Lasagna

Ok, so I've never made lasagna before. Why should I when Stouffer's make's a great frozen one? :)

But someone asked me the other day if I had a good recipe for one... so I began my search. I didn't search too long because I have a GO-TO blog. It seriously rocks! I have found so many recipes there that I LOVE. (this is where I found the Sweet and Sour Chicken too)

 I'm posting her picture because I forgot to take some. 

I LOVED THIS!! DELICIOUS!  BUT, just a warning, it takes a while to prepare. So plan some time (few hours) or you can prepare the sauces when you do have time, then later layer it up in the pan and cook like I did... turned out fine. Better than fine! I also used the No-boil noodles (have never heard of them before) and was nervous about it, but they turned out great! One less step to do, I'm all over that!

And since there are SO many directions... I'm just posting the link. Let me know what you think if you make it!

Go here: Classic Italian Lasagna

Also made some yummy bread sticks to go with it. Go here: Breadsticks