pesto-chicken italiano

I discovered this wonderful little recipe on the back of a KRAFT shredded cheese bag. The Italian five cheese blend, to be precise. It was so good. This is my picture of it above, but there is also a picture in the link. I will be adding this recipe to our keepers. It was simple, fasy, and delightful! I bought pre-made pesto from Sam's Club or Costco, and everything else we pretty much had on hand.

Pesto-Chicken Italiano

In case the link gets dodgy, here's the recipe:

1 Tbsp. oil

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large red pepper, cut into thin strips

1/4 cup pesto

1 lemon, cut in half, divided

1 cup KRAFT Finely Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend

2 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta

HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook and stir 4 to 5 min. or until chicken is evenly browned. Stir in peppers; cook 3 to 4 min. or until chicken is done, stirring frequently.

STIR in pesto and juice from 1 lemon half; top with cheese. Cover; cook on low heat 2 to 3 min. or until cheese is melted. Spoon over pasta.

SERVE with remaining lemon half, cut into wedges.

We definitely used up the lemon wedges. I squeezed at least one extra wedge on while eating it.

cold italian pasta

Basic Recipe:
12 oz. box rainbow rotini pasta
1 small can sliced olives
1 cup brocoli, chopped into tiny pieces
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped into tiny pieces
1/2 cup-1 cup mozzarella cut into little cubes
3/4 cup-1 cup Italian dressing (we use Berensteins Restaurant recipe)

optional add-ins:
green onions
grape or cherry tomatoes
cauliflower bits
sundried tomatoes
chicken
pepperoni
cucumber

Boil pasta according to directions on the package. Drain. Run under cool water. Pour into serving bowl. Add rest of ingredients except for dressing and mix together thoroughly. Once combined, add dressing to taste. Refrigerate. Serve with crusty garlic bread. Or don't.

I like to eat mine before it's been refrigerated. I also like to make this heavy on the vegetables to make it a healthier meal. The whole family loves eating this. It's fast and easy and makes great leftovers. Also a good meal to take to a picnic, bbq, or other gathering. We usually eat it as a main meal, but can be a good side dish too.

go to meals II: Pasta with Butter and Parmesan

I keep a variety of pasta shapes on hand. The kids love wagon wheels, shells, penne, and these bow ties pictured above. This recipe is Pasta with Butter and Parmesan Cheese. This is easy, fast, and delicious. I remember coming up with it one day when our ingredients in the pantry and the fridge were scarce. And it turned out really good. Then one day, I bought a bottle of shredded parmesan cheese and saw an almost identical recipe printed on the back. So I guess it's not entirely an original recipe. But it is very versatile. To make it a complete meal, I add vegetables and chicken. I keep Costco bags of mixed vegetable on hand for when I'm in a hurry or not in the mood to cook.

1 16 oz. box of favorite pasta
1 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded (the sprinkle kind just won't cut it)
1 cube of butter
1-3 cloves garlic, minced (optional-my kids prefer it without or with a minimum)
grilled chicken (optional)
mixed vegetables (0ptional)

Boil pasta according to package instructions. While pasta is draining in colander, melt butter in pasta pot over low heat until melted but not browned. Add garlic if desired. When butter is melted, add drained pasta back to pot and mix until coated evenly in butter mixture. Add parmesan. Mix well, until evenly coated with the cheese. At this point you can add in your cooked vegetables, and grilled chicken. Serve immediately.

This is a go to meal for me because it really doesn't take much time to prepare and the chicken and vegetables can be prepared in advance. I didn't take a picture of the pasta with the vegies and chicken added because it got gobbled up by hungry people as soon as I added it. Lisa, another police wife, posted another pasta recipe that looks really good.

Spinach and pasta salad with grilled chicken

I know salads are considered chick food, but this is a salad that even the manliest of men could eat. At least I think so. HF loves it and he's pretty manly. This is a versatile dish. Ingredients can be added or removed to make it to your liking.






1 small package of fresh spinach

1 – 8 oz package of bowtie pasta – cooked, drained and cooled

2-4 TBLS sesame seeds

½ cup sliced almonds (I used the toasted and unsalted)

3 chicken breasts – seasoned heavily with lemon pepper seasoning, grilled and cut into bite sizes.

1 cup bean sprouts

Mix all ingredients and toss with the dressing just before serving.

Dressing:

½ cup oil

½ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame seeds

3 TBLS soy sauce

2 TBLS rice vinegar

½ tsp sesame seed oil

1 tsp grated fresh garlic (about 2 cloves)

Stir ingredients well to dissolve sugar, store in refrigerator. Let dressing warm to room temperature before tossing into salad.

To keep the leftovers from getting soggy, we usually keep the spinach and bean sprouts seperate from the rest of the salad and when serving, make a bed of spinach and bean sprouts and then spoon the chicken and dressing mixture on top. This is always a hit at get togethers. There are no leftovers usually.