Buffalo Chicken Mac N' Cheese

I have been craving mac n' cheese and why not put a new spin on it!  I love buffalo chicken and mac and cheese so naturally I made them into one meal.  Jason and I loved the new creation!  I hope you enjoy it as well!

1 box large shells

1 package of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

chicken wing sauce

2 chicken breasts (thinly pounded)

bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Marinate chicken in chicken wing sauce so there is a good coating over them.  Bake with sauce for 20-25 minutes.  Shred/cut chicken into small bite size pieces.

While chicken is baking, boil water and cook shells.  In same sauce pan, add cheeses, milk, and cream.  Let cheese melt and heat through.  

Add macaroni back to pan.  Add chicken and mix well. Place in a large baking dish.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over mac and cheese and drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until bubbly and top is crunchy and browned. Enjoy!!

Steak with Smashed Parsnips

A tasty meal for my Valentine!  I think we have perfected cooking steak in a cast iron pan!  It has come out  juicy, and full of flavor every time!  

Appetizer's First of Course!! 

Marinated Goat/Sheep Cheese with rosemary baguette (SO GOOD!)
Paired with Charles King 2007 Cabernet Sauvingon - Napa Valley

Steak:

The perfect portioned steak of your choice.  

Freshly ground pepper

Kosher salt

Bring steak to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Salt and pepper both sides of steak and pat down.  Heat cast iron pan on stove top.  When hot put about 1-2 Tb. of butter in pan.  Place steak in skillet.  Sear on all sides for 2 minutes each.  Once all that delicious flavor is locked in, place cast iron in oven oven.  After 3 minutes, flip steaks so they cook evenly.  Bake another 3 minutes.  Let steak sit for 5 minutes before cutting into it.  ENJOY!!

Smashed Parsnips for two:

1 parsnip; peeled/shaved and cut into 1 inch chunks

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

parsley

salt 

pepper

1 small onion chopped into small pieces

2 tb. sugar

2 tb. butter

Boil parsnips for 15 minutes.  Drain once they are tender, just like cooking potatoes.   In the same pan, on low, melt butter.  Add sugar.  Let brown up and bubble.  Add onion, saute until browned and cooked through.  Add parsnips, mash.  Add mascarpone cheese (this acts as milk agent).  Add parsley, salt and pepper.  Enjoy!

Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Bread

This is a great appetizer on the go!  I made spinach and sun dried tomato bread and pepperoni bread for the super bowl party Jason and I went to this year.   They were delish!

1  bread dough

1 bag of fresh baby spinach

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/3 cup of diced sun dried tomatoes

1 cup mozzarella

1 cup provolone

1 egg

1tsp. milk

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.  In a skillet, saute spinach garlic and sun dried tomatoes.  Roll out dough into a large rectangle.  Spread the filling evenly over the dough.  (You don't need a thick layer because you roll the dough up)  Layer the cheeses over the spinach mixture.  Roll the dough up.  Place bread on cookie sheet with the seal on the bottom.  Mix egg and milk for egg wash.  Lightly coat dough.  Cut three or so slits on top of dough to let out air or else you may have large air bubbles!  Bake for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy!

Pasta with Sausage and Fennel

A year or so ago, my mom and I went to the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, NY.  We attended the "Summer in Italy" cooking class and had a blast cooking and eating all evening.  Everyone was assigned to creating two meals, one was this dish, Ear pasta with Sausage and Fennel (Orecchiette con Salsicce e finocchio). It turned out to be one of the best dishes of the night, just saying!

Olive oil
1/2 chopped medium onion
1 fennel bulb trimmed and sliced
2 cloves of garlic
10 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings (I used medium turkey sausage this time and came out perfect)
basil leaves
1/2 TB oregano
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup cream
1 lb Orecchiette pasta
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan to taste

Heat a medium sate pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and fennel until they are soft.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the sausage and saute until sausage is fully cooked.  Add the basil, oregano, broth and wine.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the flavors blend.  Add the cream and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.  Cook the Orecchiette in salted water until al dente and drain but do not rinse.  Add pasta to the sausage sauce and toss to coat and serve.  Enjoy with a little grated Parmesan cheese :)

Chicken Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

All these years I thought Jason was crazy for liking peanut sauce...now, I am a believer!  I have no idea what made me want to finally try it, but it was surprisingly DELICIOUS and full of bold flavors.  Give it a try!

Meal #3 from 1 roasted chicken!

Sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp. ground ginger

3 minced garlic cloves

Mix all ingredients together.

Vegetables

1 head of broccoli

1 green pepper

handful of sliced baby carrots

1/2 small onion

Lo Mein Noodles

1 cup diced/shredded chicken

Cook noodles as directed on package.  In a wok, cook vegetables in 1-2 TB of vegetable oil.  Set vegetables aside when cooked to your liking.  

When noodles are done, drain then stir fry in pan with vegetable oil until a little browned.  Add vegetables, chicken and sauce.  Heat through and let all the flavors mix together.

Enjoy :)

Chicken Pot Pie

After roasting a delicious 5lb. chicken, I decided to turn it into more than 1 meal.  This chicken pot pie is perfect for a weeknight meal!

2 pie crusts

about 2 cups of chicken pieces from rotisserie

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

2/3 cup of frozen peas

2/3 cup of frozen corn

4 medium butter potatoes, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes, boiled until almost cooked through

salt seasoning

garlic powder

thyme

pepper

In a bowl mix together peas, corn and cream of chicken soup, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir in potatoes and chicken.  Place one pie crust in a pie dish, pour mixture into pie crust, place other pie crust on top and pinch ends together.  Refrigerate, freeze or bake!

Bake at 375 for 50 minutes.

 ENJOY :)