Chili Mac

 1 lb pasta, cooked

Fry one can of corn, drained, or 2 cups of frozen corn

Stir in 2 can chili, and pasta. 

Melt in 3 oz cream cheese, and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. 

Serve with Trader Joe’s elote corn chips

Parmesan pasta

Parmesan Pasta

• 2 T butter
• 1 t. olive oil
• 1 t. garlic
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 1/2 lb pasta
• 1 c. Parmesan
• 2 t.  dried parsley or 2 T fresh, chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (just enough to make it creamy)
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter and olive oil. Add the garlic and cook 1 min. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook until tender. Stir in Parmesan, then parsley and cream  and salt and pepper to taste. 

Aunt Jeuney's Pesto

Pesto Sauce
2 cups (pressed) basil
1/2-3/4 cups pine nuts
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Process nuts, salt and garlic a little to break up nuts. Add basil and oil and process until smooth. Add cheese and process to blend. 

Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti

This is, like, not even a recipe.

4-5 chicken breasts
1 jar spaghetti sauce
8 hours on low in the crock pot

Serve over spaghetti with parmesan cheese.

Tomato Chicken Penne

A simple one pot pasta dish, other than it assumes you have cooked chicken lying around

Tomato Chicken Penne

2 1/2 c penne
1/2 c. onion
1 T. olive oil
2 T. chicken broth
2 c. cooked chicken
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. whipping cream
1 can sliced olives

Cook pasta.  Saute onion in oil.  Stir in broth, cook for 1 minute.  Drain pasta and add to skillet.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook and stir until heated through and slightly thickened.

Thai Pasta Salad

The printed email from which I first got this recipe (one of John's coworkers at BYU) is dated 2004, so I've been making this a long time.

Thai Pasta Salad
1 package bow tie pasta
1 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 c. oil (I do a mixture of grape seed, olive, and sesame.  Don't use too much EVOO, it's overpowering).
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 t. salt
6 T. cilantro
6 T. green onions

honey roasted peanuts
sesame seeds

Cook pasta and drain.  In saucepan, heat red pepper and oils for 2 min.  Add honey, soy sauce and salt. Mix well and pour over pasta.  over and refrigerate at least 4 hours.  When ready to serve, add cilantro, green onion, peanuts and sesame seeds

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

I created this dish to replicate something I ate frequently at an American restaurant in Bangalore.

Creamy Asparagus Pasta
3 c. pasta
1 lb asparagus
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. chicken broth
3 oz cream cheese
3/4 t. italian seasoning
1/2 c.cheese
grilled chicken
parmesan cheese
bacon! optional, I just came up with that.

Cook the pasta, adding the asparagus the last few minutes to cook.  Drain. Melt the cream cheese in the pan.  Stir in the chicken broth.  Add the seasoning, and stir the pasta and asparagus back in.  Stir in the cheese until melted.  Top with chicken and parmesan cheese.

Stuffed Shells

Freezer-Friendly Stuffed Shells recipe

16 shells, cooked
1 pkg spinach
1 c. cottage cheese
1 c. mozzarella
2 c. pasta sauce
1/4 c. parmesan

Cover with foil. Bake at 375 25-30 minutes.

Easy to double and freeze! I'm always amazed that my kids will actually eat this.

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

This is basically my first successful homemade macaroni and cheese.  You can make it all in one pot.

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

2 cups uncooked pasta
1/2 stick butter
1/4 c. flour
salt pepper
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 c. chicken (I use pre-cooked chicken strips to make it even easier)
1/2 lb broccoli
1/2-3/4 c. milk

Cook the pasta.  Add the broccoli in for the last few minutes.  Drain everything and set aside.  Melt the butter and whisk in the flour and salt and pepper.  Slowly add the chicken broth until blended.  Stir in the cheese until melted.  Mix in the pasta and broccoli and the chicken.  Slowly add enough milk to loosen the sauce as desired.

Layered Pasta Salad

I combined two recipes into dinner tonight. John and I both would have preferred a lighter dressing, but I really liked the combination of ingredients I used.

Layered Pasta Salad

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3 cups cooked small shell pasta

1 cup diced cooked ham

1/2 cup ranch dressing mixed with 1/2 cup mayo

1 cup cheese cubes

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup cashews

2 sliced green onions

Stir just before serving. Mix it up before you serve. Distribute the dressing. Do it.

Maggie helped make dinner and was a BIG help. She was so proud of herself, too. She measured, stirred and poured, and I cut up some strips of cheese for her to cut into cubes with a plastic knife.

Dalton was not a big help. Sorry, boy. He also refused to eat any dinner. Sigh. He's cute, though.

Summer Garden Pasta (aka Zucchini Pasta)

This is about the closet thing I have to an original recipe. We used to make it almost entirely from ingredients in Mom's garden. It can also be served over rice, but it's better with pasta.


1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
handful of torn basil leaves
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
salt
freshly ground pepper
whole wheat pasta
grated parmesan cheese, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add zucchini, onion, and garlic and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, basil, vinegar salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until zucchini is tender. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with cheese.

Cheesy Chicken and Pasta Skillet

I was inspired by my Kraft Food & Family magazine I got yesterday, and immediately tried a recipe from it for dinner. It was so fast and easy to make, and all three of us loved it. Here it is with my changes (more veggies, less meat).

2 c. uncooked whole wheat pasta
1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 c. salsa
1 1/2 c. sliced bell peppers
1 can corn
1 c. shredded cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook chicken for 2 minutes in skillet. Add salsa, peppers and corn to skillet. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Mix and sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat and let sit for 1 minute to melt cheese.