CHEESY SAUSAGE CHICKEN ROTINI (SKILLET DINNER)

Ingredients:

1 package sausage links (cut into discs) (about 10 links)

3 thin chicken breasts, cubed

Garlic herb Mrs. Dash, to taste

1 garlic bulb, peeled, chopped

3 tablespoons garlic olive oil, or olive oil

1 (12 oz.) package vegetable rotini pasta (plus 1 teaspoon salt)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup Colby jack cheese

Directions:

Add 1 teaspoon salt to 4 cups water and boil for the pasta.  Peel and chop the garlic.  In a small sauté pan, add the garlic olive oil and the garlic.  Cook on High until the garlic is roasted.  Remove from heat.  Set aside.  Begin boiling pasta.   In a large sautteuse pan cook the sausage discs until it is brown and crispy.  Remove from pan and add to the garlic that has been set aside.  Add the cubed chicken to the pan (cook in the sausage grease) and season to taste with the Mrs. Dash.  Cook just until no longer pink in the middle.  (Drain boiled pasta).  Turn heat to low and  Add the garlic, sausage, lemon juice and rotini to the chicken in the large sauttuese pan.  Mix together.  Add the cheeses and mix until melted.  Serve  warm with broccoli or peas.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN PARMESAN AND PENNE PASTA

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil (I used garlic olive oil)

7 - 8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (12 oz.) box Penne Pasta (I use the veggie penne) Boil for only 4 minutes

½ teaspoon salt

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cooked (baked, boiled, etc,) (or rotisserie chicken breasts)

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 (24 oz.) marinara sauce (I use 1 jar of Bertolli 5 Cheese Marinara Sauce)

1 teaspoon onion herb Mrs. Dash seasoning or Italian seasoning

2 cups mozzarella shredded (I use low fat 2% milk fat cheese)

4 oz. Parmesan Grated or shredded

1 (5 oz.) bag croutons

Directions:

Line your slow cooker with slow cooker liners.

Peel about 7 garlic cloves and chop them into tiny pieces.

Add the garlic and olive oil to a sauteuse pan.  On medium heat, stir and cook until the garlic begins to be toasted.  Set aside

Boil water with ½ teaspoon salt.  Once a rapid boil is reached, add the box of penne.  Boil for 4 minutes, then remove from heat and drain.  Toss with half of the toasted garlic and olive oil that was set aside.

Chop two of the chicken breasts into tiny pieces (I use a food chopper)

In a large mixing bowl add the penne, the marinara, 1 teaspoon onion herb Mrs. Dash seasoning, and ½ cup shredded Parmesan.  Mix well.

Pour half of the pasta mixture into the slow cooker.  Place the remaining 2 chicken breasts on the bed of penne.  Top chicken and pasta with 1 cup ½  cup parmesan and 1 cup mozzarella.  Pour the remaining pasta mixture over chicken.  Top with ¼ cup parmesan.

Slow Cook on LOW for 4 hours.

About ½ hour before serving, top with the croutons and sprinkle croutons with any remaining cheese.  Once the cheese is melted, remove the lid until it is only partly covering the crock.

Ingredients

Chopped Chicken

Chopped Garlic

Toasted Garlic

Firm Boiled Penne tossed in Garlic Olive Oil

Toasted Garlic and Olive Oil on bottom of lined crock pot

Mixing Pasta, Chicken, Cheese, Sauce

All Mixed Up

Layering Chicken

Cheese on Chicken

Ready to slow Cook

Ready to top with croutons

Croutons

Cheese topped croutons

Lid Askew

Ready to Serve

GARLIC PARMESAN BREADSTICK ROLLUPS

Crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside.  These breadstick rollups are delicious.  They are my new favorite way of making breadsticks with a pizza dinner.

Ingredients:

1 ball of Pizza Dough

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese

½ cup Butter, melted

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder (season to taste)

¼ cup Mozzarella Cheese

¼ cup cheddar cheese

(all ingredient proportions are approximate and are to be done to taste)

Directions:

Roll the pizza dough into a rectangle.  Add garlic powder to the melted butter.  Brush melted butter and garlic powder on rectangle.  Sprinkle with Mozzarella, Parmesan and Cheddar Cheese.  Roll into a log starting with the long side (just like you would do when you make cinnamon rolls).  Cut into ¼ inch rolls and place cut side down on a baking stone.  Brush with more of the butter and garlic powder mixture.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on them.  Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 20 - 25 minutes (or until they are golden on the outside and gooey in the middle).  Serve with pizza sauce or ranch dressing.

Cut into 1/4 inch rolls with cut side down in baking dish

Brushed with butter and sprinkled with Parmesan

Just out of the oven

Ready to Serve

CHEDDAR BACON CHICKEN BAKE

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Bowl Ingredients and Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Bowl 1:  1 cup Milk

Bowl 2: Mix  1 cup flour, ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper and 1 tsp. garlic powder together

Bowl 3: ¼ - ½ cup butter, melted

Bowl 4:  Add the 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 10 strips crumbled bacon, ½  cup bread crumbs*, 1/2  cup crushed cereal and a few shakes of pepper.  Mix well.

Let the chicken breast soak in Bowl 1 (milk) for about 10 minutes. 

Cube 2 tablespoons of the butter.  Place 2 tablespoons butter in a 9 X 9 –inch or 8 X 8- inch baking dish.  Let butter melt in the oven for about 3 - 5 minutes.  Remove from Oven.  Slide the baking pan around to coat the pan with the butter.

Add the chicken breast to Bowl 2 and coat chicken breast completely with flour and seasonings.  Dip the chicken  into Bowl 3 (melted butter) or Brush the chicken with the melted butter.  Immediately place the chicken in Bowl 4 (cheese, bread crumbs, bacon and cereal) and coat completely.

Place in the prepared baking dish and cover with foil and bake for 35 - 40 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven.   After 15 minutes of baking, remove foil and continue baking. Serve with “Creamy Three Cheese Sauce”

 * If you don't have any bread crumbs, but you do have croutons, just put your croutons through the food chopper and make your own.  Or, just put your croutons in a ziplock bag and smash them into bread crumbs yourself.

Serve with Creamy Three Cheese Sauce....

Ingredients

Soaking in :Milk

Bowl 2

Bowl 4

Butter for Baking Dish

Bowl 2 - 4

Melted Butter in Baking Dish

Coated in Flour from Bowl 2

Coated in Butter from Bowl 3

Coated in Bacon and Cheddar in Bowl 4

Added to Baking Pan

Ready to Bake

Just Out of the Oven

Plated

Ready to Eat  with http://bakingbanquet.blogspot.com/2012/11/creamy-three-cheese-sauce.html

BAKED RAVIOLI

Adapted From: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/baked-ravioli/

Ingredients:                           Half Recipe Ingredients (use a 9”X 9” baking dish)

1 bag (25 Oz. Bag) Frozen Ravioli                   18 Frozen Ravioli for a half recipe (I used the ones from Costco)

1 jar (26 Oz. Jar) Marinara Sauce                     1 jar (26 oz.) Marinara Sauce (I still used an entire jar)

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese               1 cup Shredded Mozzarella (I used reduced fat)

Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling                    Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions:

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray bottom and sides of a 9×13 rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread 3/4 cup of the pasta sauce in baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce; top with half of the remaining pasta sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot in the center. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  If desired serve with Marinara Meat Sauce.

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce and Ravioli

Cheese Layer

Parmesan Cheese, Top Layer

Over the Foil was removed

Ready to Eat