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.

BROCCOLI BEEF SKILLET FRY

Ingredients:

1 pound stir fry beef (or steak cut into strips)

Coarse ground peppercorns, to taste

4 cups broccoli, steamed 4 minutes in the microwave

Sea salt, to taste

½ of an onion, finely chopped

4 cups mini sweet bell peppers

1 Tablespoon butter

½ cup slivered toasted* almonds

White Rice or Brown Rice (I use READY RICE – 1 minute in the microwave)

Directions:

Wash and chop the sweet bell peppers.  Peel and chop onion (I use an electric food chopper).  In a sautuesse pan, melt butter.  Add onion and bell pepper and sauté.  Microwave or steam rice.  Add the steak strips and generously season with cracked peppercorns (I use the peppercorn medley).  Cook on medium heat until the steak is done (if the steak has extra water, I use a paper towel and carefully soak up the excess – without removing any onion and seasoning). Season broccoli with sea salt.  Steam broccoli in microwave for 4 minutes.  Add the steamed broccoli and toasted almonds and stir just until combined.   Serve on a bed of rice (I like brown rice, my husband likes white rice..so in the picture I mixed the two rices)

*to toast slivered almonds:  Place almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated oven on 375 degrees F for 3 minutes, stir, then bake 1 more minute.  Remove from oven.

Ingredients

Sauteing Onions and Peppers

Adding Beef

Cooking Beef

Adding Broccoli

Adding Toasted Almonds

Ready to Serve on Rice

Plated

CREAMY GARLIC HERB BUTTER SAUCE WITH SEASONED CHICKEN AND BOW TIE PASTA

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) package Bow Tie Pasta (I use the Vegetable Pasta)

4 thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Mrs. Dash

Peppercorn Medley

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

4 teaspoons olive oil, or garlic olive oil

Ingredients for Creamy Butter Garlic Herb Sauce:

3/4 cup butter, melted

6 tablespoons heavy cream, warmed

½ teaspoon Garlic Herb Mrs. Dash

½ teaspoon Garlic Pepper  (I used Bill Baron’s Savory Secrets Garlic & Pepper Secret #6)

1 shake Peppercorn Medley (for butter sauce)

Top with shredded Parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Boil water for pasta, adding about 1 teaspoon salt and a drop of olive oil.  Peel and chop garlic.  Place chopped garlic and olive oil in a sauté pan.  Cook on medium heat until toasted.  Set aside.  Add pasta to boiling water.  Boil according to package directions.   In a large sauteusse pan, add chicken and season generously with garlic herb Mrs. Dash and Cracked peppercorn medley.  Cook on Medium High heat just until done and no longer pink in the middle.  Meanwhile melt the butter and warm the heavy whipping cream (about 15 seconds in microwave).  To the creamy butter sauce, Mix in the seasonings with a whisk and whisk until well blended.  Drain pasta.  Now combine all the components (pasta, toasted garlic and creamy butter sauce) into your large sauteusse pan.  Mix well over low heat for about 2 minutes – just to be sure it is hot all the way through.  Top with shredded Parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients

Chopped Garlic in olive oil

Toasted Garlic

Creamy Garlic Herb Butter Sauce

Cubed Chicken

Mixing it together

All Mixed

CHEESE STUFFED MANICOTTI for the SLOW COOKER

Ingredients:

1 Package Manicotti (from Raleys, Nugget or Winnco)

Cheese Stuffing

1 (15 oz.) container Ricotta Cheese

1(16 oz.) Container Cottage Cheese ( I use low fat, small curd)

2 (2 Cup) Package Mozzarella Cheese (I use low fat)

½ of an 8 oz.  (4 oz.) container of grated Parmesan Cheese

1 bunch parsley leaves (washed and cut)

Meat Sauce:

1 pound Hamburger Crumbled and drained

2  Jars Beritolli five cheese Marinara Sauce

Season with Garlic Powder, Italian Seasonings, etc. Fresh chopped basil, fresh minced garlic, etc.

Topping:

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Line  slow cooker liner with slow cooker liners.

Snip the leaves off the parsley and cut them

In a large bowl, combine the Cheeses for the stuffing.  Add parsley and stir in.

Boil Manicotti for 5 minutes (or about ½ the time it suggests on the box).  Drain and let cool on waxed paper.

Brown and crumble the hamburger.  Drain grease.  Add the Tomato Sauce and Season.

Put enough of the meat sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker to lightly cover the bottom (so the manicotti does not stick)

Stuff the Manicotti with the cheese mixture by hand or by using a very small spoon (I use a baby spoon)…I have found that using my hands works much better.  Or, sometimes I use some kitchen shears and cut a single seam into the manicotti.  Then I spread the cheese in it and roll it up.  I place it in the slow cooker seam side down.

Place each manicotti in the lasagna pan over the light layer of meat sauce

Cover the manicotti with the remaining meat sauce – to be sure that the pasta is covered (otherwise it will dry out during baking)

Sprinkle the meat sauce with the cup of mozzarella (or whatever cheese you have).  Cover with lid.

SLOW COOK for 4 hours on LOW.

Ingredients

Draining Grease With a Paper Towel

Meat Sauce

Boiling Pasta

Cheese Mixture

Cheese Mixture with Parsley

Boiled and Drained Manicotti

Layering

First Layer

Stuffing Manicotti

Second Layer

Ready to Slow Cook

Ready to Serve

CREAMY CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH ROTINI FOR THE SLOW COOKER

Ingredients:

16 ounces Vegetable Rotini Pasta

½  can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup butter

¾ teaspoon garlic powder

3 generous shakes of white pepper (season to taste)

¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 ½ cups cubed cooked chicken (I season chicken w/Garlic Herb Mrs. Dash, then fry it in a sauteusse pan- just until done)

Garlic Herb Mrs. Dash

Topping:

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs (or crushed Texas Toast Cheese and Garlic Croutons)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 to 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Line a slow cooker with a plastic slow cooker liner.

Cook pasta for 6 minutes until it is very firm.  Meanwhile in a large saucepan, make the Alfredo sauce by combining the soup, cream cheese, cream, butter, white pepper and garlic powder, Stir in the cheeses; cook and stir until melted.  Add the chicken, heat through.  Drain pasta, add pasta to the lined slow cooker.  Pour in the Alfredo sauce and chicken mixture over the pasta and stir until combined.

Cook on LOW for 4 hours.  About 15 minutes before serving, Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over chicken and pasta mixture.   Replace lid only part way to so the topping stays crispy.  Serve and enjoy.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

Cubed, Seasoned, Cooked Chicken

Making Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce

Adding Chicken

Pasta in Crock Pot

Ready to Cook

Crumb Topping

Ready for Topping

Adding Topping

Ready to Serve