Chicken Noodle Soup

10-12 cups chicken broth (I use Better Than Boillion)
2-3 chicken breasts
6-10 carrots chopped
celery chopped
egg noodles (about 1 bag)

Cook chicken ahead (or use rotisserie). You can boil and shred or saute and shred. Salute carrots till almost soft in butter/EVOO and add celery and sauce. Put everything in a pot and heat up and add tons and tons of salt and some pepper and some dill.
Cook the noodles separate and add when serving or they'll get soggy fast.

Kielbasa Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb penne pasta
1/2 onion
1 package kielbasa sausage
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 can mild Rotel Tomatoes (I just chopped up some tomatoes)
1/2-1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp chicken bullion
8 oz Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded

Directions:

Cook pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, saute onion and Kielbasa in skillet with olive oil for about 4 minutes Add garlic and saute 3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, whipping cream and bullion. Bring to boil and let simmer a few minutes. Add pasta. Bring to boil and let simmer a few more minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Another option: saute the onion, Kiebasa and garlic in olive oil. Add the whipping cream, 2 cups chicken broth, tomatoes and uncooked pasta. Cook 15 minutes or until pasta cooked to desired tenderness. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Adapted from: https://cookpad.com/us/recipes/341669-kielbasa-pasta

Chicken Lime Fettuccine

Ingredients:
1 lb fettuccine pasta, cooked
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus some for garnish
2 Tbs minced garlic
2-4 Tbs minced jalapeno peppers (I used 4-5 Tbs canned green chili peppers)
3 Tbs butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
2-4 Tbs fresh lime juice
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 1/4 lb chicken breast-cubed
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced (I used 1 1/2 green total because thats what I had)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:
In medium saucepan, saute cliantro, garlic and jalapeno peppers in 2 Tbs butter over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and most of the lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a paste-like consistency. Set aside. Marinate chicken in soy sauce and remaining lime juice for 5-10 minutes. Cook and set aside. In medium sized saucepan, saute onion and bell peppers with remaining Tbs butter for a few minutes. Add the lemon paste and cream. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Stir in chicken and pasta. Garnish with cilantro. Delicious!

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked macaroni or other small pasta
3 cups cauliflower florets (1 medium head)
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
2 TBS all-purpose flower
1 cup milk
11/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used a blend of cheeses that had cheddar)
1/2 cup extra firm tofu, crumbled (I did not add this)
1/2 TSP salt
1/4 TSP freshly cracked pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 F
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. When there are 3 minutes of cooking time left, add the cauliflower to pot and let it cook with pasta for the remaining time. Drain.
In another large pot (I used the same pot), heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk, cooking until thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, tofu, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and cauliflower.
Transfer the mixture to 9x13-inch baking dish. Stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and remaining 1 TBS olive oil. Sprinkle over pasta. Bake for 30 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Serves 6
Tip: make a double batch and freeze half before baking (up to 3 months) when tightly sealed.
Recipe from the yummy mummy kitchen book (Marina Delio)

Chicken and Green Chili Pasta

1 lb penne pasta

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded with cumin and salt added after shredded (2 cups)

2 cups shredded Monteray Jack Cheese

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

4 oz diced green chilies

1. Cook pasta acoording to package, drain, and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9X13 cooking pan.

2.  In a mixing bowl, stir together chicken and cheese.

3. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour to make a roux and let bubble for 1 minute.  Slowly add in chicken broth and stir constantly. Let bubble and thicken for 10-15 minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in sour cream and green chilies. Stir until well combined.

4. In 9x13 baking dish, layer pasta, chicken and cheese mixture two times. Then pour sauce over top. Do not stir. Add more cheese to top if desired (um, yes!). 

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and golden on top.

*Season to your hearts desire. This is a mellow recipe with lots of room to flavor it how you like*

Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce

This recipe is very easy and fairly low fat, compared with regular Alfredo Sauce.

Ingredients:
2 TBS butter
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste, if needed

Directions:
In medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese and stir with whisk until smooth. Add milk gradually, whisking with each addition. Stir in Parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes for a thicker sauce or remove right after cheese is melted for a thinner sauce. Serve immediately over hot, cooked noodles.

From www.melskitchencafe.com

Skillet Mac and Cheese from America's Test Kitchen

3 1/2 c. water
1 (12 ox) can evaporated Milk
3 cups elbow macaroni
salt and pepper
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp hot sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded monterey Jack cheese
3 TB butter

Bring 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup evap milk, macaroni and 1/2 tsp salt to simmer in skillet over high heat, stirring often until Mac is tender. Whisk remaining 1/2 cup evap milk, cornstarch, mustard and tobasco together then stir into skillet. Continue to simmer until thickened, about 1 min.
Remove from heat, stir in chesses one handful at a time--add additional water as needed to adjust sauce consistency. Stir in butter and season with salt and pepper.

Marinara Sauce (from Kathy)

Use about 20 tomatoes
In a food processor (or I grate them), I process the tomatoes. Then I cook them down until they get quite thick. It can take 4-6 hours depending on how many I have. I add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to taste.

In a large frying pan, I saute, in olive oil, two large onions that have been chopped into pieces.  When they are about half way cooked, I add a lot of sliced mushrooms that have been sliced. When the onions and mushrooms are just about cooked, I add some grated garlic, salt, and Pepper to taste. Saute together for a minute of two and remove from heat.

In the bottom of a large pot, I brown 2 pounds of hamburger, or 1 pound of hamburger and one pound of pork or veal. Season with seasoning salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. When the meat is browned. Add the tomatoes and the onion mixture and heat through together.

To this I add one, two or all, depending on my mood and how things are tasting to me: large container of any kind of Prego Spaghetti sauce, 2-15oz cans of Italian stewed tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, water.

Sometimes I leave out the meat and add fresh cooked or steamed veggies. I don't cook them in the spaghetti sauce because it makes the sauce too watery.

Bowtie Pasta Salad (From Brooke S.)

16 oz bow tie pasta cooked and cooled
1 bag baby spinach leaves
1 red bell pepper sliced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 large can mandarin oranges drained
2 cooked seasoned chicken breasts chopped (omit this if you want vegetarian)
1/2 cup sugared pecans
Poppy seed dressing

Lightly mix ingredients together in salad bowl.

Poppy seed dressing1 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp mustard
1 TB minced onion
1 TB poppy seed
Blend ingredients together in a blender or food processor for 2 minutes.  Dressing will be thick.

Sugared pecans1 cup pecans
1 TB orange juice
3 TB sugar

Heat the juice and 2 TB of sugar in small fry pan.  Add the nuts and stir gently for 2 minutes until the juice is absorbed.  Transfer to small bowl.  Add the rest of the sugar.  Spread nuts on foil on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 8 minutes.  Cool and store in fridge.

creamy mushroom sauce

8 oz mushrooms, cut
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cream
2 tablespoons fresh dill

Heat up a pan and saute mushrooms, onion, and garlic in 2 TBS olive oil until mushroom starts to golden and the onion is soft. Add chicken stock, cream and fresh dill
Let simmer 5 minutes and season with (a lot of) salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated parm cheese on top.

macaroni salad (from ruth)

4 cups uncooked elbo macaroni
1 cup mayo
1/4 c white vinegar
2/3 c sugar
2 1/2 tbs mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small purple onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
2 tbs chipped pimiento peppers (no thanks)

Cook noodles. Rinse under cold water. In large bowl mix mayo, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. stir in onion, celery green pepper, carrot, minentos and macaroni. refrigerate 4+ hours.

Homemade Pasta!

2 3/4 cups flour

3 eggs

1 tsp salt

Put flour on counter. Make bowl with flour, add eggs and salt. Mix with fork at first, then hands. If too dry, add drops of water until it comes together. Once it has come together, fold for 5 min if cutting with a machine, and 10 minutes if rolling and cutting by hand. Voila!

The original Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus extra to serve

12 oz fresh fettuccine

salt and pepper

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, then add the parmesan and salt and pepper, and turn heat to low. Add the pasta and toss till covered. Serve with extra cheese.

pasta with white truffle butter

8 oz tagurelli

1/2 cup heavy cream into saute pan. Turn on heat. 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. 3 oz truffle butter (tub style about $7). Add to cream and let melt.

Add parmesan cheese and chives.

Zucchini Pasta

3 medium zucchinis

2-3 oz. linguine

1-2 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil or 2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/4 cup. Shredded Parmesan 

1/4 Mozzarella

When determining how much linguine to cook - do about 1/3 of what you would normally cook for a pasta dish. This meal replaces a large portion of your carbs with zucchini, and it's even more delicious! Boil the linguine for about 7-8 minutes so it's still a little firm. 

Cube your chicken in small bite size pieces. Cook on medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Once chicken is fully cooked, remove from pan. 

Chop up your zucchini in very fine strips (as shown above). Put them in the same pan used to cook the chicken, and drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil on zucchini. Cook on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until they're starting to bend - but not too soggy and flimsy, you still want a little bit of a crunch.     

Add the chicken back into the pan. Add the basil. Then add the linguine and cheese. Combine the ingredients, heat through, and serve!

We love this recipe. It is so good! Go ahead and put more zucchini if you want, I put 5-6 zucchinis.

Recipe from beck-a-boo blog

White cheese sauce (for anything or for mac and cheese)

Heat 1 qt of milk

In another pan heat 6 TB butter. Add 1/2 cup flour. Cook together for about 2 minutes while whisking.

Slowly add the hot milk.

Add TB salt.

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)

12 oz gruyere, shredded

8 oz good cheddar, shredded

Add cheese to sauce. Combine with 1 lb macaroni for mac and cheese.

optional: put in dish and add sliced tomatoes and bread crumbs to top. Bake at 375 for 30 min.

Tomato Sauce from Alton Brown

TOTAL TIME: 2 hr 55 min

prep: 25 min

cook: 2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

20 roma tomatoes, halved and seeded (I didn't seed as you can see by the pictures)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 cup finely diced onion

2 tsp minced garlic

1 TB finely chopped oregano leaves

1 TB finely chopped thyme leaves

1 cup white wine (or substitute like water, vege broth. See LINK)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans place tomato halves cut side up. Sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs. Bake tomatoes for 2 hours. Check the tomatoes after 1 hour and turn down the heat if they seem to be cooking too quickly. Then turn the oven to 400 degrees and bake another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and process tomatoes through a food mill (or food processor) on medium dye setting over a small saucepan. Discard skins. Add white wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes

Marinara sauce from Barefoot Contessa

SAUTE

1 cup chopped yellow onion 5-10 min

add

1 1/2 t. chopped garlic

1/2 cup wine or chicken stock

turn up heat and simmer till liquid almost evaporates

ADD

20 oz can of tomatoes, whatever sort

1 TB fresh chopped parsley

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 t pepper

Simmer 15 min. DONE! Freezes okay.

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients
■1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
■1 stick 1/2 Cup Butter
■16 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Sliced
■¼ cups Dry White Wine
■Kosher Salt And Pepper
■¼ cups Flour
■2 cups Chicken Broth (reserved From Chicken Or Canned)
■1-½ cup Whole Milk
■¼ cups (additional) Dry White Wine
■1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
■1 cup Whole Black Olives, Chopped
■1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Or To Taste (didn't need to add any)
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper
■Extra Cheese, For Sprinkling
■1 pound Thin Spaghetti

Preparation Instructions
Place chicken in a pot of water and boil on medium-low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool slightly. Keep broth in pot.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Throw in mushrooms, add 1/4 cup white wine, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until liquid has totally evaporated. Remove mushrooms from skillet. Set aside.
Bring broth to a boil. Break spaghetti into thirds (shorter pieces). Add spaghetti pieces to boiling broth and cook. Drain when al dente. Remove meat from bones and shred until you have 2-plus cups of shredded chicken.
Return large skillet to medium-low heat. Add 6 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle flour over butter, whisking to combine. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Pour in 2 cups broth and whisk to combine. Pour in milk, additional 1/4 cup wine, salt and pepper to taste, then cook and bubble until thick. Turn off heat, add Parmesan cheese, and stir.
Add mushrooms, chicken, and chopped olives. Stir to combine and check seasonings. Add cooked spaghetti and stir.
Turn into a 9 x 13 casserole pan. Bake at 350 degrees or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with salad and warm, crusty bread.

Recipe by the Pioneer Woman

I made this recipe a couple days ago and everyone loved it.
I substituted the cut up fryer chicken for 3 chicken breasts boiled. I also substituted the dry white wine for white wine vinegar. I used the fake Parmesan cheese. So, I boiled the chicken and shredded it (big pieces). Cooked the pasta with water not on chicken broth. I used the bouillon cube for the chicken broth required in the sauce. I also forgot to put it in the oven, and it was still delicious! Next time, I'll put it in the oven.

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients
■2 cups Cooked Chicken
■3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
■2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
■2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
■¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
■¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
■1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
■2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
■1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
■⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
■Salt And Pepper, to taste
■1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions
Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Recipe by the Pioneer Woman

For this recipe I didn't add the jar of pimentos and it tasted really good still. I also omitted the cayenne pepper (I just don't like it). And obviously I didn't cook a cut up fryer.