More Awesome recipes! and a Kitchen Tip...

Kitchen Tip #1
Buy a couple of rotisserie chickens at the store. Come home, pull all the chicken from the bone and freeze it in appropriate portions for your family. Then you have chicken already cooked and seasoned for a future meal like the soup recipe below. And if you don't have time to cook a whole meal, you can serve it in tacos or just add BBQ sauce for a quick pulled chicken sandwich.

This first recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law, Anna. (Our husbands are brothers and have very similar tastes.) It has a lot of bacon in it and is extremely unhealthy but oh-so-good. So if you aren't counting calories then you have to try this...

Spaghetti Carbonara ... (and I don't have a picture...I am definitely not a Mandi M. when it comes to plating...too bad you didn't live closer Mandi...we work so well together!!)
1 lb. dry spaghetti
1 lb. cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup frozen petite peas (broccoli works as well)
2 1/2 C heavy cream
1 C fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
yields six servings

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente, about 8-9 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside. In large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat bacon pieces until they begin to sizzle. (if you like your bacon on the more crispy side, like me, then cook it until done)Don't drain grease. Add peas & cream. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat slightly and boil gently for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in Parmesan cheese, stirring continuously until blended and sauce is slightly thickened.
Mix pasta & sauce together in large serving bowl. Garnish w/ chopped parsley and black pepper to taste.
**I served this with garlic bread and green salad.


This is a great recipe to make on Sunday's...very low maintenance and so good. I like it because by the time you are done, you have a gravy too so no need to dirty up another pan to make gravy.

Awesome Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
(courtesy of allrecipes.com)

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used one can COM and one can COC)
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water (I used beef broth)
5 1/2 pounds pot roast

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water (or broth). Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

**I seared my pot roast before putting it into the crock pot. I also added carrots, potatoes and onions. I added carrots and onions about 2 hours before eating, and potatoes 1 1/2 hours before eating. Because it is a gravy base it takes a little longer for the veggies to cook. I also added a little more broth when adding the veggies. Then about 20 min before eating...I thickened the gravy a little more by adding flour, gravy mix or cornstarch...or a little of all of them.

Three-Alarm Italian Style Chili Mac
Courtesy of Rachel Ray

1 pound penne pasta or cavatappi (hollow pasta spirals)
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 palmfuls
Black pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup beef stock
1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes (I couldn't find fire-roasted so I just added a couple dashes cayenne to the regular...or if you don't like it spicy, just leave it out all together)
Handful basil leaves, torn
2 cups shredded smoked Cheddar or scamorza ( smoked aged mozzarella)

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Preheat broiler to high.
Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium high heat with extra-virgin olive oil. When oil ripples or smokes, crumble beef and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Season the meat with chili powder, salt and pepper. When meat has browned, add onions, peppers and garlic. Cook vegetables until soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add stock and scrape up pan drippings. Stir in crushed tomatoes, simmer sauce 10 minutes and fold in basil. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Toss to combine and transfer to a casserole dish. Cover with cheese and brown under broiler 3 to 4 minutes.
**Served this with roasted garlic asparagus.


Mexican Chicken Soup
Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa
Don't be fooled by this picture...it tastes much better than it looks.

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (or your pulled chicken)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas
For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese and Cheddar Bread (recipe below).

Jalopeno Cheddar Bread
Courtesy Barefoot Contessa

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups milk
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions
3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.