Penne a la Betsy

I forgot to mention one of the perks of my new job - I get my own desk! I know that sounds insignificant, but my Jersey City office implemented "free seating" a few years ago.  Free seating means there are less desks than people, and therefore no one has their own space.  You go into the office in the morning, choose an open desk, and plug in your laptop.  Since there are less desks than people, we have the technology to work anywhere (remote access with video chat, IP phones, etc.) which makes it easy to work from home.  I've gotten quite used to working from home on Fridays.  The NYC office location does not (yet?)  have free seating, so I get my own desk! Woo! Now I've started leaving things on my new desk, and mistakenly left my laptop there on Thursday.  Unfortunately, this meant that I had to go into the office on Friday.  KK was also forced to implement a last-minute menu change because I was supposed to marinate chicken during the day.


Penne a la Besty was the backup dinner plan for Friday night.  KK was planning to pickup penne at the grocery store this weekend so, without penne in the pantry, we used rotini instead.  I decided to keep the recipe name consistent with The Pioneer Woman's original creation.  You get the gist! The most substantial change I made to the original recipe was using chicken instead of shrimp - not surprisingly, I dislike seafood.  I also added various Italian spices to make the dish more flavorful.  The sauce-to-pasta-to-chicken ratio was perfect! I'm looking forward to leftovers later this week.  Enjoy!

Penne a la Betsy
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
3/4 pound penne pasta
1 pound chicken breast, chopped into small pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.  Remove chicken from skillet, plate, and cover with aluminum foil.

3. Deglaze the pan by pouring a small amount of white wine into the skillet, stirring to get up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes.  Add white wine and let it evaporate for a few minutes, again stirring occasionally.  Next, add tomato sauce and evaporated milk.  Stir until well combined.  Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

5. Add herbs and cooked chicken to the tomato cream sauce.  Stir to coat, and season with salt and pepper.  Add cooked pasta, stir to combine, and serve warm.

Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach & Peas

I'm back! Orlando was great! My friends and I split our time between poolside relaxation and Disney parks.  As expected in Florida, it rained one day, but luckily it wasn't one of our park days.  Our first stop on Saturday was Hollywood Studios.  We rode Toy Story Midway Mania, Tower of Terror, and Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster.  We moved over to Epcot in the afternoon, and sampled the food and drinks in  the World Showcase.  My personal favorite was the hazelnut liqueur Kasbah Coffee in Morocco.

We saved Magic Kingdom for Monday, hoping the park would be less crowded without the weekend vacationers.  Success! In 9 hours, we experienced 18 rides (some duplicates) and even had a sit down lunch.  Karen rode her first roller coaster and announced Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as her favorite ride in the park.  With that being said, we rode Big Thunder again and convinced her to try Space Mountain, too.  We ended the day with a brownie Sundae from Plaza Restaurant on Main Street, and watched the fireworks over Cinderella's castle.  It was perfect!

I thought this would take about 25 minutes to pull together, but I promise it only took 15 minutes.  Once the water boiled, the gnocchi only took 2 minutes to cook.  Don't forget to reserve some of the pasta water for the sauce! Once the gnocchi was finished, the veggies and sauce were already done, too.  I increased the crushed red pepper flakes and decided to use garlic salt because, in my opinion, one clove of garlic was not enough! I hope you enjoy this quick, easy, and healthy dinner.  I know KK enjoyed it because there were no leftovers, but I think he's also just happy to have me home :)

Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach & Peas
Adapted from Epicurious
Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients
1 pound gnocchi
1 cup frozen baby peas
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups packed baby spinach
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
1.  Boil water and cook gnocchi according to package directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup water before draining gnocchi.

2. In a large skillet, combine peas, evaporated milk, red pepper flakes, garlic, and garlic salt.  Cover skillet, and simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until peas are tender.

3. Add spinach to skillet and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until spinach is wilted.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

4. Add Parmesan cheese and gnocchi to the skillet.  Stir to coat.  Add reserved water as needed to thin the sauce.

Chicken & Black Bean Tostizzas

Never heard of a tostizza before? Don’t worry, neither had I, and it seems like Deborah over at Taste and Tell invented the term.  She combined two of her family's favorites – tostadas and pizzas – into one delicious concoction! One of my cooking goals is to make pizza dough from scratch, but before that happens, you may see some variations of these biscuit-based tostizzas in our menu rotation.

I was on track to get this meal on the table in 30 minutes, but unexpected disaster struck! As I tried to place the baking sheet in the oven, my inner-klutz came out, and I knocked the tray against the oven rack.  Oops!  The damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but there were some bean, cheese, and salsa casualties on the bottom of the oven.  Luckily I had some extra bean mixture, so I reconstructed the tostizzas and got back on track.  I was able to clean up most of the mess, but have tasked KK with a weekend chore – running the oven self-cleaner function.

An added bonus to this meal: we “customized” the tostizzas by leaving the chicken off half of them.  KK’s cousin was over for dinner, and she gave her stamp of approval on the veggie-friendly version of the tostizzas that we created for her!

While KK has some amazing perks at work (free breakfast, snacks, lunch, and gym membership), my company gives more vacation days.  Because wasting vacations days would be a crime, I’m off to Orlando on Friday! A few girlfriends and I are taking a much-needed long weekend which will hopefully be filled with sun, relaxation by the pool, and a few Disney park days!

Chicken & Black Bean Tostizzas

Adapted from Taste and Tell

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup diced chicken breast

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 can large refrigerated flaky biscuits (8 biscuits)

1/2 cup salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup red pepper, cut into strips

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream, for garnish

Guacamole, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. I a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Cook chicken.

3. Meanwhile, flatten each biscuit with bare hands, and arrange on an ungreased baking sheet.

4. In a medium bowl, combine salsa, chicken, black beans, cumin, chili powder, and onions.  Mix well, and spread over the biscuits; try leaving a small crust free of toppings around the edges.  Top each biscuit with bell pepper strips and cheese.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden and the cheese is melted.  If desired, serve garnished with the sour cream and guacamole.

Bruschetta, Avocado and Mozzarella Chicken

It looks like we had a weekend of dinners inspired by IGE - both Saturday and Sunday nights' dinners came from her site.  It's clear that she's one of 3D Dinners favorite bloggers!  In the same post as this recipe, IGE's Kristin also gave her readers a fail-proof way to ensure chicken breasts are cooked through without cutting them open...something that I'm certainly guilty of 9 times out of 10.  She recommends pressing into the chicken with your finger.  If it feels bouncy and raw, the chicken needs to be cooked another minute or two.  If you can't really press into the chicken, it's all done.  Amazingly simple!  I tried it on Sunday, and it worked, of course I had to cut into the chicken to verify, but it worked!

I don't think I mentioned last week, but the Grilled Eggplant Burger tomato topping was made from tomatoes found in the discount produce section!  You know how much I love discount produce.  The $1 pack came with 8 tomatoes, so I used the leftovers to pull together some homemade bruschetta.  I chopped up the remaining plum tomatoes and added onions, crushed garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, thyme, oregano, and Parmesan cheese.  I don't have a recipe to save because I was experimenting, throwing things into the bowl randomly.  I will be more precise next time.  The end result was delicious, and it was perfect for this bruschetta chicken dish.

This meal came together quickly.  I started with the balsamic vinegar first, and it turned into a nice reduction sauce by the time I was done with everything else.  I used shredded mozzarella instead of fresh cheese, so it melted in less than 2 minutes.  While under the broiler, watch the cheese carefully to ensure it doesn't burn.  In an attempt to be healthy, I served the chicken over spinach instead of pasta.  It was a tricky way to sneak a decent-sized salad onto KK's plate!

Bruschetta, Avocado and Mozzarella Chicken
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut in half and butterflied (4 thin pieces)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup bruschetta
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Baby spinach or pasta, for serving

Directions
1. Pour balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan then bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium then simmer and reduce until vinegar is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 20 minutes.  Set aside to cool; vinegar will continue to thicken while cooling.

2. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.  Coat a large skillet with olive oil, and heat on medium-high.  Add chicken breasts to skillet, and cook for 4-5 minutes each side, until no longer pink in the center.

3. Meanwhile, place oven rack in top position and preheat broiler.

4. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam.  Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet, and top each piece with 2 tablespoons bruschetta, 3-4 slices avocado, and 1/4 cup mozzarella.  Broil until cheese melts.  Serve over spinach or pasta.  Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar reduction.

Kung Pao Chicken Burgers

I was quite the Maxxinista on Saturday - using my new job as an excuse to pickup a few new blazers and work dresses.  And a fun pair of wedges for my friend Jess's September wedding! After a long afternoon of prowling through the racks at both TJ Maxx and Marshalls, my coworker informed me that Red Mango was serving free yogurt.  It was too cold outside for pictures (and my hands were full with shopping bags), but KK and I enjoyed frozen yogurt chock full of toppings before dinner!

My cast iron grill pan still needs some more seasoning, so I was relieved to see this recipe suggesting a non-stick skillet for cooking the burgers.  I recommend flattening the chicken patties before you start to ensure they cook through without the outsides burning.  As you can see from my picture, I knew my patties weren't cooking thoroughly, so I had to slice them in half.  Problem solved! IGE recommends low-sodium soy sauce... listen to her! Our Costco-sized jug of soy sauce is not low-sodium, and the grocery store strangely didn't have any in stock, so we were forced to use regular soy sauce.  The burgers themselves were fantastic, but the sauce was - as predicted - quite salty.

Burgers for dinner would not be complete without beer (and tater tots!).  KK and I sampled beers from his quarterly Beer Club delivery.  The latest delivery included beers from Sprecher Brewery and Woodstock Inn Brewery.  I enjoyed both of the beers I tasted: the Sprecher Abbey Triple and the Woodstock Red Rack Ale.  KK only had a 50% success rate with his selections.  The Sprecher Piper's Scotch Ale was his least favorite, but he enjoyed the Woodstock Pemi Pale Ale.

Kung Pao Chicken Burgers

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Sauce Ingredients
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup white cooking wine
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Other Ingredients
1lb ground chicken
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 egg white
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 buns

Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch and water.

2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, onions, bread crumbs, peanuts, egg white, garlic, and 2 tablespoons sauce.  Mix with hands until just combined and form into 4 patties. Cook in a nonstick-sprayed skillet over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes each side, or until done.

3. Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch and water into the remaining sauce. Transfer to a small saucepan, and heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

4. Place cooked burgers on toasted buns, and top with sauce and desired burger toppings.

Slow Cooker Garlic & Brown Sugar Chicken

Happy Saturday (although I must admit that I cooked this meal on Friday)! Slow cooker meals are perfect for weekends or days that I work from home, so this was a perfect meal to start off the weekend.  While working from home on Friday, I managed to get dinner started, fit in a trip to the post office, and get FIVE loads of laundry washed/dried/folded.  Talk about productivity!

If I haven't mentioned it before, a slow cooker was one of my most coveted wedding registry gifts.  I chose the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 crockpot - with 2, 4, and 6 quart bowls for cooking.  I really do love my slow cooker, but (not so secretly) wish I had one with a timer.  Do you think having a timer is better than having multiple sized bowls? Tell me your thoughts!

I used frozen chicken and cooked it for 7.5 hours.  Although my picture shows a whole chicken breast, the chicken shredded easily and KK enjoyed mixing the chicken, sauce, and rice all together.  The sauce was deliciously sweet, but still had a nice garlicky taste.  Along with the rice, I served this chicken with a side salad and whole edamame.  I'm certain that KK will add this dish to the Repeat List.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Garlic & Brown Sugar Chicken
Adapted from Six Sisters
Time: 8 hours
Serves: 2

Ingredients
1 lb. frozen chicken breast
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Brown rice, for serving
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons water
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken inside slow cooker.

2. Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper together. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

3. With 30 minutes left to go on the slow cooker, cook the rice.

4. Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker, and pour remaining sauce into saucepan over high heat. Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan. Bring sauce to a boil and let heat for 2-3 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes.  Serve over rice and, if desired, top with crushed red pepper flakes.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Things are about to get crazy at work.  I've accepted a new role internally, so I’ll essentially be doing two jobs for the next 1-2 months… the old boss won’t want me to transition too soon, but the new boss will want me to start ASAP.  To make matters worse, the old and new job are in different office locations, Jersey City and Manhattan, so I’ll be schlepping back and forth between office locations for a bit.  It’s inevitable that I’ll be burning the candle at both ends. Let’s just hope it doesn't eat into my cooking and blogging! Pun intended? :)

Now. Onto the food! I honestly had low expectations for this recipe.  Most of the commentary on the RoTel site was full of disappointment, but several people improved the recipe by getting a little creative.  To enhance this meal, I added frozen corn, black beans, green pepper, green chiles, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt.  Phew!  The result was an amazingly saucy, flavorful Mexican dish.  Success!  The result of the updated spice list below has a nice kick to it, so consider halving the spices if you can't handle the heat!

Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Adapted from RoTel
Time:  20 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
olive oil
1 lb. chicken, cubed into pieces
4 large flour tortillas, torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup frozen corn
1-14.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed
1 green pepper, diced
1-4 oz. can diced green chiles
1-10 oz. can RoTel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1-10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese, divided

Directions
1.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high.  Cook chicken thoroughly.

2. When chicken is cooked, add tortilla pieces, corn, black beans, and green pepper to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until hot, stirring frequently.

3. Pour green chiles, RoTel, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, and spices over chicken mixture and mix well.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on top; cover skillet and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, and serve immediately.