BBQ Chicken Pasta

Last weekend we had some people over so we smoked a large pork butt to make BBQ. I overestimated the amount of sauce we would need so I made way too much. While searching for something to do with the leftover sauce, I stumbled upon this recipe. I made it a few days ago and it was delicious. It also reheats very well. The recipe for my barbecue sauce is below in an earlier post, or you can use any barbecue sauce of your choice.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
1 red onion, diced
3 cups water
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces penne pasta
2/3 cup barbecue sauce
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat (you could also use a large pot if you don’t have a skillet this big). When hot, add the chicken and onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken and onions to a plate and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the water, chicken broth, penne and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the liquid is almost absorbed, the pasta is tender and the mixture is thick and syrupy. Stir in the barbecue sauce and sour cream. Once mixed, add in the reserved chicken, onions and shredded cheese. Stir to combine and cook until everything is heated through.
Serve immediately and garnish with additional red or green onions and shredded cheese.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia With Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cup mayonaise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 3-4 tilapia fillets
• 1 stick butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon whole butter
• 1 1/2 cup pecans, ground into crumbs in a food processor 
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

To prepare sauce, place the parsley, green onions, and garlic in a blender or food processor and combine. Add the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice and mustard. Blend well. Chill until ready to serve. This keeps in a covered container in the refrigerator for several weeks.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Rinse the fish, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the melted butter. Spread the ground pecans on a plate and press the fish into the crumbs to coat. Turn the fillets and coat the other side.  In a cast iron or other heavy, ovenproof skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of whole butter with the oil. When it begins to sizzle, sear the fish about 3 minutes per side. Place the skillet in the oven for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets and your preference for degree of doneness. Serve immediately with Remoulade Sauce on the side.

Verse Of The Day: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." ~Mathew 5:6

Strawberries

Two years ago we got some strawberry plants from Josh's grandma and transplanted them into our garden. Last year was our first year to get any yield and we got like two or three strawberries a day for a week or so. We expected to maybe get a few more this year and wow did we ever! Every day for at least a week I was bringing in a big bowl full...we had so many we couldn't eat them fast enough. We ended up freezing two bags with some sugar to thaw later and serve over ice cream or pound cake and with the others I made a strawberry pie and two loaves of strawberry bread. I will put the recipes for both of those here. We also have in our garden this year corn, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, squash, lettuce, and white onion. I will post later this summer on how we do with those once they start producing vegetables.

Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

Filling:

Chopped strawberries

4 tbsp strawberry jelly

4 tbsp cornstarch

Topping:

1 maple and brown sugar oatmeal packet

½ cup sugar

½ cup flour

1 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Pour filling into 9 inch deep dish pie crust. Top with topping. Bake for 30-45 minutes.

Strawberry Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
2. Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.
3. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened.  Divide batter into pans.
4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.

Austin's 18 Month Appointment

Austin had his 18 month appointment today. He weighed in at 29.4 lbs (87th percentile) was 32 in. tall (36th percentile) and his head circumference was 19 in. (61st percentile).

Austin has always been ahead of the curve on motor skills, but he wasn't saying a whole lot until recently. As of today he can now say car, ball, shoes, bowl, grandpa, uh-oh, no, yes, eyes, mama, dada...he can also say and correctly identify the letters n, r, l, f, and x. There are also tons of words he understands and will point to certain objects when asked. He knows what sound a monkey and a bear make. He is also pretty good at letting me know what he wants nonverbally too...he will bring me his shoes or hat when he wants to go outside, stand at the pantry or climb into his chair when he is hungry and stand at the fridge or point to my drink when he is thirsty.

Other new things of interest since my last post about Austin....he can now climb steps by himself, he also climbs on and off the couch and kitchen chairs by himself, (he even climbed out of the tub once when i wasn't looking but surprisingly he has not climbed out of his crib yet)! we recently moved him out of his high chair into a regular chair at the table, his new favorite thing to do is play with cars, he loves to stand on a step stool in the bathroom and brush his teeth in front of the mirror (and he almost always throws a temper tantrum when it is time to take the toothbrush away)

That's about all I can think of for now. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. He's really a pretty great kid!

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package long grain wild rice
• 1/2 bag frozen small shrimp
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce can) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook the rice according to package directions.
Heat the butter in saucepan and saute the pepper, shrimp, and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. Spray an 11 by 7-inch glass casserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Cous Cous Salad

Ingredients:

Cous Cous

Chicken Broth

Chopped cooked chicken

Diced red onion

Chopped spinach leaves

1 can garbanzo beans

Feta cheese

Italian dressing

Directions:

Cook cous cous according to box directions, using chicken broth instead of water. Stir together with other ingredients. Can be eaten hot or cold.

Lobster Macaroni

I just made this recipe on Saturday night and it was delicious...an exact quote from my husband was, "Do you ever eat food that just makes you happy to be alive"?

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• salt
• 1/2 box macaroni pasta
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 cup red wine
• 2 cups half and half
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
• 1 cup shredded mixed italian cheeses
• 8 oz lobster meat, chopped
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust racks to the middle. Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve.

Add 4 tablespoons butter to a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter shimmers, add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the tomato paste and flour and stir to toast, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red wine and reduce, by half, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the half and half, whisking well to remove any lumps. Add the paprika.  Bring the cream up to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Let reduce until the cream is thick and can coat a spoon, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the grated cheeses, a handful at a time, combining well after each addition. Add the chopped lobster meat to the sauce and stir well. Add the pasta and stir. Add to the greased baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumbs and parsley. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

 Verse Of The Day: "But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." ~1 John 1:7