Seafood Mac and Cheese

I don't have a picture of this, but I promise, it is delicious!!


Ingredients 

• 2 cups Velveeta Cheese
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 cup chopped red and green peppers
• Any Seafood Desired (I used 1 small can of crabmeat (from the Tuna aisle), 2 steamed tilapia fillets, and 1 packet of precooked salad shrimp)
• 1 box medium pasta shells
• Italian bread crumbs
• 4 tbsp Butter

Directions

1. Combine the cheese, milk, cayenne pepper, paprika, red and green peppers and seafood together in a saucepan on medium heat.  Stir often to keep the cheese from burning.
2. Boil pasta according to the package directions, and drain.
3. Combine pasta and cheese sauce together, and pour into a greased square casserole dish. (you can butter the dish or just use cooking spray).
4. Sprinkle bread crumbs to cover the top.
5. Cut the butter into small slices and evenly place over the top.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the bread crumbs are crispy and golden brown.

My review:  This is delicious and oh so rich and satifying.  All I did was make my seafood cheese fondue recipe and added pasta and breadcrumbs.  Delicious!!

Crispy Creamy Southwest Chicken Burrito

Makes 6-8 Burritos
Adapted from the Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 red pepper, diced
1/4 green pepper, diced
1 cup rice, cooked
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cups cheddar cheese (Mexican would probably be good too!)
Burrito Size Tortillas
Sour Cream


Instructions
Mix the rice with the lime juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and onion powder in a large bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients except the sour cream and cheese.
Turn your panini press on medium high - high and spray with cooking spray.  If you dont have a panini press, use a skillet.
On each tortilla, spread about a tablespoon of sour cream, and cover with cheese.
Fill with the chicken mixture, and wrap up tightly.
Put on the panini press, or in the skillet flap side down first.  If on a skillet, press down with a spatula (and turn once golden brown).
Repeat with each burrito.

My review:  These were delicious and we have put it on our "rotation list" as one of our favorites.  I made the filling one night, and we had these at least 3 different nights, without getting tired of them!  They are delicious and creamy and crispy and wonderful.  Also a plus, they are HEALTHY!

Philly Cream Cheese and Tomato Pasta

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound fusilli or rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 jar of your favorite red pasta sauce (I used Prego Mushroom)
• 3/4 block of cream cheese, cubed
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
2. In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion on medium high heat.
3. Drain the grease off of the beef, and return to the stove.
4. Add in the garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the sauce and bring the whole mixture to a simmer.
6. Once it is simmering, add in the cream cheese and parmesan and stir well.  It will take about 5 minutes for the cream cheese to melt and incorporate into the red sauce.  Keep stirring.
7. At this point, you can either mix together with the pasta in a large dish, or you can just serve on top of the pasta, whatever floats your pasta-loving boat!
8. Serve with a green salad, as the sauce is very creamy and rich.

My review:  This was amazing, and something I just threw together on a weeknight for dinner.  I planned on making spaghetti, but opened the fridge and saw cream cheese, and it was all over after that.  It was such a good hot meal after a crappy cold rainy day.  We both loved it, and it was another one where we were fighting over who got to eat the leftovers.  Yum!

Naughty Chicken

This chicken dish is getting straight up coal in its stocking this year, because it is deliciously naughty.  Serve it with some steamed broccoli, or a brisk 30 minute walk, because you're going to need it.  Joking aside, this chicken dish was to die for, and I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers!  I adapted the recipe from Mandy's Recipe Box, you can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon, diced into pieces (try not to get anything with a fancy flavor...)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• up to 1 cup of water, as needed
• Cooked rice, for serving (the amount depends on what you like, I made 4 dry cups)

Directions

1. Fry the bacon in a large skillet, until it's almost done and crispy and delicious.
2. Remove all bacon grease but about 1/2 cup (you can leave more in if you like -- the original recipe didn't have you taking any out, but we found it to be a little too greasy -- we had really fatty bacon.  If your bacon is meatier, you probably wouldn't want to take any out).
3. Stir in the chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and chicken.
4. Cook until chicken is cooked through.
5. Add in the brown sugar, and continue to cook on medium high, until sugar is dissolved, and sauce begins to thicken.  If you notice your sauce getting too thick, add in some water.
6. Serve over rice and indulge.  Yum!

My review:  I loved this dish.  The bacon grease added a depth of flavor, and the spicy sweet flavors added later were very dynamic too.  We really enjoyed this dish.  I want to try it with some stir fry vegetables added into the sauce too.