Creamy Shrimp Alfredo

Tomorrow is my 6th wedding anniversary and my husband and I kept going back and forth regarding what we wanted to do. A weekend getaway would have been most ideal, but with two little ones, it wasn't overly practical. My husband mentioned wanting to make dinner for me and then earlier in the day, he said that he was going to make dinner tonight and then take me out to dinner tomorrow, since my sister so kindly agreed to watch our kids for a bit. (Thank you in advance, Sarah!) This recipe comes from a free Kraft Food and Family Magazine that I've been receiving for years--I hear they now charge for it, though! My husband is cute, because he flips through any cooking magazines I get and always kind of bookmarks those recipes that he wants to make--this being one of them. I ordinarily really enjoy recipes from this magazine, but I was kind of curious as to how "authentic" this would taste. Was I ever pleasantly surprised...it was so rich and creamy and tasted much more similar to alfredo sauces that I've had out, than the previous recipe I posted. (Although that recipe was really good, too--just a completely different flavor!) I really appreciated my husband making this delicious dinner and look forward to our night out tomorrow :)

Creamy Shrimp Alfredo

12 oz fettuccine (uncooked)
4 tablespoons Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
1 lb uncooked deveined, peeled medium shrimp
6 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, adding garlic for the last minute. Remove shrimp with slotted spoon; set aside.

Add cream cheese and broth to skillet; cook until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring frequently. Stir in shrimp and 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.

Drain pasta. Add to skillet; toss to coat. Transfer to platter; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and parsley.

Source: Adapted from recipe in Kraft Food and Family Magazine (Summer '09)

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken

This is definitely unlike any recipe I've ever tried! I'm a bit "on the fence"--I think it would be a great quick, weeknight meal, but it seemed to lack something. I think the basic recipe is good and would recommend it, but I wish someone would help me out with a suggestion as to what might enhance the flavor a bit more! I definitely liked the pepper jack cheese (as opposed to just using Monterey Jack) and the salsa complimented the chicken very well, but there's just a little something missing. Then again, the problem may have been that I held back too much with the taco seasoning--I was afraid it would be too spicy/overpowering, so the next time I make it, perhaps I will be a little more generous when I sprinkle it on the chicken.

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (from 1.25 oz package)
8 slices Monterey Jack cheese (We used Pepper Jack, b/c I couldn't find sliced Monterey Jack)
1 cup chunky salsa

Directions:

Heat gas or charcoal grill. Brush both sides of chicken with oil; sprinkle with taco seasoning mix. Place chicken on grill. Cover grill; cook over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning once and topping each chicken breast with cheese during last minute of cooking time, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170 degrees). Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Source: Pillsbury Potlucks & Reunions

Baked Ziti

I bet you'd never guess that I am a huge fan of Italian food, would you?!? If I could only eat Italian food for the rest of my life, I'd be quite content :) I came across this recipe on Amber's Delectable Delights and the picture itself sold me! I followed her basic recipe, but changed around a few things...just because the pork sausage I bought came in a 1 lb roll (and her recipe only calls for 1/2 lb) and we also quite enjoy cheese, so we added even more than what the original recipe called for. The pork sausage gave the dish a nice little kick--not too spicy by any means, though! This was a nice, hearty meal that I served with salad and the cheesy garlic bread that I made earlier in the week. Now I just hope I saved enough room for one of the brownies that I made this afternoon!

Baked Ziti

1 box (16 oz) Ziti pasta (I couldn't find ziti to save my soul, so I used mostaccioli)
1 1/2 jars spaghetti sauce
3/4 lb ground beef
1 lb pork sausage
Salt, black pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes (all to taste)
16 oz cottage cheese (or ricotta if you prefer)
8 oz mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
8 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season water with salt, boil pasta till al dente; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile brown sausage and ground beef in skillet and season with desired amounts of salt, black pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes. Drain excess grease away from meats and return back to skillet. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce and let simmer until you are ready to assemble the dish. Place enough sauce mixture on the bottom of the pan so the noodles won't stick. Then assemble the rest of the dish- half of the cooked noodles, all of the cottage cheese, 4 slices of provolone cheese, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, remaining noodles, half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, remaining sauce, remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let set 10 minutes to cool before serving.

Source: Adapted from recipe posted on Amber's Delectable Delights

Frosted Fudge Brownies

There are very few times that I crave sweets, but after stumbling across this recipe in one of the Taste of Home cookbooks that my husband got me, I knew I'd have to make these! This is only the second time that I've made brownies from scratch, but the recipe was very easy and to say that they were "heavenly" is such an understatement--they were very rich and moist! I'm thinking they will be quite delicious tonight for dessert, with a scoop of ice cream!

Frosted Fudge Brownies

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter, cubed
3/4 cup baking cocoa
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk (I only used 1/4 cup!)

Directions:

In a saucepan, melt butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in cocoa; cool. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Combien the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in vanilla and the cooled chocolate mixture; mix well.

Spread into a greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, in a mixing bowl, cream the butter, confectioners' sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Stir in enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Spread over brownies. Cut into bars.

Source: Winning Recipes from Taste of Home

Chicken Parmesan and Cheesy Garlic Bread

This version of Chicken Parmesan was phenomenal, but I did do some MAJOR adjusting in terms of the ingredient proportions as they seemed way off to me! I know a lot of people are on a budget and it kind of sickened me to have to throw away so much of the breadcrumb/Parmesan cheese mixture--especially since the way the recipe was originally written, it called for an entire container of Parmesan cheese--actually more than that, because his recipe was for two boneless-skinless chicken breasts and I used five and only doubled everything else! When I initially started to measure out my ingredients, my gut was telling me that it seemed like way too much, but I tend to always follow recipes exactly as they are written the first time around and then adjust them to suit my family. Again, the chicken was wonderful...I would just highly suggest following my revisions to avoid wasting!

I chose to serve this Chicken Parmesan with homemade garlic bread--when I say "homemade", I'm not referring to making the actual bread...I cheated and had my husband pick up a loaf of Italian bread. It, too, was delicious, but then again, how can you go wrong with something that calls for 1/2 pound of butter?!? I will definitely be making both of these recipes again!

Chicken Parmesan

5-6 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
2 eggs (beaten)
3/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1-2 jars marinara sauce (or your favorite spaghetti sauce) ***depending on how much sauce you like***
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 lb box spaghetti (you may even want to make a little extra!)

Directions:

Place chicken breasts between sheets of wax paper and pound the chicken until it's about ½ inch thick throughout. In a pie plate combine breadcrumbs, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper, and parmesan cheese. Crack an egg into a bowl and slightly beat. Take a separate plate and pour flour on it. Dredge your chicken breasts first in flour, then in egg and then in the breadcrumb mixture.

Put your chicken breasts in a pan and sauté until browned on both sides. (only cook until browned, do not cook all the way through)

Place chicken into a greased, oven safe dishes and top chicken with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Place chicken into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Serve on spaghetti topped with the remaining marinara sauce.

Source: Adapted from recipe originally posted by Blog Chef

Cheesy Garlic Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and mix with garlic powder and dried parsley.

Place Italian bread on a medium baking sheet. Using a basting brush, brush generously with the butter mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven approximately 10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and any remaining butter mixture. Return to oven approximately 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is lightly browned.

Source: Allrecipes

***Here's a picture of the breadcrumb/Parmesan cheese mixture I had left...it was an ungodly amount!***


NOTE: This reheated really well...the chicken remained as moist as the first time around!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

I've had several people express interest in this recipe and I'm SO sorry for the delay in posting! It seems like ordinarily, I buy bananas and they are black within days, but of course when I'm anxiously awaiting for them to ripen, they take their sweet time. My sister gave me a little tip that she learned from my aunt and I couldn't believe how quickly this worked! If you need ripe bananas for a recipe, stick them in the freezer for 24 hours, thaw and they're ready to use :) Another suggestion that I read about was to put bananas in a brown paper bag with an apple--apparently the apple releases a gas that speeds up the ripening process. I was so glad that I was finally able to make this last night and it very much was worth the wait! (Again, please excuse my picture...it was already pitch black outside, by the time I got around to taking it!)

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa (I prefer dutch process)
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Beat sugar, eggs, and oil in large bowl at medium speed until combined. Beat in banana and vanilla at low speed. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda in medium bowl; beat into banana mixture at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

***No, you're not losing your mind...I did switch pictures! I couldn't get very good light last night, so I took another picture just now :)

Source: The Sister's Cafe

Hearty Hoedown Burgers

Oh my goodness--this picture does not do these burgers justice! We had a late dinner last night and this was the best picture I was able to get...after about 30 attempts! I think I'm seriously starting to drive my husband crazy, but he usually waits patiently to start eating until I sit down with my plate :) Back to the burgers, though! First of all, I am a BIG fan of adding Worcestershire sauce to burgers, so that alone, led me to believe that this recipe would be outstanding! I was a little nervous about my husband's reaction with the onions and peppers, but he really seemed to enjoy his burger! I have never bought "sandwich spread" at the store and spaced buying it for this recipe, so I improvised at the last minute. I found a recipe on Cooks.com for a "Special Sauce Burger Topping" and I thought it tasted a lot like the sauce on McDonald's Big Macs. My first thought was actually to use Donna's sauce recipe (from My Tasty Treasures), but I didn't have any French dressing. I'll include the sauce recipe below, in case you don't have any sandwich spread on hand!

Hearty Hoedown Burgers

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (1 small)
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 slices American cheese (we used Smoked Provolone)
6 burger buns, split
1/4 cup sandwich spread (found in the mayonnaise section of the grocery store)
Red onion slices, if desired

Directions:

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In a medium bowl, mix ground beef, onion, bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper until well blended. Shape mixture into 6 patties, 1/2 inch thick.

Place patties on grill. Cover grill; cook over medium heat 13 to 15 minutes, turning once, until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 160 degrees. Top each patty with cheese slice; cook just until cheese is melted.

Spread cut sides of toasted buns with sandwich spread; top with onion slices. Place cheese-topped patties on buns.

Special Sauce Burger Topping

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish (I only had dill relish, so I added a teaspoon of sugar to cut the tartness)

Combine all ingredients and serve over burgers. (I would suggest chilling if you have time, but if not, it's not the end of the world!)

Source: Pillsbury Potlucks & Reunions