Sunday, January 18, 2009

Pasta with Veggies and Parmesan

This is one of our all time favorites! Delicious in the summer with garden fresh veggies! Works in the winter too for a comfy cozy meal by the fireplace. This is an old pampered chef recipe and one I use over and over again!

3 c. (6 oz) bowtie pasta
1-2 c. cherry tomato's, sliced in half
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small bell pepper cut into thin strips (I like green, but you could use red or yellow)
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 t. olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 t. italian seasoning
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm. Heat oil in skillet until hot, add garlic and chicken. Stir fry 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Reduce heat until medium, add onion, zucchini, bell pepper, peas, seasoning mix, and salt, stir fry 2 minutes. Add tomatos; heat 1-2 minutes, stirring gently until heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in warm pasta. Sprinkle cheese over pasta. Serve immediately.

*I usually use more than 1/2 c. parm cheese

Becca's Buffalo Wings

With the superbowl coming up, I thought I would share my favorite wing recipe. It came from my Aunt Becca, who makes the greatest wings in the world!!! Serve up with carrot sticks, celery sticks and your favorite bleu cheese dressing and you've got a winner every time!!!

1 bag wings (I usually get mine in the frozen foods aisle at the grocery store).
1 bottle Franks Red Hot sauce
1 cube butter
2 T. grape jelly ( I know it sounds wierd, but just trust me...)

Season chicken wings with garlic salt, salt and pepper and broil in the oven until cooked through, turning several times. This usually takes between 30 -45 minutes. Mix other ingredients in a sauce pan and cook until butter is melted and grape jelly is incorporated. Place wings and sauce in a large bowl and gently stir until combined. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

The Ultimate Cheeseball






This is the greatest cheeseball ever made! We have it at almost all big family gatherings and it never lasts long!


2 8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 T. onion, minced

1 T. worcestershire sauce

1 bottle Kraft Roka Blue cheese

1 bottle Kraft Old English cheese (These are just in the regular grocery store, like velveeta, but in bottles.)

1 t. accent seasoning


Mix all together in mixer until smooth and then shape into balls and roll in finely chopped walnuts. Serve with a variety of crackers to dip in.


Orange Ginger Cookie Sandwiches with Orange Cream Cheese filling

I found these cookies on RecipeGirl.com and decided to make them for Christmas goodies this year. They are sooooo yummy! My kids were so mad that we didn't keep more for ourselves! If you don't want to make them into sandwiches, you can just spread the frosting over the top and enjoy one at a time!!!

COOKIES:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt
12 Tbs (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 large egg
½ tsp vanilla extract

FILLING:
¼ cup (4 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tbs unsalted butter at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp orange juice
½ tsp ground ginger
1¾ cups powdered sugar, plus more as needed

To make cookies: In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses, egg and vanilla, and beat at medium- high until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture and mix until well combined. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Ready to bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place remaining ½ cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat. Arrange about 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets. Using the bottom of a glass that has been lightly greased, then dipped in sugar, flatten dough into ¼-inch-thick disks. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, or until firm. Remove from oven and immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Make filling: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; mix until smooth, adding more powdered sugar as needed (filling should have consistency of very thick frosting). With a small spatula, frost bottoms of half the cookies (about 1 tsp. filling each); top with remaining cookies (so bottom sides are together) to make sandwich cookies.

Yield: 2 dozen sandwich cookies



Probably my new favorite cookie!!!


THE SEARCH IS ON!!!!!

Share with us all! If you have any recipes you would like me to post or try, email them to me: amber.lamb@yahoo.com . Thanks for sharing your kitchens with me! Happy cooking!

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