Chicken Pasta Salad--AKA 3 Day Salad (chelsea backman)

Chicken Pasta Salad (3 day salad)

3 large chicken breasts DRESSING: 1⁄4 c. seasame seeds toasted
1 12 oz. bag of wide egg noodles 1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 red bell pepper, sliced 3 T. Sugar
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced 1⁄2 c. salad oil(I use canola)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped 1 T. dried parsley, or 1⁄4 c. fresh parsley, chopped.(green parts only) 
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 12 oz. bag baby spinach
1⁄2 c. slivered almonds
1⁄4 c. sugar

The day before you serve the salad, cook pasta al dente according to package directions. 

Make dressing. Mix half of the dressing with the cooking noodles and refrigerate 
overnight, reserving the remainder of the dressing and refrigerating separately.

Sprinkle chicken breasts liberally with lemon pepper seasoning and bake at 350 degrees for 1-1 1⁄4 
hour or until cooked all the way through. Cool, slice into bite-size pieces, and refrigerate overnight. 

Candy the almonds by adding 1⁄4 cup of sugar to the almonds and cooking over medium heat until candied—be careful not to burn. Refrigerate. 

When ready to serve the salad, mix noodles, spinach, peppers, onions, almonds, and remainder of dressing and serve immediately. Serves 8-10 people as a main course.

Angel Hair with Tomatoes and Fresh Basil {talkin' chow playin' house blog}

We all need a good dinner at the end of the day, but often times we don't have the time to pull something delicious together. You can have this ready in 15 minutes and it's super delicious.

Recipe:

kosher salt (some for the pasta pot and some for seasoning)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra for the pasta pot)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes from my garden)

10-15 fresh basil leaves, julienned (plus extra for serving)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb dried angel hair pasta, also known as cappellini

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add two tablespoons of salt and a splash of oil to the pot. Meanwhile, heat your 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-low heat. Add your minced garlic to the oil and stir around and cook for about 30 seconds. Turn heat up to medium and add tomatoes (make sure the tomatoes are dry-- if they are wet the water will react with the oil and pop and explode everywhere), basil, thyme, red pepper flakes, the pepper, and two teaspoons salt. Reduce heat back to medium-low and gently stir everything until the seasonings are evenly distributed with the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften but don't break up. Remove from heat and set aside. Add your 1 lb of pasta to your pot of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander and reserve some of the pasta water. Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, add the tomato/olive oil/herb mixture to the pasta. Add parmesan and toss well. Add some of the pasta water if it seems too dry. Serve immediately and garnish portions with julienned basil on top.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup (1 small) chopped onion
1/2 cup drained mushrooms (stems & pieces)
1 1/4 cups (10 1/2 ounce can) condensed cream of mushroom or celery soup
1/4 cup water or beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream

In fry pan, brown ground beef and onion; drain well.  Stir in mushroom soup and water.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minues.  Stir in sour cream and heat through but do not boil.  Serve over rice, noodles or chow mein noodles.

Can bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until heated through.

Lemon Pepper Risotto {liz's ward cookbook}

2 ½ cups chicken stock
1 cup orzo
1 lemon, juiced
¼  cup heavy cream
¼  cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons mascarpone
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons fresh chives
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, julienne
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest

In a medium sauce pan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add orzo & cook for 7 to 8 minutes until liquid is almost absorbed & orzo is tender. Turn heat off. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Season with salt & pepper, if necessary & serve. (Would be delicious with flaked salmon).

Spaghetti Pie

12 ounce spaghetti
6 slices provolone cheese
2 cups mozzarella (shredded)
1 small cottage cheese
1 pound ground beef
1 jar traditional spaghetti sauce
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
garlic and onion powder

Boil noodles.  Cook meat with garlic and onion.  Add 1/2 cup water and jar of sauce.  Drain noodles.  Add raw egg and butter to noodles.  Pour onto sprayed 9x13 casserole dish.  Layer 6 slices of provolone, half mozzarella, and then cottage cheese.  Pour meat sauce on top and sprinkle remaining mozzarella. 
Bake at 350 degrees with foil for the first 25 minutes.  Uncovered for 5 more minutes.