Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Omg this is so good! Its like the three cheese chicken penne from applebees. Yum! I even had the leftovers for lunch, that's how good it is!

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta by Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced
• 1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente
• ½ sticks Butter
• 3 whole Lemons, Juiced
• ¾ cups Heavy Cream
• ¼ cups Half-and-half
• 1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Directions

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

Springy Shells

Do you love pasta and veggies? If so this recipe is for you! Its similar to a baked ziti but without red sauce and with a ton of veggies. Yum, yum, yum! Even my kids gobbled this up!

Springy Shells by Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 16 ounces, weight Pasta Shells (medium) Or Other Short Pasta
• 1 pound Asparagus (cut Into 1 1/2 Inch Pieces) Discard Tough Pieces
• ½ pounds Broccoli, Cut Into Small Florets
• ½ pounds Zucchini (about 1 Medium Zucchini) Diced
• ½ cups Frozen Peas
• 3 whole Green Onions Sliced (white & Light Green Parts)
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 20 ounces, weight Ricotta Cheese (20 - 22 Ozs.)
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1-½ cup Parmesan Cheese
• Black Pepper, Freshly Ground
• Extra Olive Oil For Drizzling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta until extremely al dente—with still quite a bit of bite.

Melt butter with the olive oil over medium-low to medium heat, then add in the garlic. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for five minutes. Sprinkle in a little salt.

Add the broccoli and cook for one minute, then add the zucchini and cook for one or two more minutes. Add the frozen peas, still together then turn off the heat. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, salt, and pepper until well combined.

Assembly:

Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add half the pasta, then spread 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture over the surface. Sprinkle 1/3 of the Parmesan over the ricotta, then ½ of the vegetables. Repeat with the rest of the pasta, the rest of the ricotta, and another 1/3 of the Parmesan. End with the rest of the vegetables and the rest of the Parmesan.

Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons olive oil, then bake for 25 minutes on 350 degrees or until nice and hot.

Serve with extra Parmesan, crusty French bread, and chilled white wine. Yummy!

Tequila Lime Chicken

There is only one way to describe this chicken, "omg". If you love Mexican themed food, you'll LOVE this! It is absolutely heavenly. Is it ok to use the word heavenly to describe it when it contains tequila? Either way, it is delicious!

Tequila-Lime Chicken by Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
* 3 whole Limes, Juiced
* 5 cloves Garlic, Peeled
* 1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
* 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
* ½ cups Cilantro
* ½ cups Tequila
* 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
* 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
* Pico De Gallo

Optional Sides
* Refried Pinto Or Black Beans
* Mexican Rice
* Sour Cream
* Avocado Slices
* Homemade Flour Tortillas

Directions-
Combine lime juice, garlic cloves, sliced jalapeno, salt, cilantro, and tequila in a food processor or blender. Pulse until combined. Turn on the blender/food processor and drizzle in the olive oil until it’s all combined.

Slightly flatten chicken breasts with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Place in a plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag and marinate for several hours or (preferably) overnight.

When ready to cook, remove chicken from bag and place on the grill. Cook until completely done. Toward the end of cooking, top chicken breasts with grated Monterey Jack and allow to melt.

Serve topped with pico de gallo or salsa.

Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry

If you like curry chicken, and you love using the slow-cooker then this recipe is perfect. When I was mixing the ingredients together my eyes were watering so I was worried it was going to be hot (even though we love spice to our food) but surprisingly it wasnt. It had a tiny bite to it but was definitely not over-powered.

Slow Cooker Chinese Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 Onions, chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 1 TBSP Curry Powder
• 2 TSP Light Brown Sugar
• 200ml Chicken Stock
• 2 TBSP Soy Sauce
• 4 Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into chunks
• 3 TBSP Cornflour

Directions:

1. Heat some oil in a skillet (or wok), add onions and garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
2. Stir in curry powder and fry for further 30 seconds.
   
3. Add sugar, stock and soy sauce and bring to the boil
4. Toss the chicken pieces in the cornflour and lay in bottom of slow cooker, pour sauce over chicken and cook on low for 4-6 hours
5. Season and serve with rice.

Spinach-Artichoke Cheesy Tortellini

Omg this is beyond delicious! If you love spinach & artichoke dip, you'll love this. It taste exactly the same, hot, gooey, cheesy, goodness! It is to die for and will be added to our regular rotation.

Spinach-Artichoke Cheesy Tortellin by Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

• 1 10oz box frozen spinach
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive-oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled & halved
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 14oz can artichoke hearts in water, drained & chopped
• 1 lb cheese tortellini
• salt & pepper to tate
• Parmesan cheese (a few handfuls)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta.
   
2. Microwave the spinach on high for 6 minutes to defrost.
3. Heat a deep skillet over medium heat with oil and butter. When the butter melts and is hot, add the garlic.
4. Using a box grater, grate the onion directly into the skillet. Saute the onions and garlic for 5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet and cook for 1 minute.
6. Whisk in the stock, then the cream, and bring the sauce to a bubble.
7. Season the sauce with nutmeg and reduce heat to low.
8. Place the defrosted spinach in a clean kitchen down and wring it dry.
   
9. Separate it as you add it to the sauce, stir in the chopped artichokes and a couple handfuls of cheese, then season the spinach-artichoke sauce with salt & pepper.
10. Salt the boiling water and cook the tortellini according to package directions, about 3 -5 minutes. Drain it well and toss with the spinach-artichoke sauce. Serve immediately.