Desi's Bacon Chicken Pasta

My friend Desi made this pasta for me one night when Jim was out of town.  It was SOOOO yummy and I craved it for weeks after  eating it.  So, I finally put it on my meal plan and bought the ingredients.  I made it on a night that I had to be somewhere when Jim got home so I wasn't around when Jim ate.  When I returned Jim told me how good it was.  He said when he went to dish some up he thought it looked like a normal pasta and chicken dish, then he tasted it and thought to himself "This is really good, what is that flavor?"  Then the lightbulb when one, "Bacon!"  He was so happy that he sent me a text message telling me how good it was!  Ha ha.  This dish is definitely an indulgence with lots of naughty ingredients, but it is very much worth it!

Desi's original post is on her awesome cooking blog Oh So Delicioso and can be found here.  

16 oz farfalle pasta (bow-tie)

4 chicken breasts

1 12 oz bottle of Lawry's Mesquite marinade with lime juice

3/4 cup butter

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP ground black pepper

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (not the powdery stuff)

1 LB bacon (previously cooked and crumbled) **must be real bacon, not "bacon bits" or "real bacon"

(Optional)

1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes 

1 cup peas

1. In crock pot cook chicken in marinade on low for 6 hours.  Remove from marinade and cut into bite sized pieces.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and return to pot

3. In a small saucepan melt butter.  Add garlic, pepper, cream, cheese, and bacon.  Whisk for 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in chicken and pour mixture over cooked pasta.  Stir to coat.  Top with a sprinkle of extra cheese.

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken

Recipe source here.

4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts (mine were still frozen)

1 Bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)

1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks, drained

Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray for an easy clean-up. Place frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce.  Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top.  Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce.  Serve over rice and top with tomatoes, olives, etc...

Taco Soup

A great easy recipe for a gloomy day!

Ingredients

1 LB ground beef

1/2 chopped onion

1 15oz can stewed tomatoes

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can pinto beans

1 15oz can kidney beans

1 15oz can corn

1 envelope taco seasoning

Directions

1. Brown beef along with onion in a large pot, drain fat.

2. Add canned items, including the liquids. Add seasoning.

3. Simmer 20 minutes.

4. Serve topped with tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheese, and avocado.

This also works great in the crock pot!

Crockpot Chicken & Gravy Over Rice

I always ask my mom to make this when I visit...it reminds me of home - simple, yummy, and comforting.

4 chicken breasts

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 envelopes of chicken gravy mix

hot steamed rice

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Before serving break the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Serve over hot steamed rice.

BBQ Pork Sandwich - Crock Pot

Pork Roast (whatever size and cut you want)
BBQ sauce (once again - whatever kind you like)
Rolls (I like to serve it on the single french bread loaves from Wal-Mart)

Grease crock pot with cooking spray. Place thawed roast in slow cooker and fill about half way with water. Cook on low all day (about 6 hours). 2 hours before serving drain all the water and shred up roast. (I usually take it out and cut it up to try and get most of the fat off the roast.) Pour in BBQ sauce until meat is well coated. Cook 2 additional hours. Serve on rolls.

Easy Beef Stew

Ingredients
2 lbs stew meat cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can Tomato soup
1 can Diced Tomatoes
2 cans white Kidney beans
1 can Beef Broth
1 cup water
3 large carrots
1 tsp Italian seasoning ( I dash a little more)
1 tsp Garlic powder

Directions

MIX soup, broth, water, beef, tomatoes, carrots, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in slow cooker.

COVER and cook on LOW 8 to 9 hr. or HIGH 4-5 hours

STIR in beans. Turn heat to HIGH and cook 10 min.

Slow Cooker Curried Chicken (spicy)

Ingredients

1 ½ cups chopped onions (I do ½-one onion)

1 medium green bell pepper chopped

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces

1 cup medium salsa

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp curry powder

¾ tsp salt

Hot cooked rice

Directions

Place onions & peppers in bottom of crockpot. Top with chicken.

Combine salsa, ginger, garlic powder & pepper flakes in small bowl & spoon over chicken

Cook on Low for 5-6 hours or High 2-3 hours

Combine cilantro, sugar, curry powder and salt in small bowl. Stir mixture into crockpot for an additional 15 min on High until hot.

Serve over rice.

Cafe Rio Chicken

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts 1 Tbsp. cumin 1 Tbsp. chili powder 1/2 bottle Zesty Italian Dressing Garlic (desired amount)

Directions:

Cook chicken in crock pot with Zesty Italian Dressing. When done and tender, shred and add seasonings & garlic. Heat through a little longer, or until ready to serve.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Ingredients:

1 can Coke 1 tsp. Garlic 3/4 c. Ketchup 1/2 c. Brown Sugar 1/4 c. Barbecue Sauce 1/4 c. Coke

Directions:

Pour 1 can Coke on any size pork roast. Cook for 5-7 hours on low (crock pot). After the roast has cooked, shred with Coke still in pan. Drain Coke and Fat. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the roast. Cook another 1-2 hours. Recipe may need to be doubled for larger roast.

Wasatch Mountain Chili

Trust me...this is so good! I got this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine and I have gone back to it time and time again.

Ingredients

½ Medium Onion, chopped

1 TBSP Cooking Oil

1 15-oz Can Hominy

1 15-oz Can Great Northern Beans

1 14-oz Can Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth

9 oz Frozen, precooked Chicken Strips

¼ Cup Lime Juice

1 TBSP Fresh, chopped Cilantro

¼ tsp Ground Cumin

¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper

½ Cup Shredded Cheese (Monterey Jack or Cheddar)

1 4-oz Can Diced Green Chilies

Tortilla Chips

Fresh chopped cilantro

1. In a skillet cook onion in hot oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, transfer to slow cooker. Stir in hominy, beans,chicken broth, frozen chicken, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and pepper. Cover and heat on low for 6 hours stirring occasionally. Serve topped with cheese, green chilies, tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro.

Serves 4

Cafe Rio Pork Burritos

This is a favorite at our house! The leftovers are amazing, and you can even make these ahead of time and freeze them! They bake up perfectly and are a great meal to take to a friend who has just had a baby or who is in need of a yummy meal!

1 1/2 LB Pork Loin

about 9 Uncooked Flour Tortillas

2 - 15oz cans Mild Green Chili Enchilada Sauce

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 - 15oz can Black Beans

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

1 cup rice

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

(Cilantro chopping tip - use your kitchen shears to cut it from the bunch.)

1. Cut pork into cubes and place in slow cooker with 1/3 Cup Water. Season with salt, pepper, and Garlic Salt. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove from cooker and drain. Shred meat with a fork and place in a bowl. In another bowl mix about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and brown sugar until combined. Pour over pork, mix well.

2. For Rice: cook in chicken broth instead of water. Cook just as you would if you were cooking in water.

3. Drain beans and rince.

4. Cook tortillas on a heated skillet over medium heat until blistered.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce into the pan.

6. Assemble burritos by layering pork, rice, cheese, beans, and cilantro. I try to keep mine small, although some people like to make giant burritos. I like them small because you can really taste the combination of flavors while eating them.

7. Roll up and place in pan. Continue until pan is full. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken

4-6 bonless skinless chicken breasts

1) 8 ounce block of cream cheese

1 package dry Italian dressing mix

1 can cream of chicken soup

Put all items in crock pot and cook for 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.  Shred chicken and serve over rice or noodles.

Easy Vegtable-Beef Soup

This recipe actually comes from the big red & white Better Homes & Gardens cookbook but we love it so I thought I'd share.  It's super easy...just throw everything in the crockpot & you're good to go!

1 lb. boneless beef chuck pot roast cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 tbsp cooking oil

4 cups water

(1) 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups frozen mixed vegatables

2 cups frozen diced hash brown potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, peeled & chopped

(1) 1 ounce envelope dry onion soup mix

1 tsp beef bouillon granules

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced or 1/8 tsp garlic powder

In a large skillet, brown meat pieces in hot oil.  Drain fat and put meat in slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.