Chicken Alfredo Pesto Pasta

This recipe was so simple! Very tasty and fairly quick.

• Prep Time: 10 min
• Total Time: 25 min

12 oz. angel hair pasta, uncooked

2 tsp. oil

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups milk

1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) Cream Cheese

1 large red pepper, cut into strips

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbsp. pesto

Cut 1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Have I mentioned how much I love my color-coded cutting boards? Genius.

Cook in 2 tbsp oil-I use EVOO

Chop one large red bell pepper

After chicken is cooked thoroughly, add 2 cups milk, 4 oz. cream cheese

I used my new favorite kitchen tool, my flat whisk from Williams Sonoma, to make sure the cream cheese was melted & mixed well.

Add 2 tbsp of pesto to the chicken mixture



Add in the chopped peppers, and 1/4 cup grated parm. Mix well.

At this point, I let it simmer while I cooked the pasta & baked the garlic bread.

Done! Can you tell I was feeling lazy today? lol

Pasta cooking...

Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and toss the pasta with the sauce.

That's it!! Here is the finished product:

It really was good & very easy. It has a very rich sauce and makes a ton--we had plenty of leftovers. Mike loved it though, so this is a keeper!

Monday Quickies!

I have a few recipes that I need to post on here, complete with step-by-step directions and pictures. I just haven't taken the time to do it! So you'll have to settle for 2 really simple meals that I've made recently. One is my own recipe and the other came from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!.

The first one is a staple in my house: homemade veggie pizza:

I make my own pizza crust, but you could certainly use store bought dough. Spread some olive oil on the dough, some Italian seasoning, whatever cheese you feel like and spread your veggies on top. Dinner in less than 30 minutes!

The second meal came from the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. Her food is divine and the complete opposite of healthy :) This recipe was so simple & completely yummy!! Here is the link to the recipe and a few pictures of how mine turned out:

Spicy Shrimp recipe

I'll post more later!

When I'm feeling really really lazy...

I make this!!

This is the easiest stir fry in the world. It literally takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. Even Mike can cook this! :) Normally when I cook stir fry, I take my time. I use fresh vegetables and neat spices. This is bare bones-- but really tasty!

Here are the ingredients:

Yes, I use tofu in this! You can easily substitute meat for it or just omit it all together. Mike & I both love tofu, so it stays! I like to use extra-firm when I stir fry. Just drain the liquid and cut it into bite size pieces. Even I can admit it looks pretty nasty in a big chunk like that. lol

I found a pretty cool marinade for tofu- its Thai peanut flavor- very mild but really good. (and only .50 at Wal-Mart!) While I start the brown rice, I pour a bit of the marinade on the tofu and set it aside.

I add a tiny bit of olive oil in my wok, add the bag of frozen veggies and let them cook on medium-high for about 5 minutes. Then add the tofu, mix it well and cover. I usually cook for an additional 7 minutes.

While thats cooking, I finish the rice- we like to use brown rice. And thats it!! Put it on a plate-- add a little soy sauce if you want & EAT! Like I said- this is super quick & easy. Later on I'll share a more labor intensive option!

findng my way...

The past year has brought a lot of changes: a marriage, a big move and a career change. Since I'm staying home now, I have the opportunity to cook dinner every night- which is something I was never able to do before. I have found that I love cooking. I love learning new techniques, trying new recipes and spending time in the kitchen. This blog will be somewhat of an experiment for me... part recipes, part my experiences as a novice cook!