Linguine with Shrimp or Chicken Scampi

Another one from Erin. We haven’t had this in forever, but we do love it. Especially with shrimp, this is great!

Vegetable oil

Salt

3/4 lb linguine

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 lb large shrimp or chicken tenders (bite size)

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 small zucchini

1/2 lemons, zest grated

1/4 c lemon juice (2 lemons)

1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half rounds

1/8 tsp Red pepper flakes (Those red pepper flakes are too hot for me, so I usually omit them)

Directions:

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water. Add linguine and cook for 7-10 minutes, tests done.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, melt butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp or chicken, zucchini 1 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat; add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and tehn put it back int eh pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Grilled Chicken Marinade

Another one from Erin.

This one sounds crazy, but it is the BEST marinade!

2 cups Sprite

1 c soy sauce

3/4 c vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp horseradish

1 tsp garlic powder

3-4 lbs of chicken breasts (or turkey)

Marinate overnight & grill. (I never remember to marinate things overnight. I have made this up at noon & grilled at 5 & it’s been just fine.) Seriously soooo good!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

One more from Erin. Used to work with her mom. This is seriously the BEST chicken noodle soup ever.

4 chicken breasts- cooked & cubed

6 cups water w/ 2 Tbsp chicken bouillon

2 c chopped carrots

1 onion chopped

1 celery stalk chopped

1 tsp garlic salt

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery

1 can evaporated milk

4 cups egg noodles

Boil water, bouillon, garlic salt, onions, celery & carrots until tender. Add chicken & soups. When warm add milk & already cooked egg noodles. Salt & pepper to taste.

This goes together fast and is the best on a cold day…. which it’s April right now & still cold, so almost a year round food

Swiss Chicken Casserole

Another one from Erin. I used to work with her mom.

6 chicken breasts

6 slices swiss cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/4 c milk

1 c stove top mix

1/4 c butter or margarine melted

spray 9X13 pan. Place chicken topped with cheese in. combine milk & soup. Spoon over chicken. Sprinkle with stuffing. Drizzle butter over stuffing. Cover & bake @350 for 50 min. We usually serve this over rice.

Brushetta Chicken Bake

This is a recipe from Erin Pickrell, Susan’s daughter who I used to work with. I love this dinner, but for a funny reason. I ate this the night before I went into labor with my 2nd son (4 years ago). If my husband asks what’s for dinner, I can still say, “Remember that dinner we had the night before I had baby #2” and he totally remembers. I guess in our minds it’s one of those dinners that will put you into labor

1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained

2 cloves garlic- minced

1 package stuffing mix

4-5 chicken breasts- cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp dried basil

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 400- place tomates and stuffing in a bowl and add garlic & half cup of water. Stir just until stuffing is mixed in.

Place chicken in 9X13 pyrex. Sprinkle with basil and cheese, top with stuffing mixture.

Bake 30 min.

This is so quick to put together is another reason it’s a favorite at our house.

Crock Pot Chicken (for burritos or salad)

Another recipe from Melanie, my sister in law Torrie’s BFF.

4 chicken breasts

1-2 c salsa

1 or 2 cans black beans (drained)

Spray crockpot with Pam then put in chicken. Set on low for a few hours until cooked through. Remove from crockpot, shred & put back in crockpot. Add salsa & black beans. Cook on low for another 30-45 minutes. Makes excellent filling for burritos/tacos. Just add cheese, lettuce, avacado, tomato, etc)

Russian Chicken

Here’s another recipe from my sister in law Torrie’s BFF Melanie. I was looking for recipes that would be simple to make when I was pregnant & she emailed me this.

Put chicken breasts in 8X8 pan & pour Russian Dressing over the top (Catalina works the same), use as much as you want. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve with potatoes or rice & can use the dressing from the chicken for gravy. Add a veggie & dinner is done.

Chicken Cordon Blue

I got this recipe from Becky that I used to be associated with through work. It’s one of my favorite things for Sunday dinner.

Chicken Tenders

Thin sliced deli ham

Slices of swiss cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

seasoned bread crumbs

Line bottom of a 9X13 dish with chicken. Layer cheese then ham over top. Mix sour cream & soup together with a little salt & pepper to taste & pour over top of meat. Bake 325 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top & bake another 15 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Grandma Kyle’s Curry

Here’s one of those no measurement recipes. We love having this for dinner. It comes from our neighbors across our back fence. So really not our grandma, but that’s what I have the kids call her. I add a few things in a little different so I guess this is really my version.

I generally make this with chicken unless we have leftover turkey, then I use that & it’s still yummy!

Brown chicken ( I usually use 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts)

Peel & dice 2 medium potatoes & cook till fork tender (if I have eggplant I use that instead of the potatoes & that’s great too)

Make a rue by combining 1/2 c butter & 1/2 c flour over medium heat in a skillet on medium-high heat. Once mixed well,  add milk or chicken broth, until desired consistency. Turn heat down to low.

Add curry powder & salt to desired ‘heat’. I also add Garam Marsala and Cardamom for additional Indian flavor. Mix in chicken & potatoes. Serve over rice.

I’m not trying to brag or anything, but this makes a wonderful curry!

Campbell’s Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Straight off the label for Cream of Mushroom soup:

1/2 pkg linguine (8 oz)

1 c fresh or frozen broccoli

2 Tbsp butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cubed

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c milk

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Cook linguine according to pkg directions. Add broccoli for last 4 min of cooking time. drain.

Heat butter in skillet. Cook chicken until browned. Stirring often.

Add soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture & heat through. Serve with additional parmesan cheese. (can substitute spaghetti for Linguine)

Orange Chicken with Vegetable Stir Fry

I recently found this new cooking website that I love called The Culinary Queen Bee. She & I have similar taste in food as you will soon see. The other night I made this Orange Chicken with Vegetable Stir Fry when my parents were here & it was a hit! Soooo good!

4 chicken breasts

3/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. Salt

2 TBS Olive Oil

5 large carrots

1 onion, I used a red onion and loved it

2 bell peppers, your choice between green, yellow or red.

6 stalks of celery

Salt and Pepper

Mushrooms (I added this in because everything is better with mushrooms right?)

Sauce:

3/4 c. Fresh Orange Juice

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

1/4 c. Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp. ginger

2 t. rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

A couple pinch of red pepper flakes

2 TBS. Cornstarch

1 c. chicken broth

Directions:

Cut chicken breasts into 2 inch cubes. Combine the flour and 1/4 tsp salt into a bowl. Add chicken and combine until all the chicken is covered in the flour mixture. Heat up a large skillet. When skillet is nice and hot add 2 T. oil and then add chicken. Stir fry until chicken is cooked through and lightly brown. When your chicken is cooked through and lightly brown. Remove from skillet onto plate. Now add another 1T. of oil to skillet, add your veggies and cook until tender crisp about 10 minutes. While veggies are cooking, add all ingredients for the sauce in a sauce pan. Whisk ingredients together until they are well combined. Bring to a boil. Once it is boiling it will thicken up for you, it may take between 5-10 minutes for it to do this. Stir every so often so it won't burn. Once sauce is nice and thick pour it over your veggies and chicken. Combine until sauce coats both chicken and vegetables. Serve with white or brown rice.

Mom’s Chow Mein

Is your mom like my mom & has all these great recipes but they aren’t written anywhere because they are in her head??? While my mom was on her mission, I sent her an email saying, “I’ve searched all through the cookbook you gave me & can’t find the recipe for chow mein.” This was her reply:

Because there is no real recipe for Chow mein.  I just cut up a head of cabbage, about 4 -5 ribs of celery, a big onion.  Fry some chicken or pork chops add the veggies.  Add a little water and a couple of squirts of bug juice.  When that is almost cooked, I add mushrooms, water chestnuts and bean sprouts (you can add Chinese mixed veggies if you want).  Mix about 1/4 cup corn starch with 1/2 cup water mix up and stir in.  Serve over rice and chow mein noodles with sliced oranges, lemons and bug juice.

So there you have it. For any of you getting queezy about the “bug juice” that’s what we always called soy sauce growing up… don’t know how it got started, but that’s what it was called.

Salsa Chicken aka Mexican Chicken

I have been asked 2 times in the last week for this recipe by family members. I got the recipe from my old coworker Susan. Her daughter & her friends made up a cookbook & Susan printed me a copy. It’s just on regular paper with a binder clip. It has so many good recipes, this won’t be the last you hear of recipes from this collection.

4 chicken breast- cubed, but not cooked (honestly I usually use 2 because we have the Costco size boneless skinless chicken at our house. My mom used canned chicken the other night & said that was just fine too)

1 c salsa

2 c cooked rice

1 c black beans- drained

1/2 pkg taco mix

2 c water

 

Bring chicken, salsa, taco mix & water to a boil. Cover & simmer for 10 minutes. Return to a boil. Stir in rice & beans. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Top with sour cream,  guacamole, lettuce, tomato & serve with chips.

When we eat this, we don’t even put utensils on the table, we just use chips for our “forks”. Everyone in our family loves this.