Pasta Puffs!!!

I LOVE throwing dinner parties!  I recently threw my 2nd Annual All Girls Valentine's Dinner.  It's was so much fun to decorate and to come up with the menu.  I wanted to make a simple dinner-but with a twist.  I went on Pinterest to find new pasta ideas.  Everything seemed so "cookie-cutter" ..
but then I saw a Lasagna Muffin.  I was in!! The only thing I was not too into, was the outside "cup" of the muffin was made from Wonton Wrappers.  I have made desserts with that in the past, and it just turned out waaay too crispy and flakey.  So I went online looking for the same idea, but with other types of ingredients.  I found on the Pillsbury site, Lasagna Pasta Pie.  PERFECT!  Then I found, Chicken Alfredo Pasta Pie.  YES!

[TO BUY]
Lasagna Pasta Pie:                               Chicken Alfredo Pasta Pie:
Pasta (fun curly ones!)                               Pasta (fun curly ones!)            
Tomato Pasta Sauce (1 Jar)                      Alfredo Pasta Sauce (1 jar)
Ricotta Cheese (Lowfat* 3 tblspns)            Chopped Frozen Spinach (thawed)
Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)                  Cooked Chicken (chopped)
Pillsbury-Buttermilk Biscuit (1 can)        Pillsbury-Buttermilk Biscuit (1 can)
Oregano/Salt/Pepper                                Salt/Pepper 
                              *Both recipes require a Muffin Pan* 

Here is your end result.  And here's how you get there:

Cook your [cute & tiny] pasta as directed.

I cooked the whole box to make about 16 servings.

While pasta is cooking away, get the [cooked] chicken ready.  EBA (EyeBall the Amount) of chicken you want to use for the Alfredo puff.

You can buy pre-cooked chicken at any grocery store.  This makes life A LOT easier for this recipe!  I reheated it in the microwave as directed.  I let it cool, then ripped it into small pieces.  Set aside.

You want to then defrost your frozen spinach--or if you thawed it, that's fine too.  But make sure you squeeze out any excess moisture from it.  Set aside.

Once your pasta is done, strain it. 

I liked the way the "gemelli" pasta looked.  Twisty pasta is fun! 

Set aside.

Pop open the Buttermilk biscuit dough.

Take the dough and rip in half.  Then squish them down to make flat circles.

(if you're using the regular muffin pan that has 12 slots, take the individual biscuit dough and rip that in half-then squish them in flat circles. IF you're using the JUMBO muffin pan that has 6 slots-just use the full biscuit dough, then flatten that out)

*COAT WITH A GOOD AMOUNT OF COOKING SPRAY*

Take the pieces of dough and firmly press it at the bottom and up the sides.  (the dough may have the tendency to deflate back to the bottom..just keep pressing it up on the sides.  You may have some dough left over..just add it to the ones that look like they need more)

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

 

Next, heat up the pasta sauce in a skillet, and add in 3 tablespoons of Ricotta Cheese (maybe throw in Oregano seasoning and salt & pepper). 

Mix that up, then EBA pasta to add in.  Stir that all together. (sorry, I don't have a picture of the pasta mixed in with the sauce--but I'm sure you can figure that part out! haha)

Scoop in the "Lasagna" mixture to one half of the muffin pan.

Sprinkle the Mozzarella Cheese on top.

Then, heat up the Alfredo sauce in the skillet.  Add in the chicken, and your choice amount of spinach.  Mix that together with EBA of pasta.

Yum!

Scoop the Afredo mix into the other side of the muffin pan.
Once the oven has hit 350 degrees, pop it in! Bake for 30 mins.

The biscuit will rise perfectly with the pasta! 

And since you coated the muffin pan with lots of cooking spray, they pop out so easily!!

So much fun to have out for dinner parties!! Everyone will love 'em!

(I would recommend having extra pasta sauce and alfredo sauce on the side)

ENJOY!

 

Chipotle-Orange Shrimp

*CAUTION: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF TONGUE!
This meal can get pretty spicy.

Love spicy?  Totally for you. 
But no worries, this recipe can be altered for your liking! The first time I tried out this Kraft Foods recipe, I nearly died.  Well, my tongue did...
I'll go over ways to make this recipe super spicy, mild spice, or no spice at all.  The combination of these ingredients has such a unique flavor!
AND its SoOoOo EASY to make!!!!  LOVE IT!!!

[TO BUY]
Frozen-uncooked, peeled Large/Jumbo Shrimp (1-1.5 lbs)
Kraft-Zesty Italian Dressing (*Fat Free-1/3 cup)
Orange Marmalade (*Sugar Free-1/4 cup)
Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (found in Latin aisle at grocery stores)
Cilantro

Here's your end result.  And here's how you get there:

Gather up your ingredients.

Chop up the Cilantro--about a handful.

(small pieces or large ones, depending on what you prefer)

Set aside.

So, at this point you have to decide:

*Make my nose run, slap the table-Spicy,

*Just need a cup of milk to relieve-Spicy,

OR

*Heck to the NO on spicy!

For Super Spicy, use 1-2 full chipotle peppers, seeds in. (the seeds are where allll of the HEAT is kept!)

For Mild Spice, use 1 full chipotle pepper, de-seeded. (look at the picture above.  I sliced the pepper down the center, exposing the seeds.  I took a fork and scraped them out-leaving only the pepper shell. It still gives the pepper a little kick, but not to the point where you're in tears!)

For No Spice, do not add the chipotle peppers at all.

Once your *Spice* level has been decided, chop up the pepper in small pieces.  Set aside.

Heat the Italian dressing on Medium-High.

Once skillet gets a little smokey, add in the uncooked shrimp.  I used Jumbo.

Cook the shrimp for about 1-2 minutes per side.

Flip the shrimp.  It should be pinkish in color.  Once about a minute has gone by, remove the pan from the heat.

Add in the Orange Marmalade and the chopped up Chipotle Peppers.

Mix everything together for a couple minutes. 

The goal is to make sure that the shrimp is no longer transparent and becomes opaque in color. (meaning you can no longer see through the shrimp)  THEN, add in the chopped Cilantro! Mix!

TA DA!! 

I love that this looks like "gourmet shrimp from an upscale restaurant"..

But really, it's about $6-$7 per serving AND it only takes 10-15 minutes to make.  You are your OWN Homemade Chef.

ENJOY!!

  

Spinach-Artichoke Shuffed Shells

For my 26th birthday, a couple of my best friends, Laura & Bethany gave me a PHAMtastic gift!  (my last name is Pham..PHAMtastic--get it?! haha! I'm so corny)  Anyways, the gift was:  Rachael Ray's Look & Cook. 
I am a HUGE fan of Racheal Ray. 
I always look forward to watching her on T.V. and seeing what new creations she comes up with.  She always has so much FUN when making food, and that's why I look up to her.  I feel like everyone should cook with that same attitude!!  Cooking shouldn't feel like a "chore".  For me, cooking is my calm place. [well, I guess it depends on how many mouths I'm feeding--then I'm not so calm!]  But, preparing a meal is like artwork.  It also gives me a chance to learn a little bit more about myself and my patience.. Rachael has a really yummy recipe in her book that is SUPER simple, but kinda tedious to make.  Again, testing my patience!  But oh, so so so worth it in the end :o)

Spinach-Artichoke Stuffed Shells.
I made this recipe a little easier..so it'll take less time.

[TO BUY]
1 Box of JUMBO Pasta Shells
1 Jar of Tomato Pasta Sauce of your choice
1 Can/Jar of Artichoke Hearts (12-14 oz)
Spinach, chopped. fresh or frozen (~10 oz, feel free to use less or add more)
Ricotta Cheese (low fat*15-16 oz)
Shredded Cheese (1/2 a cup--I used Kraft: Parmesan, Romano, & Asiago blend)
Minced Garlic (I have the squeezable kind--use ~3 tblspns)
1 Egg
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Foil* always have this handy!!
13x9 inch or 15x10 inch Baking Dish 

Here is your end result.  And here's how you get there:

Gather up your ingredients.

Cook the Jumbo Shells.  It says boil for 12 minutes, but I like to undercook it by 2 minutes cause the shells will also be baking in the oven later.

As the shells are cooking, place a skillet over Med-High heat.  Add the ~2 tablespoons of Cooking Oil.  When its heated, add in ~3 tablespoons of Minced Garlic.  Stir for about 1 minute. 

Then add in the [chopped] Spinach.  Stir until nicely cooked, then set aside.

*If you bought the spinach frozen, make sure to Defrost it before adding it in with the minced garlic. 

Make sure to drain out any liquid from the jar/can of Artichoke Hearts.  

Most of the artichoke hearts containers will say it's "Quartered", which is fine.  It just means the artichoke was cut into 1/4's already.  You wanna take those "quarters" and chop them up in smaller pieces. 

At this point, you want to get a large mixing bowl.. Add in the Spinach, Artichoke, Ricotta Cheese, Shredded Cheese, crack in the Egg, and add in your desired amount of Salt & Pepper.

Mix that bad boy up!!

Set aside.  Then Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Take the Pasta Sauce and spread it nice and even on the bottom of the 13x9 or 15x10 baking dish. (I used the 15" for this)

This is where the artwork, patience, and tediousness comes into play.

Spoon in the filling into EACH shell.  Blah.  Time's like those where you wish you had 4 hands!!  Make sure you dont overfill the shell.  It doesn't look pretty if you do!  Presentation is important! 

Line them up evenly on top of the sauce.

(Feel free to drizzle on more sauce on top of the shells if you want!)

Cover the dish with foil. 

Put this into the oven once it has reached 375 degrees.  Bake for 20 minutes covered, then remove the foil.  Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes uncovered.

For all you French speaking people, "Voila!"  For non-French speaking people, "WA-LA!!"  You're now done!

 

Serve up with your favorite sides!!

We had ceasar salad and a side of sausage, yum!

ENJOY! 

Oven Fried Chicken

I find myself going online quite a bit to find recipes.  Simple, recipes. 
The ones that have 20+ ingredients tend to freak me out.  So, I avoid those. 
With that being said--I wanted to find an easy recipe for "fried" chicken, but without actually deep frying it in lots of oil.  I came across a recipe on About.com, that offered just that.  No oil, and only a couple things to buy.  SCORE! 

Oven Fried Chicken.

[TO BUY]
Chicken (3-4 lbs of whatever parts you want)
Flour (1/4 cup)
Paprika (1 teaspoon)
Salt/Garlic Powder (1 teaspoon each)
Pepper (1/4 teaspoon)
Butter (1/3 cup)
Roasting Pan

Here is your end result.  And here's how you get there:

Gather up your ingredients.

Mix together: Flour, Paprika, Salt, Pepper, & Garlic Powder.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash chicken.

Pat dry with paper towels.

Place butter in the center of the roasting pan.  Then put it in the oven (which is preheating) to melt it.  Keep an eye on it-don't want the butter to burn, just nicely melted.

Thoroughly coat in flour mixture.

Once you notice that the butter has melted, remove pan from oven. 

Don't forget to use oven mitts!  It's super hot!

Line up the chicken.  Make sure you don't stack them.  Once the oven is at 425 degrees, place in oven--Uncovered. 

I used about 2 lbs of chicken in this picture

After 30 minutes, remove pan from oven.  If you notice that there is still some flour on the chicken, don't worry about that.  You're gonna flip it.

*Flipping*!! :o)

Place back in oven from another 15-20 minutes.

WooHoo! Done.

 The chicken is now a nice golden brown!

(if you have a cooling rack, use it.  If not, use a paper towel to pat off any excess butter)

Serve up with your favorite sides!

ENJOY!