Vodka Pasta Sauce

My husband and I went to small local restaurant for Valentines Day this year. We decided to be slightly adventurous in our meal choices. Well, I tried. I ordered their White Lasagna only to be informed that they were out so instead I went with the regular lasagna which was fine. My husband's choice was more successful, resulting in a new addition to our at-home menu. We both loved the flavors and thus the mission was to recreate it at home.
Since we're two months removed from our initial taste of the restaurant's version it's debatable if this even resembles it. However, we enjoy this, as do the kids so this is now our "house version" of Vodka Cream Pasta. It has a slight spicy kick to it at the end of the bite but just enough to let you know it's there, not so much your eyes are watering. It doesn't take much sauce to nicely coat the noodles so keep that in mind as you are dishing up.

Vodka Cream Pasta
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Yields: ~6 servings
Adapted from: $5 Dinners and Spice Islands

Ingredients:
1 T butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
14 oz can tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp basil
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
1 lb spaghetti, cooked

Directions:
   1.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic powder; cooked until softened.
   2.  Add tomatoes and tomato pasta; bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes.
   3.  Add vodka; cook for 2-3 minutes.
   4.  Add cream, salt, pepper and basil; cook until warm.
   5.  Serve over pasta and chicken. {Two large spoonfuls of sauce will cover a serving of pasta nicely.}

Tomato Basil Soup

It took a long time and many less than great bowls of soup but I've finally found a homemade tomato soup that is similar to the canned stuff but tastes even better! My husband had never had tomato soup until we were married and now this is one of his favorite soups, served, of course, with grilled cheese.
This soup is easy to put together and can withstand a long simmer time so it's perfect for days when dinner needs to be started early. However, it can also come together quite quickly. Since I try to keep chopped carrots and celery in the freezer I've definitely pulled this together spur of the moment.

Tomato Basil Soup
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Adapted from: Kate's Great Crafts & 365 Days of Slow Cooking
Yields: 6-8 generous servings

Ingredients:
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
28 oz can tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 T basil
1 small bay leaf
3 T butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
dash garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil

Directions:
   1.  Saute onion, carrots and celery in olive oil. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, 1 T basil, bay leaf and butter. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer.
   2.  Remove bay leaf. Blend using either an immersion blender or regular blender {in batches}; add milk and remaining seasonings. Heat until warm.
   3.  Serve with grilled cheese and buttery crackers.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

We're always looking for a new variety of pizza to add to our repertoire. This Chicken Alfredo Pizza is the newest addition and one we really enjoy. My husband especially enjoys it because he can easily add shrimp to his side. {I'm not a seafood lover so we almost never have it at home.}
To speed up the process the sauce can be made ahead of time and any leftovers can be used on pasta later in the week.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
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Source: Recipe Dose
Yields: 2 13-inch pizzas 

Ingredients: 
Alfredo Sauce
2 T butter
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch red pepper flakes
1 T flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper 
Toppings
pizza dough
Alfredo Sauce (see above)
2 medium tomatoes, diced or 1/2 can diced tomatoes
spinach- 2 large handfuls fresh or 1/3 package frozen

1 chicken breast, cooked and diced

2 cups shredded cheese

 

Directions:
   1.  In a medium saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add garlic powder, red pepper flakes and flour; stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring frequently; cook until slightly thickened and season as desired.
   2.  Roll out crust; top with sauce, tomatoes, spinach, chicken and cheese.
   3.  Bake at 450 for 13-16 minutes until slightly browned on top.

This is linked to URS.

Mom's Chili

My mom's chili has been a family favorite (especially with my brother) for years. She often makes it when we go home and she had it waiting for my husband and I when we came home from the hospital after our daughter was born so Mom's chili definitely has lots of good memories associated with it.
It's really quite easy to put this Chili together. It benefits from a long simmer time so, if need be, you can make it early in the day and let it simmer all day. Growing up, we always had Club crackers with our chili so that's how I eat mine. My husband has adopted the Club cracker technique but also adds olives to his. To each his own!

Mom's Chili
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Yields: ~10 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger (not pictured)
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cans tomatoes
4 can kidney beans (drained, reserve juice)
3 T chili powder
2 T flour (not pictured)

Directions:

   1.  Fry hamburger until no longer pink; drain fat.

   2.  In a large pot combine meat, chopped onions, tomatoes (with juice), and kidney bean juice.

   3.  In a small bowl mix chili powder and flour with water until it makes a watery paste. Add to pot.

   4.  Simmer for at least 1 hour. Thirty minutes before serving add beans.

   * This recipe freezes well.

This is linked to URS and Finding Joy in My Kitchen.

Burrito Pizza

Burrito Pizza--the first time we had it we were definitely a little apprehensive. The whole thing is so very different from most pizzas we enjoy. Well, it's a good thing we tried it anyway because it has turned out to be quite a delicious pizza. It took a few tries but we've finally found what we enjoy as Burrito Pizza.

Burrito Pizza
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Yields: 2 medium pizzas

Ingredients:
pizza dough
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup chicken, cooked and chopped
1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes (or 1/2 can diced tomatoes), diced
olives (optional)
1-2 cups shredded cheese
1/3 cup sour cream

Directions:
   1.  Preheat oven to 400. Roll out pizza dough to desired shape.
   2.  In a food processor combine drained beans and 3-4 T salsa. Pulse until it reaches a thick sauce consistency. Spread over pizza dough.
   3.  Top with chicken, onion, tomatoes, olives and cheese.
   4.  Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes.
   5.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Adapted from: Good Cheap Eats

Fiesta Chicken Soup

There are a few different "Mexican" based soups in our rotation but I keep each of them there because they each have their own little twist. This one incorporates so many ingredients and in the end they all go together so well. The flavors meld perfectly, especially considering the relatively short cooking time.

One thing that amazed me about this soup was how much color the broth had. Most of it, I assume, is from the tomato juice but look at that color!

Fiesta Chicken Soup
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Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 T Italian dressing or olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrots, sliced
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 cup peas
1 can kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
   1. Cook chicken, onions and carrots in the Italian dressing until the onions and carrots are beginning to soften.
   2. Add tomatoes (with juice), chicken broth, water and chili powder to pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer.
   3. Fifteen to 20 minutes before serving add peas and kidney beans.
   4. Serve with cheese sprinkled over the top.
Notes: The measurements of the vegetables are extremely flexible. I've also added green beans.

Source: Kraft Foods

This is linked to Tasty Tuesday and URS.

Lasagna Soup

In the pot this soup looks like a normal vegetable and broth soup. Once you dish it up on top of the cheeses it turns slightly creamy and absolutely beautiful. There are wonderful layers of flavor in this surprisingly hearty lasgana soup.
The work time for this recipe, like many soups, is not too long but the simmering time means you don't have to prepare it immediately before dinner. The slightly longer list of ingredients might be intimidating but since many of the ingredients are spices they don't create a lot of work.

Lasagna Soup
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Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb Italian sausage
1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced (not pictured)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T tomato sauce
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 cup uncooked pasta
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp basil
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
   1.  In a skillet, cook Italian sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat.
   2.  In a large stock pot, saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic powder, oregano, Italian seasoning, red peppers flakes and tomato sauce. Cook 2 minutes.
   3.  Add cooked Italian sausage, tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
   4.  Add pasta; bring back to a boil on medium heat until pasta is tender, about 7-8 minutes. After five minutes add spinach and basil. Remove bay leaves.
   5.  To serve put 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 T Parmesan cheese and 2 T shredded cheese in each bowl. Ladle soup on top. [When we had this as leftovers it worked well to warm up the soup then put the cheeses on top and stir them in.]

Adapted from: Our Simple Life

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I can't recall where we first came across this recipe but we sure are glad we found it. It makes such a filling and delicious soup. It's a wonderful crock pot recipe which some good ingredients. It tends to be my go-to soup as everything is a standard pantry ingredient.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Yields: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can beans-kidney or pinto, drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa
1 cup corn
shredded cheese
tortilla chips

Directions:
   1.  Place chicken, tomatoes, beans and salsa in a crock pot. Cook on low 4-5 hours.
   2.  Thirty-45 minutes before serving, remove chicken breasts and either shred or dice. Add corn. Cook for at least 30 minutes longer.
   3.  Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

This is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Crockpot Wednesday, Good Cheap Eats and URS.