Tomato Squash Sauce with Pasta

*recipe adapted from Joy the Baker*

Ok….this picture is NOT really pretty but believe me….this is the tastiest thing I’ve ever cooked.

This is ACTUALLY supposed to be soup, however, it comes out a little thin for my tastes and when I added pasta it became AMAZING!

Tomato Squash sauce with Pasta

Ingredients

1 large Zucchini

3 medium carrots

1 celery stalk

2 medium yellow squash

1 large white onion

4-6 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons Thyme

4 cups Crushed Italian Tomatoes

2 cups water

2 ½ cups heavy cream

1 pound pasta, cooked and drained

2 cups Chicken Broth

Red pepper flakes

Salt

2 Bay Leaves

Instructions:

Chop Zucchini and Yellow Squash into small cubes. Chop the carrots and celery into small pieces. Julienne the onion.

In a stock pot add the zucchini, yellow squash, celery, carrots and onion and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender, approximately 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional one minute while stirring. Add the thyme, bay leaves and red pepper flakes (add enough to thinly cover the surface) and cook for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, broth and water. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves.

Now you will need to blend the mixture. NEVER fill the blender more than half full of hot liquids or you’ll be SORRY! Blend in batches and add the blended mixture to another bowl. Once the entire mixture is completely blended add the heavy cream.

Serve over cooked pasta and top with Parmesan Cheese.

Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes

Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes *recipe adapted from Goddess of Scrumptiousness Recipes*

Ingredients:
500 grams spaghetti pasta (cooked al dente)
1 pound chicken breast fillets (sliced into 1 inch chunks)

For the chicken marinade:
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)
-  Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinade for 20 minutes (if making this dish in pronto) or over night (if making this dish the next day… much better).
-  Saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.

For the garlic gravy:
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely minced (approximately 4 tblsp)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (* I added 1 additional tblsp*)
2 ½ cups chicken stock ( I used a 14.5 oz can)
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups whole cherry tomatoes



Place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.
-  Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.
-  Add the flour and cook for a minute.
-  Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.
-  Season with salt and pepper.
-  Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this  sauce.
-  Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (serve extra on the side).
Makes 5-6 servings


I allowed the chicken to marinade for a full day. Brooks gave this one a 10!!! Love to make my husbands tummy happy :)

Bainigí sult as an bia

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken  *recipe adapted from Plain Chicken*

This is maybe the BEST recipe I have made in a Crock Pot! The Chicken was ridiculously juicy and you barely have to give any pressure with your fork before it just falls apart! Here is the original recipe:

Crockpot Lemon Chicken
1 lb chicken breasts
1 packet Italian dressing mix
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
egg noodles or rice

Place chicken breasts, Italian dressing mix, butter, lemon juice & chicken broth in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When finished cooking, shred chicken with 2 forks. Serve chicken over egg noodles or rice and top with juices from crockpot.


Adaptations:

Ok, I had only 1 packet of Italian dressing mix and I trippled this recipe so I used this recipe for Italian Dressing Mix from allrecipes.com

Also, I added 1/4 cup of chicken stock per pound of chicken. I didn't have any lemons so I used bottled lemon juice but it worked wonderfully.

It is delicious over egg noodles and I added a little Parmesan cheese and it was yummy! Brooks gave this a 10/10!!!

Bainigí sult as an bia

Homemade Fruit Snacks

These are AMAZING!! Not the prettiest snacks but they are so yummy!

What you will need:
1 Silicone ice cube/chocolate candy tray (make sure it is COMPLETELY Silicone or they will not come out)
1 (3 oz.) box of Jello (any flavor BUT I find the sugar free DO NOT work as well)
2 (.25) packets of unflavored gelatin (found in the baking isle)
1/3 cup water
1/2 small can of crushed pineapple (drained)

Place a small sauce pan on the burner and turn to medium heat. Add water. Add all gelatin to the water and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add the pineapple. Pour into the Silicone mold. Let sit for AT LEAST 20 minutes. In order to decrease the stickiness place the mold into the fridge for at least 20 minutes before taking the snacks out of the mold.

The flavor I used was Kroger brand Cherry and they are the yummiest i have ever tasted. I plan to get shaped silicone trays and use the same flavor as the shape (i.e. orange/lemon slices with orange or lemon flavored jello, strawberry shape with strawberry jello, etc.) as I think they would make cute gifts.

*****UPDATE*****

Pouring WITH the pineapple in the mix is REALLY messy. Place a small bit of pineapple in the mold before pouring the gelatin mix in. It's MUCH easier!

Also, if you like your treats on the tart/sour side add about a teaspoon of lemon juice. YUM!