Wild mushroom and basil pasta

I have one plant that is growing, and that is my basil!! Yay for basil. So I'm looking for any basil recipes. And since I always need pasta recipes, I was excited to try this one. I loved the addition of soy to this one. It was very tasty for dinner, and tasty the next day when I ate left overs cold for lunch. I found the recipe at food.com.

• fresh pasta, enough for 4
• 2 medium portabella mushrooms, in 1/4 inch thick slices
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, capped and quartered (button mushroom works too, go wild with your choice :-)
• 1/2 cup of packed fresh basil leaf
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• extra virgin olive oil (use the good quality one you've been saving)
• 1/2 cup sherry wine or 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 -2 teaspoon soy sauce
• shredded parmesan cheese
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. 1 For sauce, heat heavy skillet.
2. 2 Saute garlic cloves in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until coated and beginning to brown (about 1 minute).
3. 3 Add mushrooms and sautee until juices begin to emerge.
4. 4 Add wine or sherry (more or less depending on how juicy you want it to be) and soy sauce.
5. 5 Coat mushrooms and cook for another minute or so.
6. 6 Add basil and cook until leaves are slightly wilted.
7. 7 Remove garlic cloves.
8. 8 Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. 9 Toss cooked noodles with a little bit of olive oil (the amount depends on how juicy your mushroom mix is).
10. 10 Transfer to plates and top with mushrooms and grated parmesan.

Mango Chicken

2 servings

1/4 C. honey

1/4 C lemon juice

1/2 tsp grated lemon peel (opt. )

1 small mango, peeled and diced

1 TB canola oil

1 sm. onion, peel and quartered

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and halved (opt)

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, whisk the honey, lemon juice and peel until blended.

Set aside 1/4 cup. In a small bowl, gently combing the mango and remaining honey mixture; cover and refrigerate.

In a blender or food processor, combine the oil, onion, jalapeno, paprika, garlic salt, cinnamon, allspice, pepper and reserved honey mixture; cover and process until onion and jalapeno are finely chopped.

Place the chicken in an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon half of the spice mixture over each piece and turn over and top with remaining mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve with mango mixture.

-Shara Rust

Chicken Honey-Nut Stir Fry

4-6 servings

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts

3/4 C. orange juice

1/3 C honey

3 TB soy sauce

2 TB vegetable oil

1 TB cornstarch

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 Large carrots

2 stalks celery

1 pkg. frozen broccoli, cauliflower combination, thawed

1/2 C. cashews or peanuts

Hot rice

Directions:

Cut chicken into strips and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine orange juice, honey, soy sauce, cornstarch, and ginger; mix well.

Heat 1 TB oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and thawed mix; stir fry vegetables about 3 minutes. Return vegetables, set aside.

Pour remaining oil into skillet. Add meat; stir fry about 3 minutes. Return vegetables to skillet; add sauce mixture and nuts. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce is thickened.

Serve over hot rice.

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ

6 servings

6 frozen skinless, boneless chkn breast halves

1 (12 oz) bottle bbq sauce

1/2 C Italian salad dressing

1/4 C brown sugar

2 TB Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the bbq sauce, italian dressing, brown sugar, and worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.

Cover and cook 3-4 hours on Hight or 6-8 hours on low.

You can eat it as it is or put it over baked potatoes.

-Shara Rust

Country Pasta with Mozarella

(a great side dish for the Chicken BBQ or the Cream Cheese Hamburgers) - 6 servings

8 oz. rigatoni pasta

8 slices bacon, cut into 1 in. pieces

2 C broccoli florets

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Cook rigatoni according to package directions and drain.

In a 10 in. skillet cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned. Add the broccoli and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is slightly tender.

Stir in the cooked rigatoni, mozarella cheese, parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

We all know how to butter bread, slice cheese and cook it in a pan, as well as follow directions on a can. :) Here's how we spice it up:

1-Add Ham to the grilled cheese

2-Instead of adding 1 can water to the soup, add 1/2 water, 1/2 milk, and add some dried basil.

-Lauren Smith

[colby's note: Genius!!]

Taco Soup

[This recipe is similar to the Taco Topper recipe. I like this one because it has a few less ingredients, so you could see what fits your pantry or tastes better.]

1 lb Ground Beef or 2 Cans Canned chicken

Taco Seasoning packet

Can beans (kidney or white-whatever your preference)

Can Corn

Can Stewed Tomatoes

Brown beef, then combine above in a pan on the stove until heated thoroughly. Top with grated cheese, Sour cream, Fritos, and...voila!

-Lauren Smith

Chicken Quesedillas

2 Cans chicken (add 1/2 packet Taco Seasoning)Tortillas

grated cheese

salsa

sour cream

Corn

Refried beans

Put chicken & cheese on tortilla & fold in half. Cook on stove (med heat). Serve with corn and refried beans, Dip in sour cream, salsa.

-Lauren Smith

mac and cheese

1 lb favorite pasta (author uses bow tie)

4 Tbl butter

4 tbl flour

2 C milk

2 C cheese (mild cheddar and mozzarella)

Submitted by Kammy T as found from the site Friends and Food

Cook 1 lb. of your favorite pasta in a large pot(we like bow tie) don't forget to salt the water when you add the pasta. While it cooks make the white sauce (or roux)

In a small sauce pan (with tall sides) melt 4 TB butter over medium heat, or just a tad warmer. Then whisk in 4 TB flour until it's smooth. Slowly, while whisking add 2 cups milk (we use 1%). Continue to check on it and give it a stir while you prepare the rest of the meal, it will start to thicken up, when it's just barely thickened, turn heat to low. Grate about 2 cups, give or take, of your favorite cheese (we use mild cheddar and sometimes a combo of that with mozzarella too), set aside.

When the pasta is done drain it off and put it back into the pot. Stir in the white sauce,toss in the cheese and stir until all the pasta has cheese on it, then cover with the lid. The cheese will melt up and be ready to serve. I usually bake mine in a casserole dish, but discovered if you let it sit in the pot for a few minutes it's just the same as if you bake it essentially except for a golden crust on the top, but time is too precious!

Thai Curry with Noodles

This recipe was submitted by Kammy T. She got the recipe from Our Best Bites. And they report that "[this] recipe heavily adapted from The Colorado Connection. So see, when it comes to recipes it ok to beg, borrow, and steal. As long as you give credit;)

1 lb. linguine or rice noodles (if using rice noodles, soak in hot water for about 1/2 hour and then drain and rinse)

1 12-oz. package of frozen stir fry vegetables or 6 oz. frozen broccoli and 6 oz. frozen julienned carrots

1/2 c. green onions

1 medium red, orange, or yellow pepper, thinly sliced

1 c. sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp. fresh, minced ginger

1 Tbsp. fresh, minced garlic

1 Tbsp. curry paste

Juice of 1 lime, plus more limes for garnish

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 can of lite coconut milk

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2-3 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce (available at Asian markets)

Black sesame seeds for garnish

Cook pasta according to the package directions. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, curry paste, and lime juice. While the pasta is cooking, microwave the frozen vegetables according to the package directions, but only cook them for 1/2 the time–you still want them to be quite crunchy. If you’re using fresh veggies, blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes or until they’re tender-crisp.

In a large non-stick skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green onions, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the garlic is fragrant. Be sure to continue stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning.

Add the sliced red peppers and the half-cooked (formerly frozen) vegetables. Stir fry for about 1 minute and then add the coconut milk mixture and cook until it begins to boil. Remove from heat and add the cooked noodles. Toss to combine and then allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes. Toss again and serve with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds and 2 lime wedges per person (squeeze the lime juice over the noodles before eating). Serves 8 very generously, so if you can find an extra use for the other half of that can of coconut milk, I say go for it…:)

Lasagna Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup carrots, diced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 T. garlic minced

4 cups chicken broth

1 can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, chopped

1 can tomato sauce

1 box small pasta

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 cup provolone cheese

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; sauté 3 minutes.

Stir in mushrooms and garlic, and sauté another 3 minutes. Drain grease.

Add broth, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Drop in pasta and simmer until

cooked, about 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.

Place ¼ cup cheese into serving bowls and pour soup on top. Garnish with Parmesan and basil. Serve

with French bread.

-Rachel Freeman

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

My friend Kammy tried these and here's what she said:

"I made these for dinner tonight. They were super tasty. I 1 1/2 the recipe which made 21, enough for the 6 of us for dinner, with 6 left over for snacking tonight. YUM! I'm going to try flour tortillas next time."

The recipe as follows comes from Our Best Bites. Can't wait to try this one. Especially because my husband makes fun of me for never trying taquitos (the gross frozen ones that he likes). But these don't look gross at all;)

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Dip them in salsa, sour cream, guacamole or dressing.

French Dip Sandwhiches

2 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing

2 cans beef broth

2 pkg. Au jus

1 can water

4-5 lb. boneless roast

Put all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on LOW all night and throughout the entire day 18-20 hrs. Trim

fat while cooking. Put meat on bread then top with cheese. Place in oven on broil and watch closely.

When brown, take out and serve with the au jus sauce (sauce in crock pot) for dipping.

-Rachel Freeman

Rigatoni with Shittakes, Artichokes and Peppers

I got this recipe from Ladies Home Journal which you can see here. We're into artichokes so we loved this pasta. I think you have to be into artichokes to like though, fyi.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 red peppers, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 pound shiitake or white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 1-1/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (12 to 13-3/4 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pound rigatoni, cooked according to package directions
• 1 cup freshly shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 1 minute until lightly browned. Add peppers and mushrooms; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more.

2. Add broth, artichokes, lemon peel and juice, salt, red pepper, and ground pepper to skillet. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in parsley

3. Toss hot pasta with sauce and Romano in large bowl. Makes 6 servings.

Black Bean Pitas with Avocado Salsa

I've been looking for some meatless recipes (see side bar) and found this one which looks fantastic. I haven't made it yet, but will let you know how it goes once I've tried it. I found the recipe at I heart naptime which is a great place to go for menus. Every Sunday she posts her menu for the week. She got this recipe from Craftaholics Anonymous which looks like a really dangerous site if you have craft addiction problems (colby, you're girls do not need anymore rosette hair clips.)

So for the recipe:

Black Bean Pitas with Avocado Salsa

avocado salsa

2 avocados pitted and diced

1 1/2 to 2 cups roma tomatoes diced

4 green onions chopped

2 tbl lime juice

2 tbl frest cilantro chopped

1/4 tsp salt

Combinge all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside

black bean pitas

1 tbl olive oil

1/2 c chopped onions (sweet or red work well)

1 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 16 oz black beans, rinse and drained

1/4 tsp salt (optional)

1/4 C mayonnaise

1/2 tsp minced chipotle peppers in adobo

1 C chopped lettuce

Pitas or wraps (I'm going to try Heatherly's pita recipe found here)

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook until clear. Stir in garlic and cumin. Add beans and salt. Heat thoroughly. Lightly mash the bean mixture, cover and set aside.

Combine the mayonnaise and chipotle in a small bowl. Taste and see how spicy/mild the misture is and add more of mayo or peppers as needed.

To make the pitas, spread the mayonnaise over the pita/wrap, then add the bean ixture on top of the mayo, and top with salsa and lettuce.

(This sounds so good. Can't wait for payday this fri to get the ingredients;)

pizza muffins, a christmas tree, and one more snowman

Since we moved to VA, I only shop twice a month, once each pay day. (Well theoretically anyway). The commissary is too far to justify more than that, and the prices at the grocery stores are too much to justify shopping anywhere but the commissary. Since I'm not that great of a planner, I have to get pretty creative just before pay day.

Here are some recipes I made earlier this week based on desperation, that we happened to enjoy:

I had a bag of maybe 10 pepperonis and some cheddar cheese in the fridge, so I was thinking of doing some kind of pizza for the kid's lunch on Monday. But I was not in the mood to make dough or sauce. I searched around online and found this cute recipe which was fabulously transportable and yummy.

Behold, the pizza muffin:

I found the recipe at FreezerDinner.com. You can go here for the recipe. We will definitely be making these again, especially when we have more pepperoni and green onions (we just used white). I wanted to save some for the freezer, but they were too good. We'll be making a bigger batch when we do them again.

My next food crisis was family home evening, where a dessert is required. I had just used my last egg on the pizza muffins which seriously eliminated a lot of possibilities. I dug through the cabinets and found a box of ice cream cones (they were from my witch cupcakes). Perfect to make Christmas Trees. Luckily, I had about a 4th of a can of frosting in the fridge, but I could have made frosting. I have a cookie jar full of smarties from Sophie's candy girl costumes, so those were my ornaments. And I raided the kids halloween bags for starburst tree toppers. Cole put these together and I think he did a fabulous job.

The night before, Sunday, is also a night where dessert is essential, don't you think?? I had cupcakes in my freezer (again, cupcakes I put aside when doing the halloween ones) and snowmen still on my mind. I have the book Hello, Cupcake!, and have always wanted to try their snowmen which are darling. I didn't have all their accesories, but used what I could find. The only thing I bought was the pull apart licorice for the scarf and earmuffs, but I used my extra care bucks from CVS to do it (in case you are concerned that I went to the store before pay day;).

Southern Pulled Pork Sandwhich

3-4 lbs Pork Roast
2 Onions chopped
16 oz BBQ Sauce
1/3 Cup Honey
Cook in crockpot until chicken is cooked. (6-? hrs on high)
Good with Corn on the Cob!

-Alicia Warnock

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwhiches

4 lbs chicken breast
16 oz BBQ Sauce
1 Cup water
Cook in crockpot until chicken is cooked. (5-? hrs on high) Until chicken is shredded
Rhodes Rolls (follow thawing directions on package, allow yourself about 6 hours for them to defrost and rise) They are small so I would figure a couple per adult and one per child and then a few extra for afterwards with butter & jelly!

sun dried tomato and bowtie pasta

Again, cleaning out my recipe box I found this recipe. I thought I knew pretty much all the favorite recipes I had stored there, but I forgot about this one. Its very yummy-might be making it tomorrow!

1/4 bottle of pesto
or 2 tbl dried basil minced
1 1/2 tsp pine nuts
1 1/2 tsp oliv oil mised in blender

12 oz sun dried tomatoes
1 tbl olive oil
1 1/2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 lb fresh mushrooms sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 pck bowtie pasta

In small bowl blanch sundried tomatoes for 30 sec in boiling water. Drain well and slice tomatoes into small pieces. Sautee garlic in 1/8 C olive oil on medium heat. Simmer for 1 minute-don't brown. Add pesto, salt, cayeene, and tomatoes. Reduce heat to low and let mixture simmer. Mix w/ cooked pasta.

Thai Cucumber Salad

Facebook stalking gave me another recipe. This was posted by Mrs. Ashley Holloway who got it from Allrecipes.com (again, having trouble adding the link. . .anyone know why??). I haven't tried this recipe but it looks intriguing. I will be grabbing the ingredients tomorrow and will let you know how it goes!!

Ingredients

3 large cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped peanut

Directions

1. Toss the cucumbers with the salt in a colander, and leave in the sink to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Whisk together the sugar and vinegar in a mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro; toss to combine. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top before serving.