Happy Thursday Everyone!! This week has seemed so long for me since I have worked 3 days in a row instead of 1 on, 1 off, 2 on. We have also been busy in the evenings and I feel like I haven't sat down until 8 at night. Last night we did a good detailing on my car because I am saying goodbye to it! My dad has been wanting a new car and so for our wedding gift they are selling mine and giving me his. My car has been through a lot and has a few things not exactly up to snuff, so I am happy to gain leather seats, a working cd player and most of all a sunroof again!

I wish that I would have taken a photo of dinner last night because it was one of the best and easiest pastas, but I was so starved that it didn't even cross my mind. The night before I had made an extra chicken breast, seasoned with kosher salt, pepper and lemon pepper on both sides then grilled. So I cut that into cubes.
I took asparagus, cut into thirds, broccoli florets and sliced portabella mushrooms and cooked them in a large skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil, s&p. Once tender I added the chicken until heated. I transferred this to a large bowl once warm.
I cooked my linguine, reserving 2 tbsp pasta water and not rinsing after it was cooked.
Back in the large skillet I placed olive oil (maybe 1/4 cup) and fresh minced garlic and sauteed for a few minutes. Then I added crushed red pepper and stirred for another minute. Toss back in the pasta and veggies/protein and add a sprinkle of salt, pepper, fresh grated parmesan and parsley and serve. The red pepper gives it a really nice added kick!

Anyway, we are out of town this weekend and I am getting the full on Keratin treatment tonight, which I am excited about! It's the one that is supposed to last for 5 months and I got it at under 1/2 off through living social. I scored my brazilian blowout through Groupon and loved it so much that I needed to defrizz my hair again! I follow living social and groupon and there have been numerous deals on these hair treatments, it's just finding one at a salon that you trust. I will do a review on this treatment since it is different and actually supposed to improve the condition of your hair.

We have a really busy few weeks ahead so I am looking forward to a busy ending to the summer! Next weekend my family is going to come to gainesville to hang out, eat some sushi and a cinnabon and have a good time. Then Adams dad and family arrive that Tuesday and stay for a week. That weekend we will go to Orlando for our Fantasy Football Draft, to celebrate my birthday (27!) and attend our at home reception at my parents house. The following weekend Adam will be traveling to Nashville to start his new job!

I haven't mentioned on here yet that Adam got a promotion at work and we are headed up to Nashville! It is perfect timing since we just got married and Gainesville isn't the most social place for us to be. I am really looking forward to all that the new city has to offer and am so proud of A! This is a big step for him and for us and I can't wait to see what else lies ahead. I will definitely miss my family but now our visits will be more like vacations! Plus, now I get to wear some cute fall/winter clothes :) I am getting my job transferred as well, so everything really worked out.

So, there's a recap of all that's happening here. Getting ready for a move is not fun, but it's coming fast enough that it should be fairly painless! Have a lovely weekend!

Parmesan Orzo

Orzo is the perfect combination of rice and pasta and warm goodness. I love getting it out at restaurants but have not actually made it myself. I have to highly recommend this as a side for any meal! It was cheesy and wonderful, light fluffy and just dreamy. I loved it and the serving size was perfect for 2 people, plus a little bit of leftover. It took about 15 minutes to come together, so it wont take over your night, but will taste like it did!

Parmesan Orzo (from Stephanie Cooks)
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup orzo
1 can of chicken broth (I made my own broth with the bouillon packets and 2 cups water)
A few shakes of parsley
A few shakes of garlic powder
1/2 cup of freshly shredded parmesan cheese, plus 4 tbsp for topping
Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

 Heat butter and dry orzo over medium/high heat until pasta is toasted and golden (not all of the pasta, just some)

Pour in the can of broth and seasonings. Cook on medium heat. The orzo will absorb the broth. Once most of the broth is absorbed, remove from the heat.

 Mix in the parmesan cheese and stir until smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with additional cheese when serving if you like.

E-Z Chicken Pasta

Looking for a fast, simple, healthy, filling and yummy weeknight meal? Look no further! This isn't rocket science, but is also a good way to use leftovers.

Chicken
2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
EVOO
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

Drizzle both sides of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes on both sides as well.

Place on a grill on medium heat, or on a grill pan. Cook for 8 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear.

Vegetables
Broccoli
Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp Butter (I'm gusseing, I just used a small sliver from a stick)
1 tsp Stir Fry Sauce
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Add all ingredients together in a medium skillet. Cook on medium for 6 - 10 minutes, or until broccoli is firm but still crisp.

Pasta
1/2 box Pasta
EVOO
1/2 tbsp Butter
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
 

Cook according to package.

Strain pasta and add all other ingredients. Top with Veggies and Chicken.

Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese

There seems to be only 2 sides to thoughts of the Pioneer Woman and her recipes and it's a love/hate kind of thing. I have not made any of her recipes yet, but I have been drooling over this Macaroni and Cheese from my google reader from My Baking Heart, originally taken straight from the pages of The Pioneer Woman Cooks. It turned out perfect, just the way I like my mac'n cheese; creamy but a but chunky.

I made very minor changes to this, and I also put about half away in the freezer, so that we can pull it out later and just bake it up. The skim milk that I used still lead to a great dish, so something to consider if you're trying to cut down calories/fat.

Macaroni and Cheese (from My Baking Heart, originally from The Pioneer Woman Cooks)
4 c dry macaroni
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c butter (1/2 stick or 4 tbsp)
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2-1/2 c whole milk (I used 2 1/4 cups skim milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream)
2 heaping tsp dry mustard (or more to taste)
1 lb cheddar or other desired cheese, grated (I added about 1/4 cup Parmesan for topping at the end)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp seasoned salt (or more to taste) (I just used another 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper)
1 tsp ground black pepper

Cook the macaroni until very firm. The macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. (If you’re in a hurry and don’t want to bake the macaroni and cheese, cook it now until it’s done.) Drain.
In a small bowl, beat the egg. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a large oval or rectangular baking dish. In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk it together over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in the milk. Add the mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes or until very thick, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low.

To temper the egg, slowly pour 1/4 cup of the sauce into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg. Whisk until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the sauce, whisking until smooth. Add in all but 1/2 cup of the cheese and stir until melted.

Add the seasonings. Taste the sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed. Do not undersalt or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life! Pour in the cooked, drained macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately or pour into the baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and golden on top. Serve to hungry humans.

To freeze, simply follow directions up to baking. Instead of baking, put into individual size containers and wrap for freezing. When you're ready to eat, just thaw and bake!

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

My camera is in the midst of dying, so I had to use the camera on my phone to take this, which is why it looks so white. Although, I have honestly never really seen a good picture of lasagna to begin with, so I think it's ok. Kelly made buffalo chicken lasagna about a year ago, and it has been making its way around the blog world the past few months. Everyone seems to have their own take on it, so I took this recipe and adjusted to what I thought sounded good. My fatal mistake was using a pan that was too big, so I ran out of sauce at the end and could only top with ricotta and mozzarella. Besides that we really enjoyed this and had a lot leftover to freeze for lazy nights. The recipe that I used is below. I served with garlic knots, the same recipe as my garlic rollups, only the dough is tied in a knot instead of rolled.

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna (adapted from allrecipes.com)
2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast - cooked and shredded
1 cup hot sauce
2 cups alredo sauce
3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
uncooked lasagna noodles
1 large bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a lasagna pan.

In a large bowl combine the chicken, alfredo, hot sauce, water, garlic powder, onion; mix well and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the egg beat and ricotta cheese.

Spread just enough of the chicken mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan to make a light coating. Layer with lasagna noodles, then half of the chicken mixture. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta/egg mixture over all, then top with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of noodles, half of the remaining chicken mixture, remaining ricotta mixture and half of the remaining mozzarella. Top with one last layer of noodles and remaining chicken mixture and mozzarella.

Cover pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 70 minutes. Remove cover and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, cover and let stand for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Macaroni Salad

We pretty much used the grill the entire weekend, grilling burgers, hot dogs, steaks and ribs, so all of our sides were consistent with the bbq theme. I can't express our love for macaroni salad enough, we usually buy it from publix and devour the whole container in one sitting, just the two of us. It really is sick, especially when you look at all of the calories in it. Adam decided to make his own (although I played sous chef) and tried out this recipe from allrecipes.com. We were conisistent with the instructions, only making a few minor changes, and it turned out great, the 4.5 star rating is not a lie! I would suggest letting it sit overnight, as it had to best flavor the next day. Now I am left wondering if Adam has devoured the entire bowl of it by now.....thank goodness I didnt bring any home with me!

Macaroni Salad (from AllRecipes.com)
4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise (we used light mayo....and I admit we used 2 cups, it was jsut too mustardy without it)
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup grated carrot (optional) -omitted
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (optional) -omitted


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.

In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, pimentos and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.

I would wait until this point to add extra mayo, if you choose to.

Taco Pasta Salad

I mentioned how I have been wanting to try this Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad for almost a year now; it has been blogged by so many people, but originated here, on Cara's Cravings. I think it was so hyped that I expected too much. Everyone loved it, especially all of the cilantro. I thought it was good, but this left something to be desired for me, personally. Maybe it was because I couldn't find wagon wheel pasta and had to settle for another, or because I left out the avacado since Adam hates it. It really is something different to whip up and bring to a party or to serve, because it is not your ordinary pasta salad. I will say, there was half the bowl gone so everyone enjoyed! I am inputting the original recipe here, since I followed it exactly, except for the 2 changes mentioned above.


Taco Pasta Salad (from Cara's Cravings)
1lb wagon wheel pasta
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz package frozen corn (I don't even bother thawing it, because I always make this at least a few hours before serving, so it plenty of time to defrost)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8oz shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add the cooled pasta and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over the pasta salad, add the cilantro, and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Just before serving, stir in the diced avocado.

Macaroni and 3 Cheese

I finally got back to doing some actual cooking on Friday night. Since I've been doing so well on my diet I thought I would try some mac n cheese. This is the recipe my sister and mom use, and it makes a lot, I was able to freeze 8 individual portions and had 4 leftover to eat. It will definitely make an easy side, and since Adam will be gone during the week for the next month or so, it will come in handy when I dont want to cook up something just for myself. This is a very easy recipe and doesnt take too long. Also, you can easily prep it the night before and bake the next day. This is more chunky than it is creamy, which I like and think it gives it a really good texture. This is the best macaroni and cheese ever so I suggest that you try it! I am unsure of where it originally came from.

Macaroni and 3 Cheese (original source unknown)
4 tbsp unsalted Butter
2 3/4 cup Milk (i used skim and it came out great)
1/4 cup Flour
1tbsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional, but it adds a very good flavor)
1 tsp Salt
2 1/4 cup Cheddar and Colby Mix, shredded (plus extra for topping at the end)
1 cup Gouda, shredded
1/2 pound macaroni

Cook macaroni according to package, removing from heat 2-3 minutes early. Drain place in a casserole dish, set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.

In medium saucepan, heat milk on medium heat. Melt the butter in a a high sided skillet, until bubbling. Add flour and whisk for about a minute, until all is blended.

Gradually add in the hot milk, whisking while adding until it is all combined. Whisk for a minute more until it bubbles.

Remove from heat and add in salt and red pepper. Gradually add in the cheeses, whisking constantly. Pour the cheese mix onto the macaroni and stir to combine. Sprinkle extra cheese on top evenly. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Let set for about 5 minutes before serving.

Shrimp Pasta Salad

a Usually when you think of pasta salads you think of summer and cookouts, both of which are the opposite of January. Right now its cold and you want warm food, but when you have tailgating leftovers, that usually means burgers and hotdogs. On Saturday we were stuck having to eat these things, following a tailgate for the bowl game here in Orlando, and I needed to add a little something else to the mix. We both love this shrimp pasta salad, which is originally from my parent's friend, then my sister always made it and now Ive been making it also. It is the best pasta salad! Also, I got a chance to use my new crab bowl that my mom got me for Christmas; very fancy! You basically add all of the ingredients to taste, as some people like the flavors in different amounts.

Shrimp Pasta Salad

1 box Shell Pasta, cooked according to package

1 lb Shrimp, steamed and chopped

2 Tomatoes, chopped

1/2 block Fresh Mozzerella, cubed

1 can of Corn

5 Green Onions, choopped

Duke's Mayonnaise (you can also use another kind, but this always tastes the best)

Durkees (use less than the amount of mayo, this is found by the condiments)

Old Bay Seasoning (I tend to use a lot because it gives it such a good flavor)

S&P to taste

Cook pasta according to package and put in the fridge until completely cooled off. Meanwhile, steam the shrimp and then put in fridge to cool also.

Once everything is cold, add in the remaining ingredients. I usually use about 2 big spoonfuls of mayo and one of the durkee's, and a couple tbsp of the old bay.

Mini Pasta Bake

Tonight I am just tired, I feel like I had a long day! Since Im just cooking for me, I took out a tomato, mozzerella basil chicken sausage link this morning to thaw and decided I would figure out something to make with it. The easiest thing was pasta. I walked in the door and threw the link in boiling water, the pasta in water and went and got changed and comfy. When I came back in I just had to throw a few more ingedients into mini casserole dishes and pop in the oven. This is a great meal for anytime when you're not feeling like preparing a big meal. I also just used ingredients that were sitting around. I used 2 mini casserole dishes to control the portions, I ate one tonight and will take one to work tomorrow. The portion size and ingredients made it a low cal meal as well.

Mini Pasta Bake

makes 2 mini casserole dishes

1 cup Ronzoni Smart Taste Spaghetti

1 link Chicken Sausage (I used tomato, mozzerella basil flavor)

1/2 cup Pasta Sauce (I used mushroom and garlic)

1/2 cup rf Mozzerella

1 slice Swiss Cheese

1/4 cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese

1/4 tsp Onion Powder

1/4 tsp Basil

1/4 tsp Oregano

Sprinkle Red Pepper Flakes

Pinch S&P

Put pasta in boiling water and cook el dente. Heat sausage in boiling water until heated throughout. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If you dont want to divide into 2 dishes, you can just throw everything into a medium size dish that can go into the oven.

Put cottage cheese into the dish and smash so that the curds are smaller. Then add 1/2 of the pasta sauce, onion powder, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes and mix. Add Spaghetti and mix again. Add 1/2 mozzerella. Cut up sausage link and place pieces on top, followed by the remining mozerella, remaining pasta sauce and slice of swiss on top. Bake for 10 minutes.

Asparagus Chicken Spaghetti

Last week I had made roasted asparagus somewhere in the mix of dinners, and I found myself with half of the bundle left. I also had an open jar of sauce from the Turkey Parm Burgers. There was boxes and boxes of spaghetti to use and then I also remembered that there was some REALLY good chicken sausage in the freezer. I've finally discovered the awesomeness that is freezing food. My mom froze everything and people would think it was crazy, but that leftover Publix burger bun that I had froze was transformed into 2 slices of garlic bread to go with this spaghetti dinner. It was great to have! I have also just recently come to love asparagus, so I've been trying to use it as often as I can without overdoing it.

Asparagus Chicken Spaghetti

1/2 box Ronzoni Smart Taste Spaghetti

1/2 bundle Asparagus (cut into small pieces)

2 links Chicken Sausage (I used Tomato, Basil & Mozzerella)

1/4 Red Onion, chopped

1 jar Pasta Sauce (I used roasted Tomato and Garlic)

1/2 cup reduced fat Mozzerella, shredded

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1tsp red pepper flakes

Cook Pasta in boiling water. In the meantime, put chicken sausage in another pot of boiling water and cook until warm throughout. On medium heat, spray skillet with cooking spray and place asparagus and onion in, top with red pepper flakes, onion powder and garlic salt. Cook about 10 minutes, until tender.

Drain pasta. Put chicken sausage, asparagus and onion into a saucepan and pour spaghetti sauce on top. Mix so that everything is combined, then top with mozzerella. Put lid on the pot and cook about 5 minutes on medium/high, or until heated through. Plate pasta and top with sauce mix.