Garlic Chicken Farfalle

I got this recipe from Becky Higgins via Kevin and Amanda. It is so not healthy, but so good. Seriously, so good.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle
by Becky Higgins

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (12 oz) bottle Lawry's mesquite marinade with lime
16 oz. farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1/2 cup butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon pepper (i only used 1/2 tablespoon and we thought it was plenty)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb. bacon, crumbled

Cook chicken and marinade in crockpot on low for 6 hours. Pull chicken out of crockpot, allow to cool a little bit, and shred. Set aside. About half-hour before serving boil the pasta. In a small saucepan melt butter. Add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan and bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour sauce over cooked, drained pasta. Add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle with additional parmesan.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

We had this at Sunday dinner and everyone seemed to like them. The recipe is from an old Taste of Home magazine.

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

2 T water

2 tsp onion powder

2 ts ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

5 c diced cooked chicken

20 flour tortillas ( 6 in), room temperature

2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted

2 c sour cream

1 c milk

2 4 oz cans diced green chilies

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, onion powder, cumin, salt, and pepper until smooth. Stir in chicken.

Place 1/4 c chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 13x9" baking dishes.

In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, milk and chilies; pour over enchiladas.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. YIELD: 10 servings.

NOTE: I doubled the cream cheese, water, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I used shredded chicken instead of diced and the original amount seemed too dry to me. (Not like Rob's dry chicken though).

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

I got this recipe from Cooking Light. It is delicious and would be really easy to adapt with whatever you had on hand. I think it would be good to use a red salsa and red bell peppers or use pepper jack for extra kick. They could also be made on a griddle or in a skillet so you wouldn't have to heat up the oven. It also helps hide those vegetables that kids don't like to eat because they are covered in cheese. :)



Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
12 ounces chicken breast tenders cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup green salsa
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 (8-inch)flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.
3. Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn tortilla over and spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese.
4. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Fresh Strawberry Bars

I found this recipe a couple of years ago in a Better Homes and Gardens. They are really good (even Rob likes them!).


Fresh Strawberry Bars

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup strawberry jam (I use my freezer jam)
4 cups strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered

Heat oven to 350. Line 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil beyond the edges. Set aside. In large mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. Beat in sugars, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Spread dough in prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely on rack. Remove from pan by lifting foil. Spread jam and top with berries. Cut into bars. Serve at once or refrigerate up to 6 hours. Makes 24 bars.


Make Ahead: Wrap the peanut butter base in foil; store at room temperature up to 24 hours. Before serving, top with jam and berries. Or freeze the peanut butter base in a freezer container up to 3 months.

**After about 6 hours the bar and berries start to get soggy. They still taste ok, but definitely not as good as when they are fresh.