I am always on the look out for recipes that will work with whatever we currently have growing in the garden. While I was getting my haircut the other day, I came across this recipe. We have a lot of green beans in the garden right now- I especially love the purple green beans that turn green as you cook them. They are so beautiful and flavorful!

I normally don’t follow recipes very well, and today was no exception. The recipe in the magazine had asparagus and I wanted to use green beans. It also called for tarragon, and I wanted to use basil and parsley, so I basically completely changed it to make it work for us. Below is the modified recipe.

I have been noticing a bunch of cookie recipes with brown butter and I have been intrigued- in fact I have a brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe just waiting to be tried. So back to the pasta – It all cooks very quickly, which is awesome especially if you are gone all day and forget to take something out of the freezer. We served ours with cooked chicken, but it was hearty enough without meat. The only thing I would have done differently was double the recipe. We ate it all, we didn’t leave any leftovers! Try it, you won’t be sorry. If you need any purple green beans, come over and we can get them out of the garden.

Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic.

Add the green beans, season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until the green beans start to soften.

Increase the heat to medium-high and continue cooking and tossing, until the butter turns golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the cooked tortellini…

and toss again…

and then add the fresh basil and parsley…

and freshly grated Parmesan cheese and give it one more good stir before serving.

Enjoy!

Brown Butter Tortellini with Toasted Garlic and Green Beans

1 lb. cheese tortellini
6 T butter
8 ounces of fresh green beans, cut into segments
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 T fresh basil
1 T fresh parsley
Grated Parmesan

Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until the green beans start to soften. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue cooking and tossing, until the butter turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked tortellini and toss again and then add the fresh basil and parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese and give it one more good stir before serving. Enjoy!

tags: main dish, dinner, pasta, tortellini, green beans, garlic, butter, herbs, Parmesan cheese

Chicken pot pie doesn’t really seem like a food you would make during the summer, but Alex was coming home for a few days and I am always trying to fatten him up. So this seemed like the perfect dinner to serve my poor, skinny college boy.

I started making this recipe, or a form of this recipe many, many years ago. When I started making it, the recipe called for all canned stuff. Canned chicken, cream of potato soup, frozen veggies and store-bought pot pie crust. I switched a few of the things around to make it a bit heartier and maybe a bit healthier. The other day when I made it, we had some home grown potatoes, so that made it extra yummy!

While this recipe has a lot of steps, it really comes together quite quickly and you can clean everything up and pull together the rest of the meal while the pot pie is baking.

Preheat oven to 350* Unroll the bottom piecrust and place into an ungreased pie plate, forming to the edge of the pie plate as needed.

Pour frozen peas into strainer.

In a large pot of boiling water, boil potatoes until just beginning to soften,

and then add the carrots and cook for about 10 minutes, but not quite fully cooked, because they will finish cooking in the oven. Pour potatoes and carrots into the strainer with the frozen peas and drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan. Once heated, add the chicken, season with pepper, and cook until no longer pink in the middle. I sometimes have leftover chicken to use, or I just cook some up for the recipe. I love using the frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces. They defrost and cook up in no time and I always stock up when they are on sale.

Remove chicken from pan…

and cook minced garlic, celery and onion until soft and fragrant.

In a large bowl, mix cooked chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, celery and onion.

Then add cream of chicken soup and mix well. You can also use your own gravy if you have it available rather than the cream of whatever soup. Pour everything into pie shell…

and cover with second pie crust, crimping edges. Cut air vents.

Place in oven (if pie is really full, cook on cookie sheet so it doesn’t bubble over into your oven), and cook at 350* for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 roll-out piecrusts

2 cups cubed potatoes

1 cup diced carrots

1 Tablespoons oil

2 cups cubed chicken

pepper to taste

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 can cream of chicken soup (or potato, celery etc.)

1- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Preheat oven to 350*

Unroll the bottom piecrust and place into an ungreased pie plate, forming to the edge of the pie plate as needed.

Pour frozen peas into strainer. In a large pot of boiling water, boil potatoes until just beginning to soften, and then add the carrots and cook for about 10 minutes, but not quite fully cooked yet, because they will finish cooking in the oven. Pour potatoes and carrots into the strainer with the frozen peas and drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan. Once heated, add the chicken, season with pepper, and cook until no longer pink in the middle. Remove chicken from pan and cook minced garlic, celery and onion until soft and fragrant.

In a large bowl, mix cooked chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, celery and onion. Then add cream of chicken soup and mix well.

Pour everything into pie shell, and cover with second pie crust, crimping edges. Cut air vents.

Place in oven (if pie is really full, cook on cookie sheet so it doesn’t bubble over into your oven), and cook at 350* for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Parmesan pasta, catchy name huh? It’s practically a staple in our family – what am I saying? It IS a staple in our family! I started making this, or some form of this 25, um 30 years ago. I was living on my own and wanting to make some sort of yummy meal for myself. I pulled out my clean and never used copy of The New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I found a delectable recipe for pasta carbonara.

(Yes, that really is the same exact cookbook that started it all…)

Mmmmmm! I made it. But between the whipping cream, bacon and 4 eggs, this didn’t quite fulfill my goal of finding a yummy, cheap meal- plus it was super fattening, which at that age I wasn’t as concerned about, but still! So after my first attempt at pasta carbonara, I started making my own form of that – no eggs, no heavy whipping cream and usually no bacon- so really, not pasta carbonara! Over the years it has pretty much stayed the same. However, I never measure anything, so usually there is some variation. My oldest son ate it so much, his grandma used to say he was going to turn into a curly noodle. He has continued the tradition of making this meal for himself each week while away at college. It is simple and delicious – you must try this for yourself. It might become a staple for your family too.

Cook pasta following package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Now, as simple as this sauce is, the key is how you mix/heat this. I’m serious. I’ve tried to just dump everything into the pot and for some reason it just doesn’t turn out the same. So my answer to that is to put all of the sauce ingredients into a large measuring cup…

and heat it in the microwave. It normally takes about 2 minutes, but you want to watch it – you don’t want any of that yummy goodness to boil over and end up in the microwave instead of on your pasta!

So I normally microwave it for one minute and check it and then just let it sit until the pasta is finished and then heat it for the next minute once the cooked pasta is drained…

and back in the pot. Pour the completely melted and sort of bubbly sauce mixture over the top…

of the cooked pasta and mix well. Don’t worry if it seems a bit thin, we will fix that next. Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. I just use the ol’ Kraft variety because I like the way it melts and that is just how we have always done it. Mix well.

When serving, we grate a bit of fresh Parmesan cheese over the top and if we are feeling particularly fancy, we add some fresh herbs such as basil or Italian parsley.

Mmmmm!

Parmesan Pasta
1 lb. dried pasta
1 stick of butter (I know, it’s a lot but totally worth it)
1/2 cup milk (I use 1%, cuz I’m healthy that way)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, along with fresh herbs if desired.

Cook pasta following package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce: put all of the sauce ingredients into a large measuring cup and heat it in the microwave. It normally takes about 2 minutes, but you want to watch it – you don’t want any of that yummy goodness to boil over and end up in the microwave instead of on your pasta! So I normally microwave it for one minute and check it and then just let it sit until the pasta is finished and then heat it for the next minute once the cooked pasta is drained and back in the pot. Pour the completely melted and sort of bubbly sauce mixture over the top of the cooked pasta and mix well.

Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and mix well. When serving, we grate a bit of fresh Parmesan cheese over the top and if we are feeling particularly fancy, we add some fresh herbs such as basil or Italian parsley.

I got this Kalua Pork recipe from my aunt and now it’s (almost) world famous. My friend’s husband, a man of few words, said that “This pork is insane.” The ingredients are a little strange, but the yumminess of the finished product makes up for it.

Don’t be tempted to buy a pork loin instead of the pork butt- the extra fat on the pork butt keeps it really tender. Plus you’ll remove the fat after cooking anyways. A friend told me that pork shoulder is the same as pork butt- but I don’t have a confirmation on that, so I’m not exactly sure.

Pierce and slash the skin of the pork butt and place in the crock pot, fat side up. Pour liquid smoke over the top and sprinkle on the salt and garlic power.

Place the two bananas, unpeeled, on top of the pork butt, fat side up, and cover.

Cook on high for 8 hours. Yes, the bananas are supposed to be black and disgusting- don’t freak out- everything will be better in a few minutes 😉

Remove the bananas and the extra fat (so much more appetizing, right?)….

and shred the meat.

This pork is so delicious and tender- it doesn’t last very long around our house. We normally make tacos with the pork,

But we’ve also used it for pork sandwiches (with Rudy’s barbecue sauce, straight from an amazing little hole-in-the-wall barbecue place in New Braunfels, Texas).

Kalua Pork

4-6 pound pork butt

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons liquid smoke

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 whole, unpeeled bananas

Pierce and slash the skin of pork butt and place in the crock pot, fat side up. Pour the liquid smoke over the top and sprinkle on the salt and the garlic powder. Place the two bananas, unpeeled, on top of the pork butt, fat side up,  and cover. Cook on high for 8 hours. Remove the bananas and the extra fat, and shred the meat.

This chicken dish has to be one of the easiest recipes ever!  It takes ten minutes tops to prep and yet it is so tasty and good.  Jordan admitted the other day that she wished that she has requested it for her birthday dinner.  Seriously?  I was shocked that she liked it so much.  We live in the middle of nowhere and can’t even get pizza delivered, but this is almost faster than delivery!

The ingredients are a bit unusual – but it so easy and yummy, it’s worth trying.

Here’s what you do:

Pour dried stuffing mix into a bowl, add the canned tomatoes, water and garlic…

and stir until combined.

Place chicken pieces into a lightly sprayed 9×13″ baking dish; sprinkle the chicken with the basil and 1 cup of cheese.

Top with stuffing mixture.

Bake at 375* for about 25 minutes and then top with the last cup of cheese and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Watch to be sure that the topping doesn’t get too brown.

Obviously we failed in the self-control department…I couldn’t even wait for Jordan to take the picture before digging in!

Yum! We serve with our famous Parmesan pasta, but with the stuffing on top, you really don’t need an additional starch.  It would be great with a salad and some veggies and crusty bread!  Enjoy!

Bruschetta Chicken

1 14.5 ounce can of Italian diced tomatoes, undrained

1 6 ounce box of stuffing mix, I use Stove Top

1/2 cup water

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces, or the tenderloin pieces

1 to 2 tsp. dried basil

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian blend cheese, divided

Here’s what you do:

Pour dried stuffing mix into a bowl, add the canned tomatoes, water and garlic and stir until combined.

Place chicken pieces into a lightly sprayed 9×13″ baking dish; sprinkle the chicken with the basil and 1 cup of cheese.  Top with stuffing mixture.

Bake at 375* for about 25 minutes and then top with the last cup of cheese and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Watch to be sure that the topping doesn’t get too brown.

This recipe originally came from kraftfoods.com.  I made a few tweaks over the years.

tags- chicken, main dish, easy, tomatoes, stuffing