Easy Fajita Pasta Bake

Love these economical, quick and easy semi-homemade meals!

This is one of those recipes that will stretch your leftover chicken another day.  

How about using some of that leftover turkey?

This recipe comes from Pillsbury, so you know it has got to be good!

Ingredients

2 cups thinly sliced red and green bell peppers

1 small white onion, chopped

2 cups uncooked penne pasta (6 oz)

1 lb shredded cooked chicken breast 

1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey jack cheese blend (4 oz)

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F.

Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Spray 10- to 12-inch skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat.

Add 2 cups thinly sliced red and green bell peppers and 1 chopped small white onion to skillet. cook and stir about 10 minutes or until tender.

Cook 2 cups uncooked penne pasta as directed. Drain

Toss together until combined . . . cooked pasta, bell peppers and onion, 1 lb shredded cooked chicken breast, 1 package Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix and 1 cup whipping cream.

Pour into baking dish.

Sprinkle 1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey jack cheese blend (4 oz) evenly over top.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.


Source:  Pillsbury.com

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?

Once again, the holidays have crept up on us!  It seems as though we just experienced the ball come down on New Years Eve.  If you are like us, you are not ready for Thanksgiving!

This year, The Captain and I will be hosting our own Thanksgiving festivities.  We are actually very excited to cook all of our favorite dishes, along with some new ones.

Join us in researching the possibilities for new ideas and recipes for this holiday season.  The following list is a work in progress that I will continue adding links throughout the season.

Please refresh page if you are returning, so the new links will show up!

Happy planning!

Thanksgiving Central from the Food Network

PBS Food Thanksgiving Page

Thanksgiving Recipes from Taste of Home

Thanksgiving:  Unstuffed from The Cooking Channel

Best Thanksgiving Recipes from Campbell Soups

How to Cook a Turkey

Freeze Your Feast ~ Ultimate Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Tips


23 Side Dishes for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Pies and Desserts from The Cooking Channel

Harvest Pies

Pumpkin Pie Recipes from Southern Living

Thanksgiving Centerpieces from Home and Garden Television

Thanksgiving Ideas from Home and Garden Television

My other Thanksgiving posts

Turkey Club Panini

Wouldn't these awesome sandwiches look fabulous on your food table at the next party!  Love it paired with olives. 

As with any recipe, you can make it your own by omitting ingredients you don't like and add those you do like.

It sure is a tall sandwich!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. grated Asiago cheese
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 rosemary focaccia (16-inch x 8-inches)
• 300 grams smoked turkey slices
• 300 grams ham slices
• 300 grams proscuitto slices
• 200 grams Swiss cheese slices
• 200 grams cheddar cheese slices
• 2 tbsp. sundried tomato spread
• 2 tbsp. basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
• Giardiniera, olives or pickles, for serving

PREPARATION

To make the Asiago and garlic mayonnaise: Add mayonnaise, garlic, olive oil, Dijon mustard, Asiago cheese and pepper. Stir to combine. Set aside.

To create a triple decker panini, slice foccaccia lengthwise twice to make three layers of bread.

Layer sandwich as desired with the deli meats, cheeses, flavoured mayonnaise, sundried tomato spread and basil pesto.

Toast sandwich in large Panini press until cheese melts and bread is toasted, about 5 to 8 minutes. Alternatively, wrap sandwich in foil and heat in preheated 400 degree F. oven until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Cut sandwich into 8 pieces. Serve with giardiniera, olives or pickles.

Yield: 8 servings.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen/2012/10/turkey-club-panini.html

The source is a Canadian cooking show, In The Kitchen with Stefano Faita

Alfredo Pot Pie - Chicken or Turkey

Great for leftovers!  

This is another semi-homemade recipe that utilizes alfredo sauce in a jar.  It is also adaptable to what you have on hand.  Although the recipe calls for turkey, I would use chicken.  Another change I would make is to use fresh vegetables (I really don't like the frozen veggies).  Love the idea of using refrigerator biscuits . . . we usually use puff pastry.

Quick and easy for those days that don't have enough hours in the day.

Ingredients

1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers® frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower & cheese sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo sauce

2 cups cubed cooked turkey

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 can (12 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Jr. Golden Layers® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 biscuits)

2 tablespoons shredded fresh Parmesan cheese


Steps

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook frozen vegetables as directed on bag for minimum time.

Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Cook onion and bell pepper in butter about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in Alfredo sauce, turkey or chicken, cooked vegetables with sauce, basil and black pepper. Cook until mixture is thoroughly heated and bubbly, stirring constantly. Spoon into baking dish.

Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit in half crosswise. Arrange around edge of baking dish, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Source:  Pillsbury

Turkey Day Central

The Thanksgiving Day countdown is on!

It has been a very long time since I have had to prepare
 the Thanksgiving Day meal.  Back in the day, we always
 had an open house buffet for Thanksgiving and Christmas
 and I think I did enough holiday cooking for a lifetime!

I've compiled a list of excellent links for everything
 involving Thanksgiving and food inspiration.  

Of course, all of these links would be
 awesome for every day cooking.

Top Turkey Tips from The Food Network

Emeril's Holiday Cookbook . . . free download!

Thanksgiving Handbook from delish.com

Everything Thanksgiving from Martha Stewart

Thanksgiving Recipes from allrecipes.com

Thanksgiving from Better Homes and Gardens

Thanksgiving Recipes from Betty Crocker

Thanksgiving Recipes from Taste of Home

Thanksgiving Center from Kraft

Easiest Thanksgiving Ever by Ina Garten

The Pioneer Woman Thanksgiving

Ultimate Thanksgiving from Tyler Florence

Thanksgiving Recipes from Simply Recipes

Everything about Turkeys from Butterball

Pumpkin Mania

70 Thanksgiving Side Dishes from The Cooking Channel

20 Best Dessert Recipes from Willow Baking

Thanksgiving Treats from Duncan Hines

Thanksgiving Recipes and Tips from Cheap Cooking

Corn Bread for Dressing

Thanksgiving Recipes from Fine Cooking

Turkey Talk from The Cooking Channel

Country Turkey Casserole

Your guests will think you worked for hours in the kitchen!  

They'd never guess how quick and easy this recipe is . . . one of those semi-homemade meals that I love so much.  Of course it includes Campbell's Soup, which is the best secret I have for semi-homemade cooking.

You can also use your leftovers or substitute a store-bought rotisserie chicken for the turkey.  Since I love broccoli and corn so much, I would consider including them in my meal.  Substitute whatever you like!

Low fat or no fat items can also be used.  One of my greatest discoveries has been generic no fat half and half that I substitute for milk or heavy cream.  I can't tell the difference . . . really!

The recipe and photo originated from Campbell Kitchens, but my source was the website Recipe Lion. Check out both websites for quick and delicious meals!

Serves: 5 (about 1 3/4 cups each)

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 25 min

Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup 

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Potato Soup

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups cooked cut-up vegetables (use a combination of cut green beans and sliced carrots)

2 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken

4 cups prepared Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir the soups, milk, thyme, black pepper, vegetables and turkey in a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Spoon the stuffing over the turkey mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown.