Springtime Supper Plans

It's another beautiful sunny day in the northeast...flowers are all blooming, breeze is gentle, pefect kind of day to enjoy a dinner out on the deck!  What to have...well, we pulled out all the stops on this dinner & came up with a great combination of flavors.
Bonnie Blair Chicken; Strawberry-Spinach Salad; Vegetable Pasta Salad; Crusty French Bread & Apple Crumb Pie for dessert.  The colors are fabulous & the flavors are as delicious as they sound! 
Enjoy something off the grill for your dinner tonight & make the most of these delightful Spring evenings!

Chicken Caesar Pasta

Fun, warm pasta salad for lunch, or a great dish for a light dinner.

Serves 2-3

8oz bow tie pasta
2 boneless, skinless checken breast halves, thinly sliced
8oz bottle Caesar dressing, divided
2 green onions, thinly sliced
10oz frozen sugar snap peas
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 c torn fresh spinach

Cook pasta according to pkg directions.  Keep warm!
Saute chicken in 3Tbs dressing in a lg non-stick skillet 4-5 minutes, or until almost done
Add sliced onions, frozen peas & carrot, stirring occassionally.
Add spinach, cook 1-2 minutes, or until wilted, stirring.
Toss mixture with pasta, serve immediately with remaining dressing.

Fettuccini con pollo (Chicken Fettuccini)

This is a huge favorite in our house!  Kids love it because its fantastic, I love it because it calls for so little & is quick for me to throw together.  Win Win for everyone!

Serves 2
(yes, 2 people, so multiply accordingly!!)

10oz fettuccini
1 c chicken, cubed (if you already have cooked chicken, use that & skip down the directions to the adding mushrooms & garlic)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs basil
1/2 c quartered mushrooms
1 clove minced garlic
2 c heavy cream
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

Heat saute pan.  Add olive oil & saute chicken until almost done.  Add mushrooms & garlic, saute 2 min.
Add basil & cream, reduce sauce by 1/3 (this is another way of saying cook till it thickens).
Add parmesan & pasta, mixing well.

Pasta Primavera

I found this recipe shortly after Len & I got married.  At first I thought "hmm, this looks interesting" and tossed it into the box.  It wasn't long before I was digging for that recipe because we were running out of money & I had to come up with some wild concoction for supper that would fill him up, but that I should have on hand!  It instantly became a favortite that has continued to bail me out over all these years. 

Serves 4 (which in our house means triple since everyone loves spaghetti any way they can get it!)

1 can (10 3/4oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 c water
3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp basil leaves, crushed (dried is best)
1/8 tsp EACH garlic powder & pepper
1 bag (16oz) frozen california blend (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
4 c hot cooked spaghetti

In a lg pan, bring water to boil & cook spaghetti according to pkg.
While the water is coming to a boil & you are cooking the spaghetti, in a lg skillet, mix soup, water, cheese, lemon juice, basil, garlic powder, pepper & veggies.  Over med heat, bring to a boil.  Cover & cook over low heat for 5 min or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally.
Toss with spaghetti
We like to top each serving with a little more freshly grated Parmesan cheese but that is up to you.

Hearty Chicken Casserole

This is a different twist on a chicken casserole.  Nice change of pace from the "normal" combinations!  Great way to incorporate food from the garden into your dinner so its fresh & delicious.

2 cans (6.5oz each) chunky chicken (you can also use salmon, or tuna)
6oz (3c) uncooked wide egg noodles
1/2 c chopped celery
1/3 c sliced green onion
1/2-2/3 c sour cream
2 tsp mustard
1/2 c mayo
1/2 tsp thyme leaves (or parsley, dill, basil, chives)
1 sm zucchini, sliced
1 c shredded monterey jack (or cheese of choice)
1 med tomato, chopped

Drain & flake chicken, set aside
Cook noodles, drain & rinse in cold water to stop cooking
Combine noodles, chicken, celery & onion
Blend sour cream, mustard, mayo, herb of choice & salt (optional)
Spoon half mixture into a buttered 2qt casserole
Tope with half of the zucchini mixture. 
Repeat layers
Top with cheese
Bake at 350 for 30 min or until hot & bubbly
Sprinkle with chopped tomato before serving.

Noodler

this is from my mom, who has had many years, and many children, to come up with fantastic meals that would fill us up without breaking the bank.

serves 8

1 1/2lbs ground beef (browned & drained)
16oz whole kernal corn (cooked & drained)
1/4lb noodles (cooked & drained
2 c cheddar cheese, cubed
1 can (16oz) tomatoes, drained
1/2 clove of garlic, minced
1 sm green pepper, diced
1 sm onion, diced

Heat oven to 350
Grease a 2qt casserole dish
Mix beef, corn, noodles & cheese
Combine remaining ingred. in a blender on "chop"
Add to meat mixture & pour into the casserole dish
Cover & bake 45 minutes
Uncover & continue baking 10 more minutes.

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

This recipe came from an older edition of Taste of Home, 2007 I believe.  Our family adores pizza, and even more pepperoni, so this is a fabulous dinner dish for us.  Hopefully it winds up being a great alternative to ordering pizza for your family too!

1 pkg (16oz) spiral pasta
2lb ground beef
1 lg onion, chopped
2 cans (15oz each) pizza sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasonings
2 eggs
2 c milk
1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
4 c (16oz) shredded part-skim mozzerella cheese
1 pkg (3 1/2oz) sliced pepperoni

Cook past according to pkg.
Meanwhile, in dutch oven or heavy pan, cook beef and onion until no longer pink; drain.
Stir in pizza sauce, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning; remove from heat & set aside
In a sm bowl, combine eggs, milk & parmesan cheese.
Drain pasta; toss with egg mixture.  Transfer to a greased 3qt baking dish. 
Top with beef mixture, mozarella cheese, and pepperoni.
Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Uncover, bake 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Says it yields 12 servings, but if I add some breadsticks to it, its just enough for our crew of 6 hungry eaters.