Cheesy Peppers and Broccoli

What on earth was I to do with all this broccoli and bell peppers? I was pleasantly surprised at how the following turned out - peppers sweet, not overwhelmingly cheesy, that little bit of ham to give the dish some hunger-stopping power. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb broccoli, cut bite-size
• 1 lb sweet bell peppers, cut bite-size
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 1/2 lb egg noodles
• 1 pack instant cheese from mac n cheese box
• 1/2 lb ham, cubed
• 2 tbsp Olive oil 
• 2/3 c milk
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cubed
• salt & pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Boil water for making egg noodles. I chose these noodles because they don't get soggy upon reheating, which is how I serve most of my food. Regular pasta would likely be fine if you're serving everything immediately. Make egg noodles according to directions.
2. Warm the Olive oil in a deep skillet. Once wavy, add in the onion and peppers. When they start to soften, add in the broccoli and ham. Cook until the onions and ham start to have a little brown on them. Add tomato cubes and cook until warmed through. 
3. When pasta finishes cooking, drain it and return it to the pot. Melt the butter or margarine in it, then add the milk. I added a little more milk than the mac n cheese box instructions to help the cheese cover the additional veggies and meat. Finally, add in the dried packet of instant cheese from the mac n cheese box. Stir until well mixed. 
4. Pour pasta into skillet to mix with the veggie mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves 4

5th Avenue!

I am so excited, because I think I may have found a very close recipe for the 5th Avenue chicken and pasta dish that was at La Boulangerie in Grenada! If you didn't ever try this dish while in Grenada, you should still try this recipe, because it is so easy and tasty! Here are the details-
 

  

 Ingredients:

- 1 jar 25 oz. of "Victoria's Vodka Sauce"
- Fresh sliced mushrooms (or you can use a can of sliced mushrooms too)
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Chicken (diced up)
- Penne Pasta (you can use any kind though)

Cut up the chicken and cook it in a pan with 1 tablespoons of olive oil until cooked through. Add the mushrooms and cook for a minute, then add the Vodka sauce and mix together and cook for about 10 more minutes. Cook pasta at the same time and then lay sauce mixture over pasta! So easy!!

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells!

(recipe & photo from The Sister's Cafe)

These shells are absolutely delicious. I like to serve them for company or when I need to take someone dinner and feed my own family at the same time, because this recipe makes a lot. You can also half this if you don't want to make so much.

These shells can be time intensive if you don’t break up the prep work. I like to make the filling the day before and then cook the shells and stuff them the day-of. The recipe makes two 9x13 pans. I always do one 9x13 and two 8x8 pans, and freeze one of the smaller pans for a later dinner. Be sure to buy two boxes of Jumbo Shells for this recipe, as you’ll need nearly 1 1/2 boxes.

Try serving these with the a salad and some yummy rolls or french bread!

Ingredients-

44 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (That’s about one and one-half 12-oz boxes)

2 c chopped cooked chicken

2 c fresh chopped spinach (I only used about 3/4 of a bag of baby spinach)

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 c.)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 Tb dried parsley flakes

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety)

Cook shells according to package directions (be sure to stir every once in awhile so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and tear apart); drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 13x9x2inch baking dishes.

In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.