Check out my sister's newest column featuring some delicious and easy pesto. Just pop all the ingredients in the blender, make some pasta, and you are set for a delicious and impressive dinner.
http://www.examiner.com/x-19959-Cincinnati-Italian-Food-Examiner~y2009m8d29-A-recipe-for-rosemary-pesto-with-almonds?cid=examiner-email
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Five Different Dinners with a Rotisserie Chicken
The $5, already-made Rotisserie Chicken from the grocery store is a great option for a quick dinner (we get ours from Kroger or Sam's, but almost everyone carries them). But, if you do it the same way every time, you and your family will get sick of it quickly. I'll warn you, I don't eat dark meat, so these are just suggestions for the light meat.
Here are five different ways you can dress up that rotisserie chicken.
Chicken Tacos (probably 10 minutes TOPS)
corn or flour tortillas
one Rotisserie Chicken
one can of black beans
pico de gallo
sour cream (fat free or regular)
shredded cheese (optional)
avocado (optional)
instant mexican rice
So simple. Take the chicken breasts off the chicken and cut them into strips. Heat up the black beans on the stove and warm the tortillas in the microwave. Pop the rice in the microwave and you are DONE. Compile your tacos with the sour cream, pico, and avocados...Make a salad to get your greens in.
BBQ potato dinner (10 minutes)
potatoes
one rotisserie chicken
bbq sauce
one can of baked beans
butter or spray butter
Clean the potatoes, poke holes in them with a fork, and pop them in the microwave (for small potatoes, I put two in there and let them go for 7 minutes). Once they are done, cut up the chicken breast from the rotisserie chicken, and put on top of the cut potato. Add bbq sauce to taste. Salt and pepper is sometimes needed, too. Make the baked beans on the stove and enjoy!
Chicken and vegetable pasta (25 - 30 minutes)
pasta (I used whole wheat)
one bag of fresh spinach
one chopped onion
one chopped bell pepper (either red, orange or yellow)
mushrooms
one rotisserie chicken
Start boiling the water FIRST. Add seasoning to the water, this the way you will be able to season your pasta. Once the water has boiled, add pasta and cook until soft.
Spray the skillet with cooking spray and put over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook the onions until you can see through them. Add the bell pepper and mushrooms and cook about another 5 minutes. Once these veggies look good and cooked to you, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Spinach doesn't take very long at all, so add it last. Add salt to taste.
Drain the pasta. Cut the chicken breasts off the chicken and cut into slices. Add the cooked veggies and the chicken strips on top of the pasta and you are done! enjoy!
Traditional chicken dinner (15 minutes)
either asparagus or green beans
cous cous
one rotisserie chicken
Make the cous cous according to the package (this usually takes about 10 minutes). Put the vegetables over a medium high heat skillet and cook until cooked to your preference. Add salt and pepper to the veggies. Once the cous cous and vegetables are done, cut the chicken and make a delicious plate.
Chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries (20 minutes)
sweet potatoes
rotisserie chicken
bread or your favorite bun
ingredients for your favorite salad
Put your oven on broil and cut the sweet potatoes in to thin circles. Put the circles on a greased cookie sheet. Put in the heated oven and watch them until they are a little crispy around the edges.
Make a sandwich from the rotisserie chicken and enjoy with the sweet potato fries and a salad of your choice.
Here are five different ways you can dress up that rotisserie chicken.
Chicken Tacos (probably 10 minutes TOPS)
corn or flour tortillas
one Rotisserie Chicken
one can of black beans
pico de gallo
sour cream (fat free or regular)
shredded cheese (optional)
avocado (optional)
instant mexican rice
So simple. Take the chicken breasts off the chicken and cut them into strips. Heat up the black beans on the stove and warm the tortillas in the microwave. Pop the rice in the microwave and you are DONE. Compile your tacos with the sour cream, pico, and avocados...Make a salad to get your greens in.
BBQ potato dinner (10 minutes)
potatoes
one rotisserie chicken
bbq sauce
one can of baked beans
butter or spray butter
Clean the potatoes, poke holes in them with a fork, and pop them in the microwave (for small potatoes, I put two in there and let them go for 7 minutes). Once they are done, cut up the chicken breast from the rotisserie chicken, and put on top of the cut potato. Add bbq sauce to taste. Salt and pepper is sometimes needed, too. Make the baked beans on the stove and enjoy!
Chicken and vegetable pasta (25 - 30 minutes)
pasta (I used whole wheat)
one bag of fresh spinach
one chopped onion
one chopped bell pepper (either red, orange or yellow)
mushrooms
one rotisserie chicken
Start boiling the water FIRST. Add seasoning to the water, this the way you will be able to season your pasta. Once the water has boiled, add pasta and cook until soft.
Spray the skillet with cooking spray and put over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook the onions until you can see through them. Add the bell pepper and mushrooms and cook about another 5 minutes. Once these veggies look good and cooked to you, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Spinach doesn't take very long at all, so add it last. Add salt to taste.
Drain the pasta. Cut the chicken breasts off the chicken and cut into slices. Add the cooked veggies and the chicken strips on top of the pasta and you are done! enjoy!
Traditional chicken dinner (15 minutes)
either asparagus or green beans
cous cous
one rotisserie chicken
Make the cous cous according to the package (this usually takes about 10 minutes). Put the vegetables over a medium high heat skillet and cook until cooked to your preference. Add salt and pepper to the veggies. Once the cous cous and vegetables are done, cut the chicken and make a delicious plate.
Chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries (20 minutes)
sweet potatoes
rotisserie chicken
bread or your favorite bun
ingredients for your favorite salad
Put your oven on broil and cut the sweet potatoes in to thin circles. Put the circles on a greased cookie sheet. Put in the heated oven and watch them until they are a little crispy around the edges.
Make a sandwich from the rotisserie chicken and enjoy with the sweet potato fries and a salad of your choice.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Spaghetti with a kick of Mexican flare
Ben made up this meal in his head while he was grocery shopping in the canned vegetable aisle. He saw some mexican stewed tomatoes and thought it sounded good. I just made it tonight, and it was great and easy!
Ground turkey or beef (or your favorite vegetarian option like fake ground meat)
one onion
minced garlic
whole wheat pasta
two cans of stewed tomatoes with Mexican flavoring
grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper or a hotter seasoning if you prefer, like a cajun seasoning
Make the pasta according to the package. I would start boiling the water FIRST to make sure the pasta and the meat finish at the same time. Start to boil the water even before you start chopping the onions. Add salt to the water so you can season the pasta once it gets in there.
Heat a skillet and start to sautee the minced garlic (I used 1/2 tsp, but if you prefer more garlic, have at it). Add the chopped onion and sautee until the onion is clear. Sprinkle the raw meat with salt and pepper or a hotter cajun seasoning, depending on how hot you want to make it. Cook the ground meat, making it in small, edible bites, in the pan with the garlic and the onions. Once the meat is brown and cooked all the way through, add the two cans of mexican stewed tomatoes. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Make sure not to go too long as to cook off all the moisture from the tomatoes.
Put the meat on top of the pasta, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and ENJOY! Pair this with a fabulous salad and you will be good to go.
Dessert, you say? Check out my sister's column about gelato. Don't forget to subscribe so you can receive an email every time a new column is out!
www.examiner.com/x-19959-Cincinnati-Italian-Food-Examiner~y2009m8d17-The-difference-between-gelato-and-ice-cream
Ground turkey or beef (or your favorite vegetarian option like fake ground meat)
one onion
minced garlic
whole wheat pasta
two cans of stewed tomatoes with Mexican flavoring
grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper or a hotter seasoning if you prefer, like a cajun seasoning
Make the pasta according to the package. I would start boiling the water FIRST to make sure the pasta and the meat finish at the same time. Start to boil the water even before you start chopping the onions. Add salt to the water so you can season the pasta once it gets in there.
Heat a skillet and start to sautee the minced garlic (I used 1/2 tsp, but if you prefer more garlic, have at it). Add the chopped onion and sautee until the onion is clear. Sprinkle the raw meat with salt and pepper or a hotter cajun seasoning, depending on how hot you want to make it. Cook the ground meat, making it in small, edible bites, in the pan with the garlic and the onions. Once the meat is brown and cooked all the way through, add the two cans of mexican stewed tomatoes. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Make sure not to go too long as to cook off all the moisture from the tomatoes.
Put the meat on top of the pasta, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and ENJOY! Pair this with a fabulous salad and you will be good to go.
Dessert, you say? Check out my sister's column about gelato. Don't forget to subscribe so you can receive an email every time a new column is out!
www.examiner.com/x-19959-Cincinnati-Italian-Food-Examiner~y2009m8d17-The-difference-between-gelato-and-ice-cream
Thursday, August 13, 2009
All in the Family
Hey guys:
My sister started an Italian cooking column in Cincinnati. You've got to read it. She's a much better writer than me and she absolutely loves everything Italian, so this column should be super fun! Looks like we're even going to get some Italian pronunciation lessons!
Enjoy!
http://www.examiner.com/x-19959-Cincinnati-Italian-Food-Examiner~y2009m8d12-Making-authentic-bruschetta-at-home
My sister started an Italian cooking column in Cincinnati. You've got to read it. She's a much better writer than me and she absolutely loves everything Italian, so this column should be super fun! Looks like we're even going to get some Italian pronunciation lessons!
Enjoy!
http://www.examiner.com/x-19959-Cincinnati-Italian-Food-Examiner~y2009m8d12-Making-authentic-bruschetta-at-home
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