Wishes & DishesRecipe

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Just yet another reminder to everyone who follows my blog, I have a new and very improved website now for Wishes and Dishes! I will eventually be phasing this one out and solely posting on the new site. So, for the good stuff, click on over to the new page (which I'm extremely proud of!):

http://wishesndishes.com/

Caprese salad is my number one favorite salad! OK, let’s be honest..it’s the only salad I will go anywhere near. Caprese is a simple, flavorful, refreshing summertime dish. It is featured on lots of Italian restaurant menus; the classic combination of tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese is hard to beat.

Can I be honest for a second? I hate tomatoes….but I do really love caprese salad. How weird am I? I LOVE very smooth tomato sauce, but I don’t like the texture and taste of tomatoes when they are cooked and in “chunk” form. They make me shudder. I often embarrass my husband and family in public when I continually ask servers at various restaurants whether their red sauce is “chunky” or not before I will proceed to order it. What am I, five years old?! My taste buds definitely are and this is apparent if you are a regular reader of my blog. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but this goes way back to my childhood when my mom had to stand there in the kitchen on spaghetti nights and strain my sauce in a sifter to get every last tomato and onion chunk out so that I would go within 5 feet of it. Now that’ s a dedicated mother! Or a ridiculous daughter…one or the other.

Normally, I just completely avoid red sauce altogether when I’m out to dinner. I don’t prefer to live life on the edge, after all….and having a plate of pasta with chunky red sauce unexpectedly placed in front of me at a restaurant is a little too risky for me. I did, however, just read an interesting article about taste psychology and why people are so picky regarding certain foods along with explanations as to why this is. I’ve been telling my husband for years that my not liking tomatoes was a texture thing. He always thought I was crazy. Now I know I’m not. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. Holler at me if you are also weird about food texture so I know I’m not alone in the world

I feel bad I just picked on poor tomatoes for this entire post, so back to the recipe at hand. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for this recipe to find or make a great fresh mozzarella. It’s imperative. Also, reducing the balsamic vinegar is important because it makes it a lot sweeter and a bit syrupy. Well, I may have reduced it a bit much because it was as thick as cold honey. Oops. I would totally do it again in a second though because the flavor was outstanding. You can also make pretty designs with it on a the plate if you wish. However you make it, the results will be stunning; a feast for both the eyes and the palate.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large tomatoes, sliced
6-8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
Handful of fresh basil
Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

PREPARATION:

For the balsamic reduction: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, until reduced to about half of the original amount (it took mine about 15-20 minutes.) Watch it carefully. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, assemble the salad by layering the tomato, mozzarella, and basil.

Lightly drizzle the olive oil and balsamic reduction over the salad and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: adapted from curvycarrot.com

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

White Chocolate Biscoff Pretzel Bites

http://wishesndishes.com/

Summer is approaching quickly, temperatures are on the rise, and the busy times of this season will soon begin. The moment the weather starts heating up, people are itching to get outdoors after being cooped up for so long. Inevitably, summer is full of places to go, people to see and tons of things to do, especially on the weekends! Quick and easy foods are always appreciated around this time of year and this dessert only takes 10 minutes to prepare. Yep, you heard me right – only 10 minutes for a perfect sweet and salty snack that will not fail to impress!

Creamy Biscoff, sugar, butter and vanilla combine in a rich and addictive filling. Sandwiched between two crisp, salty pretzels and dunked in melted white chocolate, you end up with an incredible party snack that vanishes fast.

Oh, Biscoff Spread, where have you been all my life? We seriously need to make up for lost time! The stuff is so amazingly good and I am always trying to figure out new uses for it. Or maybe I will just eat it right out of the jar, which I might do on occasion.

I’ve talked about Biscoff spread on here before, but if you don’t remember, it’s a spread similar to the consistency of peanut butter, but doesn’t contain any peanuts or other nuts. It’s made with ground up Biscoff cookies, sugar and oil, and tastes a lot like graham crackers… but way better. I used it in my Ginger-o Cheesecake I made last year and it turned out delicious.

So when the heat rises outside, you can keep your kitchen nice and cool with this very simple dessert. Who wants to bake in summer’s heat and humidity? Turning on the oven just seems wrong when all you want to do is stay cool.

If you manage not to inhale them all straight after making them, these pretzel bites will be perfect to bring to a summery barbeque, picnic, or just as a little snack to pass around during a late-night summer movie with the family or a group of friends! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup creamy Biscoff spread
2 teaspoons butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar (might need a little more)
3/4 cup light brown sugar (might need a little more)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pretzels
2 cups white chocolate chocolate chips
rainbow sprinkles, optional

PREPARATION:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the Biscoff Spread and butter together until smooth and creamy.

Beat in the powdered sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until combined. If the filling doesn’t roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands, add a little more brown sugar and powdered sugar and mix again.

Roll teaspoons of the Biscoff mixture into balls. Sandwich between two pretzels and put on a plate or cookie sheet.

Freeze the pretzel sandwiches for 30 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate chips, using the microwave (30 second intervals) or a double boiler. Dip half of each pretzel sandwich into the white chocolate. Sprinkle pretzel bites with sprinkles, if desired.

Return the tray to the freezer and chill until the chocolate sets. Store the Biscoff Pretzel Bites in the refrigerator until serving time.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: twopeasandtheirpod.com

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Cheesy Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

Cheesy Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

http://wishesndishes.com/

I am completely addicted to hot dips….specifically, spinach artichoke dip. I wonder if there is a support group for this addiction? And, if there is, do you think they avoid dip on the snack table?

Who could resist a dip that looks this perfectly golden? This dip is so creamy, cheesy and has the perfect cream-to-spinach ratio, not to mention it’s super flavorful. This is one of those appetizers that lures you in with their addictive deliciousness…even though you know once that you take that first bite and it passes your lips it will permanently remain on your hips……forever.

But forget I just said that and go whip this up and happily take the whole bowl, a book, and some crispy chips or crackers, spread it on a baquette or ciabatta, and leave the world and all its cares behind! After all, there are both spinach and artichokes in this so it’s totally a healthy snack, right?

This will surely win over your friends or family if you make this for any party or get-together. It is incredibly easy and can also be prepared ahead of time and just thrown in the oven to bake whenever you are ready to devour it!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and coarsely chopped
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce (optional, but gives it more flavor)
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded

PREPARATION:

Mix everything and pour it into a baking dish.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and the cheese cheese has melted and turned golden brown on top, about 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: closetcooking.com

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Pistachio Pasta

Pistachio Pasta

http://wishesndishes.com/

Mr. Wishes got me a really cool cookbook, The Frankies Spuntino – Kitchen Companion and Cooking Manual, for Christmas this past year and I finally got around to making a recipe out of it. I knew right away after reading through the whole cookbook back when I first got it that this “Orecchiette with Pistachios” was most definitely the first thing I wanted to give a try.

Frankie Spuntino Italian Restaurant is a unique Italian restaurant run by two owners by the name of Frank: Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo. They have two locations in New York City; their original location in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn and a second location is in the lower east side of the city. The restaurant started in November 2003 when the two Franks randomly reunited after 18 years and discovered how much they had in common. For instance, they had both grown up in Queens and had culinary training in France. They also both had worked for top chefs in the 80’s and 90’s, such as David Bouley and Charlie Palmer, before running their own kitchens in New York. Coincidentally, those of you from Rochester may recognize the name “Bouley” if you have ever eaten at the Wegman family-owned restaurant Next Door Bar & Grill. Mr. Wishes was “Engineer of Record” on the restaurant, and as he tells me, the menu item was added as a tribute to chef David Bouley, who is one of Danny Wegman’s best friends that spent considerable time consulting with the Wegman’s team during design of the new restaurant.

After this unforeseen reunion, they realized that they both had a longing to revisit the Italian-American cuisine of their childhood and the roots they both shared and cherished so much. They came up with the idea Frankies Spuntino (Spuntino means “an informal meal or a snack; also, a casual Italian eatery” in Italian). This would symbolize both of their culinary values, travel and experiences and be a place where they could cook together. They visualized offering traditional Sunday cuisine such as homemade pastas, sausages, braciole and Sunday sauce. It would all be food that their Grandmothers used to make when they were growing up – home cooked, simple, and made with the freshest possible ingredients. They offer healthy soups and sandwiches, fresh salads, roasted vegetables and small plates at their restaurants.

The cookbook describes the pasta sauce in this dish as what we think of in the States as “pesto”, but with the ratio of nuts to herbs flip-flopped.

The main ingredients are Sicilian in emphasis and the mint reflects the North African influence on Sicilian cuisine. I recommend you give this a try! It’s easy and very delicious and has great texture to it: soft pasta and crunchy pistachios. Once you taste it you won’t believe how easy it was to make. The most tedious part of this recipe is the shelling of the pistachios (thanks Mr. Wishes)….the rest is a breeze!

INGREDIENTS:

fine sea salt

1.5 cups shelled unsalted green pistachios, preferably Sicilian (I just used regular ones)

1 clove minced garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

1 pound orecchiette

4 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

PREPARATION:

Put a large pot of water on the boil and salt it well.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the pistachios by hand or in a food processor. Toss the pistachios with the garlic, mint, and olive oil in a small mixing bowl. Add the cheese and a large pinch of salt and stir to combine.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente, following the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot over low heat.

Add the “pesto” mixture (garlic, mint, oil, cheese, salt mixture) to the pot, along with the reserved pasta cooking water, and heat, tossing constantly, until the orecchiette are coated with the sauce.

Transfer to bowls or a serving platter, garnish with the scallions, and serve, passing additional olive oil at the table.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Mini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://wishesndishes.com/

Chewy, soft cookies without butter or shortening? Believe it!

Coconut oil is actually a fantastic alternative to other fats used in making food. Better yet, I learned that it’s super easy to substitute coconut oil for butter in your baked goods!

Although butter and coconut oil both do contain saturated fats, coconut oil contains more medium-chained fatty acids (specifically, it contains 50% lauric acid) and has many health benefits! Coconut oil withstands higher temperatures than butter and doesn’t turn stale or bad as easily. I actually read that the body processes coconut oil much more efficiently than it does butter.

Swapping out butter for coconut oil is simple—when a recipe calls for melted butter, melt the coconut oil or let it remain in a liquid state if it is already, and when it calls for solid butter, cool the oil down in the refrigerator until it solidifies. Make sure you measure the oil in the state in which it will be used. Remember, coconut oil does have somewhat of a “coconut-y” taste, so using it works best in recipes where that coconut flavor will be appreciated. It is appreciated in this recipe, for sure!

I made these delicious cookies small so that I can eat five of them at a time and not feel guilty (because they are mini, of course!). By the way, why is everything in miniature form so darn cute?

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup coconut oil (measured solid), melted (measure again) and slightly cooled

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract*

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cups shredded coconut

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil and sugars. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Whisk in egg, egg yolk and extracts, mixing until completely smooth. Break up any remaining brown sugar chunks with the whisk and keep stirring!

Add in 1/2 cup flour, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine.

Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to bring it together.

Fold in coconut and chocolate chips.

Take 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball, placing it on a nonstick baking sheet. Place dough about 1-2 inches away from each other.

Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until just set. Let cool completely.

*You can omit the coconut extract if desired. It won’t change the taste much. You can also make these as normal-sized cookies.

Enjoy!
Recipe Source: adapted from howsweeteats.com

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Creamy Pasta and Bacon Carbonara

Just yet another reminder to everyone who follows my blog, I have a new and improved website now for Wishes and Dishes! I will eventually be phasing this one out and solely posting on the new site. So, for the good stuff, click on over to the new page (which I'm extremely proud of!):

http://wishesndishes.com/

One of my all-time favorite classic Italian dishes, Pasta Carbonara, is possibly the easiest to make. I decided to come up with my own variation of this dish and wanted to share the recipe with you all because it turned out wonderful. I have been eating this every chance I get lately and have had a lot of fun trying all different versions at different restaurants. No two are ever the same! It is most definitely a newly discovered love of mine. Every bite is a creamy, salty, cheesy, bacon-y explosion in your mouth! Yes, I am allowed to make up words in this blog.

It is thought that Pasta Carbonara was created on the outskirts of Rome, Italy as a result of the American influence from World War II. American soldiers would make bacon and eggs for breakfast and the Italians ran with it and added it to pasta (surprising?). Pasta Carbonara became a classic Roman pasta dish, that has become a standard on menus in Italian restaurants around the world. As with any dish that becomes this ever-present, many variations tend to crop up, with people adding different ingredients along the way.

I could not have been more happy with the results of my own adaptation to this wonderful dish! Some of the ingredients I included may not be considered “traditional” for a carbonara sauce, but they really do work well because they enhance the dish by subtly complementing, rather than taking away from the main ingredients.

The beauty of the carbonara sauce is it’s simplicity, and you don’t need a cooking class in Italy to handle the basics. The recipe calls for very few ingredients: eggs, bacon, cheese and any kind of pasta – such as spaghetti, linguini or bucatini. I used Farfalle because it’s one of my favorite pastas! I also added peas, not only to sneak in a veggie, but for color. I had seen this idea before at a restaurant and loved it.

Who would have thought that eggs and bacon could be so refined? Try this dish and your taste buds will thank you.

Buon Appetito!

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

Fresh diced parsley or dried flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 pound bacon

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound pasta (I used Farfalle)

1 cup peas (optional)

PREPARATION:

Beat the eggs, cream, Parmesan, parsley, salt and the red pepper together in a bowl. (I just used a fork)

Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble and set aside.

With 1 -2 tablespoons bacon grease, saute the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent and golden.

Drain the pasta and while still warm, add to the onions.

Pour cream mixture into the pasta, and stir over low heat for one to two minutes. (Save a bit of the pasta water, just in case your sauce gets thicker than you want it – simply add a bit if you need it) Don’t do this on high heat, or you will make scrambled eggs.

Serve with additional Parmesan, and a loaf of crusty bread and a salad.

Enjoy!

Friday, April 6, 2012

Coconut Macaroon Nutella Easter Nests

Just another reminder, faithful followers, I have a new and improved website now for Wishes and Dishes. I will eventually be phasing this one out and solely posting on the new site. So, for the good stuff, click on over to the new page (which I'm extremely proud of!):

http://wishesndishes.com/

Spring has sprung! You know what that means: spring cleaning, baseball, tank tops, Easter bunnies, and well.. allergies for many people, including me a little bit this year. Bleh.

I really love spring. I can’t tell you how happy I am that winter is over and spring is finally here! (Even though we hardly can call what we had here in Rochester a winter!)

Well, somehow Easter has snuck up on me and is now just a few days away! This is a wonderful cookie recipe for any Easter celebration. They are the perfect addition to your Easter table or a spring party! They are moist, festive, tasty, rich, chewy, and most importantly, cute! So, so cute… and a fun treat to have on the table for Easter dessert. They don’t have to be Easter specific, however. The pastel colors are cute for spring, in general. Enjoy and let me know what you think! I think that I will make these a yearly tradition in my home.

What are some Easter traditions in your family?

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
1 cup Nutella
“Bunny Mix” Peanut M&M’s (or other Easter candy)

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

In a large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until combined.

Add in the coconut and mix well.

With a spoon, scoop up about 2-3 Tablespoons of the dough and place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the cookies into the shape of a bird nest. Press down the center with your thumb.

Bake cookies for 17 to 20 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and press your thumb down in the center of the nests again (be careful not to burn yourself).

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes or until they are firm and set. Remove with a spatula onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Place about a tablespoon of Nutella in the center of each nest.

Place 3 egg candies in the center of the each nest and then they are ready to serve!

Note: you can make these a couple of days in advance. Store in an air tight container on the counter.
Enjoy!

Recipe Source: adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

For Love of the Game

For Love of the Game

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Let’s talk about baseball for a moment in honor of the beloved opening day this week.

I have never met a sport that I completely adored and appreciated like I do the game of baseball. The love for the sport starts at a young age and continues to grow on a person – like a vine. Many people have asked me how I can stand to watch an entire game and say how they would rather watch paint dry on a park bench. Although to me it is exciting, I can understand that it’s slow and boring to many. For me, baseball allows me the chance to forget about the mundane day-to-day for a while and fill an unpredictable amount of time with people who share the same enjoyment of the game. This is baseball and one of the many reasons why I treasure the game. I love the nostalgia of the game and what it stands for. It is America’s pastime. A pastime is “something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably.” What could be better?

My fondest memories from my childhood are going to Yankee games every summer with my family. Our love for the Yankees and baseball in general was one thing we all had in common. My first major league game was when I was 7 years old on August 19, 1990. My mom took my two brothers and I to New York City to visit my aunt Dawn who had an apartment there at the time. We took the subway into the Bronx and saw the Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners by a score of 3-1. I had the chance to see Ken Griffey, Jr. play at 20 years of age and see Dave Righetti get the save in his last season. It was so exciting to see all the players I loved so much play in person and not just on a TV screen. I will never forget this day and the exhilaration of the whole experience. Even throughout my teenage years my family would go to games every summer. I always looked forward to these trips.

I decided to try my own luck at baseball when I was 8 years old and joined a T-ball league, playing on a team of all boys. After a horrendous, embarrassingly bad season I think God was trying to reveal to me that my love for baseball should be confined to merely being a spectator of games and not actually participating in them. Some of us are born with the talent, some of us not so much. I fall under the category of “not so much”.

That was the first and last year I ever tried participating in any sport….of any kind….ever. If one cannot manage to even hit a ball and strikes out repeatedly when said ball is sitting stationary on a Tee, you may want to explore other options. I was so excruciatingly terrible, in fact, I believe I made it on base one time the entire season. I was the only player who would run off the field and cry after every strike-out. That’s about eight times per game, mind you. Lucky for me, my mom didn’t have the heart to tell me how horrible I was.

I was a gold glove in the field, however, and made some sweet plays that I still remember to this day. I am referring to the two times during the season that I was actually allowed to be in the infield as opposed to the outfield. I, along with the other outfielders, would sit on my butt picking dandelions and grass until the umpires decided that an hour and 25 scored runs was long enough for a half inning. The ball never actually made it out to where I was so there was no reason to actually pay attention to the game…so I didn’t.

Ashley’s Tee-ball career: 1991-1991.

All in all, baseball is a great escape and means of rising above the everyday, even if just for a few hours at a time. It might be just a sport, but it is something worth cherishing.

Now, for those two words that are music to my ears: “PLAY BALL!”

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Soft Brown Sugar Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

Soft Brown Sugar Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

Just another reminder, faithful followers, I have a new and (very) improved website now for Wishes and Dishes. I will eventually be phasing this one out and solely posting on the new site. So, for the good stuff, please click on over to the new page (which I'm extremely proud of!!)
http://wishesndishes.com/

Yes, I’m still here. Life has been very outlandish lately. I am down here in bright, sunny Miami once again! Mr. Wishes has been summoned down here again for work and I am definitely enjoying the temporary relocation! The only negative aspect of living down here is not having free reign to internet anytime that I want. So thank you for your patience as I have been a major blog slacker lately.

Trust me when I say that this recipe was worth your wait. Do you want to make the softest cookies in the world? Well look no further – I have here a recipe for brown sugar cookies topped with delicious browned butter frosting that will blow your socks off. I definitely think the sour cream is the trick to the softness of these cookies. They have a very cake-like texture that closely resemble the softness of the pumpkin butterscotch cookies I made last fall, which I loved!

Do yourself a favor and make these for your family…or your friends…or just make them for someone. I could seriously eat the entire batch by myself.

Sugar cookies are the key to living a happy life…I’m sure of it

And cheers!– to you for following along with this old blog, despite my severe slacking.

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 and1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream

PREPARATION:

Blend together butter and brown sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time; blend well.

Add vanilla; beat until light.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream; mix well.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto non-stick or lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack; cool. Frost with Browned Butter Frosting (directions below). Makes about 2 dozen.

Browned Butter Frosting:

1/4 cup butter
1 and1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns golden. Watch carefully as this will happen quickly. Remove from heat.

Stir in powdered sugar and enough milk to make a nice spreading consistency.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: adapted from cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken Spaghetti

In case you haven’t heard about her before, the Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) is definitely the best blogger out there… and if you haven’t heard of her you are definitely missing out. She is a mother, cook, photographer, ranch hand– she does it all. But what I enjoy most is the cooking part of her blog.

It has to be my all-time favorite website – mostly because she is an amazing food blogger. Every single step of her recipes are photographed beautifully so you know you are doing things right and it makes it almost impossible to mess up – which is perfect for me!

She also has her own show on Saturday mornings on the Food Network that I highly recommend. I love that her show isn’t just about food, and isn’t a reality TV show, but that it’s about a real family who work hard every day on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. It’s about a mom who loves to cook good food for her family and friends.

This recipe for Chicken Spaghetti is by far one of my new favorite recipes of hers that I have tried and it was a hit in our house. It contains tender, juicy chicken mixed into a casserole with cheddar cheese, diced pimento, green pepper and onion, cream of mushroom soup, spaghetti and seasonings. I know – it sounds like a recipe from the back of the soup can label, but trust me – this casserole is not your basic 1950′s mushy pile of cream and cheese. Even with the addition of cream of mushroom soup, the Chicken Spaghetti tastes very fresh and delicious! Also, don’t be scared of the cayenne in this recipe – it does not make the casserole too spicy, it just adds another layer of flavor to the dish.

Oh and it makes a lot – so it’s perfect to feed to a crowd!

Do you have a favorite Pioneer Woman recipe?

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Cooked Chicken
1 pound Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch (or so) Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt (I use Lawry’s)
1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

PREPARATION:

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups (plain chicken breasts would work just fine).

*If you have cooked chicken from another source (leftovers, etc), that’s fine – just be sure to add a small amount of canned chicken broth to the water before you boil the spaghetti. (Not too much, though, or the dish will be too salty.)

Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook as you’ll be baking it later!

When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

*You can also cover it well and freeze it, unbaked. Or you can cover it and refrigerate it, unbaked, for up to two days before baking.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: adapted from thepioneerwomancom