Garlic Chicken w/ Bow Tie Pasta

This recipe is not only tasty but it's super quick and easy.  I had most of these things already in my pantry. You can also add any other vegetables that you would like.  Serve it with a salad and your good to go.....Enjoy!

1 tb olive oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced crosswise

salt and pepper to taste

1 tb olive oil

6-7 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 lb mushrooms, quartered

1/2 cup green onions (I was out of onions this time)

1 cup carrots, sliced and blanched

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups bow tie pasta

parmesan cheese, grated

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Cook pasta according to box directions

Heat 1 tb olive oil over medium heat and fry chicken.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove from pan.  Cover with foil to keep warm.  Add 1 tb more olive oil and cook garlic, mushrooms, green onions, carrots.  Add tomatoes, chicken broth, crushed red pepper, cornstarch and salt.  Heat to a boil and simmer for 5-10 min.

Add chicken and cooked pasta back into pan.  Heat for another 2-3 mintues.  Garnish with parmesan cheese

Mango Island Chicken

This is one of those quick and easy recipes that you throw in the crock pot and ShaZam!...you have a tasty meal that will seem like you spent hours on....Enjoy!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can of corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of mango salsa
cumin to taste
lemon pepper to taste
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Add chicken and spices to the crock pot. Cover and cook until tender. Shred chicken on a separate plate and return to the pot. Save the juices in a separate bowl.

Add the corn, beans and salsa. More salsa can be added to taste. If the mixture seems dry then add some of the reserved juices.

Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro if desired

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

I like going to potlucks for this reason alone....because you'll find stuff like this salad! I don't know why but you can always count on some little old lady bringing her prized recipe she got from her friends at the clubhouse. This salad has it all...great taste and it's easy. The dressing is really what makes it so you can pretty much add what you want to it. I am not including measurements for the salad contents because you can make the salad as big or as little as you want. But the dressing recipe does make ALOT. So be prepared for that. You can't go wrong with this.....Enjoy!

Romaine Lettuce
Grilled Chicken with lots of lemon pepper, sliced
Red onion, sliced thinly
Crispy Bacon, crumbled
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Toasted almonds (or sugared almonds)

The Dressing....Yummmmm!

1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tb chopped onion
2 cups canola oil *Please note: I started with 1 cup of canola oil because 2 cups seemed like alot. So you may want to do the same.
2 Tb poppy seeds

Mix everything but the oil and the poppy seeds in a blender until well mixed. While the blender is on, slowly add the oil until thick. Stir in the poppy seeds

Chicken Vesuvio

This is a tried and true recipe from my gal Giada De Laurentiis. I love Italian food and thankfully it doesn't always require having pasta. The original recipe did not call for the kielbasa or mushrooms but I couldn't imagine not adding them. This is a way to make that chicken taste interesting again...Enjoy!

1 polska kielbasa, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
3 TB olive oil
4-6 chicken thighs with skin and bones
salt and pepper
1 pound small red skinned potatoes, halved
4 large garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts
2 TB unsalted butter
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

Saute kielbasa and mushrooms until cooked all the way through. Set aside.

Heat oil in large oven proof pan over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches if necessary, cook chicken in the pot until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Carefully add potatoes to the same pot and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add broth, oregano and thyme. Return chicken to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Cover and bake in the oven until chicken is cooked through about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter or 9 by 13 pan. Arrange potatoes, kielbasa and mushrooms around chicken. Add artichoke hearts to the sauce in the pan. Cover and simmer over high heat until the artichokes are tender, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Turn the heat to low. Stir in the butter. Pour sauce over chicken.