Fettuccine Alfredo

I will spare you the "I hate cheese" speech that usually accompanies my posts about meals with cheese. What I can say about this dish, in particular, is that it really did smell good enough to eat. Alas, I was not brave enough to try it. But everyone else chowed down and loved it. The sauce is really quick to make and simple; my short cut for the pasta was to use the ready made Buitoni Fettuccine. The pasta took 2-3 minutes to cook after the water finished boiling. The sauce took about ten minutes with tons of stirring. So Alfredo lovers, you are certainly in for a treat with this recipe.
Alfredo Sauce from All Recipes.com
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup of butter
1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese 
1/4 cup of parsley 
1 package of ready made Fettuccine(such as Buitoni)

Instructions
Melt the butter. Add the cream, garlic and cheese and stir continuously.  Boil water and add pasta. When pasta is done, drain and separate with fork. Add sauce and serve. Top with parsley for garnish.

Chicken Parm Snackers

I have been super busy with the upcoming holidays, but stull had time to flip through my Rachael Ray 'Big Orange Book'. My husband is a huge chicken Parm lover, so when I came across not one, but two chicken parm recipes, I had to give them a whirl. Except I had to make few changes. You can probably find the original recipe on Rachael's site, but this is the one that I created. This is a great recipe for small holiday get togethers. Just make sure you have wooden toothpicks on hand; the plastic ones I used didn't really hold the chicken together.  Also, adjust the dipping sauce to your liking; I made mine spicy. For a variety, prepare the dipping sauce a variety of different ways such as sweet, spicy or even cheesy.

Chicken Parm Snackers (Serves 4)
2 8-10 oz skinless,boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of SHREDDED Parmesan cheese
1 TBSP salt
1 TSP pepper
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP onion powder
2 TBSPS of olive oil
1 TSP of parsley, to sprinkle on melted cheese
Wooden tooth picks

Dipping Sauce
1 small can crushed tomatoes(8-12 oz)
1 TSP minced garlic
1 TBSP grated Parmesan
Pinch of red hot pepper(just a couple of flakes)
1 pinch of sugar
1 TSP oregano
1 pinch of basil

Directions
Heat oil in a medium skillet. In a Ziploc bag, combine all chicken ingredients(not sauce ingredients) EXCEPT shredded Parmesan. Add chicken strips and shake until all is coated. In a small or medium sauce pan, Add all dipping sauce ingredients and stir frequently. Add chicken to heated pan, turning every two to three minutes until chicken is cooked through and outside is golden brown. When nearing the end of cooking, carefully sprinkle shredded Parmesan and parsley on top of each chicken strip. Allow to melt fully, then remove each strip. Fold each piece of chicken over and secure with a wooden toothpick. Serve sauce on the side for dipping.

Italian Three Cheese Chicken Cutlets Over Pasta

 Today was a lazy day that consisted of sitting home, drinking beer and watching football. Not the kids, mind you- just us drinking the beer. It turned into the type of day where I wanted to make something quick and easy, using what I already had in the house.  Chicken cutlets and bread crumbs - CHECK! Three different types of cheeses, homemade sauce and pasta - CHECK! It was quick, yummy, and easy - plus, I cleaned out some of the refrigerator. I served the dish over pasta, but if you have some Italian bread in the house - serve it up as sandwiches!

Italian Three Cheese Chicken Cutlets Over Pasta (Serves 2)


 2 5-6 oz chicken cutlets
1/2 cup of Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 box of Penne pasta (8 oz)
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup of shredded Romano cheese 
1 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce (season with 1 Tsp garlic & 1 Tsp oregano)
3 TBSP olive oil

Directions
Heat olive oil in pan on medium heat. Combine chicken cutlets and breading in a Ziploc baggy; shake to coat. You can refrigerate for 5 minutes to help the bread crumbs stick to the cutlet. Add breaded cutlets to heated pan, turning ever 4 minutes until cooked. Cook approximately 20  minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Heat and season sauce in separate pan. Boil pasta and drain when finished. When chicken is almost complete, spoon tomato sauce over cutlet to cover; then evenly distribute three cheeses to the cutlets. Serve when melted - approximately 7-8 minutes. You can add more cheese if necessary. Add remaining sauce to pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a pinch of oregano. Serve cutlets over pasta.