Turkey & Pasta Primavera

Hmm, are you sensing a theme here? Quick-prep slow cooker recipes? If it means we have a hot dinner on the table in time to give Abbie a bath, I'll take it!

This was a pretty good meal; but I would definitely add more seasoning next time. I tried to be good and buy low-fat alfredo sauce but the only kind I could find was not very flavorful. So next time I will go for flavor over fat content!

I adapted the amounts a little bit to suit our needs. Otherwise, I pretty much followed the recipe - enjoy the simplicity!

Turkey & Pasta Primavera

slightly adapted from Cook Once, Eat Twice Slow Cooker Recipes

Makes 3-4 servings

1 pound turkey breast tenderloins (or skinless, boneless chicken breast halves)

1 16-ounce package frozen sugar snap stir-fry vegetables (sugar snap peas, carrots, onions, mushrooms)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

8 ounces Alfredo pasta sauce

8 ounces linguine

shredded Parmesan cheese

Cut turkey into bite-sized pieces. In a (roughly) 4-quart slow cooker stir together turkey and frozen vegetables. Sprinkle with dried basil and oregano. Stir in alfredo sauce.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and stir pasta into turkey mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Duet Birthday Dinner

In the past, I have cooked a birthday dinner for my mother (with the help of my sister, Meg) and for my mother-in-law (with the help of my sister-in-law, Elizabeth). This year for my mom's birthday, we have some very special guests coming up to celebrate with us, our good friends Susan and Carrie. They lived across the street from us growing up and we missed them tremendously when they moved away. Luckily, we get to see them fairly often, and it just so happens that Susan shares a birthday with my mom!

Meg and I knew this needed to be a special menu, so we worked hard on planning some gourmet treats. (This was heavy on the Giada inspiration since I happened to be re-reading her cookbooks at the time I was planning the menu!)

Look for the new recipes in the upcoming weeks!

Duet Birthday Dinner

Appetizers

• Baked Caprese Salad
• Cranberry, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Dip with assorted crackers
• Parmesan-Crusted Zucchini Sticks

Dinner

• Hearty Winter Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
• Seared Scallops over Wilted Spinach
• Flank Steak with Red Wine Sauce
• Farfalle with Creamy Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce
• Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with garlic and olive oil

Dessert

• Birthday Cake
• Black and White Cookies

Rustic Chicken

This slow cooker meal is great if you are short on time but want big flavor. It basically consists of throwing all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and turning it on - no chopping needed! The thing I loved most about this (and with most slow cooker meals) is how tender the meat gets - the chicken basically falls apart and you can cut it with a fork.

I omitted the bacon bits from the original recipe just because I forgot to buy them, and didn't add the olives since Chuck doesn't love them. Other than that I didn't change anything so the link to the recipe on Sweet Tea in Texas is below. And as you can see from the photos, I served this over egg noodles. Yum!

Rustic Chicken

Ground Turkey Enchiladas

It's no secret that Chuck and I like mexican/southwestern food and I am always looking for a new twist on an old favorite. These enchiladas caught my eye because they use ground meat instead of something more traditional like shredded chicken or pork. We really enjoyed how the spicy cream cheese added creaminess and texture to the filling; and this was fairly easy to make.

I used my typical 1 1/3 pound package of ground turkey instead of the 1 pound that the original recipe calls for, so this made ten enchiladas instead of eight. Other than that I just omitted the green pepper and everything else was the same. So just follow the link below to Macaroni and Cheesecake and enjoy!

Ground Turkey Enchiladas

Marching for Babies

An important break from my normal posts:

I am pretty sure a lot of my regular readers, at least those I know in real life, also read my friend Brooke's blog, Three Cheers for Babies. Over the past year, Brooke and her husband Joe have gone through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with their triplets, born at 25 weeks on June 27, 2009. I love watching Charlie and Lily grow and develop at an amazing rate, and I constantly think of beautiful Annaleigh.

So when Brooke asked me if I would join her team for the March of Dimes walk in April, I couldn't wait to sign up! If you would like to sponsor me or the team in general, please click on the link below to visit my personal page. Thank you in advance and the babies appreciate your help!

Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups

Happy New Year everyone! This is a fabulous little appetizer that feeds a crowd and is easy to assemble. You get lots of spicy southwestern flavor combined with the creamy cheeses all rolled up in an easy-to-eat bite.

If you can't find the flavored tortillas, the plain flour ones work as well - there is enough flavor from the filling. Also, the original recipe calls for a shredded rotisserie chicken, but you know that I prefer to make my own shredded chicken - do whichever is easier for you!

Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups

slightly adapted from Delicious Meliscious, originally from Cook Like a Champion

Makes about 50 pieces

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

cayenne pepper, to taste

kosher salt, to taste

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes, drained

1 package (10-count) jalapeno cheddar tortillas

Mix cheeses together in large bowl until well blended. Add all remaining ingredients except tortillas and mix well.

Lay out tortillas and place one heaping spoonful of filling in the middle of each tortilla. Spread mixture to edge of each tortilla, leaving a small border. Roll up and refrigerate for at least one hour (you will use about 9 tortillas, depending on how much filling you place on each).

Remove rollups from refrigerator and cut off the very ends, where there is no filling. Slice each rollup into 6 pieces each. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.