Baked Parmesan Chicken Rigatoni

Tonight for dinner, I made something simply delicious. Trey came home just as it was about to be thrown in the oven, and was pretty excited when it was finally done. Neither of us were left disappointed.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Chicken Breast
• 1 Cup Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Jar (24 oz.) Spaghetti Sauce
• 1 Box (18 oz.) Rigatoni
• 1/2 Cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese

 

Method

• Mix bread crumbs, parm. 1/4C. parmesan, garlic powder, and pepper in a small bowl.
• In a separate bowl mix the egg and milk.
• Cut the chicken into cubes (sized to your preference).
• Dip the chicken in the egg-milk mixture and then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Try to fully coat the chicken.
• Heat olive oil in a pan. Once hot, fry chicken in pan until browned, about 4 minutes/side.
• As the chicken cooks, boil pasta until fully cooked.
• Once chicken is done, place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• Once pasta is done, drain out the water and pour into a greased pan. (9x14)
• Pour spaghetti sauce over pasta.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 C. parmesan cheese.
• Place chicken in a single layer over the pasta/sauce/parm.
• Cover with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

I made an easy, fast meal last week and I wanted to share it! Unfortunately, I did not take any of my own pictures of the delectable soup, but it really was fabulous!

I used a recipe from Tasty Kitchen as a guide, but I made a few modifications along the way simply because I like to make things my own. Below is my recipe, or you can follow any of these links to the original recipe. Either way, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

INGREDIENTS
2 whole Large Cloves Of Garlic Minced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 cans 10 3/4 Oz Cans Of Condensed Tomato Soup
1 cup Milk
2 cups non-fat Half-and-half
2 cups Vegetable Stock
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
½ teaspoons Pepper
1 whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
1 teaspoon Red Crushed Peppers
½ cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese

METHOD
Saute garlic in the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until just golden brown.
Add the tomato soup, milk, half-and-half, veg. stock and spices.
Bring to a simmer.
Add the pasta and allow it to fully cook (7-10 minutes).
Remove from heat and serve.

We had ours with some garlic bread and salad and it made for the perfect, light, wintery meal!

Happy cooking!

Recipe adapted from tastykitchen.com.

Caramel Rolls

Every holiday season, there is one item that is guaranteed on the menu. Mom's caramel rolls! We wake up on Christmas day, take pictures on the steps, and grab some warm gooy caramel rolls from the kitchen (sometimes even before we dive into presents, they're really that good!).

So, here is the absolutely delicious and simple recipe for my mom's caramel rolls! ENJOY!

36 frozen Rhodes White Dinner Rolls

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 large packet of  Jello Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding

1/2 cup Butter

2 Tbs Milk

Cinnamon to taste

THE NIGHT BEFORE:

Allow the rolls to thaw for a bit to make cutting them easier.

Quarter 18 rolls, toss into a greased 9x13 baking pan.

Melt butter in a pan on the stove.

Once completely melted, add the pudding, brown sugar, milk and cinnamon.

Mix well.

Pour mixture evenly over the rolls in the bottom of the pan.

Quarter the remaining 18 rolls and toss them on top.

Spray plastic wrap with pam, cover the rolls, and place in the refridgerator over night.

IN THE MORNING:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Once they're done, flip the baking pan over onto a cookie sheet to make the bottom become the top.

Serve warm.

 

YUM!

 

We just made these. I ate a large helping. They were wonderful, as they always are.