Tuscan Garlic Chicken and Linguine

from The Simple Kitchen Cookbook by Chad and Donna Elick

SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 20 Min | TOTAL TIME 20 Min

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1 pound linguine pasta, uncooked
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup Chardonnay
2 teaspoons Tuscan-Style Italian Seasoning Blend
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
5 ounces fresh spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a small handful of salt and the linguine and cook until it’s al dente (has a bite to it). Drain the pasta and reserve 2 cups of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, warm a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once you can feel the heat when you hold your hand 6 inches above the skillet, add the oil. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet. Cook the chicken until it’s a deep golden brown and completely cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and place it on a plate.

Add the garlic, bell peppers and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until the peppers are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and seasoning blend to the skillet and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half and the Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese melts into the sauce, about 1 minute. Add the reserved pasta water, a ladleful at a time, to thin the sauce if necessary. Sprinkle in the spinach and add the pasta.

Twirl the pasta and spinach into the sauce with tongs. Top with the cooked chicken. Sprinkle with the parsley.

DONNA’S SIMPLE KITCHEN TIP: Covering your pot while bringing it to a boil will cut your cooking time. Be sure not to leave it unattended, or you may have a boil-over to clean up.

If you are sensitive to alcohol, you can substitute the Chardonnay for chicken stock.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Slow Cooker Potato Soup

SERVES 8  |  PREP TIME 10 Min  |  COOK TIME 4 Hours 30 Min

10 slices cooked bacon, diced
3 cups chicken broth
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk or half-and-half or heavy cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
optional toppings: chives, extra shredded cheddar cheese and bacon

Add diced potatoes, diced onion, minced garlic, bacon, parsley and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 6-8 hours on low or on high for 3-4 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Once the soup has cooked, add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt. Whisk in the flour until completely combined and gradually add in the evaporated milk or heavy cream, depends which one you are using. Whisk the flour mixture until smooth. With the heat on the lowest stove setting, let the mixture cook until it starts to simmer and is getting thicker, stir occasionally.

Immediately add the milk-flour mixture to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

Using a potato masher, mash about 3/4 of the potatoes.

Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Stir well, until fully combined and creamy. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking the soup on low for 30 minutes or on high for 15 minutes.

COOK'S NOTES:  If the soup is too thick, add more chicken broth.

Serve warm, garnished with bacon, cheese and sour cream.

The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Recipe developed by Catalina Castavet for The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Slow Cooker Triple Cheesy Mac and Cheese

from The Simple Kitchen Cookbook by Chad and Donna Elick

SERVES 8  |  ACTIVE TIME 5 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 2 Hours 15 Min

1 pound cellentani pasta (also known as cavatappi), uncooked
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into 1-tbsp pieces
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1-oz pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh shredded pepper Jack cheese

Pour the uncooked pasta onto the bottom of your slow cooker. I love my 6-quart for this recipe. Scatter the butter and cream cheese pieces over the pasta. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper over the top and pour the milk and cream into the slow cooker. Stir to combine everything and smooth the pasta into one even layer coated in sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 1 to 2 hours, until the pasta is chewy (not quite crunchy, but very al dente). Your cook time will vary if you use a different pasta, so start with 1 hour and adjust from there. Stir once halfway through the cook time and be sure to smooth the pasta into one layer so it is well coated with the sauce. Once the pasta is ready, sprinkle on the cheddar and pepper Jack cheeses and stir to combine. The cheese will melt into the sauce to create the most luxurious creamy cheese sauce. Cover the mac and cheese and cook for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and it comes together. Stir before serving.

DONNA’S SIMPLE KITCHEN TIP: The cheese sauce will thicken as it cools. If you plan to hold the mac and cheese in the slow cooker on warm, add extra milk as needed to keep the sauce nice and creamy. Also, if you are going to refrigerate it to eat later, add enough milk to the pasta to thin out the sauce before refrigerating. That way when you pull it out, it will scoop easily and the mac and cheese will warm up perfectly in the microwave or on the stove top. We do this every week and portion it out for easy lunches.
Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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One-Pot Cheesy Greek Pasta with Chicken

from The Simple Kitchen Cookbook by Chad and Donna Elick

SERVES 6  |  ACTIVE TIME 15 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 30 Min

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and Italian herbs, drained
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (cut into ½" pieces)
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 lb linguine pasta, uncooked
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
8 cups baby spinach leaves, divided
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup Chardonnay
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Combine the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, olives, linguine, oregano, pepper and salt with 4 cups of the spinach in a 12-inch braising pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour the chicken stock and the wine over the top.

Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, until the pasta is al dente (has a bite to it). Toss the pasta with tongs occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You will still have some liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking; this is going to make the base for our delicious cheese sauce.

Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Toss the pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. Toss in the remaining 4 cups of spinach.

DONNA’S SIMPLE KITCHEN TIP: Grab two lids of the same size. You can use plasticware or lids from your fridge. Place one lid with the lip facing up, so you have an edge that will hold your food. Fill the lid with pitted kalamata olives. Place the second lid on top of the olives with the lip facing down. Firmly press down on the top lid. The two lips will hold the olives in place, so they do not roll off the lid. Slide your serrated knife between the lids and carefully slice through them. Watch your fingers. Now you have halved olives in the blink of an eye!

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

SERVES 12-24  |  ACTIVE TIME 15 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 1 Hour 15 Min

 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups honey roasted crunchy peanut butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup International Delight French Vanilla (liquid) Creamer

Add butter to a large microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat in the microwave until the butter is completely melted. Stir in the peanut butter. Once combined add the graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Stir until everything is completely incorporated.

Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking pan and spread evenly. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the ganache topping.

Heat creamer in the microwave until hot and steamy, about 1-2 minutes. Watch it carefully so it does not boil over. I use my 1 cup glass measuring cup.

Meawhile add the chocolate chips to a medium bowl. Pour the hot creamer over the chips and cover the bowl. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. You may have to heat the mixture in the microwave again if the cream was not hot enough. I do 30 seconds at a time and stir between intervals.

Pour the ganache over the peanut butter layer. Smooth into an even layer. 

Refrigerate 1-2 hours. Cut and serve. Store bars in the refrigerator.

DONNA'S NOTES: These bars freeze great!

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2017 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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