#19 italian chicken fried rice

I can't stop gushing over this recipe! I know I say this frequently, but this was delicious! It was so fragrant, as I write this I can remember the smell even though it has been more than 24 hours since I ate it. The picture makes my mouth water, bringing back memories of how it tasted. I cooked this two days ago for lunch, had it for dinner also. Had leftovers for lunch yesterday. I seriously considered making it for dinner again tonight. Yes, it was that good. 

And easy, have I mentioned it was easy? Super easy. A little slicing here and there to prep your ingredients. Boil the rice. Saute the veggies and chicken while the rice cooks. Then mix the rice in. Simple as can be. (Time saving tip, I used frozen chicken and sliced it while it was still half frozen, makes it easy to handle, cuts nice and neatly, then spread it out and thaws extra fast) 

Italian Chicken Fried Rice (*modified slightly)

3/4 lb chicken breast (sliced in thin strips)

1-2 zucchini (I used 1 large)

1 vidalia onion (sliced)

1 red pepper (sliced)

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp oil

1.5 cups Jasmine rice

3 cups chicken broth

• Bring chicken broth to a boil in saucepan. Add rice and simmer until tender.
• Heat oil over med-high heat in a large pan.
• Once pan is hot add vegetables and stir fry until firm but nearly cooked through.
• Add chicken, garlic & herbs. Stir fry until chicken is fully cooked.
• Fold the cooked rice in, until thoroughly mixed.

Original recipe found here: http://blommi.com/italian-chicken-fried-rice-recipe/#_a5y_p=735065

#18 Spicy Sausage Pasta

When I started this "journey" through my recipes, I had no idea my life would soon be turned upside down. Regrettably, I haven't spent much time (or really any time) in the kitchen in the last couple of months. I've been trying to pull things back together so I could start cooking regularly again, so hopefully I'll have some regular posts again before long.

I found this recipe, of course, from my favorite site, Pinterest. Usually no one will eat sausage in my house so I put this on the back burner for "one day". This weekend my niece is visiting and I mentioned cooking something new. I let her look through my recipe stash and much to my pleasure she picked out this one.

The turkey sausage in this recipe is DELICIOUS! It's not too greasy or spicy like most sausage, although this recipe packs quite the punch, it's from the spicy tomatoes instead of the sausage. It's fairly quick, maybe 40 minutes from start to finish. Very simple prep work. But make sure you have a large enough pan when you start so all ingredients will fit. I always panic there won't be enough room for everything. Sometimes I panic for good reason because even if they all squeeze in, there is no room to stir!

The last step in the original recipe calls for putting this under the broiler after it has cooked on the stove, but didn't mention it in the beginning of the recipe so I didn't have the oven prepped for that. Take your pick, if you want a crispy top then make sure you are using an oven-proof skillet and preheat your oven. It was just fine leaving that step off.



Spicy Sausage Pasta 

1 tbsp oil1 lb smoked turkey sausage
1.5 cups diced onion (I used a bag of frozen onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz pasta (I used rotini, you could use penne or elbows and it would be fine too)
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup scallions (I didn't have any on hand so I left these out)

1. Add oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. 

2. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned.

3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. 

5. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender.

6. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
7. Top with remaining cheese 

view original recipe here http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/spicy-sausage-pasta.html#_a5y_p=668423