Cheesecake Factory Copycat: Sun-dried Tomato Fettucini

Cheesecake Factory Copycat: Sun-dried Tomato Fettuccine
recipe from Table for Two

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 pound dried fettuccine

1 cup reserved pasta water

4 tbsp. olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup sundried tomato halves, sliced

1 (14.5 ounce) can of petite diced tomatoes, drained

3 tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 1/2 cups baby spinach

Salt & pepper, to taste

Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil then add your fettuccine. Cook according to direction on the box then drain (reserving 1 cup of the pasta water) and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the plain Greek yogurt and light sour cream, mix together with a spoon and set aside.
3. While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, add the remaining 3 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is heated up, add garlic and sundried tomato halves. Sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. Turn the heat down to medium low and gently add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and granulated sugar. Stir until well-incorporated.
5. Swiftly whisk in the Greek yogurt and sour cream mixture. You’ll want to slowly add it in but whisk fast to get it all incorporated well. After all of it has been added and combined, bring the heat up to medium high and let it simmer and thicken for about 5-7 minutes.
6. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste, then add in the baby spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, you may add in the cooked pasta and turn off the heat.
7. Toss to coat the pasta. If the mixture seems too thick, this is where you can slowly add the reserved pasta water (DO NOT add the full cup all at once, pour slowly and stir and see if you need more).
8. You may top with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
9. Serve hot.

Note: you must NOT omit the sour cream in this recipe. I have already done the testing and failed with just Greek yogurt in the sauce. Since the Greek yogurt contains zero (or low) fat, it will curdle as soon as you add it to the hot mixture (since we aren’t taking the time to temper it). To ensure that it doesn’t curdle, you must mix the sour cream with the Greek yogurt. Sour cream contains fat and this fat will prevent the Greek yogurt from curdling and separating. If you have experience cooking with Greek yogurt and are comfortable with omitting the sour cream and replacing it with all Greek yogurt, by all means, go for it. However, I cannot promise you success as I have done this twice and my sauce has separated. The only success I got was when I mixed my Greek yogurt with sour cream.

*Joe grilled some chicken and we mixed that into the pasta as well. This was so yummy with excellent flavor! I didn't half this recipe because it said the dish served 3-4. I figured with the kids eating we would have just a little bit leftover. We had a lot leftover! I will try and half it next time. 

Chicken al la Gloria

Chicken al la Gloria
recipe and image from Cooking with Sugar

INGREDIENTS:
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and filleted in half lengthwise
1/3 cup flour
2 TBS vegetable oil
2 TBS butter
1 (8 oz) container of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sherry wine
1 small can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup whole milk
6 slices Muenster cheese
3 TBS chopped fresh parsley for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, dredge lightly in flour to coat both sides. Shake off excess.
3. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown chicken on both sides. (You don't need to cook the chicken completely because it will finish cooking in the oven.) Transfer chicken to a 13x9 glass baking dish.
4. Add the butter to the froying pan and let it melt over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and brown mushrooms until golden. Then add the sherry wine and cook for another minute or two. Add the creamy mushroom soup and milk and mix well.
5. Pour sauce over the chicken breasts, cover with foil and bake in oven for about 30 minutes. Remove form oven and top each piece of chicken with Muenster cheese. You can fold the cheese in half if it is too wide for the breast. 
6. Place chicken back in oven uncovered and broil for 1-2 minutes to brown these cheese. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.  
7. Top with fresh parsley.This dish would be great rice or noodles since there is usually extra sauce in the dish.

*Joe loves mushrooms so I was excited to try this dish for him. It turned out great!! I cut the recipe in half, using 4 small chicken breasts that I flattened rather than filleted. We served this with white rice and broccoli. It was delicious!! Also, I just used apple juice because I didn't have sherry wine. 

Meat Pies

Meat Pies
recipe from Our Best Bites

Joe loves and misses empanadas from Argentina. I saw this recipe on Our Best Bites and thought I'd try them out and see how they compare. He actually loved them!!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2+ tsp. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (it’s the cheapest, best, and widely available)
Tabasco sauce to taste (start with about 1/4 tsp.)
1 can beef broth
Pie Crust, tripled
1 egg
1/4 c. cold water
DIRECTIONS:
 In a large skillet, brown ground beef and ground pork, breaking the meat into small pieces. When it’s about halfway cooked, drain excess fat (if necessary) and then add green and red peppers, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender and onions are translucent. Add 2 tsp. Tony’s and 1/4 tsp. Tabasco. Add beef broth and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Cook for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with additional Tony’s and Tabasco if necessary, keeping in mind that the seasonings will mellow in the pie. You can refrigerate this mixture for 3-4 days before baking the pies.

Prepare pie crust and roll the entire ball onto a floured surface. For large (meal-sized) pies, I use a bowl that’s about 6″ across the top; I just invert the bowl onto the dough and trace a knife around it to cut the dough.

Place about 1/4 c. of the meat mixture onto one half of the dough circle, keeping about a 1/2″-1″ margin from the edges.

Fold the other side over and gently pinch the edges shut.

For the decorative edge, you could crimp the edge with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. You could also use a calzone or empanada mold (used in these pictures).

Preheat oven to 400 and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Place prepared pies onto your baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and cold water and brush over the pies.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 12 6″ pies or lots and lots of small (biscuit cutter) pies.

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni
recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff


This is my favorite pasta dish to order at Bucca di Beppo so I was excited when I saw a recipe replicating it. The recipe was easy and the final product was delicious!!

INGREDIENTS:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 TBS olive oil
2 cups alfredo sauce (I just used a jar store bought bought sauce)
2 cups marina sauce (I just used a jar store bought bought sauce)
1/2 cup cooked peas
1 lb rigatoni noodles, cooked al dente
2 TBS butter
sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and pinch of red pepper flakes for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet on medium-high hat, heat two TBS olive oil. Saute garlic, red pepper flakes, and coarse black pepper for 2-3 minutes. Add in thin strips of chicken breast, 1/4 tsp salt, and cook until chicken in cooked through. This should only take a few minutes because the chicken in cut thin.
2. Add in marinara sauce and stir. Add in Alfredo sauce. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.
3. To the sauce/chicken, add 2 TBS butter and peas. Stir until the butter melts.
4. Combine chicken/sauce mixture with cooked pasta. Garnish with cheese and red pepper flakes.

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese
recipe from Mommy I'm Hungry

INGREDIENTS:
16 oz macaroni pasta (any shape shape you like)
1/2 C butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 C flour
3 1/2 C milk, warmed
1/4 C white wine (or sub w/chicken broth)
1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 lb cheddar, cubed
1/2 C panko bread crumbs
1 Tbl parsley
2 Tbl butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat 350' oven. Grease 9x13 glass dish ( 8x8 or round casserole, if making half the recipe).
2. Cook pasta for about 2-3 minutes less than called for, drain, set aside.
3. In a saucepan, melt 1/2 C butter, salt pepper, once melted add flour, stir until smooth. Let cook for 1 minute. Add milk, wine, bring to a boil, whisking. Add cheeses and stir until melted. 
4. Pour over cooked pasta and add to greased dish. 
5. Combine the panko, parsley and melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle macaroni with panko topping, bake uncovered 30 minutes.

This macaroni was so good and creamy!!! I loved the panko topping as well. 

Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken
recipe from Momma Chelle

INGREDIENTS:
2 chicken breasts  cubed
1 tbsp cooking sherry* 
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup oil
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it, a little goes a long way)
3 green onions, sliced diagonally
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp of jarred minced garlic)1/2 cup cashews, unsalted
toasted sesame seeds
lightly salted cashews 
sauce:
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp white vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce with the cooking sherry (or chicken broth) in medium sized bowl. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, put chicken pieces in soy/sherry mixture. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. In a small bowl, whisk 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch, 4 tsp sugar, and 2 tsp vinegar. Set aside. 

3. Slice the green onions, and measure out the red pepper flakes and minced garlic. 

4. Drain chicken in strainer to get the marinade off as much a possible. Heat oil in a wok over high heat.  Add red pepper flakes to oil,stir a couple times. Add chicken all at once, let sit for a minute or two till golden, then turn chicken. Add garlic to chicken. Cook chicken till golden on all sides and cooked through. drain oil if there is still an excessive amount. Add cashews. 

5. Move wok off hot stove and immediately pour in sauce while constantly turning chicken over to cover everything in sauce. Sauce should thicken quite a bit, if you want it thicker put it back on medium heat for about 5-10 seconds, and stir, stir, stir. 

6. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and add sliced green onions. Serve over Rice.

*This cashew chicken was really yummy and pretty easy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips or chunks

For the masala:
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:
1. For the marinade, combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour or up to 8 hours. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.
2. For the masala, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. 
3. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

*Joe loves Indian food and this was wonderful! He said it was one of his favorite meals I had made in a while. The flavor was delicious and we loved the cilantro on top. Yum!!