Sun-dried Tomato Feta Pasta

(credit to allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 Tbsp. dried basil
3-4 freshly chopped Roma tomatoes
3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, softened and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) package tomato basil feta cheese, crumbled (or just regular feta if you can't find this)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until done; drain. Return pasta to the pot.

While pasta cooks, in a large pan, saute garlic and onion powder in oil over medium-low heat until garlic is soft.

Add chicken broth, white wine, basil, freshly chopped Roma tomatoes AND sun-dried tomatoes to pan. Let simmer until pasta is done (or 3-4 minutes).

Put pasta in large bowl (leave yourself some room--you'll be tossing the pasta with the sauce & cheeses).  Pour on sauce from pan, add salt & pepper.  Toss all together, gently stir in cheeses at the end.  Serve immediately.

Sun-dried Tomato Feta Pasta

(credit to allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1/4 cup oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white cooking wine
3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, softened if necessary and chopped (use kitchen shears!)
2 fresh Roma tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. basil
1/s tsp. oregano
1 (8 ounce) package tomato basil feta cheese, crumbled (or regular feta if you can't find this)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until done; drain. Return pasta to the pot.

2. While pasta cooks, saute garlic in oil.  When garlic is light brown, add chicken broth and white wine.

3. Add sun-dried tomatoes and fresh diced tomatoes.  Add basil & oregano.  Let simmer for a few minutes.

4. Add sauce to pasta in pot.  Toss, then add cheeses and salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Tilapia

(credit to bigoven.com)

Ingredients:

2 lbs tilapia fillets (I can fit five or six fillets in a 9x13 pan)
2 Tbs Lemon juice
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbs butter room temperature
3 Tbs Mayonnaise (or plain yogurt)
3 Tbs green onions, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Dried basil
black pepper to taste
1 dash Tabasco sauce

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or you can broil this, which is faster).
2. In sprayed 13-by-9-inch baking dish, lay fillets in single layer.
3. Brush top with juice.
4. Bake fish in preheated oven 10 to 20 minutes or until fish just starts to flake (broil 3-4 minutes).
5. In small bowl combine cheese, butter, mayonnaise, onions and seasonings. Mix well with fork.
6. When fish starts to flake, remove from oven. Spread with cheese mixture and bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes (broil another 2-3 minutes).
7. Baking time will depend on the thickness of the fish you use, watch fish closely so that it does not overcook.
8. Serve over rice

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Garlic-Lemon Stuffed Chicken

(credit to Allrecipes.com with changes)

INGREDIENTS:
* oil, for greasing pan
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I usually end up using 4 whole breasts)
* 4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, cut into thin slices (about 8 slices)
* 4 ounces (1/2 package) sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into thin slices (about 8 slices)
* 1/2 cup milk
* 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesancheese
* 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with oil.

2. Butterfly each breast by slicing in half horizontally through the center, cutting almost but not completely through. Place two slices each of Cheddar and cream cheese in the center of each breast. Close again as if placing between the pages of a book. Use toothpicks to seal sides. Set aside.

3. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Carefully dip each breast first in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly to firmly coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in pre-oiled baking dish, tucking edges under to seal.

4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, and drizzle evenly over chicken. Season breasts with paprika, if using.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Shrimp Scampi

We had the most delicious shrimp scampi at Giovanni's in Hawaii. This was the closest thing I could find. It's good, but not as good as the original. If you're ever in Hale Iwa, DO NOT pass up the scampi. It's ridiculously expensive, but so, so good.

INGREDIENTS
15 pre-cooked shrimp, thawed
4 Tbsp. butter
8 cloves garlic, chopped (NOT minced)
lemon juice (or lemon wedges if you're feeling fancy)
3 cups cooked rice

Marinade:
1/3 cup Olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped (NOT minced)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
1/4 cup dry white wine

DIRECTIONS
In a large, non-reactive bowl, add the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the shrimp. Place in fridge and let it marinate 4 - 8 hours, or overnight.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add chopped garlic (if you want to add the chopped garlic used in the marinade, fish it out now. If not, you're going to have to fish it out later and discard it). Sautee the garlic over low heat until soft and caramelized (about 7 minutes). DO NOT let the garlic roast--if it starts doing this, turn down the heat.

Once garlic is soft, separate the shrimp and garlic cloves (if you didn't use them earlier) from the marinade. Add remaining liquid to the skillet, continue to cook on medium-low for 5 minutes.

This is the tricky part: overcooked shrimp gets very rubbery, so basically what you're doing in this step is just warming up the shrimp. It's already cooked, so we don't need to cook it (duh), just heat it. Turn off heat, remove skillet from burner. Add shrimp in a single layer to the sauce. If the sauce covers the shrimp, you're good to go. If not, turn the shrimp after a minute or two to warm both sides.

Serve shrimp over rice. Drizzle with remaining scampi sauce and garnish with lemon wedges (or just squirt some lemon juice on it). So delicious, and so bad for you.

Sweet Pork Burritos

These are SO INCREDIBLY GOOD. A lot of work, but definitely worth it. Plus, there are TONS of leftovers.

(credit to Mindy and Cafe Rio)

INGREDIENTS
2 ½ lb. pork roast
1 cup Coca Cola (regular, not diet)
1 T. minced garlic
2 T. lime juice
Tortillas-burrito size
Mild green chili enchilada sauce, 3 cans
2 cans black, pinto beans or refried beans
shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups brown sugar
3 cups Cilantro Rice
Tomatillo Lime Dressing

DIRECTIONS
Place Coke, lime juice, garlic in crock-pot; mix. Add pork. Cover and cook overnight on LOW (it's SO tender if you cook it overnight).

When pork is done, shred it and LEAVE IN crock-pot (much easier done when still warm). Add enchilada sauce and brown sugar. Stir well; let sit for 20 minutes (or until sugar is melted). You can add more sugar if you're still tasting the enchilada sauce too strongly. Skim some sauce from the mixture (enough to drizzle over two 9x13 pans of burritos).

Place rice, beans, meat, and cheese in the burritos. Wrap them like a pro, then place in greased 9x13 pan. Pour some sauce over the top of the burritos and sprinkle with cheese. Cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Serve with Tomatillo Lime Dressing.

*Makes about two 9x13 pans full.

Our Favorite Recipes

Here's a list of our favorite meals for those who don't want to search through everything:

Thai Peanut Stir Fry

Spinach Tomato Tortellini

Cajun Seafood Pasta

Cream Cheese Chicken

Empanadas

Enchiladas

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Calzones

Sweet Pork Burritos

Alfredo Sauce

Ham and Cheese Crepes

Chicken Cordon Bleu

General Tso's Chicken

Shrimp Bisque

Shrimp Scampi

Crock-pot Ribs

Garlic-Lemon Stuffed Chicken

Chicken Parmesan

(credit to Kellie)

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (we usually just do one breast cut in half)
1/3 cup butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup season bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 (15 1/2 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
sliced mozzarella cheese
grated parmesan cheese
spaghetti

DIRECTIONS
Pound chicken with meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick. Mix parmesan and bread crumbs. Dip chicken in beaten egg and then in bread
crumbs. Saute in butter, 3 minutes per side. Pour spaghetti sauce into pan. Add garlic, thyme, and oregano. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Place slices of mozzarella cheese atop each chicken 5 minutes before the end of cooking time. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top. Return cover to skillet.

Prepare pasta according to package directions while chicken simmers. Drain pasta and place on serving platter. Top with chicken pieces
and sauce.

Note: after browning chicken you can also put chicken and sauce in a pan in the oven and cook for a longer time.

General Tso's Chicken

(credit to Kellie)

INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 cup water
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dry ginger
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup white vinegar
1/8 cup cooking wine (you can use apple or white grape juice instead)
1 cup chicken broth

Meat:
3 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks ( I usually use less than this, but I’m cooking for two)
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 egg
1/2 cup cornstarch

vegetable oil for deep frying
2 green onions, sliced
8 small dried hot peppers, chopped (I use arbol peppers and I remove the seeds first)

DIRECTIONS
For sauce, mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with water. Add garlic, ginger, sugar, 1/3 cup soy sauce, vinegar, wine, chicken broth. Stir until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until needed.

In separate bowl, mix chicken, soy sauce, pepper. Stir in egg. Add cornstarch and mix until chicken pieces are coated evenly. Add a few Tbsp. of vegetable oil to help separate chicken pieces. Divide chicken into small quantities and drop into deep fry at 350 degrees until crispy (This usually works best if you drop the chicken directly into the oil. If you set in on the strainer the chicken tends to stick to it). Drain on paper towels.

Place a small amount of oil in wok and heat until wok is hot. Add onions and peppers and stir fry briefly. Stir sauce and add to wok. Place chicken in sauce and cook until sauce thickens. Serve with fried rice.

**NOTE: I would recommend not chomping down on one of the peppers--they're stinking hot. Our friend who puts chili sauce on EVERY MEAL couldn't eat more than one.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

This is what we make on Cinco de Mayo--they're pretty dang good.

INGREDIENTS
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
30 oz. (2 cans) red enchilada sauce
4 oz (1 can) chopped green chilies
15 oz (1 can) black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
cheddar or mozzarella cheese
bunch of 6 in (fajita size) tortillas (I haven’t ever made a consistent number—somewhere around
12 usually)
sour cream

DIRECTIONS
-Put chicken (frozen or not—doesn’t matter), enchilada sauce, and chilies into crock pot.
-Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (usually 6 hours is fine too).
-Remove chicken and shred.
-Reserve 1 2/3 cups cooking juices, pour remainder into large bowl.
-Add beans and shredded chicken to bowl.
-Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture into tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, roll and place in 9 x 13 pan.
-After you’ve stuffed all the enchiladas you can fit in the pan, sprinkle the top with cheese.
-Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes (or until cheese in center is melted).
-Serve with baja sauce (or sour cream) and lettuce. Good side dishes are refried beans and Mexican rice.