Cyclone Pasta

About 4 years ago Sean and I went to Outback Steakhouse and we ordered the Cyclone Pasta. We loved it so much we went back a couple month's later and it was taken off of the menu! We were so disappointed. I came across a copycat recipe this week and I was so excited! We tried it tonight and although it wasn't as good as I remembered, it was good. I would definitely alter the recipe next time! Here is the original, and and my notes!
 

* 1 cup sun-dried tomato
* 1 cup shiitake mushroom
* 1 onion (I used half an onion)
* 1 (16 ounce) jar alfredo sauce, I used THIS recipe

* 1 cup chicken breast, chopped and cooked
* 1 cup of shredded ham (I omitted this)
* 1 (16 ounce) box penne pasta, cooked (I used a 13.5 ounce box of whole wheat pasta)
* swiss cheese, Italian blend, as much as you like
* oregano
* thyme
* garlic

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

1. Mix all ingredients together in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
2. Bake at 375F until golden.

I remember the original recipe having artichoke hearts in it. I added less noodles and more sauce and thought it turned out really great. I also added extra cheese. I baked it for 30 minutes and thought it was yummy! It was a little on the oily side but I never said it was going to be healthy :)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps That Kick PF Changs Lettuce Wrap's Butt

2 T Olive Oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts - thawed 
1/2 C chopped Almonds
2/3 C Mushrooms
3 T chopped Onion 
2 t minced Garlic 
5-6 leaves of Romaine Lettuce
Stir Fry Sauce (see below)
Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

Mince mushrooms and onions about the size of peas.
Saute chicken breasts in Olive Oil for 4-5 minutes per side (or until done).
Remove chicken from pan and when cool chop it the same size as mushrooms.
Add mushrooms, garlic, onions, and almonds to the pan and saute.
Add the chicken back in.
Add the stir fry sauce and saute for a couple of minutes.

Wash the lettuce.


To serve, place a tablespoon of the chicken mixture on a piece of lettuce then top with a dribble of Kraft Asian dressing on it. Wrap and eat (make sure you have napkins handy).

*Stir Fry Sauce:
In a small bowl mix 2 T Soy Sauce with 2 T brown Sugar and 1/2 t rice vinegar.

Mediterranean Chicken

8 oz Orzo pasta
1 lb chicken breast halves
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion
2 tsp minced garlic (2-3 crushed cloves)
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
½ cup white grape juice
14 oz chopped tomatoes- Italian style with garlic and oregano
4 oz feta cheese

Bring unsalted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until tender (app. 8 min). Drain and set aside.
Heat oil over medium heat. Chop onion and add to skillet. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and add to skillet. Raise heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is done Add garlic, oregano and basil.


When chicken is cooked through, stir in grape juice and cook for one minute. Add tomatoes with their juice and feta cheese. Cook 1 more minute.

Serve over hot, drained orzo pasta.

** This recipe orginially called for white wine, not grape juice. My college roomie and I changed it up to suit our beliefs (and budget!). I usually top each serving with extra feta cheese, but I love feta cheese... My husband is not a feta cheese fan, but in this recipe he loves it. I don't know if cooking it helps, but somehow in this recipe the feta also seems more mild than eating it plain. So, if you aren't a feta cheese lover, I still suggest trying it with this recipe because that's what gives it the Mediteranean flavour. Also- try to use Greek oregano. There is a difference! I buy it in bulk for less than 50 cents an ounce at my local health/whole foods store. 

**Also, I've made this recipe using fresh tomatoes from the garden and it tastes awesome that way! I cut a small "x" at the top of the tomato then blanch it (dip it in boiling water for about a minute, then immediately immerse in ice water). The skin then slides off. Then I chop them, add some garlic, oregano and basil, then add to the recipe same as if I were using canned tomatoes.

Southern Fried Chicken

Several chicken breasts, cut into pieces
Salt to taste, plus 2 tsp
Fresh ground pepper to taste, plus 1 tsp
2 cups buttermilk
1-2 Tbsp Tabasco sauce
6 cups canola oil
1 ½ cup flour
½ tsp paprika

Rinse chicken & pat dry. Season with salt & pepper. Place in a large dish, cover & refrigerate for 1-4 hours. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk and Tabasco sauce, pour over chicken, coating thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Remove chicken from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Place in a colander to drain excess buttermilk from chicken. Heat oil. Combine flour, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper & paprika. Coat chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Fry in oil until cooked through.

For crispier chicken, dip in buttermilk, then flour mixture a second time before frying.
Delicious served with corn on the cob and biscuits.

** Just as a side note- I tend to change recipes to suit my needs... in this case, the original recipe called for using a whole chicken cut into pieces. I have a hard time with meat anyway- for the most part if I deal with it raw, I have a hard time eating it, so the thought up cutting up a whole chicken was too much for me! Instead I use chicken breasts and because I really like the breading, I cut them into small pieces so the "chicken to breading ratio" is higher! Also, I am not a fried chicken fan but my husband could and would live on KFC if allowed! I found this recipe in my Williams Sonoma catalog and decided to try it, and I absolutely love it! We've finally found fried chicken that we can both enjoy!

Curry Chicken Salad

1 can chicken (2-3 chicken breasts boiled and shredded)
20 grapes, cut in half
1 stick of celery, chopped
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
3-4 Tbsp mayo (I substitute plain yogurt and use at least 1.5 times as much as the recipe calls for)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp curry powder

Mix lemon juice and curry powder until curry powder dissolves. Mix into mayo. Add chicken, grapes, celery, and onion. If salad is too dry, add additional mayo.

Serve with yummy bread, croissants, or eat plain!

** We don't eat mayo at our house as neither of us like it! So whenever a recipe calls for mayo, I use plain yogurt. Mayo lovers can't even tell the difference! I usually add more yogurt than the recipe calls for, otherwise its more dry than I like. This is the recipe my friend made for my Michigan bridal shower, oh so long ago. (That's not important... just a random fact!)

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This one is great for young children in the later stages of Baby Led Weaning. My one year old LOVES this meal and can easily feed it to herself.


18 corn tortillas
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 4oz can diced green chillies
grated cheese

Saute onion and garlic in a small amount of butter or oil. Add soup, broth, chicken and green chillies, simmer for 10 minutes. Heat tortillas in hot oil, just to soften, drain on paper towel. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with sauce. Layer tortillas, sauce and cheese until all is used, ending with a layer of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Chicken Pockets

5 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

8 oz. cream cheese

½ c. chicken broth

Pepper to taste

5 tubes of crescent rolls (or you can make the dough yourself.)

In sauce pan on stove mix the cream cheese, broth, and pepper. Add cooked and diced chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Lay crescent rolls on the counter, and press flat. Spoon some of the chicken mixture onto the fat part of the triangle, fold over the corners, and roll from the fat side to the point of the crescent roll. Bake on cookie sheet at 375 for about 13 minutes. Serve with either chicken gravy or country gravy.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Sauce

5 cups chopped bell peppers.

2 cups chopped onion

garlic, to taste

1-14 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken base

2 cups whipping cream

corn starch

Sautee the veggies in olive oil. When they are almost completely sauteed, add diced tomatoes. Finish sauteeing. Add chicken base (I just used water and 2 bouillon cubes) and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

After it's done simmering, pour it into a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pan and slowly add cream. Bring to a boil and thicken with cornstarch. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Voila! A delicious, extremely versatile meal.

I cubed chicken and cooked it with minced garlic, marjoram, rosemary, sage, parsley, basil and thyme. The first time I made this I served it over noodles. The next time however, I served the sauce and chicken over quinoa which we decided we liked a lot better! We also decided that this would make a really good soup! If we ate it as a soup we would possibly add corn, but this would be delectible with grilled cheese!