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Easy Spinach Alfredo with Chicken

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Spinach Alfredo with Chicken

This is one of my go-to recipes when I want something easy to make that my kids will eat.

I know it may seem strange, but my girls have always eaten this, ever since they started on solid foods, and even though it has spinach in it.

Maybe it’s because I’ve always served spinach, but my kids like it.  Of course, they like it best smothered in Alfredo sauce.

So I’m advocating this recipe as not only “easy,” but also “kid-friendly.”

Spinach Alfredo with Chicken

Anyway, the recipe can be altered to your tastes.  For example, I tend to change up which Alfredo sauce I buy.  Depends on what’s on sale.  :)

And I always make this after I’ve made chicken of some kind.  The chicken seen here is shredded chicken thighs that were “grilled” on the stove top the night before.  You can use white or dark meat, or both. Just make sure it’s seasoned.  Plain chicken is sooooo boring.  To me, at least.  So make your chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, or whatever you normally use.

I like to shred it by pulling it apart with my fingers (which is the fastest method I’ve found) the night that it’s cooked.  That way I can just pull the shredded meat out of the fridge when I’m ready to make this.

Spinach Alfredo with Chicken

And when it comes to the spinach, I have no idea how much you would use if you’re using fresh.  I’ve always used frozen for this, because I always have frozen spinach on hand.

Here I used the steam-in-the-bag spinach from Target, because that’s what was the cheapest when I went shopping, but I usually stock up on the boxes (that are the same size:  10 oz.) when they’re on sale.

Either way, make sure you drain the spinach really, really well.  Spinach holds a lot of water and that water will make your dish far too soggy and keep the sauce from sticking to the pasta.

To drain the spinach, I usually press it into a mesh colander with a fork until no more water drips out.

And I suggest mixing in the spinach before stirring in the chicken or noodles, to make sure there are no dense clumps of spinach hiding in your finished meal.

Spinach Alfredo with Chicken

And that photo is just a close up to show you what I used this time:  Roasted Garlic Parmesan Alfredo.  But any type of Alfredo will work.  Could even make your own Parmesan white sauce instead.

Also, taste it before serving, because, if you’re like me, you may want to mix in a little extra pepper or garlic powder if your chicken wasn’t seasoned enough.  I like my spices to be noticeable.  :)

Easy Spinach Alfredo with Chicken

Easy Spinach Alfredo with Chicken

Ingredients:

3 cups penne pasta
2 cups shredded chicken
10 oz. chopped frozen spinach
2 jars (16 oz. each) Alfredo Sauce (I used Roasted Garlic Parmesan Alfredo)

Cook the pasta and the spinach (separately) according to the directions on the package.

Drain all water from the spinach, through a mesh colander or towel, or your sauce will be too wet.

Pour the sauce into a very large saucepan.  Stir in spinach, combining well.  Then stir in chicken and cooked pasta.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

*****

And here is the FREE printable PDF:  Easy Spinach Alfredo with Chicken

Or, you can Pin this photo:

Spinach Alfredo with Chicken Recipe

Enjoy!

And I’m curious:  do your kids like spinach?

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Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

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Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

When I was five years old my favorite food was macaroni and cheese.

Nothing’s changed.

Seriously, I could eat this stuff every day.  But it IS nice to change up the elbows and cheddar routine.  And one of my favorite ways to do that is with Gouda.

As you’ll see, I also incorporated sausage into this.  You could do that in a variety of ways, but I chose to fry the sausage and cut it into half-slices.  You could also remove the casing and crumble it into the pan to cook, if you think you’d prefer that.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

I also added half a sweet onion for flavor.  As you can tell from the photos, I removed most of the onion before adding the sausage pieces to the macaroni because they’d become a little too dark for my taste.  I didn’t want the taste of the burnt onion pieces in my final dish, but cooking the sausage with the onions gave it a nice depth of flavor.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

This recipe also calls for a basic roux.  Butter, flour, milk, cheese:  voila.

And pepper.  Gotta have my spice.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Also, I used Corkscrew pasta.  I like to change up the shapes of pasta sometimes, but keep in mind that when using a different shape of pasta than what the recipe calls for, you may need to adjust the amount.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

You could easily use regular breadcrumbs, but I like using Panko sometimes.  I used it here.

If you’re not going to bake it right away, wait to add the breadcrumbs until just before baking.  Sometimes I put a little bit of my mac mixture into a small ramekin or two to keep in the fridge to bake another day.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

And, if your breadcrumbs don’t brown as much as you’d like by the time the sauce is bubbling nicely, then just broil it for a couple minutes.

As you can see from my photo, the Panko don’t brown as quickly or evenly as regular breadcrumbs.  But they’re still toasty, even the parts still light in color, so it still adds a nice crunch to the dish.

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Sausage and Gouda Mac & Cheese

So, here’s the path to yumminess:

Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups corkscrew pasta
2 to 4 sausage links
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 Tbs olive oil
5 Tbs butter, separated
3 Tbs flour
2 tsp pepper
3 cups whole milk
2 cups (8 oz.) apple smoked Gouda, shredded
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onion and sausage and cook until onions are translucent and sausage is at least mostly cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and slice into 1/4 or 1/2 inch slices, and cut the slices in half. Return sausage to pan, adding extra olive oil if the pan is too dry, and cook until the pieces are well-browned on all sides. Drain on paper towels, removing any onions that have become too dark (or all of them if you only want the flavor of them in the meat).

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions. Also, in a small dish, melt the 2 Tbs butter and mix the panko into it. Set panko aside.

Melt 3 Tbs butter in a saucepot. Sprinkle flour over it and stir well to create a roux. Add pepper and stir for a minute to lessen the taste of the flour. Remove from heat and whisk in milk. Return to heat and cook at medium high, stirring frequently, until just starting to boil. As soon as it starts to bubble, turn heat to low and stir in cheese. Stir until cheese is fully incorporated.

Stir the cooked pasta and sausage into the cheese sauce. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle the panko over the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes more, or until sauce begins to bubble. If desired, you can broil it for 2 minutes to achieve a well-browned crust on the breadcrumb topping.

(Note: Dish can be stored in the fridge or freezer before baking. Let sit at room temp at least 30 mins from fridge before baking and add 10 mins to baking time. Do not add panko until ready to bake.)

*****

Print the FREE PDF of the recipe:  Sausage and Gouda Mac and Cheese

Enjoy!

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Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

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Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

These are the most foodgasm-worthy potatoes I’ve ever tried.

No, really:  These.  Are.  The.  Best.  Potatoes.  EVER.

And they were sooooooooo easy to make!  I’d make them more often except that my kids are going through a sudden I-don’t-like-sweet-potato phase (sigh), so I’ll probably make them more for guests.  Although it does make me want to shout, “How can you NOT like something covered in sugar???” but my 3-year-old isn’t really into philosophical discussions unless they involve Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

But I digress.

The main point here is this:  you gotta try these!

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

And I didn’t come up with the idea all on my own.  I received a sample of something similar while shopping at Publix, but I decided that I wanted to change up their Sweet Potato Scoops a little.

Granted, I did like their idea of making them spicy, but I wanted to taste more of the sweetness.  Which means, not only did I cut out the curry powder they called for, I also cooked them longer, and with oil, to caramelize the bottoms.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Part of the genius behind these is the scoop.  Taking the center out of the potato allows the butter and seasoning to melt into the potato and stay contained within it.

(Oh – and you can save those little scoops to make yourself a small bowl of mashed sweet potatoes.  Even throw a little butter and sugar and cinnamon into that.)

Once on your plate, you’ll need to slice it into pieces with a knife, but I feel the crunchiness of the skins is such a nice balance to the creamy centers.  Plus you get to soak up all the extra cinnamon-y, buttery goodness that seeps out.  Um… yes, please!

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

And even if you scoop out a little too much from the slices, don’t worry.  You can see from the above photo that I accidentally went too deep on some of them, but that darkness you see at the bottom of the hole isn’t the pan – it’s the caramelization.  The thick, dark, softly crispy, naturally sugary, utterly addicting caramelized greatness.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

You can see the butter melting so delectably in these photos.

And in case you were considering going easy on the sugar:  don’t.  Abandon your reserve:  coat those babies with flavor!

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

It’s only been a few days, but I can no longer remember what I ate these with.  I think it was steak.  All I know is that these potato slices were the indisputable star of the meal.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes
6 Tbs butter, cubed
Olive oil
Cinnamon and Sugar Mix

Preheat oven to 475 F (240 C).

Slice sweet potatoes about 1 inch thick.

On a microwave-safe plate, microwave the slices on high for 5 minutes.

Cut a circle about halfway deep into the center of the slices with a melon baller or sharp spoon.  (If one side of the slice feels tough, try the other side, as the side touching the plate may be softer.)

Drizzle olive oil lightly over a baking sheet.  Lay potato slices indent-side up over olive oil.  Cover pan with foil.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender.

When potatoes are done baking, immediately place butter pieces into indents on potato slices and generously sprinkle with the Cinnamon and Sugar Mix.  Serve warm.

*****

And here is the FREE printable PDF:  Cinnamon Sweet Potato Slices

Enjoy!  And please let me know if you try these!!

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Tropical Almond French Toast

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Tropical Almond French Toast Recipe

First, with the polar vortex turning everyone’s blood to ice, and now with this “bombogenesis” upon us, I decided to metaphysically warm up with a tropical breakfast.

I took my Homemade Bread and turned it into Tropical Almond French Toast, based off of the Coconut-Almond French Toast with Tropical Fruit recipe from a January 2014 issue of Woman’s World, but with a few changes.

Tropical Almond French Toast

Here are some of the ingredients I used, although I forgot to put the coconut in the photo.  Anyway, the french toast gets its amazing almond flavor from the almond milk and almond extract.

The coconut is added before you cook it, and the diced fruit afterwards, as a topping.  I used bananas and mango mixed with some brown sugar and lime juice, but you could add in just about any fruit here that you like, or whatever’s in season.  I found this to be a good combination, especially because the banana and mango were flavorful but still mild enough to allow the almond and coconut flavors to really shine through.

French Toast

Just like my usual french toast, I took day-old bread and dunked it into a mixture of milk and eggs and flavoring.  The bread needs to be crusty and dry to absorb the liquid.  If it’s fresh bread, the liquid will only cover the surface instead of absorbing.  You’ll know for certain it was too fresh if you have a bunch of milk mix left over after soaking all of the bread.  The best way to get the right consistency of bread is to leave it out, with the slices spread out, at least overnight.

coconut on french toast

After letting the bread soak in the milk mixture for a minute, turning it to ensure even coating, gently pull the bread out of the milk.  The bread will be heavy with the milk, so be careful to support it.

Just before placing the bread on a greased griddle, sprinkle it with some sweetened coconut.  Then, lay it coconut-side down on the griddle and sprinkle coconut on the side that’s facing up.  The coconut is an important step because I love the sweet, crispy crust that it forms toast.

Tropical Almond French Toast

Let the french toast brown, then flip and brown on the other side.  Make sure the bread cooks long enough that it cooks all the way through.  At least 3 or 4 minutes, or longer if your bread is thick like mine – you don’t want gooey egg on the inside when you’re eating it.

Tropical Almond French Toast

Once the french toast is done, put it on a plate and top with the fruit mixture.  I suggest a wee bit more fruit than what’s pictured here.  I didn’t want to overload it for the photos, but I added more while eating it.

Also, a slight sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top adds a nice balance of sweetness, as does a drizzle of honey, which also adds a little extra moisture but functions as a substitute for syrup.  You could use maple syrup if you prefer, but I like how the honey blends with the fruit.

Tropical Almond French Toast

If you cut the slices of your bread thick, then one slice should be enough per person.  The leftovers freeze well, but also keep in the refrigerator for awhile.

Enjoy!  Let me know what you think!

Tropical Almond French Toast

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond milk
6 large eggs
4 Tbsp packed brown sugar, separated
1/2 tsp almond extract
8 to 10 thick slices day-old bread
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 mango, diced
2 bananas, diced
1 Tbsp lime juice
confectionary sugar
honey

Whisk together almond milk, eggs, 2 Tbs. brown sugar, and almond extract in a large, shallow bowl.

Dip bread into mixture for about a minute on each side, allowing bread to absorb the milk. Carefully remove bread from bowl allowing excess liquid to drip back into the bowl (use a fork or spatula to prevent tearing if it’s become too soggy) and sprinkle each side with coconut flakes.

Place bread on a greased, flat skillet or griddle over medium to medium high heat. Cook until browned, about 3 or 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, mix the mango and banana pieces with the remaining 2 Tbs. brown sugar and the lime juice.

To serve, place French Toast on a plate and top with the fruit mixture. Then sprinkle powdered sugar over top and drizzle with honey.

(Note: you can use just about any combination of fruit you like, in addition to or in substitution of the mango and banana. Also, you can substitute maple syrup for the honey, if you prefer.)

*****

And here is the FREE printable PDF:  Tropical Almond French Toast

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Homemade Bread Recipe

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Homemade Bread Recipe

I love homemade bread.

The smell of the yeast, the feel of the dough in my hands, the baking aroma that floats out of the oven and through the entire house…

Dreamy.  Delicious.  Why don’t I do this more often?

Anyway, I finally decided it had been too long since I’d made bread from scratch, but this time, I made a few changes.

This is based off of a basic Amish recipe for bread that’s slightly sweet and a little dense, but this time I made it with coconut oil.  The end result in appearance, texture, and taste was the same as if I’d made it with vegetable oil, so I’m thrilled.

However, extra virgin coconut oil may add a coconut taste to the bread – but I’ve never used extra virgin for baking, so I’m not really sure.

I also used Organic Natural Cane Sugar, but one with the texture of regular granulated sugar, unlike the consistency of Demerara or Sucanat, which I sometimes put in my coffee.  This way, the weight of the sugar didn’t need to be adjusted for the recipe.  Makes my life easier.  :) 

Homemade Bread Recipe

Anywho, you can see some of the products I mentioned in this photo.  And the only yeast I had on hand was those little packets, instead of the larger jar, so I had to use about one and a half of them, which irked me a little.  The jar is back on my shopping list.

Homemade Bread Recipe

Yeast is one of my favorite smells in the whole world.  I love proofing it.

Here are some tips I’ve picked up over time:  get warm water from the sink because the microwave is tricky and water that’s too hot will kill your yeast, and add sugar to the warm water first, to give the yeast something to get really excited about.

In other words, the first thing you’ll do in this recipe (or any yeast dough) is add some warm water to a measuring cup.  (Forgive me for not photographing this step.)  Run the water from your sink until it is just barely painful to touch, then fill your measuring cup to whatever your recipe calls for.  You can test it with a candy thermometer.  It should be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put this pre-measured water into the large bowl in which you will create your dough.  Stir in a tablespoon or two of the total amount of sugar from the recipe – don’t add sugar to what’s called for, just use part or all of what you already would to make your dough.  Then add the yeast, sprinkling it over the top of the warm sugar water.  You don’t need to stir it in, but sometimes I do.  Leave it alone for 5 to 10 minutes and you’ll know it’s ready when the top is nicely covered in a frothy, foamy layer of soft, strong-scented yeastiness.  (That’s a word, right??  It should be.)

At this point, you’re ready to make the dough.  For this particular recipe, this would be when you add in the salt and coconut oil.  You need a liquid coconut oil for this, so I find it easiest to stick the solid oil in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt it.  Then you’ll mix in the flour.  I start this with a spoon, but usually end of finishing it with my hands (above photo), and then knead it on a floured surface.

Homemade Bread Recipe

Grease your bowl by rubbing a bit of the coconut oil inside of it, and put your kneaded dough back into the bowl.  Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour.

It will double in size.  Punch (yes, punch) it down, knead it for a minute again, and then separate it into two halves.  Coat two bread loaf pans with the coconut oil and place loaf-shaped dough into the pans.  I formed the loaf by tucking the dough under itself to create a smooth top.

Homemade Bread Recipe

Let the dough rise one more time, until approximately doubled in size or risen to about an inch over the top of the pan.  This will take between 30 to 60 minutes.

Bake until browned on top.  I prefer mine lightly browned, but you could bake it an extra few minutes for a darker brown – just watch the bread so it doesn’t burn.

Allow the bread to cool in the pans on a cooling rack for awhile.  About a half hour.  Then remove the bread from the pans and allow it to finish cooling on the rack. Keep your bread wrapped in a bread bag or tin foil.

Whatever you’re not planning to eat in the next 2 or 3 days can be easily frozen.  You can slice the bread and freeze it that way, too.

Cinnamon Toast made with Homemade Bread Recipe

I also enjoy making cinnamon toast with the bread (pictured above).  My mom often made this for me when I was growing up, and it’s still one of my favorite dishes.  To make it:  slice a piece of bread that will fit in your toaster.  Toast to a light brown and spread with butter immediately so the butter will be very soft and mostly melted.  Sprinkle with a cinnamon and sugar mixture immediately so that the sugar will absorb into the butter.  Enjoy!

Okay, here’s the good stuff:

Homemade Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (110 F or 45 C)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 liquid coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, stir the sugar into the warm water.  Pour the yeast over the water and mix it in, if desired.  Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast develops a thick foam.

Add the salt and oil to the yeast.  Mix in the flour one cup at a time.  Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes, until smooth.  Place dough in a bowl coated with oil, cover with a towel, and allow to rise for one hour.

Punch dough down, then knead for a few minutes.  Divide dough in half.  Form dough into loaf shapes and place in two oiled loaf pans, about 9 by 5 inches each.  Let the dough rise for 30 minutes or until about an inch over the tops of the pans.

Bake at 350 F or 175 C for 30 minutes.

(Note:  I used solid coconut oil to grease the bowl and loaf pans by rubbing on a couple tablespoons with my fingers.)

*****

And now for the FREE printable PDF:  Homemade Bread

Next up will be the awesome Tropical Almond French Toast that I made with my homemade bread:  yum!  :)

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Frilly Pettiskirts for Babies

Posted in wanderings in the world & web by

These pretty pettiskirts from Butterfly Wishes are so fluffy and frilly I can barely stand it!

Technically, I could still get away with putting my toddler and preschooler in a skirt like this, but it’s just not the same as a newborn.  And, with the recent birth of my great niece, I’ve got a touch of baby fever.  Can’t seem to stop thinking about fluffy and frilly things.  :)

500 Footprints Later …

Posted in activities for kids, musings, wanderings in the world & web by

I’ve posted in the past about being amazed at the popularity of a pin.

This pin recently topped 500 repins, which is pretty cool.  But the weird thing?  I’ve found other pins about this article, altered photos in fact, that weren’t pinned by me at all.

Hmmm…

Well, it’s weird, but hey, technically they all lead back to my Salt Dough Footprint Heart article if you follow the “source” links…

Oh well.  The information is free.  Universal.  Heck, I didn’t even come up with the idea.  I originally saw it at The Imagination Tree.

But I guess that’s what the internet is all about.  Sharing.  Ideas.  Community.

Sharing ideas with your community.

Ideas should be free.