Here is the perfect dinner-guest dinner.

This pesto chicken pasta dish is so easy but so good. A few simple steps and you’re sipping wine as friends arrive and immediately can’t help but wonder "what smells so good?" I’ll tell you what: jars of fancy ingredients other people made, but hey, how else are you supposed to cook and socialize?

The sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and feta make it seem fancy. Granted, these might not be everyday ingredients at your house (I definitely don’t keep jars of this stuff on hand), but really, grocery shopping for this meal is its most time-consuming aspect. I’m telling you: grill, boil, stir, voila.

Pesto Chicken Pasta
16 ounces fusilli (spiral) pasta
3-4 grilled chicken breast, cut into small strips
½ C. chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
½ C. basil pesto
½ C. feta

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, mix chicken, tomatoes, pesto and feta in a large bowl. Add pasta, tossing to evenly coat noodles. Sprinkle a little extra feta on top and serve. This easily feeds four, maybe six.

Posted by · September 24, 2006 5:59 PM · Comments (0)

Granola is one of the most deceitful snacks out there. (There are many. Yogurt-covered pretzels, for example. And don’t even get me started on trail mix, especially the ones with chocolate candies and peanut butter chips in them.)

Oats, raisins and other brown crunchies are so healthy. But something apparently happens when the cereal companies mix them all together. United, those ingredients are fatty, my friends.

My solution: make your own. Here is a great recipe that’s so easy. It takes just minutes and turns out wonderfully. Just be sure to diligently stir the mixture. A tip: toss the raisins in the pan with about 10 minutes left to go. They’ll bake slightly (think oatmeal cookies) without burning. To be crazy, use mixed raisins (purple and yellow), or throw in dried cranberries.

Granola
2 ½ C. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 C. wheat-bran cereal
¼ C. almonds (whole or slivered)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ C. honey
¼ C. olive oil
2/3 C. raisins
Directions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine oats, bran, almonds and cinnamon in a bowl. Heat honey and oil in a saucepan until bubble form. Pour over mixture, coating well. Spread in a foil-lined pan and bake 45 minutes or so, stirring every 10 minutes. Add raisins. Cool before eating. Store in a sealed container.

Posted by · September 17, 2006 11:44 PM · Comments (0)

We’ve all had chicken pot pie, either from scratch or frozen and baked, which likely has been eaten from atop a TV tray. Yes, it’s depressing. But when we need dinner fast, we’re desperate, right?

Instead, try an easy (and much better) version. This Tex-Mex pot pie and calls for green chilies, which give it great flavor. It takes only minutes to prepare, and could even be done in advance.

I have a feeling it would bake a little better, cut a little easier and look a whole lot nicer if it was baked in an actual pie plate. Am I the only one who doesn’t have these tins just lying around? (If I was the type of cook who baked pies from scratch I wouldn’t be eating chicken pot pies, Tex-Mex pot pies or any other casserole, that’s for sure.)

However, if you have a circular baking dish, use it. Otherwise, it’ll still taste good served out of a rectangular one. Enjoy!

Tex-Mex Pot Pie
4 small tortillas
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 chicken breast (about 2 ½ C.), cooked
1 package (16 ounces) frozen veggies, thawed
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
Spray the bottom of baking dish, then line with half of your tortillas. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Spoon on top of tortillas lining dish, then cover with other half of tortillas. Bake 20 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered at 375 degrees. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake until melted, uncovered. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut and serve.

Posted by · September 10, 2006 6:46 PM · Comments (0)