Southwest Chicken Pasta

This is Alex's signature dish which he threw together one night and it turned out to be quite a delight! (I get so jealous that he can just create a new recipe from thin air, but I am so thankful he can!)


1 box (16 Oz. Box) Penne Pasta
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 pound Chicken Breast
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder, divided
2 Tablespoons Cavenders, divided
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 Tablespoons Onion Powder, divided
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper, divided
1 jar (15 Oz. Jar) Alfredo Sauce
½ cans (10 Oz. Can) Rotel

1. Cook the pasta according to directions on the box.

2. In a 12″ skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

3. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces then put the chicken in the skillet once the oil heats.

4. Season the chicken with 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon Cavenders, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 tablespoon black pepper.

5. While the chicken is cooking, in a 1 1/2 qt. sauce pan, pour the Alfredo sauce, Rotel, and remaining seasonings. Cook on medium to medium-low until chicken is fully cooked.

6. After draining the pasta, return the pasta back to the stock pot. Then combine the chicken and sauce with the pasta.

7. Pour pasta in a serving bowl and serve hot.

(Note: Ingredients can be changed to taste. We like ours a tad bit spicy! We don't measure our spices so the measurements are an estimate.)

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

1 frozen pizza dough (thawed)
2 cooked chicken breasts (shredded)
1/2 diced onion
1/4 c. feta cheese
1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce (adjust to liking)

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Place pizza stone (if you have one) in oven to heat for 5 minutes. While stone is heating, flour a clean surface and roll out dough to form the crust. Take pizza stone out of oven and lightly dust with cornmeal to avoid the crust sticking to the stone. Lay dough on stone and evenly spread Frank's Red Hot sauce on the dough. Next, top with shredded chicken. Add onion and feta cheese. Then finish with the mozzarella.

Turn oven down to 400 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes or until crust/cheese are brown.

(Side note: We like to dip our crust in ranch dressing mixed with Sriracha chile sauce--just a few drops.)

Enjoy!

Restaurant Review: Kanki

Sushi!!!!

Kim and I love eating sushi! (Kim likes the fried the best though...) Located in Raleigh's Crabtree Valley Mall, Kanki has something for everyone. You have the option of sitting either in the casual lounge area (where we sat) or at one of the many teppanyaki hibachi grills where a chef cooks your food in front of you.




We ordered two sushi rolls and fried rice. Their fried rice was exceptional especially with the Japanese Yum Yum Sauce on it! The two sushi rolls were the Deep Sea Roll and the Kanki Roll.

The Deep Sea Roll: Spicy tuna and avocado, tempura batter fried with spicy mayo, seasoned sweet soy sauce and green onions. - this was fantastic, especially if you like your sushi fried.

Kanki Roll: House Special Shrimp & Krab Meat topped with Red Masago

The price was reasonable for sushi. You can expect to spend around $15-$20 for two full sushi rolls (depending on what kind you order). We would recommend Kanki to anyone needing a to go out on a date night without breaking the bank. The food was superb and the restaurant was pleasantly delightful.

Overall, we give this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars.

Strawberry-Banana Smoothies

Kim and I make this smoothie as a semi-healthy after dinner desert and as alternative to cookies (although you can never go wrong with chocolate chip cookies!). We use non-fat vanilla yogurt instead of ice cream. It gives it a creamy consistency while adding the vanilla flavor. This is an excellent and simple indulgence especially in the summer. Enjoy!




1 cup of ice
12 whole frozen strawberries
1 banana
1 cup of 1% milk
1/2 cup of non-fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup of sugar









Posted by Alex
Go Cardinals!

Taco in a Pan

This is one of our easy, go-to recipes for those 'I don't want to cook' type nights. Alex is the chef in our home so if I, Kim, can make this by myself then you know it must be easy!

1 lb ground beef (we use ground turkey)
2 cups water
2 cups minute rice
1 cup Mexican cheese (Alex is a cheese hog and adds extra)
1 can black beans drained
1 can green chilis
1 cup chopped plum tomatoes
handful of chopped green onions
chopped cilantro
**Seasonings (we don't measure how much seasoning we use so just add to liking): chili powder, cavenders, pinch of cayenne pepper (watch out it's hot!), garlic powder, nature's seasoning, salt, pepper and anything else that makes your heart happy.

Brown meat in large skillet. Then season up your meat. Add water; stir. Bring to boil then stir in rice. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Then stir in your beans and green chilis and let cook for a few minutes. Top with cheese, tomatoes, green onions and cilantro. Once cheese is melted then it's ready to eat! We like to top ours of with a dollop of sour cream and salsa then serve with Tostito chips. Enjoy!