Cheesecake Factory's Louisiana Chicken Pasta

YUM! Made this last night (From RecipeZaar), and it is a GREAT imitation of my favorite dish at Cheesecake Factory (this is one of those meals that I can't help but re-order each time I go because I know it's just so good and don't want to risk having a so-so meal when I can eat this awesome flavorful meal!).

Louisiana Chicken Pasta: SERVES 5 -7

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small yellow pepper (chopped)
• 1 small red bell pepper (chopped)
• 3/4 small onion (chopped)
• 3 whole garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 pints whipping cream
• 1 cup chicken broth (used 1 c. water + 1 chicken boullion cube)
  
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil (thinly sliced)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used 1/4 c. since it's expensive here)
  
• 1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta (I used penne)
  
• 1 cup mushroom (sliced) (optional)
  

Directions

1. Start your water boiling as you start making the sauce... and cook pasta like normal.
2. At the same time, let your breaded chicken breasts (thin-cut if possible to be most authentic) cook in the oven until crispy.
   
3. On stovetop, for sauce: melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms if desired, and onion to same skillet,until crisp-tender, about 4 minute.
5. Add garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and saute 3 minutes.
6. Add whipping cream and chicken stock.
7. Simmer until sauce re-heats and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
8. Add basil and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to incorporate.
9. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, simmer; sauce will reduce and thicken.
10. Serve pasta generously covered with sauce and peppers, place thin-cut breaded chicken on top and eat! DELICIOUS!
    

*** Note: If you want to make your own chicken breasts to use for this recipe, there are instructions in the recipe linked, or you can see my recipe here and bread with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs with whatever spices you desire.

New Orleans-Style Beignets

These beignets (pronounced "ben-yays") are incredible! The entire batch (a big batch) was done in less than 90 minutes, and they were absolutely delicious! For me, this is now my donut substitute... donuts are so hard to perfect, and these were quite easy to "get right" the very first time I made them (yesterday morning).

The reviews say they're like Cafe du Monde's beignets-- that's quite a reputation. So if you get a hankerin (I know that may not be as motivating for those of you who live close to a good donut/pastry shop), I highly recommend this recipe:

Costa's French Market Doughnuts (Beignets)

Oh, and by the way, I didn't have evaporated milk and so looked on the web for a quick substitute and used 1/2 cream and 1/2 buttermilk as a substitute and they were delicious!

They're particularly good with coffee within 10-15 minutes of being cooked. Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch-- this is so easy!

For years, I've used the Hidden Valley Ranch packets, never knowing I could make my own (better tasting!) ranch from scratch for super easy.

MIX THE FOLLOWING:

• 1 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 14-20 fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp dried dill (fresh is even tastier)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  
• salt & pepper to taste

Refrigerate and eat! YUM!

In search of the perfect brownies.

One friend recommended THESE brownies as the best; here's what she says:

This 1980's recipe from The Chocolatier is the best. Moist and fudgy. Yum Yum. Super yum. To die for. Boxed mixes just do not compare.

The Chocolatier Brownies
2 sticks real butter
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp real vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup flour

Cream butter and sugar several minutes at high speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Mix in flour and cocoa. Bake in greased 9" x 13" metal pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes exactly. (**if using glass pan or dark coated pan, bake at 325 degrees) Remove from oven. Let cool completely before cutting for clean cut marks.


This recipe even converts well to whole wheat flour and Sucanat. We've been doing all that healthy stuff for quite a few years now, and my brownies still get rave reviews.

So I think I need to try them. Soon.

Another friend says hers are famous. Here's her recipe:

Lori's Famous Brownies
1 1/2 sticks of butter
3/4 cup of the darkest cocoa you can find - none of that pale Hershey's stuff
2 cups sugar
1 t vanilla
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
Mix ins (choc chips, nuts, toffee, andes mints, etc)
Put butter and cocoa in metal mixing bowl over low heat. Stir constantly until well blended and butter is melted. Remove from heat (carefully dip finger in mixture and taste - mmmm, a dark & bitter chocolate lover's delight!) and stir in sugar until well blended (dip finger again - for those of you who like sugar with their chocolate). Add vanilla and eggs, stirring well. (Taste again to make sure nothing has spoiled.) Add flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix well (taste it one more time to make sure it's worth baking) and add whatever mix-ins you like best. Spread in greased 9x13 pan and bake for 30 min at 350*. I don't have a test for doneness, but they should be cracked or crackly on top and the edges starting to pull away from the pan.

These should come out a bit crunchy on the very edges, but fudgy and dark and rich in the center. They aren't a tall, thick brownie - too dense for that!

For a "blondie" (not chocolaty, but still a decadent dessert), these Bakerella Blondies were recommended.

Another friend recommended making any old average brownie mix, pouring half of it into a dish, covering it with a layer of toffee Symphony chocolate bars, and then pouring the rest of the brownie mix into the pan and baking as directed. That sounds tasty.

Do you have a brownie recipe you swear by? If you share, please tell us whether yours come out fudgy or cakey, as that seems to be a classic difference in what people expect from their brownies. I definitely like brownies to be moist, but I don't want it to be so dense that it really tastes and feels like fudge. If I want fudge, I'll make fudge, know what I mean? :)


I guess I'll have to put on my scientist hat and figure out which one of these is the best. Experimentation is the only way to know for sure! :) If you do any experimentation, please share your thoughts and results here!

Dill Potato Salad

Oh yummy. This is my favorite summer dish, thanks to my friend Kelly. YUM, yum, yum!


Dill Potato Salad

• 5 pounds smallish new-potato style potatoes
• 4-8 ounces cream cheese (this is optional, if you don't want it, add a bit more mayo and sour cream to make up for it)
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt
• 5-6 green onions, chopped (both whites & greens chopped finely)
• roughly 1/2 cup of fresh chopped dill (I just chop up one bunch-- but not stems)
• 1/4- 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
• Garlic, garlic salt, & salt to taste

1. Get potatoes that have only a very thin edible skin(cause the skin stays on for these). Clean em. Cut them into roughly 1 inch chunks (it can be slightly less or more... this is not an exact science). Cover them with water & boil for 15-20 minutes, until a fork can go through the potato, but NOT until they are fall-apart soft. Then remove from heat, drain in a pasta strainer, and let cool.

2. Return to pot or a large serving bowl. Dump in all other ingredients and stir. Be sure to add enough salt... the taste of this potato salad has to have enough salt to really be appreciated.

OH me oh my, this potato salad is the only kind I've ever liked- and I don't just like it; I love it! Hopefully you will too.

A Unique & Tasty Pasta Sauce

Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce really is delish.

I've made it twice so far, and I have one alteration to suggest:

*** After sauteing the onions and garlic in the olive oil, throw them in the blender along with the pureed roasted red peppers.

Get it all nice and itty bitty. THEN put it back in the saucepan, add the cream, and pour over pasta. YUM. We roast the red peppers on a metal grate right over our gas burners and follow the rest of her instructions, and it works smashingly. This is delicious enough to just enjoy as a main dish, or you can add in chicken along with it; either way.

ENJOY!

Pizza Chicken Pasta

The other day I tried a delicious recipe from my favorite cookbook-- the Family Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen. It goes a little somethin' like this:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Make up about 1 cup (or a little more if you like) of pizza/marinara style sauce. Mine is usually composed of this:

• 1/2 cup tomato paste
  
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 1/2-1 tsp basil
• 1/2-1 tsp sugar
• add garlic salt, onion salt, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Spread that on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Take 3/4 - 1 cup of parmesan cheese and put it in a bowl. Season chicken breasts (we did chicken breast cutlets cut pretty thin and it was tasty!) with salt & pepper, then roll until coated in the parmesan cheese. Place chicken on top of sauce and put in the oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, layer pepperoni on top of the chicken and sauce, and cover it all up with a generous layer of mozzerella cheese. Bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and everything looks all scrumptious.

Promptly serve over pasta. Mmm, mmm, MMMM!