Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Since I had some sun-dried tomatoes left over from this pizza recipe, I googled the internet for recipes that included sun-dried tomatoes, and came up with this. It's really yummy. Super creamy. And makes a bunch. Everybody in my family loved it. (Original recipe found here.)

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the baking dishes
• Salt ground pepper
• 1 pound penne pasta
• Shredded chicken, equal to 1-1/2 cups
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups whole milk
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease two shallow, 2-quart baking dishes with butter. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until 3 minutes short of al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Using medium-high heat, warm the oil in a large skillet. Season the chicken halves with salt and pepper and place in the skillet. Cook until the chicken is opaque throughout (about 3 to 5 minutes on each side). Cut each piece in half lengthwise, and then slice thinly crosswise.
3. Using a heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add the flour and garlic to the melted butter. Whisk the mixture as it cooks, gradually adding milk, for about a minute. Bring it to a simmer while continuing to whisk. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook for another minute. Remove the pot from the burner and gradually stir in the provolone and half cup of Parmesan.
4. Add the chicken and pasta to the pot, and then divide the mixture between the two baking dishes. Sprinkle the tops with the rest of the Parmesan. Bake the dishes, uncovered, until golden brown and bubbling (about 25 minutes). Let the dish stand 5 minutes before serving.
5. Serve one dish and freeze the other -- it'll keep for up to three months.

Catching Up

I might start writing in this blog again, so let me catch you up on a couple of things.

1. We moved.

(More on this later.)

2. I cut my hair.

I look like this now.

3. Meanwhile, Vern got more hairy.

He looks like this now.

4. I'm taking an indefinite hiatus from my photography business.

(More on this later. Maybe.) Having my last Bellies, Boobs and Brunch tomorrow.

5. I made this brownie mosaic cheesecake.

For Vern's birthday. About a month ago. Just wanted to include it here because I really liked this picture. (You can find the recipe here.)

That's it for now. I will write more.

Later.

Reuben Pizza

This was tasty. (Original recipe found here.)

Pizza dough
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
2 cups Swiss cheese
6 oz corned beef, cut into strips
1 cup sauerkraut
1/2 tsp caraway seed

1. Spread half of the salad dressing over the pizza dough. Sprinkle with half of the Swiss cheese. Arrange corned beef over the cheese, then drizzle with the remaining salad dressing. Top with sauerkraut and remaining Swiss cheese. Sprinkle with caraway seed.
2. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, until cheese melts and toppings are heated through. 

 

Sweet Potato and Curried Red Lentil Pizza

This was really good, although it just basically tasted like eating curry with bread. The original recipe can be found here.

3/4 cup dry red lentils
1-1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet potato, cubed
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp ground ginger
1-1/2 curry powder
Pizza dough
1 cup cheese

1. Combine the lentils and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and onions; cook until soft and slightly browned. Stir sweet potato, tomatoes, ginger, curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper; simmer until sweet potato begins to soften, about 15 to 20 minutes. (If juices cook off before potatoes are fully cooked, stir in a small amount of water, and cover.)
4. Spread the lentils evenly across the surface of the pizza dough  out to the edges. Spread sweet potato mixture evenly on top. Top with cheese.
5. Bake in a preheated oven until the edges are browned, about 10 to 13 minutes.

 

Crab and Pineapple Pizza

Sorry, but here's another one that was not very good. The only reason I'm adding them here is for posterity's sake. The original recipe can be found here.

Pizza dough
2 - 6 oz cans crabmeat, drained and flaked
1 cup pizza sauce
8 oz pineapple chunks, drained and chopped
8 oz cream cheese

Spread sauce over the dough, and dot with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle shredded crabmeat over, then pineapple pieces. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is lightly browned.

Enjoy it, if you can.