Mac Daddy Pasta

This is a recipe I tried to replicate from Barry's favorite pasta dish at a local restaurant. After many misses, I think I finally got it pretty close. Now we won't have to go out every time he has a craving!! (sorry in advance--my next task will be to try to pare down the fat in this dish!)

2 T. butter
2 C. heavy cream
1 C. low sodium chicken broth
½ C. half and half
4 cloves minced garlic
1 large jar marinated artichoke hearts
Canadian Bacon, diced into large pieces (just toss in as much as you'd like)
Pepperoni, diced into large pieces (ditto on the amount)
1/2 C. sliced mushrooms (more or less, depending on your taste)
1 ½ C. shredded Pepper Jack cheese
½ C. parmesan
1/4 C. milk mixed with 2 T. flour
¾ t. red pepper flakes
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
*Kalamata Olives (optional--if you decide to use them, add with pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, and artichokes) I usually omit these, because Barry doesn't really like them.

Melt butter in large, deep sided saucepan (or dutch oven). Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and cayenne. Saute about 1 minute. Add pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts and sauté about 1-2 minutes. Add cream, broth, and half and half. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer about 5-7 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add Pepper Jack and Parmesan cheeses. Whisk flour into milk and then add to sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a couple of minutes, to desired thickness. (sauce will thicken more as it cools). Add 1 large box cooked penne pasta. (more or less, depending on how “saucy” you want it!)

Pineapple Chicken

This recipe was actually created by my husband. My dad didn't even pour the cereal himself while I was growing up, so it was a pleasant surprise to marry a husband who can cook! He is a never-follow-a-recipe sort of cooker. It seems to work for him. I like this dish because I can put it all in the saucepan and then let it simmer. Anything requiring that I stay in the kitchen gets a little tricky at our house.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. chicken breast, sliced in strips or chunks (whichever you prefer)
1 can pineapple chunks
1 green pepper, sliced
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 medium onion, sliced
3/4 - 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
Cooked rice (However much your family will eat and prepared the way you prefer)

Directions:

Put chicken breast, green pepper, and onions in a large saucepan. Brown chicken slightly (I usually cook it until there is just a little uncooked skin showing).



Once the chicken is browned, add about 1/2 of the can of pineapple plus about 2 Tbsp of the pineapple juice, carrots, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and about half the brown sugar.


Now this is the easy part - just put on a lid and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. About halfway through, add the rest of the brown sugar. There's really no reason that you can't add it all at the beginning - I just do it that way because I always check it part of the way through and decide it needs more brown sugar (it will depend on how thick you want your sauce). Here's what mine looked like after it had simmered about 15 minutes and I added more brown sugar:



The cooking time can vary depending on when you are ready to eat, when the rice is ready, and how tender you want your vegetables. Once you are ready, just scoop a bunch of sauce over the rice and enjoy.