Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs Braised in Tomato Sauce aka More Meat

Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs Braised in Tomato Sauce

2 slices of bacon, cut into lardons
1 ½ pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 3” pieces
½ onion, diced small
3 carrots, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon oregano
½ cup red wine
¼ cup water
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Set the Instant Pot to “saute.” Add the bacon and cook until just starting to crisp. Add the short ribs in a single layer and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning until all sides are browned. Remove the ribs from the pot. Add the onion, carrots and garlic to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Return the short ribs to the pot. Stir together the tomato paste, salt, oregano, wine, water and tomatoes; pour over the short ribs. Cover and set to the “meat/stew” function for 45 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, shred the meat with two forks and stir into the sauce. Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.

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Chipotle Chicken Pasta

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

1 pound penne pasta
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons honey, divided
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 large chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups frozen peas
2-3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipolte in adobo sauce)
2 cups half and half
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
tortilla strips and parsley for garnish

Prepare the pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside.

Whisk together the lemon juice, 1tablespoons of the honey, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the marinade. Toss to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan, add the bell pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, then stir in the peas. Add the adobo and half and half to the pan, bring to a simmer and stir in the parmesan cheese. Stir in the chicken and pasta, toss well to coat. Serve, topped with tortilla strips and minced parsley.

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Brisket Tacos

Miss F loves tacos and watching Pioneer Woman. When she saw the episode that included brisket tacos, she knew she wanted to have them for dinner as soon as possible.  She was obsessed with these tacos.  We used the leftover meat for quesadillas and tacquitos, I think she had the leftovers lunch and dinner the following day.  This recipe couldn't be any easier and would be great to feed a crowd at a party, just leave the shredded brisket in the crockpot with it set to warm and set out all the fixings, it's taco party time!

Brisket Tacos

2 cloves garlic
1 onion sliced
2 pound brisket, trimmed of most of the fat
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 15 ounce can red enchilada sauce
12 tortillas
Guacamole


Place the garlic and onions on the bottom of the crockpot and place the brisket on top. Sprinkle the chile powder and salt over the brisket, pour in the enchilada sauce. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the brisket from the crockpot and shred with two forks. Return the meat to the crockpot and toss with the sauce. Serve on warm tortillas with guacamole.

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Creamy Tortilla Soup

We could live on tortilla soup in our house, doesn't matter the variety.  I always make a huge batch so that both C and Miss F have plenty of leftovers for their lunches, I always take some too.  This recipe was fantastic and was a huge hit.  I only wish their wasn't such an avocado shortage right now, it pains me to pay nearly $3 an avocado, even though they are totally worth it, I much prefer the normal $1 price.  This recipe was adapted from Cooking Classy.

Creamy Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups half and half
¼ cup flour
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
¼ cup sour cream
For serving:
Shredded cheese, diced avocados, corn tortilla chips

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeno, sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds more. Add the broth, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts, bring the mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, remove the chicken and let rest for 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes. Whisk ½ cup of the half and half with the flour. Pour the half and half mixture into the pot, stirring constantly. Stir in the remaining half and half and cook for 3 minutes, until the soup has thickened. Dice the chicken, add it to the pot along with the black beans, pinto beans and corn. Stir in the sour cream just before serving. Serve topped with cheese, avocadoes and tortilla chips.

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Butter Basted Ribeyes

I made two ribeyes, figuring Miss F could share with C and me. Turns out, these steaks were a huge hit with everyone and I definitely finished dinner wanting more. Next time, I will make each one of us our own steak.  Miss F still refuses to eat potatoes, she tried one bite of the twice baked potato and declared them to be gross.  Such a silly girl.  This recipe is adapted from Food and Wine.

Butter Basted Ribeyes

Two 1 pound, bone-in rib eye steaks
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 thyme sprigs
3 garlic cloves
1 rosemary sprig

Season the ribeyes with the salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the steaks and cook for 5 minutes, flip the steaks and add the butter, thyme, garlic and rosemary to the pan. Baste the steaks with the butter and herb mixture, for about 5 minutes more. Transfer the steaks to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve.

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Spicy Corn Chowder

We were in Colorado this past weekend, where it actually felt like fall...and then winter.  A huge winter storm rolled in on Sunday and we made it out of town just in time.  Vail Pass was closed overnight because of the poor driving conditions and the next morning our neighbors reported that we had gotten over a foot of snow!  Hopefully this is a good omen for ski season.  And then we returned to the land of eternal summer, but I can still pretend it is fall and make all sorts of soups for the 90 degree weather.  This recipe is adapted from The Neelys on Food Network.

Spicy Corn Chowder

4 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small jalapeno, chopped seeds and ribs removed
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 large red potatoes, well scrubbed and small diced
1 cup half and half
16 ounces frozen corn
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Add the onions and red pepper, sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the jalapeno and garlic, saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour until thoroughly combined. Cook the flour until it reaches a slight blonde color, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken stock and the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes; potatoes will become soft. Add the half and half, corn, cayenne and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 more minutes. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved bacon.

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Garlic Shrimp and Sundried Tomato Pasta

Whenever C is out for the evening, Miss F and I always indulge in seafood. We had visited my parents for crabs and got a couple pounds of fresh shrimp from the Kemah seafood market. The shrimp there are so much better than what you can get in the grocer.  Miss F has become and expert shrimp peeler, which makes dinner prep a breeze.  She wasn't a huge fan of the sun dried tomatoes, but that meant all the more for me.  I used dried sun dried tomatoes and rehydrated them with boil water.  I added a bit of the water the tomatoes steeped in to the sauce.  This recipe is adapted from Julia's Album.

Garlic Shrimp and Sundried Tomato Pasta

12 ounces linguine pasta
2 tablespoon butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup sundried tomatoes
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Prepare the pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside, reserving the cooking water.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes, sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the shrimp, salt and paprika, cook for 5 minutes more, until the shrimp are pink. Add the half and half, basil and red pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and pasta, adding any of the reserved cooking water if the sauce needs thinning.

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Crockpot Hatch White Chicken Chili

Crockpot Hatch White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
¾ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3 cups chicken broth
3 to 4 roasted hatch chiles, chopped
1 package frozen corn
4 ounce cream cheese, softened
¼ cup half and half
sliced avocados
tortilla strips
shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Add chicken breasts to bottom of slow cooker, sprinkle with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Top the chicken with the onion, garlic, broth, Hatch chiles and corn, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the chicken and cut into chunks. Return the chicken to the crockpot, add the cream cheese and half and half, stir, cover and cook on high for 20 minutes more. Serve with avocadoes, tortilla chips and cheese.

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Firecracker Chicken

Firecracker Chicken

3 tablespoons Sriracha
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the Sriracha, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic in a small sauce pan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved into the sauce. Heat the oil in an oven safe sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes per side. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken, reserving the remaining sauce for dipping. Bake for 15 minutes, serve over rice with additional sauce on the side.

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Emeril’s Shrimp Etouffee

Emeril’s Shrimp Etouffee

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ½ tablespoons flour
½ cup onions, chopped
½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning Emeril's Original Essence
1 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked white rice

In a large sauté pan over mmedium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour, stirring continuously to make a roux. Stir until the roux is peanut butter colored, about 5 minutes. Add onions, peppers and garlic to roux, cook stirring often for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and 1 teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, whisking well to incorporate the roux. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season the shrimp with the remaining Cajun seasoning. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve over rice.

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Summer Shrimp Stir Fry

I have had this recipe from Pioneer Woman pinned for years.  I finally got around to making it for Miss F and I, but I made a bunch of changes from the original.  We don't have air conditioning in Colorado, even though we are at nearly 9000 feet, it gets hot in the evening.  I prefer to spend as little time in front of the stove as possible, so I decided to cook everything at once instead of in phases.  The tomatoes melted into the butter providing the most delicious sauce which was really brightened up with the squeeze of lemon at the end.  You could easily toss a half pound of angel hair with this dish for an even more substantial meal.  But cooking angel hair means more heat in my kitchen, so that wasn't happening.

Summer Shrimp Stir Fry

3 tablespoons butter
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Juice of ½ lemon

Melt the butter in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Squeeze the lemon half all over the shrimp and vegetables, toss well to coat, serve.

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Roasted Steelhead Trout with Green Beans and Tomatoes

Ever since our visit to the lakes region in Austria, Miss F has been obsessed with fish. Her favorites are char and trout. Seeing that we are in trout country, I decided to have prepare trout for dinner. The only issue we had was that there was only steelhead trout available at the grocer, which isn't a very Coloradoan fish. Nonetheless, the tomatoes and green beans were from the Vail Farmer's Market, so we had a somewhat local meal.  The dish is amazing and the perfect summer weeknight dinner.  Miss F loved the fish and could have probably eaten both filets.

Roasted Steelhead Trout with Green Beans and Tomatoes

4 steelhead trout filets
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
¾ pound green beans, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the filets on it. Stir together the butter, 1 clove of minced garlic, and ½ teaspoon of the lemon pepper. Brush the butter over each filet. Whisk the olive oil, remaining clove of minced garlic and ½ teaspoon of the lemon pepper in a bowl. Toss the tomato wedges and green beans in the olive oil. Add the tomato and green beans to the pan. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes.

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Thai Basil Shrimp

Long time, no post... It's been a crazy month or so. We took an amazing vacation to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos for two and a half weeks and then drove up to our house in Colorado, where we will be spending the next five weeks.  It made for lots of amazing eating, but not so much in the way of cooking.  Miss F devoured basil shrimp when we were in Thailand, she couldn't get enough, so I decided to try and replicate the recipe at home and I think I was pretty successful.  I used a mild Fresno chile, but feel free to amp up the heat if you are so inclined.  This dish was successful, the rice, not so much.  Cooking rice at nearly 9000 feet is proving to be very tricky.

Thai Basil Shrimp

2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ cup basil leaves
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 chile, seeded and chopped (I used Fresno)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked white rice

In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and basil leaves. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chiles to the skillet, sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the shrimp, stir fry 2 minutes more. Pour the sauce over the shrimp, stir fry 2 to 4 minutes more, until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve over rice.

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Sesame Chicken

I love any sort of chicken stir fry, especially in the summer time when I don't want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen. Anything that cooks up in under 10 minutes is a huge win for me, especially when it is consistently 90+ degrees here, even in the evening time.  I much prefer using boneless skinless thigh meat in stir fries.  I think it cooks up nicer than boneless skinless chicken breast, which can dry out quickly in a stir fry.  I have this giant bag of sesame seeds that I got at a farmer's market and I have finally found a recipe that may allow me to actually use the whole bag, thank goodness. This recipe is adapted from Budget Bytes.

Sesame Chicken

1 large egg
2 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in the egg mixture. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, when heated, add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds and cornstarch. Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss well to coat completely. Once the sauce has thickened, serve the chicken over white rice.

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Baked Chicken Gyros

This was a total recipe merge of two favorites in my house: Chicken Gyros and Baked Chicken Fajitas.  This is a fantastic summer meal, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers for the win.  The chicken bakes easily, retaining it's moisture and flavor from the yogurt marinade.  I much prefer my recipe for Naan instead of pita bread, so I always serve gyros on Naan.  That being said, I tried to use my tortilla press to roll out the naan.  Baaaad idea...very bad.  You have to go the old fashioned way and roll them out by hand, but it is totally worth it.

Baked Chicken Gyros

4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound chicken breast

1 cucumber
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
24 ounces plain Greek yogurt
2 tomatoes, diced
6 pitas, warmed

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken in a 9x13 baking dish in a single layer. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes,

Add the cucumber to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 to 8 times until it reaches a coarse grated consistency. Drain liquid from the cucumber. Mince garlic with salt until it forms a smooth paste. Stir the cucumber and garlic into the yogurt.

Serve the chicken in the pita topped with the tzatiki and diced tomato.

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Thai Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin

I have been obsessed with Thai Sweet Chili sauce for years.  Back in the wedding planning days, my friends and I would always go to this one sushi restaurant for happy hour after our bridal fittings with Arlene, the best seamstress ever.  The sushi was good, but I was completely obsessed with the calamari they served.  It was very lightly battered and a small dish of sweet chili sauce was on the side, perfect for dipping.  I always keep a bottle in our fridge and I decided to try it as a glaze for pork tenderloin.  It was perfection.  I served it over Edamame Succotash, which was the perfect pairing.

Thai Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin
½ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place the pork tenderloin in the prepared dish. Bake the pork tenderloin for 10 to 15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Brush the sauce over the pork tenderloin and return to the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove the pork from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes more. Slice and serve with the sauce from the baking dish spooned over top.

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Instant Pot Barbecue Brisket

I love making barbecue brisket in the crockpot, but I really wanted to try it in the Instant Pot for a quicker weeknight summer meal.  The brisket cooks beautifully in the Instant Pot and comes out very tender.  Miss F despises barbecue sauce, so she topped hers with mustard instead.  She will put mustard on nearly any type of meat (and vegetables!)  The brisket was also great leftover on a sandwich made with Texas toast.  With plenty of pickles, of course.  This recipe makes a good amount of brisket, so be sure to count on leftovers from it.

Instant Pot Barbecue Brisket

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 fresh beef brisket (2-1/2 to 3 pounds), trimmed
2 cups beef broth
Barbecue sauce

Combine the salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the brisket. Pour the broth into the Instant Pot, then add the seasoned brisket to the pot. Set to “Meat” for 60 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, remove the brisket. Slice against the grain and top with your favorite barbecue sauce.

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Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan

Miss F saw oven baked chicken parmesan on an episode of Pioneer Woman, but I didn't love the recipe at all. She really wanted to make it, so I decided to make up my own version. This recipe seems like it has lots of steps, but it is really quite easy. And it makes a ton. I served it with a pound of spaghetti...leftovers for days!  I hate frying in my kitchen and this chicken turned out nearly like the original recipe, which requires even more pans and lots of oil.  This is going into regular rotation for our dinner around here.

Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
¼ cup red wine
1 can tomato paste
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
¼ cup water
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded Mozzarella

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute the onion for 2 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds more. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, then add the tomato paste. Stir in the diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the chicken breasts into ½” thick pieces. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg and water. In another shallow bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Dip each chicken piece in the egg, then into the breadcrumb mixtures, tossing well to coat completely. Place the chicken into the prepared baking dish. Spray each chicken breast with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from the dish, add the prepared tomato sauce to the dish. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Top the chicken with the remaining Parmesan cheese and the Mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes more. Serve.

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Chopped Salad with Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette

Chopped Salad with Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 cucumber, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
½ cup shredded mozzarella

Process the garlic, vinegar, egg yolk, sugar and mustard in a food processor. Stream in the oil with the processor running. Salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper and mozzarella with the prepared dressing. Serve.

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Artichoke, Spinach and Chicken Lasagna

I initially thought my friend Jen was attending my dinner party, so I decided to make a main dish tailored to her. Whenever we go out to lunch at Houston's, she always orders the spinach and artichoke dip. Without fail.  I want to make some sort of dish that mimicked that dip and lasagna seemed like a natural way to do it.  One of my biggest complaints about lasagna is that I don't love the texture of ricotta.  Here, I halved the ricotta, replacing it with cream cheese, more in line with the spinach and artichoke dip everyone loves.  The result was a perfect dinner party dish, I love things that can just bake while I socialize.  Unfortunately, Jen had to cancel at the last minute, which means I will have to have her over soon and serve this again.  The recipe looks long, but it is really quite easy, especially if you use the Instant Pot and Fasta Pasta shortcuts.

Artichoke, Spinach and Chicken Lasagna

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ cup water
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound lasagna noodles
¼ cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup flour
3 cups milk
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan
10 ounces chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1 15 ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped
16 ounces ricotta
16 ounces cream cheese. softened
4 cups shredded mozzarella

Instant Pot instructions:
Place the chicken, water, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in the Instant Pot. Place on “Poultry” setting for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Shred the chicken and set aside.

Regular instructions:
Place the chicken, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a saucepan. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Heat over high heat until the water boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Shred the chicken and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Fasta Pasta instructions:
Place 9 of the lasagna noodles in the Fasta Pasta and fill to level 4. Microwave for 13 minutes. Drain and allow the noodles to cool. Repeat with remaining lasagna noodles.

Regular instructions:
Cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until al dente per package instructions. Drain and allow the noodles to cool.

In large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Whisk in the flour, until fully incorporated. Add the milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally. When the mixture thickens after about 5 minutes, remove from the heat. Stir in the parmesan, spinach, artichokes and shredded chicken.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta and cream cheese.

Layer ¼ of the chicken mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with 6 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta and cream cheese mixture over top. Layer ¼ of the chicken mixture over the ricotta and top with 1 1/3 cups mozzarella cheese. Layer with 6 more lasagna noodles, then 1/3 of the ricotta, ¼ of the chicken and 1 1/3 cups mozzarella cheese, twice more, ending with the mozzarella cheese. Spray aluminum foil with cooking spray, cover the lasagna spray side down. Bake for 45 minutes covered, remove the foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. Allow to cool 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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