Baked Chicken Rotini

I wanted to make something fast, easy and filling for dinner tonight that used things we already had in the house. We had rotini and sauce. Normally that would be enough but I wanted meat, too. Thus the idea for baked chicken rotini was formed and a quick trip to the Internet gave me a basic recipe that I, naturally, expanded on. I only had Italian sausage with garlic pasta sauce so it was meatier than intended but that was not a problem for us. And, I used some scallions fresh from the container garden. We served it with fresh steamed broccoli and pull-apart garlic bread.

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken (cooked or uncooked)
1 lb. rotini
1 16 oz. jar of pasta sauce
1 16 oz. bag of mozzarella cheese
Vegetable oil
Scallions
Garlic
Italian spices
Pepper and salt

Directions:

1) Heat the oven to 350F.  

2) If you're using raw chicken, cut it up into bite-size pieces and cook in the vegetable oil with the diced scallions, garlic, Italian spices, pepper and salt. The spices should be to taste. It is done when there's no more pink and everything is lightly browned.

3) While the chicken is cooking, start the pasta and cook it until it is al dente. Drain.

4) When the chicken and pasta are done, put them in a 13x9x2-inch pan. Mix with the sauce and 2/3 of the mozzarella cheese.

5) Cover the mixture with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

6) Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Review: Thomas' Bacon Buttermilk Pancake English Muffins

I'm not going to lie, the second I saw these my first thought was, "Oh my gosh, that's going to be awful."

Then I smelled them. Mmm! Maple syrup!

"Let's try them for lunch with some meat," said the boyfriend.

Alright then. We picked up some ham and made our way home. I toasted them up, filling the house with so much yummy deliciousness maple smell. Then we put on the ham, I used mayo on mine and he used mustard.

It was much, much better than I expected. You can actually taste the pancake and the maple syrup wasn't overpoweringly sweet. I didn't really taste bacon but I know it was there, I could see it. Two thumbs up from both of us. And, it doesn't leave a gross aftertaste like some products like this.

Today I had it toasted with ham, scrambled egg and mayo. Delicious! The great thing is that it left me feeling full, which doesn't always happen with breakfast.

Next on the list to try it with is going to be my bacon-cheese-scallion scrambled egg with a sausage patty. I can't wait!

Though I'm sad it is going to be limited edition. I like knowing I can have different flavors now and again. I am going to experiment with it until I can't buy it anymore.

Stuffed Burgers

The menu last night was hamburger, mashed potatoes and corn. Not very exciting, I know, but it is one of my regular meals as it is reasonably cheap and not awful on the carbs, especially if I have broccoli instead. And, no judging me on the potatoes mixed with corn. I've been doing that since I was a little kid and love it this way.

I had a hamburger a few nights ago with shredded Mexican cheese (four kinds of cheese) and Bacos. I mixed it in with the meat and cooked it up, much like the burgers I would buy from a local grocery store. It was good but I wanted to try something different. I decided to make stuffed burgers.

Ingredients:
1/4 lb. hamburger
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup Bacos

Directions:
1. Divide the hamburger into 2/3 for the "bowl" and 1/3 for the top.
2. With the larger amount of hamburger make a "bowl" then fill with the shredded cheese and Bacos. I layered them so that there would be cheese above and below the Bacos.
3. Flatten out the smaller amount of hamburger then lay on top of the "bowl" and pinch the sides together to create a full hamburger.
4. Cook until it is a done as much as you like.

Update:
I'm still working on my timing so mine was a bit more pink than I like but it was definitely edible. I would also encourage you to use thicker shredded cheese so it takes longer to melt and will be gooier when you cut it open.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments!