Cheesy Chicken Penne with Spinach

The Hubs and I went to Applebee's one night and did the 2 for $20 deal and I fell in love with their Three Cheese Chicken Penne.  So much so that I decided to try and replicate the recipe at home!

Since I don't have a laboratory at home (oh the things I could do with a laboratory...), I had to wing it.  And any good (copy-cat) cook knows you don't measure.  So please excuse my less-than-metric measurements I put together for this blog.  And heck, I substituted stuff, so why shouldn't you?  Anyways...here goes.

Here's what *I* used:

2 left over grilled chicken breasts, cubed

(when I grill chicken, I usually marinate in lemon juice and olive oil
and then sprinkle with Weber's Kicken Chicken rub)

8 oz penne pasta

1 jar of alfredo sauce
(I suppose you could make your own if you had time, but I didn't...

so whatever's on sale at Walmart is what I use)

2 handfuls of shredded mozarella cheese
(see what I mean about measurements?)

About a Tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese

A handful of fresh baby spinach, chopped

1 Roma tomato, diced

3 garlic gloves, crushed 

 

Cook the penne pasta al dente (7-10 minutes at a rolling boil).

  

Bellissimo!  Mwah!

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

This recipe is great for a cold winter's day.  It warms the soul!

Ingredients:
2 leeks
2 cloves garlic,  minced
4 Tbsp (four turns of the pan) extra virgin olive oil
4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 qt chicken stock (I made my own but you can use a good quality store bought brand)
2 sprigs fresh oregano
2 fresh bay leaves
1 Tbs fresh parsley
1/2 cup milk or cream
1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped for garnish

To prepare the leeks, cut off the roots and the dark green tops (save the tops, they will go in the soup) leaving only the white and light green part.  Cut lengthwise and then chop into half moons, about 1/4 inch thick.  Soak them in a bowl of cool water for about 5 minutes so that any dirt or sand can settle to the bottom, strain and pat dry.  Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Saute the leeks until tender, adding the garlic about a minute or two before they are done.

Add the potatoes & dark green leek tops (leave them whole as they will be removed and discarded later) leaving two of them to make a bouquet garni for your herbs.  Make sure you rinse the leek tops before you add them to your pot.  Toss in your bouquet garni.

To make the bouquet garni:
Lay two of the leek tops in a cross.  Add the oregano, bay leaves, and parsley and fold it all up into a nice little package and secure with some kitchen twine.  I had four Schnucks employees hunting down kitchen twine for me.  So you know, it's with the kitchen utensils.  If you don't have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs and make a bouquet garni with some cheese cloth and kitchen twine.

Add chicken stock & salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. I also added a good splash of white wine that this point.  Hey, it was in my hand and it seemed like a good idea.  Once the potatoes are tender, remove the leek tops, add the milk or cream, and then use your immersion blender to puree the soup.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender but make sure you click this link first.  Heat the soup through and serve hot with a garnish of bacon crumbles.  Just an afterthought...if you had a third leek (which I did not), you could also garnish with some chopped leek or even some green onion.  Ooohhh...sour cream would be another great topper!  :)

ENJOY THE CREAMY GOODNESS!!!