Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

I made this Saturday night with some fresh made pesto. It was really good. I used farfalle (bowtie) pasta instead of rigatoni. I had fresh tomatoes from a friend's garden. I didn't have a lot of Parmesan cheese so I used mozzarella instead, and it was delicious. It made a lot, so there were left overs.

Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

• 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large pot with boiling salted water cook rigatoni pasta until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, blanch broccoli florets in a medium size saucepan, remove with slotted spoon. In same pan saute the minced garlic and pesto sauce in the olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and set aside.
3. In a large bowl toss cooked pasta with blanched broccoli, cooked chicken, and garlic/tomato mixture. Add grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and ground black pepper and mix well. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Bars

I made this for dessert with the missionaries last night. It was so good. I didn't use the right size pan. So my cookie bars were thicker, and thus took longer to bake, and didn't need as much frosting. It's another great recipe from The Cook Next Door!

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Bars

1 c. peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. Coach's Oats

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. white flour

1/2 tsp. soda

In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, egg, butter and brown sugar until light an whippy. Add remaining ingredients, then press into a small cookies sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for exactly nine minutes. Don't overcook it! It might look a little soft and gooey, but it will set as it cools. Allow to cool before frosting & cutting into bars.

Whippy Cocoa Fudge Frosting

2 sticks butter, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips just until barely melted. Using and electric beater/mixer, beat in the butter, then slowly add the powdered sugar and just enough milk to make the frosting a nice, spreadable consistency. Frost cooled bars. Allow frosting to set up for about 30 minutes before cutting. ENJOY!

Chocolate zucchini muffins

I acquired some too large zucchini which was perfect for this recipe today. I made it pretty close to the recipe, except that I didn't have cardamom, so I added a little extra cinnamon. I skimped on the oil a bit and added a little more zucchini. Next time I might add some chocolate chips. And fill the cups more full.

Chocolate zucchini muffins

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Mix until just moist.
4. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.