Sweet Home Quilt Co.

I love to cook, but by the time I get home from the shop at 8 or 9 PM, the last thing on my mind is cooking dinner.  Mike “can” cook, but rarely does.  He will feed himself when he gets hungry, though. Usually I settle for a bowl of cereal or popcorn – very nutritious, I know!

This week we’ve managed to do a little better. Mike grilled chicken on his new grill Sunday and I had him do a couple of extra pieces so we’d have leftovers.  Monday’s dinner was Creamy Chicken Fettucine, using the leftover grilled chicken.  Tuesday morning I put a roast into the crockpot and we had Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches for dinner. Tonight, it will be leftovers!  Both meals took less than 30 minutes to get on the table, and while not gourmet, they were very tasty! Better than cereal or popcorn! Anyway, I thought I’d share the recipes in case you’re looking for quick and easy meal ideas, too.

Creamy Chicken Fettucine

• 8 oz. fettucine, uncooked
• 3 cups assorted vegetables, fresh or frozen
(I used the frozen “Summer Blend” with zucchini,
yellow squash, green beans, carrots, onions and
red peppers)
• 1/2 lb. chicken breast, cut into chunks
(I used two leftover grilled chicken breasts)
• 1 cup milk
• 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed (I used Neufchatel)
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Prepare pasta, adding vegetables during last 4 minutes of cooking time; drain well. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in skillet. Add cubed chicken and cook until done. (I skipped this step by using the leftover grilled chicken.) Remove chicken and set aside. Drain excess oil from skillet. Heat milk, cream cheese and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese in skillet on low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth (use a wire whisk). Add garlic, cooked chicken and pasta/vegetable mixture; toss well. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Note: Sauce will seem to be thin, but will thicken quickly when added to remaining ingredients.

Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches

3 lb. chuck roast
1 can beef consommé
1 pkg. beef au jus gravy mix
1 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix

Place roast in crockpot. Mix all other ingredients and pour over roast. Cook on low for at least 10 hours. Shred roast. Serve over hard rolls or French bread, with gravy and sliced Provolone cheese.  I also sauteed two Vidalia onions, sliced, in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter until carmelized and added to our sandwiches – yummo!

Confession – I snagged these photos from the web – my camera was at the shop!  I hope you’ll try these recipes and let me know how you like them. And if you have any Quick & Easy recipes you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you!