Penne with Chicken and Pesto

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Penne with Chicken and Pesto

16 oz pkg penne pasta

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup pesto sauce

3 Tbsp parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions on package; drain.

Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in garlic. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in skillet. Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove from skillet.

Add heavy cream, pesto sauce, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to skillet. Heat to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Slice chicken and return to skillet. Toss pasta with chicken and sauce.

Serves 6

Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

Shrimp Tacos

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Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp marinade:

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined 

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and diced (1 pepper not 1 can)

juice of 1/2 lime

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

Chipotle sour cream:

1 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

juice of 1/2 lime

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and diced

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 cup onion, sliced

iceberg lettuce, shredded

chopped cilantro

corn tortillas

Combine shrimp with marinade and refrigerate for a half hour.

Combine ingredients for chipotle sour cream. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add bell pepper and onion and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Stir in shrimp. Cook for a few minutes, until shrimp is cooked through. Season with additional salt, if needed.

Heat tortillas in microwave with a damp paper towel. 

To assemble tacos place shrimp mixture inside tortillas. Top with chipotle sour cream, lettuce, and cilantro.

Serves 4-6

Chocolate Mousse Cake

My 7 year old had a Transformer birthday party a few weeks ago so I bought a Transformer cake topper, made this cake, and stuck it on top. Super easy! This is one of my favorite cake recipes. The frosting is delicious! I could eat it all by itself.

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Chocolate Mousse Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix (any kind)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 (1 oz) squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted

1/2 cup water

1 (3.4 oz) pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Bake cake as directed in two 9" round pans. Cool and remove from pans.

Mix together condensed milk and chocolate. Stir in water. Add pudding and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove chocolate from fridge and stir. Whip cream until peaks form. Fold in cream and refrigerate for 1 hour. Frost cake.

Dutch Oven Chicken and Potatoes

I love to cook but I also love to get a break from cooking every once in a while. I'm very lucky to have a husband who can cook. Unlike me, he doesn't have to follow a recipe. He loves to create his own recipes. He made this for dinner Sunday night and it was delicious! It's a great meal that you can prepare ahead and cook whenever you're ready to eat.

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Dutch Oven Chicken and Potatoes
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
4 tsp olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4-6 carrots cut into 1/2" slices

1 onion, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 lbs small, whole yukon gold potatoes (enough to cover bottom of pan)
3-4 Tbsp butter, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and 2 tsp olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add garlic, carrots, onion, and red bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from dutch oven. Add remaining oil. Heat over high heat until very hot. Season chicken with rosemary and salt and pepper. Place in dutch oven and sear for 1 minute on each side. Remove from dutch oven. Place potatoes in bottom of pan. Pour water over potatoes. Add chicken and carrot mixture. Place butter on top and season with salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.