The Best Churro in the World

We have discovered the best churros in the world. We used to believe the best churros could only be purchased at Disneyland. While those remain a close second, we feel that the churros sold at the Costco food court are superior. First of all, they are bigger. Secondly they are cheaper. They also are always fresh, and have a hint of vanilla, as well as the usual cinnamon and sugar topping. Each churro is just a buck, so you really have no excuse not to try one next time you are shopping for your giant packages of toilet paper and frozen burritos.

Pesto Chicken Florentine

Pesto Chicken Florentine was on the menu for dinner last night. I found myself at the grocery store yesterday and I grabbed one of those dry packets of Alfredo mix, which is required in the Pesto Chicken Florentine recipe. I glanced at the back of the packet and saw all of those artificial sweeteners and preservatives and couldn't bring myself to put it in the cart. Instead I grabbed some heavy cream and went on my merry way. Here is the Pesto Chicken Florentine recipe with my changes.


Pesto Chicken Florentine

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
3-4 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 cups heavy cream (or 1 cup cream + 1 cup milk)
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp pesto
2 cups (measured dry) penne pasta
3-4 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

• In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken slices, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and add garlic. Cook for 10 minutes or so until chicken is almost done. Add fresh spinach leaves. (It might look like a lot, but it wilts down to almost nothing!) Saute everything for 3-4 minutes, then turn heat to low.

(do the next 2 steps at the same time)

• In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta for 8-10 minutes, or until it is done to your liking. Drain pasta.

• Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, heat about 1 tsp olive oil, and saute 1 minced garlic clove. Add 2 cups of cream and/or milk and quickly whisk in 2 1/2 tsp of cornstarch. Reduce heat to medium and whisk until sauce thickens, 4-5 minutes. Stir in pesto.
  

• Add pasta to skillet and toss to combine everything. Pour sauce mixture over pasta and chicken a bit at a time. **If you like a drier pasta, don't use all of the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, then taste to see if it needs salt or pepper. (I don't salt it until now because the Italian seasonings, pesto and the Parmesan add a lot of salt, and you can't tell until it's finished how much additional salt it needs)

**I used all but 1/2 cup of the sauce. When I put the leftovers in the fridge, I poured the extra sauce on top, so the pasta wasn't dry the second day. Very tasty leftovers!

Pesto My Way

I had a friend ask me today what I do when I need pesto, make it fresh or buy it? Buy it baby. Fresh is fantastic, but it's also a bit of work. I think if I were going to make a pasta dish where the pesto needs to shine, then I'd make it fresh. For most other recipes, however, a jarred pesto is just fine.

My favorite brand is Classico. I love that I can keep it stockpiled in my basement with a variety of other pasta sauce options. I can open the jar, scoop out a spoonful or two, put the lid back on and save the rest for another dish in a few days.


Here's a list some recipes that use pesto:
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
Five-Layer Vegetable Strata with Pesto
Pesto Chicken Florentine


Here is a link to the Classico website with recipes (some using pesto, some using their other products):

Week 29 Menu

Monday - Pesto Chicken Florentine
Tuesday - Feta Penne
Wednesday - BBQ Chicken (crockpot)
Thursday - Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Friday - Lime Chicken Soft Tacos
Saturday - eat out
Sunday - Chicken Caesar Salads (with Kristi's Caesar Dressing)

Week 29 Recipes

Kristi's Caesar Dressing

1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
3 Tbsp olive oil
Parmesan cheese (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard (don't even think about using that yellow stuff!). Slowly whisk in the olive oil (this will make it a creamy consistency). Add salt, pepper and Parmesan to taste.

Extra dressing will keep in the fridge for several days.

Recipe for Drug-Free Kids: Family Dinner

Here's a link to a great article detailing the benefits of eating dinner as a family each night. Enjoy!

Sesame Ginger Noodles

Tonight's dinner needed a side dish so I quickly made some Sesame Ginger Noodles. They were a HUGE hit with my son, so I decided to type up the recipe.


Sesame Ginger Noodles
(serves 4 as side dish, double recipe for main dish)

1/2 package Chow Mein noodles
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup sliced celery
1 green onion diced
2 Tbsp soy sauce, plus more to taste
3-6 Tbsp Litehouse Sesame Ginger Dressing & Sauce, plus more to taste
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

• Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil noodles until softened, 5 minutes or so. Drain and return to pan.
  

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in carrots and celery and stir fry until crisp-tender. Reduce heat to medium. Add green onion, drained noodles, soy sauce and Sesame Ginger dressing. Toss to coat.
  

• Taste noodles for seasoning preferences. Add more Sesame Ginger dressing for sweetness, more soy sauce for saltiness. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Options: Other fresh vegetables may also be used; this was just what I had on hand. (try mushrooms, yellow onion, peas, green or red bell peppers, even toss in chicken chunks!) You can also use mixed frozen veggies for a quick variation. They have stir-fry varieties in the freezer section.