Grilled Chicken Alfredo

Served some grilled chicken Alfredo to my family for dinner tonight; it's my boys' favorite!  However, it struck me by surprise when my DH not only had one serving of the pasta, but went back for more!  He has not been one to "like" my Alfredo.  It made me laugh inside & smile for sure!  This is all what's left for tomorrow's snack.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup shredded cheese (I used jack/cheddar)

1 cup milk

garlic powder to taste

16 oz cooked pasta

1 lb grilled chicken

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt the butter over med-med high heat.  Add your heavy cream and cheese, and bring to a low boil until thick.  Gradually, add the milk to thin it out some.  Season with garlic powder.  Toss with pasta and grilled chicken.  Sauce will thicken as it stands.

Flavored Lit'l Smokies/Meatballs

Another one of my childhood favorite appetizers are Lit'l Smokies.  Haven't made them in years, since I used to wait tables on holiday night parties.  But since my family is starting our celebrating early (like all day) on New Year's Eve, I thought I'd share this recipe with ya'll.  It's really good with meatballs, too!  My family loves this special treat....I think they are on a "protein-high!" lol  It's a hit with company or special events, too.

Since I'm making both today, the sauce only had to be made once.  The original recipe called for chili sauce, but I saved over $2-$3 by making my own recipe with ingredients already on hand.   The chili sauce recipe is adapted from Food.com.

Ingredients:
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar homemade
4 tbs vinegar
3 dashes allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
3 lbs of smokies ( I used beef)
2-3 lbs of meatballs

You can either make this over the stove or in a crockpot.

Since my tomato sauce is stored frozen in quart size bags, because I portion the big cans from Costco, I heated it up in the separately from the smokies...but you don't have to...I just like to heat up the sauce with the spices before tossing it in the meat.

So, in a medium bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, allspice, & cinnamon, stirring well.  You can heat it up before adding it to the meat, but don't have to...I like the flavor of it...tastes just like the bottle @ the store!  (YES!!!)

Either in a crockpot or in a large pot on the stove, heat together the homemade chili sauce, cranberry sauce, and meat.  The jellied cranberry sauce will "melt" once warmed.  Once heated thoroughly , serve.

Boneless Buffalo Wings

Something that my Dear Husband has been craving lately are boneless buffalo wings.  After spending money for multiple packages at the grocery stores, it was time for me to figure out how to make my own!  While the ones at the stores have been too hot for him, he was delighted that the ones I made tasted mild!


Watching all the fry cooks at Applebee's make the boneless wings, it seemed pretty easy to make; I just needed to find a recipe.  Very grateful that he likes these.  I'll be making another batch, I'm sure!  The recipe is adapted from Franks Red Hot.

Ingredients:
cooked boneless chicken fingers (homemade)
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup hot wing sauce

In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.  Then, stir in the wing sauce.  In a larger bowl, add the chicken you wish to coat, about 10 pieces at a time.  Pour a small amount of sauce on the chicken and gently toss until all is coated.  Continue coating the desired chicken in batches.  Enjoy!

Sour Cream Sauce

I'm not Mexican, but I love to eat Mexican foods, the mild stuff, anyways!  Wanted to reuse some of the leftovers from a Spanish Rice Casserole from last night.  I threw in some extra diced chicken, some more cheese, a little bit more seasoning, and rolled it up into a dinner I will have more leftovers, I think!  (As not everyone is eating at home tonight.)  I like to taste my foods while I make them.  I had to exercise some self-control to stop eating the sauce on top of these burritos!  Oh, my son went "nuts" over the sauce as well.  I hope you like it, too!

Recipe adapted Sour Cream Sauce for Enchiladas and Chimichangas.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cup chicken broth (I used water & 1 large bullion cube)
1 cup shredded jack/cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter.  While whisking, gradually, add the flour and chicken broth, smoothing out all lumps as they appear.  Remove from heat.  Then, add the shredded cheese.

Stir until the cheese is melted.  Then, add the sour cream.  I had to stir in some milk to get the creamy consistency I was looking for, to spread over the burritos.

Spread this over your favorite burritos or enchiladas.  If you'd like sprinkle some extra cheese as a garnish, over the sauce.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until hot  and bubbly.  

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Eating Alfredo is one of my favorite Italian foods.  But, not everyone likes it in my family.  So, I am making this recipe for "Me."  The recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com.  I like that a little bit goes a long ways.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter/margarine
8 oz cream cheese
2 cups milk
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
2 tbs cornstarch (optional)

Melt butter/margarine and cream cheese together over medium heat.  Gradually, stir in the milk.  Keep stirring until nice and creamy.  (If you want a thicker consistency, add 2 tbs of cornstarch with the milk, stirring to get all lumps out.)

Stir in shredded cheese until melted.  The original recipe calls for Parmesan cheese, but didn't have any on hand and used a Colby/Jack shredded cheese blend instead.  You can even add some mozz cheese!

Mix the garlic powder into the sauce.  Serve with favorite pasta or in place of Alfredo sauce for recipes.