Simple Summer Chicken Pasta

Maybe it's just me but Summertime makes me crave simple ingredients and lots of veggies! Grocery stores and markets are absolutely stocked with delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables at this time of the year. Summer also makes me feel like spending less time in the kitchen, so my recipes must be quick! 

 

This is a quick pasta that I often make and serve with a salad. You can use virtually any vegetables you find in your fridge, carrots are always a nice addition; not featured in this recipe, as I didn't have them in hand.  My staple ingredients for this pasta are mushrooms, zucchini, shallots, garlic, parsley or any other fresh herb, along with parmesan cheese and tomatoes. Sun dried tomatoes are featured in this particular version but honestly, whatever you have in your fridge will do!  If you'd like to whip up your own sun dried tomatoes, follow this link:

http://melsbigideas.blogspot.ca/2017/07/oven-sun-dried-tomatoes.html?m=0

I always start "kid friendly pastas" with a mix of shallots and garlic, in butter and olive oil. Shallots have a more subtle taste than onions, my kids are particularly accepting of them. I then I add mushrooms and meat, in this case, chicken thighs. 

Once my flavours blend and my chicken cooks, I begin to add additional ingredients. In a separate pot, I boil noodles in salted water. The starchy, salted water will help to stretch our  sauce, two ladles should be fine, if you're worried about not having enough to dress your pasta, set some aside. If you'd rather skip the starch, chicken broth works extremely well in place of the salted water. Though doesn't stick quite the same way to your noodles! 

Zucchini doesn't need to cook for very long, so quickly mix it into the pot and begin to add the rest of your ingredients.  This should be completed after the shallots, garlic, mushrooms and chicken are completely cooked. If you're adding carrots, be sure to add them at the first addition. Hard veggies and vegetables you'd like to cook down, like onions, add first. Anything that cooks quickly must be added toward the end of your cooking time. This way, your pasta will be filled textured vegetables, which adds interest and palatability to your dish. Lastly, add your cheese, fresh herbs and tomatoes, sun dried or otherwise. 

I always toss my unrinsed noodles directly in with my veggies, sauce and additional olive oil on the stove top. After a crack of fresh pepper, I love to serve this meal "family style" at the table from a large serving bowl or straight from the pot!

Simple, quick, delicious; that's my kind of fast food!!! Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions, concerns or if you just liked this Big Idea!!

Wednesday Wings

 

I love chicken wings. My whole family loves chicken wings. We eat them at least once per week. The trick to enjoying chicken wings and actually having them consumed by your children is...simple ingredients. I love a spicy wing smothered in Frank's Red Hot or honey garlic sauce as much as the next gal. My kids, do not. Let's face it, sauce can be added after the fact! Throw the Red Hot, the BBQ sauce, the honey mustard on the table. Whatever your pleasure. Encourage your kids to try different condiments; be aware, however, that they often add unnecessary sugars, sodiums and calories to your wings, an already fatty cut of meat. This is a Wednesday night meal...not a Pub Fest! Simple ingredients are good for your body, easy to digest and healthy for you and your family. 

In this recipe, I'm featuring my favourite olive oil. We have a local oil store, Soffrittos, filled with wonderful ingredients delicious food and oodles of excellent service. I just love stopping in for a visit and can't live without their garlic olive oil!

Wednesday Wings

 

Ingredients:

Garlic Olive Oil

(this one is a free pour...as much as you like! My recommendation is be generous). 

3 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

A handful of thyme 

One club pack of chicken wings

Preheat your oven to 400 F 

Separate your wings removing the tips (set those aside for a quick chicken broth http://melsbigideas.blogspot.ca/2017/02/?m=0) 

from the drumette and the wingette. 

Add your separated wings to a cookie sheet. Crush three cloves of garlic, free pour your garlic olive oil over your wings, add sea salt and pepper and hand mix to gently coat. Place the seasoned chicken wings into the oven for 15minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. If you require more of a crisp on the skin of your wings, broil for and flip for 2-3 minutes. When you remove from the oven sprinkle with thyme and serve.  

 

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

 

I have good kids. Really good kids. During their las holiday from school, I assigned them the task of prepping a meal that could be frozen and thawed for their lunch boxes. I was in the midst of making a homemade chicken broth and had cooked chicken and mini tart shells on hand so chicken pot pies it was!!  

 

Find my chicken broth recipe here:

http://melsbigideas.blogspot.ca/2017/02/waste-not-want-not-making-beautiful.html?m=0 

At first my son was upset about the idea of chicken pot pie. He absolutely despises peas and doesn't enjoy carrots with gravy. My daughter, on the other hand was thrilled. We opted to make a simple thick gravy, I then gave them free reign with flavours. They were in charge. This was their cooking experience. 

We started with a roux, which is simply a mixture of melted butter and flour.  In a frying pan we melted down 1/3 of a cup of butter (I added a finely chopped shallot to the butter) and then added 1/4 of a cup of flour. When these ingredients were well blended, we added 2 cups of chicken broth to the mix, 1/2 tsp of sea salt and 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning. We whisked the ingredients together over medium heat. My son liked the gravy at this point, so we transferred half of the gravy into another pot. My daughter opted to add 1/2 tsp of Herbs de Provence and a sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper. 

My son added 2-3 chunked chicken thighs to his gravy. My daughter added the same amount of chicken plus 1/4 cup of frozen peas and 1/4 cup of cooked carrots. 

We had thawed our tart shells on the counter, while we cooked the chicken pot pie filling.  For each chicken pot pie, we required 2 shells. My daughter made 8 pies and my son, 7. We filled the bottom shell with 2-3 tablespoons of pie filling and then laid a thawed pie shell over the filled bottom shell. The kids then pinched and fork printed the edges of the pie shells. 

We preheated our oven to 425 F. While the oven was heating, I cut slits into the tops of the pies. As a pie needs a way for steam to escape, while it bakes. My kids had made two different flavoured pot pies; this seemed like the perfect opportunity to label their lunchtime snacks. My son's pies were labeled with a "D" and my daughter's, with an "M". We then baked the pies in our preheated oven for 30 minutes. 

 

After the pies cooked and the kids gobbled a few up for lunch, they were packed for the freezer. 

 

When packing lunches, the kids thaw a pie or two over night in the fridge. We warm them in the morning and place them into a thermos, if they opt to not complete this morning task, they happily eat them at room temperature at lunchtime. 

This kitchen project has worked out extremely well for my family!!  My kids are pleased that they created something wonderful in the kitchen and I'm satisfied that they are filling their bellies with a healthy and satiating lunch. 

 

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or concerns, or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below.