Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Tonight for dinner, I wanted something quick and easy, light and fresh, but still hot and delicious. After a quick look through my admittedly barren fridge, I knew it was going to be a pasta night. I'm a huge lover of all things ricotta, but I'm getting sick of lasagna and ziti type pasta dishes. So I set out to create something NEW. I was pretty happy with this little number, I hope you will be too!

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

8 oz pasta (any shape you like, I prefer tri-color rotini)

15 oz ricotta cheese

2 tbsp butter (softened)

2-3 tbs lemon juice

garlic powder to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta, according to the directions on the package.

2. Meanwhile, mix ricotta, butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.

3. When you drain the pasta, reserve a small amount of the pasta water and add it to the ricotta mixture.

4. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir.

Serve hot or cold. 

You can also add other ingredients, to make it a little more fancy. Try adding chicken, peas, fresh basil, shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos and Black Beans

Yesterday, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and use my Crock Pot for the very first time. I'm happy to report that the results were beyond delicious, and borderline sinful (in my own humble opinion, of course). I think this is the beginning of a very wonderful friendship.

I made Crock Pot Chicken Tacos, using a recipe I found on Pintrest. Only three ingredients and almost NO work resulted in a juicy, flavorful shredded chicken that made some killer tacos!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

1 packet taco seasoning (I used McCormick brand)

1 (16oz) jar of salsa (I used Pace Picante Sauce)

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen)

Dump all three ingredients into a crock pot, and stir to blend the salsa and seasoning together. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. If your chicken is frozen, like mine, 6 hours on low should be plenty. When it's done, the chicken should shred like a dream when stirred with two forks. Here's what it should look like:

The recipe I used said to serve on soft flour tortillas, but I'm a fan of corn tortillas, so that's what I used. I fried them up slightly in a pan of hot oil before folding them in half and setting them on a paper towel.

Serve with shredded lettuce, avocado, freshly grated cheese, sour cream and anything else you like on your tacos!

This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time).

Black Beans

(Forgive me, this is hardly a recipe...)

1 can black beans (I used Bush brand)

A sprinkling of salt, garlic salt and garlic powder

A squeeze of lemon juice

Pour the can of beans into a small saucepan and add the remaining ingredients, to taste. Bring to a slow simmer (low to medium heat), stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Taste them, adjust any flavors you want and serve hot!

ENJOY!

DIY Framed Silhouettes

This is my take on another Pinner's project. 

Instead of using fabric, like their tutorial said, I used pretty scrapbook paper (yay glitter!). I traced the silhouettes I wanted from Google images onto a piece of notebook paper, then used that as my stencil when penciling the shapes onto the pretty paper. I glued the pieces to a contrasting color of paper and framed them! 

See? Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

SO SWEET on our little Chandler's nursery walls!

Oven Baked Potatoes

These potatoes were ridiculous. So delicious. So easy. And I will repeat, SO DELICIOUS. I normally make potatoes on the stove, but this was definitely easier.

Oven Baked Potatoes

2 large potatoes, scrubbed

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds

3. In a bowl, toss potatoes with olive oil, Italian seasoning and salt.

4. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil.

5. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Top with parmesan cheese and bake an additional 2-5 minutes.

I think next time I'll make them using red potatoes and lemon pepper, to go with breakfast! Yum!