Weekend Round-Up

Notice how the trees do not cling to their leaves. 

Fall is about releasing the old to make way for the new.

-Anonymous

Baked Chicken Ziti with Lightened Alfredo Sauce 

Perhaps Emily Dickinson tasted this chicken baked dish when she declared "I dwell in possibilities."The possible variations for you to customize Baked Chicken Ziti Alfredo Dish are limitless.  For example:

• Add in veggies. Broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, cauliflower, and any number of other veggies would be delicious added to this chicken alfredo recipe. Just note that they won’t get cooked much during the 20 minutes of baking time. So if whatever veggies you add require a longer cooking time, feel free to toss them into the boiling water with the pasta for a few minutes or sauté (or roast) them for a few minutes before adding them to the casserole. 
• Add in extra Italian herbs. 
• Not into chicken? Feel free to use shrimp in this recipe instead. (Or make it vegetarian and add in some extra veggies instead.) 
• Make it spicy sprinkling lots of crushed red pepper into (and on top of) this casserole to give it a bit of a kick. To give this recipe a Cajun twist, stir 1 tablespoons Cajun Seasoning to taste into the alfredo sauce.

Recipe adapted from gimmesomeoven.com and serves four.
Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked ziti (or any pasta shape)
• 2-1/2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken 
• 1 batch alfredo sauce (see below)
• 1- 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, white cheddar or Gruyere mixed with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• Topping 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, finely-chopped fresh basil or parsley and  3/4 cup crushed Caesar croutons

Alfredo Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup each diced mini yellow and red peppers and onions
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, low sodium
• 1 cup low-fat milk or 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-1/2 qt. baking dish. Set aside. 
• Cook the pasta al dente in well-salted boiling water according to package instructions. Drain. To same pot add chicken,  1-1/2 cups mixed cheeses, alfredo sauce and cooked pasta. Gently toss to combine until the pasta is evenly coated.
• Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with topping mixture.  
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and just barely starts to turn golden. Remove and serve immediately.

 To Make Alfredo Sauce: 

• Heat olive oil or butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers and garlic,  saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. 
• Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.
• Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk or half and half and bring the mixture to a simmer. 
• Let cook for an additional minute until thickened, then stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, parsley flakes. Stir until the cheese melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

CANDY ALERT-hope I'm not too late- check your candy stash! 

  You will need fun size snicker bars to make Snicker Turtles 

Unfortunately, I only had three left by the time Bernie's easy fun recipe came to my inbox. I am sharing her creative use of left over candy recipe. Let me know if you make it. Here are her directions with photos. 

Greetings,
I have a new Christmas treat to share. I always gear up for the holidays just after Halloween so yesterday I was ready to start. Every year I make turtles with pretzels, my caramel mixture, pecans and chocolate. They are a lot of work. Well this is my new shortcut. Snicker-Turtles (pretzel, snickers bar, pecan half) are so easy to make and really good.

Directions:

• Place pretzels on baking sheet with parchment paper. Place one half of a fun size Snickers Bar on top and heat in preheated 300 degree oven for about 4 minutes. Just until chocolate and filling have softened. 
• Remove and press one pecan onto each. Refrigerate and chill until chocolate has set. Store in air tight container, preferably in a single layer. Also great treat for gift giving  as they are pretty uniform size and 4 or 6 of them fit just right in the little paper Christmas card boxes.

Thank You Bernie! Looks wonderful.