Twice Baked Pesto Potatoes

Now that I have figured out exactly where my basil plant wants to live (I can keep it alive) I always have fresh basil.  Another thing I always seem to have on hand is potatoes, why not make Pesto Potatoes!?!  I wasn't sure quite where to begin, so I went to Pinterest.  I found a recipe on Kayotic Kitchen, I changed it up just a bit and ended up with a really GREAT baked potato.

Ingredients:

• 4 (fairly large) Russett Potatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1/2 Cup of Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Cup of Vegetable Broth
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• About a handful Fresh Basil (chopped)
• Large Shallot (chopped finely)
• 1/8 Cup of Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

Serves 4-6 (because they are split in half and you can eat the whole potato skin and all!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and scrub the skin of the potato good enough that you could eat it.  Poke several holes in them with a fork, brush them with olive oil, and season with sea salt.  Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil, place potatoes on the foil, and bake for about an hour.

Insert a fork into them to check to see if they are done.  If the fork goes in easy, they are done.  Cut the potatoes in half and let them cool a little bit.  Scoop out the insides with a spoon.  Make sure to do it gently and keep the skins intact.  Place the scooped out potato into a large bowl.

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a skillet.  Cook the garlic and shallot for about 3 minutes.  Add in the cream and vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring throughout.  Add in the basil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper.  Let the sauce sit for a couple of minutes and it will thicken a bit more.   Pour it in with the potatoes and mix well.  I didn't completely mash the potatoes, but I combined it well (I don't even know if that makes any sense LOL)  Loan the potato mixture back into the skin, top it with a little bit of Parmesan cheese, place back on baking sheet, put it back in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

I actually made these a couple of weeks ago and my mouth is watering just writing about them.  OH. SO. GOOD!  I served this with the Loaded Flank Steak (recipe coming soon).

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Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

My family loves anything with pesto and this cheesy stuffed chicken is at the top of their list!

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Shredded Mozzarella
• 2+ 1 Tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons Pesto
• 1 Egg

Serves 2 to 4- Since I use large chicken breasts, we often cut them in half after we have cooked them and it is plenty for all of us.   

Preheat oven to 375.  Place chicken breasts one at a time in a ziploc bag.  Use a rolling pin or meat mallet, flatten the chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick.  

In a small bowl combine sour cream, pesto, shredded mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon of finely grated Parmesan.  

Spread a layer of the pesto mixture onto each piece of chicken.  Don't go all the way to the edge or the yummy goodness might ooze out while baking.  Trust me, you want to be able to eat as much of this as possible!  It is SO good!

Roll the chicken breasts up.  You can secure them with toothpicks if you would like, but I just lay it seem side down in the baking dish and it stays in place.

Next, in a small bowl lightly beat one egg.  In another small bowl place remaining Parmesan and seasoned bread crumbs.  

Using a pastry brush, brush egg onto chicken roll ups and generously sprinkle with Parmesan Bread Crumb mixture.  

Place Chicken Roll Ups in baking dish. Bake at 375 for about 30 mins. 

 I served with pasta tossed with a little pesto and garlic.  YUM YUM YUM!

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Slow Cooker Ranch Pesto Chicken and Pasta

Since it is July and SUPER hot here, I am trying to avoid turning on the oven.  Gosh that sounded like something my grandmother would say:)  I would prefer to grill every night, but that just isn't realistic either.  This week my oldest son started summer sandlot baseball so I am in need of some quick and easy meals for the family.  This slow cooker recipe is perfect.  I can throw it in the crock pot and head to the pool for the afternoon.  All I have to do is boil some pasta and throw it all together.  SUPER EASY!

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Packet
• 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 1/3 Cup Chicken Broth
• 3 oz of Pesto
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup (plus more for garnish) Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pound box of Tri-color Rotini Pasta
• 8- Diced Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

In a small bowl (I use a pyrex measuring cup) combine pesto, minced garlic, Hidden Valley Ranch Mix, and chicken broth- mix well.  Place chicken in slow cooker and pour mixture over top.  Set slow cooker to low and cook for about 4 hours.

Boil water and cook pasta according to box.  Drain pasta and toss with olive oil.  Pour pasta into slow cooker and mix with chicken and sauce.  Add Parmesan cheese and toss.  Serve pasta and chicken with a little more Parmesan and diced tomatoes.  Enjoy!

I often make my own pesto here is the recipe and another one of my favorite dishes- Pesto Chicken



This recipe was featured on the Magical Moms' July Menu.  Be sure to check out all of our monthly menus



Lots of AMAZING recipes on the Magical Moms' June Menu, Marvelous May Menu, Appetizing April Menu, and March Madness Menu.

Green (Cilantro Lime) Chicken Burritos

I know, I know who wants to eat GREEN chicken.  Doesn't everyone want to go green?  When you look at the picture you are going to be even less likely to want to eat it.  I am actually tempted to not post any of the pictures that I took.  They are DEFINITELY GREEN!  I will be serving this on St. Patrick's Day for sure!

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts cut into strips
• Burrito size Tortillas

Marinade

• 1 cup fresh Cilantro (stems removed)
• about 15 Almonds
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons Minced Garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Lime Juice
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup of Chicken Broth
• 1  teaspoon salt

Burritos stuffers:

• lettuce
• sour cream
• diced tomatoes
• cheese
• salsa
• rice

First I placed the almonds into the food processor to finely chop them.  I used the Nutribullet.  Then I added in the rest of the marinade ingredients and blended until a nice bright green cilantro pesto was formed.

I then combined the chicken with the marinade and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Then I sprayed my skillet with non-stick cooking spray and cooked the chicken thoroughly.  Once the chicken was done I stuffed a burrito for each person with their favorite stuffers.  I like mine with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

As I dumped it into the pan, I thought to myself there is no way my family was going to eat this.  Well I was wrong, the taste was so good they quickly got over the fact that they were eating green chicken!

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness.  Check out the entire menu and try out some of our other YUMMY recipes!