Rachael Ray's Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta

I changed it just a tad. My daughter had the sauce as soup, because she's been asking for pumpkin soup for a while now. I had it over pasta.

1 lb pasta
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 c chicken broth
15 oz pumpkin puree
1/2 c cream
hot sauce (I didn't use this)
freshly ground nutmeg
2 pinches cinnamon
*Salt & pepper
8 sage leaves, thinly sliced
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Boil pasta. Saute shallots and garlic in oil over medium heat. Stir in broth, then pumpkin until smooth, then cream, then spices. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5-6 minutes to let sauce thicken a little. Stir in sage. Toss sauce with pasta. Top with a generous amount of cheese.

*I very, very rarely salt my food, but I felt like this needed a generous dose of salt to bring the flavors out.

My daughter LOVED her soup, so I kept the sauce separate, so she can have more soup tomorrow.

Pasta Bake

Yum!

8 oz. bow tie pasta
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c diced green pepper
1/2 c sliced mushrooms
2 tsp dried basil
3 garlic cloves, minced
26 oz spaghetti sauce
1 c shredded Parmesan cheese
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Cook pasta according to package directions. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Drain pasta. Pour half of pasta into baking dish. Top with half of each remaining ingredient. Repeat layers. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

*Pepperoni is delicious in this!

Apple Oatmeal

Thanks to Once a Month Mom! She's created another hit! :)

1 c old-fashioned oats
1 red apple, cored and diced
2 c milk
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1-2 hours (mine was done in one hour.)

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken, Chicken & Rice Casserole

Visit here for a tutorial with pictures, and for broth making instructions.

Whole chickens are inexpensive and delicious, and you can make a good amount of broth from them, saving you even more money!

1 whole chicken
salt
pepper

Empty chicken cavity. Rinse chicken. Place into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Remove and slice or shred. Enjoy!

After dinner, I went ahead and made tomorrow's dinner:

Chicken & Rice Casserole

Shredded chicken
Frozen chopped broccoli
1 bag Ready Rice, Long Grain & Wild, cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
Shredded cheddar

Mix rice, chicken, broccoli and soup in a sprayed baking dish. Bake, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Remove foil, and sprinkle casserole with cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

*It will only be my daughter and I again tomorrow night, so I just used about 1 c chicken, 1 c broccoli, 1/2 bag rice (leftover from tonight), and half of the can of soup. I put it into a loaf pan, then into the fridge. Remove from fridge 20 minutes before baking.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I got this recipe from my friend Shannon, then tweaked it a bit. Yummy!

1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained
24 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sour cream
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
Dash of hot pepper sauce

Beat cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed until smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, artichokes, garlic powder, lemon juice and hot sauce. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Creamy chicken & noodles

Adapted from Once a Month Mom.

4 cups shredded cooked chicken
12 oz egg noddles
26 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 ladle-full water
Garlic salt
Onion powder
Black pepper

Boil egg noodles; drain. In a stock pan, heat chicken, soup, water and seasonings over medium heat, until hot. Stir in noodles. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Chicken

Yum! That's all I can say! We had this over rice, with broccoli on the side. Can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow!

Recipe adapted from Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2/3 c white vinegar
1/4 c lemon-lime soda

Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with brown sugar, pepper, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and soda. Cover; cook on low 6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.