Mozzarella, Chicken & Asparagus Pasta

 Pictures by The Coterie Blog

2 pound chicken breast, cubed
seasoning salt
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-2" pieces
1 pound pasta (penne or fusilli works great)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup -1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (or other bread crumbs)
1/4 cup (or a little less) + 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Boil pasta. While pasta is cooking, season and cook chicken and onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil. (*Just a small tip: If you want to get your chicken pretty and browned, be patient. Don't move the chicken constantly. Allow chicken to sit on medium temperature for long enough for it to get nice and brown, then stir and brown on other sides). Steam asparagus, salt and pepper to taste.

Put asparagus in the bottom of the pan. Then layer chicken, then pasta. Drizzle 1/4 cup olive over everything. Lightly toss to coat chicken and asparagus. Top with cheese, then panko bread crumbs.

Broil in the oven just until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are nice and brown. Enjoy!


**I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it  tonight. It took some time to chop onion, asparagus, and cube the chicken, it was really easy and pretty tasty!  The boys even ate the asparagus without too much trouble:) 

Chicken Tetrazzini

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

A classic that makes great use of leftover turkey or chicken. It’s so creamy and comforting that you’ll be glad it makes two casseroles—one for now and one for later.

Yield: Serves 12 (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups; 6 servings per casserole)

Recipe from

•   1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2/3 cup finely chopped celery
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 (8-ounce) packages presliced mushrooms $
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
• 3 (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 7 cups hot cooked vermicelli (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 (1-ounce) slice white bread

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. 2. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, black pepper, salt, and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute.
3. 3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add flour to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly (mixture will be thick) with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. 4. Add 1 ¾ cups Parmesan cheese and cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until cream cheese melts. Add pasta and chicken; stir until blended. Divide pasta mixture between 2 (8-inch-square) glass or ceramic baking dishes coated with cooking spray.
5. 5. Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs and ½ cup Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over pasta.
6. 6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Remove casserole from oven; let stand 15 minutes.
7. To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare through Step 5. Cool completely in refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.
8. To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw casserole completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 350°. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 1 hour or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes.

 **This is the second time I've made this.  I altered a bit due to not having some ingredients; I only used 1 package of mushrooms-I think everyone in my family was not sad about that!  I used up all the onion on something else this week, so I omitted that, used rotisserie chicken and panko instead of white bread.  It's a little work, but delicious and very easy to make one pan for later! 

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 422
• Fat: 12.1g
• Saturated fat: 6.5g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g
• Protein: 35g
• Carbohydrate: 39.6g
• Fiber: 2.3g
• Cholesterol: 76mg
• Iron: 2.7mg
• Sodium: 702mg
• Calcium: 272mg

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

(Recipe from Real Mom Kitchen)

French Toast:
12 slices bread, cut into cubes (french or Texas toast work well)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut in cubes
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
12 large eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk (I use 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream)

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 Tablespoon butter

Arrange 1/2 of the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and blueberries evenly over the bread cubes.
Top with remaining bread cubes.
Mix together eggs, milk, and syrup.
Pour over bread cubes and cover pan with foil. Let chill in refrigerator overnight.

Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until fluffy and golden. Top with sauce. Serves 8.

Syrup: Cook water, sugar, and cornstarch until thickened. Stir in blueberries and simmer for 10 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Serve over the french toast.


**This is an excellent recipe!  By no means is it healthy, but we can all use a treat once in a while!  Especially on New Years Day morning; it was delish and Parker even agreed!  I will never buy blueberry syrup again after making this-it was SO easy and better for you than store bought syrup.