Cheesy Italian Chicken - CROCK*POT CAFE 16

Hey all! It has been really strange time hasn't it? 2020 has to be the oddest year of my life yet, and I am sure many of yours too. With pandemic happening, a civil rights movement sweeping the nation, murder hornets, and who knows what else, the last thing we have time to think about is what's for dinner. So I have a solution for you! This easy, 4 ingredient, tasty recipe that you can set and forget. I found the recipe on TikTok. Several users posted it so I am not sure where it originated from. But I am glad we tried it because now it is a household favorite!

Cheesy Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( you can easily double or triple the chicken in this recipe - or even sub boneless, skinless chicken thighs - and the other ingredients can remain the same)
• 1 block cream cheese
• 1 bottle Olive Garden Italian salad dressing (or sub whatever Italian dressing you like best)
• 1/2 bag shredded Parmesan (I would reserve the other half for topping)

Directions:
Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with Italian dressing, cream cheese, and Parmesan. Cook on low for 4 hours. You can shred the chicken once cooked like we did or leave the breasts whole. Serve with rice or noodles & top with additional Parmesan if desired. Enjoy!

Creamy Tortellini Soup - Pinterest Pick #24

Two years ago I made a delicious tortellini soup (you can find that recipe HERE). Because the weather has actually been pretty cold this winter in FL I was looking for comforting soup, stew, and one pot meal recipes. I came across this recipe on Pinterest for CREAMY tortellini soup and I remembered how good my other recipe was, so I decided to give it a try. Both hubs and I loved it! And it fit the bill for a comforting soup dinner on a chilly night.  Not to mention you make it in your slow cooker so it's super easy as well. I made a couple of adjustments, as I always do. Instead of both cans of diced tomatoes I only used 1 can and then a can of plain tomato sauce. I used frozen spinach instead of fresh. And because my diced tomatoes were plain and not Italian style, I spiced up the soup with a couple of dashes of garlic salt, a big pinch of Italian seasoning, and lots of black pepper. Also, I made this soup without meat for meatless Monday, but you can easily add in some chicken or sausage if you choose. You can find the original pin HERE and the original recipe is listed on the pin, it does not link to a website. 

Creamy Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of frozen tortellini
• 1 box (10 oz) frozen spinach (or a bag of fresh baby spinach)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (or 1 can of diced, and 1 can of tomato sauce)
• 1 block of cream cheese, cut into 4 chunks
• 1 carton chicken broth
• garlic salt
• black pepper
• Italian seasoning

***Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
***Garlic bread for serving (optional)

Directions:
Put all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours. Enjoy!

Easy Pepperoni Calzones - Home Cooked Recipe 51

Who doesn't love a good calzone?  Cheesy, pizza crust, and whatever toppings you like to stuff in to it.  Yum!  This recipe for homemade calzones is super easy, super fast, customizable, and sure to be a crowd pleaser. Our night was affordable too, because pizza dough was on sale at my local Publix, buy 1 get 1 free, and I still had an unopened package of pepperoni from July 4th weekend (which I also bought on sale BOGO, plus a coupon which made it less than $2 a package).  I hope you try it soon!

Easy Pepperoni Calzones

Ingredients:
1 16oz pkg store bought pizza dough (this makes 3 calzones, adjust accordingly for your needs)
3-4oz thinly sliced pepperoni (broil for a couple minutes first if desired)
16 oz ricotta
4-8oz shredded mozzarella
1 tbs olive oil
1 stick butter, melted
garlic powder
sprinkling of parmesan
1 - 2 cups of my Pomodoro Sauce
***optional fillings: sausage (cooked), onions, peppers, olives - really, whatever you like on top of pizza, you can stuff in a calzone

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.  Line baking sheet with foil, grease with cooking spray.
***I like to broil my pepperoni for a few minutes before I put it in my calzone, I just like the flavor and texture.  My bf prefers his right out of the package, so you can do it either way.***
Add 1tsp of garlic powder into the melted butter, along with the olive oil.  Mix well.
Divide your dough into 3 parts.  Roll out and stretch into a flat round on a floured surface.  Put 2-3 tbs of ricotta on half of each round (leaving a 1 inch border around edge).  Sprinkle a tiny bit of garlic powder on top of ricotta.  Top with pepperoni.  Sprinkle on shredded mozzarella.  Fold dough over and seal edges with a fork.  Brush on about a tablespoon of garlic butter (on each calzone).  Bake for 15 minutes.  Brush on another tablespoon of garlic butter.  Sprinkle lightly with parmesan.  Serve with Pomodoro Sauce.
Enjoy!

Restaurant Review 17 - Olive Garden

Oh the chain restaurants!  Some people love 'em and some people hate 'em.  For me, it depends on the restaurant.  But I will tell you, I LOVE Olive Garden!  I don't care if it's "fake" Italian food, it tastes pretty good.  Some of my favorite items include fettuccine alfredo, the portabello ravioli, the eggplant parmigiana, and of course, their salad.  *As a side note, they now sell their salad dressing in grocery stores.  I found it recently at Walmart for around $3.  A good dressing, not exactly like the restaurant version, but pretty close.*

On a recent visit to the Olive Garden, I tried one of their new dishes off their Tastes and Toasts of Italy menu, the Crispy Risotto Bites. Delish! For $5 we got 6 rice balls.  Risotto and cheese are rolled in bread crumbs, fried til crisp, and served on a bed of marinara (with more cheese on top if you choose - and we did!).  They had good flavor, were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside as promised.  Also off that menu I chose a cocktail, the Moscato Aperol Cocktail - light and refreshing, this is a must try.  

Normally I get the fettuccine or the ravioli, but for lunch today I got the eggplant parmigiana.  It was a great size portion for lunch, but I was a little surprised the price was comparable to their dinner prices.  Disappointing.  My companion got their new Italiano Burger.  I forgot to take a picture but let me tell you, I had a bite and it was one of the best burgers I've had in a long time.  Covered in prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, and marinated tomatoes, and a creamy parmesan garlic aioli...  Mmmm mmmm mmm.  Get there for lunch, you WANT to have this burger.  

They have a multitude of dessert options, my favorite being the Black Tie Mousse Cake.  But on this visit I had one of their Dolcinis, little tastes of dessert.  I went with the chocolate mousse dolcini.  It was good, the perfect size for a small sweet bite.  It satisfied my dessert craving without pushing me over the edge.  I am a little upset about how high some of their dessert prices have become, I remember when the mousse cake was only $4 and now it's over $7... Just seems a little excessive.

Olive Garden is still one of my favorite chains.  I eat their a few times a year, usually when they are running some kind of special, like the Buy One, Take One deal.  For $12.99 you got a full size meal there (mine was the asiago fettuccine alfredo - yum) complete with salad or soup and bread sticks, and then an entree to take home (I chose the Five Cheese Ziti al Forno - a new favorite!).  That promotion is over, but it was such a great deal, and I hope they bring it back soon.

To learn more about Olive Garden, and to check out their menu and current specials visit Olive Garden

Bread Sticks

Berry Sangira

Zuppa Toscana