Orange Chicken Salad

 What to fix for dinner was the question of the day...something quick and easy...get a rotisserie chicken and doctor it up...perfect!

 Perhaps adding penne and fruit would be tasty, so here we go making another salad!

 Orange Chicken Salad:

1 Rotisserie chicken, torn into bite size pieces

3/4 cup halved green grapes

3/4 cup halved red grapes

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 box Penne (16 oz. box, using half)

1/2 cup diced yellow pepper

11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained

1/3 cup sliced green onions

1/3 cup Hellmann's Light

1/3 cup orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad greens

Candied almonds, if desired

Combine chicken, grapes, cranberries, yellow pepper, green onions, and cooked pasta in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the Hellmann's and orange juice thoroughly.  Add to the chicken mixture, stirring thoroughly to combine.
Gently add the mandarin oranges and season with salt and pepper.
If desired, garnish with candied nuts (or add them directly to the salad).  We prefer just garnishing with the almonds, so they stay crisp.
Place leaf lettuce on plates and top with the chicken salad and there you have it...a nice salad for dinner and the grocery store heated up their facilities preparing the chicken...no hot kitchen at our house!!!

Please enjoy~

Chicken Apple Sausage With Penne

If you have not tried the chicken and apple sausage, available in most grocery stores, you should consider it! The hint of apple is really tasty, especially as we approach the fall season!

I chose to use Penne pasta but you could use another variety if you wish.

I prepared this dish after work and it doesn't take long at all, unless however you are really hungry.

With a side of steamed broccoli and summer squash-oh and the sliced nectarine you have a nice flavorful dinner.

Chicken Apple Sausage With Penne:

3 quarts water
2 1/2 cups uncooked pasta
12 oz. package of chicken apple sausage
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Heat sausage according to package directions (I microwaved)~Cut sausage into bite sized pieces
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add pasta and cook about 7 minutes, drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid
Sprinkle flour into saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk and reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for at least two minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, sage, salt, and pepper. Finally, add the sausage and pasta.
Transfer the mixture to an 8X8 baking dish. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the shredded Swiss on top and place back in oven (uncovered) and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Garnish with fresh sage~

Enjoy!

Lemon Basil Pasta With Chicken

This particular dish is a modified version of a Pioneer Woman recipe. If you are not familiar with Ree Drummond (the pioneer woman), you would no doubt delight in her site! She is a busy mother and wife, loves to cook and has a cookbook published, home schools her children, lives on a working ranch....busy & talented to say the least!

I opted for chicken tenders that I dipped in Italian bread crumbs and fried quickly in olive oil.

Lemon Basil Pasta:

1 pound Penne Pasta, cooked according to package directions, don't over-cook
1/2 stick butter (I used unsalted)
3 whole lemons, juiced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Half and Half
1 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
A handful of basil leaves, chopped (saving a nice "top" for garnish)

Cook the pasta , drain and reserve about 1 cup of pasta water and set aside
Melt butter over medium heat, add the lemon juice & stir until combined
Pour in the cream and half and half, stirring until hot
Now add the cheese and whisk until melted
Season with salt & pepper and add chopped basil
If necessary, for consistency, add a little of the reserved pasta water

Combine the pasta and sauce and serve in a pasta bowl or individual plates...garnish with the chicken tenders and reserved basil or parsley

This is a quick and easy dinner that I will prepare again, using a bit less lemon juice