Spicy Spaghetti with Turkey Meat Sauce

I have to be honest - I am not a HUGE red meat fan. Robert is, so I definitely have to go out of my comfort zone to cook for him. Granted, we eat a lot of chicken, I make sure to give him some other variety of meat. I love this recipe because I'm not eating red meat but it is very similar to ground beef. I bet if I wouldn't have told Robert that it was ground turkey, he probably would have never known! Plus, this is spicy - but if you don't like spicy foods, just cut back on the red pepper flakes. I'm not a huge spicy food fan, but my man is so I make it more spicy just for him (now thats love!)

Spicy Spaghetti with Turkey Meat Sauce
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 lb cooked pasta
1 lb ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I added less, then worked my way up depending on taste!)
1/4 tsp parsley parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

While you are making the sauce, cook your pasta, but save 1 cup of the cooking water for later. Saute the onion in the olive oil in a large skillet/pan until the onion is tender then add in 1 clove of minced garlic (i use the pre-minced kind that you can find in your grocery store in the vegetable area - its soooo much quicker!). Cook the garlic for about 1 minute. Crumble the ground turkey and add into the pan, season with salt and pepper. Cook the ground turkey until there is no pink left. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes. Let this simmer for about 5-7 minutes, then add in parsley and about 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Stir well and pour into your pasta. Use the 1 cup cooking water to make the sauce thinner depending on what you like!

Chicken Smothered in Onions

Awhile back, I found a recipe for Chicken Smothered in Onions from Good (&Cheap) Eats. If you have a few minutes, go over and check out her blog. She has amazing ideas and recipes!

I decided to make it about a week ago and the end result was awesome! Robert isn't a HUGE fan of onions; they are starting to grow on me the more and more I cook. I think this would also be yummy if I added a small can of mushrooms. Next time I cook this (which will be soon, no doubt) I will add that. I cut the number of onions. If you want to see the original recipe, click here.

Chicken Smothered in Onions
Ingredients needed:
4 (I used less) chicken breasts
paprika
salt and pepper
1 onion
2 1/2 tbsp butter
small can of mushrooms (8.5oz)
2 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg

On your chicken breasts, sprinkle salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Melt 1 1/2 tbsp butter in the skillet and brown both sides on your chicken breasts. Put on a plate after they are browned. Chop up your onions however you want - larger pieces are better for this, not small diced pieces. Put 1 tbsp butter in skillet and saute your onions until they are tender. At this time, I would add in the can of mushrooms. Once they are tender, add your chicken in again. Add 2 cups of chicken broth, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat and let simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Transfer your chicken to a plate and cover. Combine 3tbsp flour and 3 tbsp water in a bowl and stir until it is smooth and mix completely. Add this to the onions/broth and mix. Add 1/4 cup of whipping cream and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Boil until thickened. Once it thickens, return the chicken to reheat.

This is delicious! Plus, I love any meal that I can use ONE skillet or pan to cook in. I LOVE my electric skillet and I can cook this entire dish in my skillet. This means less clean up in the end!

Breaded Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Gravy

I absolutely love Pioneer Woman the recipes I find on their are AMAZING! I am still new to cooking, but I definitely want to learn. I am open to cooking just about anything. My goal is by the time that Caelyn sits at the table and eats complete dinners with us, I want to have a whole bunch of recipes under my belt.
Tonight's dinner was one of my absolute favorite meals. I found it while searching through Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen. I added it to my to-try list of recipes. The only thing that I changed was I didn't use fresh mushrooms, I used a can. Here is the recipe with my changes. The end result is FABULOUS and I think it is quite a cheap dinner.

Breaded Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients needed:
1 onion, chopped
1 can of mushrooms (small or big, just depends on how much you like them!)
2 tbsp of butter
4 chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4cup chicken broth
1/2 sleeve club crackers
2 eggs, beaten
6-8 slices of provolone cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven at 350.In a skillet, put 1 tbsp butter. Saute the chopped onions til clear. Add in your can of mushrooms, drained (If you decide to use fresh mushrooms, use about 1/2lb). Let that cook for about 3-4minutes. Add 3 cloves minced garlic, 1tbsp soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook to most of the liquid is gone.Put half in a bowl and set aside.
Put the other half into another bowl. Mix this portion with 3/4 cup chicken broth, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, and pepper. Stir well and set aside.
Finely ground the 1/2 sleeve of club crackers (or as fine as you can get it!). Put this into one bowl. Then, in another bowl, beat two eggs. Pat your chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Put 1 tbsp butter into your skillet and melt. Dip each chicken breast into the beaten eggs then coat with the ground crackers. Let brown in the skillet, but do not cook all the way through! This takes about 5 minutes. Put the chicken into a 9x12 baking dish. Spoon the onion/mushroom mix you have left onto each chicken breast, then cover each chicken breast with 2 slices of provolone cheese. Spoon the mushroom gravy around the sides. Place in the oven and let cook for 30-35 minutes.

This is awesome when served with some mashed potatoes!

adapted from here.