Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

Here is what you will need:
2 chicken breasts (or thighs if you are broke)
1 bottle alfredo sauce (any brand will do)
1 pkg. dried cheese tortellini (2-3 serving size)
1 cup (or more) mozzarella cheese
Olive oil for sauteing


Cut your chicken into 1-inch pieces (or not if you don't want to.) Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and rotate the pan to get as much of the bottom of the pan covered in oil as you can. Put it on the stove over medium to high heat. Place chicken in the skillet to cook. Turn the chicken or stir the chicken occasionally to cook it thoroughly. No pink chickens, please. While the chicken is cooking, put water in a large pot and set it on the stove on high to boil. Once it is boiling, put the tortellini in the water to cook for about 10 minutes. After it is done, drain the tortellini and add the bottled alfredo sauce to the hot tortellini. Place the cooked chicken on top of the tortellini and sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top and place in over at 350-375 to melt the cheese and heat the sauce thoroughly. (10-15 minutes). This serves 2 hungry boys or 3 normally hungry people.

Serve with a green vegetable and good crusty bread. YUM YUM.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

Really good and really easy. Here are the ingredients you need plus some shredded cheese which I forgot to put in the picture:

1 lb lean ground beef (You can use the cheap stuff, but you need to drain the fat off after you brown it if you do and the lean is better for you.)
1 envelope taco seasoning - (Any brand will do, spicy, original, doesn't matter)
2 cups shredded cheese (Cheddar, Taco, Mexican Mix, your choice)
1 small can of whole kernel corn (drain the water out of it by holding your clean hand over the opened can and pour the water into the sink)
1 envelope or box of corn bread or corn muffin mix (Any brand will do, but to let you know, the muffin mix is usually kind of sweet and the kind for corn bread is usually not. It is your choice)Mil
1 egg (if the muffin/cornbread mix calls for it to make the cornbread/muffins)
Milk or water according the cornbread/muffin package

Brown the meat in a skillet. Drain the fat off afterwards if you need to. Add the taco seasoning and the amount of water it it calls for on the packet (about 3/4 cup usually). Bring back to a boil and cook till it thickens up some. (Read the instructions on the packet.) Put the meat/taco mixture in the bottom of a 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan. If you don't have that exact size, you could use a deep dish pie plate, a round cake pan, or a 1-2 quart casserole dish. On top of the meat mixture, put about 2 cups of shredded cheese and spread it evenly over the meat. Layer on the drained whole kernel corn. Prepare the cornbread/muffin mix according to the package directions. Pour the cornbread/muffin batter on top. You may need to spread it evenly over the top. Bake in a 375 oven for about 20-25 minutes until the cornbread is dry and lightly browned on top.

You can serve this with sour cream if you like. This is great to with a salad, and/or canned refried beans you have heated with some cheese melted on top.

College Guy's Cooking Guide

My youngest son is moving into his first apartment this weekend. It was my intent to teach him how to cook some of his favorite meals over the summer, but only got started on that this week when I realized it was now or never (or at least until Thanksgiving).  I have several friends who are wonderful cooks and they make delicious meals. I am the first to admit that I am not the best cook in the world with my cooking more in the quick and easy genre. But that makes me infinitely more qualified to write a blog on tips for college guys cooking for themselves for the first time. I believe that the quick and easy meals are exactly what college guys might actually cook. The way I see it, the meals they prepare (I won't say cook because some of it only requires heating) need to be quick, cheap, and require few ingredients or special utensils. Therefore, I have compiled a few recipes and helpful hints for all the guys out there (or girls) who are just moving into their first place and whose mom (or dad) never taught them to cook.

Aren't they cute?

 
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them or send me an email.

Now get out of line at Taco Bell and go home and cook!