Stuffed Strawberries

All I can say about these is OH MAH GAWD. They were really great and a hit at the party I made them for. They are really simple except when using a ghettofied cake decorating tool consisting of a plastic baggie with a corner cut out. It worked but the filling ended up blobby. Luckily, my friend Laura came to the rescue with her cake decorator and saved the day! WHEEEE!

They will definitely be my new staple picnic item!

Stuffed Strawberries
Source: Amber's Delectable Delights
Shout-out: Vicki's Healthy Eats and Sinful Treats

Ingredients-

1 pint fresh strawberries
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons orange flavored liqueur, or to taste (I used vanilla extract instead)

Directions-

1. Cut the tops off of the strawberries and stand upright on the cut side. Make two cuts 3/4 of the way down from the tip of the strawberry towards the bottom.

2. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and liqueur until smooth in a mixer or a food processor. Place into a piping bag with a star tip.

3. Pipe into each strawberry and arrange on a serving platter.

** I used 4 pints of strawberries and 3 servings of mixture***

Penne a la Betsy

One of my favorite cooking blogs is The Pioneer Woman Cooks. She has some great recipes, incredible photography, and witty writing-style. Check her out!

Back to the situation at hand, You are gonna need to use your imagination a bit with this dish because it calls for penne. A noodle's a noodle, right? Now imagine the ziti you see above is penne.

This dish is amazing! You can subsitute the shrimp for chicken, sausage, or even vegetarian if you are one of those people. I would have licked the dish clean if it wasn't completely inappropriate. Fortunately for me, I deemed it inappropriate after the deed was done.

Penne a la Betsy

Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients-

¾ lb. penne pasta
3 tbsp. butter, divided
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. large shrimp
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine (or chicken broth)
1 (8 oz.) can plain tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
basil leaves, to taste (use a bunch!)


Directions-

1. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, while water heats and pasta cooks, make the sauce. Melt 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes, until opaque. Remove to a plate to let cool.

3. Heat 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally. While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the shrimp into small, bite-sized pieces. Add the wine (or chicken broth) to the pan and allow to reduce for a few minutes.

Chiffonade the basil leaves and set aside.

4. Stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Add shrimp back to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley and basil and mix well.
Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the sauce to the pot and stir well to combine. Serve.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Allrecipes.com is my savior. It has never failed to give me great recipes. I found this recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu on their site and it had over 1000+ 5 star reviews. It did not fail to produce an incredible dish! The best part is the creamy wine sauce that you spoon over the chicken. I made the chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes and we used the sauce on both as well. This is my new favorite chicken recipe!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Source- www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients-
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices ham
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions-

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.