Who’s ready for a delicious, easy dinner recipe that’ll please their whole family? I love that this is ‘simple’ enough that even the kids will be asking for more, but unique enough that it’s a refreshing change from the normal weeknight meal. Or am I the only one who gets sick of the same pasta and marinara sauce so often? Anywho, this Pesto Pasta with Grape Tomatoes & Chickpeas is such a fresh, filling meal that everyone will enjoy.

Doesn’t it look AMAZING?! I’m a huge fan of grape tomatoes, so when they can be served in a dish alongside pasta (another fave of mine), with the complimentary great taste of the pesto and chickpeas, I’m in dinnertime heaven!

Note: serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz.) packet of Spaghetti
• 1 (15 oz.) can of Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (10 oz.) box of Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup of Basil Pesto (store-bought or homemade)
• 2 to 3 fat cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
• Fresh Basil or Italian flat leaf parsley to garnish
• Grated parmesan to serve

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 9 minutes or according to package instruction. Drain and keep aside. Reserve about half a cup of the cooking water.
2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Add the drained chickpeas and sauté it for a couple of minutes, or till it is slightly golden.
3. Next add the halved grape or cherry tomatoes and cook for couple more minutes, or until the juices release. Add the spaghetti and give it a good toss. Take it off the flame.
4. Add the pesto and toss well to coat each strand. If needed add a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water to coat the pasta. Snip in some fresh Italian parsley for freshness.
5. Divide the pasta between 4 to 6 serving bowls. Garnish with grated parmesan and enjoy!

Note: Pesto tends to turn brown when exposed to heat, so before adding the pesto, take the pasta off the heat.

When we first started dating, my hubby was definitely the main cook in the relationship. One of the dishes he LOVED to make included an amazing, spicy-yet-sweet sauce for chicken, that we’ve since included in many different recipes. We decided to put it to the test with this Sticky Finger Casserole, and it was a huge hit! This easy recipe is super delicious, and would be perfect for a party or get-together.

One variation we did was the Spicy Jerk Chicken recipe we shared a couple years ago. It’s amazing, especially served with rice. For this one, we wanted to try it with pasta instead – and loved the combination of the spicy sauce, chicken, pasta and Alfredo! Now this has us thinking of plenty more recipes we can switch it up with 🙂

Ingredients

• 1 Box Penne Pasta
• 16 oz. Alfredo Sauce
• 3/4 – 1 cup Green Onions, diced
• 1 cup Tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded – plus some for topping
• 6 Medium-Sized Chicken Tenders, breaded
• 1 Jar (23 oz.) Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• 3 cups Brown Sugar, packed

Note: if your chicken tenders aren’t already breaded, just dip them in some eggs, then flour to coat and bake as directed.

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, bake the chicken tenders on a sprayed baking sheet until cooked through (about 30 minutes at 375 Degrees F.)
2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, Alfredo, green onions, tomatoes and 1 cup cheese until well-mixed. Spread into a sprayed 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. In a saucepan, heat the hot sauce and brown sugar, stirring often, over medium-high heat until sugar is fully dissolved. Using tongs, dip the chicken tenders in the sauce to coat well, allow to drip a moment, then place chicken on top of casserole. Repeat with all tenders.
4. Sprinkle some more cheese over top, then place in oven and cook just until cheese is melted and casserole is warm throughout – about 15-30 minutes, depending on how freshly done the pasta and chicken was. Serve with more hot sauce mixture, if desiring more spicy!

I’m a huge fan of homemade pizza – well, all pizza really – but homemade pizza gives us a lot more control to customize it however we want! More tomatoes? No problem. A few slices without onions because the kids don’t like them? Sure thing. This Homemade Chicken Ranch Pizza is a perfect combo of tasty garlic, rich ranch and juicy tomatoes – it’ll please the whole family!

I’ve mentioned a few times before, but I grew up in a pizza restaurant – my parents owned Pony Express Pizza growing up, so many days were spent there while they made pizza dough, cut toppings, spread sauces and more. I love it! It also gave me a love for REALLY GREAT pizza – this one’s a definite winner!

Ingredients – Pizza

• 1 Large Pizza Crust, uncooked (recipe here)
• 2 Cups Mozzarella, Romano, Asiago and Parmesan Mix
• 1 cup Chicken, cooked & shredded or diced
• 1-2 cups Tomatoes, diced

Ingredients – Sauce

• 2 tbsp. Sour Cream
• 3 tbsp. Mayo
• 2 tbsp. Milk
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Dill Weed
• 1/2 tsp. Parsley
• 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp. Garlic, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F. Spread some Cornmeal on your pizza pan, then place your rolled out pizza dough on the pan. Spread a little bit of olive or vegetable oil along the edges of the crust, to avoid burning.
2. For the sauce, mix all of the ingredients well. Spread on pizza, not quite to the edges.
3. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture, then the chicken and tomatoes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. If desired, add some crumbled bacon!
4. Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until crust is fully cooked and not doughy, cheese is melted and edges are started to lightly brown. Remove and cool slightly before cutting and serving.

What’s YOUR favorite type of pizza?

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CampbellSavings #CollectiveBias

School starts next month – NEXT MONTH guys! While this summer’s been full of plenty of fun, family visits and outings, and lots of playtime with the kiddos, I’m still in shock that soon we’ll be waking up early (well, earlier), hurrying to pack lunches and race kids out the door. Then afterwards it’s homework, maybe sports or dance lessons and hoping we have time to fix a quality meal for everyone. Crazy, right?! Luckily there’s some quick dinner recipes you can rely on, like this One-Pot Spicy Noodle Soup – it’s not only fast with minimal dishes, but it’s bursting with delicious flavor!

The key to this is using ingredients that are already part-way there to a great meal, like the Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup. Adding in the Pace Salsa adds a nice kick, while the chunky adds to the overall dimension and texture of this tasty dinner. Just nab these and the other ingredients at Wal-Mart, then you’ve got the making of a quick and easy meal!

Ingredients

• 3 Large Cans (22.2 oz each) Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup
• 1 Glass Jar (16 oz.) Pace Thick & Chunky Salsa
• 1 Can (15 oz.) Diced Tomatoes – do not drain
• 1 Bag (12-16 oz.) Frozen Corn
• 1 Can Kidney Beans – drained
• For Topping: Diced Fresh Tomatoes, Diced Avocado, Shredded Cheese, sour cream

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, mix all of the ingredients (except toppings) over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then simmer about 5 minutes.
2. Scoop into soup bowls, then top as desired with fresh tomatoes, avocado, shredded cheese and even sour cream if you’d like!

Okay, does it get much easier to make a filling, tasty dinner that whole family will love? Not really! Now you can whip this up for those busy school nights when you’re in a hurry, but your family still wants a quality meal. I love having recipes like this on-hand all the time, but during the school year it’s especially true!

And what goes great with saving time and stress during the hectic school year? Saving money, of course! Right now you can nab this coupon to save on the Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, Pace Salsa and even Prego Italian Sauce and V8 + Energy drink, so you can save more on the products you love.

Check out more Back to School Greatness from Campbells HERE!

It is back yard barbecue season!  Hosting an outdoor gathering is always so much fun.  Why not beef up your bbq with these All American Hot Dogs? Take it up a notch, add some fun!

All American Hot Dogs

So, let’s talk about hot dogs for a moment shall we?  Do you love’em or hate’em? I remember being a kid and thinking they were the best things ever!  Well, my tastes have changed, slightly, to say the least.

Since I’m a much healthier eater now than when I was a kid, I have a hard time buying hot dogs. Simply because they are processed and often loaded with things that aren’t the best for you.  I’m continuously trying to make the best possible version of whatever I’m making.  So, while I don’t think there is such a thing as a “healthy” hot dog, there are better for you options.

I love to keep entertaining simple but delightful.  So these All American Hot Dogs really do bring the norm to another level with added barbecue pork and creamy cole slaw. But, it doesn’t take too much more effort. And, I’m using all beef, no nitrates, blah blah blah… they’re better for you!  🙂 I’ll also use an all natural barbecue sauce, and broccoli slaw instead of cabbage.

What you need~

• all natural, beef hot dogs (or regular hot dogs do just fine)
• season all
• Pork shoulder
• all natural barbecue sauce
• broccoli slaw
• mayonnaise
• dijon mustard
• apple cider vinegar
• honey
• salt
• poppy seeds
• hot dog buns

What to do~

1. Season the pork shoulder generously with season all or some other all purpose seasoning. Cook the pork shoulder, low and slow until you can shred it with a fork.
2. Shred the pork with a fork and place into another pan or container.  Add barbecue sauce and stir well.
3. Make the slaw~ combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, honey, and salt and stir well. Add a 12 oz package of broccoli slaw and toss to combine.  Top with poppy seeds.
4. Put it all together!  After grilling your dogs, top them with bbq pork and slaw and enjoy!

Notes~

• I used the slow cooker to cook the pork shoulder.  It needed a good 10 hours on low.  For sure prep this beforehand.  If you’d prefer to use your oven, see this shredded pork recipe.
• You can use regular cole slaw if you prefer, or chop up your own green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots.  I chose broccoli slaw to add some more nutrition.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.  It was a nice way to change up the regular routine without too much more effort.

Print Recipe

All American Hot Dogs

Ingredients

• 1 package of all nautral all beef hot dogs no nitrates added.
• 1 pork shoulder
• seasoned salt
• 1 bottle of all natural bbq sauce or homemade
• 1 12 oz package broccoli slaw
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbs dijon mustard
• 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbs honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• poppy seeds for garnishing
• 8 hot dog buns

Instructions

• Prepare the pork, by seasoning generously with seasoned salt.
• Cook in the slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low, or until you can easily shred with a fork.
• Shred all the pork, place it in a pan on low heat to maintain warmth.
• Add barbecue sauce (about 2 1/2 cups, or to taste) and stir to combine.
• For the slaw:
• Combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, honey and salt together and stir well.
• Add the broccoli slaw to the dressing and toss to coat.
• Garnish with poppy seeds.
• Grill hot dogs until hot throughout and plump.
• Top each hotdog with bbq pork and creamy cole slaw, garnish with more poppy seeds if desired.

Looking for more back yard bbq ideas?

BLT Salad on a stick

All natural Go-gurts

A Turkey Pesto Panini Sandwich is the a delicious and easy lunch that’s impressive for company.  Trust me, this will be your new favorite sandwich this summer!

I just adore making my own basil pesto at home. In the summer, when we grow our own basil, I almost always have a jar in the refrigerator. You can get my favorite recipe for Basil Pesto here.  You could also try my Tarragon Walnut Pesto for something different.

You can use a store-bought pesto, but in my humble opinion, it’s just not the same as homemade. As for the other ingredients, I enjoy fresh mozzarella and a slow roasted turkey.  You can get the turkey from the deli, but leftovers from a roasted turkey is phenomenal.  This is one of those cases where quality ingredients make a big difference in the sandwich itself.

When you’re making a panini sandwich, you need to start with a hearty bread. It needs to hold up to being pressed so I like using a ciabatta or focaccia bread.  Regular sandwich bread is too light and airy and won’t hold up to the panini press.

Here’s how to make a delicious Turkey Pesto Panini

Ingredients

• Sliced roasted turkey breast
• White or whole wheat ciabatta bread, sliced
• Fresh mozzarella, sliced
• Store-bought or homemade Basil Pesto
• Tomato slices, optional
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat your panini press according instructions from the manufacturer.
2. To make one sandwich, spread two slices of the bread with 1 tablespoon of the Basil Pesto.  Next, layer on 2-3 slices of turkey.  Top with mozzarella slices, and, if desired, tomato slices.  Top with the second slice of bread. Gently brush the outside slices of bread with a little olive oil.
3. Repeat for additional sandwiches.
4. To grill on the panini press, add the sandwich to the preheated press and and close.  Cook 4-5 minutes until golden brown.  Serve hot.

This Turkey Pesto Panini is a delicious summer sandwich. Mr. Juggling Act prefers his with fresh summer tomatoes. Either way, this is one tasty sandwich!

Other Yummy Sandwich Recipes