Baked Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken wings, separated at joints, tips discarded
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup hot sauce (Franks Red Hot works great) 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Put a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet lined with foil. 
3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through
4. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan, add hot sauce, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
5. Toss cooked chicken in sauce and put back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes 
6. Add more sauce if needed 
7. Serve with celery, carrots and blue cheese dressing

Spaghetti Squash Fun

Instead of cooking spaghetti, a fun/healthy alternative is to use spaghetti squash. It's pretty bland, so use it with recipes that have tons of flavor. Here I cooked up some sausage, added garlic, onion, a can of diced tomatoes, and some spices to the cooked spaghetti squash. I topped it with cheese and cooked it for a bit more before mixing it all together. 

Spicy Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage (I use turkey sausage)
• 1 diced onion 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz penne pasta
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb ground sausage (or one package of sausage links and squeeze out the sausage)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 3 zucchini
• 15 oz tub of ricotta
• 1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesean cheese
• 1 large egg

Directions:

1. Brown the sausage, sauté the garlic and onions. Add the tomatoes and basil. Simmer while preparing the rest of the ingredients 
2. Slice the zucchini to about 1/8" thick, salt the zucchini, and grill each side for a few minutes. Place on paper towels to absorb any extra moisture. 
3. Preheat oven to 350°
4. Mix together the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg 
5. Put some of the sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, then layer the zucchini, cheese and sauce until you use all of the ingredients. Top with mozzarella cheese. 
6. Cover in foil and bake in for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes 
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 bay leaf
• mozzarella cheese for topping
• pasta of choice

Directions:

1. Place chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano and bay leaf in the slow cooker 
2. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours
3. Remove bay leaf, add cheese and serve with cooked linguine noodles

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 3 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 package of shredded Monterey-Jack cheese 
• 1/2 lb ground turkey or beef
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of corn, drained 
• 4 tbsp chopped canned jalapeño 
• 1 large diced tomato
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 chopped small onion
• 2 tsp cumin

Directions:

1. Brown the turkey with the garlic and onion in a large pan. Add the beans, corn, jalapeño, tomato and cumin. Stir together and let simmer until the liquid is reduced. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350°
3. Cut the peppers in half and remove the "insides"
4. Put the peppers in a casserole dish, stuffing each one with the filling. Pour the chicken broth on the bottom of the dish and cover with tin foil. Bake for 45-50 minutes 
5. Take off the foil and put cover each one with cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and starts to brown. 

Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• Day old rice 
• 1/2 bag frozen small cooked shrimp peeled
• Veggies (frozen mixed veggies work well)
• 3-4 eggs
• Green Onions
• Vegetable oil
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil 

Directions: 

1. Scramble the eggs and put aside
2. Defrost the shrimp by putting it in a strainer and running it under cold water
3. Heat up some oil in a wok or giant frying pan, cook the chicken add the rice and break up
4. Add the veggies and sliced green onions. Fry until everything is warmed up and starts to brown. Add oil as needed. Add the shrimp toward the end, just so it can be warmed up. 
5. Add soy sauce to taste and add a bit of the sesame oil, stir in the eggs 

Every time I make this recipe it changes depending on what I have on hand. Cubed and cooked chicken is really easy and delicious too. No matter what you add to your fried rice, Sriracha is always a good idea. 

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Green Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of thinly sliced roast beef
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• 2 large green bell peppers
• 1 medium sized onion 
• 6 oz of sliced mushrooms
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 cloves of garlic

Directions:

1. Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove "insides"
2. In a large pan melt butter and sauté the garlic, mushrooms and onions
3. Preheat oven to 400°
4. Slice roast beef into thin strips and add to the pan. Cook for a few more minutes
5. Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese. Fill each pepper with the sautéed goodies. Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes 

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 sticks of melted unsalted butter
• 1 package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons of chopped canned jalapeños 

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter.
2. Combine the two mixtures until most of the lumps are gone. Mix in 2 cups of the grated cheddar and jalapeños. 
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
4. Pour the batter into a prepared baking pan, sprinkle some of the cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.