Welcome to Happylifeblogspot! A food blog with drool worthy recipes
If you’ve never made Pizza Pinwheels then you’re truly missing out! This bitesize, crowd pleasing appetizer is totally irresistible, super easy to make and tastes just like pizza. Loads of pepperoni and mozzarella are wrapped up inside a tender, flaky crescent dough crust. These mini […]
Broccoli Cheese Soup is pretty much at the top of everyone’s favorite soup list! This popular soup is made with basic ingredients but is just SO tasty. Today I’m sharing with you my go to Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe. It really hits the spot on […]
Summer’s heating up this week in Buffalo but our One Pan Skillet Lasagna is here to save the day! No need to crank up the oven for this one pan wonder. It’s made completely on the stovetop to help you beat the heat. This quick fix recipe will make you feel like you’re winning at life. It boasts all the same great tastes as lasagna but without all the hard work. This family friendly shortcut is sure to be a hit this Summer!
Here’s all you’ll need: ground beef, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, water, tomato paste, parsley flakes, oregano, sugar, salt, bow tie pasta, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella (optional).
First in a large skillet, cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat. Yes all at once! Cook and crumble the ground beef until its no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease. I try to use 90% lean meat ground beef whenever I can. It shrinks less while cooking because it has less fat. You could also use ground chicken or turkey for a healthy spin!
Next add the can of diced tomatoes (with the liquid), the tomato paste, 1-1/2 cups of water, dried parsley, oregano, sugar and salt. You can skip the sugar if you like but we’re sweet sauce fans in this house! Stir the mixture until everything is combined.
Now stir in the pasta! I love any recipe that uses bowties (seriously aren’t they so cute?!?) but you could substitute pasta shells, corkscrews, penne or whatever you have on hand. Whole wheat or veggie pasta works great too! Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir several times throughout cooking.
As our skillet lasagna simmers, we can make our yummy cheesy topping. In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese. Mix well.
Stir in mozzarella cheese until melted if desired. Remove the skillet from the heat and drop the cottage cheese mixture by the spoonful onto the pasta. Sprinkle with fresh parsley to garnish. Serve warm and enjoy!! Cool kitchen, full bellies, and minimal dishes!!! I told you this easy skillet lasagna was winning at life!!! Our Parmesan Garlic Knots are a great way to complete the meal!
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Cheese and beer may be soulmates! Or are beer and cheese MY soulmates?!? Probably both! Either way this Cheesy Beer Bread will have you all starry eyed! This super tasty, one bowl quick bread, comes together in about an hour. It’s perfectly soft with a buttery […]
I’ve been making this Creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe for about 10 years now and it’s literally THE BEST!! It’s so good in fact that it’s the ONLY mac and cheese recipe that gets made in our house! My hubby went to college at Penn […]
Chicken Marsala was one of the very first grown up meals that I learned how to make. You know, the kind that doesn’t come in a blue box with a stir in cheese packet. Like REAL cooking people!! The kind of meal that makes you want to invite your friends over and host a fancy dinner party. Or a meal that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to serve to your in laws. This is the type of meal that you serve with bread AND a dessert! Fancy Schmancy!!! Basically this is what you serve when you want to show off a little. The first time I made this, it was just your basic chicken Marsala recipe, and boy was it good! One of my favorites even!! But over the years, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks to make this one extra fabulous!!! Now I must warn you, it’s got lots of mushrooms, which aren’t for everyone (my hubby hates them…which means more for me!). But never fear, all you mushroom haters out there, you can totally serve the chicken WITHOUT the mushrooms. The sauce is SO spectacular that you won’t even realize anything is missing. Leave them out. I don’t even care. Just make sure you have some good bread to mop up all that sauce!!!! OMG!! I could lick the plate clean!!! (so much for being fancy).
Here’s all that you’ll need: boneless skinless chicken breast, salt, pepper, olive oil, mushrooms, garlic cloves, Marsala wine, heavy whipping cream, Gorgonzola cheese, and fresh parsley.
This first part is critical! It really makes such a big difference in how the chicken cooks. Place the chicken in a ziploc bag, seal the top, and lightly pound the chicken with a mallet. You can use a heavy rolling pin and just roll over it a few times if you don’t have a mallet handy. Flip the chicken over and repeat on the other side. Pound until the chicken is about 1/4 inch thick and uniformly even. Secretly picture whoever you’d like as you pound away all of life’s aggressions. A little meal prep, a little therapy. It’s all about multi tasking!! 
Ungrit your teeth and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat for 6-8 minutes per side. I always split the difference and go with 7 minutes, but basically you want a meat thermometer to read about 170 degrees. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. 
In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Next add the wine to the skillet. You can find Marsala cooking wine at most grocery stores and get your ID ready cause they do card you for cooking wine! Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by a third (about 5 minutes over medium heat). Yum!!! I love all the mushrooms!!! But I am sticking to my guns, if you aren’t down with the shrooms, just skip em and make this recipe anyways!!! 
Stir in the heavy cream and a pinch of salt. Return to a boil and cook until slightly thickened (roughly about another 5 minutes over medium heat). 
Add 1/3 cup of Gorgonzola cheese. Return the chicken to the pan. Cook until the cheese is melted and the chicken is heated through (about 2 minutes per side). Flip it over once so both sides soak in all of that fabulously creamy sauce!! The Gorgonzola takes this sauce from ordinary to extraordinary!!! The flavor is unbelievable!!! 
Top the chicken with mushrooms and spoon a little sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and garnish with parsley. Serve with anything that will act as a vessel for soaking up that yummy, rich, and creamy deliciousness. Think mashed potatoes, green beans are really good too, spaghetti, or any kind of noodle is amazing!! And don’t forget the bread!! You’re gonna want to sop it up right out of the pan!! In fact in our house, we’ve been known to stand over the oven and do just that. Of course it’s not during one of those in law dinners. 
We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below!
By this time of the year I’m kind of over zucchini bread, zucchini cake, zucchini muffins, and all of the other zucchini sweet treats. Don’t get me wrong! I’ve had my share of it and it was all delicious!!! But literally everyone and their brother […]
Hi There! I’m Lisa. I’m a lover of all things crafty, creative, DIY, and delicious!!! Oh yeah and puppies too! I love cooking and baking for my friends and family but especially WITH my friends and family. I show my greatest affection through food. If I cook or bake for you, it means I really like you!
