Chicken mushroom creamy pasta sauce (kid friendly)

My kids love pasta that's why I am always looking for new variations of pasta sauces. One of our family favorite is pasta meat sauce that I blogged about earlier. Very recently I came across this simple recipe of chicken penne and decided to put my own spin on it. This is sooo good, sooo easy to make and sooo easy to adjust, you can be making it every day! I strongly recommend using rotisserie chicken, as it will save you a ton of time and sanity!

Here is my implementation with our favorite ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/3 cup onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons flour
1 (15 oz.) can or 2 cups chicken broth (or boiling water)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup of goat cheese, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 roasted chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
frozen spinach, optional
mushrooms, sliced, optional

Preparation (about 20-25 min):
Melt butter in a medium deep sauce pan. Cook garlic and onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt, over medium heat, until onions have softened and become translucent. Add flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in liquid, stirring frequently until sauce comes to simmer. Stick blend ingredients into a fine mixture then add mushrooms and chicken, cook for 10 minutes, add spinach and cook for another 5 minutes. At the end add sour cream and goat cheese, stir while they melt and serve over your favorite pasta.


My husband could care less about uninspiring rotisserie chicken, but he loves this recipe!

Hope your family will enjoy it! And please do share your variations of ingredients with us!

Till next time,
Liana.

Summer Bring Along Dish

Today I had to take my kids to our neighborhood outing. We have an unbelievable circle of people who keep spirits of our community alive. Cider and donuts for Halloween, Fire truck and bicycle parade for 4th of July and wine events for adults. And this Memorial Weekend was no exception - grilling and good times at one of our courts.
My favorite dish to bring to any summer event is my cold pasta salad with yummy veggies, whole grain pasta and turkey pepperoni!



1 box of Whole Grain Pasta boiled in salty water;
1 cup - chopped turkey or original pepperoni (Mini Pepperoni saves a lot of time);
2-3 cup - chopped red, yellow bell pepper;
1 cup - chopped white onion (or to taste);
1 cup - chopped green and black olives;
1 1/2 jars - chopped marinated artichoke hearts;
2 cups - string or any fine shredded cheese to garnish.

Before serving add more dressing and cheese. Done! If you never tried pasta salads, this one is a must! It is definitely a crowd pleaser and excellent finger food :)


Happy Memorial Weekend! REFLECT, REMEMBER and APPRECIATE!

Till next time,
Liana.

Revised: Duh! I forgot to mention which dressing to use :) I always use Ken's Zesty Italian.