Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

Everyone loved this!  The second time I made it, I decreased the pasta and increased the asparagus.  Even better!

 

(Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

 

Note: If asparagus aren’t in season, cut 1 pound of broccoli into small spears for roasting. Toss them with 2 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ of the pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. While the asparagus roasts, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until just done, 11-13 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the butter and vinegar mixture. Toss to combine well. Add in the asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese for serving.

Pineapple Chicken Burritos

(http://realmomkitchen.com/5135/pineapple-chicken-burritos/)

Everyone loved these.  I think my kids are just partial to anything that includes green enchilada sauce!  The meat mixture was fine by itself but yummy with sauce on it - in or out of the tortilla.

• 6 fresh or frozen chicken breasts
• 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups medium salsa (needs to be medium or it will be too bland)
• 2-3 cups cooked rice
• 10-12 burrito sized flour tortillas
• 2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheddar/monterry jack blend

1. Place the chicken in the crock pot and top with the pineapple, beans, and salsa. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
2. Remove the chicken and shred. Mix the chicken back into the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Mix in the cooked rice.
4. Use half of the mixture to fill 5-6 of the burrito tortillas.  Allow the other half of the mixture to cool.
5. Place the 5-6 burritos in a 9×13 pan.  Pour 1 can of the green enchilada sauce over the burritos.
6. Top with 1 cup of the shredded cheese and place under the broiler on the middle rack until the cheese is nice and melted.  Enjoy.
7. With the remain cooled filling mixture, place it in a gallon sized freezer bag and freeze for another meal.  You can also place the remaining tortillas and shredded cheese in separate freezer bags to freeze along with the mixture for a future meal if you would like, but I don’t do this because I always have tortillas and cheese in my fridge.  To use the frozen meal, thaw the filling, tortillas and cheese and reheat the filling mixture. Then follow steps 4-6.

Note: next time I’m going to try to add 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 garlic salt, and 1/2 tsp onion salt in step 3.