Create Your Own Weekly Menu

  We're doing sort of a "Choose your own Adventure" menu this week. Please submit your favorite dinner recipe(s) to share with us by leaving a comment following this post. We can all then choose which recipes to make next week and come back and share feedback with each other about how it went. I am always looking for new recipes, as I'm sure you are, and this will be a fun way to do a recipe-share. I'll start us off with one of our "family favorites"

New Orlean's Pasta

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. Penne Noodles
1 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless Chicken Breast, cut into 1/4" thick strips
2 1/2 tsp. Essence
2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 oz. chopped Chorizo or Andouille Sausage
3/4 lb. medium Shrimp, cleaned
1 small Yellow Onion, diced
1 clove minced Garlic
3 c. Heavy Cream
1 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. Hot Red Pepper Sauce

Essence:
5 Tbsp. Sweet Paprika
1/4 c. salt
1/4 c. Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp. freshly ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Onion Powder
2 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper Powder
2 Tbsp. dried Oregano
1 Tbsp. dried Thyme
Combine above ingredients in an airtight container; will store up to 3 months.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook pasta until al dente-about nine minutes.
2. In a medium bowl toss chicken strips with 1 teaspoon essence. In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add chicken; saute, shaking pan occasionally, one minute or until browned. Add sausage; cook and stir one minute. Add shrimp, onions, garlic and remaining essence; saute one minute. Stir in heavy cream; reduce heat and simmer two minutes. Stir in half the parmesan cheese and remaining ingredients; simmer 5 minutes.
3. Drain pasta; add to skillet of prepared sauce and gently toss to coat. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.