Chicken Fajita Quesadilla

This is one of the Pepple Household's go-to meals. These Chicken Fajita Quesadillas are delicious, easy, quick, and best of all, cheap! Not only do Lee and I love them, but our son Adam has grown very fond of them as well...but lets be serious, he really is all about the cheese and quesadilla part. There really isn't to much to say about this one, it's just one of those goodies that doesn't take a lot of effort that everybody needs in their arsenal. So, put this recipe in yours and give it a try. Don't forget to let me know what you think in the comments!

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Chicken Fajita Quesadilla

Prep time: 10m | Cook time: 30min | Total time: 40min | Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 Lbs. Chicken, sliced
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
1 package Old El Paso fajita mix
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
4 flour tortilla, 12"
canola oil, as needed

Cooking Directions

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add in a tablespoon of canola oil and brown the sliced chicken. Add in the sliced red pepper and jalapeno. Cook until softened. Add in the fajita seasoning and 1/2 cup of water. Stir and cook until thickened. Remove from heat.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add in a tablespoon of canola oil. Lay tortilla down in pan, on one half of the tortilla add 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar, 1/4 portion of chicken, 1/4 portion of peppers, and fold the other half of the tortilla. Cook tortilla until golden brown, about 2 minutes, flip over and brown the other side. Repeat process with remaining tortillas. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce Casserole

Dexter Timothy Pepple

Hello Everybody! I hope you all haven't missed me to much, since it has been a solid month since my last post....I know I've been a very bad blogger for a long time now. But I can promise you that it has not been because I have been lazy!

We have had an exciting couple weeks in the Pepple household. My lovely wife got a brand new job as a 5th grade teacher at a very VERY nice Catholic school. Soon after her getting a job, we felt it was about time to make our family a little bit bigger and bought a beautiful little Italian Greyhound puppy that we named Dexter! ------------>  He's a sweet and spoiled little boy...we sure do love him a lot!

I made this pasta casserole a couple days ago and man was it delicious. Very simple meal that makes a lot and if you have a small family like we do, it makes plenty for leftovers. Spicy sausage and rotini cooked in a creamy, cheesy, roasted red pepper cream sauce. Give it a try, it's awesome!

Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce Casserole

Total time: 2 hours | Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 5 Medium red pepper
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Lbs Hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 Medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
• 1/2 cup Pureed canned tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Half and half
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese
• 1 1/4 cup Sargento Italian blend
• 1 16 oz package rotini
• As needed Kosher salt
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Cooking Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to the upper-middle position and turn the broiler onto the high setting.
2. Cut the tops off the red peppers, remove seeds and cut peppers in half (discard seeds and stem). Place peppers skin side up on a foiled lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and place under the broiler. Broil until skins are black and blistered, about 10 min. Put roasted red peppers into a gallon zip lock back and throw them into the freezer to chill quickly about 15 min. When peppers are cool enough to handle. Remove from zip lock bag and peel off the charred skin. Puree peppers in a food processor or blender until smooth and then reserve.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 450F
4. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add Italian sausage and brown, breaking into small bits using a spoon. When sausage is nearly done cooking, add onions and garlic and reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until vegetables start to soften and get translucent, about 5 minutes.
5. While sausage and onions are cooking. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook rotini as per box directions until al dente.
6. Add tomatoes, heavy cream, half and half, and reserved pepper puree to sausage mixture. Raise heat slightly and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add ricotta, cheese blend, and cooked pasta. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt.
7. Transfer pasta to a 9- by 13-inch baking pan or casserole dish with high sides. Dot with butter and place in oven to cook until brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving with additional shredded cheese.

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Pizza Casserole

How are you all doing? I feel like such a bad blogger, but with my new job I've been working so much and then coming home to work on my training books. Then on top of it all I'll be spending 4 weeks in St. Paul, MN which is also apart of my training. But, I've been doing my best to create posts and keep connected with everybody! Hopefully in May once I get officially aligned into my position my schedule will be a little more solidified...because right now my schedule isn't really up to me. 

One of my favorite meals growing up was pizza casserole. Being the pizza connoisseur I am, anything pizza is perfectly fine in my book! Just like most casseroles, this is incredibly easy dish to throw together and like a lot of pasta dishes definitely wouldn't hurt being made the day before and reheated to meld all of those wonderful flavors together. This is an incredibly satisfying dish that I am sure will pick you up after this incredibly depressing winter weather we are experiencing! Spring can't come fast enough!

Pizza Casserole

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 40 min | Total time: 1 hour | Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 Can tomato sauce (29 ounces)
• 1 Can tomato paste (12 ounces)
• 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 3 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 Red pepper, diced
• 1 lbs Italian sausage, loose
• 1 lbs Rotini pasta
• 1/2-1 lbs Sliced pepperoni
• 1 lbs Shredded mozzarella
• 6 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Cooking Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
2. In a large saute pan with lid, cook sausage until cooked through and brown. Add in red pepper and cook until softened. Add in the tomato sauce mixture, cover and reduce to a simmer.
3. In salted water cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 375F
5. In a lightly greased 9x13x3 inch pan, pour a small amount of sauce to lightly coat the bottom.
6. 1st layer - 1/2 pasta, 1/2 remaining sauce, 1/2 lbs mozzarella cheese, 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese, and then cover in sliced pepperoni.
7. 2nd Layer - remaining pasta, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella cheese, remaining Parmesan, and then top with sliced pepperoni
8. Place casserole in oven and bake for 40 min. Let set for 10 min before serving.

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