Sun-dried Tomato & Pesto Pasta anyone?

Ah, "What's for supper?" The age old question every woman asks herself each day. And it usually ends up with the response, "well, what do I have in my kitchen?". Does it seem to anyone else that every time you try to find a recipe to make for supper, you NEVER have ALL the ingredients to actually make it. Not to mention if you must go to the store each day to make a different recipe, that adds up cost/meal drastically. I've started forgetting the recipes books for the everyday evening meals. It's easier to just go through the fridge and the cabinet and be creative! Now, if I'm super ambitious, I will plan out and get certain ingredients at the store for the next week or two. Hopefully I will get better at that. :) For dinner this evening, I had purchased sun-dried tomatoes and pesto and pasta several weeks ago knowing that someday I would want to attempt this yummy masterpiece. And after picking up a rotisserie chicken today, I knew today was the day to get creative.

I started by feeding Ty and waiting for him to get sleepy so that I could cook uninterrupted. What a cutie! So sorry baby, I want to hold you so badly, but daddy needs a yummy supper!

Then I used a large skillet to cook the 100% Whole Wheat Penne pasta (gotta sneak in the fiber where I can, no one can tell the difference anyway!!).

While that's cooking, I shredded a whole rotisserie chicken...yum! What a delicious and EASY way to get some chicken for this pasta dish!

Then I cut up the sun-dried tomatoes...this is a very very key ingredient in the recipe. It gives it a little tang and super yumminess!!

After the pasta is done, drain it and return to skillet. Add a block of cream cheese (you can totally get away with 1/3rd less fat cream cheese, maybe not when you're baking, but if it's a little runnier, that's not going to matter for a creamy pasta dish.)

Then I added a different kind of cheese (a kind that I already had in the fridge), some mozzarella/provolone. You could use anything, parmesan would be really tasty too!

Then add the milk, I used Skim just to cut the fat where I could and it still turned out very creamy. Start with a smaller amount, you can always add more as it cooks.

Time to add the other super key ingredient, the pesto. Stir well, cause the oil separates to the top. And add about 2 heaping spoonfuls.

Then add the chicken and sun-dried tomatoes and some salt and pepper and put on a low heat to melt the cheeses, add more skim milk as needed until the creamy consistency you like.

Keep on a low heat and stir until ready to serve.

Then get in your freezer where you have a bag of frozen biscuits, and stick a few in the oven (why not carbo-load?!?!). This was a must when my sweet mother in law gave us fresh homemade peach jam...yum! Gotta have biscuits just for the jam!!

Serve up and enjoy! Yum!!! :)

Again, this could be altered as needed depending on what you have in your kitchen! Use different kinds of pasta & cheeses. Just remember the key ingredients: Pesto and sun-drided tomatoes! :)