Saturday, May 2, 2015

Becky Avella brings her debut book and Aunt Angie's Pasta !

Hi everyone! The Fresh Pioneer is back with another special guest! 
Becky Avella is here in the cafe to tempt us with a delicious dish for those busy weeknights. (Isn't she pretty?? And that top... love that color. I think she lives somewhere near me, so I'm just going to really quietly look up her address and wander over to see if she'll loan it to me. And the necklace. Ok, and the jacket. )
But before we get to the recipe, I want to say Becky's debut book, Targeted, released in April 2015 and you can get it here. Look at that cover! Love Inspired Suspense covers really give that scary vibe. 

MARKED FOR MURDER 
When photos of Stephanie O'Brien are found in a serial killer's home, she must face the horrible truth that she's the next intended victim. She has nowhere to hide, nowhere to run—except to K-9 cop Rick Powell. As her self-appointed bodyguard, Rick will do anything to protect the innocent teacher—even keep his attraction at bay. He's known loss; he won't lose Stephanie. But the killer seems to anticipate their every move. And Rick fears he's never faced an opponent so cunning. One who won't stop till he has his victim right where he wants her…six feet under.

Can't wait to read this! Ok, I'm turning over the cafe to Becky... 

I am so happy to be visiting the Yankee Belle Café for the first time. Thank you Mary, for inviting me! I’ve been scrolling through past posts and drooling over all the good-looking recipes. 
Now I’m hungry. J 
Today, I thought I’d share one of my go-to meals. It originally came from my sister-in-law, so our family affectionately refers to it as “Aunt Angie’s Pasta.”

When Angie gave me the recipe, I didn’t know how much I would grow to appreciate it. I enjoy entertaining and bringing meals to people when the need arises, but I used to get so nervous about whether or not my cooking would turn out okay. But this meal is easy to make, is a crowd pleaser, and seems to always turn out yummy. Having this recipe has solved the “what should I make” worries. I hope you and your family will enjoy it, too.
 Aunt Angie’s Pasta:
2-3 frozen chicken breasts (I use Foster Farms from Costco)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
1 box of Rigatoni noodles
Approx. 2 cups of shredded Mozzarella or Italian Blend Cheese
(But you can never have too much cheese, right?)
1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.     Boil chicken breasts until cooked through.  (Approximately 14 minutes if breasts are frozen)
3.     For efficiency sake, I cook the noodles at the same time that I’m cooking the chicken.
  Chop cooked chicken into bite size pieces and stir together with both sauces, the cooked noodles, and half of the cheese. Pour mixture into an 11 x 13 pan and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. 
 Bake at 350 degrees or until cheese is melted and the pasta is hot throughout. 
6.     Serve with Caesar salad and warm garlic bread. Enjoy!
(Me again, just drooling over here. OH MY WORD. Yum!)

As I was preparing this post, I debated between sharing the pasta and sharing my microwave caramel corn recipe. The caramel corn is another go-to recipe of mine (a favorite of my writers group). It’s also a perfect treat to munch on when you are reading a super-suspenseful book, hint hint. J 
Thanks again for having me! Have a delicious weekend!

-Becky 

OK, I'm back and now I want to make caramel corn, too. My sweet neighbor used to make us caramel corn all the time. We were so spoiled! And I never learned how. Now is the time... I can feel it.
 Thanks so much for stopping by, Becky. Pasting your bio and links below so we all know where to go to find great recipes and keep in touch!

Becky Avella grew up in Washington State with her nose in a book and her imagination in the clouds. These days she spends her time dreaming up heart-pounding fiction full of romance and faith. Becky married a real life hero and follows him around begging him to give her material she can use in her stories. Together with their children, they make their home in the beautiful Northwest.

You can connect with Becky on:
FacebookTwitterInstagramPinterest
Amazon Author Page
www.teamloveontherun.com  

12 comments:

  1. Becky, thanks so much for hangin' with us this weekend! Oh, the chicken dish looks marvelous in all-caps style! #sohungry!!!!! I love that it looks easy, delicious and reflects the "pink" sauce mentality that's gotten so popular. And you're right, there's no such thing as too much cheese. Love it and huge congratulations on your book! Go you!

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    1. Pink sauce? You mean the red and white mixed together? I've never seen that before now and was giving out the side eye but if Becky says it's good, I'll try it!!

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    2. Thanks for having me Ruthy! <3 I'm so happy to be here. All of Virginia's compliments had me blushing, though. I wish that "glamour photo" was more a reflection of what I really look like and not just evidence of my photographer's talent. :) I hope you all won't be disappointed in the real me when we get to meet offline someday. ;)

      I've never heard it called pink sauce before but now I'm stealing that term. If you are a fan of Italian food, I think you'll love it. Hope so anyway.

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  2. Hi, Becky. Well I've been MIA for a while and finally out of my insanity. Good day. A double recipe day! Wonderful to have you here. YUMMY@@@

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    1. I'm making that caramel corn today. I shall share virtually with you, Tina! (Not in real life, though. Friendship only goes so far and hogging the caramel corn is forgivable. IMO!)

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    2. Hi Tina! I'm glad life is settling down for you. I'm hoping May is less insane over here, too. :)

      Virginia, I hope you love the caramel corn. It's addictive. I can't wait to hear how it turns out.

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  3. I totally agree with you can never have too much cheese. I don't think I've ever limited my cheese consumption by the ingredient list on a recipe card. It says cheese? I don't measure, just toss it in...over and over again. :-)

    Hmmm....a LIS I haven't read yet. I just can't keep up. I'm going to remedy that soon.

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    1. I agree! If cheese were free, there would be no limit! I love cheese enchiladas... with more cheese. Mmmm.

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    2. Kav, I had to laugh when I read your comment because that is exactly what I do. I've never measured. Just toss in handfuls until it looks yummy. I hope you'll enjoy both the cheese and the story! I've been wanting to congratulate you on your #blurb2book success. I'll be cheering for you and looking forward to reading your LIS soon. :)

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  4. Becky, welcome!! We're so glad to have you with us!

    I can't wait to make this. Spaghetti has been my standby, but the family is sick of it. I think maybe it's time to adopt this! :)

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  5. Fabulous, Becky! Sorry I didn't get here earlier, but both of these recipes are keepers :) Thank you, and congratulations on your debut!

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  6. Yay! I'm always looking for new recipes that can easily be made gluten free. Your book rocks, Becky!

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