Happy Monday guys! We got off to a rainy start (crazy rain and winds last night!), but the sun is peeking out and I'm excited for what this week will bring. Actually, I'm looking forward to having a quiet, normal week. Last week was crazy thrilling and totally out of the ordinary with the Pottery Barn live video streams that Caitlin and I were shooting, but I have to say that I'm really looking forward to a quiet week. If you had told me over a decade ago that I'd become a creature of habit, I'd laugh in your face and say it was nonsense, but nowadays I'm all about having a routine.

Completely overdue and as promised, here is the first of many recipes that I have been meaning to share with you guys. First up is this Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake that I tried my hand at. I've actually never made anything with artichokes so I was a bit nervous as to how it would come out, but it turned out better than okay because Steve and Cora gobbled it down! I know that Chicken Florentine is usually made with spinach, but seeing as how that wasn't going to fly with Cora (and myself - tsk tsk to me for setting a bad example for Cora), I switched out the spinach with frozen green peas and it worked out perfectly.

I found this recipe at Better Homes and Gardens through Pinterest (check out my I'm Hungry board to get more recipe ideas since I'm constantly finding new recipes to try out!) and will be adding this to my repertoire.

Ingredients

Makes 6 - 8 servings.

8 ounces dried bow tie pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)
1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 10 ounce frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (we replaced this with frozen green peas)
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
- In medium skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.
- In bowl whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and crushed red pepper.
- Stir in chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. - Transfer to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or 3-quart rectangular casserole.
- Bake, covered, 20 minutes.
- In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta.
- Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden.
- Makes 6 to 8 servings.