Cheesy Italian Tortellini

This is a recipe I got from my mom. The ingredients on this one can add up really quickly, but it tastes REALLY good. I use this one sometimes when I want to impress someone.

1/2 lb. ground beef (I use turkey)
1/2 lb. Italian Sausage (I prefer not spicy for this recipe)
1 container (15-oz.) refrigerated marinara sauce* (I prefer Buitoni brand)
1 can (14 1/2-oz.) diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings, undrained**
1 package (9-oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini (I prefer Buitoni brand to anything else.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella or pizza style cheese (4-oz.)

Break beef and sausage into large pieces in a 10-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until brown. Spray inside of 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix beef mixture mixture, marinara sauce, and tomatoes in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours. Stir in tortellini; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook on low heat setting about 15 minutes longer or until tortellini is tender.

4-6 servings.

*To make your own marinara sauce: Saute 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped onion and green pepper in olive oil. Add 2 1/2 cups canned tomatoes (or fresh), 1/2 tsp. oregano and 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley. (If using fresh tomatoes add 1/2 tsp. salt.) Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (FOR THE RECORD: I have never made this sauce recipe because I think it sounds gross.)
**A can of plain-diced tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings can be used.

Tomato and Garlic Pasta

This is a great one that Matt found.  I loved it.  It reminded me of restaurant food.  It met with mixed results with the kids.

Ingredients:
1 (8-oz.) pkg. angel hair pasta
2 lbs. tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp. tomato paste (we preferred it without the tomato paste)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Place tomatoes in a kettle, and cover with cold water.  Bring just to a boil.  Pour off water and cover again with cold water.  Peel.  Cut into small pieces.
2.  Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
3. In a large skillet or saute pan, saute the garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  The garlic should just become opaque, not brown.  Stir in the tomato paste.  Immediately stir i nthe tomatoes, and salt and pepper.  Reduce heat, and simmer until the pasta is ready; add the basil.
4. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse in cold water.  Toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and then mix into the sauce.  Reduce the heat as low as possible.  Keep warm, uncovered, for about 10 minutes when it is ready to serve.  Garnish generously with fresh Parmesan cheese.
5. VARIATIONS: Saute fresh quartered mushrooms with the garlic, or add shoestring zucchini along with the tomato.

YIELDS 4 servings.

Two-Cheese Macaroni

This is Jan's Mac and Cheese. It's pretty yummy and better than the boxed kind.

1 (7-ounce) package elbow macaroni (I used whatever kind of noodles I have)

8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese

1 large egg

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

(You can

add bacon or cubed ham)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spary a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place 2 quarts water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well.

3. Shred Cheddar. Whisk egg in a large bowl Add cottage cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper; mix well. Stir in Cheddar.

4. Fold macaroni into cheese mixture gently; mix well. Spoon macaroni mixture into prepared baking dish.

5. Bake until the mixture is bubbly and lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Alfredo Sauce with Chicken

My cousin Jenna gave me this recipe. And it is a very good recipe. I only had one complaint. And seeing as she had the same complaint I decided to see if I could do something about it. It was too thin. The sauce was very liquidy. It didn't stick to your pasta noodles. It tasted so good, but it drove me crazy how thin it was.

So I changed it. Actually, I only added one thing. And it made all the difference. Flour. I added flour and made a roux first. I found however that just cream was now too thick, so then I added plain milk and a cup cream instead.

So here is the same recipe with my changes. Which admittedly aren't that many. :)

Alfredo Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour

Melt butter on medium to medium high heat and mix in flour. Mix together until a light yellow color.

1 cup milk (I have used anything from 2% to skim with pretty much the same results.)
1 cup cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I prefer granulated garlic. Some powders clump.)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Stir in remaining ingredients into roux. Continue to simmer on medium heat until thickened.

Italian Chicken

Elijah feels very ripped off if I try to make the Alfredo Sauce without this chicken. It is his favorite meal with the chicken.

1-lb. chicken tenderloins
garlic salt
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on baking sheet covered in tin foil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Sprinkle with olive oil for extra crispiness. Bake for 15 minutes then flip over and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Creamy Beef Noodles

I'm just going to go ahead and double this because that is how I always make it. And I leave out the onion, I've actually never had it in. But I hear it's really tasty.

1 lb. ground beef
1 jar Prego
8-oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
6 green onions, chopped
1 (16-oz.) package pasta (I usually use shells.)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Brown beef in skillet. Pour in sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Then sftened cream cheese and sour cream and blend in a small mixing bowl. Add green onions to cream cheese mixture. Boil and drain pasta. In a foil baking dish, layer. Put pasta on the bottom, then cream cheese mixture, then meat sauce. Repeat layers. Top with cheese. Freeze or refrigerate. Thaw and bake at 350 degrees, uncovered for 30 minutes.

Taos Chicken and Pasta

I got this recipe from my cousin Jenna who has her own, much more successful recipe blog. She got this recipe from her SIL or something like that. But I think this is one of my favorites of all time. I really like recipes that taste excellent just from the basic recipe and not because I tweaked it. This would be one of those. There is one other one I got from her that is that way. Maybe I'll get to that next.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 large bell pepper*

1.) Combine soy sauce, broth, oil, basil, ginger and garlic powder. Marinate with chicken (cubed) for 2-3 hours. Refrigerated. Stir occasionally.
2.) Pour off marinade and save. In large skillet, coated with non-stick spray, cook chicken until lightly browned and no longer pink in center. Add bell pepper and saute 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and add marinade to skillet. Stir in cornstarch and cook until thickened. Add back chicken and peppers.
3.) Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve chicken and sauce over cooked pasta. Serves 8.



*I am not a green pepper fan. But if they are cooked all the way through they are OK. Well so this pepper cooks all the way through I cut it, mince it really, into very small peices. I use my Pampered Chef hand chopper in fact. And then they are perfect little bits of pepper that cook quickly.

Cheesy Noodle Bake

This seems like one of those easy, simple meals you could use in a pinch. And I think my kids might actually eat it. We shall see.

CHEESY NOODLE BAKE
1 package (16 ounces) rigatoni or large tube pasta
2 TBSP butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup water
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth; gradually add milk and water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add eggs. Spoon into two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Layer each with one can of tomato sauce, half the mozzarella cheese and half the white sauce. Sprinkle each with half the Parmesan cheese.
Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake second casserole, uncovered, at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cover and bake at 375° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 7-10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Yield: 2 casseroles (6-8 servings each). To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cover and bake at 375° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 7-10 minutes longer.

Fusilli with Sausage, Arichokes and Sun-dried tomatoes

This is a Giada de Laurentiis recipe. And while Paula is my grandma, Giada is my best food friend. I love her food and watching her cook. My husband found this one though. It is fabulous. If anyone ever wants to try this, I love to make it. Just let me know.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
• 1 pound Italian hot sausages, casings removed
• 2 (8-ounce) packages frozen artichoke hearts
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 16 ounces fusilli pasta
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 8 ounces water-packed fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed, optional
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta (do not rinse). Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup Parmesan, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve, passing the additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

Cold Sesame Noodles

This meal is a favorite at our house. But it is unusual. Matt and I crave it on a constant basis. This is definitely an Asian dish, but which country I have no idea. If I had to guess I would say Thai or Vietnamese. But probably Thai. Baiscally it's a Peanut Sauce on Spaghetti Noodles. Yum.

This recipe is courtesy of Tyler Florence. I wish he was around for all my food emergencies.

1 lb Chinese egg noodles or Spaghetti noodles
Kosher Salt
1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and chopped (we actually use 1 Tbsp of ground)
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. red chili sauce
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
6 Tbsp. water
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (These are not for garnish, I love them in it.)

Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rise with cold water until cool. Drain the noodles well and transfer to a wide bowl.

In a blender, add the ginger, garlic, sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, and water. Process until the mixture is smooth. Put the blender jar into the refrigerator and let chill for about 1/2 hour. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and toss until well coated. Serve garnished with scallions, sesame seeds, and cilantro.