Macaroni & Cheese (for June)

My dad got me this cookbook a while back, but I haven't tried any of the recipes because  . . . well . . . cheese is expensive.  Especially specialty cheese.  But I decided to bite the bullet, buy the cheese, and try one.  And because they all looked so good, I just went with the very first recipe.  

Macaroni with Wisconsin Asiago

7 tb butter, plus extra for buttering dishes

1 lb cavatelli (which I couldn't find so I used the mini-bowtie pasta)

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs flour

1 qt whole milk

2 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

dash of Tabasco

1 tbs Worchestershire sauce

Kosher salt

freshly ground pepper 

2 cups (1/2 lb) grated aged Wisconsin Asiago cheese (I couldn't find genuine Wisconsin, but I found some good Asiago from a less "authentic" brand)

1 cup (1/4 lb) grated sharp white cheddar cheese

1 1/3 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

3/4 cup coarsly chopped flat-leaf parsley (I forgot to buy this and used dried)

1/3 cup minced fresh chives (forgot this too, I used some chopped green onions)

1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 350*.  Butter six individual gratin dishes (I used a 9x13 pan)

Cook pasta to al dente.  Drain and cool.

In a medium saucepan over moderately low heat, melt 6 tbs butter.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.  Whisk in the milk and raise the heat to high.  When the milk begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and ocok, whisking occasionally, until thickened.  Add the seasonings.

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, sauce, asiago, cheddar, 1 cup of parm-regg, parsley and chives.  Spoon into buttered dishes.  Mix the breadcrumbs and remaining parm-regg cheese and sprinkle over the pasta.  Dot lightly with remaining butter and bake on the middle shelf until crumbs are lightly browned and sauce is bubbling,  25-30 minutes

The Verdict:  Mike and I LOVED it!  It was so creamy and wonderful with just a little kick.  The boys were indifferent.  I think they would have been just as happy with the Kraft stuff.

Killer Mac and Cheese

You can do this recipe in a crock pot or in the oven. It freezes really well, so small containers are pretty handy to pull out during the summer and just microwave. My kids are the pickiest bum eaters on the planet, and they scarf this down.

1 lb macaroni elbow noodles (or shells are fun, too)

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can milk

4 T butter

6 cups shredded cheese (whatever you think your kids will like--I normally use some cheddar and some colby/jack blend)

Boil pasta until almost done (overdone pasta will be nasty!), then strain and add some olive oil to keep from sticking.

In the pot you just boiled the noodles in, put butter and cheddar cheese soup and whisk together on med-low heat. Add milk and rest of cheese. Whisk until cheese is completely melted, about 5 minutes. You can add more milk to make the sauce thinner if you wish.

Mix with pasta noodles.

From here, place mixture in a crock pot on low for 3 hours or bake in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

*Try other things in it like ham or just use white cheese. One of my family's favorite things to do with this is ladle hot tomato juice or tomato soup over the top of the macaroni in a bowl and eat it that way.

Spinach Chicken Lasagna

I made this recipe up about three years ago when I had to bring dinner to two different families and feed mine in one night. It was really easy! This recipe freezes beautifully in an 8X8 pan covered with foil. I love using the cheese ravioli instead of lasagna noodles. You can also tweak it to make more of a "lasagna" taste and use meat ravioli and ground beef instead of chicken. Another way I like to tweak this recipe is to add in a layer of ricotta (or you can put cottage cheese in a food processor and it works, too) mixed with garlic and oregano. YUM!!!!

2 lbs chicken, diced, and then sauteed in olive oil with garlic and onion and oregano

1 bag fresh spinach, rinsed and dried (you can also use frozen spinach, just thaw first)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 bag frozen cheese ravioli

1 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce (you can also use marinara if you desire)

Assembly:

Place 1/4 cup sauce in the bottom of the dish and spread around so it covers the pan.

Layer 1/2 ravioli, 1/2 chicken, 1/2 spinach, and 1/2 cheese.

Cover with sauce.

Layer the rest of the ravioli, chicken, and spinach.

Use the rest of the sauce

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

To freeze:

Cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil.

To serve:

Thaw in fridge for 24 hours, then bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes or until done.

Baked Ziti

1 lb. dry ziti noodles, I use rigatoni
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
2 jars spaghetti sauce
6 oz. provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 c. sour cream
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 T. grated parmesan cheese

Cook ziti 8 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse. Brown onion and beef on medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. Grease a 9x13 dish and layer ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream 1/2 sauce mixture, ziti, mozzarella, and sauce mixture. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Layers:
ziti
provolone cheese
sour cream
1/2 sauce mixture
ziti
mozzarella
sauce
parmesan cheese

**Half this recipe and it still makes a ton!!

Linguine with Vegetables

* I'm sure many of you have recipes like this, but this is my favorite way to eat my veggies!

1/2 lb. linguine
2 t. oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 small zucchini, sliced
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 c. provolone or mozzarella cheese, grated
3 T. parmesan, grated

Cook pasta according to box. Heat oil in large fry pan on medium heat. Add garlic, zucchini, and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until tender crisp. Add vegetables to drained pasta, add cheeses and mix until cheese melts. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Fresh Fettuccine with Quick Meat Sauce

Serves 4

coarse salt & pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef chuck
1 c. dry white wine (I used combo: white wine, white wine vinegar & apple juice)
1 can (28 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes in juice, chopped
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
18 oz. fresh fettuccine
grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion & garlic; season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 3-4 minutes. Add pork & beef; cook, breaking meat up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 2-3 minutes. Add wine; cook until evaporated, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and red pepper flakes; cook until sauce is slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, and return to pot; add meat sauce, and toss to coat. Serve immediately, topped with parmesan, if desired.
** I only used half the fettuccine and half the sauce, freezes nicely for another meal!

Orzo Pasta with Garbanzo Beans

1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
3T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
15 oz can garbanzo beans
2T chopped fresh oregano (or a little less dried)
Feta cheese
salt and pepper

Sautee garlic over medium-low heat in the olive oil until tender, being sure not to let it brown. Lower heat, and add lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and garbanzo beans. Meanwhile, cook orzo in abundant salted boiling water until tender and drain. Place orzo in serving bowl, and pour sauce over, then toss to coat. Crumble in as much feta as you want before serving.


If you want to use dried garbanzo beans, let them soak in lots of water overnight, then drain the next morning, and cook them with lots of water in your crock pot on low for about 6 hours. They should be firm, and not mushy. The beans will have a weird, clear skin on them that you'll need to try and get off. Rolling small amounts of the beans around in a dishcloth works pretty well.

Rigatoni "D"

This is a delicious pasta dish from a restaurant called Maggiano's in Atlanta. My sister made it for a me a few weeks ago and I am now a huge fan. My only advice is cook it according to directions, but then take it off the heat and wait for it to cool down and thicken a little bit. I am also giving you the trimmed down recipe, enough for 4 people. (Or 2 at dinner and 2 for lunch!)

RIGATONI "D"
2 T. olive oil
1/2 package button mushrooms
1/2 onion, chopped
1 t. garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. Marsala wine
1/8 c. White wine
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 lb. rigatoni pastas
1/2 T. fresh basil, chopped
1 T. parmesan cheese, grated
2 T. garlic butter

1. Heat oil.
2. Saute mushrooms, onion and garlic. Brown lightly.
3. Season with lots of salt and pepper.
4. Add chicken.
5. Add chicken stock and both wines. Cook until reduced by half.
6. Add cream and bring to a boil.
7. Turn down heat and simmer to skim away any impurities.
8. Cook rigatoni al dente.
9. Add drained rigatoni to chicken mixture in pan and finish with adding basil, parmesan cheese, garlic butter and salt & pepper.
10. Place heaping amount in pasta bowl and garnish with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Canneloni

This is quite an involved recipe, but you can take short cuts (like using premade pasta). I got it from my mom who served her mission in Italy. It's one of my favorites . . . and with keeping to this month's theme, perfect for a romantic evening.

Pasta:
1 ½ cups flour
1 egg
1 egg white
1 T olive oil
½ tsp salt
1 T water
(Or you may use canneloni or manicotti premade pasta...the trick is to cut the tubes after cooking them to stuff with filling and roll them up seam side down in the pan.)

Filling
2 T olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
1 lb lean ground beef
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 T heavy cream
2 eggs slightly beaten
¾ tsp crumbled oregano leaves
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp coarsely ground pepper

Béchamel sauce:
4 T butter
4 T flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper

Tomato sauce:
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 (32 oz) can chopped tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 tsp dried sweet basil
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp coarsely ground pepper

Topping:
¼ cup parmesan cheese
3 T butter

To Prepare Pasta: Mix pasta ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until dough forms a ball. Cover and let rest 30 minute. On a floured board roll pasta into a thin 12 x 16 inch rectangle. Cut in 32 rectangles, each measuring 2x3 inches. (or use a pasta machine) In a stockpot bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add pasta, stir gently and cook for 6-7 minutes. Drain, cool slightly and lay on paper towels to dry.

To prepare filling, sauté onion in oil in a large skillet until translucent. Add spinach and cook until moisture has evaporated. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside. Brown ground beef in the same skillet, drain any grease and add to spinach mixture. Add parmesan, cream, eggs, oregano, salt and pepper: Set aside.

To prepare Béchamel: Make a roux of the butter and the flour in a medium size saucepan: do not brown. Add milk and cram all at once. Whisk briskly until thickened Season with salt and white pepper, remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare tomato sauce: In a large saucepan make tomato sauce. Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add the remaining 7 ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Before assembling Canneloni, whirl sauce in a blender or strain through a sieve if desired. Preheat oven to 375°.

To assemble canneloni, place a heaping T of filling on to each pasta rectangle and roll up. Pour 1 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a lag baking dish. Lay the canneloni side-by-side in one layer over the sauce. Pour Béchamel sauce over cannelloni and spoon the remaining tomato sauce over all.

Sprinkle with parmesan and dot with butter. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce bubbles. Place under broiler for 30 second to brown on top.

Chicken Scampi

1/2 C butter
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C finely chopped green onions
1 T minced garlic
juice of one lemon
2 chicken breasts boned
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4 C fresh parsley, minced
1 tomato, chopped

In skillet, hear together butter & olive oil & saute' green onions & garlic. Add lemon juice, chicken, salt, pepper, parsley. Continue cooking, stirring constantly for 5-8 minutes or until chicken's done. Add tomatoes & heat through. Serve over noodle of your choice, I like spaghetti noodles with this, but whatever you want. Just a hint, the lemon juice is the key ingredient, I just keep adding until it tastes super yummy.

Butternut Squash Pasta

1 T.+ olive oil
1 c. finely chopped onion
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. (1/2") cubed, peeled butternut squash
1 T. chopped fresh or 1 t. dried rubbed sage
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground allspice (just equal parts nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, & black pepper)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 c. penne pasta, cooked according to box

Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic & red pepper; saute for 3 minutes. Add squash; saute 10-20 minutes or until soft and tender. Stir in sage, nutmeg, allspice, 1/4 t. salt & 1/4 t. pepper and remove from heat. Mix the pasta with the squash/ spice mixture, then add just enough olive oil to lightly dress the pasta.

I mixed the spices with 1 c. half & half, 1 c. ricotta cheese, & 1 t. salt. Then I added that mixture to the pasta. Looking back, I would not add the crushed red pepper. I would put a sweet yellow onion in instead of a white. I would use butter instead of olive oil. I would add 1 T. of brown sugar. I would add parmesan cheese and use fresh sage instead of dried. That would make it. I know, there are a lot of changes there--but hey you don't know what it's going to be like the first time!

Tortellini with Garlic Sage Butter Sauce

I made this for the first time a couple nights ago, and oh man, is it good! It's basically garlic-infused butter sauce with a little spike of sage and pepper at the end. Oh! And the garlic gets crispy! Yummmm!

6 T (yes T!) butter
6 cloves garlic, very roughly chopped
pepper
ground (teaspoon or so)or fresh sage (6 leaves)
tortellini (the Winco bulk kind is really good)

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan and gently simmer the garlic until golden. Meanwhile, cook tortellini in salted water until done. Add sage and pepper to butter sauce, sautee for a couple minutes, then serve over cooked tortellini. Eat lots and lots.

Vegetarian Linguine

This meal is good for summer veggies. Substitute

any favorites you have. This meal also is very filling!

It makes a lot, so think about halfing it maybe.

6 oz. uncooked linguine

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced OR small
can of sliced mushrooms
2 green onions, chopped (I cut them with

kitchen shears into the pan)
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. olive OR canola oil
1 large tomato, chopped (or a can of

chopped tomatoes)
1 tsp. dried basil, or 2 tsp. minced fresh basil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
4 oz. provolone cheese, shredded
2 Tbs. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the zucchini, mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter and oil for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato, basil, salt and pepper; cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain linguine; add to vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheeses and toss to coat. 6 servings. (I think a little less cheese would be perfect, but Dave loves it.)

Super quick and easy pasta salad

Well I haven't posted a recipe in about a bajillion years, so here's a really easy, yummy pasta salad I made for our 4th of July bbq.

1 package (1 lb) spiral pasta
2 sm. cans sliced black olives
1 bottle light Italian dressing
shredded Parmesean cheese (not powdered)
any other veggies you'd like to include (chopped zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower,cherry tomatoes)

Cook pasta and let cool. Mix in Italian dressing to suit your tastes, along with olives, other veggies and parmesean cheese. And you're done! Woo!

Hope you all are having wonderful summers, and I can't wait to see those of you that will still be in Moscow again!

Fettuccine Primavera

8 oz. uncooked fettuccine
1-1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
1 small zucchini, coarsley chopped
1 small yellow summer squash, coarsley chopped
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 small sweet red pepper, diced
1 medium carrot, coarsley chopped
1 small onion, diced
3 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp cornstarch
2 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Cook fettuccine. In a large saucepan bring 3/4 cup broth to a boil. Add veggies(except tomatoes), basil and salt. Return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until veggies are tender-crisp.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth; stsir into vegetable mixture. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat;
stir in tomatoes and sour cream. Drain fettuccine; lpace in a large bowl. Add veggie mixture, parmesan cheese and parsley; toss to coat.

Yummy Pasta Salad

Sauce:
4 T olive oil
6 T redwine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T oregano
1/2 t pepper
1 t salt

Mix with a whisk and toss with veges (we grill egg plant, art. hearts, peppers, squash) and pasta.

Tortellini Salad

This is a fun summer dish. I combined a few different recipes to make it. With chicken, it is a meal; without it makes a great side.

1 lb. tortellini, cooked
1 can sliced olives
1 can quartered artichokes
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken in bite-size pieces (optional)
8 oz. Italian dressing (or Caesar)

Combine and chill.

Lasagne

1 lb sausage or ground beef
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can or jar spaghetti sauce
1 tub (2 cups) ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
½ cup shredded carrot
1 Tbl parsley
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
Brown the meat with the onion and garlic, add in the sauce and let it simmer a few minutes. Mix the ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarrella, parmesan, spinach, carrot, and parsley in a bowl. Layer in a 9x13 pan: sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, noodles, sauce, cheese mix, noodles, sauce, and then top with the rest of the mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.