pasta salad

This is great for a picnic to the park on a hot day. Got the recipe out of taste of home magazine.

1 pkg (12oz) tricolor spiral pasta (I used wacky mac)
2C cubed part-skim mozzarella cheese (I used colby jack and some pepper jack)
2C cubed cooked chicken (I used terriyake and pineapple sausges instead, 2 of them)
1 lrg green pepper chopped
1 lrg sweet red pepper, chopped
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cans (2 1/4 oz each) sliced ripe olives, drained
6 green onions (i used red instead, and about 1/2C maybe)
1 pkg sliced pepperoni, halved (used turkeyroni, and only about 1/2pkg)
1/2C vegetable oil (Canola oil)
1/3C red wine vinegar ( i used red wine vinegar infused with pomegrant)
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt (omitted, had plenty of salt already)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to directions. rinse with cold water and drain well. Place in large serving bowl, combine all meat and veggies.
Mix together seasonings, canola oil, and red wine vinegar. pour over salad and toss. refrigerate until serving.
Makes a lot!

Pasta Fagioli Soup

I got this recipe from Brown Eyed Bakers blog aka Chelly This soup is really good and makes a lot so you have plenty to freeze for work day lunchs or a cold rainy day.
I got this recipe recently in a recipe exchange, as a Rachel Ray Recipe, I will post her recipe at the end of this blog post so you can choose between hers or Chelly's recipe. Both look very good.




2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 package sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (i used Al Fresco Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage)
½ large (or 1 medium) onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes (used no salt added)
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
64 oz. beef broth (used some veggie and some chicken, both low sodium)
28 oz. can tomato sauce (no salt added)
2 teaspoons dried parsley (I used 1Tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (1/2T itlian seasoning, didnt have any basil)
1 teaspoon salt (omitted)
4 oz. small dry pasta (I used elbow)


1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat, and brown the sausage, crumbling it as it cooks. Once brown, remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon and discard any grease that remains in the pot.
2. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pot, and add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and saute over medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add sausage back to the pot, add the can of diced tomatoes (do not drain), stir briefly, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans, and add the beef broth and tomato sauce. Add in all of the seasonings, stir well, turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it boils, turn down to low heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
4. Add the dry pasta and continue to simmer on low for another 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread or crackers.


Pasta e Fagioli ~ Rachel Ray
Yields 6 big servings
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 pound (about 3 slices) pancetta, chopped
2 (4 to 6-inch) sprigs rosemary, left intact
1 (4 to 6-inch) sprig thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact
1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped (I usually omit this as small portions of celery are hard to come by and I don't eat the whole head if I buy it!)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
Coarse salt and pepper
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
1 cup canned tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 quart chicken stock
1 1/2 cups ditalini
Grated Parmigiano or Romano, for the table
Crusty bread, for mopping
Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta. Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks. Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on table on a trivet. Let soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese. Pass crusty bread for bowl mopping.

lasagna

6 lasagna noodles
cottage cheese
mozerella cheese
spaghetti sauce (I used my homemade sauce i had in the freezer)

Cook noodles according to package, drain and lay 3 noodles in a Sprayed 9x13 pan. Mix cottage cheese and mozzerella together, top noodles with mix. Lay 3 more noodles on top cottage cheese mix. Top with sauce, and top with cheese. Cover with foil bake for 45 minutes on 375. Uncover bake until cheese is golden.
Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Continue layers and cook more noodles for a thicker lasgna.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff (Cooking for 2)

Another Crockpot Recipe for Brad to make on a long day of working. This Dish Turned out a little Salty tasting, but was still very good.

Source BettyCrocker.com

Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:8 hr 10 min
Makes:2 servings

1/2 pound beef stew meat
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of golden mushroom soup (Used reduced Fat & salt Cream of Mushroom Soup)
1 jar (2 1/2 ounces) Green Giant® sliced mushrooms, drained (used Fresh Mushrooms)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sour cream (used Fat Free)
1 1/2 cups hot cooked noodles or rice (Served over Whole Wheat Egg Noodles)

1. In 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soup, mushrooms and pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender.
3. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles.



Nutrition Information
1 Serving: Calories 690 (Calories from Fat 390); Total Fat 43g (Saturated Fat 18g, Trans Fat 1 1/2g); Cholesterol 150mg; Sodium 1480mg; Total Carbohydrate 47g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 6g); Protein 30g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 15%; Iron 25% Exchanges: 2 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 3 Medium-Fat Meat; 5 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 3 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Pepperoni Lasgna Roll-Ups

These were to die for. Mine were a little watery, but i think it's because i used the cottage cheese b/c i didn't have any ricotta cheese. It went well with the meat sauce i used instead of the meatless spaghetti sauce as well.

Source Taste of Home Magazine April & May 2008
Downsized Main Dishes

3 Lasagna Noodles (I used 4 noodles)

3/4C Ricotta Cheese (Didn't have any Ricotta so i used Cottage cheese)

1/2t minced chives

1/2t dried oregano

1/2t dried basil

24 slices pepperoni (I used Turkeyroni)

3 slices Swiss Cheese

1C Meatless Spaghetti Sauce (I used meat sauce that i had made)

1/2C shreded Parmesan cheese

I also put some spinach leaves in mine

Directions

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Combine ricotta cheese, chives, oregano, and basil; Spread 1/4 C over each noodle to within 1/2 in of edges. Top with pepperoni and Swiss Cheese, (and spinach if you desire) Carefully roll up.

Place Seam down in a greased shallow 1 qt baking dish; Top with spaghetti Sauce. Cover and bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes or until Bubbly.

Uncover sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Jambalaya Pasta with Penne, Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille

My "little sister" came over a week ago and we made my recipe exchange recipe. She wanted to try some homemade rangoons too even though they don't go together it was still a good mix. Certainly was a bit spicey! I would tone down the spice next time. otherwise very good. It's a Emeril Recipe i got in the Recipe Exchange on thenest.com

I have Since submitted this recipes to Joelens Culinary Adventures, Cajun/NOLA Eats Contest.


1/4 cup plus 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided (omitted completely, in my adventures to cut salt down)
1 pound dry penne rigate
3 tablespoons olive oil,
divided 1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Essence, divided, recipe follows
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast,
1-inch diced 3/4 pound andouille sausage, diced into 1/2-inch pieces (we used johnsonville andouille sausage)
1/2 cup yellow onion, small diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, small diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Fill a large, 1-gallon stock pot with a pasta insert, 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and add 1/4 cup of the salt as it boils. Place the penne in the salted water and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook the pasta until nearly al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
While the pasta cooks, set a 14-inch saute pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, swirl the pan to evenly coat with the oil. Season the shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the Essence and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place the shrimp in the pan and sear for 1 minute per side. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of the olive oil to the saute pan and season the chicken breast with 2 teaspoons of the Essence and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. Place the chicken breast in the pan and sear for 3 minutes, turning to ensure even browning. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside with the seared shrimp.
Place the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the saute pan and add the sausage, onions and bell peppers. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is lightly caramelized and the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock to the pan and scrape with a spoon to remove any browned bits that have formed in the bottom of the pan, about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes, fresh thyme, the remaining tablespoon of Essence and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the pan and cook an additional 2 minutes. Return the shrimp and chicken to the pan, as well as the nearly al dente pasta and the reserved 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Continue to cook the sauce and pasta, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp and chicken are cooked through, the pasta is al dente and most of the pasta cooking water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the basil and Parmesan. Toss to combine and serve while hot.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast): 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch Published by William Morrow, 1993.

Crab Alfredo Ravioli and Portabella Mushrooms

1/2 pks frozen ravioli, Cheese ones we used, cook as package directs
1 jar bartoli alfredo sauce
imitation crab meat. We prolly used 1 1/2 cups, (didn't measure so not sure)

heat up alfredo sauce and crab meat, when ravioli is cooked pour sauce over crab meat.

We had some huge portabella mushrooms from the market so we cut them into slices and breaded with Ians Panko Crumbs and then fried them in a little bit of EVOO.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingrediants

Spaghetti Noodles

Marinara Sauce

Chicken

Directions

Cook Spaghetti Noodles as Directed on box

Marinara Sauce Recipe in Blog

Bake Chicken on 400 degrees, Coated Chicken with Ians Breadcrumbs

Spinach, Mushroom, & Cheese Manicotti

Found This recipe in the Kraft Foods Magazine, and Of Course we modified it. We don't measure much when we cook so use your own judgement of what you want to taste.

1-15oz containter Part- Skim Ricotta Cheese

Spinach Fresh, chopped (May use frozen)

1 pkg Mushrooms

2 egg Whites

7 Manicotti Shells

2 C Marinara Sauce (use recipe below)

1-2C Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook Manicotti noodles Ask Directed on Box

Spray skillet with cooking spray, cook mushrooms for 5 minutes on med heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Beat Egg Whites lightly in medium bowl. Add Mushrooms, Spinach, Ricotta cheese, and Half of Mozzarella Cheese; Mix Well. Spoon mix evenly into manicotti shells.

Place manicotti into 8x8 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with Marinara sauce

Bake 40 Minutes or until heated thru. Top with remaining cheese and continue baking for 5 minutes or until cheese melted.

Marinara Sauce

Got original recipe from Cooking Light magazine but we made changes to it, this is what we did. Enjoy! Makes about 10 cups.
3 Tbsp EVOO
2 medium onions chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
3Tbsp minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoon parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 can fat-free, reduced sodium Chicken broth
2 (29oz) Cans Concentrated Crushed Tomatos

Heat Oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. Add Onions to pan, cook for about 4 minutes stirring frequently. Add Sugar, and next 8 ingredients *thru red peppers. cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, Stir in Vinegar, cook 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to simmer cook over low heat for 55 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.