Turkey Tetrazzini

Wow, I am so ashamed. The last time I posted a dinner item on this blog was way back in July when I posted Cashew Chicken. Seriously, I am just sooo ashamed by this. You all probably think that I about 900 pounds and unable to walk with all the sweets and breads that I have been posting for the past few months. I assure you that I am not 900 pounds and I have been eating more than cookies and bread for dinner. I have just been in a funk and have not been very adventurous in the kitchen. Hopefully this will change with the new year and I will get back to posting more often and with a better variety.


I had some turkey leftover from a Christmas Eve dinner and thought that tetrazzini would be the perfect way to use it up. I decided to try a recipe that I found on Elise's site, Simply Recipes, due to the simplicity of it. I was also intrigued by the use of Swiss and Parmesan cheese. Although I managed to dirty way more dishes than I should have, the recipe was very easy to make and came together perfectly. Although the top layer of my dish became dried out and extra crispy (due to a guest that would not stop talking long enough to leave my house) this meal came out delicious. The flavors in the sauce were a perfect match for mushrooms and peas and the pasta was nice and creamy. This was a delicious meal that I would definitely make again.


Turkey Tetrazzini
Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients
12 oz egg noodles, spaghetti, linguine or other pasta
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 4-5 cups)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 cup cream
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry (or vermouth or dry white wine)
3 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey
1 cup peas
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (divided into 1/3 and 1/3 cups)
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and Pepper
Ground nutmeg (optional)
1/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (or panko)
Freshly chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Method
1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Start heating 2 to 3 quarts of water for the pasta. Add 1 teaspoon of salt for each quart of water.
2 Cook the mushrooms in 3 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat, stirring, until all of the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated, 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
3 In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Stir in the flour, and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes.
4 About now, put the pasta into the boiling water you've heated. Follow the package directions and cook until al dente. While the pasta is cooking continue on with the recipe.
5 Into the saucepan with the butter and flour, slowly whisk in the milk, cream, broth, and the sherry. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 to 8 minutes.
6 When the pasta is ready, drain it. In a large bowl combine the pasta, the sauce, the mushrooms, the turkey, and the peas. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan and the 1/3 cup of Swiss cheese. Stir in the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note that if you have been using unsalted butter, and/or unsalted or low sodium stock, you will need to add more salt than you might expect. Just keep sprinkling it in until it is seasoned to your taste. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg if using, again to taste. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 3-quart casserole.
7 In a small bowl combine well the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini, and dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits.
8 Bake the Tetrazzini in the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden.
Garnish individual servings with chopped parsley.

Serves 4 to 6

Daring Bakers go Italian

Wow, is March really almost over? That is just crazy to believe. So many things to do and so little time to do them in. This month the Daring Bakers officially launched their new site, The Daring Kitchen, and even introduced a Daring Cooks group. This months challenge was like no Daring Bakers challenge that I have ever participated in before, but I was definitely up for the challenge.


Although this recipe took a while to complete it was not anything that was very hard. The pasta gave me a lot of trouble. The pieces of spinach in the dough made it hard to roll out and also very weak but I managed to get past those obstacles. I used the Bechamel sauce exactly as the recipe was written. It was a great addition to the pasta and I definitely plan on using one more often. The sauce recipe that I made up was inspired by the one that was provided but very different.



I really enjoyed the end result of this dish. It was a simple lasagna that was delicious and filling. My husband had texture issues with it but I believe that was because the pasta was slightly overcooked. I will definitely use the sauce recipes again but use my own pasta recipe. Thanks for another great challenge!

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
Source: The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish
Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time

10 quarts salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)
4 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Working Ahead - The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the Ingredients - Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil or butter a 3 quart shallow baking dish.

Cooking the Pasta - Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the Lasagne - Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.

Baking and Serving the Lasagne - Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound dried boxed pasta.

Preparation: 45 minutes

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces)
10 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Equipment needed:
A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches. Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.
A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.
A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick. The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.
A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.
Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough - Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading - With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning - If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches. Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Bechamel Sauce

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2 2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Directions
Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.


Meaty Ragu Sauce
Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Ingredients
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces ground beef
3 ounces thinly sliced Prosciutto, finely chopped
1/2 cup beef or chicken broth/stock
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon pasta sprinkle (or Italian seasoning)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
In a large dutch oven warm the oil over medium heat and saute the minced celery and carrots. Remove the vegetables from the pan and process in the food processor. Return the veggies to the pan and add in the garlic. Add the prosciutto and ground beef to the pan and brown, stirring often to promote even browning. Transfer contents of pan to a strainer, drain excess fat.

Add broth/stock to the pan and use your spatula to scrap up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the contents of the strainer back into the pan. Let the mixture simmer until the broth/stock has reduced.

Add tomato paste into the pan and stir for 2 minutes to brown. Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings to pan and once again use the spatula to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Partially cover the pot, reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer for two hours. Stir the sauce every 30 minutes adding water 1/3 cup at a time if sauce is reducing to much.

Macaroni and Cheese

I came across this recipe about 5 years ago when I was subscribing to some recipe card packs that come monthly in the mail. This is a really good and easy macaroni and cheese recipe that offers lots of versatility. The mix of cheeses suggested in the recipe is a great combination but can easily be changed up to fit what cheese you have on hand. The bacon was not in the original recipe but I think it is a great addition.


This dish could be made in advance if need be by doing everything except baking it. Just prepare it and put it into the fridge to chill until you are ready to bake. It may require a few additional minutes of baking but that's a small price to pay for being able to prepare this in advance. This recipe is always a hit with everyone.


Three-Cheese Macaroni
Source: Adapted from "Great Meals in Under 30 Minutes" recipe cards

Ingredients
8 ounces elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
2 cups milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup swiss cheese, divided
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs - optional
2 tablespoons butter - optional
6 slices bacon, cooked and diced- optional

Directions
1. Cook macaroni using package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and salt and stir until mixture is smooth. Stir in dry mustard. Add milk gradually, stirring continually.
4. Cook over low heat, stirring continually, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in 1/4 cup each cheddar, mozzarella and swiss. Mix cheese sauce, macaroni, and bacon in a large bowl. Spoon into a 9x7 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar, mozzarella and swiss.
6. If desired, melt remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Combine breadcrumbs and melted butter; mix well. Sprinkle on top of cheese.
7. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Fresh and Fabulous!

A month or so ago I purchased a pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer, I decided that I would use it this evening to make some fresh pasta to accompany some alfredo sauce. Wow, homemade pasta tastes amazing. It is pretty fun and easy to make too. I love my new pasta roller/cutter attachments! They bring much happiness to my life. :)


Based on Chelle's experience with the recipe I decided to make a batch and a half of the fresh pasta and double the sauce recipe. I ended up with 13.5 ounces of pasta which made 2 healthy sized portions and left me with about half a portion for lunch tomorrow. As for the alfredo sauce, well I had a blonde moment while I was at the store and purchased half and half instead of heavy cream so my sauce was a little thin but it still tasted amazing . I definitely plan on making this recipe next time I am craving alfredo, it's absolutely perfect. I grilled up some chicken to toss into the pasta and had homemade Italian bread to accompany it.


I love how detailed the instructions were for this pasta recipe. It is perfect for people that started making pasta without actually reading the instruction booklet. Hey now, of course that was not me, I always read instructions. ;) Enjoy!

Fresh Fettuccine Alfredo

Source: As seen on Brown Eyed Baker Adapted from Nook & Pantry

Fresh Pasta
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs

First make a mountain of flour on your work surface, then create a crater in the center (err on the larger size when creating the crater). Add your eggs in the crater. Use a fork and beat the eggs in the crater incorporating a little bit of the flour at a time. Once the egg mixture begins to look like a batter, you can start incorporating more of the flour into the dough. After incorporating all the flour, you will end up with a dough. If the dough is still sticky, add some more flour. Knead by pushing with the heel of your palm, fold the dough in half, give it a half turn, and repeat the process for 8 minutes or until it feels smooth.


Have 1 or 2 parchment-line baking sheets or trays ready. Divide the dough in half. Keep one half on the floured surface, covered with a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out. Before handling the dough, dust your hands, the machine, any accessories and the baking sheet with flour. Lightly flour the work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangle thin enough to go through the rollers at the widest setting (#1 on my pasta machine). Feed the dough through the rollers while turning the handle, then lay the dough down on the work surface and flour it lightly. Fold the dough into thirds lengthwise to make a rectangle and lightly flour both sides. Flatten the dough with the rolling pin until it is thin enough to go through the rollers again. With one of the two open edges going first, pass the dough through the rollers nine times more at the widest setting; after each time, flour, fold and flatten the dough. After 10 trips through the wide rollers, the dough should be completely smooth and supple.

Now you are ready to thin the dough. Starting at the second-to-widest setting (#2), pass the dough repeatedly through the rollers, setting the rollers one notch narrower each time. When the dough becomes too long, cut it in half and roll one piece at a time until it reaches the desired thickness (my pasta maker has 6 settings, and for the fettuccine I rolled the pasta sheets to the second thinnest setting, #5).

Dust the baking sheets with flour, arrange the rolled out pasta sheets on the baking sheet, separating each layer with parchment and dusting with flour as needed. Cover with kitchen towels to prevent them from drying out. Repeat the entire process with the other half of the dough.

Wrap the tray of pasta with plastic wrap, making sure that it is completely sealed to prevent drying out. Let the pasta rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting so that it is not too soft.

Before cutting the pasta sheets, line a baking sheet or wide, shallow container with parchment paper and dust with flour. Keep additional flour nearby for dusting.

Feed the pasta sheets one at a time through the cutting attachment. Dust the pasta evenly but lightly with flour. Gently father the pasta together lengthwise in a bundle, dust with flour, and carefully twist and shape it into a small, nested mound. Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking sheet or container and dust the top lightly with flour. Repeat with the remaining pasta sheets.

If not cooking the pasta immediately, cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, drizzle some olive oil into the water, then add the pasta. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta.


Alfredo Sauce
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

Simmer the cream and butter in a saucepan over low heat until it has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, remove from heat, and stir until mostly incorporated and melted. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste. Toss with pasta.

K.I.S.S. Pasta Salad

I have never really been a fan of pasta salad but for some odd reason I had the bells of summer ringing in my head and they kept telling me that I needed to make pasta salad. I am glad I did because this was something pretty easy to throw together that will keep for days in the fridge and be great for snacking over the 4th of July holiday.


Summer is definitely in the air today. It was so beautiful outside and this light tasting veggie packed pasta salad really hit the spot for my friend and I when we stopped to eat lunch on our walk through the park with her 6 month old and my dog.


K.I.S.S. Pasta Salad
(AKA - Keep It Simple Stupid, Pasta Salad)
Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Ingredients
1 box bow-tie pasta
1 bottle zesty Italian dressing

1 zucchini

1 cucumber

1/2 head cauliflower

1 cup carrots

1 block (8oz) pepper jack cheese
For good measure - salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon dried parsley.

Directions
1) Cook pasta in boiling salted water, per package directions.
2) Meanwhile, pour the entire bottle of dressing into large bowl. Dice up all of the veggies and cheese and place them in the bowl with the dressing, stir to coat.
3) When the pasta is done place it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta.
4) Place the cooled pasta into the bowl with the cheese and veggies. Add parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, and mix well to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Easy Peasy Pasta

I was watching the Food Network one evening last week and saw Giada making this recipe. It sounded like a great meal and nice change from my typical chicken or ground beef meals.

I thought this dish turned out ok, I really loved the sausage in it but I just was not sold on the entire dish itself. I think I would like it better with a different, or perhaps more flavorful, sauce. My husband on the other hand seemed to really like it, he polished off 3 bowls.


I did make a few changes to the recipe so I will write it as I prepared it and if you are interested in the original recipe click the link under the recipe name.

Penne with Smashed Peas, Sausage, and Ricotta
Adapted from: Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
8 oz pound penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound pork sausage
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 oz frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes if dry or according to package directions if fresh. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into bite-sized bits. When the sausage has browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the peas to the pan and, using the back of the wooden spoon, smash the peas. Turn off the heat. Add the ricotta cheese along with the cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding the pasta cooking water in 1/4 cup additions, if needed, to make the pasta moist. Return the sausage to the pan. Add the parsley, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately.

Pasta with Chicken Meatballs

Yesterday morning I was browsing through my google reader and came across this recipe on a fellow Daring Bakers's blog and it instantly grabbed my attention. You see, I used to think I did not like spinach but I was a fool I tell you, a fool. I started chopping it up and mixing it in with romaine for salads and also putting it into baked pasta dishes. I soon realized that it was silly of me to not like spinach, after all it has pretty much no flavor and it is very nutritious. So anyway, since I was in the middle of making my grocery list when I came across this recipe I made sure to add all of the ingredients for this meal to it.


Although Rachel Ray claims this is a "30 minute meal" it took me more than 30 minutes to prepare it (no one preps all my ingredients for me like they do for her on the show) and I sure did dirty a lot of dishes in the process. But hey it's ok my husband and I gave the meal a thumbs up and I was happy to make something new for my blog. This was a pretty good dinner that would be easy enough to whip up on a weeknight.


I did make a few slight modifications to the recipe. For the meatballs I omitted the fennel seeds and used a rosemary herb seasoning that I have instead of the fresh rosemary and of course reduced fat ricotta. As for the rest of the meal, I used whole wheat pasta and reduced the amount of spinach to only one box. Two boxes of spinach seemed like way to much. Also, for whatever strange reason my sauce never thickened, maybe because I did not use whole milk maybe it was rebelling against me who knows. :)

Florentine Mac and Cheese and Roast Chicken Sausage Meatballs
(Source: FoodNetwork.com as seen on Culinography)

Ingredients
Salt

1 pound cavatappi corkscrew shaped hallow pasta

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken

Black pepper

2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

3 cloves garlic, grated

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided

1 egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs, plus more, if needed*

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 boxes, 10 ounces, chopped frozen spinach

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup whole milk

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg, eyeball it

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta. When it comes to a boil, salt it and add the pasta to cook to al dente. Strain pasta reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

While the water is coming to a boil, in a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, salt and pepper, rosemary, fennel seeds, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano - a rounded handful, egg and bread crumbs. *If the mixture seems too wet, add a handful of bread crumbs and mix together.

Form 8 large round balls, about 3 to 4-inches. Coat balls in a couple of tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and lightly grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange balls on the baking sheet and roast 17 to 18 minutes until juices run clear.

Defrost spinach in microwave 8 to 10 minutes on "defrost" setting depending on the microwave.
Place the boxes in a shallow dish to catch any run off.

While the meatballs roast, in a medium sauce pot over medium heat, melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in stock and milk, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and thicken 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 cup grated Parmigiano and reduce heat on lowest setting.

Wring spinach completely dry in clean kitchen towel then separate as you add it to the sauce. Also add the reserved 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Toss pasta with the spinach-white sauce and adjust seasonings.

Serve Florentine Mac-n-Cheese with 2 meatballs per person along side.

Before you leave, one more comment. Is Rachel Ray on crack? Can someone explain to me why these are "roast chicken sausage meatballs". Wouldn't they just be "roast chicken meatballs?" :)

I Don't Like Soup

I am sure I have mentioned this before but just in case I have not... Every time I suggest making soup for dinner my husband says "I don't like soup". Well to bad for him because I do. Not to mention that he is stretching the truth anyway. He likes soup but he just wants to eat all the chunks out of it and little to no broth. This time I decided to pack the soup with so many veggies that he would not have anything to complain about. I searched the refrigerator, threw in a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and called it soup. :)

I am always trying to think of quick and easy meals to have on Tuesday and Thursday evenings since I do not get home from class until 7:30 and this was the perfect meal. I chopped all my veggies and cooked the chicken on Monday night so all I had to do was throw everything into the pot and cook it. This turned out wonderful and I will definitely have to make it again.

Cleaning Out the Fridge Chicken Tortellini Soup
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients
Splash of olive oil
1 cup carrots, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 cup celery, sliced into bite size pieces
5 cans chicken broth (~70 ounces)
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Penzey's pasta sprinkle
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes
2 cups frozen tortellini
1 cup broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup spinach, roughly chopped

Directions
- Add a splash of olive oil to a large pot. Toss in the carrots, celery and garlic. Saute the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Add the cooked chicken, chicken broth and seasonings into the pot and bring to a boil.
- Once the broth is boiling add in the tortellini, broccoli and spinach. Continue boiling until tortellini is done. Enjoy.

Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup with a soda on the side. That was probably the weirdest song that I have ever heard but anytime I think of chicken noodle soup I start to sing it.

I love soup but my husband always claimed that he did not. Come to find out, he hates all the broth. So he eats all the meat, veggies and noodles and leaves the broth behind. Me on the other hand, I love the broth. Soup broth is a perfectly good reason to eat crackers (like I really need another reason to eat more crackers. :) Tonight I used whole wheat Ritz, seriously though, have you ever tried them? I think they are better than the good old fashion white flour ones. Anyway, back to the soup. I did make a few small changes to the recipe but that was only to use up some ingredients I had on hand and I also used whole wheat noodles so if you are wondering why my noodles look off-white that is why. The soup is awesome (husband approved) and I can not wait to eat the leftovers. :) Thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe Elly.


Chicken Noodle Soup
(Source: Elly Says Opa!)

2 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, diced
1.5 cups carrots, sliced
1.5 cups celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 cups homemade or good quality chicken broth or stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 (heaping) tsp. ground marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (always prefer it roasted, myself)
5 oz. (about 1.5 cups) uncooked egg noodles
fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 3 minutes before adding the celery and carrots. Continue cooking a few more minutes before adding the garlic. Stir until fragrant.

Add the chicken, broth, bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, parsley and ground pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce. Simmer lightly for 30 minutes.

Add the noodles* and simmer until cooked, about 8 minutes.

*Note: The noodles will continue to absorb the liquid as leftover sit in the pot/fridge. If you want to prevent your soup from thickening and becoming too chunky, you can reduce the amount of broth slightly and cook the noodles in a separate pot, combining with the soup in your bowl as you are about to eat.

Rollin Rollin Rollin

Quite a while ago I saw some recipes for lasagna rolls and I was quite intrigued at the thought of having a lasagna tasting dish without having to make a 10 pound pan full of food that my husband and I could never finish ourselves. I finally decided that I was going to give these little devil's a try and I am glad that I did. My husband must have reminded me a good 2 or 3 times that he really liked them.

I tried to make this recipe as healthy as I could by using whole wheat lasagna noodles, fat free cottage cheese, 2 % milk Italian cheese blend and spinach but by all means make it as healthy or unhealthy as you desire. This dish was a definite thumbs up this evening. But I think my favorite part of the whole thing is that I got to use my Pampered Chef small oval bakers again. They are so cute and I am so happy I bought them.


Chicken and Spinach Lasagna Rolls
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients
5 whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 cups spaghetti sauce

Filling ingredients
1 cup cooked chicken (shredded or finely chopped)
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup baby spinach (finely chopped)
1/4 cup 2% milk Italian cheese blend

1 egg
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

- Lay noodles into a rimmed baking sheet and cover with hot water; let rest for about 30 minutes, or until soft and pliable. (yes you can boil them if you want, this is just my short-cut)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all of the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Lightly grease baking dish(s) and add enough sauce to coat the bottom.
- Remove the noodles from the baking sheet and carefully wipe the excess water off of them. Lay a noodle onto a flat surface and spread 1/5 of the filling mixture across it. Roll up and place seam side down into prepared baking dish; repeat with remaining noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over all of the lasagna rolls.
- Cover with foil and bake 30-40 minutes.

Heaven on a Plate

I have had this recipe starred in my google reader for some time now and last night I finally had a reason to make it. My husband's parents joined us for dinner and since they were craving Italian I figured this pasta dish would be a great one to try out. It was very easy to make and besides roasting the garlic it took minimal time to make. This was a hit with everyone my husband and I both had two servings and my father in law had at least 3 and we still have lots of leftovers.


When looking at the recipe I was wondering how many heads of garlic I would have to roast to end up with 1/2 cup of garlic paste. I ended up roasting 6 small heads and that was just enough for this dish and the garlic herb swirl bread that I made to go along with it. When I told my husband that there was about 6 heads of garlic in the dish he was shocked, but I explained to him that it is roasted garlic and roasted garlic does not have as vibrant of a flavor as regular.


Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli in a White Wine Cheddar Sauce
(Source: Good Things Catered)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ziti
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup roasted garlic paste (made by roasting garlic in oven and squeezing garlic out of skin)
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c. dry vermouth or dry white wine
2 c. low-sodium chicken stock
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets(about 2 c.)
10 oz. cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (about 2 c.)
3 oz. aged reserve cheddar (preferably white), grated (about 1 1/2 c.)
4 - 6 thin strips of Parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and ground pepper

Directions:
-Bring 4 qt. of water to a boil in large pot and cook ziti according to box directions to only al dente and set aside.
-At the same time, lightly steam broccoli florets on to of pan in steamer and set aside.
-Meanwhile, melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
-When just coming to foaming, add garlic paste and cook until fragrant (about 1 min)
-Add flour and cook until beginning to turn golden (about 2 min.)
-Add vermouth and cook until evaporated (about 1 min).
-Stir broth into pan and simmer sauce until slightly thickened (about 2 min).
-Add cheddar and stir constantly while returning to a boil.
-Fold in ziti cook for one minute additional and remove from heat.
-Add broccoli and chicken and fold until sauce covers uniformly.
-Plate and top with one or two strips of Parmesan (optional) and serve.

Mini Mac

After browsing through my google reader looking for something to make to take to my aunt's house for Christmas , I came across these cute little mini macaroni and cheese bites. I thought that they were pretty cute and decided that they would be perfect. The only bad thing is that they do not stay warm for long at all so it is best to eat them as soon as they come out of the oven.

These were very easy to make and took minimal time. I did substitute Colby for the American cheese and I think next time I would choose 2 different cheeses entirely, just for a different taste.


Mini Mac and Cheese
(Source: Food&Wine via KaylaCookies)

Yield: 48 pieces

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for brushing
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup)
4 ounces deli-sliced American cheese, chopped
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°
- In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, shaking off the excess water.
- Brush four 12-cup, nonstick mini muffin tins with butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the Parmigianino; tap out the excess.
- In a large saucepan, melt the 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the cheddar and American cheeses and whisk until melted. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the macaroni.
- Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of the macaroni into the prepared muffin cups, packing them gently. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmigianino on top.
- Bake the mini macs in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5 min­utes. Using a small spoon, carefully loosen the mini macs, transfer to a platter and serve.

Alfredo bake

My inspiration for this meal was the shredded chicken I had sitting in my fridge leftover from the chicken and noodles I made the other night. No wait, I changed my mind, an even bigger inspiration for this dinner were the cute small oval baker stoneware pieces that I got from the Pampered Chef show that I hosted a couple weekends ago. They were so cute and I just could not resist them because they are perfect for individual sized portions of baked dishes and they give me the option to personalize my portion the way I want ::cough mushrooms cough::. :)

This was a quick meal that only takes a few minutes to throw together. Yeah I know it is nothing new and outrageous but I was happy to have the night off from school and anxious to update my blog.

Alfredo Pasta Bake
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:
8 oz pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup mushrooms
1.5 cups chicken, cooked and shredded or diced
1 jar alfredo sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbls butter

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Coat the bottom of the two small or one medium baking dish with a thin layer of alfredo sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, chicken, garlic and alfredo sauce until combined. Place mixture into baking dish and top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter on top of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Cold day comfort

Chicken and noodles was the one meal served in the high school cafeteria that I just could not get enough of. You have the chicken, the noodles and the gravy like sauce, what could be better? This was my first attempt at making this dish and I would have to rate it a 9 out of 10. You see, I am a big sauce person and the noodles soaked up all my sauce. I yelled at them and asked them to give it back, but they were thirsty and did not listen. ;) So next time I will have to add in more broth/stock to give me the sauce that I love so much. But the taste of the dish was right on target.

Notes: Although I poached an entire chicken I am only going to use half of the meat for this recipe and I will use the rest for a recipe later this week. But if you are serving a large group or want a lot of leftovers feel free to double all the remaining ingredients and use the entire amount of meat from the chicken.


Chicken and Noodles
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut up
3 Tbls butter
3 Tbls flour
48 oz chicken broth or stock
(^If you like a saucier dish than what is pictured add in more broth/stock)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
Pepper (to taste)
Dash of paprika
8 oz Egg noodles

Directions:
1) Put chicken pieces in the bottom of a large pot and fill with water. Bring water to a simmer and let simmer until the chicken is cooked through (30 minutes or so). Remove chicken from pot, discard the water and set aside to cool. Once chicken is cooled separate the meat from the fat and bones (save fat and bones to make chicken stock if desired) ad shred the chicken.
2) Melt butter in large pot and whisk in flour. Stir and cook for a minute or until flour is browned. Slowly whisk in chicken stock. Add in seasonings and bring broth/stock to a boil. Once at a boil add in noodles. Turn the heat down to a simmer and let simmer until noodles are done. Add in half of the shredded chicken (use the remaining for another recipe) and reduce heat to low to warm the chicken. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Magnificent manicotti

Yesterday I decided that I would make some kind of stuffed pasta for dinner tonight. I did not know what kind of noodles I was going to use or what I was going to stuff them with until I went to the store. I let my hands do the deciding and came home with manicotti noodles, frozen spinach, cottage cheese and mushrooms. I prepped the meal this afternoon (of course making one dish with mushrooms for me, and one without for my husband) and placed the dishes in the refrigerator. About 4 hours later I removed the dishes from the fridge and set them on the counter for 20 minutes to come to room temperature before cooking. While in the fridge the noodles softened from the additional water in the pasta with helped to reduce my cook time.

I must report that tonight marks a first in my kitchen. Never before have I cooked with spinach. There was barely any taste to it and I am so glad that I tried it because it is a healthy green. My husband and I both enjoyed this dish and I can't wait to eat the leftovers.



Spinach and Cheese Manicotti
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

1 box manicotti noodles
1 package fresh mushrooms
5 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz cottage cheese (ricotta can also be used)

2 cups mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 jar filled with water
*If using homemade sauce just make sure there is enough liquids in it to cook the noodles while they are in the oven.

1) In a saute pan saute the mushrooms and garlic. Remove cooked mushrooms to cutting board or food processor and dice into small pieces.
2) In a large bowl combine the cottage cheese, 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, mushrooms, parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper, and eggs. Combine until well mixed. In another large bowl combine the pasta sauce with the water.
3) If you are baking right away, Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4) Scoop enough sauce into the a 9 x 13 casserole dish to cover the bottom. Stuff all the manicotti noodles and place them into the sauce (Using a pastry bag with a wide end tip is a great way to quickly stuff the noodles). Pour remaining sauce over top of noodles and cover with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and either refrigerate until ready to cook or place in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Let set for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Light delight

I was very excited to be back in the kitchen tonight and to be able to cook a nice meal. And what better thing to make than chicken Parmesan. As always this was a hit and my husband and I gobbled it up. This may be a light recipe but it does not lack in flavor. This stuff is awesome. And a huge thanks goes out to Laura (the queen of all things Cook's Illustrated) who was nice enough to share this recipe with me last year.

Now, let's talk about Panko. Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs. They are not as tiny and coarse as regular breadcrumbs, they are bigger and have an airy texture to them which helps to provide a nice crunch to whatever you coat with them. I used Ian's whole wheat Panko, but regular and seasoned varieties are also available. Panko can be used in place of breadcrumbs in any recipe. I have even been putting Panko in my meatballs and meatloaf. Now go run out and buy some Panko and make something with it! Then report back to me and let me know how wonderful you think it is. ;)


Chicken Parmesan (Light Version)
(Source: Cook's Illustrated; The Best Light Recipe cookbook)

Ingredients:
1.5 cups Panko
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 oz. grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp water
vegetable oil spray
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to 1/4 inch thick, or sliced in half to make cutlets)
1 recipe for Simple Tomato Sauce for Chicken Parmesan
3 oz low-fat mozzarella, shredded (3/4 cup)
1 tbsp fresh basil, minced

Directions:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.
2. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tbsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.
3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with veg oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with S&P. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking of excess, then dip into egg whites, and finally coat with the bread crumbs. Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.
4. Spray the tops of the chicken with the veg oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tbsp. sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top with 2 tbsp. of mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Per serving: 310 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5g sat fat, 75mg cholesterol, 20g carbs, 38g protein, 790g sodium

Simple Tomato Sauce
(Source: Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients:
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Pulse the tomatoes with their juices in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 10 1-second pulses; set aside. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil, and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with S&P to taste.

This is what the chicken looked like when it came out of the oven. Notice my very well seasoned stone. :) In case I have never said it before I absolutely love my Pampered Chef stoneware and have about 8 different pieces.

Ziti on the fly

My sister had found a recipe for baked ziti and kept mentioning how good it sounded. I am not sure if that was a hint to me to make it for her or what, but I decided to go ahead and make some since I had never made it before. I looked at about 10 different recipes and they all had the same concept but different ingredients. So I took the basic concept and went with it.

The end result was a saucy, cheesy, meaty, noodle filled dish that was sure to delight. My husband and I enjoyed it very much and I will definitely have to make it again. Since we are used to just ground beef in pasta dishes that we really loved the taste difference that the sausage added. Thumbs up all around.

And by the way Cassi, I will save some for you so you can satisfy your baked ziti craving. :)

Baked Ziti
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:
1 box (16 oz) Ziti pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb pork sausage
Salt, black pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes (all to taste)
12 oz cottage cheese (or ricotta if you prefer)
1/2 cup (4 oz) mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
8 slices provolone cheese

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season water with salt, boil pasta till al dente; drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile brown sausage and ground beef in skillet and season with desired amounts of salt, black pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes. Drain excess grease away from meats and return back to skillet. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce and let simmer until you are ready to assemble the dish.
- Place enough sauce mixture on the bottom of the pan so the noodles won't stick. Then assemble the rest of the dish- half of the cooked noodles, all of the cottage cheese, 4 slices of provolone cheese, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, remaining noodles, half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, remaining sauce, remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let set 10 minutes to cool before serving.

Tetra-what?

My friend Jessica shared this recipe and I was very excited to make it. At first I was just going to cut the recipe in half but then I decided I better make the whole thing. With school starting up next week and me having classes 4 nights a week I knew that the extra effort today would pay off in the near future. I ended up dividing this into 3 different dishes. One for me with mushrooms :) one for my husband without mushrooms and one to freeze for a later date.

My husband and I really enjoyed this meal. It was very creamy and had a good flavor but I think that some parsley would be a great addition to it.


Chicken Tetrazzini
(Adapted from CookingLight.com)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
Cooking spray
1 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 (8-ounce) packages presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup dry sherry
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
7 cups hot cooked vermicelli (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 (1-ounce) slice white bread

Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt butter in large stockpot coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, pepper, salt, and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute.
- Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Gradually add flour to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly (mixture will be thick) with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- Add 1 3/4 cups Parmesan cheese and cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until cream cheese melts. Add the pasta and chicken, and stir until blended. Divide the pasta mixture between 2 (8-inch-square) baking dishes coated with cooking spray.
- Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture.
- Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove casserole from oven; let stand 15 minutes.
- To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare through Step 5. Cool completely in refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.
- To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw casserole completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 350º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 1 hour or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes.

My modifications:
- I did not have any sherry so I used the only thing that I had, pinot grigio
- I also omitted the celery and onions due to personal tastes
- I added 5 cloves of minced garlic in while sauteing the mushrooms
- I was in a pinch to get this in the oven so instead of using fresh bread put through the processor I just used store bought breadcrumbs

Spicy, Garlicky and Limey

I was at a loss for what to make for dinner tonight. Then a friend asked me if I had ever made the Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken from allrecipes. I told her no and she told me to make it because she had it on her must try list forever and has yet to make it. It was something different so I said sure. Then I asked her about sides. She said corn. I said what about orzo, she said yum, I said WAIT, how about pasta! We both agreed that sounded like the winning dish. So by combining a few ingredients from that recipe with some ideas from my head I came up with an amazing pasta dish.

In fact, it was so good that while my husband was reaching for his third (yes, third) helping he said "This is some good shit".

* In case you are looking at this recipe for the 2nd time and are wondering why it looks different, it is because I changed it around a bit today. I am not sure that marinading it was the best way to go about it. So now it takes even less time to make this wonderful meal.
If you make it and enjoy it please let me know. :)

Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken broth
1.5 tbls lime juice (adjusting amount to your liking)
1 tbls corn starch
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried parsley
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
1 tbls butter
Few drizzles of olive oil
8 oz pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)
1-2 cups broccoli florets
Optional - Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:
1) Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of pasta cook time add the broccoli into the boiling water. Drain.
2) Mix together all the sauce ingredients (chicken broth through parsley) and set aside.
3) Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add bite size chicken pieces into heated pan. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan with the chicken and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
4) Toss cooked broccoli and pasta with the chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired and serve.

Macaroni and WOW!

A couple weeks ago I bought a block of "Vintage garlic cheddar" cheese at the local farmer's market. I had been dying to use the cheese on something. Tonight I decided to make macaroni and cheese out of it. It was the cheesiest most garlicy mac and cheese I have ever had. YUM!

Bev's Macaroni and Cheese
(Source: http://www.recipezaar.com/)

2 tbls butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions

1) Melt butter in medium saucepan.
2) Stir in flour, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth.
3) Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk until smooth.
4) Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thickened (about 10 minutes).
5) Remove from heat.
6) Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted.
7) Combine cheese mixture with macaroni in greased 2 quart casserole.
8) Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
9) Bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
10) Makes 6 servings.

My modifications
* Used a white "vintage garlic cheddar" cheese
* Omitted the dry mustard and added a dash of ground nutmeg