Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce

8 oz penne or other tube pasta
1 (14.5) oz can Diced tomatoes (I like petite diced)
1/2 c. fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

I always double this recipe!  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Cook tomatoes over medium-high heat in skillet until thickened, about 5-10 minutes.  Season to taste.  I usually add garlic powder and onion powder for my flavor along with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat; add basil and cream.  Heat through.  DO NOT BOIL.  Toss with pasta and cheese.  Serve immediately.  This can be a side dish or the main meal.  I like to add cooked chicken to make it more substantial and serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Roasted Butternut Squash Bacon Pasta

I had three butternut squashed that needed used and didn't really know what to do with them. So I turned to google and this is what I found....Roasted Butternut Squash Bacon Pasta. It turned out really yummy and I made it twice because I only used one squash per time.

Hearty Bacon Potato Chowder

I have always thought potato soup was just okay, I would eat it, but it wasn't that exciting. I found this recipe a few years ago in a Church cookbook and it is my favorite potato soup recipe so far. It is thicker than soup, chowder, but so good and usually a big hit when I make it.

Hearty Bacon Potato Chowder
8 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
6 medium cubed 1/2 inch new red potatoes (I have actually never used this kind of potato, but would probably be good, I usually just peel regular russett potatoes)
2 medium chopped onions
8 oz ctn sour cream
1 1/4 c milk
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 (8 oz) can corn, drained
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme leaves

In 3 quart saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes, add potatoes and onions. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (15 to 20 minutes). Add remaining ingredients. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through (10 to 12 minutes).

We had the missionaries over for dinner a week or so ago and it was uncharacteristically freezing here so I took advantage of the cold to make this. I doubled the recipe, and good thing too, there was hardly any leftovers. I served it with cornbread muffins.

Chicken Enchiladas Blancas

I thought these enchilidas were Soooooo yummy. They are my favorite enchilada recipe that I have tried so far! I did forget to add the beans, though. I was bummed, but Stephen was happy because he doesn't like beans! Weirdo! I am pretty sure I used more cheese than it called for too, but I didn't measure.

Chicken Enchiladas Blancas
3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C sour cream
1/2 C green salsa
1 onion, diced (or 1/2 of one, grated)
1 T. butter
1 can diced green chilies
2 C shredded monterey-jack cheese
1 can white pinto beans, rinsed and drained
10 flour torillas

Saute onion in butter til clear, add garlic and chilies and saute for 2 minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients, except for tortillas and reserving 1 cup of cheese. Place about 1/3 cup filling in each tortilla and roll up. Place in sprayed 9 by 13 pan. Use any remaining sauce to top enchiladas. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes til hot and bubbly. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and guacamole.

Tater-topped Casserole

I got this recipe out of a Kraft foods magazine. It isn't really anything special, but I like it because everyone in the family will eat it.

tater-topped casserole
6 servings

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb (1/2 of 32-oz pkg) frozen bite-size seasoned potato nuggets

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Brown meat with onions in skillet, stirring occasionally, drain. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish.
Mix soup and milk; pour over meat mixture. Top with layers of mixed vegetables, cheese and potatoes.
Bake 45 min. or until potatoes are golden brown and caserole is heated through.


This picture was taken before baking while potatoes are still frozen. I forgot to take a picture after baking and before eating. :o)

Butternut Squash Mac-n-Cheese

We recently joined a Dinner Co-op with 3 other families from Church. Basically, I make all of them dinner on Wednesday and bring it to their home for them. Three other nights of the week I am getting dinner brought to my house from the other families. This is my first week and it is so fun having dinner just show up at the doorstep! For my first meal I made this mac-n-cheese along with a green salad and snickers salad. I got this recipe from a Rachael Ray cookbook and I love it because it adds a little umph to the meal that your kids don't see coming.

Boo's Butternut Squash Mac-n-Cheese

Coarse Salt
1 pound macaroni with ridges, such as tubettini or mini penne rigate
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, plus a few sprigs for garnish
1/2 medium onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 10-ounce box frozen cooked butternut squash, defrosted
1 cup cream or half-and-half
2 cups (8 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water, then add the pasta and cook al dente, or with a bite to it.

While the pasta cooks, heat a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the EVOO and butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the thyme and grate the onion directly into the pot with a hand-held grater or Microplane. Cook the grated onion for a minute or 2, then add the flour and cook together for a minute or 2 more. Whisk in the stock, then add the butternut squash and cook until warmed through and smooth. Stir in the cream and bring the sauce to a bubble. Stir in the cheeses in a figure-eight motion and season the completed sauce with salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings.

Drain the cooked pasta well and combine with the sauce. Serve alongside chicken sammies or all on its own with a green salad. Garnish with thyme leaves.

5 Servings

Messy Giuseppes

I got this recipe off the Rachael Ray Show a couple years ago and it is by far one of my favorites and I have made it several times. Regular old sloppy joes will never be the same after you have tried this recipe. So yummy!

Messy Giuseppes
Sloppy Joe's Italian Cousin!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound ground, 90 percent lean sirloin
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium portobello mushroom cap, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon (eyeball it) allspice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 cup (a couple of glugs) red wine
3/4 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup (a generous handful) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
5-8 fresh basil leaves, about 1/4 cup, chopped
1/4 cup (a small handful) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese
4 individual ciabatta rolls or any kind of crusty hoagie rolls
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation
Preheat the broiler to high.
For the meat sauce, heat a deep skillet or a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of EVOO, twice around the pan. Add the ground beef and cook until lightly browned, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Add green pepper, onion, 3/4 of the garlic, mushrooms, allspice, red pepper flakes and a little salt and pepper to the beef and cook for about 5-8 minutes.

Add the wine and cook another minute then add the beef stock, Worcestershie and tomatoes. Bring the mixture up to a bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Finish it by stirring in a handful of chopped parsley.

While the meat is simmering, combine the remaining garlic with the soft butter, basil, parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Split the rolls in half lengthwise without cutting all the way through and separating the halves. Press open the rolls by flattening them out a little bit. Slather the insides with the butter and place 2 slices of the mozzarella on each roll. Toast until golden brown under the broiler, about 2-3 minutes.

Top one side of the cheesy garlic rolls with a heap of meat and get prepared to get sloppy with Messy Giuseppe!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

I have made this recipe twice now and it has been a big hit. Stephen especially loves it and it is a new favorite. Even Kensley ate her plate. This can even be frozen for later and I look forward to using it as a freezer recipe someday when I have freezer space!

Honey Lime Enchiladas
from SistersCafe

1.5 lbs cooked, shredded pork or chicken

Sauce:
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. lime juice
1 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce

equal parts mixed:
mozzarella cheese, shredded
cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes. (I added a can of black beans drained and rinsed to my chicken mixture).

Lightly spray pans with non-stick spray. Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Williams Sonoma Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe was a big hit and I made it twice in the same week because I had enough ingredients on hand to make it again. We didn't even have any leftovers.

W-S Chicken Pot Pie
1 cup sliced peeled carrots
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
2 T unsalted butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half-n-half
1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 9-inch pie dough round

Preheat oven to 400. Boil carrots for 5 minutes, boil corn for one minute. Drain and set aside. In large frying pan with lid, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook, uncovered, for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned on all sides. Sprinkle in flour and stir well. Stir in the stock, half and half, and parsley, and bring to a simmer. Cover, redue heat to low, and simmer for 6-7 minutes. Stir in veggies, including peas. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 9 inch pie dish. Brush some egg yolk in a border around edge of pie dough. Place dough, egg side down, over the filling and press to rim of dish. Brush surfac lightly with remaining egg yolk. Cut a few slits in center of the top with the tip of a knife. Place pie dish on a baking sheet to catch spills. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.