baked pasta fredo

8 oz. penne or bowtie pasta

1 recipe sauce (recipe below)

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

6 oz. crumbled bacon

1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta just short of al dente--will continue to cook in the oven.

While pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella. Season to taste.

Transfer mixture to an 8×8″ baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:
2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.  In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using.

lasagna

makes enough for one 8x8 pan and a loaf pan (to give to a friend or to freeze) or one 9x13


for the meat sauce:

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion diced finely
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

for the cheese layer:

16 oz large curd full fat cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp salt

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

for assembly:

5 slices provolone cheese

5 slices mozzarella cheese

1 box of no boil lasagna noodles (8-10 pasta sheets)

Put the ground beef, onion and carrot in a large pan and brown over medium-high heat.  Drain the fat and add the garlic.  Pour in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and water.  Stir together and start breaking the tomatoes up a bit.  Add the salt, sugar, pepper and italian seasoning.  Let simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

In a small dish stir the cottage cheese, eggs, salt and parmesan cheese together.

Spray your pans with cooking spray and ladle in some of the meat sauce (enough to coat the bottom of the pans.  Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, break them so that they cover the whole bottom of the pan.  Top with the cottage cheese mixture, then the meat sauce and then top with the sliced cheese.  Repeat the layers until you are out of ingredients.  Make sure your last layer is sliced cheese.

Cover the pans with foil that you have sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes.

 

Let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes before serving.

40 Clove Crock Pot Chicken

4 chicken breasts with skin on
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
40 cloves of garlic, peeled but still whole (about 3 bulbs of garlic)
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter

1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with non-stick spray. Rub the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place in the crock pot.

2. Heat your olive oil in a small skillet and add the peeled, whole garlic.  Cook for 5-8 minutes over medium heat until the garlic is golden and fragrant.  Add the chicken stock and cook another 3-5 minutes over medium heat.

3. Pour the garlic and stock mixture over the chicken in the crock pot, and sprinkle the thyme and rosemary over everything. Add in the bay leaf. Turn the crock pot to low and cook for 3-4 hours.  When ready, remove the chicken and place on a separate platter, then cover with foil to retain its heat. Set aside.

4. Pour the juices from the pot through a mesh sieve into a pot, then press the garlic through the sieve to form a paste. Cook the gravy with a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Serve over the chicken with mashed potatoes.

crock pot roast

2-4 lb roast
1 lb of carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 in long sections (more carrots if you love carrots)
1 lb red potatoes, quartered
1-2 cans campbells french onion soup
2-4 cans beef broth or stock
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Place the carrots and potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot, then place the roast on top.  Season with garlic salt and pepper (I usually sprinkle the salt over the roast until it is covered with a very sparse layer of salt).  Then pour in the cans of soup and broth (you want the roast to be almost submerged).  If that isn't enough liquid you can use water as well.  Turn the crockpot on low and leave on for 8hrs or until you can shred the meat easily with a fork.

(i like to use the left over meat as the roast in french dip sandwiches or in burritos)

sour cream chicken enchiladas

• 2-1/2 cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 12-18 whole Corn Tortillas
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 2-1/2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese (i use a mixture of jack and cheddar), Grated
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken and half of the green chilies. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you'd like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

beef stroganoff with tomato sauce and mushrooms

1 package of no yolks wide egg noodles

1 small can of tomato paste

1 can of beef bouillon (I always use Campbell's brand)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2- 1 lb beef tenderloin tips

1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tbs butter

garlic salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan melt the butter over medium heat and add the sliced onions.  Cook and stir until the onions are translucent.  Season the beef tips with garlic salt and pepper.  Place pieces of beef in the saute pan with the onions in a single layer.  Cook for 3 minutes and then turn the meat and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook until soft.  Add the tomato paste and stir until fragrant.  Then add the can of bouillon and bring to a boil.  Once the sauce has come to a boil reduce heat to low and simmer while preparing the noodles.  Boil egg noodles according to package directions.  When the noodles are done take the sauce off of the heat and stir in the sour cream.  Top the noodles with the sauce and serve immediately.

6 servings

take-out fake-out: bj's buffalo chicken pizza

1/3 recipe of deep dish pizza dough (recipe to follow)
1 cooked chicken breast diced
1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
4-5 tbs Red's hot sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 oz blue cheese crumbled
Ranch dressing for serving

Pizza Dough:
          1 1/3 cup warm milk
          1 tsp salt
          4 cups flour
          1 tbs sugar
          1 package active dry yeast
          2 tbs vegetable oil (for dough)
          1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil (for pan)

       

mix yeast, salt, sugar and warm milk in the bowl of your stand mixer.  let stand for 2 minutes.  mix in oil.  add flour slowly, mixing using the paddle attachment.  once all the flour has been added, switch to the dough hook attachment and knead for 5 minutes on medium speed, or until dough is smooth and not sticky.  divide dough into 3 pieces.  at this point you can either get your dough in your greased round cake pan or packaged for freezing.

since we're making buffalo chicken pizza you will want to grease a 9in round cake pan with the remaining vegetable oil (make sure the sides are greased).  place 1 of the dough pieces in the pan and spread it using fingers.  brush the top of the dough with a little vegetable oil, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hr in a warm place.  once the dough has risen for 1hr punch down and press dough up the sides of the pan and let rise again for 30-40 minutes.  while you are waiting for the second rise get all of the other ingredients ready and preheat your oven to 450.  

mix the hot sauce with sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  toss the chicken in the sauce.  top the dough with half of the mozzarella, then the chicken and sauce and followed by the remaining mozzarella.  if desired spread the crumbled blue cheese on top.

bake at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  serve with ranch dressing drizzled over the pizza.

pork potstickers

1/2 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup chives
2/3 cup green onions
1 cup Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Wonton wrappers (about 30)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 recipe Orange Sesame dipping sauce, for serving (follows)

Cook the ground pork over medium heat until done. Add the remaining ingredients (through garlic) and cook until the greens are wilted nicely. Let mixture cool just a bit and add it to the bowl of a food processor. Process the filling until it reaches the desired consistency.

Lay a wrapper on a flat, dry surface put a Tbsp of mixture in in the middle. Using your fingers, wet the wonton wrapper surrounding the filling and fold the dumpling, pressing the seams together: bring two opposite corners to the center, bring the remaining corners to the center one at a time and press tightly.

Add oil to a skillet (a clean skillet) and add dumplings. Add 1/3 cup water to the pan and cover tightly. Remove from heat when the dumplings are golden brown on one side (about 4 minutes).

Orange Sesame dipping sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp lite soy sauce
2 Tbsp chives
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice

Whisk together all ingredients, adjust seasoning to taste.