Spinach & Bow Tie Salad

Salad:

1 11 oz can of mandarin oranges

one bag of baby spinach

slivered almonds to taste

sesame seeds to taste

chopped green onions

chopped red onions

1 bag of bow tie pasta

 

Boil the pasta following package directions and let cool.  Mix the spinach and pasta together and then layer toppings as desired.

Dressing:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

 

Put all ingredients into a sauce pan and heat to a boil stirring.  Let boil, while stirring, for 2 mins.  Let cool completely.

Spicy Sausage Pasta

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings (I made 1 1/2 the recipe for the exchange)

Skillet Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

3 ½ c water, plus extra if needed

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

12 oz (about 3 cups) elbow macaroni

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cornstarch

½ tsp dry mustard

¼ tsp hot sauce

6 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (1 ½ cups)

6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 ½ cups)

1 Tbs butter, cut into small chunks

Ground black pepper to taste.

Bring 3 ½ cups water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the macaroni, and ½ tsp salt to a simmer in a 12” nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has thickened, 9-12 minutes.

Whisk the remaining ½ cup evaporated milk, the cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce together in a small bowl, then stir into the skillet. Continue to simmer slightly thickened,  about 1 minutes

Off the heat, stir in the cheeses, one handful at a time, adding water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce (I don’t need any additional water when I made it). Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Marvelous Shells 'N' Cheese

1 package (16 oz) medium pasta shells

1 package (8 oz) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

1/3 cup milk

2 cups (16 oz) cottage cheese

1 can (10 ¾ oz) condensed cream of onion soup, undiluted

3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

2/3 cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup butter, melted

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine process cheese and milk; cook and stir over low heat until melted.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in cottage cheese and soup.

Drain pasta and add to cheese sauce; stir until coated.  Transfer to a greased 13-in. X 9-in. baking dish.  Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend.  Toss breadcrumbs with butter; sprinkle over the top.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. 

Serves 6-10

Beef Stroganoff

1 pound cubed beef stew meat
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Can mushrooms (with juice)
1 - 16 oz container of sour cream
1 package bow tie pasta

In a slow cooker, combine the meat, onion, Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms.

Cook on Low setting for 8 hours, or on High setting for about 5 hours. Stir in sour cream just before serving.

Serve over noodles.

Creamy Baked Penne

1 12-16 oz pacakge Penne Pasta

2 TB Oil

1 Cube Chicken Buillon

1 Cube Garlic or 1 garlic clove

8 oz Cream Cheese

1 Can Tomatoes with Green Chiles

2 cups cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook penne noodles according to package directions 7-9 Minutes.

Drain pasta, then add base, and 1/2 cup cheese, mix in pan.

Put in 9x13 casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil so pasta doesn't dry out.

Cook for  15 min or long enough  for cheese to melt

Skillet Baked Ziti

1 Tbs olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Salt
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 c water
3 ¾ c ziti pasta
½ cup heavy cream
½ grated parmesan cheese
¼ c minced fresh basil
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 475

Combine oil, garlic, red pepper and ½ tsp salt in 12” oven safe nonstick skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and ½ tsp salt. Cover and cook stirring often and adjust heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender: about 15-18 minutes

Stir in cream, parmesan and basil. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes. Serve

Chicken Scampi

Saute the following in a large skillet until chicken is cooked:
2 Chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 Tb each butter & olive oil
2 tsp Sicilian seasoning
2 tsp Parmesan blend
(These are both bread dipping spices in a big cylinder labeled Dean Jacob’s or Delallo)

Remove chicken from pan and sauté the following until tender/crisp:
1 of each red, orange & yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp each butter & olive oil

Add the following to the peppers and stir until hot:
½ C heavy cream
½ C water
1 Tb chicken bullion
1 Tb fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp garlic salt

Toss with:
12-16 oz Pkg Linguine or Angel Hair pasta
1 ½ C Parmesan

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (or .5 t garlic powder)
1 medium onion, diced
1 red or green pepper, diced
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 large can green chili enchilada sauce
1 can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup sour cream
Penne pasta

Optional toppings
Avocado
Green Onions
Black Olives
Tomatoes
Sour Cream

Cook chicken, drain, and shred or cube. Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic & pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Add cooked chicken, green chilies, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil! Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle. Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

Drain pasta & return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.

Italian Chicken Soup

1 box Ditalini pasta or other mini pasta
1 whole chicken, cooked & shredded
8 c chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 jalapenos, (seeds removed) diced
1 Tb olive oil
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
2 c heavy cream
1/3 c olive oil
4 Tb minced fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package. Heat small skillet over med. Add 1/3 c olive oil & oregano & turn off heat, stirring for a minute to keep from burning. Set aside.
In large pot, saute onion, peppers, & celery in 1 Tb olive oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown. Add broth, chicken & tomatoes with their juice. Boil, then reduce to simmer. Add cooked pasta, cream, oregano & olive oil from the skillet. Stir and turn off heat. Serve with lots of parmesan on top, and Italian bread.

Lasagna

1 lb hamburger, thawed
8-10 Lasagna Noodles
1 onion, chopped
1 can 16 oz Tomato Sauce
1 can 28 oz can whole Tomatoes (optional if you want it more "saucy")
1 small can 6 oz Tomato Paste
1/2-3/4 cup water
2 Tbs Parsley
1 Tbs Basil
1 Tbs Oregano
16 oz Cottage Cheese
Grated cheese
Salt/Pepper

Brown hamburger in pan along with chopped onion. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water and seasonings. While sauce is cooking boil the lasagna noodles in a pot of boiling water for 9-11 minutes. Layer in lasagna pan in this order... sauce, noodles, cottage cheese (I add a little bit of parsley to the cottage cheese), cheese and repeat twice. Cook at 350 oven for 1 hour.

Baked Camembert Pasta

1 x 8-ounce box of Camembert cheese
2 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried rigatoni
6 cups (approx. 6 ounces) fresh spinach
4 ounces Parmesan Cheese

To prepare your pasta
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Open the box of cheese and unwrap it. Place it back in
the wooden container. Score a circle into the top of the skin, lift it off and discard.
Peel and finely slice the garlic. Pick the rosemary leaves off the woody stalk. Lay the
garlic slices on top of the cheese, sprinkle with some pepper and drizzle with a little
extra virgin olive oil. Scatter over the rosemary leaves and gently pat with your
fingers to coat them in the oil.

To cook your pasta
Place the box of cheese on a cookie sheet and put it into the preheated oven for 25
minutes, until golden and melted. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water
to a boil. When your cheese has 10 minutes left to cook, add the rigatoni to the
pan and cook according to package instructions. When pasta is cooked, add the
spinach to the pan. Drain the pasta and spinach in a colander over a large bowl,
reserving some of the cooking water. Return the pasta and spinach to the pan and
let it wilt. Drizzle with a couple of good lugs of extra virgin olive oil and add the
grated parmesan. If the sauce is too thick for you, add a splash of the reserved
cooking water to thin it out a bit. Season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir.
Remove cheese from oven.

To serve your pasta
Divide the pasta between serving bowls. Drizzle the melted Camembert on top.
Serve with bread.

Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken Pasta

1 lb chicken (2-3 breasts)
6 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
6.5 ounces Artichoke Hearts (chopped)
2 T basil
1/8 cup white wine (I used the non-alcoholic cooking version)
½ package bacon (cooked crispy and crumbled)
1 cup chicken stock or heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
Farfalle (bow tie) pasta

Grill the chicken add the mushrooms until soft. Add the rest of ingredients and serve over pasta.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun- Dried Tomatoes

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients
6 tablespoon(s) butter, plus more for baking dishes
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
1 pound(s) penne rigate
1 teaspoon(s) olive oil
2 (8 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
4 clove(s) garlic, minced
6 cup(s) whole milk
1/2 cup(s) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup(s) (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella
1 cup(s) (4 ounces) finely grated Parmesan
Optional: 10 ounce(s) white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 9x13 dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Cut into pieces.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
6. To make ahead, prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

Lasagna

16 lasagna noodles (I like the ones you don't have to boil)
1 pound hamburger
1 large can spaghetti sauce
1 large carton cottage cheese
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
Mozzarella cheese and parmesan

Brown hamburger, drain grease and add to spaghetti sauce. Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream to make white layer. Put a small amount of spaghetti sauce on bottom of a 9x13 pan to keep from sticking. Then a layer of noodles, layer of white sauce, layer of spaghetti sauce, then layer of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle of parmesan. Repeat 3 times until all ingredients are used. Bake at 350 covered for 1 hour.

Chicken Penne Pasta

1 Package Penne pasta
Chicken breast meat (however much you like)
1 jar Classico brand, Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce
1 jar Classico brand, Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce (I have also used the Roasted Pepper flavor and it was really good too)
Cracked pepper
Garlic

Pour both jars into your baking dish, Add a couple cloves of garlic and some cracked pepper. Add chicken and bake in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Boil pasta and with 10 minutes left of the timer add the boiled noodles to the chicken and sauce.

Pasta Carbonara

1/2 lb. prosciutto, bacon, or ham cut into small pieces
4 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream at room temperature
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 oz. dry spaghetti or fettuccine pasta
1/4 cup chopped parsley
ground black pepper to taste

Cook ham/bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. In medium bowl, beat together eggs and cream just until blended. Stir in cheese and set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pan. Toss with bacon and cheese mixture and toss gently until mixed.

Vegetable Lasagna

Sauce:

6 Tb Olive oil
½ C Onion
4 Cloves minced garlic
¼ Fennel bulb, chopped
½ Red pepper, seed & dice
½ C Shredded carrot
1 28 oz. Can diced tomatoes
2 C Tomato sauce
2 Tb Fresh oregano
2 Tb Fresh basil
1 ½ C Dry white wine or chicken broth
¼ lb. Chopped mushrooms
2 tsp. Sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Filling:

1 C Fresh or frozen spinach
3 C Ricotta cheese
1/3 C Parmesan
2 Tb Fresh basil
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Nutmeg
2 Eggs, beaten
2 C Mozzarella
2/3 C Parmesan
1 lb. Oven ready Lasagna noodles

For sauce, sauté oil, onion and garlic in large pot. Add the next 8 ingredients. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes until vegetables are soft and the sauce cooks down and starts to thicken slightly. Add the last 4 sauce ingredients; simmer 5 minutes. Puree in blender. You should have about 6 cups.

For filling, combine all 8 ingredients in large bowl. Combine mozzarella and 2/3 cup parmesan in a separate bowl.

Grease a 9x13 pan. Coat the pan with 1 cup of sauce. Top with one layer of noodles, then 1 cup of ricotta mixture. Top with 1 light layer of spinach and ½ cup cheese mixture. Top with 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers 3 more times, ending with 1 layer pasta, sauce, then cheese.

Bake 375 for 30 minutes until bubbly and starts to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

From frozen, bake covered 45 minutes or until bubbly. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes or until cheese just starts to brown.

Baked Ziti

Makes either a very full 9 x 13" pan or 2 8 x 8" pans, and it freezes very well.

1 lb. ziti noodles
1 small onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef
2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used traditional Prego)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
6 oz. provolone, sliced (can be found next to the pre-packaged lunch meats or in the deli section)
2 Tb. parmesan cheese, grated

Brown onion with the beef. Drain. Cook ziti noodles and drain them. Pour 1 jar of spaghetti sauce into meat and 1 jar of sauce into the noodles. Put ingredients in 9 x 13" pan in the following order:
1. Pour half of the noodle/sauce mixture into pan.
2. Layer provolone slices on top.
3. Spread all the sour cream on top of provolone.
4. Put half of meat/sauce mixture on top of that.
5. Sprinkle on all the mozzarella cheese.
6. Pour remaining noodles on top of mozzarella.
7. Pour remaining meat mixture on top.
8. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 min. at 350*.
Remove foil and bake 5 more min. to make cheese bubbly. Enjoy!

Rosemary Chicken Alfredo

Cook alfredo noodles per package instructions. Grill desired amount of chicken and spice to taste (I used a general "Italian seasoning")

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 oz grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp pepper

Melt butter in saucepan. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with whisk until smooth. Add milk a little at a time, whisking out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Toss noodles with sauce and top with chicken and mozzarella cheese. Top with desired spices (I used rosemary, and Italian seasoning).