Best Spaghetti Carbonara Ever!

I love a good spaghetti Carbonara.... anything with bacon in it is amazing if you ask me. This recipe was shown on America's Test kitchen and of coarse I had to try it out. It's important to prep everything before you start cooking so you can work fast when making the sauce... the hot water from the pasta helps cook the eggs. I added some thinly sliced grilled chicken to this to make it heartier but it isn't necessary. I also added some cherry tomatoes that I had sliced in half at the end. My garden was exploding with them. Nice addition if you have them. Enjoy!

Best Spaghetti Carbonara ever!

6 to 8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound Spaghetti
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 or 2 Tablespoons cream (optional)
Cherry tomatoes, sliced (if desired)

Bring bacon and water to simmer in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook until water evaporates and bacon begins to sizzle, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until fat renders and bacon browns, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Strain bacon mixture onto a paper towel lined plate or bowl and set aside. Measure out 1 tablespoon fat and place in medium bowl. Whisk Parmesan, eggs, and pepper into fat until combined. 
Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Set colander in large bowl. Add spaghetti and salt to pot; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Drain spaghetti in colander set in bowl, reserving cooking water. Pour 1 cup cooking water into liquid measuring cup and discard remainder. Return spaghetti to now-empty bowl.
Drain the rest of the fat from your skillet. Add cherry tomatoes if using them. Cook for a minute. then add your spaghetti to the skillet and toss. Turn heat off.
Slowly whisk ½ cup reserved cooking water into Parmesan mixture. Gradually pour Parmesan mixture over spaghetti, tossing to coat. Add bacon mixture and toss to combine. Let spaghetti rest, tossing frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and coats spaghetti, 2 to 4 minutes, adjusting consistency with remaining reserved cooking water if needed.  Garnish with more Parmesan Cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Ever!

I love spaghetti and meatballs..... I watched a food network show and the chef soaked their breadcrumbs in milk before adding to the meat mixture. I gave it a try and it makes a difference! The meatballs were so moist! I also finish cooking my pasta in the sauce.... I cook in boiling water till al dente then just a couple more minutes in the sauce. YUMMO! I also like cooking my sauce in the oven for a couple of hours in my big dutch oven pot, love the roasted flavor the sauce gets. Enjoy!

Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Ever

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup diced roasted red bell peppers and green peppers

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy

1 tablespoon tomato paste

One 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried Oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatballs:

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup milk

1 to 2 lbs ground beef

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley or dried works

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup minced onion

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Instructions: 

For the meatballs: Soak the panko in the milk for 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, Parmesan, parsley, minced onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and some salt and pepper and the soaked panko. Mix well to combine; do not overwork. Form into 2 inch- balls. I dump the mixture out onto a sheet of wax paper. Pat into a rectangle about an inch thick. Then cut into rows both lengthwise and width-wise (is that even a word?) Each square should be enough for about a golf-ball size meatball--Form meatballs and place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook meatballs in oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. 

While meatballs are cooking make the Sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a large, dutch oven medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, roasted bell peppers and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, 1 cup water, and some salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer.

When Meatballs are mostly done, add to the sauce. Turn oven down to 250 to 275 degrees. Place the lid onto the dutch oven and put in the oven. let this cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours. 

When sauce is almost ready, cook pasta according to the package directions just to al dente. Drain but save a cup of the water. 

Get your dutch oven out of the oven, and check , if sauce is too thick ad 1/2 to 1 cup of the pasta water and stir. Bring up to a simmer on the stove and add your pasta, let simmer for another minute or two. Garnish individual servings with some grated parmesan cheese. Serve along side a steamed veggie and crusty french bread. Enjoy!!

The Best Mac & Cheese Ever!!

Don't you LOVE mac & cheese. I have always made homemade mac and cheese from my mother's stand-by recipe. I don't bake it though, tends to make the noodles soak up all the sauce. I ran across this recipe at different web sites and blogs and all were pretty similar. It's a copy cat recipe for Panera Bread company's mac and cheese, and it's pretty darn close. Mac and cheese is a comfort food to me. I served along side ribs and brisket for the 4th of July. Enjoy!!

Best Ever Mac & Cheese

1- 16-ounce Package of Medium shell pasta

¼ cup butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2½ cup milk

6 Slices white American cheese, (not the prepackaged, individual sliced cheese, get the American cheese in the deli) sliced into thin strips

8 oz extra-sharp white cheddar, shredded

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon hot sauce

Fresh ground pepper for Garnish (optional)

Ingredients:

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

In large saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, 

whisking constantly. 

Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat.

Add cheeses, mustard, salt, and hot sauce, stirring until cheese melts and sauce   is smooth.

Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat for 1 minute (or until thoroughly heated). Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh ground pepper if desired. 

YUM!

Grilled Mushroom and Zucchini Carbonara

I love pasta.... most anything made with pasta is delicious! I saw this recipe on the internet, on Facebook maybe? or pinterest? It was made with Asparagus and mushrooms, but since asparagus season was mostly over and my garden was springing forth with zucchini... I substituted.  Love a good Carbonara pasta and this was yummy for sure! Enjoy with a side salad and Crusty french bread or bread sticks!

Grilled Mushroom and Zucchini CarbonaraServes 6 to 8Total Time: 50 minute

INGREDIENTS:
2 Zucchini, sliced into bite size pieces
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound dry spaghetti
4 large eggs
6 slices bacon,  cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Parmesan, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat  your outdoor grill and turn to medium heat
Place the zucchini and mushrooms into a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to evenly coat. Spray a grill tray for veggies with a non stick cooking spray. Place tray on the grill and spread your prepped zucchini and mushrooms over it. Close grill lid and let cook for 10 - 15 minutes until crunchy tender. Stir every 5 minutes so they cook evenly.
While the vegetables are roasting, bring 6 quarts of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, add the bacon to a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crispy, and most of the fat has rendered off. Turn off the heat and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan and a generous amount of the pepper until well-combined, set aside.
Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the sauté pan. Toss in the spaghetti and heat for a few minutes until the bubbling has subsided and much of the water has evaporated.
Temper the egg mixture by whisking about 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water into it. 
Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture to the pasta while quickly stirring. Continue stirring until the egg mixture has thickened, adding additional cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick.
Season with black pepper and salt to taste. Gently toss the spaghetti with the grilled zucchini and mushrooms, and serve immediately. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.  
NOTE
Stirring while mixing the eggs and pasta is very important! If the pasta and eggs are not mixed quickly enough, the eggs will scramble and the sauce won’t be creamy. It helps to temper the egg mixture with the pasta water before stirring into your pasta.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

No, I haven't started drinking..... I just went to an Italian restaurant when I was on vacation last year and had pasta with vodka sauce... oh my goodness it was delicious! And when you cook with alcohol, the alcohol cooks out when simmered..... just embarrassing going to a liquor store to buy the stuff when you don't drink. You don't know what to buy! But I found this recipe here and had to give it a try. Of course I tweaked to my taste and ingredients I had on hand, but this was delicious! I served with steak and steamed veggies. Be sure to read the note below the recipe for a delicious way to use up any leftovers.YUMMO!

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

• 1 pound Pasta(I used the country style noodles, but you can use any that you like)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped Finely
• 2 cloves (to 3 Cloves) Garlic, Chopped
• 3/4 cups (to 1 Cup) Vodka
• 1 can (About 14 Oz.) Tomato Puree
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried Parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Salt
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, being careful not to overcook.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add in chopped onion and garlic. Stir and allow to cook for two minutes. Pour in vodka. Stir and cook for three minutes. Add in tomato puree and basil: stir. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Allow to simmer, being careful not to overheat, for about 3 more minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes, Parsley, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water in case sauce is too thick. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. Splash in a little water if it needs it. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Pour mixture into large serving bowl. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

If you have leftovers this is what I did:

Brown 1 lb. hot sausage in a skillet, when all browned remove from skillet onto a paper lined plate. Leave about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat from the sausage in the skillet and sauté 1 green bell pepper and 1 red bell pepper that has been thinly sliced. When your peppers are crunchy tender, toss the sausage back in the pan along with your leftover pasta. Stir and cook until pasta is heated through. Serve with salad and crusty french bread. Enjoy!

Creamy Mushroom Fontina Pasta

I love pasta... one weekend I was craving mushrooms and pasta. I ran across this recipe here and had to give it a try. It was delish... I did substitute and change things according to the ingredients I had on hand but we loved it. I served mine with grilled chicken and sauteed garden beans YUMMO! 

Creamy Mushroom Fontina Pasta
INGREDIENTS:

10 ounces dried wide pasta (I used Bowtie pasta)

1/2 butter, divided

20 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

½ cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 large shallots) or green onions work

⅓ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces Fontina cheese, diced small (I used Mozzarella cheese since I had that on hand)

½ cup chopped parsley ( or 1 Tablespoon dried parsley)

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain and reserve ¾ cup of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute half of the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes; transfer to a plate. Repeat with 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining mushrooms, transferring them to the plate with the rest of the mushrooms.
3. Add the shallots to skillet and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms back to the skillet, along with the wine (or chicken broth); cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and season with 1 teaspoon salt.
4. Reduce the heat to low and add the cooked pasta, cheese and parsley, tossing with the sauce until the pasta is coated and the cheese starts melting. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

I love pasta...and pesto, and sun dried tomatoes....and when I saw a similar recipe to this on Pinterest it got my ...inventive juices flowing??? I love to experiment with recipes. I tweaked the recipe to my taste....used more cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes. The first time I made it, I didn't use marinara sauce, was good but lacking something. So when I warmed it up the next night I used the marinara sauce....sooooo much better and just what this recipe needed. YUMMO! I might try using a small carton of recotta cheese next time I make this instead of the cream cheese... would be yummo too!

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
12-16 jumbo pasta shells

water for boiling pasta

3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)

1/4 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes in oil

2 cups (approx) chopped cooked chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced

8-oz, package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping

1/2 cup grated mozzarella Cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1 jar Marinara sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce (I like Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce)

In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking:; place your sun-dried tomatoes and a little of the oil, the pesto, cooked chicken, and garlic in a medium size skillet; saute and stir over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes so the chicken gets coated with the pesto and the garlic cooks. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan (except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping) and Mozzarella cheese, stir to combine. Then add the chicken mixture; stir again to combine. 

Taste at this point and add salt and pepper as needed.

Spread about 1 cup (or more, depending on the size of your baking dish) of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. 

Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Place a spoonful of marinara sauce over each stuffed shell. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

Serve with crispy french bread and a side salad. YUMMO!

Hot Italian Sausage and Brussels Sprouts 'Assemble'

My niece had made this dish and posted it on Facebook, it looked yummy and I asked her for the recipe. She said it was more of an 'assemble' than a recipe since she just threw some things together, but she told me what she did. I did pretty much what she did except I threw in some sun dried tomatoes along with the oil it comes in, love that stuff. And I used Orecchiette pasta, but seashell pasta works too. Serve with crispy french bread and a side salad. YUMMO!

Hot Italian Sausage and Brussels Sprouts 'Assemble'
1 package fresh Brussels Sprouts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean the sprouts and cut in half lengthwise. Place in bowl and drizzle a tablespoon or two of Olive oil over the sprouts, add dash or two of salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place sprouts on a parchment lined cookie sheet and spread out evenly. Roast in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. 
1 package Johnsonville Hot Italian sausage, casings removed.1/2 large onion, diced
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons chopped Sun dried tomatoes in oil
about 5 fresh basil leaves or 3 Tablespoons fresh basil that comes in a tube (roll the leaves up together and slice into thin strips, this is called Chiffonading)
1 Tablespoon of butter
1/4 cup (or more) grated Parmesan cheese
2 or 3 cups uncooked Oreccchiette or seashell pasta

While your sprouts are roasting, brown your sausage by removing from casings and placing into a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat, chopping up with a spatula while browning. While your sausage is cooking, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and set aside. When sausage is almost browned through, drain fat then add the diced onion, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes with a little of the oil, continue to cook and stir occasionally until the onions are tender. Then add your basil, cooked pasta, and roasted Brussels Sprouts; stir to heat through. If needed add the tablespoon butter stirring to melt and make a little sauce; then add in the Parmesan cheese tossing to combine.
Enjoy!

My version of Carino's Spicy Sausage Skilletini

One of our favorite places to eat out is Carino's Italian restaurant, when we eat out that is .... I usually don't unless we're out of town since I always think of the groceries we could have bought for the price of the one meal. But anyone, one of the things I like to do is see if I can come up with recipes that taste similar to what we like to get when we do eat out. So here is my version of Carino's Spicy Sausage Skilletini. I know...they don't put zucchini in theirs...at least that I can remember, but I have a bunch in my garden so I had to use it up. I have made this recipe twice already, sorry, time goes really fast (except when I am at work) so it's hard to get everything done that I want to in the evenings, but we loved this recipe. Feel free to put what veggies you have on hand in it, and add more or less crushed red pepper depending on how spicy you want your skilletini to be. Serve with crusty french bread and salad, or steamed green beans like I did. Enjoy!

My version of Carino's Spicy Sausage Skillitini

1 package Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage

1 medium onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil (optional, I love them so I use them a lot)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic (3 or 4 cloves)

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1-4oz. can sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 cup Marinara sauce

1/2  (14.5 oz) package Spaghetti noodles 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese for garnishing

Cook spaghetti according to package directions for al dente pasta. (Cook more or less spaghetti, depending on how many people you are serving, I used half a 14.5 package and had enough for my family of 4 with leftovers). Drain your pasta, reserving about a cup of the pasta water just in case you need it later to add to the sauce.

Slice sausage links into bite size pieces, heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is cooked through. 

Remove sausage from skillet into a bowl or plate and set aside. 

Drain most of the grease from the skillet leaving a tablespoon or two to cook your veggies (this is part of what gives it that skilletini flavor I think) Add the onion and peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 or 4 minutes. Then add your sun dried tomatoes, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning; continue to cook over a medium heat for 3 or 4 more minutes or until your vegetables are a crunchy tender.

Next, add the sausage back to the pan along with the cup of marinara sauce, let this simmer over medium/low heat for about 5 minutes so the flavors can blend.

Now toss in your spaghetti noodles and stir/ toss to heat through and coat with your sauce. Skilletini is a drier pasta dish, not so saucy but if you find yours is a little too dry, add a bit of the reserved pasta water, I added maybe about 1/4 cup or so. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. Have Parmesan cheese at the table so your guests can add more if desired. ENJOY!

Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups with Spinach and Artichokes

I love Lasagna... and when I ran across this recipe here I had to give it a try. I tweaked it a bit to suit my taste and craving I was having at the moment by adding chicken and using Alfredo sauce on the bottom instead of all Marinara sauce. YUM! The only thing was I had to use a bigger pan than a 9x13, or you could use 2 baking pans... just divide the sauce up between the two. I served mine with a green salad and crispy french bread...Enjoy!

Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups with Spinach and Artichokes

• Ingredients:
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups low fat ricotta cheese, 
• 1 large egg
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10-ounces frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeeze to remove water
• 1 cup chopped canned or jarred artichoke hearts
• 1 heaping cup chopped, cooked chicken
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups of your favorite Marinara sauce ( or use mine here) 
• 2 cups of your favorite Alfredo Sauce (or use mine here)

1. Directions:
2. 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and cook the lasagna noodles to al dente, according to package directions (about 12 minutes). Drain and carefully lay the lasagna noodles out flat on a large piece of parchment paper. Let sit to cool.
3. 2. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, cooked chicken, Parmesan cheese, basil, crushed red pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
4. 3. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the Alfredo sauce on  the bottom  of the baking dish and spread to cover the bottom. Set aside.
5. 4. Dived the Ricotta mixture evenly among the noodles by taking about 1/4 cup and spreading it  onto each lasagna noodle if there is some leftover add to each each noodle until it's gone. Top each noodle with 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce. Carefully roll the noodles up and place them in the prepared pan on top of the Alfredo sauce. Top the lasagna rolls with the  marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Spray a large sheet of foil with cooking spray and cover the pan.
6. 5. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted on top. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
7. Note: To prepare the lasagna rolls in advance, roll them up, add the sauce and cheese and cover with foil and place in the fridge until ready to bake. I've made them a day before baking and they were still great. To freeze, bake and let cool to room temperature. Place in a freezer container and freeze. Reheat in the microwave. You can place a whole pan in the freezer and heat back up in the oven, but I like to freeze the rolls in individual servings for easy lunches and dinners.

Spaghetti Factory's Meat Sauce and Mizithra Cheese Sauce

I LOVE the Spaghetti Factory... I have lots of fun memories of going there with my sisters when I was younger and then again with my daughter on our 'girl's weekends' together. I have tried lots of things on the menu, but my favorite is to get the manager's special where you get 2 sauces side by side on your spaghetti. My fave are the 'Meat Sauce' and the 'Mizithra Cheese' sauce... You just HAVE to have them both because their both such rich delicious sauces, you'd get sick of them if all you had to eat was one or the other...this way with them both you can trade off. I was so excited when I ran across this recipe on the Internet... there were tons of copy cat recipes for the sauces, but this one looked the best and on the easier side to make than some. We weren't disappointed! I made it when my daughter came home and she thought it was even better than the Spaghetti Factory's. You have to make this, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. ....After all (to quote my daughter) " there is nothing like a good pasta!!!" (she said with Mizithra cheese all around the outside of her mouth) Love you Sarah!

Spaghetti Factory's Meat Sauce and Mizithra Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:

 *your favorite brand of  uncooked spaghetti noodles (or other long pasta) - I like  Barilla

For the Meat Sauce

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1-6oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
4 oz tomato sauce (the small cans in the stores are 8oz, so use half of one)
8 oz diced tomatoes (I used half of a 14.5oz can)
1-4 ounce can mild green chilies
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
dash of garlic powder

For the Browned Butter and Mizithra
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
4 oz. mizithra cheese, grated--you can find Mizithra cheese in the gourmet cheese section of most stores
       (I found it in my local Ridley's grocery store YAY!)
salt to taste
minced parsley, to garnish (optional

Method

1. Make the meat sauce. Start by browning the beef and onion in a medium saucepan. Drain.
2. Add the diced tomatoes, green chilies, tomato sauce, sugar, salt, and spices.
3. Mix the tomato paste with the water until it looks like a thick sauce. Add it to the mixture.
4. Heat everything until it's boiling, then reduce the heat, cover the saucepan, and leave it to simmer for an hour. You'll want to check on it occasionally and stir.
5. While that's going, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Simmer until the butter is amber in color. Don't stir -- the milk solids will darken and fall to the bottom of the pan.
6. Grate the mizithra and mince the parsley.
7. When the butter has sufficiently darkened, strain it into a small bowl using a strainer and some cheesecloth (to make sure none of the solids get through).
8. Time it so that you will be ready to top warm pasta with the meat sauce when it's ready. Heat a large pot of water to boiling, adding salt and oil if you desire. Prepare your pasta according to the package's directions. Usually al dente spaghetti will take between 7-9 minutes. Drain the pasta and pour a cup of cold water over it to stop the cooking.
9. Transfer the pasta back to the same pot. Drizzle with a desired amount of browned butter (depending on how many servings you've got) and toss. If you're making meat sauce, it's up to you if you want to reserve some unbuttered pasta for that half (I do). Alternatively you could simply spoon butter over the portion you desire while it's on the plate and skip this tossing step entirely.

On a serving plate, heap with half buttered pasta and half unbuttered pasta. Ladle the meat sauce over the unbuttered half. Generously sprinkle (as you can see I was very generous)  the buttered half with grated mizithra and garnish with parsley

Tortelloni Bolognese

The weather has been really windy, chilly, and rainy here lately, which makes me hungry for pasta.... just a rainy day food I think. Have you eaten the Braised Beef and Tortelloni at Olive Garden??? it's YUMMO and I was craving something like that, so I looked on the Olive Garden Recipe site to see what they had there. No luck, that recipe wasn't on there, but this recipe was (Click here) and sounded like I should give it a try, so I did. I did tweak the recipe just a bit by adding bell peppers and a little more seasoning to  mine, and about 1/2 cup half n' half, I like my red sauces just a bit creamy. This was Yummo and just what I needed on a chilly rainy day. I served mine with steamed veggies, but it would also be good with a crispy garden salad and crusty french bread. YUM!

Tortelloni Bolognese

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour, 15 minutes
Serving Size:4

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ lb ground beef
6 oz HOT Italian  sausage, skinned
1 cup red wine ( I used a mixture of beef broth with about 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and a teaspoon of sugar since I didn't have any wine on hand :)
18 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (1/2 tsp dry)
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped (1/2 tsp dry)
1 tsp fresh basil, chopped (1/2 tsp dry)
1/2 cup half n' half (optional)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 lbs Tortelloni (I buy the buitoni  3 cheeseTortelloni)
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions:
HEAT oil in a large pan. Add celery, carrot, onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook about 5 minutes. Add meat and cook 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
DEGLAZE pan with wine (or beef broth mixture); let reduce. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients and stir. Simmer for about 1 hour.
When sauce is about done add the half n'half if you're using it and turn heat to low; cook Tortelloni's according to the package directions.
TOSS hot, drained pasta in sauce. Top with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Orecchiette With Spicy Sausage and Chicken

I just got my new Food Network Magazine and this recipe was inside.... just what I was craving lately! Pasta!! I especially like the little Orecchiette pasta (it looks like little ears or hats.. too cute and yummy) I have a similar recipe on my blog like this with hot sausage but this one's not quite as saucy... but it's still good! I added some diced cooked chicken to the recipe as well, because I had some I needed to use up and I thought it would be good. I served mine with cheesy french bread and a tossed green salad. Enjoy!!

Orecchiette With Spicy Sausage and Chicken
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine
Serves:4 servings

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
12 ounces orecchiette pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
8 ounces fresh chorizo or other spicy sausage, casings removed ( I used hot Italian sausage)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
2 spring onions (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced, plus more for topping ** See note below
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (or minced)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced ( I just used sliced button mushrooms because that's what I had)
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (Optional, but I LOVE basil so I added it. )
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the spring onions and cook until softened, about 3 more minutes. Add the cooked chicken, garlic, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and fresh basil and cook until the tomatoes soften slightly, about 3 more minutes.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the broth to the skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the pasta and cheese, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.

 Divide among bowls, drizzle with olive oil and top with more cheese and spring onions. Serve with cheesey french bread and salad if desired-- YUM!

**NOTE: Spring onions have small mild bulbs with green tops. If you can't find them use a bunch of green onions or scallions.

Carbonara-Style Fettuccine with Grilled Asparagus and Lemon-Herb Breadcrumbs

Don't you love Springtime?? As least when it looks like spring outside... we had a period of lovely weather that made me get spring fever and then we woke up to snow this morning! Ugh! But spring does officially start this Wednesday, the 21st! Woo hoo! I love the fresh fruit and vegetables that become available in Spring... like strawberries, blackberries, but most of all Asparagus!! I  LOVE Asparagus! I remember in the good old days when I was young, going Asparagus hunting along the ditch banks (yes, I'm a country girl) we would get tons of Asparagus for free! Now you can't find it there anymore..at least when I've looked, either someone beats me to it or it could be that most of the ditch banks have disappeared due to the fact they have invented sprinkler pipes and water pumps.... I hate spending more that $2 a pound for it, so I LOVE it when it becomes available in the markets for under that. I watched Rachel Ray the other day on Saturday morning and she made this recipe (you can find the original recipe here )and knew I just had to give it shot! It was really good! I made mine with cooked bacon because I couldn't find pancetta in the stores I have available, plus I had some on hand that I needed to use up. I also added a little diced onion instead of chives... because that's what I hand as well. I certainly wasn't disappointed! This was delicious! I served mine with meatballs on the side! Enjoy!!

Carbonara-Style Fettuccine  with Grilled Asparagus and Lemon-Herb Breadcrumbs
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray
Serves: 4 servings.

Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed
4 tablespoons Olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons butter
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used 1/2 cup Panko Crumbs and 1/2 cup regular breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used 1 Tablespoon dried, because that is what I had)
6 slices pepper bacon, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 cup finely diced onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 egg yolks
1 pound Fettuccine (I used a little over half of a 1 pound package because I'm cooking for 2, use the whole pound if you need more servings)
1 cup grated Romano Cheese (you could use grated Parmesan too if that's what you have)
 Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, then grill until charred, evenly marked and tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Cut into 1-inch pieces on an angle, or thinly slice if the asparagus is thick.  OR you can do like I did, I preheated my oven to 350 degrees, and spread my asparagus in a single layer on a large cookie sheet that I had lightly sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray, I drizzled the asparagus with Olive oil, and then baked for 8 to 10 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Heat 1 tablespoon Olive Oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter into the oil; when it foams, stir in the lemon zest, then add the breadcrumbs and stir until moistened. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the breadcrumbs are deep golden. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until the bacon is crispy tender (drain some of the bacon fat if there's a lot, leave about 1 Tablespoon in the skillet) Add the diced onion and cook for another 3 minutes; then add the garlic and stir for 1 to 2 more minutes, then add the chicken broth  and reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes., then turn to low.

Lightly beat the egg yolks in a small bowl.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water just before draining the pasta, and beat it into the egg yolks to temper them.
To temper the egg yolks add the pasta water a little at a time while whisking briskly (this will keep them from turning into scrambled eggs when you add to the pasta mixture)
Add the asparagus to the bacon mixture and heat through.
Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the asparagus and bacon. Pour the egg mixture over the top, turn off the heat and toss for 1 minute (I actually left my heat on medium low and cooked for 1 to 2 minutes to kind of thicken the sauce mixture) adding the cheese in the last few seconds. Taste and add a little Salt and pepper if necessary.

Divide the pasta among shallow bowls and top with lots of the lemon-herb breadcrumbs.  Enjoy!!

Sarah's Birthday Pasta

My daughter turned 25 this last week.... I feel old to have a 25 year old daughter. But it was fun to have her home. I always let my kids pick what they want for dinner on their birthdays and this year was no different. She couldn't decide at first, but then she said she wanted my chicken Alfredo or something like it with bacon.... so we thought and I suggested a few things but this is what we came up with. I used  my sun dried tomato Alfredo sauce and we put grilled chicken, sauteed mushrooms and artichokes, and cooked bacon! And to mix it up a bit we used farfalle pasta (bow tie pasta) instead of fettuccine. She also requested bruschetta for an appetizer and the rest of us were lucky to get any...the leftover tomato mixture made a good garnish for the top of the Alfredo, it looked pretty and tasted great, I steamed fresh asparagus to go with this pasta and we had  crusty baguette bread warmed in the oven... mmmmm is this what heaven on a plate tastes like? oh, and it's not for the calorie conscious.. but this was a splurge for a birthday dinner.... YUMMO! Happy birthday Sarah!!

Sarah's Birthday Pasta
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced into 1/4 inch thick  pieces
4 to 6 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped into bite size pieces
1 small package sliced mushrooms
1 (14-oz) can Artichoke hearts, quartered (not the marinated kind, just canned in water)
1 box Farfalle Pasta (bow tie) you may not need the whole box
Sun dried tomato Alfredo Sauce (see recipe below)
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook chicken however you desire. I like to marinate mine in McCormick's Garlic, Herb and Wine marinade for a few hours, and then grill on a medium hot grill for about 7 minutes per side or until done. I let cool and then slice into thin slices to put in my pasta.
Cook your bacon, I like to put mine on a cooling rack that I place on a cookie sheet. Then I bake it at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes... perfect bacon. Let cool slightly , then I slice into bite size pieces.
Heat a pot of salted water to boil so you can cook your noodles.
Start your Alfredo sauce (see recipe below).
I start my mushrooms next, by putting a little olive oil in a skillet and heating it over medium heat, then add your mushrooms and cook about 7 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Next I toss in my artichoke hearts and cook for about 2 more minutes to warm them up.
Once your pot of water starts to boil, add your pasta and cook according to the package directions or until al dente (bow tie pasta takes a bit longer than fettuccine.... I think I cooked mine about 12 minutes).Then drain and set aside.
When your sauce and the pasta are done, add the chicken, most of the bacon (save just a bit for garnishing if you like), mushrooms,  artichokes, and pasta (you may not need the whole box, I had a little left over) to the sauce. Toss to combine. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and reserved bacon pieces as desired. Enjoy!!

Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
6 Tablespoons butter
1 whole garlic bulb, roasted (click here to see how to do that) or 1 heaping Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil with 2 tablespoons of the oil
3 ounces cream cheese, softened or brought to room temperature (this could be optional, I found a few recipes on the internet that had it and thought it would help thicken the sauce, but not necessary)
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half or milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash of Cayenne pepper
dash of nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for Garnishing

Melt butter in a large skillet with deep sides (you will add everything to this pan later) over medium heat. sqeeze the garlic out of the skin onto a plate and mush with a fork. Add the garlic paste (or minced garlic) and the sun dried tomatos and some of the oil that they come in (about 2 tablespoons) to the butter and cook for about 1or 2  minutes or until slightly browned. Add the cream cheese and cook until the cheese kind of blends into the butter then whisk in the cream and the half and half, keep the heat at about medium to medium-low, and bring this to barely a simmer (if this boils too hard, the cream and the butter separate and look curdled) Once its at a low simmer, cook for about 5 minutes then add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese. Bring mixture back to a low simmer and continue to cook another 5 to 8 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring often. ( Remember, don't simmer at too high of heat or it will separate)
Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Lasagna

I had posted this recipe before, but I recently had to make alot for a church dinner the other night, and I tweaked my recipe a bit, this was actually some of the best lasagna I had ever made!

I love lasagna! This recipe is a couple of recipes combined... I took what I liked about both of them. I really don't like lasagna made with cottage cheese so I use part skim ricotta.

Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef

1 pkg. Johnsonville Italian sausage links (hot or mild)

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic

2 cans (15 ounce) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 ounce) tomato sauce

1 (6oz) can tomato paste 

2 Tablespoons parsley flakes

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

1 -15 ounce carton of ricotta cheese (I use the part skim kind)

1 egg

1/4 cup, (heaping) Parmesan Cheese

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon Salt (more to taste)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (8 oz) package lasagna noodles (9 to 12 noodles depending on how big your pan is)

2 1/2 cups or more grated Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Remove sausage from casings. In a large frying pan cook and stir ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off grease.

Stir in tomatos, tomato sauce, tomato paste,  parsley, sugar, salt, basil and oregano. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about an hour.

While sauce is cooking, cook lasagna noodles according to the directions on package. Drain and lay out flat on a piece of wax paper until ready to use.

In a large bowl combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper together until all ingredients is incorporated. I taste and add more salt if necessary.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a lasagna pan, spoon about a cup of the sauce into the bottom of pan, lay 3 or 4 noodles on top of the sauce. Carefully spread 1/2 of your Ricotta mixture over the noodles (I drop by spoonfuls around on my noodles and then spread into a layer with a knife or spatula). Then sprinkle about 1 cup Mozzarella cheese over the Ricotta. Next, spoon 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the cheeses. Repeat another layer just like that starting with noodles and ending with meat sauce. Top with the remaining noodles,then last of your sauce (If your lasagna pan is on the small side and you have leftover sauce, keep it warm in a sauce pan and use as desired on individual servings). Sprinkle a little more mozzarella cheese on top, and the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (so your cheese doesn't stick) and cook in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes until hot and bubbly and cheese is melty.

Serve with salad and Crusty french bread!! Yummo!!!

For Variation:
Try using Zucchini instead of pasta!! I did and it was yummy! I had about 6 zucchini (they were about 8 inches long and 2 inches around, the biggest I could find at the store) Wash and slice into about 1/4 in strips lengthwise. Lay flat on a cookie sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes (this way they are tender and some of the water cooks out) Assemble like the lasagna recipe except place your zucchini around to make a layer instead of the noodles and I only did two layers of zucchini... I left off the top layer, so it went meat sauce, zucchini, cheese mixture, meat sauce, repeat that one more time, and then  top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake the same as the above recipe.YUM