These Noodles Are Nutty!

Peanut Noodles:

1/3 cup lowfat peanut butter
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 T fresh ginger, minced and peeled
1 T rice vinegar
1 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T packed brown sugar
1 garlic clove, chopped
6 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, pelled, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 carrot, shredded

Puree peanut butter, water, cilantro, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic in a food processor or blender. Cook noodles according to directions and drain. Rinse under cold running water and drain again. Transfer noodles to a large bowl. Add peanut sauce, bell pepper, cucumber and carrots. Toss to coat.

A Taste of Sweden

IKEA is quite popular around here, and one reason people keep coming back is the Swedish meatballs served in the store's cafeteria.

So when I found the recipe online, I had to make them. It doesn't hurt that hubby loves meatballs to begin with.

IKEA Swedish Meatballs:

2 bags frozen turkey meatballs
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can French onion soup
8 ounces sour cream
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
chicken broth, if needed

Place meatballs in slow cooker on low heat. In medium bowl, stir together soups and sour cream until well-combined. Season with garlic powder and pepper. Pour mixture over meatballs, stirring to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. 30 minutes before serving, if your mixture appears to be too thick, add 1/2-1 cup of chicken to thin it out. I served mine over whole wheat pasta shells.

Pasta....Take Two

This dinner is the absolute opposite of what was intended. However, it turned out better than I ever could have imagined. A few simple ingredients was all this took and it came together in an instant. I look forward to having this again. My husband loves pasta, and this was an amazing diversion from the typical thick, heavy sauce usually seen with pasta. Take one was a hot mess, so I revised my game plan and it worked!!!!

Tomato and Broccoli Pasta:

6 oz. Whole Grain Rotini
1 can petite cut diced tomatoes with no salt
1 1/2 cups broccoli
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp. Greek seasoning

Boil your noodles. Add the broccoli in the last 4 minutes. Drain both and leave in the colander. While they drain, add the tomatoes to the pot, smashing them with a potato masher. Add the pasta and broccoli back to the pot. Stir in the Parmesan and Greek seasoning. Toss well.

Slow Cooked Stroganoff

We make beef stroganoff every once in a while, but this was the first time we tried this recipe. This recipe came from the back of a Lipton Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion Soup Mix box.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff:

2 lb. boneless chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1, 8-ounce container sour cream

In slow cooker, toss beef with flour. Stir in remaining ingredients except sour cream. Cook covered on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours until meat is tender. Stir in sour cream. Serve, if desired, over hot cooked noodles.

This recipe is linked to Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Well, I had a royal flop in the kitchen today. I am proud to report though, that the flop had nothing to do with dinner. In fact, dinner was fabulous. Best of all was the smile on my husband's face when he ate this meal.

The flop was disappointing though. No one wants to fail at anything, and what I screwed up on was not exactly what I would call cheap. Oh well, there are plenty of other recipes that are successes. This is definitely one of them, and it is all thanks to Pioneer Woman.

Bowtie Lasagna:

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 jars marinara sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella
generous handul of grated Parmesan
12 oz. bowtie pasta
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Brown and drain the ground beef. Boil and drain the noodles. In a large Dutch oven, layer ingredients beginning with the ground beef. Add the noodles and sour cream, the seasonings, cheeses, and finally the sauce. Toss well to combine mixture. Heat through on mediyum heat. Enjoy!! We sure did.

Memorial Day Grub

This pasta salad was on the holiday menu for today. It is just so stupid easy. Sometimes, the simplest things really are the best. You could add any veggies to this, but we kept it simple.

Pasta Salad:

1 lb. bow tie pasta-we used the miniature bow ties
4 Tbsp. Salad Supreme Seasoning (McCormick)
1 cup Tuscan House Italian dressing
1/2-1 cup additional Tuscan House Italian dressing

Boil and drain the noodles. While noodles are still warm, coat them with the Salad Seasoning. Pour 1 cup of dressing over the warm pasta and toss evenly. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours until pasta has thoroughly cooled. The next morning, add 1/2-1 cup of additional dressing, tossing to coat. Refrigerate again until ready to serve. If the pasta is drier than your liking, add additional dressing just until coated.

Just a Kid At Heart

This recipe comes from a blog that I frequent. Though I have tried countless varieties of macaroni and cheese, we liked this one a lot and will make it again. The picture does not do it justice. Trust me, and try it yourself.

California Mac and Cheese:

16 oz rotini pasta
8 oz Velveeta cheese
1 1/2 C heavy cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Cook pasta in boiling water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut velveeta cheese into cubes and add it to the cream and butter in a large sauce pan. Cook on low heat, stirring often. Drain pasta and add to cheese mixture, stirring gently to evenly coat.

Valentine's Dinner for Two

This is yet another recipe that I have made several times. It comes from The Sister's Cafe. This was hubby's request for our Valentine's Day Dinner. He absolutely loves pasta, and we both like to stay home as opposed to fight the crowds for the holiday. Needless to say, we were, once again, quite pleased with the result.
I made slight adjustments to the amounts.

Fettuccine Alfredo:

1 stick butter
12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. fettuccine noodles

Boil the noodles. Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt the butter with the evaporated milk over medium heat. Add the grated Parmesan, stirring frequently as to not clump the cheese. Once noodles are done, pour sauce over them. Toss with tongs until all noodles are coated evenly. Serve with side salad. Enjoy! We sure did.

A Different Way of Doing Things

I saw this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen. It was too easy not to give it a try. We liked it, but I will most likely make our original spaghetti from now on. It's a fun twist to anyone's recipe.

Philly Spaghetti:

1 lb. ground beef
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 jars tomato sauce
1 8oz. pkg. spaghetti noodles

Brown and drain the meat. Add the sauce. While noodles are cooking, add the cream cheese which has been cut into bite sized pieces. Simmer until cream cheese is melted and noodles are done. Toss together to coat.

Garfield's Favorite

Garfield the comic strip cat loves lasagna. So does my husband. Finding the perfect recipe for lasagna, on the other hand, has been a challenge.

We may finally have a winner, courtesy of Paula Deen.

Lots O'Meat Lasagna

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1, 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano
2, 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
1, 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Ricotta cheese
5 ounces Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Lasagna noodles
16 ounces shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350. In large saucepan, combine ground chuck, sausage, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until meat is browned and crumbled; drain.

Return meat to pan and add oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes. Boil the noodles.

In small bowl, combine Ricotta, Parmesan, parsley and eggs.

Spoon 1/4 of sauce into bottom of a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Place lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Do not overlap noodles. Spread 1/3 of Ricotta mixture over noodles, top with 1/4 of sauce and 1/3 mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, ending with sauce, reserving 1/3 of mozzarella.

Bake 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Post #200

It took a little more than a year, but I've finally reached the 200 post mark! Let's mark the anniversary with a chicken recipe that's got a bit of a kick.

Cajun Chicken Fettuccine:

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 T olive oil
2 cups cooked cubed chicken
4 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic
1, 17-ounce jar alfredo sauce
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onion and peppers in the oil until tender. Add chicken, garlic and Cajun seasoning. Heat through. Transfer to large bowl. Drain fettuccine, and add to chicken mixture. Stir in alfredo and spaghetti sauces. Transfer to greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.

This recipe came from the January/February 2009 "Simple and Delicious" magazine.

Gobble Gobble!!

Turkey Spaghetti Casserole:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 1/2 cups cooked, cubed turkey breast
6 oz. uncooked spaghetti, borken into pieces
1/2 cup shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese

Saute the veggies in butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine the broth, soup, salt, and pepper. Coat and baking dish with cooking spray. Layer turkey, spaghetti, and veggie mixture. Pour broth mixture over the top. Cover and bake at 350 degress until spaghetti is tender, 70-80 minutes, stirring once. Uncover and sprinkle with the cheese paprika.

Makeover for Hubby's Favorite Dish

My husband really likes Fettuccine Alfredo. Although he isn't a picky eater,it ranks at the top of his list of favorites. This is a slightly diffeent take on the meal.

Fettuccine Alfredo:

1 16oz. pkg. fettuccine noodles
1 lb. chicken, cut into cubes
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups fat free milk
1 cup Half and Half cream
1 1/2 cups shredded, reduced fat Colby and Monterey Jack cheese
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Cook the fettuccine noodles. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the chicken with Italian Seasoning and 2 garlic cloves in 1 Tbsp. butter until meat is cooked through. Saute the onion in remaining butter until tender. Add remainng garlic, flour, salt, and pepper until well blended. Gradually add milk and cream. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened. Add the cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, and cooked chicken.. Serve over fettuccine noodles. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Lasagna, Pioneer Style

This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman. I made a few modifications to the original recipe.

Lasagna...

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound breakfast sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2, 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
2, 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 T dried parsley
2 T dried basil
1 tsp. salt

Cheese Mixture...

3 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 T dried parsley
1 tsp. salt

1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1, 10-ounce pkg. lasagna noodles

Bring large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, in large skillet, combine ground beef, sausage and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain the fat. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil and salt, and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes. In medium bowl, mix ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, parsley and salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna noodles. To assemble, arrange 3-4 cooked lasagna noodles in bottom of baking pan. Spoon half of cheese mixture over noodles. Spread evenly. Spoon half the meat mixture over the top, followed by a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat, ending with meat mixture. Sprinkle top with mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Touch of Italy

Fettuccine Alfredo:

1 stick butter
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces fettuccine noodles

Slice cream cheese into small pieces. Mix cream cheese with milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cut butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and add to mixture. Stir frequently until smooth. Boil fettuccine noodles until tender. For last 10 minutes of cooking time for the sauce, add grated Parmesan cheese, and stir frequently until well combined. Pour sauce over fettuccine noodles and serve.

It's All Greek to Me

Greek Style Chicken Salad:

1, 10-ounce can chunk white chicken, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1, 3.25-ounce can sliced ripe black olives
1 cup grape-style tomatoes
1 cup diced cucumbers
1/2 cup sliced red onion
3 cups cooked tricolor rotini pasta, chilled

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine pasta, chicken, vegetables, cheese and olives. Mix together dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and lightly toss until coated with dressing. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 6-8 people.

(*) -- For variation, you can use Kraft Light Done Right Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing.

Non Traditional Mac N Cheese

We are officially in the spirit of cleaning out the refrigerator and the pantry so that we can prepare for Thanksgiving. Our kitchen is fairly small, so we need all the space we can find. Today we made two dishes that stem from the beginnings of a cleanout, but I will share this one first.

Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Macaroni:

1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 jar Bertoli Basil, Garlic, and Olive Oil tomato sauce
1 lb. Velveeta


Boil and drain the elbow macaroni. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sauce with sliced Velveeta. Stir to combine and allow 10 minutes for it to melt entirely. Be careful to not let this burn. Pour the drained noodles into the sauce. It was different, but we would make this again.

Kicked Up Casserole

This recipe really screams "glorified chicken tetrazzini". It makes a ton of food.

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti:

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 16 oz. pkg. Velveeta, cut into bite sized pieces
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp. salt
1 16 oz. pkg. spaghetti

In a large Dutch oven, combine butter with onion and bell pepper. Cook until tender. Add 2 cups reserved chicken broth, cheese, tomato sauce, soups, and salt. Stir in chopped chicken. Let simmer until cheese is thoroughly melted. Combine noodles with cheese sauce, mixing well. Pour into lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

He did it!!!

I love my husband!!!!! Today when I was on my way home from work, he announces, "I have a surprise for you!" The man cooked dinner all by himself!! He did a fabulous job too! If you will remember, I mentioned previously that he does not cook. He does now!!`He made Paula Deen's Beef Stroganoff. I love that woman too. James took me to eat at her restaurant on a trip to Savannah for our first anniversary. Did I tell you I love my husband? He's the best a girl could ask for. However, it is late, and I am tired. So, here is the recipe.

Beef Stroganoff

6 Tbsp. all purpose flour
2/3 cup water
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. house seasoning ( 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can french onion soup
1 lb. round steak, thinly-sliced
1 cup sour cream
1 16 oz. pkg. egg noodles

Mix flour and water. Set aside. Heat butter in skillet. Season meat with house seasoning and brown on both sides. Remove meat from oan, cutting into think strips. To the pan drippings, add cream of mushroom soup, french onion soup, 1 soup can water, and flour mixture. Simmer and stir constantly until thickened. Add steak, simmer 45 minutes. Add sour cream, heating until bubbling. Serve over cooked noodles.

Creamy Comfort Food

I gave fair warning that I was headed back to work. Hence, that is the explanation for lack of posting in the past couple of days... You forget how tiring returning to work can be after you have been on vacation. So, today, with all that needs to be accomplished in our household, I wanted some comfort food. This is quick and easy, and tastes yummy too.

Macaroni and Cheese

4 cups elbow macaroni
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 1/4 cups fat free milk
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in another pot, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the milk and cook on low, stirring frequently until flour is blended. Cut cream cheese into 1 inch pieces and stir into milk mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes or until mixture thickens and cream cheese melts. Stir in the mustard and worcestershire. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar. Stir noodles into the cheese sauce. Serve immediately.