Pasta Salad

This pasta salad recipe is a family favorite. I've been eating this since I was a kid. It's one of those recipes that all of my mother's children know how to make. It's a staple, particularly in the summer or at a potluck. And it's one we always get compliments on. Better yet, it's extremely easy!

Pasta Salad


16 oz. Rotini pasta, cooked and cooled
1 large bottle of Italian Dressing
1 packet dry Zesty Italian Seasoning Mix (This is KEY! You must not leave this out!)
Cheese (Cheddar, Colby, whatever), cubed
Tomatoes, chopped
Cucumber, chopped
Pepperoni, sliced


Toss all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl.

Mexican Pasta Skillet

I get lots of emails with recipes from various sources. I usually skim them, look for something I would make, and either delete or star them for later. This one popped up from Betty Crocker around the new year when Charlie was asking me when I was going to start cooking healthy. We've had this conversation so many times in our marriage and we've only been married 6 months! :) But this week, I've really tried to pick things that are healthy. The first thing that caught my eye on this recipe was "healthified." So technically, they've taken something that isn't usually healthy and made some substitutions to make it healthier! YAY! That's my kind of recipe! This made a lot and was more than enough for dinner, lunches tomorrow, and at least one more night's dinner. We both really liked it too!

Mexican Pasta Skillet

Source: Betty Crocker

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 jar (16 oz) salsa

15 oz. tomato sauce

1 1/2 C water

2 C uncooked elbow macaroni

1 C frozen corn (I used 1 1/2 C)

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, reduced-fat

Brown the ground beef. Add the salsa, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and corn. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Top with cheese and let the cheese melt 1-2 minutes.

***According to Betty, there are 6 servings at 370 calories each.

Baked Ziti

So I wasn't going to blog about this one, but Charlie really liked it! And when I like a recipe he doesn't it makes it to the blog...shouldn't it be the other way around as well? Don't get me wrong, it was good and edible. I just wasn't sure about the taste. It was too spicy for me and I'm not a fan of feta cheese. I just realized I put 3 tsp of sugar instead of 3 T. That probably accounts for the spicyness! And maybe if switched the feta out for something else I'd like it a lot better. This recipe makes a ton! So if you're not feeding more than 2 people I would definitely half it. Charlie's says it's much better the second day! It's going to take us days to finish this one! Let me know what you think!

Baked Ziti
Adapted from Short Stop

1 pound ziti or penne
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 T sugar
2 tsp salt
3 T Italian Seasoning
3 T dried thyme
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 C Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided
2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain. Return to pot and add sour cream, chopped bacon, feta, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10 minutes allowing flavors to combine and until heated through. Set aside.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1 C of tomato sauce into the bottom of the dish. Spoon 1/2 of pasta mixture over sauce. Top with 1/2 of remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 1 C of mozzarella and 1/4 C Parmesan cheese. Top with remainder of pasta mixture, remainder of tomato sauce, and sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover lightly with foil, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 3 minutes, or until top is golden.

Skillet Lasagna...Take 2!

I have posted a skillet lasagna recipe before, but this one is much better! I think this will take the place of my old recipe in our house! The recipe didn't call for any Italian seasoning, so I added my own. So easy and delicious!

Skillet Lasagna

Source: Cook's Country

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

water

1 T olive oil

1 onion, minced

salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. ground beef

10 lasagna noodles, broken into 2" pieces

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated

1 C ricotta cheese

3 T fresh basil, chopped

Pour tomatoes and juice into 1 qt. measuring cup. Add water until it measures 1 qt.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook until onions begin to brown. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes. Cook about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook until no longer pink.

Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. (This is where I added the Italian seasoning.) Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping teaspoons full of ricotta. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan cheese.

Mac and Cheese

I've been looking and looking for the perfect mac and cheese recipe. I love mac and cheese. The creamier, the better! I made a Real Simple recipe a few weeks ago and wasn't impressed. So the search continued. So on to the story of this mac and cheese.

We were invited to hang out with some friends last weekend. The plan was to bring dessert. Charlie requested this gem. YUM! Then...he volunteered me to make mac and cheese as well! Oh no! I was almost in tears. I hadn't found a recipe I liked yet. Then I remembered Krystal. I've mentioned Krystal before. Shoot, she's probably the one who even reads this blog! Krystal is my sister. And this is her mac and cheese recipe. So yummy!

When I asked for the recipe, she said it wasn't really a recipe. And that is what I love about it! It's one of those things that's so easy you can remember it off the top of your head. There are only a few ingredients and it's super easy to make!

Krystal says to use the block cheese and shred it. She swears it makes a difference....So listen to her! I hardly shred my own cheese anymore. I remember this was my job when I was a kid...pre-bagged shredded cheese days. Of course, I ate half of it before I finished! It really does taste more yummy than the bagged stuff.

Mac and Cheese
Source: Krystal Kerns

16 oz. elbow macaroni
1 large block of cheddar, shredded (the largest block you can find!)
1/2 stick of butter
Fresh ground paper

Cook the macaroni and drain. Shred the cheese. Butter the bottom and sides of a large baking dish. Pour half the noodles in the dish. Spread half the cheese on top. Layer with the rest of the noodles. Top with the rest of the cheese. Place pats of butter around the top of the cheese. I used 8. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, but not too much! Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Baked Ravioli

I have been miserable for days now! Having your wisdom teeth out is no picnic! I finally got some pain relief this afternoon from the Dr. and was feeling up to cooking (and eating). It's nice to eat something besides a bowl of soup and a milkshake! Forget Halloween candy. That was a temptation I couldn't even imagine chewing!


Baked Ravioli
Source: Everyday Food

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 6)
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or oregano
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 lb. Ravioli (I was just shy of 2 lbs)
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella
1/2 C grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 425. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling water. Cook until the ravioli floats to the top, then drain.

Mix the sauce and ravioli together and pour into a large baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve!

Linguine in a Tomato Cream Sauce

This is another restaurant quality meal! Except this one's a little quicker and easier to make than the garlic chicken farfalle. I've made this twice. Once with chicken and once without. And once with fettuccine and another time with linguine. I think we prefer the linguine. I am indifferent about the chicken. I think it gets lost in the meal. Maybe grilled chicken would be better. If you're making this for a crowd I would add the chicken for a little more bulk to fill everyone up with! To make it without the sauteed chicken just half the butter and olive oil in the beginning.

Linguine in a Tomato Cream Sauce

1/4 C butter

1/4 C olive oil

2-3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into cubes

1 onion, chopped fine

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 C whipping cream

1 packet Alfredo sauce mix

15 oz can Italian tomatoes, pureed

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 T dried basil

2 T Italian seasoning

1 lb linguine

1/2 C grated Parmesan

*Start water for noodles when you begin making the sauce.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, and garlic. Saute until chicken is lightly browned.

Stir in Alfredo packet, whipping cream, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Stir in Italian seasoning and basil. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, toss pasta and sauce together. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Parmesan Bow-Tie Skillet

Quick, super easy, and yummy!

Parmesan Bow-Tie Skillet

Source: Food and Family, Holiday 06

6 oz. Farfalle, cooked and drained

1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 grated Parmesan

Combine pasta, spaghetti sauce, ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 2 T Parmesan in a skillet. Cook on medium heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Serve!

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

Oh. My. Gosh. You have to cook this! It was by no means healthy or quick, but it was SO worth every bite! This is restaurant quality. Charlie said, "Are you going to keep making new recipes because I want to eat this again!" I'm linking you to my source for this recipe (who got if from someone else) but I did make adjustments, so I will post how I made it. Seriously, I can not emphasize enough how good this was. I was sad when my belly was full because I wanted to eat more! Luckily, we have leftovers!

I am by no means a food photographer, or any photographer for that matter...but don't let this terrible picture hinder you from making this!

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

Source: Kevin and Amanda

16 oz. Farfalle pasta (I used 12 because that's what I had, but I wish I had 16)

1 c. heavy whipping cream

3-4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless (I used 2 because it's just us)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 T pepper

1/2 c butter (one stick)

1 lb bacon, crumbled

1 c shredded Italian blend cheese

1 bottle of mesquite marinade

Cook the chicken breasts with the marinade in a crock pot on low for 6 hours. Take chicken out, don't save marinade, let it cool, and shred the chicken. Set aside.

Boil the pasta. In a saucepan melt butter. On low, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, cheese, and bacon. Whisk together for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour the sauce over the pasta. Mix in the chicken. Top with more cheese. Serve!

***To make this a quicker meal, you can substitute the chicken for one of those rotisserie chickens from the store. You can also use bacon bits, but I highly recommend making your own. It adds a great flavor!