Tuscan Pasta

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into small cubes
8 ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped
2 cups milk
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more if needed
optional: fresh diced tomatoes and chopped basil

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package.  Drain and drizzle with olive oil and set aside. 

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn.  Stir in the basil.  Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth.  It will look curled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it should come together to form a smooth, creamy past.  Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. 

Over medium heat, add the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated into the sauce.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency.  

Serve over the noodles. 

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Tortellini tomato soup

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

3 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans vegetable broth

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or dried basil, be sure to check the conversion of fresh to dried)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 packages of frozen cheese tortellini

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic.  Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the bay leaves. 

Add the tomatoes and broth.  Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer on low for 15 minutes

Remove the bay leaves.  Use an immersion blender to blend the soup.  

Stir in the yogurt until well combined.  

Stir in the tortellini and cook on medium heat until cooked, about 7-8 minutes. 

Source: Two Peas and their Pod

Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 cup salsa

1 tsp cumin

corn tortillas

Your favorite taco toppings

Sauce:

1/2 ripe avocado

3/4 cup cilantro, stems removed

juice of 1 lime

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp honey

1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

To make the sauce:

Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender or a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  You can add a bit of water if needed.  

To make the bean filling:

In a saucepan, combine beans, salsa and cumin.  Heat while stirring until heated through. Mash the beans slightly for a creamier filling. 

Assemble the tacos: 

Spoon the black bean mixture down the center of the tacos and top with the avocado sauce and your favorite toppings. 

Source: The Garden Grazer

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

1 pound 1% cottage cheese

2 large eggs

1 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded

1 pound ziti or rigatoni

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon sugar

pepper

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup milk

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubes in 1/4 inch cubes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly grease 9x13 pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, eggs and 3/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. 

Cook pasta in a pot of salted water until it softens, but isn't cooked all the way (about 3 minutes short of the package directions) It will continue to cook in the oven. 

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and add garlic.  When garlic is fragrant, but not browned, stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar, basil and oregano.  Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Take off heat and season with salt and pepper. 

Drain pasta and leave in colander.  Whisk together the cornstarch and milk.  Pour it into the empty pot on medium heat.  Bring the milk to a simmer and cook until thickened, whisking constantly (3-4 minutes)

Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup or so of the simmered tomato sauce, and half of the mozzarella cubes. Stir to combine. 

Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat well with the saucy mixture. 

Transfer the pasta to the prepared pan and pour the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the pasta. 

Spread the remaining mozzarella cubes and remaining parmesan cheese over the top.  

Cover the baking dish with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for about 30 minutes. 

Remove the foil and and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. 

Notes

Freezable Meal: Prepare the recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil that's been lightly greased with cooking spray. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase the time by another 20 minutes or so. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups of vegetable stock
2 cans diced tomatoes
(2 tablespoons greek seasonings, optional)
4-5 red potatoes, diced into bite sized pieces
4-5 handfuls of kale, chopped
2-3 cups of small pasta
1 can of cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper, to season

Directions

sauté the onion, carrots and celery with some olive oil.  Add in garlic and cook until fragrant

Add vegetable stock, tomatoes, spices, potatoes, kale, pasta and beans

Simmer 30-40 minutes until pasta and potatoes are soft

Enjoy!


Source: Center of the Pie

Spinach and Tomato Pesto Quesadilla

Ingredients:

Uncooked flour tortillas
1-2 roma tomatoes, sliced
Feta cheese, crumbled
Mozzarella, shredded
Pesto
Fresh baby spinach

Directions

Cook the tortillas according to directions.
Spread pesto on one tortilla.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the pesto.
Spread the tomatoes and spinach and sprinkle more mozzarella over the top.  Add feta cheese.

Spread pesto on the other tortilla and place on top.

Return to the pan and cook until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Baked Eggs

Every morning, by the time I've gotten myself dressed and all three of my kids ready for school, there isn't enough time for me to sit and eat breakfast.  I'm not about to start my day without something in my stomach, so I usually grab a breakfast bar or toast and English muffin that I can eat in the car.  

It gets a little old.  

Then I stumbled across this brilliant idea!  You can BAKE raw eggs in a muffin tin!  They come out looking like little patties.  

Refrigerate them and each morning, pop one in the microwave for 25 seconds and put between an English muffin for an instant breakfast egg sand which!

Baked Eggs

Ingredients:

eggs

salt/pepper for seasoning

shredded cheese

Directions:

Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray. Crack one egg in each muffin space (or as many as you'd like to bake), season with some salt and pepper and sprinkle in some cheese.  Stir if desired.

Bake for 15 minutes or s at 350º. 

Place between two toasted English muffins and douse with Tabasco Sauce.  

Eat in the car as you drive to work. 

Bread Sticks

I usually try to keep a box of frozen garlic bread in my freezer for the occasional spaghetti dinner that needs a little something extra.  But recently, for a family dinner, I decided to try my hand at homemade garlic bread sticks.  

I love the recipe because it was so easy and quick!

No more frozen garlic bread for this family!

Bread Sticks

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 tablespoon instant yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

 3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients (except the melted butter) in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Knead for three minutes.  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 

Heat oven to 375º.

Spread the melted butter onto an 11x17 baking sheet.  

Roll out the dough about 1/4 to 1/2 inch think and cut into strips.  Be careful not to make them too long.  Twist slightly and place about 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. 

Sprinkle with garlic salt and some other herbs of your choice (basil or thyme...or something finely crushed) and some grated Parmesan cheese. 

Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 minutes. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. 

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Peanut Noodles

A long time ago I went to the Cheesecake Factory and they had a peanut sauce noodle dish that I ordered.  

It was amazing. 

I went home and decided to make my own version, so I could eat it whenever I wanted.

  I'm glad I did, because now the Cheesecake Factory doesn't make that yummy dish anymore. 

Peanut Noodles

Ingredients:

1 box of angel hair pasta, cooked

1 bag of broccoli slaw

peanuts

Directions:

In a frying pan, heat olive oil and toss the broccoli slaw until it is heated through.  Toss with the pasta. 

Serve with crushed peanuts and some of your favorite peanut sauce. 

Mexican Pizza: Taco Bell Copycat

I don't eat a lot of fast food, but I think I could go to Taco Bell everyday of my life.  

I always order from the same three things on their menu.  A Mexican Pizza (no meat, because I was a vegetarian for 5 years, and I've never gone back to eating a Mexican Pizza with meat), a bean burrito, please add tomatoes or a Double Decker (with no meat).

As I was scrolling through Pintersest, I noticed a copy cat recipe for the Mexican Pizza.  

I made my shopping list and went to the store as soon as I could!  I even bought the bottled Fire Sauce because I was so excited to make my own Mexican Pizza!

It's so close to the real thing that I ate one every day until I ran out of tortillas. 

Mexican Pizza: Taco Bell Copycat

Ingredients:

1 package of medium sized flour tortillas

1 can refried beans

1 can can of red enchilada sauce

shredded cheddar cheese

shredded pepper jack cheese

1 tomato, diced

1 small can olives

1 green onion, diced

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 375º. 

Line a baking sheet with foil and place 2 tortillas on the foil. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Flip tortillas over and bake the other side for about 5 minutes or until they are browning and getting crisp.  Remove from oven and set aside. 

Spoon refried beans into a bowl and microwave until the are heated through. 

Spread the beans over one of the tortillas and place the other tortilla on top.  

Spread a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce over the top tortilla, and cover with pepper jack and cheddar cheese.  Add a few tomatoes, onion and olives. 

Place tortillas back on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted through. 

Remove from oven, slice in half both ways, smother with your favorite taco sauce and eat it up!

Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Don't you love when you make something and then because it's tastes so incredible, you eat it for lunch every. single. day until it is gone.  

And even then, you wish you had more? 

That's how I felt/acted with this pasta.  I would look forward to lunchtime (more than usual) because I could not wait to devour another bowlful of the creamy sun-dried tomato pasta.  

Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

 

Ingredients: 

1 pound bow tie noodles, cooked

4 tablespoons butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

8 ounces cream cheese, softened and diced into 8 pieces

8 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped

2 cups milk

6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Diced fresh tomatoes and fresh basil for topping (optional) 

Directions:

Cook noodles according the package and toss with a bit of olive oil.  Set aside while you make the sauce. 

In a skillet, melt butter over a medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes stirring constantly.  Do not let the garlic burn.  Stir in the dried basil.  Add the cream cheese and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the sun dried tomatoes. 

Over medium heat, gradually add the milk about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fully into the sauce.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. 

Continue stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency. 

Pour in cooked, hot noddles and drool away!

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Baked Ravioli

Sometimes, you don't really want to cook.  You don't want to chop and dice and measure and mix and pour and marinate.  

Sometimes, you just want to add three ingredients to a pan and bake.  That's exactly what this is.  

It's so easy. 

Baked Ravioli

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen cheese ravioli

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Shredded mozzarella cheese. 

Directions:

In a casserole dish layer ravioli (don't let them overlap too much), sauce and cheese (in that order) evenly until you've run out of ingredients. Cover with foil and bake in the oven on 350º until cheesy is bubbly and the ravioli is heated through. 

Serve with garlic bread!

Source: Mom Mart

The Best Dinner Rolls

Baking anything that is bready is a little intimidating.  Everyone loves a warm, soft, buttery roll so if you get it wrong, it's a big waste of time.    Plus, baking bread takes a really long time.  And I really hate wasting time!  

So I haven't really ventured too far into breadland.  But, I was drawn into these rolls because they seemed so simple. 

I couldn't believe how easy they actually were!  I've made them a few times, and each time they have turned out to be a perfect dinner roll to our dinner entree

The Best Dinner Rolls

 

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

2 eggs

3-4 cups flour

butter, melted

Directions

In a small bowl (cereal size) mix yeast with 1/4 cup warm water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.  Let stand until bubbly.  (about 10 minutes)

In a medium bowl or the bowl to your stand mixer, mix 1 cup warm milk, 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt with a wooden spoon. 

Add 1 cup of flour to mixture and mix well.  Add eggs and beat until smooth.  Add the yeast mixture and mix on high until smooth.  (with the whisk attachment on your stand mixer)

Switch to the kneading hook on your stand mixer and add 3-4 cups of flour to the mixture.  Dough should be very sticky.  Pour the dough into a large bowl.  Cover with a towel and let rise for a few hours or until it has doubled in size.

Punch it down and divide it in half. 

Roll the dough onto a floured surface making a circle about 12 inches in diameter.  Dough should be about 3/8" thick. 

Brush dough with melted butter.  Cut circle with a pizza cutter into 12 pieces (like a pizza). 

Roll each triangle from the rounded edge to the point to make a crescent roll.  Place into a greased pan.  

Cover with a towel and let rise for a few hours until they double in size. 

Bake at 375º until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  

**If you touch the rolls, they should bounce back when they are done.  If they don't, they need to bake longer. 

Brush with melted butter while still warm. 

Try not to eat every. single.one!

Enjoy!

• 
  

Source: Lil Luna

Witch Hats

Luckily my food blog isn't popular.  Lucky because if it was, then it might be a problem that I post holiday recipes LONG after the holiday has passed.  Oops!

My son's preschool had a Halloween celebration last year and asked for donations.  I signed up to bring a treat.  Feeling a little buried with work and being a mother, I searched for an easy treat to make.  These witch hats were exactly what I was looking for and my son loved them!

Ingredients:

1 package of  Keebler Chocolate Striped Shortbread Cookies
1 package of Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped
1 container white frosting
green or orange food coloring

Directions:

Drop a few drops of food coloring into the white frosting and stir until well combined.  Smear a dollop of frosting on the bottom of a Hershey's kiss and stick it to the bottom (chocolate side) of the cookie.

You want the frosting to smush out from underneath the kiss so you can see the color of the frosting.

Wa-la!  Witch hats!

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

What is up with my blurry picture?!  

It doesn't even matter. 

This pasta is amazing!  

This is one of those pastas that you could keep in the "company is coming over and I need something to serve" arsenal.  

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Penne pasta

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 tablespoon of your favorite all-purpose seasoning

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour and 1 tablespoon flour

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups milk

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, diced

1 cup mozzarella, shredded

1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

1/4 cup Italian seasoning bread crumbs

Directions

Cook the Penne according to the directions. Leave a bit undercooked because they are going to bake in the oven and you don't want mushy pasta.

Preheat oven to 400º

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. 

Dice chicken into small pieces and season with the all purpose seasoning.  Cook in a skillet until cooked through. 

In a large pot, or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add flour and garlic, whisk and cook for about 1 minute.  Gradually add milk while whisking and bring to a simmer.  Be sure to whisk frequently until the sauce thickens.  

Add tomatoes and cook for about a minute.  

Take of heat and add mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. 

Add chicken and pasta to sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Pour into the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and bread crumbs. 

Bake about 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. 

Source:  The Art of Comfort Baking

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Sometimes I make dinner and I wish there were more people around to eat it because I can't believe how amazing it tastes. And it always seems to be the simplest meals that I feel this way.  Makes me wonder, why do I always think the long, complicated recipes will be the best tasting?  

Simple really is better.  

The proof is in this soup!

**And on a side note:  This is similar to "Funeral Potatoes" or as my family calls them, "Heavenly Potatoes" only in a soup version, so if you are a fan of these type of potatoes (you know you are) then you'll LOVE this soup. 

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 bag of cubed frozen hash browns

1 can of cream of chicken soup

2 cans of chicken broth

1 package of cream cheese

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix together the cream of chicken and chicken broth and put in crock pot.  Add onions and potatoes and season with some pepper. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. 

 Cut the cream cheese into small pieces first and allow to soften, then add to the crock pot and turn to high.  Cook until the cream cheese is melted and can be stirred into the soup smoothly. 

Season with salt and pepper and top with shredded cheese.

Or, my favorite, spice it up with some Tabasco sauce!

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

I could probably eat an entire bowl of spinach artichoke dip by myself.  The problem is, I can't justify doing that as "dinner".  But slap it on a pizza crust and my problem is solved! 

Yea!

  

It's the little things.

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup butter

2 Tbsp cream cheese

 3/4 Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

6 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and squeezed dry, roughly chopped

2 pizza crusts (unless you want the topping to extra heavy)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425º (or follow the directions on container)

In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir together the cream, butter and cream cheese until melted.  Combine well. 

Stir in the Parmesan cheese and garlic powder.  Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes. 

Place the spinach in a frying pan with a tablespoon of water and cook over medium high heat until wilted. Then place on a clean towel and wring out all the liquid.  Then add the spinach to the sauce and stir to combine. 

Spread the sauce over the crust. 

Spread the artichoke pieces over the sauce and top with mozzarella cheese. 

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. 

Source The Two Bite Club

Cream Cheese Cinammon Rollies

Nothing makes me happier then when I make a dish for someone and later they ask me to make it again!  This weekend, my family went to Park City for a reunion and I made these for breakfast one morning.  Two days later, my older brother asked if I'd make them again.  Honestly, I didn't exactly want to get up before everyone again and make breakfast (it was MY vacation too, ya know!).  But how could I say no?  My eagerness to please dominated my desire to sleep in a bit longer. 

It seems like these are meant to be a breakfast item, but I see no reason why they can't be made as a dessert.  They are similar to a Churro, but smaller and the insides are a cream cheese filling. 

Cream Cheese Cinammon Rollies

Ingredients:

1 loaf of white bread

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 container cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, melted

Cinammon and Sugar mixed together to sprinkle over the top

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350º

In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar and soft cream cheese until smooth. 

Using a knife, cut the crusts off each slice of bread. Then with a rolling pin, flatten the bread.  (I like to do a few at a time, so the bread doesn't dry out)

Scoop a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture onto each piece of flattened bread, and spread it over the surface area of the bread.   Then roll up the bread, removing any excess cream from the seam. 

Brush melted butter over all sides of each roll and then sprinkle all sides with the cinammon/sugar mixture. 

Bake about 20 minutes until the rollies are nice and toasted. 

**My mom suggested adding some orange zest to the filling.  BRILLIANT!  I will be trying that added ingredient next time!

** I re-made these a few months later and experimented with nutella and strawberries for the filling rather than the cream cheese mix.  The possibilities are endless!

Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Shells

I love easy cooking.  

This dish grabbed my attention at first because I realized that all I had to do was spread the filling over the shells.  That means I didn't have to stir (wow, that makes me sound really lazy)

Talk about easy cooking.   

Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Shells

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta (your choice, but I used shells)

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 of a 10oz package frozen chopped spinach: thawed and drained of excess liquid

nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 bottle of marinara sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.  Spray at 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.  Cook the pasta according to directions; drain and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan and egg.  Stir until smooth.  Add the garlic, spinach, nutmeg, basil, red pepper and salt and pepper. 

Pour half of the pasta into the baking dish and top with half of the marinara sauce.  Spoon the spinach mixture over the sauce in and even layer.  Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the mixture.  Cover with the remaining pasta and sauce.  Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. 

Cover wtih foil and bake for about 25 miniutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5 or 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and edges are slightly browned.  

**You can prepare this a day ahead.  Cover with foil and place in fridge until you are ready to cook.

  

**Freeze the leftovers too!

Manicotti

Is it even possible to get a good picture of Manicotti?  I've tried!  I keep making this meal so I can take a picture of it and everytime it looks like a hot mess!  So, I figured I'll just post this one and keep trying.  It's such a simple approach to a potentially complicated meal, that I just want to share with everyone!  You don't even have to cook the shells before you stuff!  Makes these puppies SO easy to make!  

Manicotti

Ingredients:

1 container cottage cheese

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 egg

parsley flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 package of manicotti shells

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400º

Combine cheeses, egg and parsley flakes.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about half of the spaghetti sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 pan and stuff the uncooked shells.  Lay the stuffed shells in the pan on top of the sauce. Mix about a 1/2 cup of water to the remaining sauce and pour the mixture over the top of the shells.  Cover the pan tightly with foil. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes. 

BOOM! Easy!