Pasta Primavera

Last fall some friends invited us over for dinner and served this dish . . . and I've been dreaming about it ever since. I got the recipe today and luckily had most of the ingredients on hand, so I changed my dinner plans and did not regret it for a second. This dish doesn't really have many seasonings, but it is somehow SO incredibly flavorful and delicious. I'm in love and so is everyone else in the fam.

Just a note on the ingredients. This is the type of dish that it's hard to go wrong with---you can really mix and match the ingredients here to customize it to what you have on hand and what your family enjoys. You MUST use pine nuts and asparagus and FRESH Parmesan cheese, however. Today I didn't have the fresh basil, so I made it without and that obviously changes the whole tone of the dish, but it was still delicious. So use it if you can (and if you like fresh basil, of course), but don't stress if you don't have it. I also think this would be amazing with some zucchini or yellow summer squash.


Pasta Primavera

4 Tbsp pine nuts
1 pound dried pasta of your choice (penne and rigatoni work well)
2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
15 (or so) fresh asparagus spears, bottoms trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieeces
4 (or so) carrots
1 cup green peas (thawed if frozen)
8 button mushrooms, sliced
4 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 chicken broth
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a skillet over medium heat; add the pine nuts and toast, stirring continuously for 1 minutes; set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions, stirring, for 6 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add tomatoes, asparagus, and carrots and cook, stirring regularly, for 2 minutes. Add peas, mushrooms, basil, broth, salt, and pepper; cover skillet and cook 5 minutes. Add remaining olive oil and toasted pine nuts; stir to combine all ingredients.

Drain cooked pasta in a colander, and put the vegetable mixture in the bottom of the empty pot. Top with hot pasta and toss together gently to combine well and heat through. Serve pasta topped with a little Parmesan cheese.

Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

We originally got this recipe from Rebecca Shurtz, so you know it's southern . . . Somehow it's morphed into Cindy's recipe.

1 cube of butter (I always use less)
16 oz. cooked macaroni noodles
12 oz. can evaporated milk
2 eggs beaten
6 cups shredded cheese (I usually use less of this as well. But the full amount is tasty . . . )
salt to taste

Grease crock pot with butter, melt the rest in the bottom. Combine other ingredients in the crock pot. Cook 3 hours on low, 1.5 hours on high (stir frequently if on high).

Cheddar Chicken & Penne

I found this recipe in a magazine ages ago, and I love it. It's simple and incredibly fast--you can have it on your table within 20 minutes of beginning to cook. A few nights ago I served it with a toasted baguette and a fresh green salad. Without further ado, here's the recipe:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth (14 oz.)
• 8 oz. (1/2 pkg) penne rigate, uncooked
• 16 oz (1 pkg) frozen vegetable mix
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese*

In 5-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder, cook in butter until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.* Add broth; heat to boiling. Add uncooked pasta and frozen vegetables, stirring to coat pasta with liquid. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender and most of liquid is absorbed, stirring every 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted.

*Notes: The last couple of times I made this, I cooked the chicken separately and then added it at the end so I could do it all faster. Also, I probably only use 3/4 cup cheese and it seems like plenty to me.

Beef Stroganoff

This is the best beef stroganoff I've ever made. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com but tweaked it enough that I'm posting an updated version here instead of just giving you a link.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles, cooked and drained
• 6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
  
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 cup sour cream
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook egg noodles in boiling water until done, about 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, cook mushrooms and onions in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until soft; remove from pan.
3. Using the same pan, brown ground beef. Drain and rinse. Melt remaining butter and mix in flour. Stir in beef broth, and cook until slightly thickened. Add worcestershire sauce. Add mushroom and onion mixture; stir in sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until sauce is hot, but not boiling. Serve sauce over egg noodles.

A few thoughts: I probably did less beef than is listed and it was fine. I also like to serve this over rice instead of noodles sometimes. You might want to add half the worcestershire sauce and then taste it before adding more. I like the full amount, but it's a different kick so you should just make sure it fits your taste buds before adding too much.

*If you want to see the original recipe, go here.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.

Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh...butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.
Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.


When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Great Pasta

three strips bacon
green onion
sweet red pepper
zucchini
Italian style diced tomatoes
garlic
capers (if you want)
salt and pepper
some type pasta, we used penne

Fry the bacon then add the onion, red pepper, zucchini and toss until the vegies are soft. Add the tomatoes and capers. Could add mushrooms in there somewhere if you want. Toss it all around for a bit and if it seems juicy add a little flour. Then add the pasta and toss that around and let it cook just a little more. Serve it up with some cheese maybe or whatever. We loved this recipe that I made up tonight and didn't want to stop eating.

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Uncle Ray's Spaghetti Sauce

10 lbs ground round 8 onions 2 tsp oregano 1 tsp sweet basil 6 tbs salt 6 tbs pepper 4 tsp sugar 12 cloves garlic, crushed 1 stick butter 2 cups parsley 8 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes 20 - 6 oz cans tomato paste 6 quarts water

Brown meat and drain. Saute onions in butter. Add remaining ingredients. Cook to boiling and reduce heat. Simmer 4 hours until desired thickness. Makes 6 gallons and freezes well.

Fresh Tomato Pasta Toss

Got this delicious recipe in The Taste of Home Cook Book.

3 lbs fresh tomatoes
1 package (16 0z) uncooked medium tube pasta or pasta fo your choice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp minced fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

To remove peels from tomatoes, fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Place tomatoes, one at a time, in boiling water for 30 seconds. Immediately plunge in ice water. Peel skins with a sharp paring knife and discard. chop, pulp, set aside. (may want to smash with something)
Cook pasta according to package directions. IN a large skillet, cook garlic in oil over medium heat until completely golden. Add parsley, basil, oregano, salt, sugar, pepper, and reserved tomato pulp; mix well. bring to a boil ; reduce heat. Add whipping cream; heat through.
Drain pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Pour tomato sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.