Tortellini Spinach Bake -- Amber Williams

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (find them in the dry pasta aisle)
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy)
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat.  Cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain.  Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.  Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon.  Then cut lemon in half and remove juice.  Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce.  (Note:  I really love lemon so I added this to my tastes.  If you don’t want as strong of a lemon flavor, I suggest cutting it down to 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice) .  Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture.  Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add sauce and gently stir to combine.  Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* For a vegetarian meal, omit bacon.

Serves 4-6

Pumpkin Curry -- Corrie Perkins

Pumpkin Curry

1 small can of pumpkin puree

1 can of coconut milk

3T honey or agave

1/2 c cranberry juice or pomagranate molasses

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1 T butter

2 t curry powder

1 t ginger powder

1/2 t cinnamon

1-2 lbs. chicken breasts cubed

add peas, green beans, cauliflower whatever sounds good

cilantro

lime juice

S&P

Make the sauce and then simmer chicken in it for at least 30 min. Add vegis toward the end. Serve over basmati rice with cilantro and lime .

Asian Grilled Salmon -- Julianne Clark

Asian Grilled Salmon (Barefoot Contessa recipe)

Found on sisterscafe.blogspot.com

1 side of fresh salmon, boned, but skin on-cut into 6 servings

(about 3 pounds) * I use frozen wild salmon from Costco—individually wrapped-skin on

For the marinade:


2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard


3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce


6 Tablespoons Olive Oil


½ tsp minced garlic

Light BBQ and brush grilling rack with oil to keep fish from sticking. (I use tin foil)

While grill is heating, prepare marinade by whisking ingredients together. Drizzle half of the marinade onto the salmon (skin side down) and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Place salmon skin-side down on the hot grill; discard the marinade the fish was sitting in. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes. The salmon will be slightly raw in the center, but don’t worry, it will keep cooking as it sits.

Transfer fish to a flat plate, skin side down, and spoon the reserved marinade on top. Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes. Remove skin and serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

Skillet Lasagna -- Misha Bradford

Simple and Meaty Skillet Lasagna

from melskitchencafe.com

3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

Salt

3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (these do not add spice – just flavor!)

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground beef (I used 80% lean)

12 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 1 inch lengths

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup ricotta cheese (do not use fat-free)

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coarsely ground and no large pieces remain (in a food processor, that is about 12 pulses0.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.

Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil and oregano. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in half the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.

Easy (not too fattening) Alfredo Sauce -- Amber Williams

Easy Alfredo Sauce from Our Best Bites

3 oz. cream cheese

2 cups milk

2 T. flour

1 t. kosher salt

1 T. butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup real parmesan cheese, grated

Put cream cheese, milk, flour, and salt in blender until smooth.  Melt butter in medium saucepan.   Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds stirring constantly so not to burn.  Whisk in milk mixture and mix until bubbly and thick – can be about 4 to 7 minutes depending on your stove.  Take off heat and mix in shredded cheese.  Yummy over chicken and noodles with peas, or on homemade pizza, with bread sticks, or on veggies.

Rotel Chicken -- Amber Williams

Rotel Chicken

2-3 lbs. frozen chicken

8 oz cream cheese (not nonfat)

1 can of Rotel (Mexican diced tomatoes)

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can corn (drained)

Put all in crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Stirring every 2 hours and shredding chicken at the end.  Serve over rice or in tortillas.  (It is a little spicy, so for kids add some sour cream.)

Gretel's Cafe Rio Chicken

Café Rio chicken

5-8 chicken breasts

1 lg. can green enchilada sauce

1-2 cups brown sugar

Add salsa to taste if desired

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

This is one of my favorite meals I have ever eaten.

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

from Keeping Up Cookbook

1/2 c. honey

1/4 c. lime juice

1 T. chili powder

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded

Stir together honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder until combined. Add chicken and let sit in marinade for at least 30 minutes.

2 (10-oz.) cans green enchilada sauce

1 cup half and half

flour tortillas - (we love to cook our own from Costco)

shredded colby jack cheese

Mix enchilada sauce with half and half. Spread roughly 3/4 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish. Fill flour tortillas with marinated chicken and shredded cheese, roll-up, then place side-by-side in baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and top with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Chicken and Couscous Salad -- Misha Bradford

Chicken and Couscous Salad

(Cooking Light, MAY 2004)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

Salad:

1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 c uncooked couscous

1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 6 ounces) (using rotisserie or leftover chicken makes this recipe super fast & easy)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/2 cup diced radishes (about 3-4 large)

1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Dressing:

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

To prepare salad, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Spoon couscous into a large bowl; cool slightly. Add chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, parsley, pine nuts and dressing; toss gently to combine.

Lemon Chicken -- Rebecca Anderson

Lemon Chicken

from Favorites Cookbook

1 lb. chicken breasts
flour
lemon pepper
butter
freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pound chicken, roll it in flour and place it in buttered skillet. Sprinkle it generously with lemon pepper. Cook on both sides until done on medium heat. Reduce heat to low then make a glaze with butter and lemon. Serve with white or brown rice. It's also good with salmon or trout.

Egg-Hashbrown Casserole -- Katie Dunn

Egg-Hashbrown Casserole

List of ingredients:
1/2 cube of butter
1 large 30 oz. frozen hashbrown bag
8 oz. cheddar chees
8 oz. monterey jack with jalapeno cheese
3/4 lb. ham or precooked bacon
5 eggs
1 cup of milk
Optional: sour cream and salsa to serve with casserole

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Melt 1/2 cube of butter in 9x13 pan
Add 1 large 30 oz. hashbrowns bag (frozen section)
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes breaking up hashbrowns occationally
Mix 8oz. cheddar cheese grated,
8 oz. Monterey Jack with Jalapeno grated,
3/4 lb. ham cubed or pre-cooked bacon cut into small squares
Mix seperately 5 eggs, and 1 cup of milk together
Put ham and cheese over hashbrowns. Then POUR milk and egg mixture over all. Do not mix.
Bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes loosely covered with foil.
Serve with sour cream and salsa or plain.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder - Shirley Morris

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder -- Shirley Morris

1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 - 12.5 oz can of chicken

½ cup chopped onion or 1 tsp. of onion powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

3 Tbsp. butter

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup hot water

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or 1 cup of Mozzarella

1 (15 oz.) can creamed corn

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies

¼ tsp. hot sauce (Tabasco)

1 bag tortilla chips

In large saucepan, brown chicken, onion, garlic, and butter. Dissolve bouillon in hot water and add to chicken. Then add cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cook until cheese melts. To make ahead - Pour into a freezer bag and freeze.

Italian Soup -- Enrichment Night - Bonnie Merci

Okay, so I am a slacker and I didn't go to enrichment night, but a sweet little birdie brought the recipes to me. I heard that the Italian Soup was really good so I will put it on the blog for all of you who like soup. Soup weather is upon us. There, I pronounced it, so commence the soup making!

Italian Soup - Bonnie Merci

1 lb. ground beef
small yellow onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
fresh mushroom pieces
1 or 1.5 large cans of tomato juice (or V8)
Macaroni noodles
sugar
salt
pepper
oregano
Italian seasoning
basil
parsley

Okay, so I didn't try this recipe out yet - but while I am typing it I am noticing there are no amounts for most of the ingredients. This is not how I cook. I cook like a scientist with precisely measured ingredients. So if anyone knows at least a round about estimation of how much I need of: mushrooms, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and parsley - I would love to know. Did they tell at enrichment when they were doing the demonstration? I don't even know to whom this recipe originated or I would call them. If you have this info please let me know so I can update the recipe.

Back to the instructions:
Brown beef in a little olive oil, with a small yellow onion and a couple of chopped cloves of garlic. Add the fresh mushroom pieces and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the tomato juice (or V8.) Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni. Reduce heat and add sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and parsley - to taste. Let simmer until the macaroni is cooked.
This is a great crock pot recipe (I would like to know the instructions for making it in a crock pot. How long to cook? When do you add macaroni? Any ideas?)

Irish Italian Spaghetti -- Kim Stohl

This is my family's favorite spaghetti recipe - which is saying a lot because I have a husband and daughter who don't like "red sauce." So until this recipe, we were a no spaghetti household. Thanks Kim for this recipe, because as you all know spaghetti is a very important part of the meal rotation because it is so easy! So now at least every three weeks we have this yummy dinner and it gets eaten all up. Yummy!

Irish-Italian Spaghetti

1 Onion chopped

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

dash of red pepper (optional)

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp tabasco sauce

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can tomato soup

4 to 8 oz spaghetti noodles (or whatever you prefer)

Brown onion and ground beef. Add seasonings. Cover and simmer for 10 min. Add soups, cover and simmer 45 min. In the meantime, cook spaghetti. This has a little spice to it - Tyson likes it with extra tabasco and the kids like it just regular with parmesan cheese to lessen the kick a little.

* Those are the recipe's instructions - I usually don't let it simmer for 10 min. I just stir it well for a minute or two. Then I mix in the other stuff and let it simmer while I cook the spaghetti, set the table, make a salad, etc. It never ends up being 45 mins. but it is just as delicious!

This sauce freezes well!!

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches -- Caroline Winters

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

1 lb. chicken tenders cooked and cubed (you can also used canned chicken)

1 stalk celery finely diced

1/4 green pepper, diced

4 green onions, diced

3/4 C. mayo

1/4 C. coarsely chopped salted peanuts

1/3 C. golden raisins

3/4 tsp. curry powder

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. shallot salt (or onion salt)

Mix mayo with seasonings, stir in remaining ingredients. Serve on your favorite bread or rolls.

Best Ever Lasagna -- Amber Williams

Best Ever Lasagna

3 lb. sausage
4 cloves minced garlic --- you could use half, but why?
2 Tablespoon dried basil
3 teaspoon salt
1 big can crushed tomatoes from Costco (or 4 big cans of crushed tomatoes from store)
2 teaspoons sugar -- added to tomatoes
Lasagna noodles - I end up using one whole package plus part of another -- leave uncooked!
6 cups cottage cheese (Costco size)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 Tablespoons Parsley Flakes
4 Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon pepper
2 pound mozzarella shredded (I just buy big bag of shredded mozzarella and use most of bag)

Brown meat. Add next 5 ingredients and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. In a medium or large mixing
bowl mix together cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, eggs and pepper.
Do not cook noodles - but you might need to break them to fit into pan. Start with a little sauce
on the bottom of the pan. Then noodles - sauce - cottage cheese mix - mozzarella and repeat to make 3 layers.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
If frozen, I cook it for at least an hour to and hour and a half covered with tin foil for at least 45 minutes and
then take off so cheese gets melty.
Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
This recipe can be halved but it works so well using the large costco products it is easier to make more.
It can make 2 deep large lasagnas, or 4-5 little ones in glass 9x9 pans. If the dishes are shallow it might be too hard to make them three layers deep.

Rigatoni -- Suzanne Kingsford

Rigatoni

This is a recipe that I've found even the pickiest of eaters like and eat well. It makes a large batch - one for your family and one to take to someone else or to freeze for another night.

3 lbs. ground beef
1 chopped onion
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz cans)
1 tomato sauce can full of water
2 packages spaghetti seasoning
1 lb cheddar cheese, grated
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
1 pint cottage cheese
1 can mushrooms (optional)
1 large package rigatoni noodles

Brown meat and onion, drain off fat. Add sauce, seasoning packages, water and mushrooms and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Cook noodles. While noodles are cooking, combine cheeses and cottage cheese. Layer noodles, cheese and meat sauce in your pans and top with a little extra cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

Skillet Curry Chicken - Angie Dunn

Skillet Curry Chicken


Simple and delicious!

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 onion (or less), chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 can (10 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 cup heavy cream (I used half & half and ended up adding water b/c it was so thick)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 4-5 breasts), cut into 1" pieces
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. smoked paprika

In heavy skillet, cook apple and onion in butter and olive oil until tender, 4-5 minutes. Stir in curry powder and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add soup, cream, salt, pepper and stir. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken to pan along with mushrooms and paprika. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is thoroughly cooked (I cooked the chicken separately to save time.) Serve over hot cooked rice.

Yummy!

Meat Loaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato and Carrot Icing - Rebecca Anderson

Meat Loaf

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 sm. onion, grated
2 sm. carrots, grated
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, grated
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 T Dijon
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 T chopped fresh oregano
1 T chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 egg
2 T tomato paste

Combine all ingredients, except egg and tomato paste. Mix well, and then add last 2 ingredients. Roll into balls and place in muffin cups. Cook at 350 for 25-30 min.

Carrot Icing
3 lg. potatoes
2 carrots
3 T butter
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt

Boil potatoes and carrots separately, blend or food process them, and then add butter, milk and salt.

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula Recipe - Holly Christensen

1 Tbl olive oil

1 Tbl minced garlic

2 c heavy cream

2 lemons --- 3 lemons if you want to garnish with lemon

1 lb. dried fusilli

1/2 lb baby arugula

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
cooked, cut up chicken (optional)

Heat oil, garlic for 1 min, then add cream, zest and juice of 2 lemons, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil, lower temp, and simmer for 15-20 mins, or until it starts to thicken.

Boil noodles to al dente. Drain and return to pot. Add cream sauce, and cook for 3 mins. Pour pasta into large bowl and add arugula, Parmesan and tomatoes. Cut last lemon into thin slices and add some to pasta as garnish. Toss and season to taste. Serve hot.

Amber's Note:  So I made this tonight for dinner because I have been craving it since I tried it at Holly's house.  I decided to add about 1 lb. of cooked cut up chicken to make it a main course instead of a side.  This recipe makes a lot!  My kids weren't really crazy over it, so mainly just Tyson and I ate it.  I ate way more than I should because it is awesome!  Just what I love to eat in the summer.  If Noodles had this on their menu, I would order it every time.  I have enough for at least four more good size servings left over lunches.