Shrimp Pasta with a Tomato Cream Sauce

Today is hubby's birthday; happy birthday hubby!! Of course, for his birthday he got to decide what we had for dinner.  He requested the "orange shrimp".  After a dumbfounded look, he continued to explain that it looks, but does not taste, orange.  Then I knew what he was talking about.  It's the first recipe I tried from the Pioneer Woman; she calls it Penne a la Betsy after her sister.  As I looked through my blog for the recipe - and I was absolutely sure I blogged it - I could not find it.  I searched "pasta"and "shrimp" to no avail.  I even looked through all my blog entry titles.  I have no idea how this one slipped through the cracks! It is a wonderfully, amazingly, sinfully delicious dish that is pretty simple to prepare.  It is definitely one of my go-to dishes if I want to impress. 

Hubby and I have experimented with different pasta varieties (I don't think we've used the same one twice).  So far, our favorite has been rigatoni.  Tonight, I used bowtie because it's what we had in the pantry. 

 Shrimp Pasta with a Tomato Cream Sauce

• 1 pound extra large, peeled, deveined shrimp
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound pasta
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 – 1 cup white wine (chardonnay)
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbsp parsley
• basil

Start the pasta water boiling. Rinse the shrimp under cool water. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Sauté shrimp, then remove them to a plate to cool. Boil the pasta.
 Finely dice the onion and garlic. Heat 2 tbsp butter, then add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and garlic; stir occasionally. Pull tails off the shrimp, then cut them into bite size pieces. Pour wine over onions and garlic. Cook for a few minutes to let the alcohol evaporate. Add tomato sauce; stir. Stir in cream. Simmer for a few minutes. Add shrimp; salt and pepper. Chop parsley and basil. Add to sauce. Pour 3/4 over the pasta to the sauce; salt and pepper as needed.

Homemade Ravioli

A couple  of weeks ago, my friend Courtney came over and we made king cakes.  As the cakes rose and baked, we looked through  my cookbooks and discussed things we'd like to try cooking.  We both really wanted to try our hands at making pasta, so we decided to make homemade ravioli.  We filled some with a spinach and cheese mixture and others with meat (because boys are silly).  

(sorry my photos aren't very good, it's a bit embarrassing to make company wait to eat so I can snap pictures!)

 

We used a pasta recipe from my awesome Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and I just sort of created the spinach cheese mixture.  

 

Courtney made the meat mixture before coming over, following Alton Brown's meatloaf recipe.  I'll find that recipe sooner or later and actually try it.  From the ravioli, it seems super tasty!

 

Homemade Pasta

(Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook, page 414)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup flour

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, salt, and dried basil.  Create a well in the center.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Mix in water and oil.  Pour into the well in the flour, and gently stir to combine.  It is okay if all of the flour does not fully incorporate; you're going to knead it next.

On a lightly floured surface, using the remaining 1/3 cup flour, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Cover and let sit 10 minutes.  

Divide the dough into quarters.   Roll each piece into a 12" by 12" square, or until it's about 1/16" thick.  (You can roll it too thin, and then you're have ravioli that look like brains!)  Let sit 20 minutes, uncovered.

Using a cookie cutter, pasta cutter, or glass, cut as many circles as you can.  Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling on half of the circles, then dip your finger in water and run it around the outer edge of the pasta circle.   Place another circle of dough on top and seal shut. 

In a large pot, bring water with a generous splash of olive oil to a boil.  Boil 4-5 ravioli at a time, making sure not to crowd them, for 7-9  minutes.

Spinach and Cheese filling

• 1 bunch of spinach
• 1 tbsp mascarpone
• 7 oz ricotta
• 1/4 cup mozzarella 
• 1/8 cup shredded parmesan 
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add spinach and boil 30 seconds.  Drain immediately and run cold water over the spinach to stop the cooking.  Press the spinach to remove as much water as possible.  Finely chop and pat away excess liquid.  Combine in a bowl with the other ingredients.

Chicken Parmesan

(Yay a Wednesday post!) 

Hubby and I both independently had the idea to make chicken parmesan for dinner.  We combined our skills (his perfect marinara and my ability to bread chicken) and set off on an impromptu cooking experience.   It was really quite easy and does not in fact (regardless of my previous statements) require much skill.  And it was tasty to boot!

Chicken Parmesan

Breaded Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts (you can modify this to meet your needs, of course)
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
  
•  1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp water

Marina Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 4 oz tomato paste
• 4 oz water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

For Serving

• Pasta, prepared per the instructions (spaghetti or angel hair works well)
  
• Mozzarella   

For the chicken:  Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a baking dish with pam.  In a large, shallow bowl or dish (pie pans work well) combine the breadcrumbs, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder,  salt, and pepper.  Place the flour into another shallow dish. In yet another dish, beat together the eggs and water.   

It's easiest to set up an assembly line.  First, your chicken, then the flour, egg mixture, and breadcrumbs with the baking dish at the end.  Dredge a chicken breast in the flour, making sure it is well coated but removing any excess.  Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture, then through the breadcrumb mixture.  Go back to the egg mixture and dip it again, making sure to shake off any excess.  Dredge once again in the breadcrumbs and place in the baking dish.  This is what you're doing:

 Flour -> Egg -> Breadcrumbs -> Egg -> Breadcrumbs

 Repeat for each piece of chicken.  Bake 35 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. 

Once the chicken has been baking for 15 minutes or so, combine the marina ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  After it begins to boil, reduce to a simmer.   

To serve: Place chicken atop a bed of pasta, then ladle some sauce on top. Sprinkle with Mozzarella and enjoy.

Baked Ziti

Random cravings are fun to indulge, especially when they involve pasta. 

Baked Ziti

• 1 lb ziti
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 handfuls of sliced mushrooms
  
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 tsp parlsey
• 2 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper
  
• 1 large jar tomato sauce
• 1 cup mozzarella 

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare noodles as per the package, making sure not to over cook them. 

While the noodles cook, brown the ground beef, making sure to stir often so it crumbles nicely. Add the onions and garlic, then stir in the basil, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper (to taste). Cook over medium heat until the noodles are cooked and drained. 

Add the meat mixture to the noodles and mix well. Pour into a 13x9 inch baking dish.  Pour tomato sauce over it all, then stir it in a bit.  

Bake 15 minutes, then add the mozzarella.  Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until the edges are bubbly.

Next time, I'll make my own tomato sauce so I have more control over such a large aspect of the dish; I wanted a more pungent tomato taste; the jarred sauce I used was pretty weak.

Macaroni and Cheese

I think about homemade mac 'n' cheese quite frequently. Hubby's grandmother makes the absolute best homemade macaroni and cheese. It's absolutely divine. And while one day I might have that recipe myself, for now I feel I should have my own macaroni and cheese. I made an attempt awhile ago, which was alright, but it wasn't the one. For some reason, I haven't tried another recipe since. I can't really explain it, as I've come across many and saved them.. Today, I finally decided to make some. I've been craving good macaroni and cheese, and the best way to satisfy a craving is to make whatever it is you want.

This recipe is almost perfect. The sauce's texture is fabulous; it's thick, creamy, and smooth. The dish has an excellent level of cheesiness. My one qualm is that it might be a bit too sweet, but I only thought that after eating more than my fair share of it. The recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated American Classics issue (which a friend told me I had to have). Awesomely, this magazine is associated with one of my favorite shows, America's Test Kitchen. It comes on public television and you should totally check it out. The magazine is perhaps more awesome than the show, as it details the process by which the recipe came to be (eg, what type of cheeses were tried, cook times, methods, etc).

Something to note. The recipe calls for a bread crumb topping, like many recipes do. For some reason, I hate the idea of breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs or bread chunks atop my mac 'n' cheese. It's a personal preference. I'll include the full recipe for you though, in case it's your sort of thing.

Macaroni and Cheese

(Cooks Illustrated, "American Classics," 2009, pg 19)

Bread Crumb Topping

• 3 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Macaroni and Cheese

• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 1 tbsp salt
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 - 12 oz cans evaporated milk
• 2 tsp salt
  
• 2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 8 oz (2 cups) extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 5 oz (1 1/4 cups) American cheese shredded (it's best to get a block of it from the deli)
• 2 oz (3/4 cup) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350F.

For the topping: Pulse the bread, melted butter, and Parmesan in a food processor until ground into coarse crumbs. transfer to a bowl and set aside.

For the macaroni and cheese: Bring 4 quarts (16 cups) water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp salt and macaroni to boiling water and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the macaroni cooking water, then drain and rinse the macaroni in a colander until cold running water. Set aside.

Melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter in the now-empty pot over medium high heat until it's foaming. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a light brown, about 1 minute.

Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk, hot sauce, nutmeg, mustard, and salt. Cook until mixture begins to simmer and is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheeses and reserved water until the cheese melts. Stir in the macaroni and until completely coated.

Transfer macaroni to a 13x9 inch baking dish and top evenly with bread crumbs. Bake until cheese is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Lasagna

Growing up, we only ever had frozen lasagna that took forever to bake and was never warm in the center. Needless to say, lasagna was never one of my favorite foods, yet I always felt it should be since it seems to beloved. I always imagined what lasagna could be: a heady mix of spices and herbs with the heartiness of the meat and cheese complemented by the tangy zest of tomatoes. When I came across Pioneer Woman's lasagna (the best ever, she claims), I thought I had hit the lasagna jackpot. Finally, the lasagna void of my childhood would be filled!!


It looked nice, smelled nice, but was just that. Nice. I wasn't wowed or amazed or felt any stirring of a future craving. Now, hubby loved it. And we both agree it was much better after sitting in the fridge overnight. Would I make this again? Perhaps, for hubby's sake. But, my search for THE lasagna continues..

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

• 1 1/2 lbs lean beef (I used 2 lbs)
• 1 lb hot breakfast sausage (such as Jimmy Dean)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14.5oz cans whole tomatoes
• 2 6oz cans tomato paste
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 oz package of lasagna noodles
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups lowfat cottage cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup Kraft Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb sliced mozzarella
  

In a large skillet, brown the sausage, beef, and garlic. Drain most of the fat.

At this point, depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to transfer to a large pot. (I had to.) Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tbsp each parsley and basil. Mix well and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

While the meat mixture is simmering, prepare the lasagna noodles by boiling a pot of water with the tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of salt. Add the noodles (you'll probably have to do some tricky arranging here to get them all to fit underneath the water) and boil however long the package tells you. 8 minutes, I believe. Drain and let cool.

While the meat and noodles are cooking away, prepare the cheese mixture by combining the cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan, 2 tbsp parsley, and salt. Stir until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a 9x13 baking dish, layer the ingredients. Start by laying down 4 noodles, overlapping them. Spread over half of the cheese mixture, then top with half of the mozzarella. On top of that, spoon half of the meat. Repeat. Sprinkle parmesan across the top and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Spring Shrimp Pasta

It has been a foodless week here in Mama Sarah's Kitchen. Hubby and I experienced greatly reduced appetites all week long. Luckily, we didn't experience any other maladies, but needless to say, I haven't cooked much this week. When we did our weekly grocery shopping, I bought all sorts of fresh veggies and such for the things I planned to cook, and now I'm frantically trying to get them all cooked.

Today, I had to use up my asparagus (sans tips which had gotten very.. soft). Quite awhile ago, I made an Easy Italian Mac and Cheese that I found in a magazine at the laundromat. I used that as a basis for this dish. Peas, asparagus, pasta, and cheese with the additional of shrimp. I realized as I started to prepare this that I only had macaroni noodles; they worked well enough, but I think I'll stick with bowtie next time.


Spring Shrimp Pasta
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked pasta
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (yes, garlic is supposed to be listed twice)
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 - 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tbsp heavy cream
salt and pepper (white if available)

In a medium skillet, melt butter, then add 1 clove of minced garlic. Saute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Lay the shrimp in the skillet in a single layer; you may need to cook in batches. Sprinkle with salt. Once the shrimp begin to pink and curl, flip them (1-2 minutes). Cook until the shrimp are opaque and firm. Remove to a plate or bowl.

Drizzle olive oil across the bottom of a large skillet. Add garlic (2 cloves) and saute for a minute or two over medium-low heat. Add asparagus and onions and saute until tender, but crisp (5-10 minutes). Add peas and cook a few minutes longer, until the peas are thoroughly heated and soft.

Reduce heat to low and stir in ricotta, mozzarella, and cream. Stir constantly while cheeses melt, making sure to combine all of the elements. Salt and pepper to taste. It will take quite a bit of each to get it well seasoned. I added salt at just about every stage and still needed to add a good bit at the end.

Stir in shrimp. Let everything incorporate and settle, then serve.

I added a bit of parsley also.

Hubby and I both enjoyed it. He was quite disappointed when he walked into the kitchen for thirds (!!!!) only to find I had already put everything away. It's a difficult life he leads here in Mama Sarah's kitchen. Difficult indeed.

Nigella's Mac and Cheese

Mmm mac and cheese. I dream about homemade mac and cheese. Hubby's paternal grandmother makes THE BEST mac and cheese, and perhaps one day, I'll score that recipe.


Mac and Cheese
from Nigella Express (ph 179)

• 8 oz macaroni
• 2 cups mature cheddar or red Leicester cheese (I used cheddar)
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• fresh nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425F. Cook the macaroni according to the package, drain, then return to the pot.

Grate the cheese, the mix together with the milk, eggs, and nutmeg. (You can also blitz these 4 ingredients in a processor, if you have one. lucky)

Pour the mixture of the macaroni and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Don't be shy with the salt.

Pour into a 10-inch diameter dish (I used a 12 inch cast iron skillet) and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until bubbling and blistering on top.


It wasn't as good as Maw's, but it was still quite tasty and much more satisfying than anything you'll get out of a box.

Sausage and Penne in Mustard Cream Sauce

So we're back up! Water isn't at 100%, but we can do normal household things like wash dishes. YAY! I've had a productive day (more on that later). Since TasteSpotting has gone down, other sites have begun to crop up to replace it (HAH!) I've been checking out Food Gawker and came across this recipe today, which I decided to make for dinner, on a whim, while standing in the produce aisle of the grocery store. I kind of followed the recipe and kind of did my own thing with it.


Sausage and Penne in Mustard Cream Sauce:
Penne, 2 servings worth
1 lb sausage (I used Hillshire Farms Italian Smoked Sausage)
olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 stalks of spring onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2-1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2-1 tsp ground mustard
salt and pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

Prepare penne. While pasta is boiling, slice sausage. In a skillet, brown the sausage in a bit of olive oil. Remove from pan.
Saute garlic and onions for a minute, until fragrant and onion is slightly wilted. Add mushrooms and saute until tender.
Add sausage, mustard, cream, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat until sauce reduces a bit.
Once penne is cooked, drain fully and toss with sauce.
Serve with parmesan sprinkled on top (I forgot to do this, but it would be tasty!).

Easy Italian Mac

Sitting in the laundromat the other night waiting for a month's worth of laundry to dry, I was flipping through a Better Homes and Garden and found this recipe. Now, I'm usually a pretty straight-laced kid, but I - carefully - tore the recipe out of the magazine and slipped it into my purse. I'm not sure what's worse, that I'm a thief or that I'm stealing recipes.. It was worth the thievery though. Quite worth it. The peas really make the dish, which is surprising to me because I still seem to have a 5 year old's idea of peas. Love them though. Nice sweet vegetable goodies.

OH! Shopping for the groceries for dinner tonight, I discovered my local store does now carry mascarpone and gruyere and other tasty things I couldn't previously find. YAY!

Easy Italian Mac:
8 oz bowtie pasta
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped into 1 inch strips
8 oz asparagus spears, woody portions removed and cut into 1 inch strips
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup finely shredded Romano
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (I omitted this)

Cook the pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water, then drain. Set pasta aside.
In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil. Add asparagus and fennel, stirring occasionally. Cook 5-7 minutes or until nearly tender. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.


Add pasta, mascarpone, and reserved pasta water to skillet. Stir well. Add remaining cheese and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well.




I initially planned to serve this with grilled chicken strips, but decided to surprise hubby and serve it with scallops. Living in the midwest, I had to use frozen ones, but oh well. I just pan seared them after lightly salting and peppering them. They were nice and sweet; hubby said they were cooked just right.

We have plenty of leftovers, which means I have tasty lunch for work tomorrow. This dish is nice because it has a very definite cheesy taste, but it isn't overwhelming. Nothing is coated in sauce, and the veggies give it a nice, crisp flavor. We both really enjoyed it.

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

Do you ever have really vivid taste memories? For years, I'd have moments where I could taste a fruity candy I ate as a 4 year old..

A few marvelous summers in my childhood, I spent a week with my aunt and uncle in Austin, Texas. They are responsible for first widening my culinary scope; they fed me weird foods and let me play around in their kitchen. I cooked before then, but their kitchen seemed magical, probably because I saw them so little and it was just us (meaning I got all the attention). Looking back, they spoiled me. I loved it. They took my joy of kitchen and made it just a bit more.

But anyhoo... one time my aunt and I made this light pasta salad-ish dish. At the amazing Central Market, we had purchased some cute flower-shaped pasta. We basically cooked the pasta, drained it, then tossed it olive oil, tomatoes, and fresh basil. Salted to taste. (I believe. My memory is a little fuzzy, but that seems to be the correct taste combination).

After a few days of craving this, I decided it would go well with the pork milanese. I couldn't find the right pasta, so I just used orzo, which I couldn't drain well..


I ate this warm; Aunt Nan and I had it chilled. I loved it; it brought back such great memories.

By the way, I found the flower shaped pasta at a Mexican market I happened across after eating at the Indian place in town. We went in on a whim and I found not only the pasta, but fairly priced star anise AND a Mexican Coca Cola, made with actual sugar.

Mama Sarah's Spaghetti

Mmm spaghetti.. Who doesn't love it? Growing up, we never had spaghetti sauce from a jar; it wasn't even a consideration. If I hadn't seen commercials for Ragu, I might not have even been aware there was such a thing as store bought spaghetti sauce. My mom's spaghetti sauce was also so wonderful; complex, with both a spicy kick and mellow sweetness. As I began to cook more and more, I started to tweak the recipe. I LOVE basil and have a spice-sensitive palate, so you can imagine the direction I took. So, tonight we have:

Not Quite Mama's, Not Quite Mama Sarah's Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb ground beef 93% lean. You can also use turkey. Or pork. .. 1 lb ground meat
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes OR a few coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped; I like big onion chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp dried basil or a handful of fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
*Mom adds a tsp of chili powder and uses rotel instead of stewed potatoes. She only uses 1 tsp each of basil and sugar.

Brown your ground meat in a pot. Add onions and garlic and cook for a moment or two.
Add tomato sauce, paste, and stewed tomatoes. Add all the seasonings. Bring to a boil.
You can eat the sauce immediately, but it's much better if it simmers for awhile. If you simmer it, make sure to cover it. Sometimes, I'd set the sauce to simmer around 4:30 or 5 to eat at 6-7. Sneak frequent tastes if you simmer it for awhile.... just to make sure the flavor is right .. yeah ..

Honestly, I'll eat this sauce plain; noodles are not necessary.

Manicotti

Mama Sarah's Kitchen has made its first delivery!! Granted, it was to Amanda at work, but good time..... anyway...

Back in the day, my mom's friend made us this tasty manicotti. Now, I'm never going to claim I'm making authentic Italian food, but I've at least decided to alter the recipe (that I've followed faithfully for many years) to make it a bit more ... real. Any suggestions would be appreciated (this is always true).


A short explanation: this dish is not quite manicotti but not really lasagna. It's meant to be manicotti, but once upon a time, hubby and I were making this for my family when we decided stuffing the mixture into hot noodles was too hot and time consuming. Instead, we split the noodles in half, laid the mixture down, then folded the noodles back over. Now, I've just gotten rid of the manicotti noodles period. Instead, I use lasagna noodles. It's a short cut that saves a good deal of time and doesn't burn my hands. Do as you will.

"Manicotti"
1 lb ground beef
12 oz cottage cheese
1 cup ricotta
1 1/2 cup mozzarella
1 package noodles (manicotti, lasagna, your choice)
15 oz blue label ragu (one day I'll make my own, but not today)
Dash of salt

- Prepare noodles.
- Brown the ground beef. Add cottage cheese, ricotta, and mozzarella. Mix well.

Lasagna Style: - In a casserole dish (13x9 will make thin layers, 8x8 will make nice thick layers), spoon in just enough ragu to cover the bottom. Place a layer of noodles, slightly overlapping, then spoon about half of the mixture over the noodles. Place another layer of noodles, then the rest of the mixture. Cover with a final layer of noodles, then spread the ragu over the top. Make sure the noodles are completely covered by sauce (especially if you're using those no-boil lasagna noodles.. I did.)
Sprinkle with parmesan.
Manicotti Style:
- Fill noodles with stuffing. You can start out trying to spoon it in, but don't be surprised if you end up using your hands. It'll be messy.
- Line the stuffed noodles in a casserole dish. Pour ragu over noodles; sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake (either style) at 350F for 30 minutes.

See the pretty layers?

I definitely liked the ricotta substitution.. Taasssttyy... I served this with the delicious brussels sprouts that I make so often..

Cake coming up soon!

Pasta Casserole (needs a better name)

I came across this recipe for a baked pasta casserole a few days ago and decided it would be a nice, quick dinner. The prep time wasn't bad, I was just a little unprepaid. It also didn't help that I decided to add some things while in the middle of cooking....

Baked Pasta Casserole (it needs a better name.. got any ideas?) :
olive oil
salt
3/4 lb pasta (I used shells)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups spinach, roughly chopped
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
5 strips bacon, crumbled
8 oz mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350F.
Boil pasta in salted water. Drain and toss with olive oil. Make sure it's tossed well.
Saute onion in olive oil, either for a few minutes or until caramelized. Mine were well cooked - pretty translucent - but not caramelized. Add garlic and cook for a moment or two. Next, add spinach and mushrooms and cook until the spinach just starts to lose volume (up to a minute, that's all). Salt mixture, then add to the pasta. Add bacon. Mix WELL. It needs to be very well combined, otherwise the flavor will end up being uneven throughout the dish.
Pour half of the pasta into a buttered/oiled casserole pan (13x9). Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Add the rest of the pasta, then cover with the remainder of the cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and delicious.

Hubby wanted it to have more meat - I thought adding the bacon would be enough, but I was wrong. I thought it was pretty tasty, though I'll probably use a different type of pasta and I'd perhaps add some herbs - maybe basil. Also, I'm on this kick where onions are the most delicious things ever, so I'd add more onion too.


Last night, I made some cinnamon buns I need to post. They were warm, cinnamony-sugar goodness. Not quite as overwhelming as a cinnamon roll. No icing. I think they are a great breakfast treat... or dessert, perhaps with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.. Anyhoo, look for that within the next day or so. I also plan to make an apple bread this weekend, so there's that to look forward to as well.

Fettucini with Pancetta and Zucchini

Last night, I took a big risk and served zucchini to the man who says he doesn't eat anything from the "gourd family." I even made him stay out of the kitchen while I was cooking. My body tensed as, while eating, he asked "what's this green stuff?" Surprisingly, he liked it! More than that, he'd eat it again!

I got the recipe from Kirsten's Home Cooking, linked through TasteSpotting of course. I tweaked it a little, within the bounds of the recipe, but all and all I don't think there are many ways in which I would want to change it. I might make it a tad bit saucier. Here's the recipe as I did it.

Fettucini with Pancetta (Bacon) and Zucchini
Ingredients:
1/2 lb fettucini
1 whole zucchini; I sliced it as thin as can be with my mandolin slicer (love) then cut the strips into quarters. They were a tad unmanagable, but they worked.
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
5 slices of bacon, cut into ribbons. I found that it's easiest to cut the bacon raw and stacked as it is in the package. I cut width-wise and slightly diagonally. (That's confusing, I know) Cut it however you want.
Olive oil, salt and pepper as needed
1/3 c heavy cream
Parmesan cheese for grating

Boil a pot of heavily salted water for the fettucini. Cook for 9 minutes - it should be a bit al dente as it will cook a bit more later. While that's going on, you can prep your fettucini and bacon (the recipe calls for pancetta, but I'm poor and don't have any). Once the pasta has cooked, save 1/2 cup of the salted water, then drain the pasta.
In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp; it won't take long. Remove the fat from the pan, then add a little bit of olive oil. Saute the garlic and zucchini in it briefly. The zucchini should retain most of its shape and firmness, but some of the pieces will cook faster than others. It's okay.
Add the fettucini. Mine was all stuck together so I tried to detangle it a bit before I added it. Toss to mix the ingredients. Add the 1/2 cup of salted water and let it simmer until the water has mostly evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste, though be careful. The fettucini will absorb a good deal of salt while cooking so you might not need to add any.
Add the cream; let it simmer until thickened a bit.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan.


I thought this was tasty and relatively light for a pasta dish; the cream doesn't really weigh it down at all. Hubby suggested adding more meat next time; I expected some comment along those lines. I might add a bit of grilled chicken next time; much more bacon would overpower the taste. I would also add more garlic.. because I love it.

I served the pasta with some bread from the store (no time at all to make rolls) and a little concoction of mine. I'm on these two different kicks: caramelized onions and red bell peppers. I thought perhaps I would join them. I quartered a bell pepper, splashed a little balsamic on each quarter, then filled them with caramelized onions. The bell pepper was a bit too strong or the onion was just super weak. Hubby wanted more balsamic. Perhaps I'll roast the bell pepper next time; but that will detract from the fresh crunchiness that I love about bell pepper.


Well, I am post-gym, so I need to shower. After that, I shall post the tea eggs. Really this time!