Cavatappi Bolognese

This is a quick, easy and inexpensive meal that will impress!

1 zucchini or squash

Cavatappi Pasta (or Ziti) 

one onion

2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

2 links or 6-8 oz sweet Italian Sausage

1/2 cup chicken Stock

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup sour cream

Pamesan Cheese (not the powder kind in the green shaker)

Slice the zucchini or squash from top to bottom the slice into 1/4" pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and 1 tsp of the Italian spice. Throw on a baking sheet and cook for 15 mins at 350.

Fill a pan halfway up with water and boil.  Add pasta and cook for 9 minutes.  Do not over cook.

While the veggies are cooking, heat a pan on medium heat and cook the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces.  Dice up the onion and add when the sausage is no longer pink.  Add the remaining Italian seasoning and saute until the onions get translucent. Add the chicken stock and stir everything together.

save 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.

Add the pasta water, sour cream and tomato paste.  Stir really well.   Add the baked vegetables, then add the pasta and mix well.

Plate the pasta and top with the Parmesan cheese.

Serve with Italian or Garlic bread.

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Grown-Ups

I finally found a recipe that doesn't make a flat cookie and stays moist!  I used Bailey's chips and Godiva double chocolate pudding.

Seriously, these are the kind of cookies you buy for a dollar a cookie.

• 1 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3.9-oz package instant chocolate pudding
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl at medium-high speed 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Set a timer; you are beating in air to create a fluffy texture. 
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat just until combined. Add pudding mix and beat just until combined. Let stand 2 minutes. Don’t skip this step.
• Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl or large plate and add to the mixing bowl; beat just until flour is incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Using a small scooper, scoop cookie dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  Bake 9 minutes at 350°. The center will still be slightly doughy but the cookies will firm up when cooled. If you over bake these cookies, they will lose their soft, and chewy texture. 
• Let cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.
  Mine makes 36 cookies.  If you want them flatter, use a spoon to flatten after you scoop.  They don't fall much during baking.

Joe's Italian Pizza, Pasta and Caffe Tomato Basil Soup

Shoutout to AL.Com and Joe's Italian Restaurant 

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
4 cups ground tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Melt the butter with the oil over low heat in a heavy bottom pot.
2. Add the onion; wilt over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic during the last 2 minutes, stirring.
3. Add the tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover; cook over medium-low heat for 60 minutes. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper.
4. Add basil. Stir in the cream or half & half, simmer for another 30 minutes.
5.Garnish with fresh basil before serving.
Note: When tomatoes are in-season use fresh tomatoes, blanch for 8 minutes and process with food processor. In the winter, use a San Marzano-type canned tomato, drain half of the liquid and process in food processor.

Terri's Chipotle Chicken Salad

The kiddo stumbled upon a few free Chicken Salad Chick sandwich cards at college over the summer.  He's not into chicken salad but got hooked on something called Jazzy Julie Chicken Salad Sandwich.  He asked me to make it for him and all I knew from the menu is that it had cheddar cheese, cayenne and bacon.  I made this up and am addicted.  I make little scoops on Ritz crackers.  I like my chicken salad a little dryer but if you prefer it more moist, add 1/4 cup more each of mayo and sour cream.

Meat from one rotisserie chicken at the grocery
1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayo or Miracle Whip
about 3 dashes of Tabasco sauce (I use Chipotle)
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper (I use Penzey's Chipotle)
3 slices bacon, chopped up

Combine the mayo, sour cream, Tabasco, and cayenne and let sit.  I use Penzey's spices which are strong.  If you use a different brand you may want to add and extra dash or two

Place bacon on a rack in the over and broil for a few minutes til cooked.  Let cool and cut into small pieces.

Cut up the meat from the chicken into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add cheese and mix it up well.  Add wet ingredients and mix well.  Add bacon and mix well.  Chill for an hour.

Pioneer Woman's Olive Cheese Bread courtesy of MsTxnHeartOlyphant

MsTxnHeartOlyphant swears this is the bee's knees!

One 6-ounce can black olives, drained
One 6-ounce jar pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained
2 stalks green onions
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 loaf crusty French bread, sliced lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Roughly chop both the black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice the green onions into thin pieces.

Combine the butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined.

Spread the mixture onto the French bread. Bake until the cheese is melted and browning, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cook's Note: The mixture can also be refrigerated (up to 2 days) and used as a dip. Great with crackers!

2012 Ree Drummond, All Rights Reserved

Anna's Spicy Drip Sandwiches

I used a crockpot (for 6 hours), but you can put in the oven for 4 hours at 300 degrees F. Basically you combine the following:
-Chuck roast, 4 lbs
-Beef stock, 32 oz
-Crushed tomatoes, 28 oz can
-1 (16 oz) jar of pepperoncinis with juice
- 1 (16 oz) jar of hot peppers, drained (I used giarndiniera this time, but any hot peppers work)
- 2 (4oz) jars pimentos

Once the meat is fork tender, take it out of the pot and shred it. Skim the fat off the top of all of the juices, and then put the meat back in. Serve it on toasted hoagie rolls with provolone.
This is actually a Pioneer Woman recipe, and know some on here are not big fans of hers. Although, I feel like a lot of what she makes is appealing to a wide variety of people. This was the first time I'd made this recipe, and my husband and brother-in-law raved about it and both insisted I make it again in the near future - and they're usually not that insistent about a recipe. My husband specifically said I need to write it down in my "book" - which is basically my recipe journal that I keep for really good recipes.

JennyBee's spicy sandwich spread

great for sandwiches, especially corned beef.

Mix together:
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons horseradish
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt & pepper.

Tarty's Banana Bread

• 4 medium ripe bananas (800g), peeled and chopped
• ½ cup (125ml) light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1½ cups (260g) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups (225g) self raising (self-raising) flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Place the bananas in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Add the oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the flour and cinnamon and mix to combine. Pour into a lightly greased 25cm x 11cm loaf pan (see note, below) lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serves 8–10.

Summer Salsa

I won a Ninja Blender this Spring, and as you can imagine I'm blending my life away.  My first creation was a Mexican salsa.  After a few tweeks, it's perfect.

• 4 medium ripe beefsteak tomatoes, quartered
• 1 green bell pepper, quartered
• 4 sweet baby bell peppers, tops removed
• 3 jalapeno pepper, top removed and de-seeded for mild heat (if you want it hotter leave in some or all of the seeds)
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• Juice from one lime
• Salt to taste (optional)

Place all ingredients EXCEPT THE TOMATOES into the base and pulse a few times. Then add the tomatoes and pulse again.  This leaves the tomatoes a little bit chunky which is how my boys like it.

Shrimp Creole

I posted the original recipe from Louisiana Cookin' Magazine.  In typical style, I changed it up and my changes are posted below.








1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups finely chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches green onion, green parts finely chopped, white parts roughly chopped
½ large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
3 fresh bay leaves
¼ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
Juice of ½ large lemon
2½ cups water
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2½ pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
Cooked long-grain white rice, for serving
Garnish: chopped green onion

Instructions

1. In a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, add oil; stir in flour, stirring constantly until a peanut butter-colored roux forms (10 mins in my cast iron skillet). Reduce heat to low and add onion, garlic, green onion, and bell pepper. Stir well, and cook until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato sauce, thyme, bay leaves, oregano, and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium, and bring sauce to a simmer. Add 2½ cups water, cayenne, and salt, and simmer until thickened, 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Gently stir in shrimp, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, and cook, covered, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes more. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve over rice with green onion, if desired.

I liked this recipe but it needed something more.  I purchased some boneless, skinless chicken thighs and fried them up in the oil first.  I coated them with flour and about 2 - 3 tablespoon of cayenne, garlic powder and seasoning salt.  After frying, I added a little more oil to the pot then began making the roux as directed.

I diced then added the chicken at the end of step 2.

These changes made the roux spicier and added more bulk/less soupy to the meal.  Serve with French bread.