Penne with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

 

I saw an episode of Pioneer Woman and was inspired to create this recipe.  I can’t even link to her blog because I don’t even know the recipe she was doing, just saw it part way through and used some of her ideas to create something that I thought was new and that our family would like.  It was funny, Brady was helping me and I was pouring ingredients into the pan.  He asked, “Aren’t you going to measure anything?”  I said, “no, don’t you trust me?  I know what I’m doing, I’m the cook”

This is what I came up with:

1 lb Turkey sausage (I like Jenni O or Honeysuckle white- I use the breakfast sausage and not just ground turkey- I love the flavor)  (I’m on a turkey sausage kick lately, its healthier and has more flavor that regular ground beef)

Brown the sausage and remove from the pan

Saute 1/2 an onion and 2-3 cloves of garlic in the sausage drippings and a little olive oil

Add 1/2 cup chicken stock

Add 1 jar or your favorite Pasta Sauce- I used and we LOVED it Ragu Parmesan and Romano

stir until bubbly

Add 1 cup of cream (I used heavy whipping cream)

Salt, Pepper to taste

Chopped Italian Parsley and Fresh Basil

Add to pan and simmer until thickened

Pour over Penne pasta, or your favorite pasta and Enjoy!!  (WE DID- for 2 nights)

Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

 

My whole family LOVED this recipe from Six Sisters Stuff here.  I used some leftover chicken from a Rotisserie Chicken and some leftover Prime Rib Roast .

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

4 cups meat (chicken, beef or whatever you have leftover)

12 slices of back cooked and crumbled

2 cups of cheese (their recipe called for Monterey Jack, but I only had Colby Jack- what I always have)

1/2 package dry Ranch dressing mix

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt, and pepper to taste

20 flour tortillas

cooking spray

salt for the top

Mix filling and fill and roll tortillas tightly.  Place seam side down on cookie sheet.  I make 10 at a time and save the rest of the filling for the next night.  They are best freshly cooked.  Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.  Cook at 425 for 15-20 min.  Tastes great dipped in Ranch, Sour cream, or Salsa Ranch (equal parts of ranch and salsa).

Mini Meat Loaves

1 cup ketchup

4 TBSP Brown Sugar

1 1/2-2 lbs ground beef (or 1 lb beef, 1/2 lb pork,  or any other combination you like equaling about 1 1/2-2 lbs meat)

1/2 cup bisquick mix

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1 small onion finely chopped

Mix together ketchup and brown sugar.  Mix meat and all other ingredients together.  Add in 1/2 cup ketchup mixture.  Form small loaves/balls… make between 10 and 12 mini loaves.  Place in a 9x13 pan and pour remaining ketchup mixture over the top of each loaf.  Cook at 450 for 20 min. or until thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

I got the idea for this recipe on Betty Crocker’s website here and changed it according to what I had on hand (I didn’t have the onion, but it was still very good).  This is a keeper recipe because it was super easy, very fast and all my kids liked it.  Those are the kind of recipes I’m looking for!

Lasagna Roll-Ups

I saw this recipe on the Two Peas and Their Pod Recipe blog here.   I was so excited to try it.  I’ve been in a rut in my cooking and was really looking forward to trying something new.  This looked great and I thought my kids would go for it too.  I took their recipe and, like always, did my own version.

12 Lasagna Noodles, cooked in salted water to aldente, dained, rinsed, and layed out on parchment paper to cool

Filling:

1 15 oz tub of Ricotta Cheese (that is how big the Great Value container was, the TPTP blog recipe said 2 cups)

4 oz cream cheese (I added this to my recipe for the creamy texture and to make up for the less ricotta cheese in my container)

2 cloves garlic, minced (I used the squeeze kind that you store fridge that is already minced)

1 egg

2 cups fresh spinach chopped fine (the original recipe call for a 10 oz frozen spinach, but why use frozen when you have fresh)

1 cup chopped canned artichoke hearts

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning (the blend of oregano, basil, etc)

Pinch of Nutmeg

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella  cheese

Mix all these ingredients together and spread on the flattened noodles.  I had more filling left over than I could fill in 12 noodles, so I guess can add more noodles to the recipe next time.  Then sprinkle some more mozzarella over the filling and roll up.  In the original recipe they put some marinara sauce on top of the shredded cheese before they rolled it up.  I didn’t because I got ahead of myself.  However, I would have run out of sauce had I done that.  It called for 4 cups of marinara sauce and I only had one jar.  I think that I’ll probably do it the same next time too though because I think that the cheese against noodles as I rolled it up helped keep it together and not be as slippery when you cut into them out of the oven.

Place some of the Jar of Marinara sauce on the bottom of a glass rectangle backing dish (I had to use one rectangle and one square because my rectangular dish was too small).  Place the rolled up noodles over the sauce and pour the remaining sauce over the rolls.  Sprinkle with Mozzarella or Italian Style shredded cheese and cover with foil.  Cook for 35-40 min. at 350.

I’m excited to try this again.  I’d like to try and add some ground beef or ground turkey next time… maybe to the sauce before I pour it over the rolls, or add some finely shredded chicken to the cheese mixture.  So many fun things to do inside the Lasagna Rolls!!  And the best thing is… my kids LOVED them and said they wanted to eat them AGAIN  TOMORROW!!

Pizza Pockets

 

This was a product of “What is the fridge that I can whip up for dinner”.  It turned out to be a big hit and will definitely be on our menu rotation.  Totally kid friendly and a great last minute maker.  Takes little to no time to prepare and only 13 min. to bake.  A great idea for those busy and hectic nights.

1 package Reduced Fat Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits

1 package Turkey Pepperoni Minis (found in the lunch meat section)- I didn’t use the whole package

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup pasta sauce

Take a biscuit and smash it out flat.  Spread about a tsp of the pasta sauce, sprinkle on some mini pepperonis and some mozzarella cheese and fold together and pinch together.  I will probably try and and pinch them harder since you can see that they kind of bust open a bit.  That didn’t take away from the taste however.  The kids devoured them and the cleanup was awesome (especially since we also used paper plates). 

Enjoy!!!

Homemade Mac N Cheese

This was a really yummy recipe that I got off of the Betty Crocker website.  It calls for cooking the dish like a casserole once it is finished, however, when I make it again, I’ll probably skip that step.  It seemed to overcook the noodles and the sauce was less creamy than when we tasted it right after I added the noodles and the sauce together.  The recipe also didn’t call for ham, but I added it to give it some more protein and make it a complete meal rather than just like a side-dish.

2 cups elbow macaroni- cook with a little salted water

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground mustard (the dry kind)

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I didn’t measure this out- just poured some in- it was probably more than 1/4 tsp, but it was yummy)

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I actually used a Mexican blend because that is what I had on hand)

Chopped turkey ham (my personal addition if you like)

While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a large sauce pan over low heat.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, ground mustard and W. sauce.  Mix it into melted butter until smooth- this is a roux (pronounced roo) and is what will make the mixture thicken.  Stir in milk and heat to boiling- stirring constantly so the milk doesn’t scald.  Heat until it is thickened- kind of like gravy. Stir in cheese until melted.  Stir in cooked macaroni and ham if desired.

It calls for baking it uncovered for 20-25 min at 350 in a casserole dish.  I think I’ll skip this part next time.

Let me know if you guys like this recipe too.

Grilled Lemon Herbed Chicken

We have tried this chicken once this summer and it was SOOOO good!!  Use FRESH herbs to get the full effect.  I really recommend growing them in your own garden if possible.  Herbs are so easy to grow and you don’t need much room.

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 or 4 cloves minced garlic

1 TBSP grated lemon zest

1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary (just the little needles- don’t chop up the stem)

1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme

1 TBSP chopped fresh oregano (leaves only)

1 handful fresh basil leaves chopped fine

1 TBSP chopped fresh Italian parsley (flat leaf parsley)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4-6 chicken breasts

Put the chicken in a plastic bag.  Pour marinade over the chicken and mix in the bag.  Put on plate and place in fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight (turning every so often).

Grill to 165 degrees.

I find that if you turn your grill up really high to warm it up for about 10 min.  Place the meat on it and turn it down to Med-Low (I also like to use Grill Spray so it doesn’t stick as easy).  The hot temperatures at first with seer the chicken and keep the juices inside while it cooks at a lower temperature so it doesn’t dry out.  Watch it closely so it doesn’t dry to a hockey puck state.  Take it off just as it hits 165 or even just before.  It continues to cook for a few minutes after you remove it from the heat.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

This isn’t so much a recipe as it is an idea that is easy and my kids LOVE

I am in love with the roasted chickens at Sam’s Club.  They are big, juicy, and only cost $4.98.  An uncooked whole chicken cost more than that at most grocery stores.  To get one already cooked to perfection is divine in my book.  I usually try and pick one up every time I shop there.  There is so many things you can do with them.  My one piece of advice is that you remove the chicken from the bone while the chicken is still warm.  It is much easier to do warm than after the chicken has been refrigerated.  For this dish I bought it in the morning, de-boned the chicken and stored it in a Tupperware until I made dinner.

Shredded Chicken from a Roasted Whole Chicken

3/4 –1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

1/4 cup of water

Add all to a skillet, mix, cover to get warm.  Serve on warm toasted buns.  The ones pictured above are on rolls since they are easier to eat for the kids, but they are great on toasted hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls.

Crock Pot Potato Chowder

I got this AWESOME crock pot recipe from my great friend and next door neighbor who shared it with me after a friend of hers shared it with her after she had her baby.  It's just too yummy and too easy to not share with everyone you know.

1 pkg frozen shredded hash browns (30 oz)
3 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup green onions (I used half of a small regular onion and it was great)
1/4 tsp pepper

Put all ingredients in crock pot and stir.  Cook on low for 4 hours.  After 4 hours add an 8 oz pkg of cream cheese and stir in.  Cook for an additional 30 min.

I also added some cooked chopped bacon at the same time as the cream cheese.  Another time I added chopped leftover ham at the beginning.  They both turned out yummy. 

As a side note:  I also tried this recipe using low fat soup and low fat cream cheese.  It was still o.k., but the consistency was off- kind of pasty-- sticky.  I think I'll stick to the original recipe- or at least staying with regular cream cheese.

Pork Fried Rice

Here's an idea for using leftover Pork Chops

We had Rosemary Pork Chops on Sunday and then with the 2 or 3 pork chops I had left over, I chopped them up while they were still warm put them in a container to use the next day.  It is ALWAYS easier to cut-up or de-bone meat when it is warm instead of the next day from the fridge.  It may take a few extra minutes the night before while you're trying to clean up, but it is WELL worth the time the next day.

Recipe:

2-3 leftover pork chops de-boned and chopped up

One Rice Pilaf recipe (see below)

1/2 chopped onion

1 carrot shredded

1 cup frozen  broccoli cooked and chopped

1 tsp crushed rosemary

Put 1 TBSP olive oil in a skillet, sweat onions, add meat, broccoli, carrots and rosemary.  Mix together and stir fry for a few minutes.  Add rice and combine all together.

Rice Pilaf:

2 cups Long grain rice

4 cups water

4 heaping tsp chicken bouillon granules

3 TBSP lemon juice

2 TBSP butter

Another kind of rice that is REALLY good in general, but especially with this recipe is Jasmine Rice.  You can find it next to the regular rice.  It has a very floral aroma.  Just cook according to the directions and you can add the bouillon and lemon juice and butter too.

Baked Ziti

This is a recipe a friend shared with me. She got it off of allrecipes.com.  I made a few changes according to what I had in the fridge.  I haven't frozen this recipe, but my friend has and says that it freezes great.  It made A LOT!!  you could split this in half and freeze part of it when you make it.  It calls for a 9x13 pan, you could use 2 8x8 pans and freeze one and eat one.

1 lb ziti pasta, cooked and drained
2 26 oz jars of your favorite pasta sauce
1 lb ground beef
1 med onion (I just used 1/4 cup dehydratd onion this time)
10 slices provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 oz. shredded mozzerella or Italian cheese
mozzerella, parmasen, or italitan cheese to sprinkle on top (whatever and how much you prefer)

Cook ground beef and onion until browned.  Add sauce and simmer for 15 min.  Cook pasta and drain.  Sprinkle a little salt and toss. 

Layer
1/2 Ziti pasta
Provolone cheese slices
Sour Cream spread on top of cheese slices
1/2 pasta sauce mixture
Rest of pasta
 6 oz Shredded Cheese
Rest of Pasta Sauce mix
However much cheese you want sprinkled on top.

Cook at 350 for 30 min.

Enjoy with a beautiful green salad.

Crock Pot Roast & Veggies

 
I'm sure you all have your own Roast Recipes.  It seems that every time I make one, I do something different so I decided to write this one down because it turned out pretty good.

Dredge Roast in Flour
Season with Salt, Pepper, Dehydrated Onions and Garlic (whatever proportions you like to your taste)
Brown in a few TBSP olive oil

Place in a warm Crock Pot

Chop 7 Red potatoes
Chop 5 carrots
Add 1 tsp Rosemary
Add 1 tsp Sage
Add 1 tsp Salt
Add 1/2 tsp pepper
Add 1-2 TBSP olive oil

Mix up veggies and pour around roast in the crock pot

Cook on High for ~5 hours

After I removed the meat and all the veggies, I added some beef boullion granules and thickened it with 2 TBSP flour and 1/4 cup water (shake all together and pour into hot drippings).  Pour over the meat and veggies and serve.

Meat Loaf

I know that not everyone is a meat loaf fan- but my family really is. All of us really like it and I really like this recipe. It has shredded carrots in it so they get some extra veggies hidden in it.

Meat Loaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (I always us the leanest you can buy- usually the 90 or 93% lean)

1 egg beaten

2/3 cup milk

3 slices bread crumbled up really small (I always use wheat bread and break it up very small instead of blending it and making crumbs)

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 med. onion, chopped

2 med. carrots, shredded

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients together and put in a 9 X5X3 in. loaf pan. Cook at 350 for 60-75 min. or until meat thermometer reads 160. The last 15 min I make a sauce and put it on the top. The original recipe says place it on there the whole time, but I think you loose less sauce if you put it on at the end and just let the brown sugar melt and get hot.

Sauce:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

2 TBSP mustard

(the original recipe calls for half of this (I double the sauce) but we think it's better with doubled sauce- the recipe above is already doubled)

Flutter Dogs

This was a fun idea we did for my daughter's birthday party we found in a magazine. We used cresent rolls- cut each triangle in 2- or each rectangle that unrolls from the tube into 4. You should get 16 balls of dough. Lay them out with a small space between each pair. Cut a slit for the antennas and press it between the wings. Cook at 375 for 15 min. and ENJOY them before they fly away.

Spaghetti Pie

Here's a new twist on an old favorite- Spaghetti!! I came across this recipe a few years ago and have tried a few different variations- depending on what kind of meat I had on hand. The original recipe calls for a cut up sausage kielbasa- never tried it that way, but I've tried it with ground turkey sausage and regular 90% lean ground beef. It's good both ways, but I usually have the ground beef on hand more than the ground turkey sausage. My kids really like this and even Brady does- who is not a fan of noodles in any casserole form.

1 lb ground beef or sausage

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

1 cup cottage cheese

3 egg whites

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

12 oz spaghetti

Mozzerella cheese for the top

Cook beef and add pasta sauce- simmer for 10 min. Cook Spaghetti noodles, drain, let cool for a few minutes. Add 2 egg whites and Parmesan cheese to spaghetti noodles. In a seperate bowl, combine cottage cheese and 1 egg white- mix until blended. In a 9 in Deep Dish Pie Plate pour in noodle combination and flatten on the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Add the cottage cheese mixture in the center and cover with the meat sauce. Bake uncovered 350 for 20 min. Add as much mozzerella cheese as you desire on top and bake for 5 more min. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Note: the noodles not covered by the pasta sauce will get kind of crispy- so spread the sauce out accordingly.

Sun Dried Sausage & Penne

This is just one of my made up recipes that we have really enjoyed. It's one of those easy dishes that can be thrown together in 20 minutes and everyone really likes.

1/2-3/4 of a box of Penne noodles (or whatever pasta you like)

5 chicken sausages ((At Sam's Club they have these sausages seen in the picture- several different flavors- our favorite is Chicken and Apple) If you don't have a Sam's, any klebasa type sausage will work- Chicken ones are a lot more healthy and lower in fat and calories)

2 large tablespoons of Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pesto (you can get this -seen in the above picture) at any grocery store next to the pasta sauces. I also use the regular pesto too and it's great as well.

Slice the sausages on an angle and fry in a skillet, dump in the cooked noodles and stir in the pesto. Serve with a fresh spinach salad and you have a great meal.

Black Bean n' Pumpkin Chili

This is a new recipe I found and altered to my families taste. Everyone really liked it. Great for this time of year.

1 med. onion chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans black bean, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cup cooked turkey or chicken, chopped up
1 can (15 oz) canned pumpkin
1 can Italian style tomatoes, undrained, blended
1 cup frozen corn
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil. Add to soup pot with broth, beans, pumpkin, Tomatoes (put them in the blender and blend them so they aren't chunky and then add them to the pot) corn, chicken and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour- until thickened. YOu can also do this in the crock pot on low for 5 or 6 hours.

Wild Rice Casserole

This is such an easy recipe. I got the idea from one on the internet and then adjusted it to the ingredients that were easily available to me. I took a picture of the rice and sauce I use so that you would know what I bought. I just got them at Walmart (the only place to buy groceries around here).

4-6 chicken breasts or boneless thighs, boiled and chopped up

1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice cooked according to package directions

1 can French cut green beans

1 jar Bertolli Alfredo sauce

Combine all the ingredients and spread in a 8x12 pan. Crumble a package of Ritz crackers over and melt 1/2 stick butter/margarine and pour over crackers. Cook at 350 for 40 - 50 min. Everyone really likes this recipe- even Alyssa who is not even 2 yet (however, she is an excellent eater)

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

This is a great recipe!! The kids eat this one good. You can use the leftover mushroom top from the Turkey Burger or use a regular 8 oz pkgs. I found this recipe on the back of the chicken bag once and have altered it some (my hobbie). My version is better than the bags.

4 chicken breasts (1 lb). If they are monster breasts -like size DD- I cut them in half so they cook better.
1/2 lb mushrooms (or the leftover Portobello mushroom top from the Turkey Burger recipe below)
6 TBSP butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 3/4 cups chicken broth ( I use 1 3/4 cup water and 2 tsp chicken boullioun granules)
2 TBSP half n half
Spinkle of nutmeg

Brown chicken in 3 TBSP butter in a large skillet. Remove. Add mushrooms and rest of butter to drippings. Cook until tender. Remove. Stir in flour to the melted butter and drippings (this is a roux). It will be a thick paste. Add broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Wisk until it blends together and becomes a thickened sauce. Add half n half. Return Chicken and mushrooms to the pan. Spinkle with a little nutmeg. Cover and cook on low for 20-30 minutes. Meat should be 165 degrees. Stir a few times to make sure it isn't sticking. Serve sauce over rice or mashed potatoes.

Turkey Burger Extrodinaire!!

I'm not a burger person. But I'll have to say I am for this recipe. It's made with ground turkey so it's much leaner and the flavor it superb!! Even my kids LOVE this one (with the exception of Alyssa- I think it's a texture thing with ground meat). Kayla will eat a whole burger- bun and all!! They fight over the leftovers the next day. Top it with light mayo, mustard, tomato and spinach instead of lettuce and this will be the HEALTHIEST burger you ever had. I toast the bun in the toaster a second to give it a little crunch. One more note before I get on to the recipe- I know you're on pins and needles waiting- I've tried the super lean (~93%) and the next leanest (~85%) to see if either make a difference in moistness and flavor. They both tasted the same and turned out equally good so you're probably better off to go with the leanest ground turkey you can buy.

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 portobello mushroom top (I buy the ones that are sliced (2 tops in a pkg and sliced lengthwise))- You just use one, but I have a great recipe that I will post that you can use the leftover mushroom top.
1/2 red pepper chopped fine
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic- minced
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
3 TBSP tomato paste
3 TBSP Italian parsley, chopped fine (in the fresh veggie section by the regular parsley and cilantro- use fresh and not dried parsley- you can definately tast a difference)
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix all ingredients together and shape into burgers. I can usually get 5 or 6 burgers. I sized them according to whose eating them (i.e.- I make Savannah a much smaller one than Dad). Remember though- burgers really shrink up when cooked. Place on a cooking sheet and place under broiler- 4 in. from heat. (I haven't yet tried on the grill- I'm always afraid I'll loose some of the burger through the slats) Turn. Cook until meat thermometer is 165. If you don't have a meat thermometer- WHAT KIND OF COOK ARE YOU!! J/K. Really, if you don't have one you really need one. This burger can seem pink from the tomato paste and red pepper. It may seem pink even though it's done and you don't want to keep cooking thinking it isn't done and end up serving a hockey puck for dinner. For the last few seconds- place a slice of cheese on top- we like the round provolone cheese that comes sliced already. Place on your toasted bun with your favorite fixings (mayo, mustard, spinach & tomato are our favs for this burger). ENJOY a great summer cookout with this recipe!!

Easy To Freeze Recipe:
You can double this recipe and freeze the 2nd half. It thaws easy and you have a super quick dinner!