Sweet Onion Macaroni and Cheese

Rachel Ray did not disappoint.

Chef Jason's Spaghetti Sauce

Confession: I have no idea who Chef Jason is. In pursuit of a great marinara, I stumbled across his video. In the video he prepares this spaghetti. Perhaps he's famous and I am clueless OR he's just a random guy with a good recipe.

Over the last couple years, I've tried a lot of homemade marinara recipes. This is hands down Scott and the girl's favorite. I like it because of the simplicity of the ingredients and preparation. It does not call for fresh herbs (which are yummy) but are expensive. One recipe I tried called for so many fresh herbs, I think it must have been a $45 bowl of pasta in the end. We could have eaten at Olive Garden for that and not had to clear the table and wash the dishes. Also, I can keep the ingredients on hand with no plans of using it immediately and it won't go bad. With that is, the exception of the GARLIC. I always have fresh garlic on hand and it's cheap so I don't count that. Ready go!

Saute:

3 T. olive oil

1 diced onion

1 T. minced garlic (Note: I use way more!!)

1 T. dried basil

1 T. dried oregano

Optional:

Add 1 lb. ground turkey here. (I never do.)

Add:

1/3 c. sherry wine (I typically use whatever wine I have on hand from that last recipe. I've used red, white and zinfidel in this recipe before.)

TWO 28 oz. cans organic crushed tomatoes (Chef Jason said the organic ones are made from better tomatoes.)

15 oz. tomato sauce

6 oz. tomato paste

1 bay leaf

Boil, then simmer on low for 15 mins.

Add:

1 T. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Just before serving add: 1 T. sugar

I promise the end result is quite superior to anything you buy in a jar.

Today, I wanted to take the girls somewhere fun after school, so I dumped all the ingredients in the crock pot and left it for 5 hours. It totally tasted the same as Jason's original recipe.

More Spaghetti Dinner Details

Once at Lascari's (look in white pages under most delicious Italian food) we were served this yummy bread dip. My Abby loves olive oil-bread-dippy-stuff. So I recreated this one at home with surprisingly good luck.
Take this bag of garlic. I either seal it in a foil pocket or a tightly covered dish. Dizzle it with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 30 mins or so. And yes, this smells awesome. Be careful not to spill it because the oil smokes in your oven for weeks. Don't ask how I know that.
It looks like this when you take it out of the oven. Then smash it a bit and salt and pepper it.
I wish I'd taken this picture in better lighting. It's not exactly flattering. We usually drizzle a bit more olive oil at this point. The garlic becomes so sweet when you roast it. Then you dip some hot tasty sourdough or French bread in it. It is a must try!!
Here's the spaghetti sauce in my crock pot. Glad to know that experiment worked well.
This pasta is screaming out for fresh grated parmesan. Can you hear it?

My Big Fat Greek Pasta

I don't think the picture does this baby justice. Recipe came to me from the Dream Dinners Cookbook.

1 lb. rigatoni
1 zucchini- I use 2 if they're small.
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes- don't drain!
1 T. minced garlic
1 diced red onion
1 1/2 lbs. cooked and diced chicken breast
2 T. olive oil
1 c. crumbled feta cheese
1 t. lemon zest
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 c. grated parmesan
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Note: I use WAY more lemon zest and add the juice from the lemon. And if a recipe calls for garlic, you can bet I use more than it calls for.

1. Butter a 13x9.
2. Cook your pasta for slightly less than the package directions because you're going to bake it too. Drain it well. Those rigatonis are full of water.
3. In large bowl, combine everything. (The actual recipe says to top with the mozzarella and parmesan. I can say now that I've done it both ways and I like the results of just toss everything.)
4. Add pasta and toss to coat.
5. Bake at 350 covered for 45 mins and uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

I have also added sliced olives, but they aren't in this picture.

No Peekie Stew- Week #3

This was somewhere between Ho-Hum and Blah. I got the recipe from a Dear Abby cookbook. It's a collection of recipes that she has shared with her readers over the years. I hope the readers gleaned more from her advice column than this recipe.

It was beef stew meat, envelope onion soup, mushroom soup can, and red wine. Wait, she used water. I changed it to red wine because I had for a pasta sauce. The beef was overcooked and dry. Sauce was yummy though.

Still trying to decide if I will let it pass or try again. It sounded good and it smelled amazing. BUT it wasn't pretty (hence no pic) and it wasn't very tasty. I am considering a retry. 1. I would cook at a lower temperature and 2. cook inside a pocket of foil.

Exotic Chicken - Week #2

The absolutely BIZARRE thing about this recipe is that it came out my Mama's cookbook. She has personally typed and printed it (on her dot metrics printer-he, he). I have absolutely no recollection of my eating this or seeing my mom make it.

4-6 boneless chicken thighs or breasts
3 T. cream cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 T. black olives, chopped
2-3 t. curry- depending on your taste
1 t. ginger

Blend everything besides the chicken. Place chicken in baking dish. Pour sauce over and bake 1 hour at 350. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables.

AND MY FRIENDS WITH KIDS ARE WONDERING IF MY KIDS EAT THIS... No. I either bake a breast separately just with salt and pepper. Or they would probably eat it if I put the curry on after it was baked and scrapped off any noticable olives.

Oh AND, if you're looking at this picture thinking that those are sliced olives and not chopped... you're right. I had to substitute.

Potato Corn Chowder- Happy Birthday Scott

I served this soup and the second soup below for Scott's birthday party with fresh hot dinner rolls. The chowder recipe came from the Family Fun website.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
5 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 large all-purpose potato, peeled and diced
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Black pepper, to taste
Fresh dill or parsley for garnish, chopped

Instructions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan or medium soup pot.
Stir in the onion and celery.
Partially cover the pan and cook the vegetables over moderate heat for 9 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken stock, corn, potato, and salt and bring the mixture to a low boil.
Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and flour.
Stir the mixture into the soup with the pepper.
Bring the soup back to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 8 minutes.
Serve hot, garnished with herbs.

What I did:
I used about 7 potatoes, twice as much corn and more cream. Ultimately, it made a bigger pot of soup. I garnished with green onions.