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.

White Bean Chili

I obtained this recipe from the Shenandoah Cafe in Long Beach. I've actually made it lots of times. I'm just including it as part of the birthday menu. The picture of the soup below is without the toppings. "No kidding, Laura." I think this soup would be in my husband's Top Ten of my recipes.

Ingredients:
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
2 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
¼ t. ground red pepper
2 15 oz. cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Canelini Beans, drained NOT rinsed
2 four oz. cans diced green chili peppers can SUB. out 1 can chopped jalapenos
4 c. chicken broth
3 c. cooked chicken, chopped or shredded

Optional Toppers: shredded jack cheese, sour cream, crunched up tortilla chips, more green chilis

Directions:
1. In a stock pot, cook onion and garlic in hot oil until tender.
2. Stir in cumin, oregano, red pepper. Cook 2-3 mins. Stir in beans, chicken, broth, and green chilis. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 mins.
3. Stir in chicken, heat the mixture through.
4. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream, cheese, chips, and extra green chilis.

What I typically do:
Buy a cooked rotisserie chicken at Sams/Costco. Tear off all the meat and set aside. Dump all those bones and "stuff" into my stock pot. Pour over about 6 cups of water-just enough to cover. Then I boil it about 20-30 mins. I let it cool enough that I can handle it. Strain, drain or whatever until the there is no large floating objects left in the hot stock. ( juice+water= chicken stock in the pot) Then I dump ALL the ingredients for the soup in with the hot chicken stock. I use all the meat from the rotisserie chicken. Cook on low for about an hour.

Chicken A La Tangerine- Week #1

Scott said this was a "keeper." I served it with Thai Jasmine Rice and Peas. It came out the Rachel Ray magazine.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 6 tangerines

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon grated tangerine peel

DIRECTIONS:

Season 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add the chicken and cook, turning, until browned, about 10 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the juice of 6 tangerines (about 1 cup) to the pot, along with /2 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup orange marmalade, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken and any juices to the pot along with 1 tablespoon grated tangerine peel and cook, turning the chicken, until the sauce is syrupy, about 10 minutes.

HERE’S WHAT I DID:

We really aren’t big fans of gnawing it off the bone. Scott prefers boneless white meat. So I used chicken breasts. I wanted the recipe to be kid-friendly so I added the red pepper after it was on plates. The red pepper really takes this recipe to the next level. I took a few bites without it and was surprised by how big a difference it actually made.

NEXT TIME:

I will add a touch of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. This could be stirred into the juice before it goes in the pan.

** I think this would be good with kumquats or oranges if tangerines weren't available.

My sister gave me a HALTER TOP?!?!?

For my birthday on 12/30, my sister gave me a subscription to Everyday With Rachel Ray and a sassy little apron. For a fleeting moment upon opening the gift box, I mistook the apron for a skimpy halter top. (See above New Year's Eve pic)

Somewhere between the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl while reclining on the couch next to new friend Rachel, I got the idea to start a blog of my cooking projects. When I told Scott about it, he asked if I would get a book deal and get rich like in the Julie/Julia project. "No. But you will likely get some good dinners along the way." This response totally satisfied him.

The simple goal for this blog is one new dinner recipe a week. The following are the rules I've thought of so far.

1. The recipe must be a main dish. I can make enough desserts.

2. The ingredients must obtainable at a grocery store between home and the school-usually.

3. I must be able to read the recipe ingredient list without a dictionary. I don't want to have to Google a bunch of French words.

4. The recipe must be either kid-friendly or adjustable- usually. My girls would prefer to live on cupcakes.

5. Collectively the recipes must average out to "healthy." You see, I have a husband that is truly the love of my life and I don't want to kill him with butter.

5. I'm going to walk 12 miles a week to avoid becoming a fat foodie. Now 12 miles might seem like a very modest goal, but if you had any idea how bad my feet problems have been in the past year, you'd be impressed.