Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake

You can either serve this macaroni unbaked, so it’s loose, gooey, and silky, or bake it under the broiler for a few minutes before serving to give it a crispy, golden topping. You could even try adding a grated hard-boiled egg or cooked prawns, but I like the simple style, as here.

	1/2	a head of cauliflower
	8	oz. Cheddar cheese
	4	oz. Parmesan cheese
	~	A small bunch of fresh Italian parsley
	~	Sea salt
	1	lb. dried macaroni (elbows)
	1	cup crème fraîche or sour cream

1. To prepare your pasta: Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and discard. Slice the end off the cauliflower stalk and cut the head into small florets. Halve the thick stalk lengthways, then slice thinly. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan into a large heatproof bowl. Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves.
2. To cook your pasta: Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and all your cauliflower and cook according to the macaroni-package instructions. Place the bowl of cheese over the saucepan and add the crème fraîche. Carefully stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted. If the water boils up beneath the bowl, just turn the heat down slightly. Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Carefully remove the bowl of cheese using a towel or oven gloves and put aside. Drain the macaroni in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese, and stir. It should have a lovely, silky consistency, but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it out a bit.
4. At this point you can either serve the macaroni as is, or finish it under the broiler to make it crispy and golden on top. To do this, preheat your broiler to a medium to high heat. Add ⅔ cup of the reserved cooking water to the macaroni, stir in, then transfer to a baking dish. Place under the broiler until golden and bubbling.
5. To serve your pasta: Divide the pasta between plates or bowls, or place the baking dish in the middle of the table next to a nice green salad and let everyone help themselves

This content is from the book Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver.

Manicotti with Cheese

8 oz cooked manicotti

1 ¾ c (15oz) Ricotta Cheese

2 c Mozzarella, grated

¼ c Parmesan cheese

1 Tbs. dried parsley

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 jar Prego 3 cheese spaghetti sauce

Cook pasta until bendable, but not cooked thoroughly.  Lay flat to cool.  In a bowl, stir cheeses, parsley, salt & pepper.  Stuff cheese mixture into manicotti.  In a 9x13 pan, add a little bit of the spaghetti sauce to coat the bottom of the pan (to prevent sticking.)  Add stuffed manicotti.  Pour remaining sauce over pasta.  Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and cover with foil.  Bake 40 min at 350’.  Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Chicken Broccoli Fettuccini Alfredo

1 8oz pkg. Fettuccini noodles, cooked

8oz mozzarella cheese, sliced

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed

1 lb. fresh broccoli, cooked

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cups milk

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. dried onion

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¾ tsp. garlic powder

¾ c sour cream

1 c Parmesan cheese 

Cook Fettuccini according to package directions, drain.  In a 9x13 pan that has been lined on the bottom with the sliced mozzarella cheese (prevents pasta from sticking,) place diced, cooked chicken.  Spread fettuccine over the chicken.   Add 1 lb. broccoli evenly over the fettuccini.  Mix remaining ingredients to form sauce and spoon over the other ingredients.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. 

**You can also: line pan with cheese, mix all other ingredients together and place on top of cheese.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350’ for 1 hour or until heated through.  If Parmesan cheese gets too brown before cooking time is up, cover with foil and continue to cook.   

South of the border casserole

canola oil cooking spray
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
8 oz elbow macaroni, cooked
1 cup corn kernels
1 lb lean ground beef
2 cups reduced sodium diced tomatoes
2 tsp spice blend
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 325*. Spray a 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
Heat a large skillet, spray with cooking spray, and add the garlic, onion and pepper. Saute until the onions are golden. Add the beef and brown well. Add the tomatoes, corn and spices and cook until the mixture is heated through about 15 minutes. Fold the pasta into the meat and pour into prepared dish.
Sprinkle with cheese, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Refrigerate any leftovers

Italian baked penne

Prep time: 20 min * Total time: 35 min * Serves 8

1 package (16 oz) Penne Rigate
1 pkg (1 lb) Mild italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1 can italian style diced tomatoes
2 cans crushed tomatoes
8 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 425*
Bring salted water to boil in large pot. Add Penne pasta and cook about 8 minutes. Drain and return to pan.
While pasta is cooking, heat large skillet over medium heat heat.  Add sausage, onion and garlic and saute until sausage is cooked through, breaking up meat with back of spoon. about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute 3 minutes. Add pepper, italian seasoning and tomatoes to pan. Simmer stirring occasionally about 8 minutes.
Combine sausage mixture with pasta, mozz cheese and 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Pour into 13 x 9" glass baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup parmesan cheese over top.
Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
Serve with fresh salad
Store any leftovers in reusable container in refridgerator.

One Pan Curli-roni

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic - minced
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup beef broth
1 3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tbs ketchup
2 tsp worc. sauce
1/4 tsp mustard
2 tbs fresh parsley
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano
3 3/4 cups curli-roni
Grated Parmesan cheese

In large sauce pan, cook meat, onion & garlic until brown. Drain. Stir in water, broth, tomato sauce, ketchup, worc sauce, mustard, & Seasoning.
Heat to a boil. Add Uncooked pasta. return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover. Cook stirring frequently. Cook 12 minutes or until tender. Salt & Pepper. Sprinkle with cheese

5 Cheese Stuffed Shells

1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Romano Cheese
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
Dash Pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Cooked Jumbo Shells

Cook pasta shells according to box directions, Drain
In large bowl, Combine next 10 ingredients.
Spoon into shells
Arrange in 13 x 9 dish greased
Pour sauce all over shells
Cover with tinfoil and bake  @ 350 for 40-45 minutes

Ranch Chicken with Pasta

8 Oz spiral noodles (or any kind of pasta you have)
1 Lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
1 Pkg. dry ranch dressing mix
1 Tblsp oil (or use Pam spray)
1 Tsp. oil
1/2 C diced onion
1 Jar roasted red peppers -- (7 oz) drained, rinsed and sliced
1 C sour cream (low fat works fine)
2 Tblsp milk
parmesan cheese

Put chicken and 2 tblsp dressing mix in a ziplock and shake to coat.
Saute in oil w/garlic and onion Add peppers for last 1-2 minutes to
heat through. Mix remaining dressing mix with sour cream and milk. Stir
into hot cooked pasta, add chicken and toss. Sprinkle with parmesan
cheese.

Pierogies

Homemade Pittsburgh Pierogies with Sour Cream

Whether you spell it pierogi, piroghi or pierogie, authentic homemade pierogies are a delicious treat and a Pittsburgh tradition. Here in Pittsburgh we eat more than 11 times the pierogies of any other city in the nation, according to a recent survey, with pierogi fillings ranging from standard potato and cheese to sweet prune. A popular Pittsburgh business, Pierogies Plus, ships pierogies as far away as Alaska and Hawaii. The Pittsburgh Pirates even hold a pierogi race during the bottom of the 5th inning at every Pirates home game.

Sour cream in the dough is a favorite secret of many Pittsburgh pierogi makers.

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
• 1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
• butter and onions for sauteing
• ingredients for filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)

Preparation:

Pierogi Dough
To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.

Prepare the Pierogies
Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.
Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.
Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.
Homemade Pierogi Tips:

1. If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.
2. If you don't want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.
3. You can fill pierogies with pretty much anything you want, though potato and cheese is the most common (recipe below). Sweet pierogies are often filled with a prune mixture.

Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling: Peel and boil 5 large potatoes until soft. Red potatoes are especially good for this. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop 1 large onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and 4-8oz of grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want your pierogies), adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, chives, or other enhancements if you desire. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1" balls.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 broiler-fryer, cut up and skinned

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons salt (or less)
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
2 quarts water
2 1/2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles

Directions:
Place the first 4 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker  in the order listed. Combine salt and the next 6 ingredients; sprinkle over vegetables. Add 6 cups water; cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove chicken and bay leaf; add remaining 2 cups water. Stir in noodles and cook, covered, on high setting for 20 minutes. Meanwhile remove bones from chicken and cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add to slow cooker, stir to mix. Cook for 15 minutes on high setting, covered or until noodles are tender.
This recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup serves/makes 8

Macaroni Tomato Casserole

(Which isn't really a casserole, but that's what we call it)

1-2 lbs Hamburger

1 package Elbow Macaroni

1 Can V8 Juice

2 Cans Diced Tomatoes

All the seasonings in the cupboard ( especially Black Pepper, Garlic and Seasoning salt)

Brown Hamburger  and Cook macaroni as directed

Pour into big pot.   Add tomatoes, Juice and Spices.

Simmer until it smells good!

(This is Grandma Lera's Recipe with a few adaptations.  She doesn't put Hamburger in hers.)