Cheesy Chicken and Corn Casserole

I had another one of those "what's for dinner" nights. I really hate it when I don't take the time to compose a weekly meal plan. It leaves me guessing every night what I'll be making for dinner and I hate stressing about it. I pulled together a couple of ingredients and hoped for the best.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well this turned out and the best part was that both girls went back for seconds. Daniel said it was just OK, but it didn't slow him up when he went back for seconds!

This made enough for all of us to have two servings a piece and we still have enough leftover that the girls and I will have lunch tomorrow. I can't wait to see how well it holds up reheated. If you're looking for something to comfort your soul on a chilly evening, this would be great!!

Cheesy Chicken and Corn Casserole
Source: Me

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. parsley
1 sm. onion finely diced
1/2 tsp. onion powder
8 oz egg noodles, boiled and drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In a medium saucepan boil chicken breasts until cooked thoroughly. In a large pot bring water to a boil and add noodles and a couple of dashes of salt. Cook until al dente.

3.) In a large mixing bowl add cream of celery soup, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, frozen corn, and colby jack cheese. Gently mix together.

4.) Shred cooked chicken breasts and add to cream of celery mixture. Add cooked egg noodles and gently mix until evenly coated.

4.) Add to a prepared 2 1/2 quart baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake uncovered for 25-28 minutes or until top is bubbly and golden.

Katie's Pesto Pasta

You know what happens when your unemployment runs out and your husband only gets paid twice a month?

You run out of groceries in the days before your husbands next pay day that's what happens!

Well, you don't run completely out of food, you just become limited on what you can actually make.

There are a few items that you can always count on me being stocked up on. Pasta and chicken just happen to be two of those items. I threw this recipe together after seeing a similar recipe on allrecipes.com. It was surprisingly good, both Daniel and I had seconds. I've never used pesto before and after a mis-communication between Daniel and I last fall, he brought me home three jars of the stuff. I requested three jars of brushcetta, still not sure why he then brought home pesto but all is good. I contemplated adding some cream cheese to the pesto sauce, but I was afraid it wouldn't turn out so I left it out. If someone is brave enough to add the cream cheese please let me know how it turns out!

Pesto Pasta~

Source: Me

Ingredients:

1 lb. rigatoni pasta, cooked and drained

2 md. chicken breast, cubed and cooked

2 tbsp. butter

1 roasted red pepper, finely chopped

1 roma tomato, finely chopped

1- 8.1 oz jar of Classico pesto sauce

salt

pepper

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.) In a large pot, fill 3/4 way full of water. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

2.) In a small skillet, add pesto sauce, roasted red pepper, and roma tomato. Cook on medium heat and allow to simmer. Stirring occasionally.

3.) In a large skillet, add butter and cubed chicken. Sprinkle chicken with a few pinches of salt and a pinch or so of black pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until cooked thoroughly and lightly browned on each side.

4.) Drain pasta and return to stove. Add cooked pesto sauce mixture and cooked chicken. Mix until pasta and chicken is coated with pesto sauce mixture.

5.) Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!!

Sorry about the quality of my photo. I was a couple of bites into my meal before I realized I needed to take a picture. Instead of getting up, getting my camera, and then stopping long enough to get a good picture...I decided to make things easier on myself and just take the photo with my phone.

Once again this meal surprised me. I didn't know what to expect with the pesto sauce but it was really good. Even Daniel said it was good. I would also like to mention for those that may have missed it. The dijon marsala pork tenderloin that I made a couple of weeks ago that Daniel said was delicious, must have been. He actually brought it up at our lunch yesterday with his mom and brother. Looks like I'll be adding it to my menu for one day in the next two weeks. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

I'm trying to come up with dinners that are not only easy to throw together, but are budget friendly for us right now. I have no income coming in and plus having just had surgery, even though I feel amazing for the most part, I'm still trying to take it as easy as possible. I thought homemade chicken noodle soup would be just what the doctor ordered for this recovering Momma and her people. It did not disappoint, even though I just winged all of the ingredients, and both myself and my cousin Heather went back for seconds. She's staying with me this week while Daniel is away on business so she gets to pleasure in all of my home cooked meals.

Katie's Chicken Noodle Soup~

Ingredients:
2 lg. chicken breasts, cut in half
1 sm. onion, quartered
2 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces
2 carrots, cut into large pieces
2 whole garlic cloves
water

Ingredients for the soup:
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 lg. celery stalks, cut in half horizontally and then diced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
shredded chicken breasts
1 49 oz. container chicken broth
1 tbsp. sea salt
1/2 tbsp. black pepper
garlic powder
1 tbsp. parsley flakes

Directions:
1.) In a large stock pot, fill 3/4 of the way full of water. Add chicken breast, quartered onion, celery pieces, carrot pieces, and whole garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about two hours.
2.) Remove chicken from stock and allow to cool. Also remove all vegetables and dispose of.
3.) To the pot with your homemade stock, add diced celery, diced carrots, minced garlic clove, and shredded chicken. Add canned chicken broth and bring to a boil.
4.) Add 1 tbsp. sea salt, 1/2 tbsp. black pepper, 1 tbsp. parsley flakes, and a few sprinkles around the pot of garlic powder.
5.) Add one large bag of egg noodles along with about 1/4 a can of water. I use the chicken broth can and stir it around and add to my soup. Cook until noodles are done.

I served ours with homemade mashed potatoes, which score one for Mommy, were pretty darn good. I used 5 medium sized russet potatoes, boiled until soft. I threw them in my kitchen aid mixer, added probably a good cup or so of heavy cream, two tablespoons of butter, and a generous amount of sea salt. They were delicious and for once, the consistency was really good. I was kinda proud of myself since making mashed potatoes has always been a challenge for me. If you are looking for a good comfort food, this is another good one.

Baked Ziti

Man do I have a recipe for you today. Recently I have been trying out quite a few new recipes and let me tell, none have knocked my socks off until last night. That is saying a lot coming from someone who has zero appetite the majority of the time because of my Crohns disease and the ugly flare that I am battling. This recipe though, oh my goodness, it was delicious. So delicious that my Mom had two helpings as did my dear husband. Daniel started off with his regular portion size and for round two he came back to the table with a heap of ziti on his plate. This will definitely go into rotation at our house, especially since it was so easy to put together. Seeing as by most evenings I've hit my maximum energy level and have started going downhill, easy is always best for me. It's always a plus that easy also equals totally awesome! Serve alongside some hot from the oven garlic bread, a fresh green salad, and a tall glass of wine and you my friends, would have a lovely date night dinner.

Baked Ziti

~Source: allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-ziti-iv/detail.aspx

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry ziti pasta

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork sausage

1 1/2 jars (26oz) spaghetti sauce

salt to taste

1 (6oz.) package of provolone cheese, sliced

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup cottage cheese

1 (6oz.) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

2.) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in oil until tender. Stir in rosemary and garlic. Transfer to a small bowl.

3.) Place ground beef and sausage in the skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Stir in the onion mixture and spaghetti sauce. Season with salt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

4.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In the prepared dish, layer 1/2 of the cooked pasta, provolone cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and a little less than 1/2 of the meat mixture. Then layer the rest of the pasta, mozzarella cheese, remaining meat mixture, and parmesan cheese.

5.) Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheeses are melted.

* Since we all know I can't follow directions well enough to save my life, here we go with how I made this dish. First of all, I cooked the onion and garlic along with the meat mixture also meaning I didn't need the olive oil the recipe called for. I omitted the rosemary for the simple fact of I just don't like the stuff. Also, I did two layers of the cheeses, sour cream, and cottage cheese. I just split all of it in half. Lastly, just in case you wondered, I used probably about 3/4 of a 45 oz. jar of Prego Meat Sauce.

I can't stress to you guys enough that you must try this dish. As I sit here typing up this post, at almost midnight thank you...why is this Mother not in bed, I am salivating at the thought of having this for lunch tomorrow. Yes folks, it is that good!

Holiday Crunch

I can't believe I am actually sharing this recipe with the blogging world. My Mom made this dish for us growing up so often that there came a point in time that I hated it. At the mere mention of it I would cringe and then would quickly start begging and pleading that she make something else instead.

There is nothing special about this dish. There are no fancy ingredients or cooking techniques and why my family loves it so much is beyond me. They love it so much that there were many Christmas Eve dinners where my Mom wanted to serve it as the main course. It was on those Christmas Eve's where because of my hatred for it, that I offered to make the entire Christmas Eve dinner just so that we wouldn't have to endure Holiday Crunch.

I have no clue where my Mom got the recipe, nor do I know why it's called Holiday Crunch. I get where the crunch comes from but not the holiday part. What I also don't get is why after all of these years my hatred for it has turned into love. My love for it has grown so much that for the first time ever, I actually made it for dinner the other night. Never in a million years did I see myself eating this stuff again, let alone make it and serve it to my little family. I just know my Mom was secretly laughing inside the night I made this for us. All of those years that I did nothing but moan and groan when she would make it and here I am craving the stuff. It's horrible I tell you, absolutely horrible. Mom-1, Katie-0...lol.

Holiday Crunch

~Source: My Mother

Ingredients:

1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese, add an extra half a bag if you like it cheesy.

1 lg. container French's Fried Onions

Directions:

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked elbow macaroni, browned ground beef, cream of mushroom soups, and shredded cheese.

3.) Transfer to a greased, deep baking dish. Top with fried onions.

4.) Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and onions are lightly browned.

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine.

*I apologize for the way my posts are appearing. I promise that I put in the proper spaces and what have you but for whatever reason when I publish the post using our lap top, everything scrunches together. When I do it on our desktop everything looks fine. Unfortunately, my Mom has gotten virus' on both of our desk top computers...as in ours won't even turn on. This means I'm stuck using the lap top until the desktops are repaired.

Scooter's Spaghetti

Anyone notice a change with the blog? Not only have I given it a minor face lift I've made the decision to combine Babies make Three and Four together with Katie's Korner. I figured with as little as I blog between the two there was really no need to keep them separate. Now the goal is to get really creative and come up with a new blog title...lol. Suggestions???


Anyway, can you believe I have another recipe to share with you? I originally saw this recipe over at Cassie Craves where she had included it on one of her weekly menus. Go figure right? Cassie Craves and Kaitlin in the Kitchen are becoming what allrecipes.com used to be to me...lol.


I thought it looked really good then, but was hesitant to give it a try mainly because I figured everyone would freak when I served them spaghetti with the fried onions on top. Well after then seeing it on my new favorite website Pinterest, I figured why not. So...I gave it a try, used a little more spaghetti then the recipe called for, how Katie like right? It's was a little dry for my liking BUT it was because I used to much spaghetti. I will say though, as leftovers, it was delicious.

This is a recipe that will definitely be made again, this time either using the correct amount of spaghetti or adding extra sauce but either way, it's gonna be made again, and don't fret about the fried onions...they were totally awesome on top!!


Scooter's Spaghetti~
Compliments of: Salad in a jar

Ingredients:
8 ounces cooked spaghetti
1 lb. ground beef
1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 oz.)
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped green peppers (I used red peppers)
1/3 cup chopped onion
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. milk
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
French Fried Onions (small can)

Directions:
1.) Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
2.) Brown ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.
3.) Combine onions, peppers, and butter in a small glass bowl. Cover and microwave four minutes on high until soft.
4.) Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well.
5.) Using a 10x6 dish, assemble in the following order: thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish, spaghetti, cream cheese/vegetable mixture, remaining spaghetti sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Add the fried onions to the top during the last five minutes of cooking.
6.) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remember, top with the fried onions and then bake for another five minutes. That's thirty minutes of baking total...just helping you all out...lol.

The author of Salad in a jar says this is a great dish to make ahead and refrigerate or even freeze. She does recommend doing so without adding the fried onions though, just add those during the baking process.



Looks yummy right? Her picture is even better so please scoot on over to her site to check it out!

Vodka Sauce Re-Run

We all know my love of pasta is never ending so after letting almost a year go by since having made this particular dish I figured it was about time to whip up another batch. Daniel didn't get to enjoy this feast the first time I made it so it was his first time.

Did he enjoy it you ask?

Why yes he did!

Would you like to know how I knew without having to ask him?

He went back for seconds!

I am reposting this again for those of you who weren't around the first time but as you can see I threw in a new picture for those of you who will be viewing it for a second time. It's all about mixing it up here at Katie's Korner! :)

Here is the original post.

Here is the recipe along with a new photo of the dish.

Katie's Vodka Sauce~

1 Chicken Breast, diced and browned ( I used two the second time around)

1/2 Lg. Onion, chopped finely
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes (Accidentally used tomato sauce instead of the crushed this time...tasted just fine)
3 Cloves of Garlic, chopped finely
1 C. Heavy Cream
1/2 C. Vodka
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Dried Basil
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
Butter/Margarine
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pasta of your choice

Directions:
1.) Begin by cutting your chicken breast up into small pieces, saute in pan with tablespoon of butter/margarine and tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Cook until brown. Set aside in small bowl.

2.) Add two tablespoons of butter/margarine along with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to same pan and add onion and garlic. Add a teaspoon of black pepper and salt to the onion/garlic mix.

3.) Cook onion and garlic mix until translucent. Add vodka and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.

4.) Add crushed tomatoes.

5.) Add heavy cream and gently stir together.

6.) Add basil and oregano.

7.) Add chicken back into sauce mixture and stir.

8.) Allow sauce to simmer on low heat for a half hour.

9.) Add sauce to your favorite pasta. For this meal I used Tubetti by De Cecco and topped it off with Parmesan cheese.

Anyone else get a kick out of how many steps I turned the directions into last December? Did I really need nine different steps on how to create the sauce? I think steps 5-8 could easily be combined into one line...LOL.

Beefy Baked Ravioli

Here's another quick and easy meal. I'm in the middle of making a new creation so I am too busy to write a big long paragraph! Enjoy!!

Beefy Baked Ravioli~

Ingredients:1 lb. ground beef

1 20 oz. package of cheese ravioli
1 jar marinara sauce
2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a separate skillet brown pound of ground beef. Drain.

2.) In a large bowl mix together marinara sauce, ground beef, diced tomatoes, and ravioli, mix together until ravioli is covered in sauce.

3.) Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle the top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover dish and bake for another 15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Chicken Alfredo Casserole

I must be on a casserole kick here lately as here we go with yet another one. This is a new one that I just whipped up after realizing I had a jar of Alfredo sauce that has been lurking in my pantry from the last time we made our Murphy's Madness Pizza. I didn't want to just do chicken Alfredo, that would be to boring, so I thought let's kick it up a notch and turn it into a really good casserole.

Chicken Alfredo Casserole~

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 lb. Linguine noodles
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. garlic powder
shredded cheese
butter

Directions:
1.) In a skillet add about a tablespoon of butter and add chicken which has been cut into bite size pieces. Sprinkle with garlic powder and allow to brown. Add in chopped onion and cook until translucent.
2.) In a separate pot bring to a boil enough water to cook 1/2 lb. of linguine noodles. Cook as instructed on the box.
3.) Mix together chicken and onions with Alfredo sauce and gently toss in the cooked pasta.
4.) Add to a casserole dish and sprinkle with your shredded cheese.
5.) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and nice and golden in color.


Linguine means "little tongues" and this is definitely a tongue pleaser. I was pleasantly surprised by how well this came out and the shredded cheese on top is so good. I went back for seconds on this one and can't wait for the leftovers.

Easy Tuna Casserole

Growing up with divorced parents I got to be served two variations of this dish. Unfortunately for my Mom, my Step-Mom wins this hands down. Although, settle down now Mother, I do like yours as well. Not sure where my Step-Mom got the recipe from but I have been making it for years. I love this stuff with a slice or two of buttered bread. It calls for simple ingredients, which seems to be my kick here lately, and most importantly those simple ingredients are more than likely just sitting in your pantry waiting to be used.

Easy Tuna Casserole~
Ingredients:
1 box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, yes the stuff in the blue box

1/2 c. chopped onion

2-5 oz. cans Tuna, drained

1/2 C. milk

1 can cream of celery
French's Fried Onions

Directions:
1.) Cook macaroni and cheese according to the box, yes you want to add the powdered cheese.
2.) Chop up onion and with the rest of the ingredients add to your macaroni and cheese in an oven safe casserole dish.
3.) Sprinkle dish with your fried onions and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about forty five minutes or so. You want the top to be a golden color and everything to be heated through.

I used to make this meal all of the time during my days as a single gal living on her own. It's cheap to make and makes great leftovers. I hope you and yours enjoy as much as I have through the years.

*I also wanted to share with everyone that my Doctor is finally starting to realize that my Crohn's isn't what has been making me sick this past year. Deep down inside I knew this, simply because none of the systems I have been dealing with are even remotely similar to what I deal with when coming out of remission with my Crohn's disease. Everyone has been screaming "it's your gall bladder, have them check your gall bladder" and sure enough yesterday he admitted that it sounds like it could be my gall bladder. For the first time in the year I have been dealing with this he was sympathetic to the fact I am miserable and not making this stuff up. I have an ultrasound scheduled for this Sunday and I have an Endoscopy scheduled for June 3rd. I pray that my gall bladder will show right away that it needs to be removed. I am to the point now I don't know what I will do if they find that my gall bladder is normal and will not need to be removed. I am running out of options and would really like to get my life back on track. I feel like I have wasted the past year of my life being sick and I don't want to repeat that with this year. I have places to go, people to see, and I really want to start dedicating some time to starting a family with my husband. I refuse to get pregnant while I am sick for the simple fact I do not want to complicate a pregnancy that will already be considered high risk because of my Crohns disease and Remicade treatments. Everyone please keep your fingers crossed that my gall bladder is shot, I would appreciate it.

Down Home Comfort

I love macaroni and cheese, there is just something about pasta and gooey cheese that makes my mouth water and tingle with anticipation. I have tried what seems like 850 different macaroni and cheese recipes and I have yet to find the "one".

This is one that I tried a few months back for one of our Sunday night dinner dates. Not sure if I have ever mentioned our dinner dates before but I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoy them. Since Daniel works second shift during the week that means we don't have the normal sit down dinners like most married couples have. It also doesn't help that Saturday nights are dedicated to the family dinners, which by the way, I wouldn't trade for the world. Due to the fact that 6 of the 7 nights of the week are taken, I put into affect several months ago that Sunday nights would be our date nights. We would plan a special meal, usually something we have never tried before, and together we would prepare and cook it. There is just something special about standing next to your special someone in the kitchen preparing a special meal. Lord help me when this man ships off to Afghanistan for a year.

Anyway, I made this a few months ago to go along with Daniel's baked cod recipe. It was super yummy and definitely different from your standard mac and cheese. It has lots of ingredients and lots of steps so this probably won't be a weeknight recipe for you, but give it a shot sometime on the weekend and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.


Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Bacon

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
4 cups grated Asiago cheese
4 cups grated Vermont Cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce


DIRECTIONS:
1.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add macaroni and cook for 8 minutes (noodles will still be slightly hard). Drain noodles and transfer to a large bowl with 1/4 cup of butter and toss to coat. Whisk together the sour cream, egg, and cream cheese; add to the pasta and mix well. Stir in 3 cups of grated Asiago and 3 cups of grated Cheddar cheese, reserving the remaining 2 cups of cheese for the topping.

2.) Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate and chop into small pieces.

3.) Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4.) Stir 2 tablespoons butter, the onion, and garlic into the bacon drippings in the pan and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions are very soft and golden brown. Mix the cooked bacon, parsley, and panko breadcrumbs into the onions, transfer mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

5.) Return the skillet to the heat and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour, and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk the milk into the flour mixture and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Stir in the ground mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Remove sauce from heat and let cool for five minutes.

6.) Pour the sauce over the macaroni mixture, stirring well. Transfer to a greased 9x13 inch pan and sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Top cheese with the onion breadcrumb mixture.

7.) Bake in preheated oven until bubbling, hot and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Now folks, I realize that this is not very figure friendly, but when you are in need of comfort sometimes you just have to push that thought aside.

Recipe: Allrecipes.com

Not another pasta recipe...

If you didn't believe me about the pasta addiction mentioned before I hope you do now. Here we are two days later and I have made yet another pasta dish. My Hubby requested this one so I am not totally at fault, but it was on the list of meal possibilities that I gave him so it's not like he pulled it out of left field.

Does anyone else feel like your pulling teeth when asking your significant other what they would like for meals through out the week? I despise trying to get that sort of information out of Daniel. One of the last times I asked him you know what he said...hot dogs? Hot dogs?? You have a wife who loves to cook, is willing to cook just about anything, and has a food blog to top it all off, and all you can think about is hot dogs? How am I supposed to blog about hot dogs...geesh.

Anyway, I am slowly realizing that my husband doesn't have a fancy palate, he is happy with down home simple meals such as a good casserole. I know this probably isn't considered a casserole but it's down home and very easy. Some may know it as Johnny Marzetti as my family does, others may know it as Goulash, either way I hope you enjoy!!!

Katie's Johnny Marzetti~

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1- 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes
1- 6 oz. tomato paste
2/3 C. tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
1.) In a large pan, bring to a boil elbow macaroni.
2.) In a skillet brown ground beef, add green pepper and onion. Drain grease.
3.) Add ground beef mixture to drained elbow macaroni and add your diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Stir together and add salt and pepper, stir once again.

Now if it were up to me I would add a couple of cups of shredded cheese and throw that bad boy in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Since Daniel is picky and I want him to enjoy this I am going to leave as is. You do whatever floats your boat!

My name is Katie and I have an addiction...

Yes I have an addiction, I think I have mentioned it before. I am a sucker for pasta, especially pastas drenched in sauce and piled high with cheeses. I don't know where this comes from, I am half German, half Irish, and I am pretty sure there is no Italian in there anywhere.

Anyway, like I said I love my pasta, I could eat it just about every day of the week in a different form each night. I have made this recipe before using different ingredients and tonight I thought I would keep it relatively simple by using ingredients that I have on hand. You are more than welcome to use your own homemade sauce, but tonight I am making Sandra Lee proud and doing it the Semi-Homemade way by using a jar of my favorite store bought version.

Katie's Stuffed Shells~

Ingredients:
1 box. jumbo shells

1 jar. pasta sauce

1 lb. ground beef

1 md. container ricotta cheese

1 C. parmesan cheese

4 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.) In a large pot bring to a boil your shells. Do not cook all the way through as they will finish cooking in the oven.

2.) In a separate skillet brown ground beef, drain off any excess grease. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix and turn off heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

3.) To the cooled meat mixture, add your ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Mix gently and then add 1/2 cup of your sauce.

4.)Begin my putting a good tablespoon or so of your meat mixture to each shell.
5.) In a 9x13 baking pan take a little of your sauce and cover the bottom. Layer stuffed shells. Top with remaining sauce and remainder of shredded cheese.
6.) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit covered for 45 minutes, for the last ten or so minutes bake uncovered so that topping can brown slightly.

What's for Dinner Night II?

What's for dinner tonight you ask? Good question, it took me just about all day to come up with the answer. As just about everyone in my family knows I am a pasta fanatic. I love spaghetti and could probably live on it if I allowed myself. I have tried to kick the habit some since my Husband, Father, and Sister all make fun of me for it but every now and then a girl just has to tell them to hush it and go for it. Tonight I didn't really have the means to come up with a regular spaghetti sauce so I had to work with what I did have. A few months ago I was introduced to Vodka sauce. Oh my it was heavenly, we had it served over pasta to go along with baked cod. Since then I have been hooked and regrettably to get my fill, I have been buying it (gulp) by the jar. Now there is nothing wrong with the jar once and again and they are so very convenient when your lazy and not trying to impress anyone, but tonight was different. The roads were iced over and as I mentioned yesterday I am broke as a joke. This meant if I was to have Vodka sauce, I was going to have to do it all on my own and the great thing was...I had all of the ingredients needed to make it. Now let's get serious shall we?

List of Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast, diced and browned.
1/2 Lg. Onion, chopped finely
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
3 Cloves of Garlic, chopped finely
1 C. Heavy Cream
1/2 C. Vodka
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Dried Basil
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
Butter/Margarine
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pasta of your choiceSauce serves four.

1.) Begin by cutting your chicken breast up into small pieces, saute in pan with tablespoon of butter/margarine and tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Cook until brown. Set aside in small bowl.
2.) Add two tablespoons of butter/margarine along with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to same pan and add onion and garlic. Add a teaspoon of black pepper and salt to the onion/garlic mix.
3.) Cook onion and garlic mix until translucent. Add vodka and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.4.) Add crushed tomatoes.
5.) Add heavy cream and gently stir together.
6.) Add basil and oregano.
7.) Add chicken back into sauce mixture and stir.8.) Allow sauce to simmer on low heat for a half hour.
9.) Add sauce to your favorite pasta. For this meal I used Tubetti by De Cecco and topped it off with Parmesan cheese.
Now time for the verdict...it was EXCELLENT. I am so proud of myself and believe me when I say it beats the open faced sloppy joes that were for dinner last night. Although, Daniel said they were pretty good, so maybe they were a winner after all. This meal is great with a side salad and slice of good french bread and is one that would definitely impress the in-laws. It would also go great with a glass of red wine, but I don't drink so I am just guessing with that one. Did I also mention that the onions and garlic saute caused Toby to get up off of the couch to see what I was doing. If only I could bottle that smell. Everyone needs to attempt to make this sauce on their own at least once, I guarantee you will not regret it and it is a good excuse to go out and buy a bottle of vodka if you don't have any...you know for those rainy occasions when you need some :).

Oh yeah, Aunt Robin, my stove is sloppy again, do you think you could stop by sometime tomorrow?