Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti With Artichoke Heart

Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti With Artichoke Hearts

Hands down, this is my favourite pasta recipe. Absolutely divine. I don't change anything, other than I use whole wheat noodles. So yummy.

I am not usually a fan of leftovers, but this meal warms up great. I pour a little chicken broth over the cold pasta and warm it in the microwave. Almost as good as when it is fresh!

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Favourite.Recipe.Ever. This is my comfort food. I love, love, love it. I think I'm going to make it for dinner tonight. So good. 'nough said.

1 box of whole wheat pasta in your favourite shape (I'm doing mini shells tonight)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
black pepper to taste
3 3/4 cups of milk
4ish cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine butter, flour and pepper to create a smooth paste. Add milk all at once. Cook while stirring over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in cooked noodles and transfer to a casserole dish. (I use my Pampered Chef deep covered baker... love that thing. Best kitchen investment I have made, with the exception of my knife set. Every mom needs a good knife set)

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let stand for 10  minutes before serving.

TO TRY: BLT Mac & Cheese

I haven't tried this recipe yet, so I can't vouch for it, but it sounds delicious to me. Its an "adult version" of my all time favourite food. Once I have tried it, I'll adjust the title (so it no longer says "TO TRY") and I'll let you know how I like it!

5 cups Water

8 slices Bacon

4 oz Sharp white cheddar cheese

1 oz Parmesan cheese

4 oz Cream cheese

1 lb Uncooked cellentani or cavatappi pasta

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Coarsely ground black pepper

1 Large leek white and light green portions only

3 Large plum tomatoes

1. To start pasta mixture, bring water to a boil in stockpot

2. Meanwhile, slice bacon crosswise into thin strips. Place into skillet; cook over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet to paper towel-lines plate.

3. As bacon cooks, grate cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Add pasta, cream cheese, grated cheese, salt and black pepper to boiling water in stockpot. Cover and simmer vigorously 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. As pasta mixture cooks, slice leek in half lengthwise then crosswise into 1/2-in slices. Place into small bowl and swish in cold water to remove dirt; lift leeks out of water and stir into pasta mixture. Cook, uncovered, 5-7 minutes or until pasta is cooked to desired tenderness and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

5. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half lengthwise; remove cores and scrape out seeds. Dice tomatoes; reserve 1/4 cup for garnish. Remove stockpot from heat; stir in remaining tomatoes and half the bacon. Spoon pasta mixture into serving bowl and garnish with reserved tomatoes and bacon. Serve immediately.

Cyclone Pasta

About 4 years ago Sean and I went to Outback Steakhouse and we ordered the Cyclone Pasta. We loved it so much we went back a couple month's later and it was taken off of the menu! We were so disappointed. I came across a copycat recipe this week and I was so excited! We tried it tonight and although it wasn't as good as I remembered, it was good. I would definitely alter the recipe next time! Here is the original, and and my notes!
 

* 1 cup sun-dried tomato
* 1 cup shiitake mushroom
* 1 onion (I used half an onion)
* 1 (16 ounce) jar alfredo sauce, I used THIS recipe

* 1 cup chicken breast, chopped and cooked
* 1 cup of shredded ham (I omitted this)
* 1 (16 ounce) box penne pasta, cooked (I used a 13.5 ounce box of whole wheat pasta)
* swiss cheese, Italian blend, as much as you like
* oregano
* thyme
* garlic

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

1. Mix all ingredients together in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
2. Bake at 375F until golden.

I remember the original recipe having artichoke hearts in it. I added less noodles and more sauce and thought it turned out really great. I also added extra cheese. I baked it for 30 minutes and thought it was yummy! It was a little on the oily side but I never said it was going to be healthy :)

Stuffed Peppers

1/2 onion chopped (more if desired)
1 lb ground sirloin (plain ground beef works too)
salt and pepper to taste
1.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
2ish cups of prepared brown rice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4-6 peppers (depending on size) in red, yellow, orange or green

* Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for about 3 minutes, remove from water and drain. Sprinkle the inside of each pepper with a little bit of salt and set aside.

* In a large skillet, saute beef and onions until beef is browned. Drain excess fat  and season with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, rice, and Worcestershire sauce. Let simmer until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff each pepper with beef and rice mixture. Place peppers open side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese.

* Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are heated through. I cook mine uncovered, but several recipes I have seen say to cover the peppers... your call!

Chicken Pockets

5 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

8 oz. cream cheese

½ c. chicken broth

Pepper to taste

5 tubes of crescent rolls (or you can make the dough yourself.)

In sauce pan on stove mix the cream cheese, broth, and pepper. Add cooked and diced chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Lay crescent rolls on the counter, and press flat. Spoon some of the chicken mixture onto the fat part of the triangle, fold over the corners, and roll from the fat side to the point of the crescent roll. Bake on cookie sheet at 375 for about 13 minutes. Serve with either chicken gravy or country gravy.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Sauce

5 cups chopped bell peppers.

2 cups chopped onion

garlic, to taste

1-14 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken base

2 cups whipping cream

corn starch

Sautee the veggies in olive oil. When they are almost completely sauteed, add diced tomatoes. Finish sauteeing. Add chicken base (I just used water and 2 bouillon cubes) and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

After it's done simmering, pour it into a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pan and slowly add cream. Bring to a boil and thicken with cornstarch. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Voila! A delicious, extremely versatile meal.

I cubed chicken and cooked it with minced garlic, marjoram, rosemary, sage, parsley, basil and thyme. The first time I made this I served it over noodles. The next time however, I served the sauce and chicken over quinoa which we decided we liked a lot better! We also decided that this would make a really good soup! If we ate it as a soup we would possibly add corn, but this would be delectible with grilled cheese!