Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

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Ahhh... home cooked meals. Traditional goodness passed down from generation to generation. This was the spaghetti sauce I ate growing up. It's thick and chunky, and full of amazing flavor. After trying this, you'll never go back to canned sauce again!

You'll notice that the recipe allows for a few hours of simmering time. This is to get the best taste out of the herbs. Your house will also smell amazing! However, this spaghetti sauce is amazing after a short cooking time as well. Brown the beef, drain, and cook everything together for 30 minutes or so. Serve over hot noodles with warm bread and a salad!

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce
The Double Dipped Life


1 lb Ground Beef
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 teas salt
1/4 teas pepper
1 TB Basil
1/4 teas minced garlic
2 TB chopped (or dried) parsley
1 bay leaf
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
spaghetti noodles
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

Brown meat, drain fat. In the same pan, add in onion, celery, and mushrooms. Cook until soft.
Add browned meat and remaining ingredients and simmer 2-3 hours until sauce thickens. Stir occasionally. Add water if too thick.

Serve over hot noodles! Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and/or mozzarella cheese.
Enjoy!

Lasagna

This is yet another Mom recipe. I LOVE this lasagna. I crave it, and so does anyone else that tastes it.
We had some neighbors over for dinner a few months back, and the husband lived in Italy for 2 years. He said my lasagna rivaled the lasagna he had there.  But I'm not bragging... ;) 

Now, you will notice I use cottage cheese. Don't panic. You can use the more traditional ricotta if you desire. I don't like the texture of ricotta, so I use cottage cheese. Just trust me and use it the first time. You won't be disappointed! (It's also cheaper!)

Lasagna

1 lb hamburger or ground turkey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TB basil
2 6oz cans tomato paste
2 16oz cans diced tomatoes
10 oz lasagna noodles
2 eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 TB parsley
1/2 teas pepper
3 cups cottage cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated

Brown meat, drain off fat. Return to large sauce pan, and add garlic, basil, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer uncovered for 30 min. Stir occasionally.

During the last 15 minutes of simmer time, cook the noodles until tender, drain, rinse.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper. Mix well.

In a 13x9 baking pan, layer noodles, 1/2 of the meat, 1/2 of the cottage cheese, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

You won't need much else to compliment this meal. Some French bread with Garlic Seasoning, and a nice salad will fill out the meal.

Tuscan Chicken

Have you ever had a dish at home that was restaurant quality? That people might accuse you of buying instead of making? This is one of those dishes. It's a fancy dish that is actually pretty simple to make. 

Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Serves 4-6

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tb salt
1 teas pepper
1/2 teas dried basil
1/2 teas dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken tenders)
5 Tb extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tb finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teas cornstarch
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound fettuccine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 Tb of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven). Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 Tb olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in one Tb flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Asiago Tortellini

Alrighty, so not a great picture. But, what a great dish! Because you are using frozen tortellini, this dish is fast. The tomatoes and broth add tons of flavor. Great for a quick lunch, or light dinner. I served it for dinner, alongside some quick and easy Flatbread (recipe coming!) and salad.

Asiago Tortellini
Cooking Light fresh food fast



1 9 oz package frozen Three-Cheese Tortellini
2 large tomatoes
1 can 14oz chicken or veggie broth 
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (fresh is best for this!)
1/2 cup, 2 oz Asiago cheese, shaved
Freshly ground black pepper 


Cook tortellini according to package directions omitting the salt and fat. Drain.


While the pasta is cooking,combine broth and tomato in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in basil. Cover and let broth mixture stand until pasta is done. 


Add drained pasta to broth mixture. Ladle soup into shallow bowls; sprinkle each serving with cheese. Garnish with basil and pepper, if desired. 


Yields 4 servings. 


Enjoy! 

Crispy Basil Chicken with Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce

About a week ago, I was browsing one of my favorite blogs, Barbara Bakes, and came across her recipe for Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce. As I drooled over the recipe, I thought of the fresh basil I had in the fridge, and how that would be good in the pasta too... or maybe with chicken... or... I'll spare you the thought process.  Here is my final result.

The pasta was really good, but I think I added too much lemon. To tone it down, I added pepper and oregano to the sauce. It was still a little tangy, but it melded well with my Crispy Basil Chicken. So, lesson learned- measure your lemon sauce!

Crispy Basil Chicken 
Recipe by The Double Dipped Life


4 Chicken breasts, cut into strips, or chicken tenders
1-2 cup flour (start with 1, add more if needed)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 teas pepper
1/2 teas garlic powder

Heat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray.
Set up your breading station:
1. Fill a long, flat bowl or pie dish with the flour.
2. Fill a second with the beaten eggs
3. In a third bowl mix the Panko, Parmesan cheese, Basil, pepper, and garlic powder.

Dip the chicken pieces in the flour, coating evenly. Shake off excess. Dip in egg, and then in the Panko mixture. Coat well, and lay chicken on the foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, make your pasta!

Linguine in Lemon Sauce
Adapted from BarbaraBakes.com

14 oz dry linguine
1/2 cup light cream cheese
2 TB olive oil
2 TB lemon, juiced
1/2 teas pepper
1/2 teas oregano
1 TB lemon zest
2 TB chopped parsley

Cook linguine according to package directions.  In a small saucepan, melt cream cheese, oil, and lemon juice, pepper, and oregano over low heat.  Take 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and whisk into cheese mixture until smooth.

Drain pasta, and toss with sauce, lemon zest, and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Enjoy!

Penne Pasta with Sausage

We love this dish at our house. Originally from FoodNetwork.com, this recipe has become a staple in our house. It used to be that when I bought sausage, hubby knew we were going to be having Jambalaya. Not so much anymore! I've found so many other wonderful ways to incorporate sausage into our meals. This meal also got the "thumbs up" from my parents who were visiting.

Penne Pasta with Sausage

1 pound Penne Pasta (I was running out- which is why there are 2 different pastas in the picture above!!)
2 TB Olive Oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 TB garlic, chopped
1 TB Italian seasoning mix
1/4 teas crushed red pepper flake, optional- but it adds some spark- not too hot though!
4 Italian-style pork sausages; mild or hot, depending on your taste, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
Basil leaves, for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add onion, garlic, Italian seasoning mix and red pepper flakes, if using. Sir frequently and cook until the onions are soft and fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add sausage and cook for 1 minute. Add can of crushed tomatoes, stirring all the ingredients together to combine. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and mix well.

Drain the pasta and add directly to the skillet with the sauce. Toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and garnish with basil leaves.

Great served with Garlic Bread!

Spinach Feta Pasta

Doesn't this look good? I found this recipe on OurBestBites.com when I had lots of feta and spinach in my fridge. Now, I have to be totally honest and tell you that we liked this dish, but didn't LOVE it- my husband just isn't fond of chunks of tomatoes in the sauce. But... since everyone has different tastes, I'm sure there are those of you out there that will LOVE it!

Spinach and Feta Pasta
OurBestBites

8 oz. Penne noodles
28-oz. can diced tomatoes
3 c. fresh spinach
1 onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
A handful of fresh mushrooms, chopped
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add pasta. Cook according to package directions.

In the meantime, heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until tender.

Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add tomatoes, heat through, and then add drained pasta and crumbled feta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve; crumbling a little extra Feta on top!

Serve with Rosemary Foccacia or sweet Challah Bread!

Roasted Garlic and Asiago Cream Sauce

We went out to dinner a few weeks ago, and this sauce caught my eye on the menu. I didn't try it there, but knew that I had to make it at home. Nothing is better than roasted garlic! (Chocolate doesn't count...)

I wish I had pictures for you, but our camera has broken. This picture is from my basic Alfredo Sauce.

I used my basic Alfredo Sauce recipe, and adjusted it to make a super creamy, tasty sauce.

I served it over baked herb chicken, with a side of wild rice and roasted asparagus. It would also be wonderful on noodles or vegetables.

Roasted Garlic and Asiago Cream Sauce

1 clove Roasted Garlic (see instructions below)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Sauce:
1 block Cream Cheese (low fat is fine)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup of milk
1 cup grated Asiago Cheese
Roasted garlic cloves (I used 5 or 6; use what you are comfortable with)
1 TB Basil
Pepper to taste

To roast garlic:

Set oven to 325.
Peel the outer layers of the garlic clove away- leaving enough layer to hold the cloves together.
Cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch off of the top of the garlic head to reveal individual cloves.
Set the cloves on a square of foil, and drizzle with 1 teaspoon Olive Oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Fold foil up around garlic, enclosing completely.
Put foil packets in a shallow baking dish, and bake for 40-50 minutes. The garlic is done when a fork pierces them easily.

Allow to cool, then squeeze the cloves out of the skin. Mash them slightly before adding to sauce.

Sauce:
Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan, and heat on medium until melted and combined. Stir frequently to make a smooth sauce.

Serve immediately!

Spinach and Mushroom Manicotti

I really like ordering Manicotti in a restaurant. I've never made them, though. When I found a recipe, I thought I'd give it a try. I made them exactly like the recipe. They were good, but not wow. So, here is the recipe with my improvements!

Going through this process has also made me realize a benefit to cooking. As I'm cooking more, and trying new recipes, I'm discovering that I am more comfortable changing a recipe. I'm not at the point yet of inventing new recipes, but I'm glad that I started this cooking quest!

Spinach and Mushroom Manicotti

1 box (8oz.) Manicotti
2T. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bag (6oz) fresh spinach, chopped

mushrooms
2 eggs
8 oz ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 t. salt

1 t. pepper
1 jar Marinara Sauce

1 cup water

Mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350’ F

In a small saucepan, heat the Marinara Sauce and 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add garlic, and cook for 3-5 minutes until garlic browns. Add Spinach and Mushrooms, cook for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

(No mushrooms here, but they should be!)

Beat eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Stir in ricotta (or cottage cheese), basil, salt, and pepper.

Spread 1 cup of the heated marina sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Fill UNCOOKED Manicotti with mixture; place in dish. (The hot marinara sauce will cook the noodles during baking)

Pour remaining sauce evenly over filled shells. Sprinkle with both cheeses.

Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; continue baking for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Curry Alfredo

The yumminess of Alfredo; the tastiness of pumpkin, the spiciness of curry...what else could you wish for? (Besides chocolate of course!)

Pumpkin Curry Alfredo

1 Package Bowtie Pasta
1/2 batch Alfredo Sauce
1/2 T real butter
1/4 C minced onion
1 C canned pumpkin
2 T Chicken broth
1T Rosemary

1/2 to 1 teas curry powder

Cooked, diced chicken is wonderful in this dish as well!

Cook the pasta according to the directions. In a separate pan, melt the butter, and then add the onion. Saute until soft.

Add chicken broth and rosemary. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all of the onion bits. Add pumpkin and whisk to combine. Add alfredo sauce, stir to combine, and cook until heated.

Stir in Curry powder. Serve on top of prepared pasta. Top with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Dinner Party!

I co-hosted a wonderful dinner last week. We were supposed to have 3 women and their kids come, but only ended up with 1. It was a great night, and I have tons of yummy leftovers!

Here is my menu, plus links to the recipes! Enjoy!

The main course was a Minestrone soup made by the co-host. Sorry, I don't have her recipe! She also provided a yummy green salad.

For sides, I made:

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips - Also from OurBestBites.com. (Can you tell my new obsession?) This dish was absolutely fabulous. I did Strawberries, Mango, Kiwi, Pineapple, and Blueberries. Squirted some Lime juice, and added Sugar. The fruit was amazing on it's own, but eaten with the Cinnamon Chips brought it to a whole new level. Everyone took home leftovers, and I finished up the rest in about a day. A healthy and super yummy treat!

Pesto Alfredo with Roasted Vegetables- The original recipe was found on OurBestBites.com, but I will make it a different way next time! It was good, but needed a few more things.

Croissant Rolls- again, a little bit of a disappointment here. I wanted to make my Challah Bread, but for some reason, my bread maker didn't want to cooperate. It ended the cycle, and instead of a nicely risen bread, I had a pile of goop. :( So, I used the Croissant rolls in a can as a substitute.

Lemon Bars - The perfect "light" ending to a fall meal! I don't have a picture, but the recipe comes from my good friend, Bonnie.

White Chip Lemon Bars

Bonnie

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white chips

2 eggs slightly beaten

The zest and juice from one lemon

Powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Stir together 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture onto the bottom of 9-inch baking pan.

3. Bake 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; sprinkle with chips.

4. Stir together eggs, lemon juice, lemon peel, remaining 1/4 cup flour and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in medium bowl; carefully pour over chips and crust.

5. Bake 10 minutes or until set (you can touch center and it's springy). Cool in pan on wire rack; sift with powdered sugar when completely cool. Cut.

Cheesecake Chocolate Pudding. Okay, this desert was so easy, it was ridiculous. However, when I told the ladies it was "just" pudding, they laughed at me. It's all in the presentation folks!

How to make:
Pour 2 3/4 cup of COLD milk in a large bowl.
Mix in one dry box of Instant Chocolate pudding mix and 1 box of instant cheesecake pudding mix. Stir for 2 minutes, and pour into serving dish.
I used a large, shallow serving dish. When set, I sprinkled candied pecans on top! You can also do fruit, coconut, graham crackers, etc!
The cheesecake flavor was hard to distinguish, but you can do any flavor puddings together!

Lastly, we topped it off with cold Lemonade.

It was a terrific night of food and friendship.

What is your favorite party food?

Pesto Alfredo Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

I hosted a small dinner party last week. Thinking that it would be fun to try new recipes, I landed on my favorite food blog, OurBestBites.com. I found their recipe for "Creamy Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms" and thought I'd give it a try.

I pretty much followed their recipe, except that I used my own Alfredo sauce recipe. The recipe I have for you here is their recipe, with my sauce and additions. When the salad was complete, I really felt that it needed some things other then just tomatoes and mushrooms.

The measurements on this weren't very accurate after I made my own sauce. So, I recommend, especially with the sauce, just adding a little at a time to the pasta until it is the consistency you like! The pasta will soak in the sauce, so more is better.

Pesto Alfredo Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Alfredo Sauce
(Melt together: 1 cube butter, 1 cream cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, 3/4 cup milk, salt, pepper, basil, garlic)
Pesto - either homemade or store bought (10oz)
1 box of Farfalle/Bowtie pasta (16oz)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
Fresh Broccoli, cut into small bits.
Pine nuts or almonds, or walnuts.
Parmesan cheese
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Prepare the Alfredo Sauce. While that is cooking, boil water, add salt, and start the noodles cooking.

Placed sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, and broccoli on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Drizzle with 3-4 T Olive Oil. Toss veggies until they are coated with the oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 12 minutes. The tomato skins will start to split when ready.

Toast the nuts. Place the nuts in a small pan on medium heat. Stir every few minutes. The nuts will start to get glossy, which means the oils are releasing. Remove when golden.

When your Alfredo sauce is done, add 1/3-1/2 cup of pesto and stir.

Drain noodles.

Put it all together! Mix in the sauce first, to the consistency you like. Save the extra sauce for serving time.
Mix in the veggies, and sprinkle the nuts and parmesan cheese on top.

For presentation: I discovered that after making and refrigerating, that the pasta appeared dry. If I had saved some sauce, I would have drizzled some extra on top, and then sprinkled the nuts and cheese.

This makes a great main or a side dish.

The Food Networks Chefs Cooking Challenge!

Sarah, from "I Blame Mom" is doing a Cooking challenge! We pick one recipe from one Food Network chef a week, make it, eat it, and blog about it!

This week the recipe was from Aida Mollenkamp.

I looked through her recipes, and was intrigued by her Pesto Lasagna. I love pesto, so I thought I'd give this a try! I don't have a picture yet- sorry! - but here is the recipe! (picture from Food network.com)

Pesto Lasagna

2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces) **I used a mixture of parmesean, asiago, etc. The Reggiano was too expensive!!

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup heavy cream (or ½ & ½)

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

8 medium garlic cloves, peeled

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the lasagna:

• 1 pound fresh lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1-ounce

Directions

For the pesto: Combine half pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until evenly combined, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and process until evenly blended, about 1 more minute. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.

For the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees F and arrange rack in upper third.

Meanwhile, alternatively layer a scant 1/4 cup pesto and 1 sheet of fresh lasagna noodles in an 8 by 8-inch baking dish, trimming noodles, as needed, to fit. There should be about 10 to 12 layers. Top lasagna with cheese and bake until bubbly around edges and cheese is melted, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.

Needless to say, this recipe was pretty easy! We liked it, but really didn't LOVE it.

Will we have it again? Maybe. Next time I would add some shredded chicken.