Honestly, this is one of the best ways I like to cook pasta. My husband nor I like marinara sauce...(I know all you marinara lovers are saying WHAT???) True..we prefer a white sauce. So, I came up with this wonderful Bolognese that is really fresh and I think you will love it.
Pasta Bolognese
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 small sweet yellow peppers, diced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
1 heaping Tbsp. Basil Pesto
4 Tbsp. Tomato paste
3 green onions, diced
4 Tbsp. chopped red onion
1 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
water as needed
2 - 3 cups wide egg noodle pasta.
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Brown ground beef with all of the ingredients except the pasta. Boil the pasta in 2 quarts of water with 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil and cook until al dente'. Drain all of the water from the pasta. Add to the ground beef mixture and gently stir together to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add a couple Tbsp. of water.
Serve topped with shredded mozzarella cheese and some garlic bread on the side.
Enjoy!
In honor of Cinco de Mayo I made my Guacamole last night... It is always a hit. Easy and tasty! In fact, I won't eat anyone's guacamole except mine!
Best Ever Guacamole
5 to 6 ripe Avocados
1/4 cup diced red onion
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. tobacco sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
Remove insides of Avocados and place in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Pulse just enough to coarse chop. Chill for at least 2 hours and serve. Serve with chips or Pita bread.
HINT: Easy way to cut open an Avocado: Using a sharp knife, cut long ways all the way around the Avocado. Use your hands on each side of the cutting and twist. If the Avocado is ripe enough, it should just twist apart then you can remove the pit with a spoon.
Be sure when you remove the meat from the Avocado that you don't dig down into the dark green. It will be bitter.
Enjoy!
Cold salads are wonderful for picnics and a quick lunch on a hot summer day. With summer coming up, I thought I would share one of my favorites:
Shrimp & Crab Pasta Salad
2 cups small shell pasta, cooked and drained
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/4 of a small red onion, finely diced (you can substitute any onion)
1 can of chopped crab meat (drained) (can be omitted if you don't like crab)
1 can of tiny shrimp (drained)
1 tsp. dill
1/2 to 3/4 cup real mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1/8 cup evaporated milk (more or less)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Pre-cook the pasta in salted water, drain and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Dice the celery and red onion, very finely. Open the cans of tiny shrimp and crab meat and drain. Mix all of the ingredients into the pasta and stir well. If it is too thick, add a little more evaporated milk until it is a creamy consistency.
Serve with crackers.
Egg Drop soup is one of my very favorites. It is so simple to make and I always make myself some crispy won-ton noodles to go along.
Egg Drop Soup
2 15.5 oz. cans of Chicken Broth
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ginger paste
1/4 tsp. basil pesto
1 tsp. pepper
Bring all ingredients to a boil. How simple is that!
Crispy Wonton Noodles
Oil for frying
Garlic Sea Salt (or regular sea salt)
Buy a package of premade Wontons and pull out enough to make a good many noodles. Slice them about 1/4" thick with a knife. Using your fingers, toss them over and over again until all of the layers are separated. Drop noodles a few at a time into hot oil. Test 1 noodle first to make sure it is hot enough. They take just a few seconds to cook. Toss them once and then remove to paper towels. I like to sprinkle mine with Garlic Sea Salt.
Serve the soup and drop some of the Crispy Wontons into the soup.
Enjoy!
These are great little appetizers that you can just make in a crockpot and leave. Your guests can help themselves.
BBQ Cocktail Weenies
2 or 3 pkgs. Beef or regular Smokie Links (I use Echrich)
1 cup. catsup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
Place all ingredients in a crockpot and heat on high until they are boiling. Cook for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low and allow to heat until your guests arrive!
These will be a big hit!
Sometimes a good ole hamburger is just what you want. This patty melt, kicks the hamburger up a knotch! You'll love it!
Ground Beef Patty Melt
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 whole small onion, sliced
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. ground pepper
1 Tbsp. salt
8 slices Texas Toast
4 Tbsp. real butter
4 Tbsp. real mayonnaise
8 slices Provolone cheese
4 tsp. Basil Pesto
8 slices of cooked bacon.
Shape ground beef into patties. Salt and pepper the patties and place in a pan to fry. Add 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce to the top of each patty. Flip and cook to desired consistency. Add sliced onions when burgers are almost done. Place onto a paper towel to drain grease.
Use a flat griddle or pan to build the sandwiches. Spread both sides of each slice of bread with butter. Place onto the griddle. Lightly toast one side and then flip. Spread real mayonnaise on 4 pieces of bread then top with 1 slice of the cheese. Top with the bacon and then the burger onto the slices with the mayonnaise. Ladle some of the grilled onions on top of the burger and then top with another slice of cheese and the other piece of bread. Flip again to make sure both sides are done.
Cut in half and serve. Enjoy!
Don't you love cooking with cast iron? I often use my cast ironed skillet to bake a one-pot meal. This is hearty and so good. It combines my cheesy potatoes with some ground beef to make a complete meal.
Cheesy Potato & Ground Beef Casserole
6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 small white onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. real butter
3" block of Velveeta cheese
1/4 c. evaporated milk (more or less)
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground pepper
Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in cast ironed skillet (or baking dish). Peel and slice potatoes. Layer 2 potatoes on the bottom of the pan, in the melted butter. In a skillet, brown the ground beef, onion, salt, pepper and basil. Drain completely and put on top of the 1st layer of potatoes. Layer with the rest of the potatoes. In a small sauce pan, mix the cheese and the evaporated milk. Heat until it is melted and pourable. Pour all of the cheese mixture over the top (evenly).
Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. Top will become brown and bubbly. Test a potato to make sure they are done.
Serve and Enjoy!
These are so great and kids love them because they are easy to handle. Who would think you make these with regular loaf bread!
Easy Apple Roll-Ups
6 to 8 slices of white bread (fresh)
1 can of apple pie filling
1 tsp. melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 4 Tbsp. water
Cooking Spray
Set out slices of bread and cut off crusts. Using a rolling pin, roll out the bread until it is flat. Brush with melted butter. Place about 2 Tbsp. apple pie filling on top of bread and butter and roll up. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the rolled up bread with the end part down so that it doesn't come unrolled during baking. Bake at 350 degrees until browned (approximately 12 to 15 minutes).
Meanwhile, beat together powdered sugar and enough water to make it thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over the top of the apple roll-ups as soon as they come out of the oven.
Serve and Enjoy!
When I made this, my husband thought Hmmmm...but it was good...really good. Try this one, it's easy and delicious!
Chicken & Potato Skillet
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
3 baby carrots, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
3 green onions, finely diced
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. ground pepper
1 large boneless chicken breast
2 Tbsp. real butter
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
I use my cast-ironed skillet to make this, but you can use any good skillet that won't stick:
Peel and dice potatoes and chop vegetables. Add oil to the skillet and then add potatoes and vegetables. Saute' until potatoes and veggies are nearly done. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Dice the chicken into small pieces. Add the butter to the skillet and the chicken. Salt and Pepper. Saute' until chicken is done. Readd the vegetables into the skillet and saute' for another few minutes until all is combined.
Serve and Enjoy!
Whether you freeze your corn or you buy your corn, how you season makes it or breaks it. I'm going to give you my freezing corn recipe, but also tell you how to season it when you cook it for the best corn ever!
Fresh Corn
12 to 14 ears of corn
2 Tbsp. sea salt (per bag)
1 cup water (per bag)
1 tsp. sugar
Boil corn for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove and immediately place in ice water for 5 minutes. Pull the corn out of the water and cut it off the cob. To freeze, add corn in a quart sized freezer bag - 3/4 way full. Add 2 Tbsp. sea salt, 1 tsp. sugar and 1 cup of water to each bag. Press out the air and seal. Freeze immediately.
2 Tbsp. real butter
2 tsp. ground pepper
more salt if needed
Now to cook the corn. Remove from the freezer and cut away the bag. Place corn in a deep pot and add 2 Tbsp. real butter, and more salt if needed to taste. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, until all of the corn has thawed and is boiling. Boil for about 8 more minutes and serve.
Enjoy!
