Alfredo Add-in

Here's a small variation on our alfredo we love so much. This ended up being so darn tasty, I had to share how easy it is to spice up your meals.

The original Alfredo recipe is here.

All we did was steam some broccoli on the side and add it in. It was so yummy and such a great addition. It's so easy to spice up simple dishes.

Ramen lunch

This is pretty similar to the Ramen Fried Rice I posted a while back, just a bit more simple.

Ingredients

Ramen Noodles

Broccoli, steamed or pan fry

Eggs, scrambled

Again, like last time, very simple. Cook the noodles like you would for Top Ramen. Strain them if needed.  In the meantime, scramble your eggs and cook your broccoli however you prefer. Throw it all in together and add sauces of your choosing. We like to have a wide variety of asian sauces. Soy sauce, of course, but more exciting ones. Black Bean and Garlic, Hoison, General Tsao, and many others. They're not too expensive and they last a while. We think they're worth it because they can really spice up the meals and make them taste great!

 

You can easily spice this up with other ingredients that you like. I remember, this kind of reminded me of Chow Mein because it was noodle heavy, which I love. You could get very creative with any other ingredients to suit the tastes of your eaters. :)

That Spaghetti Tomato Thingy

I kinda made this up, so I don't have a name for it.  I'm sure there is one; I just don't know what it is.  So when hubby asks what's for dinner, it's "That Spaghetti Tomato Thingy."  It's met with rave reviews every time I make it.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti

Tomatoes (I use whatever's available in the garden.  When tomato season is done, I'll probably buy Romas.)

Basil leaves (Also from the garden; I assume you could use dried stuff, but never have for this dish.)

Butter (or margarine; I use the light stuff to save calories)

evoo (extra virgin olive oil for you non-Rachel Ray fans)

Salt & Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Cook spaghetti.  I do about 4 servings for my family.

While pasta is boiling, dice your tomatoes and slice your basil leaves.  For my family I use about 2-3 roma tomato's and 2 or 3 basil leaves, depending on the size.

Put a little evoo in a small frying pan.  After it heats up, add the tomatoes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Sautee until soft but not mushy.  Add the basil for the last minute.

Drain the spaghetti and put it back in the pot.  Add the tomatoes and basil.  Add some butter and evoo for flavor.  I do about 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons evoo to mine. 

Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Ramen Fried Rice

So this is one that we kinda made up when we were first married.  You can really add whatever floats your boat and change it however you want to. Here's the bare bones.

Ingredients

Top Ramen (no seasoning packet)

Chicken breasts

Eggs, scrambled

Carrots, grated

Any other vegetables you want

Cook the ramen by the directions. Scramble your eggs. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, cook on the stove. You marinate the chicken beforehand if you want to. Combine all the ingredients in your large saucepan and heat through. I don't remember how we seasoned this one. It might've been a marinade. But in the past we've just used some soy sauce or something simple. Or if you use a marinade, you can use the leftovers to season the dish, just heating it all thoroughly.

Cabbage and Straw

This is an adaptation by Rachel Ray of an old Italian comfort food called pizzocheri.  It's more a winter food; kind of makes you want to unbuckle your belt and put your feet up a la thanksgiving dinner.  It's not winter, though.  It's summer in Southern California.  But at the last second I was feeding two missionaries from our church (two 19-year old boys who ride their bikes all day and have huge appetites) and I needed something that was easy and made a lot.  Plus, this uses the rest of the cabbage from the teriyaki chicken recipe. 

p.s. I sliced my finger today while peeling the potatoes. Please forgive any typing errors.

Ingredients:

Salt

2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 pound fettuccine or papardelle pasta (I usually use spaghetti)
1 small head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced  (I use 1/2 a head; or whatever's leftover after teriyaki night)
1 stick butter
3 to 4 cloves garlic, cracked from skin and halved
16 sage leaves; 6 left whole, 10 thinly sliced (I only use about 4 whole; I'm not a huge sage fan)
1 tsp black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups grated Romano (I have used plain Kraft Parmesan in the green shaker and have liked it just fine.)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.  (Now, when I first made this recipe, I tried to use the large pot on the right.  It wasn't big enough.  Try something closer to the large pot on the left.  And please excuse the state of my stove.)

Add the potatoes and cook 7 minutes.  Add the pasta and cook 2 minutes, then stir in the cabbage and cook 5 minutes longer.

While the potatoes and pasta cook, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add garlic and 6 whole sage leaves.  (Four for me, then no sliced ones.)  Cook 3 to 4 minutes; remove the garlic and whole leaves (reserve the leaves for garnish), then add the sliced leaves and the black pepper.  Just before draining the pasta and cabbage, add 2 ladles of starchy cooking water to the skillet.

Drain the potatoes, pasta, and cabbage and add to butter and sage.  (While I have a large skillet, it's not big enough for all the pasta.  I throw everything back in the big pot.)  Toss to combine with sage butter, adding in lots of cheese as you work.  Toss 1 to 2 minutes to form a cheesy butter coating on the pasta and cabbage.  Then adjust salt and serve.  Use reserved whole leaves to garnish the pasta.

And there you have it.  One huge pot of carbalicious yumminess.  This is usually enough to feed my family for 2 nights.  Tonight, with 2 extra mouths, it was just the right amount.

Stir Fry

Or, you can call it Hu-Hot if you want. This is our middle of the line version. We've done it more authentic, but this is a lot easier and simpler to make for a whole family.

Ingredients
chopped carrots
chopped celery
chopped garlic
chopped onion
chopped bell pepper
other options: olives, mushrooms, corn, black beans, broccoli (I highly recommend broccoli. So great in stir fry.)
Chicken, cut in 1-2 inch cubes
*You can really use whatever vegetables you want, and in the quantities you choose. That's the beauty of it.
Cooked rice
*optional: Cooked spaghetti noodles

Sauces: Hoison Sauce, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, General Tsao's, Black bean and Garlic sauce, hot chili and garlic, any sauce you find in your asian foods section at the store. (You can easily sprinkle flaxseed on your plate, or just add it to your sauces.)

Prepare vegetables and chicken (you can use whatever type of meat you want, or multiple types together.) In one pan, saute the vegetables. In another, begin cooking the meat. When mostly cooked, add your choices of sauce to your meat. It's meant to be saucy, so keep adding! Mix and match, or if you're not familiar with them, try them one at a time. (Meaning, for one meal, use one sauce to get familiar with it. Then when you're more confident, begin making combination sauces.) Let it heat through and combine the sauces if necessary. Then when the vegetables are sauteed to your liking, add it to the meat and sauces and combine thoroughly. I like to go heavy on the vegetables. The flavor is still great, so it's such an easy way to get your veggies. Serve on fresh rice, or with a combo rice and noodles. It's quite good if you've never tried it.

This has easily become a family favorite for us. It's different every time, you use the quantities you want and are comfortable with. You can feel good about it because it's packed full of veggies and it just tastes really good!

Macaroni and Cheese

This is D.D. macaroni and cheese. I've made it tons of times. I think it's a great variation to mac and cheese.

Ingredients
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or cauliflower puree (I've used both. This time it was squash.)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz. cream cheese (I'd leave this out for a bit so it's room temperature. It'll melt faster.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the macaroni, and cook until al dente. Drain.

While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese, and seasonings (I'm sure I use more than she calls for.) and stire until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.

Yummy.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is another Deceptively Delicious recipe. I really enjoyed it because it is different than what I'm used to. This says a lot. I grew up with spaghetti and meatballs every Sunday. I'm spoiled and can't stand canned sauce from the store. I only like my mom's homemade sauce. But I've been itching to try other homemade sauces. (I still hate canned stuff.) So this was refreshing to have something different.

Ingredients
1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butternut squash puree
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 26-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, pureed in a blender
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup carrot puree (optional) (I totally used it)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 bay lead (again, don't have any, so I used my crushed bay leaves)
1 lb. spaghetti or angel hair pasta

In a large bowl, mix the turkey, breadcrumbs, butternut squash puree, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper until well combined. Shape the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil.

Coat a large nonstick skillet (this would take a mighty deep skillet. I'd just use a pot, or you have to dump your meatballs in the pot when you have to add everything else) with cooking spray and set it over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the olive oil and then the meatballs and brown for 4 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the pureed tomatoes, water, carrot puree (if using), garlic powder, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center. Remove the bay leaf.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook your pasta. Drain and serve with sauce.

A fun variation to what I'm accustomed to. Worth a try. (It's packed with veggies, so it's pretty darn good for you too.)

Meatball Soup

Thanks to Deceptively Delicious for this one.  It was different, and I wanted to try it. It was pretty good. I wasn't really into the leftovers, and this recipe serves 10 (If I had known that I would've halved it.) Now you know. And if I'm remembering correctly, I accidentally doubled both my purees. That would've altered the taste a bit. It still tasted good mind you. So I bet if I hadn't doubled that, the taste would've been even better.

Ingredients
3 oz. whole-wheat pasta shapes (I used elbow macaroni)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice
1/4 cup carrot puree
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups beef or chicken broth
3 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 cup nonfat milk
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 lb. ground turkey

Cook the pasta. Drain and set aside.

Coat a large pot with cooking spray and set it ove rmedium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil and then the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Puree the tomatoes and their juice with the carrot puree in a blender, then add to the pot along with 1/2 tsp salt. Add the broth, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the bread in a large bowl. Add the egg, sweet potato puree, milk, Parmesan, 1 tsp salt, the pepper, and paprika, and let soak until the bread is very soft. Stir to break up the bread, add the ground turkey, and mix until smooth. Form into mini-meatballs 1/2 inch in diameter. Add the meatballs to the pot. Simmer, covered, until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the pasta. Serve with sprinkled parmesan cheese.

Excuse the bright redness of the picture. Hers always come out like that with my camera. I think it might be the carrot puree somehow. I don't know. It's not really this color. And the strange white parts in my bowl are parmesan cheese. It looks weird, sorry. Like I said, I accidentally doubled my purees, so I think the flavor would've been even better. Definitely worth a try. It's a fun one.

Mom's Homemade Mac and Cheese

I love a good homemade mac and cheese. Haven't you noticed? Here's another version. Quite delicious and if you grate your cheese beforehand, super easy.

Ingredients
6 cups water
¾ tsp salt
3 cups small elbow macaroni
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
6 tbsp margarine
6 tbsp milk
Pinch paprika (I have big pinches)
Pinch white pepper (Black works fine. The original recipe called for white. I found it at Smiths.)
Pinch cayenne pepper

Using a large saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Stir in macaroni and return to boil. Stir occasionally; boil for 4 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and continue to boil, stirring frequently for 7 minutes. (You may need to reduce the heat to its lowest heat the last 2 minutes to prevent sticking.) Add the remainder of the ingredients, stirring well until the cheese is melted.

Royal Round Steak

Well, this is a simple crock pot meal. It's really simple and tastes pretty good. To me, it was a bit too salty, but there's not much to edit to make it less salty. But with me, it could've just been that day. Aaron liked it so we're gonna keep it around. It was an all around easy and yummy dish.

Ingredients
1-2 lbs beef round steak or stew meat
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 envelope (1 oz.) dry onion soup mix (maybe they make a reduced sodium version? And I didn't buy a nice brand, just the X-stuff. Maybe that would make a difference to salt and flavor issues.)
2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Hot cooked egg noodles
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Trim round steak and cut into cubes. Partially frozen meat makes for easier cutting. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meat on all sides. (Do not need to cook through, just brown sides.) Combine dry onion soup mix and canned soups in mixing bowl. Pour mixture into crock pot. (I just mixed it in the crock pot. No need to dirty a bowl.) Add browned meat. Cover and cook on high 6-7 hours. Spoon over egg noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.

Tortellini in Brodo

Or as Emeril taught me, Tortellini in Soup. So super yummy! I loved this recipe!

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ onions, chopped
¾ cup chopped celery
¾ cup chopped carrots
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
9 oz. fresh cheese filled tortellini
2 tbsp minced parsley
Salt, to taste if necessary
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add the olive oil and, when hot, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Saute until soft, about four minutes. Add the garlic, italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook for 5 minutes (or longer if pasta directs). The pasta should be al dente. Stir in the parsley, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove from heat and ladle into soup bowls. Garnish each bowl with 1 tbsp cheese. Serve.

The big odd looking white sections (not the noodles) are the Parmesan cheese. Then there are also a few non-organic items in there (two orange, one white). They're plastic ice cubes. They cool the food down without watering it down. I forgot about the picture before I put them in.

Lasagna

So I'm pretty sure this was my first lasagna. I was getting a bit ambitious I think. But it worked out! I will tell you I was afraid to take the first bite. I thought for sure it wasn't going to work out. But it did! Woohoo! This was originally Mom's recipe, but I changed it a bit.

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef cooked (I'm sure turkey would sub great in here)
4-8 oz. mushrooms (I used a 4 oz. can. If you wanted to beef it up two cans would work well.)
3 cans diced tomatoes (could use seasoned ones and skip the seasonings.)
¼ cup flax seed (honestly, I forgot them. But just now realized it would go in just fine.)
1 tbsp basil leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
8 oz. lasagna noodles (oven-ready)
parmesan cheese

In a 2-quart saucepan heat oil; add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. While sauce is simmering, in a bowl combine ricotta, egg, and mozzarella cheese with parsley; set aside. In bottom of a 8x13” baking pan, spread a thin layer of meat sauce; top with alternating layers of cooked lasagna noodles, cheese mixture and meat sauce, ending with a layer of meat sauce. Douse with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand 15 minutes before serving.


When you hit the stage of adding tomatoes, etc. I'd put it in a soup pot. My saucepans aren't big enough anyhow. I would use as much noodle on each layer. You'll probably have to break them a bit. Since I used the oven ready noodles, they're stiff. Putting a layer of cheese mix on that is kinda hard. But I basically tried to spread it on the noodles like putting it on a cracker. It worked alright. I wasn't able to spread it too well, but I'm sure the heat helped it to spread when it was cooking. Make sure no noodles are exposed on that last layer. That's why it's important to end with a meat layer. Then I just doused the top with parmesan cheese. You can put as little or as much as you like. I liked it. It added a crunchy and flavorful crusty top to the lasagna. I didn't use all the lasagna noodles in mine. I probably could have if I had broken some of the pieces up. At first, I thought it had too much basil because I could really smell it. But once we were eating it, it was great. The taste wasn't at all overwhelming. I think it just has a strong scent. But the flavors balanced very nicely.
 

I didn't put this under kid friendly, however Joseph ate it without a complaint once it was cooled down. Maybe most kids are cool with lasagna. I didn't know that.

Julie's Famous Alfredo Sauce

Not really mine, but from my BYU Cooking Class. I love this recipe! So does everyone who eats it. It's super easy (easier than Kraft Mac N Cheese I think, and way tastier!) I am learning that the type of cream you use makes a huge difference in how it turns out. I used to use the one in the purple box (excuse my lame descriptions.) It made a really creamy sauce, but not very good leftovers. The last 2 times, I've used one in a brown and red box. This has a different flavor, which I like. It isn't as creamy (as you'll see from the picture) but it makes great leftovers. So try it out and see which one you like best. You will probably have completely different cream options than I do anyhow!

Ingredients

¼ cup butter
2 cups cream (I believe this is the equivalent to 1 pint, the smallest size you can buy cream)
½ tsp salt (again, I don't add this personally)
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

Combine butter, cream, salt, and pepper in skillet. Bring to a gentle boil; reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes, stirring to prevent scorching. Stir in parmesan cheese and heat through. Do not boil. Sauce will be thin. Serve with cooked noodles. (I prefer elbow macaroni because it cooks a lot faster and holds the sauce inside the noodle if it's a creamy sauce, so you get more sauce in each bite.)

Julie's version: I just pour all the sauce ingredients in and stir. It takes a while to smoosh out all the parmesan clumps, but you just keep stirring, You really want to be careful about scorching. Once it's all blended and heated, you can serve it up!

Joseph absolutely chows down on this, so I am listing it as kid friendly!

Mac and Cheese!

Everyone loves a good mac and cheese. I have a few recipes that I've used and tried. This is definitely near the top. It is great because you can crock pot it, or stove top it. I love the versatility of that. Anyhow, it's a really simple recipe and makes great noodles. It's also the top of my mac and cheese reheat list. Anyone who's had Kraft knows that mac and cheese does not microwave well. This is my #1 microwavable mac and cheese. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients
3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tbsp butter
3 cups (24 oz) grated cheedar cheese (or sharp for different flavor. Or any combo of cheese equal to 24 oz)
20 oz. Evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
I added some cayenne pepper as well

Crock Pot:
Cook noodles, then toss in butter. Add to Crock pot with additional ingredients. Cook for 2-3 hours on high. Stir occasionally.

Stove Top:
Cook noodles, coat on butter. Add remaining ingredients and melt on medium heat, stirring regularly to avoid scorching.

This recipe is easily beefed up by adding peppers, mushrooms, meat products, etc. It's easy to get creative, but still yummy simple.

Goulash

We were out and about yesterday and so I made dinner in a bit of a rush. We ended up having goulash and some yummy seasoned cheese bread. I didn't think I would want noodles or anything, but in the end it was a great dinner. Here are my last minute creations.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
approx. 15 oz. tomato sauce
approx. 3 oz. tomato paste
1 - 1/2 tsp basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder

This recipe is adjusted because I used half a can of tomato sauce and half a can of tomato paste in an other recipe. Just use the can size that is closest to those amounts. Boil the noodles and drain. Add the tomato sauce ingredients and heat thoroughly. Combine sauce with noodles and serve warm.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can add 1/4 cup of flax seed to this for added fiber.