Pesto Pasta, Cosby Style

 Get Pasta water boiling, add some salt, but not as much as for normal pasta

Squeeze the italian sausage out of its casings and cook it till it’s browned. Drain the fat off the sausage through the colander.

Boil the pasta according to box directions. We like to use cellentani/cavatappi pasta.

Drain the pasta in the colander. Add the cooked sausage. Add 6-12 oz of frozen peas. 

Add almost a full jar of Costco pesto sauce. 

Cut up cherry tomato halves and fresh mozzarella to top the pasta. 

Rice and mushroom casserole

Image and recipe from http://www.everyday-reading.com/2011/11/vegetarian-recipe-9-rice-and-mushroom.html

Rice and Mushroom Casserole

(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

Serves 6

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice

1 TB olive oil

8 ounces mushrooms (brown or white) cleaned and roughly chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves minced garlic

1 bunch spinach or chard, roughly chopped (if using chard, separate the stems from the leaves and chop the stems like onions)

2 eggs

1 cup crumbled queso fresco (you could use another semi-soft cheese like feta or even fresh mozzarella or goat cheese)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt (if you're using feta, you may want to skip the salt entirely)

1/2 tsp pepper  

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Put both rices in a medium saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and reduce heat to low. Let cook about 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a baking dish (somewhere in the 9x9 range is a good size. I use an oval pan that's about 6 x 12).

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil. Add mushrooms and stir every few minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are slightly brown. Add onions (and chard stems if using them) and cook for another 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook for 1 more minute and remove pan from heat.Add spinach or chard leaves and cook 2-4 minutes until wilted. 

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, queso fresco, sour cream, salt (if you're using it) and pepper.

Add the cooked rice and the mushroom/onion mix and stir until well combined. Spread half of this mixture into prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese over the rice mixture and then pour the rest of the rice mixture on top of that. 

Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and finish it off with the Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes more.

Serve hot. 

Pepperoni Rolls

Bread recipe:
2 Cups lukewarm Water (100 degrees)
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 TB Yeast (if doubling recipe, double all other measures but only use 3T yeast)
1/4 Cup Oil
2 t Salt
1 Egg
3 Cups Flour

Add 4 more cups flour while kneading

• Start the yeast in 1 C water and a little bit of the sugar.
• Once it's growing, add 1 C warm water and 3 C flour into mixer
• Mix till combined and let sit/grow for 15 min
• Meanwhile, mix eggs, oil, sugar, and salt in one bowl and have 4 C flour in another
  
• After 15 min, alternate egg mixture and flour while mixing on low until dough is sticky
  (Heather's note: For the first 3 C of flour added to the yeast, I use white flour. Then, at this step, I add 1-2 C whole wheat flour, and then 1-2 C more white flour. Maybe with your white wheat you could use more whole wheat.
  Also, the last time I made these, I only added 3 1/2 C flour for this step and ended up having to add a little more water, so watch as you go)
• Knead in mixer for about 5 min
• Press down, and let rise in a lightly oiled bowl until doubled (1/2 to 1 hour)

At this point, you can make bread out of the dough. Here are the instructions for the pepperoni rolls

• Pull off a handball sized ball of dough (about half way between golf ball and tennis ball size...)
• Roll out in 1/4 inch-ish thick circle
• Place 5 pepperoni slices and about 1/4 C mozzerella cheese in the center
• Fold in sides
• Fold down top and roll up, keeping pepperoni and cheese on the inside
• Squeeze roll in your hands to release air bubbles and seal the seams
• Place seam side down on greased cookie sheet
• Let rise a little (not quite doubled again, but you can tell the dough is rising a bit- place on the oven door with the oven on warm if they're not rising)
• Bake at 350 for 15-18 min until lightly browned
• Eat fresh and hot and gooey, or refrigerate or freeze leftovers. Reheat in microwave 15-45 seconds
  

You could add lunch meat and chedder or any other combination. Mom likes to cut open refrigerated ones and put sliced bell pepper and onion inside and eat it like a sub sandwich.

Catskills Cubano

From the panini book. This sandwich is way awesomer than you could ever imagine.

Serves 2-- do the math for more

2 Ciabatta rolls or sliced ciabatta bread
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
4 thin slices (about 2 oz) sliced swiss cheese
2 tsps finely chopped pickled jalepenos or more to taste
4 thin slices (about 2 oz) serrano ham, prosciutto, or cured ham
4 thin slices (about 2 oz) roast pork*

Slice open rolls and spread 1 Tbsp mustard on bread. Place cheese on mustard. Sprinkle with 1 tsp jalepenos. Lay on 2 slices of ham. Top with pork. Cover with top half of roll. Grill on a panini press, George Foreman grill, or on your stove, 4-7 min or until bread is golden brown.

*I use this recipe for roasted pork loin for a meal earlier in the week and use the leftovers for this sandwich.

Tortellini Salad

I had something like this at a ward potluck and recreated it at home

Romaine lettuce
Pepperoni or pepperocini
Black olives
Fresh mozzarella (chopped up or made in little balls)
cooked cheese tortellini
chopped red bell pepper
cherry tomatoes

Really good italian dressing

Toss it all and eat. I liked that the tortellinis were still warm.

Cheese Burgers

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/dining/012brex.html?emc=eta1

Adapted from Michael David, Comme Ça, Los Angeles

Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 to 2 hours’ chilling


2 pounds ground beef chuck, 80 percent lean

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 tablespoon ketchup

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of chili powder

1 cup finely shredded iceberg lettuce

4 light brioche buns (see recipe) or other large hamburger buns, split

1/4 pound thinly sliced medium-sharp Cheddar cheese

4 thin onion slices.



1. Lightly shape meat into 4 4-by-1-inch patties, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a hot fire on a grill, or heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle each burger all over with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and season generously with black pepper. Sear burgers on grill or in skillet for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer burgers to a broiler pan and bake for 4 minutes for medium-rare. Remove pan from oven. Position an oven rack closest to broiler element, and heat broiler to high.

3. In a bowl, whisk mayonnaise with ketchup, cayenne and chili powder, and season with salt and black pepper. Add lettuce and stir to coat. Toast buns. Top burgers with Cheddar and broil until cheese melts, about 30 seconds. Set burgers on bottom buns and top with lettuce and onion slices. Cover with top bun and serve, whole or cut in half.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings.

Cheesecake

The basic cheesecake recipe I use. Nothin fancy.

Crust:
A package of Oreos. Off-brand cheap Oreos will work just fine.
1/2 stick of margarine or butter.
2 tbs water.

Filling
24 oz. of cream cheese. It needs to be the kind in the cardboard
boxes, not the tub. I'm pretty sure that that's 3 of the little boxes.
It has to sit out for at least 30 minutes before it starts to bake.

break and beat briefly
add



2 eggs
8 oz. sour cream (half a normal-size package)
1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla



The equivalent of a bag of fun-size Snickers. It can be whatever
flavor you want, really.

Glaze. This is optional. It's good, but you don't have to have it.
Totally your call.
1 cup of chocolate chips
2 tbsp. butter
5 oz. whipping cream.

350 degrees for 1 hour

Chicken Enchiladas

What I use when someone in the ward needs a meal

Chicken Enchiladas

8-10 Flour Tortillas
2 (9oz) cans of Enchilada sauce
1/2 lb. Cheddar Cheese grated
1/2 lb. Monterey Jack grated
1/3 cup Green Onions chopped
1/3 cup Black Olives
1/4 cup Cilantro finely chopped
4 Chicken Breasts cooked and shredded
1 large spoonful of Sour cream

Mix cheeses, olives, green onions, cilantro, chicken, sour cream and some of enchilada sauce together in a large bowl. In a shallow dish (pie plate) pour the remaining enchilada sauce and dip tortillas in sauce and fill with filling; wrap up. Place enchiladas in 9x13 pan, top with any remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Southwest Pasta Salad

Sam's mom gave me this recipe and I love it. It's really easy to make and is great for potlucks. But be aware, the whole recipe makes a ton of salad. If I'm just feeding our family, I half the recipe and we still have leftovers. Anna likes it warmed.

I put *asterisks* around ingredients I usually leave out and {brackets} around ingredients I like to add

SOUTHWEST PASTA SALAD

Cook 1 pound tricolor pasta until al dente; do not overcook

In a large bowl, combine the pasta with

½ cup finely chopped red onions

*½ green pepper, finely chopped*

1 cup frozen or canned corn(I just use a whole can of corn)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 small can chopped green chili peppers (sometimes I leave these out and it's still good)

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, or black beans rinsed and drained (I still use the whole can, even when I half the recipe)

4 ounces cubed or shredded cheese (cheddar, taco mix, or colby jack works well)

{half to a whole avocado}

{one or two tomatoes, or some salsa}

{one or two whole green onions}

{chopped black olives}

{some chicken that I stir fried in garlic powder, chili powder, and oregano)

Whisk together these sauce ingredients in small bowl and then pour over those in the large bowl

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp chicken or vegetable broth

5 Tbsp white-wine vinegar

3 Tbsp tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

Bruschetta 'n Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.)

1/3 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

MIX tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and basil in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.

PLACE 2 chicken breasts in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound with meat mallet or side of heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Remove from bag; place, top-sides down, on cutting board. Repeat with remaining chicken. Spread chicken with stuffing mixture. Starting at 1 narrow end, tightly roll up each breast. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with dressing.

BAKE 40 min. or until chicken is done (165°F). Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.

I got this from Kraft. I used our toaster oven and just did four at a time. I only had really big chicken breasts so I cut them in half lengthwise and only had to use a total of 4 chicken breasts.

Farmer's Market Vegetarian Quesadillas

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped zucchini

1/2 cup chopped yellow squash

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil cooking spray

6 (9 inch) whole wheat tortillas

1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

In a large nonstick pan, cook red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and mushrooms in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until just tender. Remove vegetables from pan.

Coat the same pan with cooking spray, and place one tortilla in pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese evenly over tortilla, and layer 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle another 1/8 cup of cheese on the vegetables, and top with a second tortilla. Cook until golden on both sides, for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove quesadilla from pan, and repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 8 triangles with a pizza cutter. Serve hot.

We used my griddle for the whole thing and used regular tortillas in stead of whole wheat, and they turned out great. I'm sure you could add other kinds of veggies and it would be just as good.

Shrimp, Avocado, and Mango Salsa Quesadillas

I found this book at the Amherst Library while I was home in March. I scanned several pages of it and have tried two or three of the recipes. They have been unusual mixtures of textures and flavors and I've been enjoying it. This is a favorite that we've had a couple times now. If you like this, you should definitely find the book and try some of his others.

1 small, ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 lb large shrimp (about 12) peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 small ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4" dice [We use a whole small mango]
2 scallions (white and light green parts), finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 All-Purpose flatbreads (page 22 of his book) or 8-inch flour tortillas [We use 6 inch tortillas and with those this recipe makes 4-5 quesadillas]
2 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 3/4 C)

• Heat a panini or sandwich press according to instructions [We only have a small George Foreman grill and that works fine for these or other paninis]
• Place avocado in a small bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp lime juice. Set aside.
• Place shrimp in a bowl and add olive oil and salt. Toss to coat. Arrange them on the press and cook until pink and just cooked through (2-3 min)
• Carefully remove them and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Place mango, scallions, cilantro, pepper flakes, and remaining 1 Tbsp lime juice into a bowl and toss to combine.
• Arrange the avocado in one half of each flatbread. Arrange the shrimp on top of the avocado. Spoon the mango salsa on top of the shrimp. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Fold the flatbreads over.
• Put the sandwiches on the press, pull the top down and cook until browned and crisp, 3 to 6 min. Remove from press and serve immediately.
  

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

From the New York Times

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9-inch round or square baking pan.

2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Reserve ¼ cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.

3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.