Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta

Creamy. Delicious. Flavorful.

My friend Chelsea and I were having a girls night and we wanted to cook a fun dinner along with the fun butters we were making (she was making an apple bourbon butter and I made a pumpkin butter, both wonderful). Chelsea, an avid foodie and amazing cook herself, found this recipe and wanted to try it. So we went shopping together, bought all the ingredients, pulled out canning supplies out, and spent the whole afternoon/evening in the kitchen among good food and wine! Don't you just love nights like that?!

Homemade Spinach Gnocchi

The sad truth to this post is that I have no clue how to make gnocchi. This was just such a delicious dish that I HAD to show off. My brother made this yummy spinach gnocchi for us when my mom and sister came to visit. This is a spinach gnocchi with a shallot and tomato light cream sauce. DIVINE! I think the sauce was so tasty we literally took spoonfuls after all the gnocchi was gone. I'll try to wrangle up the recipe and post it on here sometime. If you are not a gnocchi fan, you need to make (or have someone make for you) homemade gnocchi, it really is delicious!! Thanks Biggies!

Biggies' Penne a la Vodka

This pasta is freaking YUM! My lil brother Biggies introduced it to me and Kurt probably 4 years ago. At the time he was planning on becoming a chef so we'd invite him to dinner, buy the groceries he needed, and he'd make us a delicious meal (all while completely destroying my kitchen with dirty dishes!!)! Pretty good deal if you ask me. The first time my brother made this he just did the pasta itself and made an unbelievable pork tenderloin to go with it. Since Kurt and I live on a bit of a budget we usually add chicken to the dish instead. Now, as many times as I've tried to replicate my brother's dish, it just never tastes as good as his does. I can only chalk that up to the fact that he probably left an ingredient out so that I've got to keep inviting him over for dinner! 

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti

If you haven't been hiding under a rock you've heard of Pinterest, aka heroin for adult women! This recipe has circulated Pinterest once or twice and every time I see it come through I'd think, that looks SO good! Finally I had a night where I knew I wanted a pasta dish (wait, isn't that every night?!) however I didn't feel like the same old thing and that is when I remembered this gem. I had all the ingredients, as you probably do too, and whipped it up with the help of my sous chef, Riglee. 

Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta

The other night Kurt was going to be at the UW Badger football game so I had a free night where I didn't need to worry about dinner for him. And as the saying goes, "when the cat's away the mouse will play!" When Kurt is gone I usually make pasta (duh) because I honestly could eat pasta every.single.night. One of my favorite blogs is Stephanie Cooks and she is as big of a fan of pasta as I am, probably one of the reasons I like to read her blog so much! She made this delicious Pasta with Marscapone and Roasted Grape Tomatoes that I had been eyeing up and figured that, since Kurt wasn't home, it was probably a good night to make it. So I picked Riglee up from daycare and stopped by the grocery store on the way home. Well, this is not my typical grocery store and when I went in there I found pasta that would work but I could not find marscapone cheese! Sadly this store did not carry marscapone cheese and the confused worker looked at me like I was from out of space asking for this "specialty" cheese. So I improvised on this recipe and used cheeses that I had at home instead.


I was actually surprised at how yummy this turned out and I am even more excited to try the Pasta with Marscapone and Roasted Grape Tomatoes now! This dish was very creamy with an underlying tomato flavor that was just delicious! I didn't have a full pint of tomatoes and I think having the full amount of tomatoes would have really kicked it up a notch. The cream cheese made this really creamy and the goat cheese added just enough tang to the sauce. The flavors really went well together, so well in fact that I had 2 full bowls and went back for thirds only to realize I should probably stop since I've eaten over half a pound of pasta by myself! Give it a try and let me know what you think!


Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta
Source: Me, Adapted from Stephanie Cooks


Ingredients:
12 oz uncooked smaller pasta (I used Barilla tri-color rotini)
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
2 oz. goat cheese
1/4 cup white wine
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
olive oil (EVOO)
salt & pepper
garlic salt


Directions:
1. Halve tomatoes and place on a foil liked baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO and add salt, pepper and garlic salt to your liking. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
2. While the tomatoes are roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling add pasta and cook as directed to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain pasta.
3. When the tomatoes are done roasting, pour them and any EVOO into a big bowl. Mash them with a fork or a potato masher.
4. Add white wine to the tomatoes. Then add cream cheese and goat cheese and stir to get the cheeses to start melting. Add pasta to the pasta/cheese mixture and stir until both cheeses are completely melted and serve!


**You can add parmesan cheese to the mixture or sprinkle some on top for serving. Being as I'm from Wisconsin I firmly believe the more cheese the better!

Noodles & Company Pesto Cavatappi (Copycat Recipe)

My husband definitely does NOT love pasta dishes like I do. I have to limit myself to one pasta dish every week at most or else he gets sick of eating pasta. Seriously, who gets sick of eating pasta? And how did I marry such a man?!!! Luckily, he has other redeeming qualities and I can overlook this one tiny flaw.

Imagine my surprise when Kurt asked me to make Pesto Cavatappi like he gets at Noodles & Company! I was stoked for two reasons: 1) Kurt was asking me to make a pasta dish and 2) I got to try a new recipe! I didn't have this recipe handy so I first went to the Noodles & Co. website and saw what was in the dish which looked simple enough. Next I did what any good super sleuth would do, I googled the recipe! I found the recipe at Yahoo Answers where a former Noodles & Co. cook posted his recipe and it looked very simple (yay!). The only issue is that he posted the recipe for a one person serving, I wanted to make a whole bunch of pasta. I ended up guestimating on the quantities and was lucky because it tastes pretty much exactly like it does at Noodles & Co.!! I made a side of shrimp for Kurt to add to his dish and he said it was absolutely perfect....he even went back for thirds!! There is nothing as exciting and fulfilling as trying a new recipe and it working out beautifully! 

Noodles & Company Pesto Cavatappi (Copycat Recipe)

Source: Yahoo Answers

Ingredients:

3/4 box cavatappi noodles (you can use any shapes you like but use a hearty noodle)

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 pint sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup white wine

1/4 cup cream

7 oz. pesto (I used store bought but I bet it would be amazing with homemade)

EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil - hellooo, Amy!)

shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Cook pasta as directed on packaging.
2. While pasta is cooking, saute the tomatoes and mushrooms in about a tablespoon of EVOO.
3. When the pasta is almost done, add the wine to the tomatoes and mushrooms and reduce for 2 minutes. Then add the cream to the tomatoes and mushrooms and reduce for another 1-2 minutes. Add the pesto and stir well.
4. Drain pasta and add to the pesto mixture. Stir very well and let sit a minute to soak up the pesto.
5. Plate and top with shredded parmesan cheese!

Penne with Peas, Bacon & Goat Cheese

Wowza, this was amazing! Like, I think I want to make it again tonight and tomorrow night amazing! Kurt was out of town on Friday night and I spent all day at home babysitting my niece and Riglee since daycare was closed. Do you know there is really not a lot on tv during the day? Well I do now. Luckily Food Network and the Cooking Channel had a few good shows on. I caught a glimpse of a couple pieces of an Everyday Italian episode and Giada made this Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese dish. It looked pretty darn good. So at 4:00pm when I was trying to decide what to make myself for dinner I thought about this dish. I definitely did NOT want to spend an hour prepping and roasting butternut squash but I definitely DID want this goat cheese sauce she made.

I picked my brain for what might be simple and delicious to go with this creamy goat cheese penne and the first thing that came to mind was panchetta and peas! Well panchetta costs and arm and a leg so I scratched that and cheaped it down to bacon. Don't worry, the bacon was a perfect match to the dish. The bacon was perfectly salty and crunchy, the peas were a sweet pop in your mouth and the goat cheese was tangy and creamy to tie it all together. Not to bad for the first meal I've really every just "thrown" together! Not only is this Kurt approved but my sister-in-law, who swears she DOES NOT like goat cheese, couldn't get enough of this pasta!! This is a quick and easy go-to meal when you want something simple with a gourmet feel. Yum-O!!

Penne with Peas, Bacon & Goat Cheese
Source: All Me!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. mini-penne noodles
4 oz. goat cheese at room temperature
5 slices thick cut bacon (or panchetta)
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup starchy cooking water, reserved

Directions:
1. Boil the water and start cooking the penne. When penne is almost done add peas to the water to heat up.
2. While the penne is cooking, slice bacon into about half inch strips and dice the onion. Saute bacon and when bacon is halfway done add the onion to cook. When the bacon is crispy and finished cooking, remove to a plate with a couple paper towel on it to get soak up the grease.
3. Put goat cheese in the bottom of a big bowl. When the penne is done, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water. Spoon penne and peas into bowl with goat cheese. Add a little cooking water (maybe 1/4 cup) to help soften the goat cheese and make it creamier.
4. Add the bacon and onion and mix until the goat cheese is creamy and coating everything. Add more starchy cooking water if the goat cheese isn't melting or you want it creamier. Serve and enjoy!

Noodles & Company Macaroni & Cheese (Copycat Recipe)

If you have ever been to Noodles & Company and had their Macaroni & Cheese, then you know that this stuff is like crack-cocaine for the mac & cheese lover! When you get this at Noodles & Co. it comes in a bowl that has the cheese sauce ladeled into the bottom, then they place the noodles on top and finally sprinkle some shredded cheese over everything. When you get it you immediately mix it up so that the shredded cheese can melt and bind it all together. Finally you dig in and get a big forkful of noodles, pull it up to your mouth and watch as the cheese just strings away from the dish. That first bite is like ooey gooey goodness as it all melts in your mouth!! I seriously think that sometimes I see rainbows when I'm eating this!! **salivating**

I have tried many many times to just replicate this dish without ever using a recipe and had failed every time. Yesterday Kurt was out of town and I had a serious craving for this mac & cheese. Finally I did what every good researcher does, I Googled this dish! Duh, this should have been something I did ages ago! I found the same copycat recipe on many websites so decided that it was probably good enough to try. I was pleasantly surprised when I made it, the cheese sauce was gooey and cheesy, the noodles cooked al-dente, and the cheese on top added a little extra flavor. I thoroughly enjoyed mixing this up and watching it turn into the most yummy macaroni and cheese ever!! Oh, and did I mention that it is super easy to make?! This has now turned into my go-to recipe for macaroni & cheese.

I should note that the cheese sauce is really thick, a lot thicker than Noodles & Co.'s sauce. I cut this recipe in half when I made it (still plenty for 2 people) and I made a roux with only 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of flour and it was still really thick. Next time I might try just heating the half and half then adding the cheese.

Noodles & Company Macaroni & Cheese (Copycat)

Source: Yahoo Answers

Ingredients:

1 lb. elbow noodles

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour
3 cups half & half
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
3 cups Monterey Jack or Colby Jack Cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, making a roux. Gradually whisk in half & half until thickened. Stir in salt (and pepper if you like).
3. Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir until cheese melts.
4. Ladel cheese into bottom of bowl. Spoon noodles on top. Sprinkle with fancy shredded cheese (monterey jack or mild cheddar is best).

Slow Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

This pasta is divine! There is nothing I love more than pasta.....except maybe a pasta this easy! I found this on another one of my favorite blogs, Stephanie Cooks. She always has simple, delicious, and (usually) healthy food. One night as I was scrolling through her blog, this picture caught Kurt's eye, which was a total surprise because he usually doesn't request pasta dishes.

I have been meaning to make this now for a week or so and last night I realized that if I didn't use my tomatoes they'd probably go bad. Unfortunately Kurt had plans so I ended up making this for myself and now I am glad I did because I had two helpings with leftovers for lunch! The flavor that the slow roasted tomatoes bring to the dish is wonderful. There is a subtle sweetness that they add to the pesto. I used store bought pesto but if you make your own I think this would be even better! The angel hair is nice because the sauce isn't heavy and a thicker noodle would make this a heavier dish. On top of all these amazing layers of flavor, the whole thing was very quick to pull together. A healthy, delicious, and quick dinner...yes please!

Slow Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
5 ounces chicken
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250.
2. Wash the tomatoes, slice them in half, and lay them in an even layer on a foil lined baking pan.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake until the tomatoes shrivel and "pop", about 20-25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the angel hair according to directions.
6. Cut the chicken into pieces, toss with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
7. Add some olive oil to a skillet, about 2 tbsp, and cook the chicken until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
8. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add them to a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or a fork, until they break apart and their juice comes loose. Pour the smashed tomatoes into the skillet.
9. Add the pesto, heat the tomato pesto mixture over medium/high heat. Add the angel hair and chicken, tossing until all is evenly coated.
10. Serve with parmesan cheese to taste.

Bev's Macaroni and Cheese

So I don't know who ev is however I do know that this mac & cheese was pretty darn good! Kurt takes a golf trip every year and is gone for a little over a week. While I hate that his is away, I am allowed to cook whatever I want. This usually means that I eat pasta and drink wine for a week straight (I'm not complaining)! I was in the mood for some serious comfort food while he was gone and that could only mean one thing....macaroni & cheese. I have been looking for a really creamy and delicious macaroni & cheese recipe for some time now. I used to always add the cheese when the milk mixture was too hot so my cheese was always gritty. I've finally learned that I don't need to cook the milk and cheese on med-high heat to make it melt. I am also not a fan of eggs in my mac & cheese, specifically since I don't eat eggs by themselves. I'm always worried I'll end up with mac & cheese and scrambled eggs - yuck! My ideal macaroni & cheese would be along the lines of the Noodles & Co macaroni & cheese but I can't quite figure out how they make that delicious cheese sauce. If you know how to make this macaroni & cheese from Noodles you better post a comment with the recipe!!!

Anyhoo, I found this dish on one of my favorite new sites to search for recipes, Food.com. This macaroni & cheese is very cheesy and creamy, although not as creamy as I thought it'd be but that may be because I used too many noodles. I thought the flavor was good (even though I forgot to add the mustard) and it is definitely something I'd make again. I did find out that it does not re-heat very well so I'd probably half the recipe next time I make it. If you want some yummy comfort food this will fit the bill.

Bev's Macaroni and Cheese
Source: Food.com

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustart
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups grated chedder cheese
8 oz dry elbow macaroni noodles, cooked according to package directions

Directions
1. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Stir in flour, salt, mustard, and pepper until smooth.
2. Remove from heat and gradually stir/whisk in milk until smooth.
3. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted.
5. Combine cheese mixture with macaroni noodles and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
6. Bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

Chicken Primavera with Pasta

So I have seen a bunch of commercials lately about this Philadelphia Cooking Creme and they have piqued my interest. I was searching Kraftfoods.com and saw that they had a bunch of recipes using this creme. As we all know, the easier and faster a meal is to make, the more I like it. This is one of those meals!! This dish has 4 ingredients and comes together so fast! The only issue I had with it is that the sauce is really thick. Next time I make it I will either add some of the starchy cooking water from the pasta or some chicken stock to the sauce to thin it out a little bit. Oh, and in case you were wondering, this is Kurt approved. He did have a suggestion of using angel hair pasta and adding shrimp too, both of which I think would be muy delicioso!

Chicken Primavera with Pasta
Source: Kraftfoods.com

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bitesize pieces
2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables (I used broccoli, carrots, red peppers, & water chestnuts)
1 tub (10oz) Philadelphia Italian Cheese & Herb cooking creme (I used regular cooking creme)
2 cups hot cooked fettuccini (I used linguine and probably more than 2 cups)

Directions:
1. Cook and stir chicken in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 to 6 min. or until done. Add vegetables, cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
2. Add cooking creme (and chicken stock or starchy pasta water). Cook and stir 3 min.
3. Stir in pasta until completely coated. Serve and enjoy!

Penne Pasta Bake

My sister-in-law, Sara, lived with me and Kurt while she was pregnant (we were pregnant actually) and in between apartments. One of the perks of having Sara live with us was that she is a clean freak. She is not only good at cleaning but she loves to do it! It actually worked out well because she likes to clean and I like to cook, so I'd make dinner and she'd clean it up. Sara was never very good at cooking, and by that I mean she was not good at all (sorry Sara, you know I still love you!). Well, Sara is now living on her own and has a beautiful 9 (almost 10) month old daughter so she is sort of forced to cook for herself if she wants a good meal. I am happy to say that Sara has been trying all sorts of new dishes...and they are actually turning out and tasting delicious!! I couldn't be more proud that she has put herself out there and taught herself how to cook!

Last Saturday, Sara invited Riglee and I over to play with her daughter and made us this dish for dinner. She got this recipe from her mom who just sort of threw it together one night. Well, it turned out delicious...and easy...and there are leftovers! It was hot, cheesy, comforting, and oh-so-yummy!!

Penne Pasta Bake

Source: Sara

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef

1 lb of mini penne noodles
1 24 oz jar of Newmans own Sockarooni pasta sauce
1 24 oz jar of Prego traditional sauce
1 bag of mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Boil noodles and brown ground beef.
2. Pour both into a big bowl and add both jars of pasta sauce. Stir.
3. Pour half of the pasta mixture into a dish and sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese and some parmesan on top.
4. Pour in the remaining pasta mixture and sprinkle the rest the mozzarella on the pasta and top with parmesan cheese.
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
 
~~~~ I would add some italian spices or some crushed red pepper flake to kick it up a notch.

Champagne Chicken

Since becoming a mom I have not had much time to go out and par-tay with my friends. I have actually become very good at drinking at home (usually by myself but that is a whole other story). I love to have a couple glasses of wine while catching up on my DVR'd shows or watching a movie. I made this dish after Christmas as we had half a bottle of champagne leftover (yes, I was the one who drank the other half by myself). I hated wasting all that delicious bubbly and found this recipe on Food.com and I am really glad I tried it. The sauce was a little thin so next time I will add some cornstarch to thicken it. I also think it could have used some veggies in it, mushrooms, onions and peas would be delicious with the sauce. Again, it passed the husband test (which is the true test in my household) so it's definitely worth trying!!

Champagne Chicken

Source: Food.com

Ingredients

8 (8oz) pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (I had 1.2lbs of chicken breasts)

1 package sliced mushrooms

Frozen peas (maybe 1 cup)

1 onion, chopped

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper (I just used regular pepper)

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp olive oil 

1 1/2 cups champagne

1 cup whipping cream (I used half and half)

1 tsp ground rosemary

Cornstarch

1 tsp chopped parsely (I omitted b/c I didn't have it)

Directions
1. Flatten chicken and dust with flour, salt, and pepper (I just sliced the breasts in half horizonatally). In a very large skillet melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat.

2. Add the chicken, mushrooms and onions and saute 5 minutes, turn chicken over and add the champagne and cook for another 12-15 minutes.

3. Add the peas, cream, rosemary, and cornstarch and cook until thickened. Serve over noodles or rice.

Sausage, Mushroom & Pasta Skillet

I actually made this yummy dish tonight and liked it so much I had to blog about it right away! This recipe was really supposed to be Sausage with Peppers and Pasta however the hubs doesn't like cooked peppers so I had to make some subsitutions. I took out the peppers and added onion and mushrooms and added some extra italian seasoning and red pepper flake for a kick. Honestly, this dish was so easy to whip up and was very flavorful! It was a nice change of pace from the basic spaghetti with meat sauce (althought I love that dish too!). As always, I don't really measure but I used the recipe as a measurement guideline.

Sausage, Mushroom & Pasta Skillet

Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

3 cups rigatoni pasta, uncooked

1 lb. Italian sausage links

1 onion, chopped

Packaged sliced mushrooms

1 can (14.5 oz) Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained

1 sm. can tomato

Italian seasoning

Crushed red pepper flake

1 each green, red, and yellow pepper (optional)

Parmesean cheese

1. Cook pasta as directed on package, just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, remove sausage from casings and cook in a large skillet on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add onions and mushrooms (and peppers) and cook until soft. Add italian seasonings and crushed red pepper flake. Add can of diced tomatoes, can of tomato sauce, and about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Cook about 3 minutes or until heated through.

3. Add pasta to sausage mixture and mix well. Let pasta cook about 5 more minutes to absorb the sauce. Serve and top with parmesan cheese.

Venus de Milo Soup

I've been dying to make soups this winter and for some reason they seem so daunting to me. I found this one on Food.com and thought it was easy enough and a good place to get my feet wet in the world of making soups. The soup was pretty good but lacked some seasonings which I would definitely add more of next time. I also used a few cartons chicken broth instead of the condensed broth and water. I served it with flakey biscuits which I definitely did not make from scratch (thank you Pillsbury)! It made a huge batch so I was able to freeze enough for a couple lunches later on.

Venus de Milo Soup

Source: Food.com

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

2 (14oz) cans condensed chicken broth

2 (14oz) cans water (use empty chicken broth cans)

4 cups of water

1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope Lipton French Onion soup mix

1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes (I used 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes with italian seasoning)

1 (12-16oz) bag frozen vegetables

1/2 cup small pasta (shells, orzo, etc - I used dried tortellinis)

Seasonings (I added salt and pepper and a bay leaf)

Directions

1. In a large pot brown ground beef stirring to break it up. Drain well.
2. Add broth, onion soup mix, water and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add frozen veggies and seasonings and simmer 10 more minutes.
3. Stir in pasta and cook about 8 minutes more until pasta is done (I partially cooked my tortellini before adding to the soup).

Easy Tomato Baked Chicken

Since my wonderful daughter was born in July, I have hardly had a chance to cook real meals. My night consists of picking up Riglee after work, feeding her, changing her, playing with her, prepping a quick dinner or having Kurt whip something up, playing with Riglee, feeding her, bath time, and finally bedtime. When I am done with all of this it is usually around 8:00-8:15pm. I then spend the next hour cleaning the kitchen, getting my lunch and Riglee's bottles ready for the next day, packing the diaper bag, doing laundry, and trying to spend a few quick minutes with Kurt before I finally can close my eyes.

I've been itching to get back to cooking meals and now that Riglee doesn't demand as much of my time and can play by herself, I've been trying to cook some quick and easy meals. This is one that I found on Kraftfoods.com and I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was! Even Kurt said that it was really good and that I should make this again, and he'll tell me the truth.

Easy Tomato Baked Chicken

Source: Kraftfoods.com

Ingredients

1 small red onion (I used a yellow onion), thinly sliced

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1.25lbs)

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained (I only partially drained mine and used italian diced)

1/4 cup Kraft light balsamic vinaigrette dressing (I made my own using balsamic vinegar and EVOO)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup Kraft grated parmesan cheese

1 package fresh mushrooms (my addition)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place onions in bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish and top with chicken (I used an 8x8 pan). Quarter or half mushrooms and sprinkle around chicken.

2. Combine tomatoes, dressing, and garlic powder and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. I served this over spinach fettuchini noodles and used the extra sauce on the noodles. YUM!

Baked Ziti

I have tons of recipes and pictures that I've taken recently but have been waiting until I got my blog setup to post them. So, this is one of those stick to your ribs, super tasty, keep you warm, comfort foods. I found this on one of my favorite food blogs, Annie's Eats. The food she cooks or bakes is decadent and her pictures are amazing. Definitely check out her blog! You should also see her picture of the ziti, it looks WAY better than mine!

We all know how much I love pasta and this baked ziti is a dish that you can serve when you are entertaining a crowd or just need a pick me up! Add some garlic bread, salad, and a nice glass of wine (or milk if you are pregnant like me) and this is what I call a meal!

Baked Ziti
1 lb. whole milk or 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
Table salt
1 lb. ziti
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
20 oz. turkey Italian sausage
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
5 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
1 tsp. sugar
Ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
 
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave in colander.


2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble in the turkey sausage and cook until nearly browned. Add in the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onion is softened and the sausage is completely browned. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and the sugar, and season with salt and pepper.

3. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and heavy cream. Transfer the mixture to the now-empty stockpot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly with the sauce.

4. Transfer the pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove the foil from the pan and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve.