Olive Garden Alfredo Fettucine

1 pint heavy cream
1 stick butter
2 TBSP cream cheese
½-3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder, add in more to suit your taste if you prefer
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained

In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Simmer thin until all is melted and mixed well.
Add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Simmer this for 15-20 minutes over low heat.
Toss pasta lightly with sauce, coating well.
Leftovers freeze well.

submitted by Tiffany Fletcher


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Spinach Lasgna Rolls

9 lasagna noodles, cooked

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped, onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
24 oz Marinara Sauce (I like to use the brand Classico- Tomato Basil)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spread about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.
2. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, Mozzarella, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
3. In a small sauce pan heat the oil and cook onion for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix the cooked onions and garlic with the spinach and cheese mixture.
4. Place a piece of wax paper or foil on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over all the noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
5. Spread marinara sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with remaining mozzarella cheese. Tightly place foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts.
6. Makes 9 rolls.

submitted by Misty Shawcroft

Homemade Frosties and Lasagna Rolls

Homemade Frosties-the kind from Wendy's
1 1/2 cups ICE water- really cold
1 1/2 cups non fat dry milk
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2-3 cups ice cubes
2 TBSP oil
Blend in a blender for a few minutes. Until you think it is the right consistency.

Makes 4 shakes.

My sister emailed this to me and we tried it. They really taste just like the Frosties from Wendy's. Except me and her had to add more ice to them than what the recipe called for.


Lasagna Rolls

9 lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Filling:
1 large container of cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup frozen spinach (optional)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

In a 9x13 baking dish, pour 1/2 of the jar of spaghetti sauce.
Mix together all ingredients of the filling except for one cup mozzarella cheese.
Place one lasagna noodle on a cutting board and spread with filling the entire length of the noodle.
Roll up like a sleeping bag and lay in the pan.
Continue until all nine noodles are rolled. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Freezing Directions:
Slightly undercook the noddles. Place in a disposable aluminum pan and cover with plastic wrap and then foil. If you prepare from frozen. cover the first half of baking.

I got this off of Stuio 5 a few months back and am just getting around to trying them. But they are so good and fast to make. I make them without the spinach and they are still good. You will want to make these.

Sauteed Pasta Bar

I got this recipe from my mom, and it has become a regular at our house. I love that it is so versatile and so easy. Just a simple extra step changes this meal from boring, home cooked pasta noodles and sauce to something worthy of the Olive Garden. (Maybe this is an obvious step to everyone else, but it's new to me!)

Anyway, it's so delicious! It's also great because it can feed our small family of three or a huge crowd with very little extra effort. Also, if you have any picky eaters, this meal makes it so everyone can have exactly what they want (or DON'T want), and so everyone is happy.

Ingredients:

• pasta noodles of your choice (my favorite is penne)
• garlic, minced
• pesto
• pasta sauce of your choice
• olive oil
• any meat you want: Our favorite is Italian sausage rolled into one inch balls and cooked. You could also do chicken or hamburger... And of course, meat is optional.
• any vegetables you want: mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, olives, etc.
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook any meat you plan to use thoroughly. Cook the pasta noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Then, have each person take a bowl and assemble the following in their bowl: cooked noodles, a scoop of minced garlic to taste, a scoop of pesto to taste (in my opinion you can NOT skip the pesto - trust me), and any meat and vegetables they want. Do not add any sauce yet. Meanwhile, heat about 2 T. of olive oil in a skillet. Dump the contents of one person's bowl onto the heated skillet and saute for about 5 minutes or until warmed through and mixed well. (If you are serving a bigger group, you can have several skillets going at once.) Remove from the pan and return to the bowl or the person's plate. Top with the sauce of your choice and parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Here is a picture of my pasta before I put my sauce on the top, but after it had been sauteed. 

Side Dishes: This is yummy with a fresh green salad and a piece of Tuscan Flat Bread (recipe below).

Tuscan Flat Bread

I like this recipe because not only is it delicious, but it's pretty fast for a homemade bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 T. yeast
  
• 1 T. sugar
  
• 2 c. warm water
  
• 4 c. flour
  
• 2 tsp. salt
  
• 2 tsp. crushed rosemary
  
• 1/2 c. melted butter
  
• parmesan cheese (optional)
  

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit for 2 - 3 minutes. Add flour and salt. Knead 2 - 3 minutes (optional). Spread dough to the edges of a greased, lipped, jelly roll pan (12 x 16). Pour butter on dough and spread to cover all the dough. Sprinkle rosemary and Parmesan over surface of dough. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Crock-Pot Chicken and Pasta

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 package dry Italian dressing mix

3 T. butter, melted

1-2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 tsp. onion powder

8 oz. cream cheese, cubed

1/2 tsp. season all

1/2 c. milk

pasta

Put the chicken in the crock-pot.  (Mine is usually still frozen at this point.)  Sprinkle Italian dressing mix over the chicken.  Pour melted butter on top.  Beat together the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour over the chicken.  Cook in the crock-pot on low for 8 hours.  Just before serving, mix in prepared pasta noodles of  your choice.

Bruschetta

My father-in-law made this for us on Saturday! It was delicious! I love when he visits, because he always makes better food than me and tries to teach me to cook!!!! (That is quite a project)

4 large chopped tomatoes

1 sweet onion, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 loaf of Italian Bread, cut into 1 inch slices

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

(garlic to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except cheese and bread. Place bread on a baking sheet and top with mixture. Then sprinkle on parmesan cheese.

3. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

4. Enjoy! It is delicious!

(Sorry there is no photo, I was too busy eating it to photograph it!)

Chicken Parmesan

Some of you may already have this recipe, it's a Kraft one that I got from my mother-in-law and I love it. It is also (of course) so easy. I don't make hard recipes very often being a busy Mom.

-1 cup Mayo
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
-2 teaspoons oregano

Mix ingredients and spread over 2-3 lbs chicken breasts. (I like to fillet the chicken if the breasts are big and thick. It keeps the chicken from being too dry. I have also used chicken thighs.) Bake at 375 for 45 mins. I like to serve it over noodles with store bought Alfredo sauce out of the jar. I love the presentation of the chicken because it makes a pretty golden brown crust on top. So Yummy!

A little bit of everything

So I have been feeling really guilty that I keep using all of your wonderful, delicious recipes but I haven't contributed anything yet. Here's a few recipes that we had at our house this past week:

Balsamic Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1/2 inch thick)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 T. flour
3 T. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 t. fresh thyme (or 1/2 t. dried)
2 bay leaves
2 T. butter
3 T. heavy cream

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on both sides.
2. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about three minutes. Then add the vinegar, stock, bay leaves and thyme and stir. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.
3. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Continue simmering the sauce, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Add the cream and butter- stir until melted. Discard the bay leaves. Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken and serve. I usually serve with a lemon herb pasta, but you can do what your family likes best.


Ultimate Caesar Salad dressing

The measurements may not be quite exact. This is my mom's recipe and she always cooks according to look and taste (sadly, that gift skipped my generation). This is the best I can do, but you may need to play around with it- it also depends on how much lemon juice you start with.

The juice of one large lemon

1/2 t. minced garlic

1 t. Worchester sauce

3 T Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3 egg yolks

1/2- 3/4 cup olive oil (to taste)

1/2 t. red wine vinegar

Squeeze the juice into a small mixing bowl, add the garlic and Worchester sauce and stir (use a wooden spoon- metal tends to make the lemon juice go rancid). Stir in the Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Taste it- the lemon juice or the Dijon mustard should not overpower each other- if there is too much of one- add a little more of the other. Add the egg yolks. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while stiring and finish with the red wine vinegar. Toss this dressing with some crisp romaine lettuce, lots of parmesan cheese, and croutons to serve. You will not use all of the dressing in one sitting. Just refrigerate any leftover dressing for up to a week.


Last-minute pasta bake

This is one of my go-to meals when I can't think of anything else to make because I usually have everything on hand. It's also a good way to sneak some zucchini into my boys' diet. If you have a husband that insists on meat, you can probably add some browned ground beef or italian sausage to the sauce mixture before layering the dish. This can also be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. Bake as directed except increase the baking time to 45 minutes.

12 oz rotini pasta (or whatever small pasta you have on hand)
1 cup zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 28 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or Amie's marinara- yum!)
1/4 cup fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cook pasta until al dente; drain.
2. Combine zucchini, spaghetti sauce and basil in a medium bowl.
3. In a 9" square baker, layer one-third of the sauce mixture, half of the pasta, one-third of the sauce mixture and half of the cheeses. Add remaining pasta, then sauce, then cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve with garlic bread and salad, if desired.


Not-your-typical Chicken Fingers

2 cups seasoned croutons, crushed until fine crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried
1/4 t. garlic salt
2 egg whites
1 T. water
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into small, thin strips

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. In a small bowl, combine crouton crumbs, cheese, parsley and garlic salt. In another bowl, whisk together egg whites and water.

3. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then into crumb mixture to coat evenly. Arrange on a bakng sheet lined with foil that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Bake 15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Serve with ranch dressing to dip.

Baked Ziti

This recipe is from my friend Melanie. It is easy and so delicious.

Makes 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz) pkg dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 lb. italian sausage
1 (26 ounce) jar traditional spaghetti sauce
1 (26 ounce) jar Italian Sausage & Garlic spaghetti sauce
1 (8 ounce) pkg provolone cheese, sliced
1 (8 ounce) pkg mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 c sour cream
1/8 c grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta and cook until al dente (about 8-10 minutes); drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer in the following order: 1/2 of the ziti, provolone, mozarrella, sour cream, and sauce mixture. Then top with the remaining ziti, provolone, mozzarella, sour cream, and sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

*This recipe makes a large dish so make sure that you use a deep 9x13 dish or a larger baking dish. Also, I have always just used cheddar or mozarella cheese, because that is what I have on hand. I'm sure the provolone would be delicious though!