Pot Roast Pappardelle

I've been looking for a recipe like my beloved dish at one of my favorite places to go on a date, Caffé Molise, and I think I found a good one!  Of course the boys put their noses in the air because, gasp, there are tomatoes in it, but Thom, Kapree and I all loved it.  Thom and I agreed that next time I will double the 'sauce' because there wasn't nearly enough of it's goodness to smother the pasta and meat.  This recipe is a winner!


Pot Roast Pappardelle
Recipe adapted from The Crumbly Cookie


Ingredients:

1 (2½ to 3 pound) boneless chuck roast, tied
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine (I used cooking wine)
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package papardelle pasta (I got mine at Trader Joe's, I have also found it at Harmons)
freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the roast in the pot and brown it on all sides, turning it every 3 to 4 minutes for even coloring. Transfer the browned roast to a plate. Reduce heat to medium, add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the onion is golden. Stir in the thyme, wine, tomatoes, and ½ teaspoon salt. Return the meat to the pot, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Bring liquid to a simmer, cover, and place the pot in the oven.  Braise the meat, turning it every 45 minutes or so, for about 2½ hours, or until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened.
When the meat is almost done, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and stir to separate the noodles. Cover the pot until the water returns to a boil, then uncover and cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain the pasta.  Remove the roast from the pot, and slice or shred it. Serve with the pasta and sauce, topped with the cheese.

Pasta Pomodoro

Yesterday I wanted to make something that embodied these three things:

FAST
EASY
DELICIOUS

Oh yeah, I also wanted it to be something kind of light and summery, nothing too heavy.  Well, this Pasta Pomodoro was just what the Kathee ordered!!  By the time the pasta is boiled the rest of it is done and then you are READY TO EAT!  This meal will be going into heavy summer rotation for sure.

Pasta Pomodoro
recipe found here

Ingredients:

16 ounces angel hair pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Roma tomatoes, diced and seeded
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
10 3/4 ounces low sodium chicken broth
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (Be sure to add some salt to the water.) Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.  While the pasta is cooking, pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high heat. Sauté onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth; simmer for about 8 minutes.  Stir in black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated cheese.

Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper

Sometimes I just want a simple meal.  This recipe looked so good to me, I couldn't wait to try it.  I was worried that it would be too plain for Thom, but he loved it.  I wanted to eat about 5 helpings but I exercised some self control.  I sauteed some shrimp in garlic and butter and put it on top of Thom's pasta.  I think next time I make it I would like to saute some veggies and maybe pancetta to add to it.  Then watch out, its 5 helpings time!!

Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper
Recipe adapted from Yum Sugar

Ingredients:

7 ounces of spaghetti
2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of chili pepper flakes
1/4 to 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated pecorino romano cheese to taste (this made it SO GOOD)

Directions:

Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package, until it is al dente.  Strain spaghetti and place in a large serving dish.  Add minced garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix together well.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Just before serving, top with pecorino romano cheese.

Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Peppers and Escarole

This isn't the best picture, but I assure you, this is fantastic.  I'm loving the website, Gina's Skinny Recipes, she has such great food that all is relatively low in calories and fat.  If you have a hard time finding escarole, it is also called endive but you should only use the curly endive for this recipe.  Other good substitues would be kale or spinach.


Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Peppers and Escarole
Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes


Ingredients:

12 oz Ronzoni Smart taste pasta (or whole wheat or low carb)
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (I skipped this of course)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing
1 medium head escarole, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse escarole and tear into bite sized pieces.  Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water. Reserve 1 cup water before draining. While pasta water boils, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil; when hot add onions, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add escarole,
cover and cook 2 minutes; remove the cover, stir and cook about 3 more minutes or until wilted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Add cooked pasta, red pepper flakes, reserved water and Parmigiano Reggiano, toss well and transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve immediately.

Macaroni and Cheese

I'm pretty sure the picture above explains how my children feel about this dish.  It was completely gone in 3 point 2 seconds.  It is perfect, I love it!!
Down Home Macaroni and Cheese

4 tbsp. butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1/4 pound Velveeta
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (sharp please, if you're boring mild will do.....)
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (or any other small pasta)
2 tbsp. seasoned dry breadcrumbs


Directions:

Melt 4 tbsp. of the butter in a large saucepan on low heat. Blend in flour and salt; cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring contantly, until thickened. Add Velveeta, (cut into cubes) and 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese. Stir in macaroni. Pour into lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Melt remaining tbsp. of butter and mix with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle casserole with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Spagetti Carbonara

I decided to try another recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara and I'm glad I did. I like this one a lot better than the one I previously posted. I forgot to buy pancetta, but you can substitute bacon and I luckily had some bacon I could use, because you KNOW I didn't want to make a last minute run up to the grocery store.




Spaghetti Carbonara
Recipe from Mommy's Kitchen


Ingredients:

1 16 oz box spaghetti
2 tablespoon olive oil, separated
8 slices bacon or Italian bacon, diced
1/2 small onion, chopped (I omitted this of course)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 - 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)(I didn't use this)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp heavy cream or milk (I used half and half)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Extra grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well and reserve a bit of the pasta water, about 1/2 cup. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside. While the pasta cooks start on the bacon. In a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.

Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. To ensure a creamy, silky sauce, mix the cheese, cream and beaten eggs together then stir into the pasta, off of the heat. Tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. If the mixture is too thick add a bit of reserved pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty). Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.

Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and Vegetables

This is versatile and delicious. If it weren't for that inconvenient problem of my lactose intolerance I would have 6 bowls of this. Aren't you so glad I shared that information with you?! Really, though, this comes together so fast and tastes fantastic.  (of course I don't need to mention the shining star of this recipe, BACON)


Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and Veggies (and BACON)



Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta (angel hair, fettuccine, penne, whatever you like/have on hand)
Vegetables (This is where you can really customize. I only happened to have red pepper today so I used that. You could use zucchini, broccoli, carrots, spinach, whatever you like/have on hand!!)
6 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup heavy cream (I used half cream and the rest half and half)
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is boiling, fry the diced bacon until crisp. Add in the veggies and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until they are tender-crisp.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, add the butter and cream until heated through and butter is melted. Add in the Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is thoroughly melted and sauce is a smooth, creamy consistency.

Drain pasta when done and add to a large serving bowl. Pour in the bacon and broccoli and toss it in with the penne. Pour the Alfredo sauce over top of the penne and stir until well combined.

* I don't actually do this because, surprise, some of my children don't like Alfredo sauce and, don't be shocked, but some also don't like vegetables. I just leave everything separate and customize everyone's serving. The children who don't like Alfredo sauce love pasta with just butter and Parmesan cheese on it, so that works easy enough.

Cheesy Bacon Penne

I saw this recipe while standing in line at the grocery store, in one of those recipe books they have there by the magazines, above the gum.  And mints.  It was a long line, I was bored and the theme of that month's recipe book was bacon - it was a no brainer.  This recipe looked good to me so I thought, hmmm, I don't want to spend the money and buy this thing, I wonder if I can find it on the internet?  I went home and googled the recipe name plus Taste of Home, and shazam, there it was!!  I love the internet!!  The kids loved this.  It is basically homemade mac and cheese with bacon.  Again, a no brainer.


Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups 2% milk
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon


Heat oven to 350*F

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in 2 cups of cheese until melted. Remove from heat.

Drain the pasta; add pasta and 1/3 cup of bacon to cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon.

Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

My changes:  I used the two cups of cheese to make the sauce, but I sprinkled the top with only about 1/4 cup, not 1 cup.  That is way too much cheese for me!!  Also, I used the real baconbits things like I always do, instead of frying up some bacon.  It's faster, and lower in calories.  (As if that matters!!  This was probably 20,000 calories and 400 grams of fat!  Oh well, it was really good!!)

Also, I will have to double it next time, Caleb and Cam were trying to lick the empty casserole dish.  They were mad because they 'only' got seconds.


Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home and some way cool lady who bought the magazine a couple of weeks ago and posted the recipe on a labrador chat room site.  Random!