Thursday, November 4, 2010

BLT Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 pound ziti rigati pasta
Extra-virgin olive oil

6 slices bacon, chopped
2 leeks—trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Two 3-ounce bricks cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups shredded asiago, grana padano or parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 500°.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the leeks and cook until softened, 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute.

Stir in the cream cheese until melted. Stir in half of the shredded cheese, then the reserved pasta cooking water.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss.

Pile into a casserole and top with the tomatoes and remaining shredded cheese.

Bake until browned on top, 7 to 8 minutes.

Butternut Squash Tortellini

Ingredients:

20 oz Butternut Squash, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp thinly sliced Sage, divided (I didn't use any)
1 Tbsp Wegmans Basting Oil (this is just seasoned oil... if no Wegmans, just use olive oil)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, chopped
3 cups Food You Feel Good About Butternut Squash Soup (Trader Joes sells a Butternut Squash soup too - it comes in a carton)
2 pkgs (9 oz each) Italian Classics Goat Cheese Tortelloni (Dairy Dept), cooked 4 min, drained (you can use any refrigerated cheese tortellini)
:

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Toss squash, 1 Tbsp sage, oil, salt, pepper, and butter in mixing bowl.

3. Spread mixture in even layer on baking sheet. Roast 15-18 min until golden-brown.

4. Add squash, soup, and remaining Tbsp sage to skillet on MEDIUM; bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Add pasta; cook 1 min.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 pkg Pillsbury pie crust
diced cooked chicken (from a rotisserie chicken)
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
1 can cream of potato soup (undiluted)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)
about 1/2 a can of chicken broth
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Place one layer of pie crust in bottom of deep dish pie pan

In bowl combine all other ingredients, mix well

Pour into pan with bottom crust

Place top crust on, crimp edges, cut small vent holes in top

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If the edges start to brown too quickly cover with foil.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Moo Shu Pork Kebabs (see Note below)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
12 ounces boneless pork chops, cut into sixteen 1-inch cubes
16 white mushrooms
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups shredded coleslaw mix
4 large flour tortillas


Directions:
Preheat the broiler.

In a bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Pour half of the mixture into a second bowl and stir in the cornstarch.


Thread the pork and mushrooms onto 8 skewers. Rub with 1 tablespoon oil and place on a baking sheet. Cook, turning once, for 5 minutes. Brush with the hoisin mixture without cornstarch. Cook, turning once, for 4 minutes.


In a skillet, heat the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the coleslaw mix and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the hoisin-cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Serve with the kebabs and tortillas. (We spread more hoisin sauce on the tortillas)

NOTE: Next time I make this, I am going to cut the pork into thin strips and cook the pork and mushrooms as a stir fry, then I plan to add to the cabbage mixture. This will make it more like the restaurant way of serving. We thought the taste was great, but it was a little hard to eat the pork in the cubes!

October Update

Well, even though it is officially no longer, October, I am titling this October in hopes that I can pull together another list for you before Thanksgiving (but don't get your hopes up)!

With so many recipes out there, I really do only add new stuff about about once a week at the most, so it takes awhile to find recipes for you.

This update includes:
  • Moo Shu Pork (just like a Chinese restaurant)
  • Chicken Pot Pie (a recipe from my non-cooking sister - so you know this is easy!)
  • Tortellini with Roasted Butter Nut Squash (a Wegmans recipe, so some of you may have trouble finding the ingredients, although I think Trader Joe's would have everything you need)
  • BLT Mac n Cheese
  • great Chocolate Chip Cookies

As always, let me know what you think!

Jen