Kielbasa Pasta Casserole

As a full-time working mom I always rejoice when I have a recipe that is comforting and delicious up my sleeve.  Something that comes together easily and that everyone (hopefully) will eat in the family.   If I am lucky there will be left-overs for the following day as a snack, lunch or even another dinner - I am NOT afraid of left-overs!!!

I hope your family enjoys this delicious casserole as much as mine did.  Simple ingredients of sauce (homemade or from a jar...your choice), diced tomatoes, pasta, cheese, spices, a little seasoned bread crumbs and kielbasa are the characters that make up this dish. Of course adding mushrooms, black olives, green peppers or even some nicely sauteed onions would be lovely additions to this dish.  Go ahead and make it as simple or as colorful as you wish.

Kielbasa Pasta Casserole

(recipe from Just A Pinch Recipe Club)

Ingredients:

16 oz dry ziti pasta (I used gremelli)

1 lb kielbasa, sliced in 1 inch pieces

1 Tbsp oil

2-3 (14.5 oz) cans diced or stewed tomatoes

1 large jar tomatoe sauce

1 tsp oregano, dried

1/4 cup parsley, fresh ( I used 2 Tbsp dried)

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup italian bread crumbs

8 - 12 oz. shredded cheese (I used a mixture of mozzerella and parm)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Boil large pot of salted water and cook pasta for 8-10 minutes until al dente.  Drain pasta.

2. Cook sliced kielbasa over medium heat in oil until lightly browned - about 5 minutes.

3. In a large bowl combine pasta, cooked sausage, tomatoes, sauce and spices.  Mix well all together.  Pour into a 9x13 baking dish. 

4. Sprinkle bread crumbs over pasta mixture and then top with cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes longer until cheese has melted and golden.

Yum! 

Serve with warm crusty bread, a salad and a smile on your face...all will be happy!

Happy Kielbasa Pasta Casserole Making!



Baked Mac and Cheese

My goodness it has been a long time since the last time I posted a recipe!! WAAAY too long!  I am hiding my head in shame....but honestly my excuse is only because life has simply grabbed ahold of me and wouldn't let me deviate from taking care of my kiddios by making sure they were feed, cleaned and most importantly HAPPY! I have often looked at my computer longingly , wishing to sit down in front of it and type out a blog post but then I suddenly get pulled in another direction and then yet another day goes by without a blog post.  I know you guys get it.  I'm sure you totally get it as the very same thing happens to many of you mommas or not.  But most importantly know that I've missed all of you! - my dear and precious followers and fellow bloggers.  I've so missed you!

Anyway, upward and onward with my recipe today that I wish to share with all of you...Baked Mac and Cheese!!!!   Like Chocolate Chip cookies I am always looking for a new and super yum recipe for Mac n Cheese.  I make it often (from the box and from scratch) so it's fun to switch it up a bit and make a different recipe every once and awhile from the one I use most often.

This recipe is great.  Full of good cheese, a dab of sour cream and even a couple eggs and viola the magic of pasta and cheese come together to form a lovely dish of Mac and Cheese.  The credit of this recipe goes to the fabulous Tina of Mommy's Kitchen who found the recipe from the good ole adorable Deen Brothers (Paula must be SO proud of them!!!).

Baked Mac and Cheese

(recipe found on Mommy's Kitchen from the Deen Brothers cookbook, Recipes From the Road)

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (or small pasta of your choice)

4 cups shredded cheese - I used a mixture of Colby Jack and Cheddar (yummy combo!!)

1 cup milk - whole milk is suggested, I used 2% and it was great

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 tsp salt

dash of hot sauce - optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish - set aside.

2. Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Drain pasta and return to pot that it was cooked in.

3. While pasta is still HOT add in the cheeses and stir well to combine.  Spread pasta and cheese mixture into prepared baking dish.

4. Whisk together milk, sour cream, eggs, butter pieces, salt and hot sauce (if you are using it) in a medium bowl.  Pour mixture over macaroni and cheese.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubble good.  Let stand out of oven for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!!

Happy Baked Mac and Cheese!

The Fastest (and YUMMIEST) Chicken Parmesan

One of my most favorite meals to eat is Chicken Parmesan.  Yum....I love the combo of chicken, sauce and cheese - and of course all served on a lovely bed of pasta.  Yup, I am now drooling just thinking of this delightful meal.  :-)

Recently I discovered a fabulous recipe for Chicken Parm.  It is not only fabulous in taste, flavor and yumminess but also in the amount of time it takes to make it.  Hands on time is literally minutes...and not a lot of minutes at that!  And then you just walk away and let the magic of the crock pot do it's work.  Within a couple hours your house is filled with the aroma of comfort and deliciousness that comes from your crock pot. 

Honestly, I don't always have good luck with crockpot recipes.  Either the dish turns out too dry, too soggy or just tastes terrible over all.  Well, believe me this crockpot recipe that I am about to share with you is GREAT!  It was a HUGE success and I seriously encourage you to put aside 5 minutes and make it.

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan

(recipe from A Year of SlowCooking)

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs (or you can use Italian seasoned bread crumbs and then don't add the Italian seasoning below)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten

sliced mozzarella cheese (4-6 slices depending on how much you choose to use)

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

Directions:

1.  Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil over the bottom of crockpot stoneware.

2. Beat egg and place in a medium bowl.  In a second medium bowl mix the bread crumbs, spices, and grated parmesan cheese all together.

3. Dip chicken in beaten egg and then toss into bread crumb mixture to coat completely on both sides.  Place chicken breasts on the bottom of crockpot.

4. Place a layer of mozzarella slices on top of breaded chicken breasts.  Cover cheese layered chicken with jar of sauce.

5. Place lid of crockpot securely on and turn heat onto LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.  Walk away and let the crockpot do its magic.

Serve over cooked pasta of your choice.  D'lish!

Happy Chicken Parmesan Making (in your crockpot)!

Simple Pasta Happiness - Pasta Carbonara

There are lots of SIMPLE things in life that make me happy.  Getting a smile from a stranger, seeing the first green leaves of Spring show their faces on the trees and bushes, the smell of coffee, babies hands and feet, hearing a song that reminds me of a special moment/experience/adventure along with knowing what I am going to make for dinner (I hate that struggle of figuring out what's for dinner!!!) are ALL examples of SIMPLE things that make me happy.  What SIMPLE things make you happy?

On the subject of SIMPLE and DINNER I have a wonderfully EASY pasta dish that I'd like to share with you.  I have been seeing this meal on many of my blogger friends "Monthly Menus" (if only I could get my act together to do such a "Monthly Menu"!) and I took it as a sign that I just had to make it.  Yes, I had to try out Pasta Carbonara.....and boy, was I NOT disappointed!  Soooo yummy and soooo easy to put together!  When you throw pasta, cheese and bacon all in one dish how can it NOT be good! ;-)

Pasta Carbonara

(recipe can also be found on Mommy's Kitchen )

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) box spaghetti of your choice (regular, thin or angel are all great)

2 Tbsp olive oil, separated

8 slices bacon, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed or minced

1/8-1/4 cup white wine (optional)

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp's heavy cream or milk

1/2 cup grated parm cheese

1/2 cup pasta water

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp's chopped parsley (fresh or dry)

extra parm cheese for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water.  Cook until pasta is al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and then drain pasta.  Set aside after you toss with 1 Tbsp of olive oil.

2. Cook chopped bacon in a large skillet or dutch oven until slightly crisp.  Remove bacon onto paper towels.  Set cooked bacon aside.  Reserve 2 Tbsp's bacon fat.  Add remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil to bacon fat and cook chopped onion.

3. Add minced/chopped garlic to onion once onion is translucent.  Cook for 1 minute together then add wine if desired.  Cook an additional 1 minute with wine.

4. Return bacon to pan and cooked spaghetti.  Toss to coat and heat through.  Add in reserved pasta water if need be.  Additional olive oil can also be added if pasta seems to stick together too much.

5. Mix together beaten eggs, cream and parm cheese and then add to pasta/bacon mixture. Take pasta dish off of heat.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately with chopped parsley and grated parm cheese.  Yum!!

Happy Pasta Carbonara Making!

It's good for you!!! - Spinach, Cheese and Pasta Dish

Not only is this dish good for you, it is an easy "Week Night Meal" too!  Good for you and easy peasy to make........Wonderful!  And the fun part about this dish is that there are crispy French Fried Onions it in!- SUPER YUM!  It is so much fun for me to find a recipe that has an unexpected ingredient mixed into it.  Who would've guessed that French Fried Onions would be part of this recipe??  Yes, to the spinach, pasta and cheese (the title kind of gives it away....) but French Fried Onions?!?  Okay, enough of my own personal happiness with this recipe. Time for ME to share the recipe and for YOU to be the judge if this pasta dish makes YOU happy! :-)

Baked Spaghetti with Spinach and Cheese

(recipe from a delicious blog....Cassie Craves)

Ingredients:

 

4 oz. thin spaghetti or angel hair - broken into 2-inch pieces

1 egg

2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (or cheese of choice)

1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 can (2.8 oz.) french-fried onions, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Cook spaghetti in salted water according to package directions.   Drain.

2. While pasta cooks, beat egg (as you can see I got so excited for this recipe that I just combined all ingredients instead of beating egg before adding in the other ingredients....worked out fine) in a medium bowl.  Add sour cream, parm cheese, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.....

3.  Add cooked and drained noodles to sour cream/egg mixture along with cheese, spinach and 1/2 of the fried onions....

  Stir well all together.  Pour mixture into a well greased 2 quart baking dish.

4. Sprinkle remaining fried onions on top of noodles....

 ....and then cover with tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes then removed tin foil and continue baking for another 5-6 minutes or until onions are nice and golden brown.

For those of you that like/need to have a meat included on your dinner menu just add a nice grilled piece of chicken along side this dish and viola you've got your *protein, veggie and starch all at once! *Call me crazy but when I serve a dish for dinner if it has cheese in it of some form or another I consider it the "protein" of the dinner.

Enjoy!

Happy Baked Spaghetti with Spinach and Cheese Baking!

A Week Night Meal - Chicken with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce

I always enjoy finding a recipe that makes a quick and delicious meal for the middle of the week.  Something that doesn't take hours to make and without a lot of steps and a variety of simple ingredients.  Simple and yummy is the key here!  With that in mind I now present you with the first installment of "Week Night Meal".  It is my hope that at least once a week I will be able to share a quick yet tasty meal recipe that can be made in no more than an hour and served with happiness on your part.

No better way than to kick off this new category from Baking and Creating with Avril with a lovely chicken dish that is full of flavor, healthy and quick to make.

If YOU have a favorite "Week Night Meal" please do share with the link at the end of the post.   Be kind and link back to my blog along with leaving a direct link to your recipe.

Chicken with Balsamic Mushroom

Sauce

(recipe adapted from Home Sweet Farm)

Ingredients: 

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

*2 Tbsp flour

*1/4 tsp salt

*2 tsp oil

*8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

*1/2 cup finely diced red onion

*1 cup chicken broth

*2 chopped or sliced cloves of garlic

*2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

*1/2 tsp thyme

*2 Tbsp butter

*FRESH parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

*cooked rice or pasta

Directions

1. Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness.  I like to put my chicken breasts in a galloon plastic baggie and bang them with a rolling pin - use the technique you like best to pound your chicken down.

2. Place flour and salt in a large baggie.  Add in chicken and toss to coat.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat .  Add coated chicken.....

  Cook, turning once, until golden brown and meat is no longer pink in center - about 6 minutes on either side.  Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

4. To the same pan/pot that chicken was cooked in add mushrooms, diced onion and garlic.....

Saute for 4 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove veggies to a bowl.

5. Put broth, balsamic vinegar and thyme in pan/pot.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat - simmer for 4 minutes to thicken slightly and blend the flavors together....

 Add mushroom mixture to liquid.  Stir in butter until melted. (I have double the original recipe for the sauce ingredients as I thought the sauce was so yummy that it deserved to be doubled).

6. Return cooked chicken to pan/pot and gently stir to cover with sauce and mushrooms....

  Cook just enough to heat chicken through.  Serve over rice or pasta with parmesan cheese.  YUM-O!

Happy Chicken with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce Cooking!

This post has been linked to ....

Quit Eating Out - Saturday Swap of Recipes

Veggie Ramen Noodle Stir Fry

Here is a tasty, economical and quick meal - your kiddos will even like it!   Pick up a bag of your favorite frozen veggies, two packages of Ramen Noodles (discard the spice packs) and pull out of your frig some sauce of your choice and magically you will have a lovely and healthy week night meal. Of course you can jazz up this meal by adding in cooked chicken or shrimp for some extra flar and protein.

Here we go.....

Veggie Ramen Noodle Stir Fry

(recipe discovered on From My Tiny Kitchen blog)

Ingredients:

2 packs of Ramen Noodles (any flavor is fine - the spice packages are not needed)

1 bag of frozen veggies

1/4 cup sauce of your choice

1 Tbsp soy sauce - more if needed depending on what kind of sauce you use

a dash of ground pepper

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.  Add in Ramen Noddles  and cook for 3 minutes or just until soft.  Drain noodles -reserving 1/4 of the noodle water.

2. Spray a medium skillet or sauce pan with non-stick spray and put on medium heat.  Add in frozen veggies and cook until cooked through - about 3-5 minutes.....

  Be careful, you don't want to over cook your veggies (like I did!).

3. Add in sauce and reserved noodle water....

....add in soy sauce and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes to introduce all the flavors nicely.

4. Remove from heat and add in noodles....

....toss all together gently and serve....

YUM!

Happy Veggie Ramen Noodle Stir Fry Cooking!

Cheesy Beef Mac

Once again my girl, Siggy has provided me with a yummy and quick week night meal for the Fam (meaning EVERYONE - young and old - loved this meal in my household). AND this recipe makes a ton! - hooray for left-overs for the next day! - OR sharing with others.

Siggy makes this recipe with ground turkey which allows it to be lower in fat but I made mine with 85% lean ground beef.  Choose your ground meat and go for it!

Cheesy Beef Mac

(recipe adapted from Siggy Spice)

Ingredients:

1 lb box elbow macaroni

4 Tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 - 2 1/2 lbs ground beef (or turkey or chicken....you choose) - I used 1 1/2 lbs of 85% lean ground beef

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 (14.5 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup

1-2 tsp dried parsley

1-2 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 cups shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Once fully cooked, drain and set aside.

2. In large skillet or dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp EVOO.  Add ground meat and brown. Drain meat and set aside.

3. Add remaining 2 Tbsp EVOO to skillet or dutch oven, heat over medium heat.  Add in onions and green peppers.  Saute until soft.  Add in crushed garlic.  Cook all together until garlic is nice and fragrant.  Be careful not to burn the garlic!

4. Add in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and condensed cheese soup.  Stir to combine well.  Add in spices and allow to simmer over medium low heat for a good 15-20 minutes so as to allow all the yummy flavors to come together.  Taste and add in salt and pepper as needed.

5. Add in reserved browned meat to tomato sauce.

6. In a LARGE bowl combine macaroni and meat/tomato sauce.  Carefully stir to combine well.

7. Pour yummy noodles, sauce and meat into casserole dishes.  As Siggy did, I used a 9x13 and an 8x8.....yup it makes a TON!!! Top with cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese melts into a golden brown happiness and casserole is heated all the way through.

Enjoy with a nice piece of bread and a side of salad! :-)

This post has been linked to....

This Mommy Cooks

Bacon Tomato Pasta

WARNING!!!!! - This lovely pasta dish is FULL of flavor and.....it is NOT low-fat at that.  But man-o-man once you bite into this pasta dish you will not regret the fact that you have saved extra calories throughout the day (or week) to eat this dish.  I can seriously promise you that....you will not regret enjoying every bite of this pasta dish.

I was attracted to it not only because it was a pasta dish (love pasta!!!) but also because it uses lots of fresh ingredients....along with the yumminess of bacon grease.  Yes, bacon grease.  Bacon grease is ingredient that really does not help out with the fat content.  But anyway, let's stop worrying about the "fat" and get to recipe so that you can hurry up and make it for your family ASAP.

Bacon Tomato Pasta

(recipe discovered on Tasty Kitchen blog from the member, PlanoSheila)

Ingredients:

1 package (16 oz.) of bacon, naturally flavored

1/2 cup bacon grease - from the bacon you are cooking

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped FRESH basil - extra for garnishing

2 cloves garlic, minced/crushed

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tsp salt - if needed

2 small tomatoes, chopped - for garnishing

Grated parm cheese - for garnishing

1 box (16 oz) Capellini or Angel Hair pasta

Directions:

1. Fry bacon in a large frying pan or dutch oven....

....making sure it is cooked thoroughly but not crispy.  Drain cooked bacon on paper towels....

....Do NOT throw away bacon grease!!!! You will need to reserve 1/2 cup of grease.....

....I know, I know...it is a little bit more than 1/2 cup in this picture. :-)  Dump any remaining grease out.  No need to clean pan after cooking all of the bacon for it only adds to the flavor of the dish further.

2. When the bacon is fully cooled break into small pieces with your fingers....

....and set aside.

3. Dump tomatoes from cans into a large bowl.  Throw in chopped fresh basil.....

 and stir.  If you feel like you don't have enough basil feel add more.  Set bowl aside allowing the flavors of the tomatoes and basil to blend together.

4. Crush or dice up your garlic and chop the green onions...

5. Pour your 1/2 cup of bacon grease back into your pan and heat at medium heat for 2 minutes.  Throw in garlic and green onions....

....Cook (stirring occasionally so that the garlic doesn't burn) until onions start to get a nice tan from the bacon grease and then add in bacon....

....Reduce heat to low and allow bacon, garlic and onions to saute for about 10 minutes.

6. Add in bowl of tomatoes and basil....

....Stir together really well.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for a good 20 minutes.  Taste and add salt if needed (I honestly, didn't need any extra salt at this point - the flavors were already perfect thanks to that lovely bacon grease!).

7. Meanwhile in a large pot cook your pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.  Right before serving, in a VERY large bowl, add in bacon/tomato sauce to the pasta.  Many thanks to my strong Dad for doing the pouring of the sauce....

 ....Gently combine well....

8. Garnish with freshly chopped tomatoes, basil and some parm cheese.  Soooooo yummy!!!! And left-overs the next day are super yum too!

Happy Bacon Tomato Pasta Making!

***More yummy recipes can be found at Mommy's Kitchen - Pot Luck Sunday

Zucchini Mac and Cheese

This healthy blog post will be brought to you by the Harwich, Mass. Public Library....thanking them for their wonderful free internet service while I am here on vacation. :-)

I feel immediately in love with this recipe....not only does it have cheese and pasta in it but also zucchini! And it tastes sooooo good!!! - even without butter!  Many thanks goes out to SnoWhite the creator of the  amazing blog called,  Finding Joy in My Kitchen - this is where I discovered this recipe.  SnoWhite provides yummy and  healthy recipes in abundance and she has amazing taste that allows her recipes to taste GOOD and HEALTHY.  For all of you that have crazy crazy amounts of zucchini this is the blog to go to - SnoWhite has volumes and volumes of delicious zucchini recipes!!!  I can't wait to try more of them in the near future.

Zucchini Mac and Cheese

(recipe from Finding Joy in My Kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup milk (I used 2%)

1/2 lb. pasta (whole wheat or plain)

1 1/2 Tbsp. flour (white whole wheat is suggested....although I used just white)

4 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups zucchini, shredded and drained

Salt and pepper - to taste

1/2 a sleeve of Ritz Crackers - crushed (whole wheat or seasoned bread crumbs can also be used)

Directions:

1. Grate cheese and zucchini......

2. Take shredded zucchini and place in a thin clean kitchen towel or a couple of paper towels and squeeze/ring out as much water as possible.....

This is very important to do for you want as little moisture as possible from the zucchini or else your mac and cheese dish will be watery - just like the "Great Lakes", as Sno White states. :-)

3. Toss zucchini with a couple shakes of salt and pepper....

4. Boil pasta until just about done. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.

4. Add in zucchini and parm cheese to the pasta....

......mix well all together.

5. Place pasta, zucchini and parm cheese mixture into a well greased 9x9 glass baking dish.

6. Time to make the sauce - combine flour and milk in a large measuring cup and whisk.....

.....get all the large bumps out by whisking.

7. Pour milk/flour mixture into a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until it thickens.  Be patient, this takes a good 5-7 minutes until it thickens...

Once it thickens remove from heat and add in grated cheddar cheese.....

Stir to combine and melt into the warm milk/flour thickened mixture.

8. Pour 2/3 of the cheese mixture over the pasta and zucchini....

Stir sauce into pasta mixture gently.  Then add remaining cheese sauce over the top.

9. Sprinkle dish with crushed Ritz crackers or bread crumbs....

Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F. oven for 15 minutes, until heated through lightly browned and bubbly...

Serve with happiness knowing that you will be feeding your family something healthy and delish!

Happy Zucchini Mac and Cheese Baking!

This post has been linked to....

Mommy's Kitchen for Pot Luck Monday