Skillet Noodle Lasagna

DH and I LOVED this recipe, and it makes so much food we had it for 2 dinners, and a couple of lunches! It actually re-heats really well -- better than regular lasagna!

I made it as a weeknight meal, so it's pretty quick as well.

Our only complaint is we'd like more spinach -- next time I'll make it with fresh, chopped spinach so I can add as much as I want!

Skillet Noodle Lasagna

(Erica's Kitchen, by way of Test Kitchen)

1/2 lb pasta, any size/shape you prefer (I used shells)

1 container (1 lb) cottage cheese

1 10 oz package frozen creamed spinach, thawed

1 lb ground meat (I used beef)

Pepper, oregano and garlic powder to taste

1 large 32 ou jar pasta sauce

1 package (8 oz) shredded cheese (I used mozzarella/provolone mix)

1/4 c grated Parmesan

Directions

- In a large skillet (12" and probably somewith with high sides, as this layers up quickly) cook your ground meat, drain any fat and season to taste with black pepper, oregano and garlic powder.

- When done, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

- Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.

- Meanwhile - combine the cottage cheese and creamed spinach in a bowl.

- In the skillet, spread a layer of pasta sauce, about one cup, over the bottom.

- Top with about 1/3 of the noodles, then layer in your meat, and then top with another 1/3 of your noodles.

- Top those with 1/2 of the remaining pasta sauce, then add your cottage cheese mixture and 1/2 of the package of shredded cheese.

- Finally add on your remaining noodles followed by the remaining sauce.

- Cover skillet and turn to high heat and bring to a rapid simmer.

- Reduce to medium heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

- Sprinkle on your remaining shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese.

- Replace cover and simmer for another 2 minutes.

- Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes.

- Serve.

"Pennsylvania Dutch" Chicken Pot Pie

A few weeks ago there was a discussion on the What's Cooking board on TheNest about pot pie in soup form.

Most had never heard of it, and those that had were centered around a very small area of Central Pennsylvania -- also known as where I currently live.

I'm not from this area, so I think this "pot pie" with no crust is a bit odd, but my husband loves it. Prefers it to my "crazy" pot pie that actually looks like a pie!

So I decided to try my hand at it. I'd never made it, and it turned out really well. The ONLY thing that would've made it more delicious is if I'd have had a whole day off to slow roast a chicken to use in it. Mmmm..slow roasted chicken.

Oh! And before we get to the recipe...a note about the noodles involved.

Part of what differentiates this type of pot pie from any chicken noodle soup recipe are the noodles. They're a thick egg noodle, cut into squares.

I made these, but I did see that in the grocery store here, San Giorgio sells Pot Pie Noodles -- they're hidden on the top shelf near the egg noodle section. Check your store and see if they have them -- I'm curious if they sell them anywhere but here!

Onto the recipe -- and pardon the bad pictures. It's getting dark earlier, and I'm also in the process of prepping a house for move-in, so dinner has been very late!

Pot Pie Squares (The Noodles)

3 cups flour

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (like Crisco)

1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Directions

- Mix the flour, egg, and shortening together

- Knead the dough mixture, while alternately adding small amounts of water until the dough holds together well

- Divide the dough into two or three pieces

- Roll each piece out to about 1/8" thick on a floured surface

- Cut the rolled out dough into squares - about 2" to 2 1/2" wide

- Allow the freshly made pot pie noodles to dry for about 30 minutes or more before cooking

The Soup

*3-4 cups of shredded chicken, turkey, beef, or even ham leftovers can be used instead of a whole stewing chicken for this. When using leftovers, use broth instead of the 2 quarts of water. With leftover chicken or turkey, use 4 cans of chicken broth.

1-3 lb stewing chicken

2 quarts water

5 medium potatoes - peeled and cut into bite sized chunks

2 cups chopped celery

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup finely diced carrots

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

- Cook the chicken in water until tender

- Remove the chicken from the broth and separate the meat from the bones and skin

- Cut or shred the cooked chicken into bite size pieces

- Meanwhile, add the vegetables and seasonings to the simmering broth

- Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, then add the pot pie squares to the broth mixture, a few at a time, stirring frequently so they don't stick together

- After all have been added, cook gently for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the noodles are tender

- Add the cut up chicken and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes longer

- Cover, and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

**The article this recipe was taken from suggests serving it on dinner plates, or in shallow bowls. Sides are recommended as a salad such as coleslaw, pepper cabbage, or lettuce with bacon dressing --- if you REALLY want to do it "Pennsylvania Dutch" Style!

Skillet Beef Stroganoff

This recipe is amazing. It's just...it's THAT GOOD. I originally saw it over at A Taste of Home Cooking -- and when she made it in back-to-back weeks, I knew it had to be good!

And it definately lived up to the hype. I could've eaten the whole skillet full, it was THAT good. In fact, now we're having it back-to-back weeks!

I do reccommend sucking it up and buying the brandy for the recipe, though. I think it adds a nice depth of flavor (and I usually don't say things like that!). I live in Pennsylvania, which means I have to go to a specific store to buy alcohol...so if I can do it, so can you! (And it only cost me $5)

I also used the ground beef, rather than steak (Same reason -- I don't like steak chunks in my pasta dishes) -- and DH and I really enjoyed it that way. Using the ground beef also makes this about a 30-minute meal, which makes it perfect for weeknights.

Finally, I added some frozen peas/carrots mixture to my plate of stroganoff. I hate mushrooms, but added them for DH. So I picked them out of mine -- but wanted some kind of veggie included!

Skillet Beef Stroganoff

(America's Test Kitchen Easy Skillet Suppers, by way of A Taste of Home Cooking)

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak tips, pounded and cut thin across the grain (I used ground beef)

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin

1 onion, chopped fine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1/3 cup brandy

1/3 pound wide egg noodles (3 cups)

2/3 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

- Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of beef until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to medium bowl and repeat with 1 tablespoon more oil and remaining beef. (I browned my ground beef and transferred it to a bowl)

- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet until shimmering. Cook mushrooms, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until liquid from mushrooms has evaporated, about 8 minutes.

- Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds, then add both broths and the brandy, and return beef and accumulated juices to pan. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until beef is tender, 30 to 35 minutes. (Once I added the ground beef I continued right on to the next step).

- Stir noodles into beef mixture, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Easiest Pasta Salad Ever

I always thought most people knew this simple pasta salad -- but apparently I was wrong!

I took this to a memorial day get-together, because I was super-busy and didn't have time to make anything fancy or anything that took a lot of prep.

You can add a lot of veggies to this -- I just added what I had (and like). I'll list some other common options below.

Easy Pasta Salad
(No idea of the true origin -- I've been making it since I was a wee one!)

1 16-oz. box pasta (any shape, size, whatever. you can even use regular spaghetti)
1 16-oz. bottle of italian dressing (again, regular, zesty, fancy, whatever you want)
1/2 lb. salami, cubed into bite-sized pieces (you can also use pepperoni)
1/2 lb. provolone cheese, cubed into bite-sized pieces (I've never used any other type of cheese, but hey -- go crazy)
1 tsp-1 tbsp (depending on preference) of italian seasoning (optional)
2 regular-sized tomatoes, seeded and diced (I used 4 Roma tomatoes -- however much you want)
1 seedless cucumber, diced small
(**You can also add broccoli, peppers, olives, really ANYTHING you like to eat raw!**)

Directions
- Cook the pasta according to instructions
- Drain and cool pasta
- Mix pasta and veggies, meat, and cheese in a large bowl
- Pour italian dressing over it, and mix well

This pasta salad, like many, is better the longer it sits. So make sure you prep it a few hours in advance of eating it for optimal flavor -- it really doesn't taste like ANYTHING when you first mix it!

Kuldunai

I am not Lithuanian. I'm your generic east-coast stock -- Irish, Welsh, English, German.


My DH, however, is Lithuanian -- first generation American, to be exact. And, as with most cultures, that means he grew up eating traditional Lithuanian dishes -- dishes that nobody ever bothered to write down!


So this is my first attempt at a Lithuanian dish. Now, granted, they're not hard...most of the recipes are "peasant" style recipes, consisting of starch, meat, and onion...but when the last time your DH had them was when his grandmother (perfector of the recipe) made them -- well, there's bound to be some concern that you won't get them "right"!


He tells me I did a PERFECT job on my first try, though :-)


Now -- education: Kulduna(Cull-doo-n-eye) are essentially meat-filled dumplings. Like the Italians have their ravioli, the Lithuanians have their kuldunai. They're, admittedly, a little labor intensive (it took me 2.5 hours to make 60 of these suckers on my own) -- but they are pretty tasty for a simple dish.

And next time, DH will roll out all that pasta dough by hand, and I'll just do the filling - he's been informed of such.

Kuldunai
(My own recipe!)

(1 "batch" of the fresh pasta recipe below will make approximately 30 kuldunai -- but 1 "batch" of the mix is enough for 60-70 kuldunai.)

Filling:
1.5 lbs raw ground beef -- finely ground if you can get it
1/2 to 3/4 cup finely diced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

- Mix filling ingredients well (like mixing meatloaf) and set aside while you make the dough.

Fresh Pasta:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Other:
1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water, mixed

Making Dough By Hand Directions:
- In a large bowl (or on your countertop if you prefer -- I do the "well" method of pasta-making in a bowl to keep my mess to a minimum), make a well in the center of the flour
- In a measuring cup, mix the eggs, water, oil and salt
- Pour the wet mixture slowly into the well in the flour and mix with a fork (or you can mix with two fingers) until all of the wet is incorporated (The dough won't take all the flour -- don't force it! When the wet-doughy center starts to pull away from the flour around the edge, you are nearly there)
- When you have a tacky, wet-feeling dough, gently add a little more flour to the mix, then transfer to a counter top for kneading
- Begin gently kneading your dough -- if it is still tacky and sticks, add a little more flour as you knead -- until it is no longer tacky to the touch, but, if you push on it, it pushes back up at you
- Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, pushing down and away on it with the palms of your hands, then folding it over on itself and repeating
- Wrap your dough tightly in saran wrap and transfer to the refrigerator for about 10 minutes (this is optional -- I do it while I'm prepping the kitchen to roll the dough, get my filling in order, etc)
- Remove the dough from the fridge and the saran wrap and transfer it to a floured work surface. You may want to break the dough into two pieces to make it easier to roll out.
- Using a rolling pin, begin rolling it out -- flipping it occasionally -- until you've reached 1/8" thickness (like a piece of cardstock, for example).

Making Dough Using A Pasta Machine:
- In a large bowl (or on your countertop if you prefer -- I do the "well" method of pasta-making in a bowl to keep my mess to a minimum), make a well in the center of the flour
- In a measuring cup, mix the eggs, water, oil and salt
- Pour the wet mixture slowly into the well in the flour and mix with a fork (or you can mix with two fingers) until all of the wet is incorporated (The dough won't take all the flour -- don't force it! When the wet-doughy center starts to pull away from the flour around the edge, you are nearly there)
- When you have a tacky, wet-feeling dough, gently add a little more flour to the mix, then transfer to a counter top for kneading
- Begin gently kneading your dough -- if it is still tacky and sticks, add a little more flour as you knead -- until it is no longer tacky to the touch, but, if you push on it, it pushes back up at you
- Form the dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour prior to rolling the dough out in your pasta machine


Assembly:
- With your dough rolled out, use a cutter, or a knife, or even the rim of a glass to cut 3-3 1/2" circles out of the dough
- Lay the circles out, and place approximately 1 teaspoon - 1 1/2 teaspoons of the meat mixuture on the lower half of the circle
- Dipping two fingers into the egg and water mixture, run your fingers along the bottom half edge of the circle, making it wet so it will seal
- Pull the top of the circle over, making a half-moon shape, and firmly press the two pieces of dough together along the egg wash side


To Cook:
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil
- Gently add the kuldunai one at a time
- Let the kuldunai boil for 6-8 minutes
- Drain, and toss with butter, salt, and parsley (optional)
-Serve!

They don't photograph well -- they're to be served tossed in butter, so there's no sauce, per se -- but you get the idea.

Baked Ziti with Sausage

I was starving for this -- I haven't had it since a friend made it for me in college!

Chose the recipe at random on allrecipes.com -- and it worked out great.


Baked Ziti with Sausage
(Altered from AllRecipes.com)

1 lb. dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. sausage, loose of casings
2 jars spaghetti sauce (or equivalent of homemade)
6 oz. provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream (can also use cottage cheese)
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons parmesean cheese

Directions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook until al dente; about 8 minutes; drain.
- In a large skillet (with sides) brown the sausage and onion over medium heat. Drain off fat, then return to skillet. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Layer as follows: 1/2 the ziti, all of the provolone cheese, all of the sour cream, 1/2 the sauce and sausage mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce and sausage mixture.
-Top with grated parmesean cheese.
-Bake for 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

**This makes A LOT of food, so be prepared for leftovers!**

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is not only a delicious comfort food, but it's so fast to make as well!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
(My original)

1 lb. chicken breast meat, cooked and cubed (or shredded)
1/2 package (6 oz. of a 12 oz. package) egg noodles, cooked and drained
32 oz. chicken broth
2 chicken bullion cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium/medium high heat. Add celery, carrots, and onions, and cook until tender.
- Add the chicken broth and bullion cubes, stir to dissolve cubes.
- Add the chicken and egg noodles. Cook over medium heat until heated through.
- Toss in parsley, salt, and pepper, stir to combine.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Mmmm...homemade mac and cheese. What I discovered while looking for this recipe is that -- dependent upon where you live -- mac and cheese can be VERY different!
I wanted a classic mac and cheese. Something creamy, with easy-to-find cheeses (no fancy, expensive type cheeses!).
This recipe fit the bill. Chelley's was good -- but I added a bit more cheese to make it a creamier mac n cheese. It's fantastic, and just creamy enough. DH and I love it!
Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese
(Altered from Chelley's Blog)

8 oz. macaroni (I like rotini)
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2/3 cup shredded swiss cheese, divided
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions
- Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain.
- Preheat the oven for 400 degrees.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and salt and stir until mixture is smooth. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly.
- Cook over low/medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in 1/3 cup of the cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup of the swiss cheese, and 1/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
- Mix the cheese sauce and macaroni in a large bowl.
- Spoon into a baking dish (I used a square pyrex -- Chelley reccommends 9x7). Sprinkle with remaining cheddar, swiss, and mozzarella.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave (30 seconds does it in mine)
- Combine bread crums and melted butter in a small bowl and mix well.
- Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of the cheese.
- Bake until hot and bubbly; approximately 15 minutes.

Stuffed Shells and Garlic Toast

DH and I celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday, when we knew we'd have more time to enjoy a good meal, and each other.

Our menu was simple, but hearty: Stuffed Shells with Garlic Toast, and Angie's Famous Strawberry Cupcakes for dessert. Everything was delicious!

This stuffed shell recipe is very "classic" Italian -- it will taste just like those amazing stuffed shells you buy at the Italian restaurant -- and they're quick to make as well! The recipe I use is base recipe -- you can add mushrooms, or spinach, or meat, or anything you please to the cheese mixture to stuff the shells.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Shells
1 (12 oz) package jumbo pasta shells
2 eggs, beaten
1 (32 oz) container of ricotta cheese
1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
8 oz. greated parmesean cheese, divided
1 tbsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 (28 oz) jars of pasta sauce (or your own homemade recipe)
1 lb. ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken -- your preference)

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Get a 9x13 casserole dish to place your shells in for baking.
- Boil a large pot of lightly salted water. Add the pasta shells and cook them for 8-10 minutes; or until they are al dente. Drain the pasta, and rinse with cool water (so you can handle them to stuff).
- Brown the meat in a large skillet with sides (this way, you can add the sauce to this pan later to mix with the meat). Drain off any excess fat and return browned meat to the skillet. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, mix the two eggs, 32 oz. of ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until blended well.
- Add the pasta sauce, the rest of the mozzarella and the rest of the parmsean to your browned meat. Stir to incorporate.
- Stuff the pasta shells with the ricotta mixture and place them in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. I like to stuff my shells to the brim -- don't hold back!
- Once all shells are stuffed, gently spoon the pasta sauce/meat/cheese mixture over the tops of the shells, coating liberally. You may not use all the sauce, that's ok!
- Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.