zesty penne with sausage and peppers

Colleen's Take: "My mother in law put this recipe in front of me and told me to cook it, it was an all around crowd pleaser, we ended up using Jimmy Deans sausage because italian was sold out at the store (what's up with that). I think that this would be great for vegetarians too (just omit the sausage), the touch of cream cheese at the end made it so rich!" 

what you need

3

cups  penne pasta, uncooked

1

lb.  Italian sausage

1

 each green and red pepper, cut into thin strips

1

jar  (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1

tsp.  fennel seed

Dash  crushed red pepper

4

oz.  (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1/4

cup  KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese

make it

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, crumble sausage into large skillet; cook and stir on medium heat 8 min. or until done. Drain. Add peppers; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in next 3 ingredients; cook 5 min. or until heated through. Add cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until melted, stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta. Add to sausage mixture; mix lightly. Top with Parmesan.

my youngest chowing down on it!

Recipe sourced from kraft

Vegetable Tamale Pies take 2 {Annah}

If you remember Colleen posted this recipe for Vegetable Tamale Pies a few months ago. After planning to make this for a couple months and throwing away about 3 bunches of cilantro I finally made the dish! Sadly I think this was the first and last time I will be make this recipe.

If planned ahead and done in multiple steps this might not have been so horrible. Lets start with the beans. I took Colleen's suggestion and I bought dried pinto beans. I have cooked dried garbanzo beans, and they were simple and cooked easily. I must have been off my game because after 3 hours of simmering on the stove the pinto beans were still not cooked! Needless to say I pulled the beans off the stove too soon (it was 9 pm at this point), and beans had a crunch to them.

Next was the making of the polenta. Now this was not a hard task boil water and put corn meal in it. I forgot about the water boiling, so when I remembered it was at a rolling boil. I whisked in the corn meal and within a minute it started to bubble and burp all over the place. It was all over the stove which was bad, but then the scolding hot mess was getting on my hands. Let me tell you boiling corn meal burns bad when it touches the skin. Now you might be thinking why did she not turn the stove down, well I did, but it was so hot that even at a simmer it was burping enough to get on my hands. For the next 20 minutes I wore an oven mitt on my hand while I whisked the stupid polenta!

I assembled and was so mad at the recipe that I did not cook it in the oven for about 6 days. Once it was baked up and we tried it we were not impressed. Yes it was a change from enchiladas that I make, but the flavors were not causing fireworks in my mouth. I will admit I was holding a grudge so this had to be melt in your mouth good for me to forget the 4 hours of prep time.

I challenge all of you to make this recipe and prove me wrong and side with Colleen, because it sounds like her family absolutely loves this dish. I did say I am looking for guest post. Be gutsy enough to make this recipe so we can do our first ever "Take 3"!

I am going to add the directions for making the polenta to this post so you do not have to go looking for it.

 

Basic Polenta
 
Inspired by Jack Bishop in The Complete 
Italian Vegetarian Cookbook
About 4 servings

What You Need

One cup corn meal
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

1  Bring four cups water to boil in a medium sauce pan. When the water boils, whisk in the one cup corn meal in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue whisking until the polenta begins to thicken (around 1 to 2 minutes). Add around 1 tsp salt.
2  Reduce the heat so that the polenta bubbles slowly. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until the cornmeal loses its raw flavor (taste every so often to check).
3  When the polenta is complete, turn off the heat and add 1 to 2 tbsp butter and more salt and pepper. You can cover it to keep it warm before serving. If the polenta becomes too thick, you can stir in a bit of milk or water to loosen it up.

*Alternative: For even more flavor, you can stir in some cheese with the butter in Step 3. For example, add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, or both 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup ricotta.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies {Annah}

These cookies were really easy to make. I just threw it all in my mixer and let it do its thing. The worse part about making these was washing the dishes when I was done.

I am not very particular when it comes to sweets. With that said, I am probably not the best person to judge whether these are the Best chocolate chip cookies ever. This recipe makes really Great chocolate chip cookies, and if you need a sweets/chocolate fix this will hit the spot!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House milk chocolate morsels 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Corn and Tomato Pizza {Guest Post, Allison}

When Annah said she was looking for some guest bloggers, I knew I would be able to contribute a recipe or two.  This is because I am always trying out new dishes. I am pretty lucky that my husband will eat almost anything. Even when I make something that I consider gross less than edible, he is always willing to eat up the leftovers. This week, I decided to make something that was fairly foolproof, Corn and Tomato pizza.  

         The pizza turned out great. It was the first time I used pita bread as the crust. Pita bread is a great if you want to make individual pizzas. The recipe says it makes 3 mini pizzas. I went ahead and made 4; two for my husband, one for me and one for my lunch the following day.

I probably would have added a little bit more pesto sauce than what was called for. The recipe calls for shredded rotisserie chicken. I already had a chicken breast in my freezer, so I went ahead and boiled that then shredded it. The recipe also calls for fresh basil leaves as a topping. I rarely buy fresh herbs, as they seem to go to waste in my house. Instead I bought a tube of Gourmet Garden Basil, which lasts a lot longer. This is definitely a recipe I would make again.  

Corn and Tomato Pizza

 

Ingredients:

Two small plum tomatoes, sliced

 Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Pepper

1 tablespoon oil (I used canola oil) 

3 pita rounds (I used 4) 

2 Tablespoons Pesto

3/4 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (I used canned)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2- 8 oz package sliced mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, minced ( I used Gourmet Garden Basil, instead)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 450F 

Place tomato sliced on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Spread oil over pita rounds. Bake pita rounds for 10 minutes. 

Spread pesto over pita, and top with chicken. 

Combine corn, Parmesan cheese and sugar. Sprinkle over pesto.

Top with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes** or until cheese is melted.

Top with basil leaves and cut into wedges. 

** My pita bread was already pretty crisp form the 10 minutes it was in the oven. I only baked mine for another 6 minutes or so. The cheese was melted and everything was warmed by this point. 

Original recipe from http://emeals.com/

 

Allison is my old friend from college. She currently lives with her husband in Cincinnati,OH, but her heart belongs to Michigan! She is a registered dietician who knows a thing or two about food. I am looking forward to a few more healthy recipes coming from an all around amazing friend!

 

Lasagna roll ups {Annah}

  We tried making these in two ways. I had some left over cheese sauce from a recipe that I wanted to use up. We made some of our roll ups with marina sauce and the other with a white cheese sauce. We liked the red sauce over the white sauce. The white ones were just too cheesy and didn't have enough flavor.
  These don't take as long as making lasagna I would say that there was only about a 15 minute difference with cook and prep time between the two. I am not sure if I can say that I like the roll ups better then traditional lasagna, they are both good.
  We also tried two different ways of rolling the noodles. One way was just add a large dollop of cheese to one end and roll. The other way was to spread the cheese evenly onto the entire noodle and then roll. The first way did not seem to have enough cheese mixture it was more noodle. If you want a lighter version do the first way if you like more cheese then evenly spread over the top.
  The only fail I had to this recipe was I bought off brand lasagna noodles and the ruffled edges all broke off while cooking. That is why the roll ups look messy and there are the extra ruffles on top of the roll ups, they still tasted good.This recipe is worth trying, but I think for us I will stick with the normal lasagna.

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg, beaten to blend
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup mozzarella
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
marinara sauce or white cheese sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cook lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box. While the noodles are cooking make the cheese filling.Combine the spinach in a bowl with the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and garlic. Mix until well combined. 

In a 9x13 glass casserole dish spread enough sauce to cover the bottom.

On a clean surface, lay out a few noodles at a time. Place a few tablespoons of filling on each noodle and spread to cover from edge to edge. The filling does not need to be thick because once the noodle is rolled up, it will be compounded. Make sure to spread it all the way to the edges of the noodles. 

 Roll the noodles up and place in the prepared casserole dish. Pour the sauce over the rolled noodles making sure to cover all surfaces. Cover the dish in foil and bake for 30 minutes.

BBQ Chicken Pizza {Annah}

    
We really loved this pizza. We have never made BBQ chicken pizza and it was really easy and delicious. We both love BBQ sauce, but for me it is hard because there is not much that I can put it on. This was a nice change to the normal cheese and pepperoni pizzas we make, and we will be making this more often.
  I made the crust from a Fleischmann's yeast packet. This is more effort then just buying a made crust. It doesn't take as long as homemade crust because you don't have to wait for it to rise. The crust is very soft and light. It was good, but I would have liked it better if it was a little more crusty and dense.
  If you enjoy BBQ sauce and pizza, definitely think about making this for a Friday night in!

Crust:

1-3/4 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 envelope Fleischmann's® Pizza Crust Yeast

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup very warm water (120 to 130°F)*

3 tablespoons oil

1/2 to 1 cup pizza sauce

Other toppings as desired

1 to 2 cups (4 to 8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead** on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.

Pat dough with floured hands to fill greased pizza pan or baking sheet.  OR roll dough on a floured counter to 12-inch circle; place in greased pizza pan or baking sheet. I also rolled my dough in cornmeal because I heard that is what Little Caesar's does and I miss that place.


Pizza Ingredients:
BBQ sauce
Gouda cheese
Purple onion
Cooked chicken
Parmesan cheese

Spread BBQ sauce over the top of the pizza leaving one inch from the edge free of sauce.

Thinly slice half of a purple onion and shred about a cup of Gouda cheese. Place your precooked chicken in a bowl and put enough BBQ sauce on the chicken to cover it, then mix. Spread the chicken over the top of the pizza crust (we only put it on half the pizza for Tyler). Next cover the crust with the Gouda cheese and then evenly place your onions on top of the cheese. I also added Parmesan cheese on the edge of the crust.

 Bake on lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.




 

Cafeteria Style Macaroni and Cheese {Annah}

   This is a recipe that I make about every two months. The reason I do not make it more often is because it makes a lot and the dish is pretty heavy. I tried to make it a little less unhealthy by using one can of fat free evaporated milk. It seemed a little more jiggly then the more solid form I get when I use two cans of full fat milk. Also the inside of the dish seemed more of a scrambled egg texture then I have had in the past. Another addition that I made to the recipe this time was I used Panko bread crumbs rather then plain. I enjoyed the crunchier texture that it gave the top. 

  This recipe is easy to make, it just requires dirtying about 2-3 bowls. A little more clean-up then what I like, but I Love that you do not have to cook the pasta first.

  If you are looking for a side dish to take to a pot luck, need to feed a large family, or like having a lot of left overs give this recipe a try. It is cheesy and filling and wont disappoint.

Cafeteria Style Macaroni and cheese                      

 12 servings

 

Non stick cooking spray

1 lb elbow macaroni

5 tbs melted butter

1 lb American cheese grated

2 12oz cans evaporated milk (I used one can fat free)

2 cups water

4 eggs beaten

2 ½ tsp ground mustard

1 tsp salt

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp hot sauce (Tabasco)

1 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs)

1 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 9x13 dish with spray

In large bowl toss uncooked macaroni with 3 tbs melted butter to coat. Add cheese and combine thoroughly. Transfer to prepared baking dish

In a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, water, eggs, ground mustard, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Pour over macaroni mixture. Bake in oven 55-60 minutes

Combine bread crumbs, paprika and 2 tbs butter. Sprinkle over baked macaroni and cheese. Return to oven and place on top rack position under broiler. Broil 1-2 minutes or until brown.