Giada's Linguini with Chicken Ragu

My husband and I saw this on an episode of Everyday Italian and tried it right away. Since then, I've made it several times and it's a regular menu item!

Giada's Linguini with Chicken Ragu

I make the marinara sauce described in the recipe, however, I put it in a food processor after it's cooked to make it smooth.

The Macaroni & Cheese Project: Recipe 002

Non-stick cooking spray

Salt

3 cups elbow macaroni

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/3 cups 1 percent milk

3/4 cup shredded Fontina cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan

1/2 cup shredded non-fat cheddar 4 ounces processed light American cheese (recommended: Velveeta Light)

1/2 cup Japanese (panko) bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt water, add macaroni, and cook until al dente. Drain into a colander, run under cold water to stop the cooking, and then set aside.

While pasta is cooking, combine flour and milk in a large saucepan, whisking until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cheeses and cook until melted and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the macaroni and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top. Bake until bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes.

THE VERDICT:

DIFFICULTY:

Moderate. This recipe requires making a cheese sauce, which isn't difficult at all, but does add a few extra steps and cheeses.

TEXTURE:

Creamy yet just chunky/dry enough. Not greasy at all. The Velveeta makes it just creamy enough and it doesn't come out all stringy.

TASTE:

The variation of cheeses really add a lot of flavor to this recipe. I really like the addition of the fontina and parmigiano-reggiano as they add the right amount of zip.

REHEAT FACTOR:

This gets dry once reheated. A small dot of butter is required to get the creaminess back.

OVERALL:

I especially like this recipe because it cuts about 1/2 of the calories by using the Velveeta Light, non fat cheddar and lowfat milk. This recipe is one of my favorites and I've made it several times.

I give this recipe 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Beef Stew

My family has been making this beef stew recipe for years. It's different from most beef stew recipes because it has a tomato base rather than a beef broth base. I prefer it over the broth base. Even better paired with a piece of buttery, crusty bread!

1 pound of lean stew beef
1 cup of flour
4 small yukon gold potatoes
4 carrots, peeled and cut into coins
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of green beans, drained
1 quart of tomato juice
1 cup of chicken broth
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 T olive oil
salt/pepper

In a plastic bag, toss the beef cubes with the flour, salt, and pepper. Remove the beef cubes and shake off excess flour. In a large pot, brown the meat with the olive oil and diced onion and garlic.

Add the tomato juice and chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer for an addtional 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes more. Add corn and green beans to warm.

The Macaroni & Cheese Project: Recipe 001

Baked Macaroni & Cheese is a huge topic on The Nest. Someone is always in search of the best recipe, so what I've decided to do is start trying recipes from around the 'net and do my own critiquing and voting! Plus this will be a great place to compile the various recipes.

I've numbered them starting at 001 to protect identities. If you want the direct link or original post, please let me know.

I found this recipe on The Nest and it was requested by many people on my local board.

Recipe 001
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained

4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a buttered or pam casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese if desired.

THE VERDICT:

DIFFICULTY:

Easy. The hardest part of this recipe is boiling the water! No cheese sauce to make.

TEXTURE:
I liked the texture right away. I do like my mac'n cheese a bit chunky, but not too dry. It had a bit of creaminess, but a little greasy from the butter and cheese.

TASTE:
I should have realized that with one type of cheese, this wouldn't have much flavor variety. Even though I used sharp cheddar, I felt the taste was a little bland. It needed another more sharp or pungent cheese to 'wake' this up. I should have been turned off by the addition of the eggs. I'm not a huge fan of eggs, so when I bit into a shell filled with scrambled egg, I was not a happy camper.

REHEAT FACTOR:

Surprisingly, this had a better taste/texture once it was reheated. It seemed a little creamier the second time around.

OVERALL:

I give this recipe 3 out of 5 stars.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Nutella Frosting

This recipe is so quick and easy! You don't need to add the Nutella frosting, but why wouldn't you?!

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Sift together the salt , baking soda, and flour and mix into the butter mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Mix until well blended. Press batter into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into bars and let cool in pan on wire rack.

Nutella Frosting

I made a 1/2 batch of Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Frosting and beat in 3 tablespoons of Nutella.

Chai Shortbread Cookies

This recipe is out of the December 2007 Cooking Light issue. I thought they'd be bigger in diameter than they were, but these are bite-sized, so don't be surprised when you make these!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (I omitted because I didn't have it. I used chinese 5 spice instead)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup powdered
10 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon ice water (I used strong-brewed chai tea)

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through pepper), stirring well with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined (mixture will appear crumbly). Sprinkle dough with 1 tablespoon ice tea; toss with a fork. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into 2 (6-inch-long) logs; wrap each log in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour or until very firm.

Preheat oven to 375°.
Unwrap dough logs. Carefully cut each log into 18 slices using a serrated knife. Place dough circles 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Orange Rooibos-infused Apricot and Walnut Biscotti

Instead of water, I brewed some orange-rooibos tea for the dough. I really liked the result and will try this with other teas and cookie recipes.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons strong-brewed rooibos orange tea

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

Melted Dark Chocolate

Preheat oven to 325°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in walnuts and apricots.

Combine 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, rind, vanilla, and eggs, stirring with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring until well blended (dough will be dry and crumbly).

Knead dough lightly in bowl 7 or 8 times or until a dough forms (dough will be sticky). Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into an 8-inch-long roll. Place rolls 6 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; flatten each roll to 1-inch thickness.
Bake at 325° for 30 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet (do not turn oven off); cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Cut each roll diagonally into 15 (1/2-inch-thick) slices using a serrated knife. Place slices, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes. Turn cookies over, and bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire racks.

Steak Fajitas

This is one of our favorite quick-fix meals. Plus it's perfect for that flank-steak that you have no idea what to do with!

I took a flank steak and used a dry rub all over it. My favorite is Saltgrass 7, which is a mixture of coarse salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Then the steak is grilled to 'medium'. Allow to rest for a few minutes and then slice it as thin as you can with a very sharp knife!

I top mine with my homemade guacamole, sour cream and cheese. Sometimes I'll add salsa, too.

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
juice of 1 lime
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of diced tomatoes
salt/pepper

Remove the flesh of the avocados and mash with a fork. Add the lime juice and salt and mash into a paste. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes.

A Classic: Peanut Butter Tassies

This is what happens when you're craving something sweet.......

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. granulated white sugar

1/2 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 (14 oz.) bag miniature peanut butter cups

Cream butter and peanut butter; add sugars gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating well. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Chill at least 1 hour.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place in lightly greased tassie pans, shaping each ball into a shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, dough will rise during baking. Remove from oven and immediately press a peanut butter cup evenly into each hot crust. Cool completely before removing from pan. Makes 24 tassies. Can be frozen.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Melissa gave me a recipe for this soup and it sounded so good. Although, I wanted to make it a bit lighter, so I decided to make this broth-based instead of cream-based. This is a good use for leftover turkey! The soup was so yummy! Lots of hearty veggies paired nicely with the wild rice.

2 cups of leftover turkey, shredded

6 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of water

3 carrots, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 1/2 cups of uncooked long grain and wild rice

1 1/2 cups of assorted mushrooms (I just grabbed the package of mixed mushrooms)

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons of sherry

bay leaf

salt/pepper

In a soup pot, sautee the onion, carrot, parsnip, and celery in the oil for 10 minutes. Deglaze with the sherry wine. Add the chicken broth, water, bay leaf, and rice. Simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Add the mushrooms and simmer until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add in the turkey to warm. Season with salt/pepper and serve.

Red Chile-Cheese Enchiladas

When I saw this in the December issue of Cooking Light, I had to make it! I added shredded chicken to mine, just because it seemed kinda boring without it. I topped it with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream....as I always do with enchiladas. I think next time I'll also add in the Fiesta Rice too! Of course, my photos aren't nearly as pretty and neat as in the magazine!

Recipe Link: Red Chile-Cheese Enchiliadas

Aunt Jennie's Apple Pie

No one made apple pie like my great aunt, Jennie. Most of the time she'd skip making small pies and make trays and trays of apple squares...which was basically apple pie but made on baking sheets and cut into squares. She made pies up until she got very sick and was well into her 80's.

Luckily, her recipe was written down, although, I don't think anyone can amke pies like she could! I used her recipe and was very pleased with the result. The crust was flaky and the apples were tender and sweet with a hint of tartness.

Crust
2 1/2 Cups of flour, sifted
3/4 cup of shortening
5 tablespoons of cold water
1 teaspoon of salt

Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl. With 2 forks, cut in half of the shortening until the shortening is incorporated into the flour and the mixture is "mealy".

Cut in the remaining shortening until the shortening is incorporated and forms small "beans".

Sprinkle the water onto the mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Incorporating the water thouroughly before adding the next tablespoon.

Form the dough into a ball, making sure not to over-handle the dough.

Roll out onto a well-floured surface.

Filling
8-10 apples (I used a mixture of rome, jonagold, golden delicicous, mcintosh, and fuji)
*The apples must be peeled, cored, and sliced very thin.*
The juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cinnamon

Toss all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Assembling the pie:
Line the bottom of a pie plate with the rolled-out dough.
Fill the crust-lined pie plate with the apple mixture.
Dot with 2-3 teaspoons of butter.
Top with remaining pie crust.

Bake approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown and filling is bubbly.

Marbled Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake

This recipe was given to me by a Nestie on the What's Cooking Board on the Nest....Pinks101604. I really liked the combination, but my family wasn't as keen on it as I was. Apparently, no one else in my family likes dark chocolate!

Crust
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Cheesecake
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 ½ lbs cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temp.
1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin puree (1 lb)
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 325. Lightly butter 9 inch springform pan. In a medium saucepan, melt butter with the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove the melted chocolate mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly, then stir in the sugar and the lightly beaten egg until blended.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the melted chocolate mixture. Stir the chopped walnuts into the brownie batter. Spread the batter in the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake for 10 minutes, or until risen and dry to the touch. Let it cool completely. Wrap the outside of the pan in a large sheet of foil. Leave the oven on.

Make the cheesecake: In a medium glass bowl, melt the chopped chocolate in a microwave oven on high for 1 minute, stirring halfway through. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the cornstarch and vanilla. Add 1 cup of the cheesecake batter to the melted chocolate and stir until well blended. Beat the pumpkin puree and the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into the remaining cheesecake batter.

Pour three-fourths of the pumpkin cheesecake batter over the brownie crust. Pour the chocolate batter on top of the pumpkin cheesecake batter. If the chocolate batter is too thick to pour easily, heat it in the microwave on high for 10 seconds. Spoon the remaining pumpkin cheesecake batter on top of the chocolate batter. Use a table knife to make a few decorative swirls: Do not over swirl.

Set the springform pan in a medium roasting pan. Add enough hot water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake the pumpkin cheesecake in the hot water bath in the center of the oven for 1 ½ hours or until it is firm around the edges but slightly jiggly in the center. Turn the oven off, prop the door several inches open and let the cheesecake stand in the water bath in the warm oven for 1 hour or until it is completely set.
Remove the marbled pumpkin cheesecake from the water bath and refrigerate it until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours or over night.

Remove the foil and springform ring from the cheesecake. Carefully transfer the cheesecake to a platter, cut into wedges and serve.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My friend Jill gave me this recipe several years ago. It's become a staple menu item in our house. Her recipe calls for carrot and zucchini, but Josh doesn't like them in the soup, so I've substituted them.

4 cups of chicken broth

1 cup salsa (I use homemade)

3 chicken breasts, cubed

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of Niblets corn, drained

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons of orgegano

1 teaspoon cumin

salt/pepper

tortilla chips

cheddar cheese

sour cream

Place the chicken broth and spices in a soup pot and bring to a simmer.

Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Add the salsa and diced peppers and simmer until peppers are tender.

Add the corn and black beans to warm.

Serve over crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese. Top with sour cream.

Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin

I wasn't happy with any of the recipes I found online, so I made up my own! I would like to try this with different cheeses like asiago, but this is what I had on hand.

6 Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thin
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup of Velveeta Light, shredded
1/2 cup of fat free sour cream
1 cup of milk
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of flour
salt/pepper

Melt the butter in a skillet. Saute the onion until transparent. Whisk in the flour. Stir constantly until the roux is a light golden brown.

Whisk in the Dijon mustard, sour cream, and milk.

Add the cheeses and melt almost completely. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the potatoes and stir gently.

Transfer to a baking dish and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes at 325.