penne rustica

This is one of my FAVORITE pastas to make! It's very flavorful and just pretty much delicious! This looks like alot of ingredients but its actually pretty easy to put together!

The Goods:

3 T. butter

2 T. minced garlic

1 T. Marsala wine (I use chicken broth)

1/2 tsp. minced thyme

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

2 c. heavy cream

1 c. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 c. milk

2 tsp. minced rosemary

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. dijon mustard

1 lb. penne pasta

1/2 c. (2 oz.) thick sliced smoked prosciutto (I usually just use bacon)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Topping:

3 T. grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

1-Start cooking noodles, then drain and set aside. Also, start cooking bacon.

2-Prepare sauce by melting 3 T. butter over medium low head. Add garlic and sweat it for about 5 minutes. Be sure the garlic doesn't brown. Add the Marsala wine (or chicken broth) and cook for another 5 min. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce--except chicken, bacon and pasta--and whisk well until smooth. Bring mixture to s simmer and keep it there for 10 minutes or until its think.

3-Cover sauce and remove it from heat.

4-Rub chicken breasts with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill from 5-6 min each side (I usually just cook it on the George Forman) then slice into strips.

5-Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a 3 qt casserole dish layer the cooked noodles, chicken, prosciutto (bacon) and then drizzle the sauce over top. Toss to coat!!

6-For the topping, combine the Parmesan and paprika and sprinkle evenly over top.

7-Bake at 500 for 10-12 minutes until top begins to brown.

Serve with a side salad and french bread and ENJOY!!

bbq chicken pizza

This is EASY and GOOOOD!!

1 pre-made pizza crust

2 chicken breast

1 1/3 cup BBQ (Sweet Baby Ray's is my personal favorite)

6 oz. provolone cheese

6 oz. gouda cheese

1/4 red onion sliced

1/4 cup cilantro chopped

Cook chicken then place in ziploc bag with 2/3 cup of BBQ sauce and marinate for 2-3 hours. Sprinkle half of both provolone and gouda cheese on top of crust. Add 2/3 cup of BBQ over cheese. Cover with chicken (cubed) and red onion and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro on top then ENJOY!

Meatloaf with a side of Cheesy Cauliflower

Lets start with the meatloaf. Now I have grown up eating this, and it's good, I promise! The sauce is what definitely makes it.

Ingredients:
Meat part-
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
2 T. dried onion
2/3 C. evaporated milk
1/2 C. rolled oats
Sauce-
4 tsp. Worcestershire
2 tsp. vinegar
4 tsp. sugar
2/3 C. ketchup
1/4 C. onion

Directions:
Mix the meat ingredients in a bowl and press into a pan, and bake at 400 for 10 mins or till the meat is brown. While meat is baking make sauce. Take out the meat, pour on the sauce and bake for another30-35 mins.

For the side I made real yummy, cheesy cauliflower. All you need is the cauliflower and mozzarella cheese.
Take the amount of desired cauliflower and in a single layer, put them on a cookie sheet(with foil) close together. Then sprinkle on some cheese! As little or as much as you want...and we wanted a lot! Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Layered Krispie Treats

Ok this dessert is sooo good. If you like peanut butter and chocolate together, you will fall in love! Although there is a good bit of peanut butter so I think when I make it next time I'll cut it down by 1/2 C or so making it 1 1/2 C instead.

Ingredients:
6 Cups rice krispie cereal
1 large bag mini marshmallows
1/4 Cup butter
2 Cups creamy peanut butter
50 mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, quartered
1 1/2 Cups melted chocolate to drizzle

Directions:
Place cereal into a large mixing bowl, set aside. Place marshmallows and butter into a large bowl and microwave until puffed up, about 3 minutes. Remove and pour into cereal, mix to combine then pour into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish and press to make even. Melt peanut butter until nice and runny, about 45 seconds. Pour in quartered peanut butter cups, stir gently then pour over treats. Drizzle melted chocolate over top and refrigerate to harden. When set, cut into squares and serve!!

Lemon Bars

This lemon bar recipe is delicious! I got this from my mother-in-law, thanks Barbara!!

Ingredients:
Crust:
3/4 C marg.
1/2 C powder sugar
1 1/2 C flour
Filling:
3 eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
3 Tbl flour
6-7 Tbl lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all of the crust ingredients together until it crumbles. Press into 9x13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine filling ingredients. Pour onto hot crust and bake for another 15 mins.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

These cookies are really good. The actual cookie is a pretty mild lemon taste, almost short bread type cookie. The glaze definitely gives it a nice kick, the lemon is much more pronounced in it. I know the ricotta might sound weird to some of you out there, but it doesn't really effect the taste. Just thinking about these cookies is making my mouth water!! And I can't remember where I found this recipe--sorry!


Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
3 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
zest of one lemon
For the glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. lemon juice
zest of one lemon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a fork to combine and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well to incorporate, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add the ricotta cheese, the lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets (about 1 tablespoons per cookie). Bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth. Spoon a small amount of glaze onto each cookie and spread gently using the back of the spoon. Let the cookies sit to allow the glaze to harden, about 2 hours. Store loosely covered.