Homemade Marinara Sauce

2 cloves garlic
½ Peeled onion
28 oz Can whole tomatoes with basil
2 TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 drops of Tabasco or Red Pepper Flakes
 
Drop the garlic through the feed tube of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and running motor. Add onions and pulse until chopped. Drain the tomatoes reserving the juice and add until they are finely chopped. Heat oil in medium saucepan, add tomatoes and reserved juice. Simmer uncovered at medium heat until sauce is reduced and then about 20-30 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco.

Snickerdoodles

One of the key ingredients to making them soft is the margarine.  I haven’t been able to find sticks of Parkay margarine lately, but I found that I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter work pretty well too. Also if you have time refrigerate the dough before rolling the balls so it hardens a bit.

1 Cup Margarine ( use Parkay or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
1.5 Cups of Sugar
2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. Soda
2 Eggs
2 ¾ Cups Flour
½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Mix margarine, sugar and eggs. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Roll in cinnamon sugar mix (the 2 tsp cinnamon and 2TB sugar).  Bake 8- 10 minutes.

Scotcharoos

This is one of the only recipes I have memorized.  I can’t resist eating these for every meal when I have them in the house.

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
6 cups rice cereal
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cups butterscotch chips

Mix light corn syrup and sugar in large pot until it bubbles.  Stir in peanut butter and remove from heat. Mix in cereal and press into a 13x9 pan.  In the microwave, melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips and spread over cereal mixture. Let the chocolate harden or stick them in the refrigerator to speed up the process. Enjoy!

Stuffed Shells

This is my mom’s most requested recipe.  It is one of those meals that is great to make for a friend after they have had a baby or any occasion where you are bringing someone a meal. I just made it for Cody last night, and since its just the two of us I divided it in half in two smaller trays and froze one of them for another time.

½ - 1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Clove Garlic, Crushed
1 Cup Cream Style Cottage Cheese
4 oz. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
½ Teaspoon Dried oregano
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Best Food Mayo
Shells
16 oz.Jar Ragu spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese

Boil water and start cooking shells.  Brown beef and garlic in large skillet. Drain all fat from ground beef. Blend cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, salt and mayonnaise in a bowl and stir in the ground beef. Fill each cooked shell  with meat and cheese filling. Place filled shell in baking dish.. Cover completely with Ragu sauce. Sprinkle the top with oregano and Parmesan. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes.

Spicy Pasta

This is my husband’s all time favorite pasta. Whenever I ask what I should make for dinner this pasta is his answer. He even made up a little song/ jingle about this pasta. It goes “Spiiiiiiicyyyyyyyy Pasta...Yummmmmmmmmm!”

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Shallots chopped
2 Garlic cloves chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage (Cody prefers spicy)
1 Cup whipping cream
2 14.5 oz Cans of crushed tomatoes with Italian seasoning
1 Tablespoon dried sage
½ Teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
1 Bag penne pasta (or your favorite)
½  Cup parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat, add shallots and garlic, sauté for about 3 minutes. Add your sausage (take the casings off) breaking up the sausage. Sauté until no longer pink, add cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and juice, cheese, sage and red pepper. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens  (about 15 minutes).

Emeril Recipe

Farmer's Pasta

This can be made in advanced and just add the bread crumbs at the last minute, but you may need to bake it for longer. The directions are a little involved, but its really good!

Butter for baking dish
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 oz chopped Pancetta or Bacon
4 teaspoons minced garlic
3 Tablespoons Flour
4 Cups Whole Milk
3 Cups Heavy Cream
8 oz Fontina Cheese Grated
6 oz Mozzarella Cheese Grated
¾ Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Pound Penne Pasta
3 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
3 Tablespoons Chopped Basil
6oz Provolone Cheese Cubed
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Cups Fresh Bread Crumbs

Preheat Oven to 375. Butter  a 13 x9x2 baking dish. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil and cook bacon until crisp about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon and add 3 teaspoons of garlic and sauté about 30 seconds. Add flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium until sauce thickens about 5 minutes. Whisk in fontina, mozzarella and parmesan. Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil, add the penne and cook to al dente about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Pour your cheese sauce over the top. Add parsley and basil and toss the pasta to coat it all. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. Stir in your provolone and bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour into your baking dish.  Using last teaspoon of olive oil sauté remaining teaspoon of garlic for 30 seconds. Add your breadcrumbs to the olive oil and toss them to coat. Put breadcrumbs on top of pasta and bake uncovered until the pasta is bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown about 20 minutes.

Giada’s Family Dinners

New Orleans Spicy Cajun Shrimp

To be honest - my favorite part of this dish is the sauce.  Make sure you get plenty of bread to soak up this tasty sauce!

Creole Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt 
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper 
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper 
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme  
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano 
2 Teaspoons Paprika   
2 Teaspoons Granulated Garlic
1 Tablespoon Granulated Onions

Cajun Shrimp Butter
 3/4 Pound (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter @ room temperature 
2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning  
3 Cloves Garlic ( minced)
1 Tablespoon freshly ground black  pepper
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Granulated Onion
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Teaspoon Tabasco sauce


2 Pounds Large Shrimp in the shell, deveined
Loaf of French Bread

    To make the Creole Seasoning, combine the salt, black pepper, cayenne, thyme, oregano in a small bowl. Mix well and store in a jar with a tight fitting lid.

    To make the Creole Shrimp Butter, in a food processor fitted with metal blade, combine the butter, Creole Seasoning, garlic, pepper, paprika, granulated onion, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Process until throughly blended. Set  aside.

    To cook the shrimp, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Arrange the shrimp in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and cover with the Cajun Shrimp Butter.

    Bake the shrimp, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir the shrimp around and continue baking until the shrimp turn uniformly pink and all the translucence is gone from the thickest part of the bodies, about 2 minutes longer.

    Transfer the shrimp and all the butter sauce to a warmed serving dish. Serve immediately.

Nordstrom’s Friend and Family Cookbook

Buffalo Salmon

I am not a HUGE fish eater, but I love this recipe. My mom makes it all the time, but I made it for the first time last week. It is such as easy recipe.  When my mom makes it for the whole family she gets the big fillets of salmon at Costco.  I cut the recipe in half and used Costco’s individual frozen salmon fillets for the two of us. The original recipe says to use Salmon with skin, but we have always made it without the skin. Saves me the hassle of picking around it when I eat it!

5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Hot Sauce (Frank’s Red hot)
1/3 Cup Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 (2lb) Piece of Salmon

Preheat oven to 425 with rack in upper third.  Cover an cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. 

Melt Butter with hot sauce and 1/4 teaspoon of each salt and pepper over medium heat. (this can be done in the microwave) Set aside 1/4 cup of sauce.

Toss panko with oil in a bowl. Put salmon on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then brush with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle panko evenly over the top of the fish. Bake until panko is golden and fish is cooked through, 16 to 22 minutes.

Serve reserved sauce on the side.

Gourmet Magazine May 2008

Soy Mayo Salmon

My mom found this recipe in my brother’s school’s recipe book, and it has quickly become one of our favorites! In the pictures above I did a half recipe with 2 small fillets.  There is usually sauce left over that is great on rice.

1 Large Salmon Fillet
1 Tomato
1 Green Onion
1 Small Ginger
½ Cup Mayo
½ Cup Soy
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Rinse and dry salmon and put on baking sheet with a lip to catch the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Small chop the tomato and green onion (only the green part), peel ginger and chop only need 1-2 teaspoon. Mix together tomato, green onion, ginger, mayo, soy sauce. Put mixture on top of the fillet. Cover salmon tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35-40minutes. Uncover and cook another 5 minutes to brown. Serve with rice.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

When we were dating Cody used to always get excited whenever his mom made stuffed bell peppers, so I tried out this new recipe for him this week. It got good reviews!

6 large green peppers
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup cooked rice (white or brown)
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut thin slice from stem end of each pepper.  Remove seeds and membranes; rinse.  Cook peppers in enough boiling water to submerge, cover 5 minutes; drain.

Cook and stir ground beef and onion in 10-inch skillet until ground beef is light brown; drain.  Stir in salt, garlic salt, rice and 1 cup of the tomato sauce; heat through.

Stuff each pepper with ground beef mixture; stand upright in un-greased baking dish, 8 x 8 x 2 inches.  Pour remaining sauce over peppers.  Cover, cook in 350 degrees oven 45 minutes.  Uncover, cook 15 minutes longer.  Sprinkle with cheese. 

Meatloaf

I use the food processor to combine all the ingredients so I don’t have to do as much chopping by hand.  The picture doesn’t do the meat loaf justice.... it tastes a lot better than it looks!

2 Pounds Ground Chuck
4 Tablespoons Ketchup
3 Tablespoons Green Pepper, chopped finely
1 Small Onion, Chopped Finely
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Undiluted Mushroom Soup
2 Beaten Eggs
½ Cup Milk Scant (little less than 1/2 cup)
1/8 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Cup Cracker Crumbs

Mix all ingredients and place in a loaf pan and bake for 1 ½ hours at 375-400 degrees.

Honey Mustard Chicken Skewers

1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Clove Garlic, Finely Minced
1 1/2 Pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut into 1 - Inch Pieces
Vegetable Oil for Brushing

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, garlic powder, salt, pepper and garlic. Whisk to combine. Measure out 1/4 cup of the mixture, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Place the chicken pieces in a 1-gallon lock-top plastic bag or in a shallow dish. Pour the remaining honey-mustard mixture over them, coating well. Squeeze all of the air out of the bag and seal it or cover the dish.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 24 hours, turning the bag or stirring the chicken to marinade evenly.

About 2 hours before you are ready to  begin grilling, put 6 to 8 bamboo skewers , each 8 inches long, in water to soak.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on medium-high. Drain the skewers. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and thread them on the skewers, dividing the pieces evenly. Brush the grill with vegetable oil.

Place the skewers directly over the fire. Cover the grill and cook on one side for about 6 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn’t burning. Turn the skewers over, recover the grill and continue cooking until the chicken is tender and opaque throughout, about 5 minutes longer.

Arrange the skewers on a serving platter and drizzle the reserved honey-mustard sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

Nordstrom’s Friends & Family Cookbook

Curry Chicken Salad

I love this chicken salad! It has so many different favors. I used to make it in bulk during college to eat everyday for lunch. I am not sure where my mom got the original recipe because it has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember.

Ingredients
1 Small 8 oz. Can  of Pineapple Chunks
2/3 Cup Mayonnaise
1 T. Dijon Mustard
¾ t. Curry Powder
1/8 t. Salt
4 Cups Cooked chicken, Cooled and Cut into Cubes
½ Cup Celery, Sliced
2 T. Green Onions
1/3 Cup Silvered Almonds
1/3 Cup Raisins

Mix together 2 Tablespoons juice from pineapple, mayo, mustard, curry and salt. Set aside. Then mix chicken with celery, onions, almonds and raisins. Add the mixtures together and blend well. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.