Pizza Macaroni and Cheese

 My Grandma made this once while visiting as a kid. I thought it would be fun to recreate for my family since everyone loves pepperoni. Any type of prepared macaroni and cheese makes a great base for this and bottled pizza sauce can also be substituted to make this even faster. Leave off the pepperoni and add peppers, olives, and onions for a supreme pizza. Or bacon and ham for a meat loves. This is a great way to use up leftover macaroni and cheese or meat or vegetables left in the fridge. 

Presto Pasta Nights 265 is at The Crispy Cook. 

2  - 3 boxes macaroni and cheese (with cheese sauce)

1/2 c. sour cream

1 can diced tomatoes

1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black peppers
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
pinch rosemary

1 8 oz. bag Italian cheese

Pepperoni

Cook the pasta according the package directions. Drain and mix with cheese sauce packets and sour cream. Pour into a 9x13 in baking pan.

Drain the tomatoes really well and puree. Mix in the seasonings and carefully spread on top of the macaroni and cheese.

Sprinkle the Italian cheese evenly over the top and then top with pepperoni. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. If the pepperoni is still not crisp broil for 3 - 4 minutes until it is.

White Enchiladas

Household6 cooking clubs January theme is 

"Prepare a dish that you have never made before but always wanted to try.  

Tell us why you have taken quite some time to make this dish"

So this brings me to white chicken enchiladas. Which I have been meaning to make forever! I've even bought the Monterrey cheese a time or two and then ended up using it in something else and never made my enchiladas. This was due in large part to the fact that I hadn't found a recipe that I like. They always call for canned cream soup, and while I'm ok with making things with that stuff in the crock pot where it really cooks down and makes a gravy, I don't care for the taste in something where you can, well, taste it. But then I saw the Pioneer Womens recipe. And I put it on my menu. And then passed it up (that was in early summer) But then I got the HH6 theme and decided it was finally time. I'm really sorry I waited. 

I personally would have liked them with more heat and missed the jalapeno, my kids sadly, don't do hot. I was a little worried they wouldn't like the chilies but when my 3 year old, who eats like a bird, asked for seconds I knew this was a keeper. 

You can check out the original recipe or check below for my changes. This was a great use of the leftover turkey I had in the fridge but chicken works too. Instead of shredding a whole chicken for stuff like this I usually throw a couple boneless, skinless, chicken breasts in the crock pot the day before, shred and refrigerate until I'm ready to use.

3 c. leftover cooked shredded chicken or turkey

2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

2 can diced green chilis

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. paprika

16 oz Monterrey cheese, grated

12 flour tortillas

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. sour cream

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 can green chilies

Saute the the onion is the butter until tender. Add the chilies, turkey, broth, and paprika. Stir all together and let simmer. Add the cream and keep over low heat while making the sauce.

For the sauce: melt the butter and flour together. Add the broth, paprika, chilies, and sour cream, with an immersion blender process until smooth. Keep heating until thick. Add about 1/3 of the cheese and stir until melted. 

In the tortillas add some of the turkey mixture, top with the remaining shredded cheese, and place in the a 9x13 baking dish seam side down. When all the tortillas are filled top with the sauce and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Quiche for the freezer

I mentioned a few posts back I was pregnant. And a lot of nights I dont really feel like cooking. And that can be said of most people pregnant or not. So I have started filling my freezer with homemade meals. And I discovered that quiche freezes as well. 

I like to use disposable pans when I freeze food. I don't have enough pans to have most of them in the freezer, they are less bulky then regular pans, and I don't have to wash them afterwards, meaning even less clean up. 

I just used 4 disposable pie pans and quadrupled my regular quiche recipe. I froze them completely uncooked about 4 hours until they were solid; I then wrapped them in tin foil and finally in plastic wrap. 

When I was ready to use them I unwrapped them completely and baked at 350 for 1 hour (15 - 20 minutes longer than normal) Tap the side of the pan to see if the center is set.

Quiche Recipe here

My Dads Enchiladas

Enchiladas as baked from frozen

I like to make these in bulk. The main body of the work (and mess) is cooking the hamburger and then filling the tortillas. At that point it is just as easy to cook and fill a 100 as it is 10. So I cook 4 lb of meat and use disposable pans to freeze them in for later. That way once you clean up the mess you are left with dinner for several nights, and next time you want enchiladas you wont have any mess at all. 

If you like more spice, I like to add a 4 oz. can of chopped chilies and jalapenos to the onions. The type of cheese is also optional. I usually use cheddar but pepperjack or monetary are great, and even mozzarella tastes really good. Feel free to replace the hamburger with cooked shredded chicken.

1 large can refried beans 

(I usually add some salsa verde to my refried beans and 

simmer a few seconds for more flavor, but straight out of the 

can works great too, I prefer the zesty ones.)

1 lb. ground beef

2 Tbsp. tacos seasoning

2 - 3 c. Grated cheese

1 onion, chopped

12 flour tortillas

2 (15 oz.) cans red enchilada sauce

Sour Cream

Salsa

Combine taco powder and beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain grease. 

Thinly slice the onions and cook in a hot, ungreased, pan, stirring occasionally until translucent and browned in spots. 

Spread tortilla with beans. Top with hamburger, onions, and then cheese. Roll tortilla and place seam side down in a 9x13 casserole. Repeat with remaining tortillas. You will have to push them to the side to fit them all in. Top all with enchilada sauce and additional cheese, if desired. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and salsa

To freeze: I just make 4 times as much, 4 cans of beans, 4 lb. ground beef, etc... Top with the enchilada sauce, cover the top of the pan with tin foil and drop in the freezer. I also like to freeze them in 8x8 inch pans instead of 9x13. That way one is enough for dinner or if I am having more people I just cook 2 pans. I have found that I like the pans from Wal-mart better than the dollar store, the sides are deeper and I can squish more tortillas in.

To eat: Leave the tin foil on the top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, remove the tin foil and continue baking for 45 minutes or until heated through.

Lasagna. That takes all day.

I had a little bit of sauce and ricotta leftover so I made a small individual size lasagna to eat while waiting for dinner :)  If my pan was deeper I would have added more layers. I cheated and used bottled sauce, make sure you like it as sauce though or you wont like it as lasagna either. I used Paul Newmans brand  (I think the garden) and it's decent. If you make your sauce from scratch feel free to use it here, just make sure it isnt too thin, you will need about 3 - 4 cups of sauce.

I rolled my pasta really thin, so I ended up only using about half of it. You can cut the recipe in half, make thicker noodles, or save what you have leftover for another meal. Homemade noodles freeze well.

Meat sauce

1 lb (90% lean) ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 bottle spaghetti sauce

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 low sodium beef bouillon cube

Cook the meat in separate pans until cooked through. Combine the causes and beef cube, reserving 3/4 cup of the sauce without meat in it. Combine the sauces, tomatoes, and meat; blend the sauce to crumble the meat really fine and crush the tomatoes. I used my immersion blender, if using a high powered blended, such as a vitamix, be really careful or you will end up with meat paste. I know this for a fact. Set aside. 

Cheese Layer
15 oz. Whole milk ricotta cheese
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour

2 c. half-an-half, at room temp

Salt to taste, I used 1/2 tsp
1 (8 oz) bag shredded Italian five cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan until bubbly. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring until bubbly. Whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thick, if the milk is cold when you add it to the roux it will seize up and be lumpy. Remove from the heat and stir in half the bag of cheese. Keep stirring until melted and really thick and stringy. Mix in the ricotta and salt to taste.

Pasta

3 1/2 c. flour

6 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp water

Combine the salt and the flour, I did this with my hands to also remove and clumps in the flour. Whisk together the eggs and water. Add the eggs to the flour and mix until a dough forms, adding more water if needed. On a heavily floured surface, knead the dough until smooth. Cover with plastic and let rest for 30 minutes. I used my grandmothers hand crank pasta maker to roll it out pretty thin.

In the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish add enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom. Add noodles, sauce, noodles, ricotta, noodles, sauce, alternating layers until the pan is full. Make sure with the tomato sauce layer you add lots, more than you think you will want, it disappears when baking. Pour reserved tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Pre-heat oven to 375. Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes; turn the oven off and leave the door shut for 40 minutes. Turn the oven back on and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake until the cheese is golden.

Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

HH6 And Taco Soup

So this soup isn't really my recipe at all. I mean I make it all the time, but I didn't come up with it.

But when I got this months HH6 Cooking Club challenge and was thinking about it, this came to mind. The challenge itself I wasn't worried about sticking too, I usually keep a large pantry pretty well stocked, along with a large deep freeze full of meat and other frozen stuff, and a 2 year supply of all the basics, wheat, rice, sugar and such, plus Husband Man had just gotten back from Sams club. I was set. 

But then the next night I found myself needing to make something for dinner. And while I had all the essential, I didn't really feel like making a huge dinner. So I grabbed several things from the pantry and dinner was ready in a flash, using mostly pantry staples.Which really embodies the idea of the challenge. Which is

We all need to be prepared in the event of a disaster.  You have stuff in your pantry and fridge/freezer.  If a disaster should strike today and you have no access to going to a grocery store but your stove/grill is still working, what would you make with what you have on hand?

 

1 lb. ground turkey or hamburger
1 packet taco seasoning (About 2 Tbsp)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney or black beans
1 can chicken broth
1 c. Ketchup

Brown meat.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer one hour or longer. Can be dumped in a crock pot for the afternoon.

This can also be made without the meat all together, just skip it and add an extra can of beans.

The next day I drained the soup and cooked rice in the liquid. Then I added it back to the mix, added some cheese, and used it as a filling for enchiladas. Just fill tortillas with the mix, roll and place in a casserole dish, top with enchilada sauce and bake until heated through. 

Corn Stuffed Pork Chops

This is a recipe from my mom. It was one of my favorites growing up. Such a great flavor without much work, it's really simple to prepare.

My husband and children just confirmed that they love it as well. 

6 pork chops

1/4 c. prepared yellow mustard

3 Tbsp butter or oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

5 slices of bread (I like the flavor of whole wheat)

1 egg, beaten

1 (12 oz.) can creamed corn

1 bottle pimentos

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Spread the pork chops with the mustard and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the salt and 1/4 tsp. of the black pepper. Set aside

In a large skillet saute the onion and green pepper until tender.

Tear the bread into little pieces. Combine the bread, cooked peppers and onions, egg, corn, pimentos, and remaining salt and pepper. Place in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.

In the same pan you cooked the peppers and onions in, cook the pork chops on both sides until browned. 

Place pork chops on top of the corn mixture in the casserole dish and press into stuffing. 

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes.

Taco Shell Pasta

I cooked the pasta shells and the hamburger and then let my 6 year old daughter and her friend fill the shells. They had a lot of fun, and helped me make dinner.

Presto Pasta Nights 229 is being hosted by Ruth, at Once Upon a Feast

1 (12 oz) box. Jumbo pasta shells (about 35) 

1 can refried beans

1 lb hamburger

2 Tbsp Taco seasoning

12 oz. cheddar cheese

1 can enchilada sauce

Cook Pasta shells in lightly salted water until al dente. Drain and toss with a little butter or olive oil.

Heat hamburger with 1 Tbsp of the taco seasoning. Cook, crumbling, until no longer pink and cooked throughout. Add 1/2 cup of water and remaining taco seasoning and simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid is gone. 

Divide between the shells a scoop of beans, filling each shells about halfway, then a sprinkling of cheese and top with hamburger. Place in a 9x13. Pour the can of enchilada sauce over the shells. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, uncover and bake just until cheese is starting to melt. 

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. 

Serve over a bed of lettuce, top with fresh tomatoes and ranch.

Eggplant Pasta

This can be so many things. I first tried it as soup. Then I used it as a pizza sauce. Next it was a casserole and lastly it was just tossed with some pasta for lunch. All were loved. Don't let the really basic looking appearance of the pasta in the picture fool you. It's amazing stuff.

And since it's amazing, I'm sending it to the amazing Presto Pasta Nights being hosted over at Briciole

1 egg plant, quartered lengthwise
2 roma tomatoes, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, quartered
olive oil
Salt

Brush vegetables with oil and lightly sprinkle with salt.
Roast at 400 for 40 minutes.

In a pot combine and simmer 10 minutes
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. lemon juice

Scrape eggplant from purple skin. Add eggplant, onion, tomatoes, and garlic to broth.
Simmer 30 minutes until vegetables really are tender. Puree until smooth and add
1/4 c. cream
let sit for 15 minutes.

Roasting the vegetables, I used more than the onion shown, I had just already started throwing it in the pot before I remembered to take a picture. They will be a dark brown on the bottom, you want that.

Thats what it looked like in the pot simmering, not so very tasty looking, admittedly

Ok, so thats the basics of it. Here are the Variations:

Soup:
Use 6 cups of chicken broth and a half a cup of cream

Pizza Sauce:
Use as is instead of your regular tomato sauce on pizza, top with cheese, bake and enjoy

Casserole:
Toss cooked pasta, the sauce, chunks of cooked chicken and/or Italian sausage, and some small cubes of mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake at 350 until the cheese starts to melt

Pasta Dish:
Much like the casserole, just toss the sauce with cooked pasta and enjoy. You can add sliced chicken and top with Parmesan cheese is you want.

Confit Byaldi aka Ratatouille

For something so simply seasoned, this has an excellent flavor. I just happened to have the sundried tomatoes in my fridge, but if you don't have them don't worry about it. Just add a tablespoon of olive oil or butter to the tomato sauce before baking.

I started my recipe by looking at Smitten Kitchens version, she uses the red pepper instead of tomatoes, then I made a few changes of my own. For another tasty looking twist check out her Ratatouille Tart.

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes, drained really well

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

3 sundried tomatoes packed in oil and herbs,

plus about 1 Tbsp of the oil they are packed in

1/4 tsp dried thyme

I added the diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, sundried tomatoes, and the oil from the tomatoes to a food processor and processed until smooth. Stir that into the tomato sauce and add the thyme.

Pour into the bottom of two 9x9 inch casserole dishes

2 large zucchini

2 large yellow squash

1 large bell pepper

2 thin eggplants

Slice all the vegetables thin and layer over the tomato layer alternating vegetables. I only placed a bell pepper slice every few layers. My eggplant was a lot bigger around than my zucchini and squash so I cut the slices in half and put the cut side down, so the rounded purple outside shows.

1/4 c. olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

I used a spray bottle and misted the top of the vegetables.

Sprinkle with

salt

a dash of freshly cracked black pepper

and a little bit of dried thyme

Cover with parchment paper and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the vegetables look tender and the sauce is bubbling up around the vegetables. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes

Tourtiere

John lived in Quebec for 2 years and while there learned to love tourtiere, a French Canadian Thanksgiving dish. I've made several different versions, but this is my favorite. I suspect every cook has her own version, there is no "right" way to make tourtiere.

2 round pie crusts
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp Canadian steak seasoning
1/2 onions
4 medium potatoes
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. real bacon bits
1 tsp JD's Bacon salt

Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks. Cover with water and boil or microwave until tender. Drain and mash but no not add anything, butter, milk, etc...Set aside

Combine the beef, pork and Canadian steak seasoning. Cook in a large skillet until the meat is cooked. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the potatoes and mix well. Add the cheese, bacon bits, and bacon salt. Stir to combine again.

Lay one of the crusts in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. fill with meat mixtures and top with remaining crust. Crimp the edges to seal. I find that this is easier if I roll the bottom crust out a bit to stretch it before I put it in the pie pan. Prick the top a few times to let the steam escape. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until top crust is browned.

Serve hot.

After you put the top crust on, but before you bake it, It can be covered in saran wrap and put in the fridge until ready to bake. I made this in the morning and then just baked when we wanted dinner

Bulgarianish Bubbles and Squeaks

My older brother gave me this recipe he made it while he lived in Bulgaria. He used a local sausage, a local cheese, and cabbage. I left out the cheese cause I didn't think it needed it and the cabbage cause my spouse wont eat cabbage.

1 kielbasa

4 large potatoes

4 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp butter

4 c. dairy

(Heavy cream, half-an-half, milk, whatever combination you have on hand)

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the kielbasa and cook over medium high heat until starting to brown.

While that is cooking peel the potatoes. Cut the peeled potatoes into quarters lenghtwise and then cut into 1/8th inch pieces.

When the kielbasa is cooked, add the potatoes to the pan and cook until the potatoes are brown.

Pour the bechamel sauce over the potatoes and kielbasa and bake at 350 for 30 - 45 minutes until potatoes are very tender

For the Sauce

Melt the butter, add the flour and stir to avoid lumps. Cook for a minute or two and stir in the cream. Cook, stirring until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Breakfast Casserole

You might need more or less bread depending on the size of your slices. When the bread and cheese are combined you want them to come about halfway up the inside of the casserole dish.

4 slices old dry bread, ripped into small pieces
1 c. shredded cheese

1/2 onion
1 Tbsp. butter
4 sausage links
1 c. cooked ham (I used leftover ham from a previous dinner)

1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. sour cream
6 eggs
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
dash black pepper
1/4 tsp. mustard

Combine the bread and cheese in the bottom of a 9x9 inch pan and toss to mix.

Saute the onion in butter until translucent. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Add the ham, cook 1 minute and remove from heat.

Top the bread and cheese layer with the meat and onion layer.

Combine the milk, eggs, and remaining ingredients and pour over the meat layer.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes to and hour, until cooked in the center. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

I shameless plug for my other blog, Bean Basics.


It's really was tasty though. I make my potatoes with equal parts of butter and sour cream. They turn out very tasty and a little tangy, depending on your sour cream. I made this the night before and stuck it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. Then the next day when we got home from church it was all ready, I just had to stick it in the oven to heat while I made a salad.