Fast. Cheap. Easy. Delicious!

Peas and Cheese Tortellini


From Every Day with Rachael Ray
May 2008

4 SERVINGS
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min







1 pound frozen cheese tortellini (or fresh tortellini from the refrigerated section)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
5 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced separately
2 tablespoons flour
1 2/3 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the tortellini until al dente; drain.

2. Meanwhile, add the peas, butter and scallion whites to another large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the scallion greens and season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir the tortellini and 1/3 cup cheese into the sauce. Divide the pasta among 4 serving bowls and Easy does it sprinkle with more cheese.

For those of you who don't like peas, you could probably substitute canned mushrooms instead.
This was SO good!

Spinach, Zucchini and no noodle Lasagna

I'm a huge meat and noodle lover, but this looked so good in the magazine, i had to try it. it was surprisingly really really good! i forgot to make garlic bread with it tho, dang it! Give it a shot.

Noodle-free, Meat-free Lasagna

Serves 4

• Cooking Spray
• 1/2 lb (7.5 cups) fresh spinach (you could easily use frozen whole leaf spinach)
• 2 lb Zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 can (14.5 oz) whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/2 small yellow or red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 c grated part skim mozzarella


Heat oven to 425.

Coat an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray, heat over high heat. Add spinach. Stir until leaves wilt (this was easiest to do using tongs), about 5 minutes. Place in a colander to drain.

Coat skillet with cooking spray again; heat over high heat. Cook zucchini in batches, 2-3 min per side. Drain on paper towels.

Squeeze excess moisture from spinach. Mix spinach, ricotta, egg white, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, basil, 1/2 tsp of the salt and nutmeg in a bowl; set aside.

Puree tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in food processor.
Spread 1/2 the sauce on bottom of pan. Layer zucchini on top like you would with noodles, then 1/2 the ricotta mixture (i just dug in with my hands bc it's hard to spread around with a spoon). Add a layer of zucchini and remaining half of ricotta and sauce (ending with sauce). add mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until cheese browns...about 30 min. Let it sit for 10 min or so before cutting so it sets up.

Spinach-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

These mushrooms were REALLY good, REALLY easy and pretty cheap since the cashier errantly rang the mushrooms up at $3.49/lb instead of $8.99/lb. i bought the bulk portobellos and spent a lot of time waching them...next time i might get the pre washed/packaged ones instead. i made these with a side of parmesean risotto (in a box) and it was a yummy combo.

Warning, these do NOT do well overnight in the fridge, so only make what you're gonna eat. the two we had left over got real weepy and gross and i wouldn't eat them the next night.


8 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
15 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated low fat cheddar
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 tsp dried dill

Heat oven to 350. Place mushrooms with smooth side of caps down, in a baking dish. Combine chopped stems with remaining ingredients in a bowl. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps, creating a mound. Cover with foil. Bake 25 min.

202 calories per serving | 5.6g fat | 4.8g fiber | 18.4 g carbs | 20.5 g protein

Recipe from SELFDishes Magazine - Summer 2007

Chicken Tetrazzini - You'll want three servings...

...or at least, JD wanted three servings. i couldn't believe it. he ate 1/2 the damn pan.
Anyway, here's the recipe. Easy to make. just remember to cook the chicken first. i totally forgot and had to put everything on hold while i cooked it. not a biggie, just kind of a pain.



Chicken Tetrazzini

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs (i used Italian blend)
3 tbsp butter, divided
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided (i used the stuff you sprinkle on spaghetti, the good shredded stuff, not the ground up stuff)
1/2 cup chopped onion (i used a red onion)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk (i used 2%)
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken or turkey breast meat
2 cans (4 oz each) sliced mushrooms, drained (i just used one 6 oz can and it was fine)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (i didnt thaw mine, and they were fine)
2 tbsp dry sherry (i didnt have any, and i didnt miss it in the recipe)
8 oz spaghetti, cooked, drained and kept warm (since you cook this in the oven too, dont cook the spaghetti all the way or it will get mushy when you cook it)

Combine bread crumbs and 2 tbsp butter in small bowl. Use a fork to kind of chop it up till it mixes. Add 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Set aside. Melt ramianing butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook, stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes or until tender.

Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat, gradually stir in broth. Return to heat; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in evaporated milk and remaining cheese; cook over low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken, mushrooms, peas and sherry.

Combine cooked pasta and chicken mixture in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 dish. Sprinkle with bread crumb topping. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Yummy Chicken Casserole

Chicken, Biscuits 'n' Gravy Casserole

This was really yummy. Next time I'll make it with a side of steamed veggies or a salad.


Photo and recipe courtesy of
Every Day with Rachael Ray
April 2006

FOUR SERVINGS
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 25 min


INGREDIENTS

One medium to large rotisserie chicken (or, just boil 4 boneless/skinless breasts, then pull apart for meat)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the dish
8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I only used 1/2 a red onion)
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups baking mix, such as Bisquick (or, I used a 5 pack of Hungry Jack biscuits)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Butter a large casserole dish. Pull the meat off the chicken, shredding it with your fingers or a fork into the baking dish.

2. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned, about 6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, sprinkle the flour into the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup of the milk and simmer for 1 minute more. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the lemon juice, and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the gravy over the chicken in the baking dish.

3. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter with the garlic.

4. Stir together the baking mix, the remaining 2/3 cup of milk and the cheese. Drop tablespoonfuls of the biscuit mixture on top of the casserole and brush with half of the garlic butter. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 25 minutes, brushing them once or twice with the remaining garlic butter.

Incredibly Easy Beef Stew

My sister gave me a great Crock Pot cookbook for Christmas, and tonight, i made "Easy Beef Stew" from it. And boy, was it easy! JD liked it so much he got 2 helpings. So, try it out.



1 1/2 to 2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (i used a lot more bc i like potatoes)
4 cups baby carrots (i got a med-sized bag and used the whole thing)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
salt & pepper to taste

i also added about 1/4 cup of water that i used to rinse the extra out of the tomato sauce cans. and i had 1/4 of a container of fresh chopped mushrooms in the fridge, so i added them in too. i used a LOT of salt and pepper bc from what i understand, when you cook something in the crock pot for that long, the seasonings get pretty lost...so, use a lot.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot, cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until veggies are tender.

this is really good with Jiffy Corn muffins.

Kay's Red Lentil Soup

Kay turned me on to this really amazing soup. it tastes almost more like chili. i put a dallop of sour cream on it too. i think it'd be good with some shredded grilled chicken on top too...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dried red lentils (they're the tiny orange color ones)
1 vegetable bouillon cube
3 cups water
1 cup Salsa- it can be store-bought or homemade, any variety you like
1 small can of corn kernels, drained, OR the kernels from one ear of corn
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. ground cumin

Put everything into a saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, stir & cover. Simmer on low for at least 35 minutes. The longer the better!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

...and yes, it's a yummy as it sounds...

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk (i just used milk tho)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup nuts if desired
a couple hands full of chocolate chips. probably about 1/2 to 3/4 cups

Move oven rack to low position so tops of pans will be in center of oven. heat to 350°. grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans.

Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. stir in eggs until well blended. add bananas, milk and vanilla. beat until smooth. sitr in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. stir in nuts and chips. Pour into pans.

Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool about 2 hours before slicing. or, do like i did and burn your fingers while trying to pry it out of the pan straight from the oven, then spend 10 minutes scraping the bits out of the pan and eating them right away, thus scorching your tongue too.