Guy Fieri’s Holy Haluski

We love watching Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives on tv. I get alot of good ideas from this show! Mostly it just makes me hungry. We saw this episode where this woman made this dish, and the host (Guy) tasted it and said that he loved it and that HE was going to make it at home. This is that dish. It was in the Food Network magazine that I get, and I knew I had to give it a try. I, of course, left out the pancetta, and was just going to omit it, but then at the last minute decided to fry up 3 strips of vegetarian bacon and use those instead. I also got frustrated while cutting up my head of cabbage and only used about 3/4 of it. This has alot of flavor! At first Toby said he didn’t think that he liked it, but he kept eating it and even got seconds! He said that he thinks it’s the texture that turns him off (the onions and cabbage being “slimy”), but the more he ate it, the more he liked it. He said next time less cabbage and more capers. I really think that egg noodles in a dish makes anything taste good, but I really liked this one. I ate some for lunch too! This is just a nice combination of unique flavors. Try it!

rating: 8

Guy Fieri’s Holy Haluski
(from The Food Network magazine)

• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced pancetta, diced (I used Morningstar Farms fake bacon)
• 2 large onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 medium head green cabbage, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 cup carrots, cut in 1/4-inch julienne
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (I used dried thyme)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces wide egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup green peas, preferably fresh, shelled, but can substitute frozen
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (I omitted)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the noodles.

2. In a large Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook, stirring, until crisp, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve.

3. Strain the fat from the pancetta into a bowl and wipe the pot clean. Add back in 2 tablespoons of the pancetta fat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the pot. Reserve the remaining pancetta fat for another use or discard.

4. Add the onions, cabbage, carrots and thyme. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and half the pepper. Stir to coat the vegetables with the butter. Cover and cook until the cabbage is wilted and almost tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the cabbage is very tender, about 10 more minutes.

5. While the cabbage cooks, add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions.

6. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the cabbage and onions are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add in the garlic and capers and cook for 1 minute. Add the peas, deglaze the pan with the white wine and add the lemon juice. Add in three-quarters of the pancetta, combine well and remove from heat.

7. Drain the noodles and add to the pot with the cabbage. Toss well to coat the noodles with the cabbage and onion mixture. Sprinkle with the parsley, remaining pancetta and the remaining pepper.

Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Penne

I tried a recipe VERY similar to this one back in October of last year. It’s funny, go look at the pic of that dish. It looks *pretty much* exactly the same as this pic, except the fork is on the other side of the plate! Anywho, Toby reads the parenting magazines we get on his train ride into work, and he came home with this recipe torn out and told me to make it. I told him I had made something similar before, but he wouldn’t listen. MAKE IT he cried! So I did. Well, it’s a very pretty pasta sauce, that’s for sure. It lacked something, though. It just was a little bland, and I had to add…wait for it…HOT SAUCE. Me! Toby got it out and added practically a half cup to his, and I reached for it and he said “careful!” I put literally one drop in mine. It jazzed it up a little but it wasn’t what it needed. Oh well. With this, we enjoyed a salad and some garlic bread.

Pumpkin Penne
(from the Nov.. 09 issue of Parents magazine)

1 12-ounce box whole-wheat penne (I used plain)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used veggie chicken broth)
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried)
1 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return to pot, covering to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add shallots, cook and stir until tender, about 3 minutes. Whisk in broth, evaporated milk, pumpkin, spice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Toss pasta with sauce. Spoon into bowls and top with parsley and cheese. Makes 6 cups.

Rigatoni al Funghi

I made this recipe last week, and when I went to www.tastykitchen.com to post it here, it was gone! Poof! I don’t know what happened to it, but I remembered it today and thought I would search again and now here it is. This stuff is good! I couldn’t find Enoki mushrooms at my grocery store, so I just used plain old white button mushrooms. This is so easy and really good! I personally think that heavy whipping cream makes everything better in my world. Yours? *Check out Tasty Kitchen – it’s fantastic!

rating: 9

Rigatoni al Funghi
(from www.tastykitchen.com)

* 1 pound Rigatoni Pasta
* ¼ cups Butter (1/2 Stick)
* 1 package Enoki Mushrooms (around 3.5 Oz) (I used button mushrooms)
* 1 package Brown Beech Mushrooms (around 5 Oz)
* 1 package Oyster Mushrooms (around 5 Oz)
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* ½ teaspoons Pepper
* 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
* 1 cup Sliced Onions
* 1-½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
* 3 ounces Tomato Paste (Half Of The Small 6oz Can)
* 1 Tablespoon Dry Or Fresh Basil (optional) (I omitted)

1. Bring a large pot of water with 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

2. In large pot or deep pan, heat butter over moderate heat. Add all 3 mushrooms, salt, and pepper and stir for 4 to 5 minutes. Add in garlic and onions and cook for about 3 minutes.

3. Pour in the heavy cream and tomato sauce. Simmer on low heat for around 10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Add salt to taste.

4. Reduce heat to low and add pasta. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes (add basil when tossing, if desired), then serve!

Light and Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

I saw this recipe in Paula Deen’s magazine, and I thought, how light and creamy can this be?! Well…Pretty dang light and creamy! This did not taste like you were skimping on anything whatsoever. When Toby started eating it, he said “so tell me how many pounds of butter does this have?” When I told him two tablespoons, he couldn’t believe it. He went back for seconds, and had to stop himself from getting more. He mentioned several times what a good dinner I had made (we also had Riblets, green beans, and rolls). I will be eating this for lunch for the next couple of days (this recipe makes a ton). SO good.

rating: 9

Light and Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
(from the Sept./Oct. 09 issue of Cooking with Paula Deen magazine)

2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetarian chicken broth)
1 1/4 cups low-fat cottage cheese, pureed
1 8-ounce package shredded 2% sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 16-ounce package elbow boodles, cooked according to package directions and kept warm
garnish: ground paprika (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, dry mustard, and red pepper; cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cook for 5-6 minutes, whisking occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened. Add pureed cottage cheese, whisking until smooth. Add Cheddar and Parmesan, whisking until mixture is smooth.

Place noodles in prepared baking dish; add cheese sauce, tossing gently to combine. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with paprika, if desired. Serve immediately.

makes 8-10 servings

Penne with Sage and Mushrooms

I ran out of penne for this recipe, so I substituted the little corkscrews. What are they called? Rotini? I didn’t realize how LONG this recipe would take, what with the garlic roasting, and the mushroom soaking and all. But it turned out well. When I tasted the mushroom “sauce”, I thought, oh boy, THAT is too salty. But once I combined it with the pasta and cheese, it all worked out. Toby said it was really good and didn’t think it was too salty. Don’t skip the sage leaf part- that really makes the dish!

rating: 8.5

Penne with Sage and Mushrooms
(from the Sept. 2009 issue of Cooking Light magazine)

1 whole garlic head
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups boiling water, divided
1/2 ounce dried wild mushroom blend (about 3/4 cup)
8 ounces uncooked 100 percent whole-grain penne pasta
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
2 1/2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I used veggie “chicken” broth)
2 ounces fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut top off garlic head. Place in a small baking dish, and drizzle with 1 tsp oil; cover with foil, and bake at 400 for 45 minutes. Remove dish from oven. Add 1/2 cup boiling water to dish; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp into water. Discard skins. Mash garlic pulp mixture with a fork, and set aside.
3. Combine remaining 2 cups boiling water and dried mushrooms in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Rinse mushrooms; drain well, and roughly chop. Set aside.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
5. Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sage to pan; saute 1 minute or until crisp and browned. Remove from pan using a slotted spoon; set aside. Add cremini mushrooms, salt, and pepper to pan; saute 4 minutes. Add garlic mixture, chopped mushrooms, and broth to pan; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Grate 1 1/2 ounces cheese. Stir pasta and grated cheese into pan; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Thinly shave remaining 1/2 ounce cheese; top each serving evenly with cheese  shavings and sage leaves.

makes 4 servings

Mac & Cheese Spaghetti

This month’s issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine has a bunch of recipes for various spaghetti dishes. I chose this one to try, and  I am glad I did! It says you can use frozen peas or broccoli- I chose the peas. I also, of course, left out the meat. The first bite I took, I thought, “uh oh, this is a little bland.” But the more I ate it, the more I liked it! The flavor is very mild. Toby said he really liked it, but he could do without the breadcrumbs on top. He said they didn’t do anything for the dish. I agreed.

rating: 9

Mac & Cheese Spaghetti
(from the Sept. 2009 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine)

1 1/2 cups coarse white bread crumbs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 14-16 ounce pkg. dried multigrain, whole wheat, or regular spaghetti (I used regular)
1 10 ounce pkg. frozen peas (2 cups) or 2 cups fresh broccoli florets (I used peas)
2 tbsp butter, melter
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded (2 cups)
4 ounces American cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Shredded thinly-sliced prosciutto or cooked ham (optional) I omitted

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. In 15 x 10 x 1″ baking pan, combine crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and the 1 tbsp butter. Bake 5 minutes; remove from oven, stir, set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in Dutch oven cook spaghetti, with 1 tbsp salt added to water, according to package directions; add peas during last 3 minutes of pasta cooking time. Reserve 2 cups pasta cooking water; set aside. Drain pasta and peas; keep warm.
3. Return 1 cup reserved pasta water to Dutch oven. Bring to boiling. Add the 2 tbsp butter and mustard. Add cheese, a bit at a time, stirring after each addition until melted. Stir in more pasta water if needed. Add spaghetti mixture; toss. Sprinkle servings with crumb mixture and prosciutto.

Baked Lemon Pasta

I try one new pasta recipe a week, and I decided to revisit The Pioneer Woman blog again (since that Crash Hot Potatoes recipe from there was such a hit). Toby loves anything lemon-flavored, so I decided to start with the Baked Lemon Pasta. I know, I know, lemon and pasta usually don’t go together, but this recipe is great! The sauce itself is just SO good. I did what The Pioneer Woman suggested and bought a microplane zester. Oh man! Where has this thing been all my life! Now all I want to do is make recipes that call for zest! I left out the fresh parsley (Wegmans was out of it). Several times Toby said “this is really good”. I knew he would like it. I served this with a green salad and some warm crusty bread. The Pioneer Woman does it again!

rating: 9

Baked Lemon Pasta

1 pound thin spaghetti
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste if desired
Plenty of grated Parmesan cheese
Flat leaf parsley, chopped (I left this out)
Extra lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.
In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT.
When butter is melted, add minced garlic.
Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.
Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary.
Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.
Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)
When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top.
Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley.
Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Simple Tortellini & Spinach Soup

I recently discovered another vegetarian cooking blog, and I love it! This is the first recipe I’ve tried from it, and I really liked it. I didn’t even realize it until Toby pointed it out, but this soup is very similar to my “signature dish”, my one go-to dish that I make for all my guests, my Tortellini Florentine Soup. There’s no faux-chicken in this one, but I still like it. It’s a little bit quicker to throw together as well. I left out the basil, but it still had really good flavor. This one is good when you want something flavorful and hot and don’t have alot of time. With this we enjoyed a salad and some garlic bread.

rating: 8.5

http://fresh365.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-tortellini-spinach-soup.html

Linguine with Zucchini & Chickpeas

There isn’t too much to this pasta dish, so I thought it would be kind of blah. It’s not! This had ALOT of flavor! It was very tasty, yet very light. Toby said that it was “good, but needs more sauce.” Um, what sauce? I was thinking about leaving out the red pepper, because I didn’t want it to be spicy. I am glad I didn’t. I think that is where alot of the flavor comes from. I will definitely make this one again! With this, we enjoyed a green salad and some garlic bread.

rating: 9

Linguine with Zucchini & Chickpeas
(from the August 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine)

12 ounce linguine (3/4 of a box)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 small zucchini, cut into thin half moons
Kosher salt
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1.2 cup of the pasta water, drain, and return the pasta to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, tossing often, until just tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the chickpeas, garlic, and red pepper and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes.
3. Toss the pasta with the reserved pasta water and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Divide the pasta among bowls and top with the zucchini mixture and the remaining 1/4 of Parmesan.

Skillet Lasagna

I tell you, I’ve had it with these “no-bake” lasagna noodles. This is the second time I have cooked with them, and they are just NOT more convenient! Both times they were undercooked and crunchy! Argh! Oh well. This recipe is good in theory. I would make it again, but using regular old lasagna noodles. I DID have problems with the tomato sauce as well. I had planned to use my trusty immersion blender, but once I started using it, tomatoes were flying all over my kitchen! So I decided to dump it all into the other attachment for my immersion blender, which is like a little Cuisinart thing. Turns out I put too much in there, and tomatoes were flying all over my kitchen again! So I had to dump some out and try it again, and they still came flying out, so I said to hell with it, and just dumped all the tomatoes back into the pot. A pureed sauce we will not have. Whatever. Besides the crunchy noodles, this was pretty tasty. This was served with garlic bread on the side.

rating: 7

Skillet Lasagna
(from the Aug./Sept. issue of Food Network magazine)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1.5 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
4 tbsp chopped fresh basil and/or parsley, plus more for garnish (I used dried parsley)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
6 sheets no-bake lasagna noodles
1 carrots, peeled into ribbons
3.5 cups baby spinach
1/3 pounds mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1. Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic; cook until golden, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, 1 tbsp herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste; cook until saucy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return 1 cup of the sauce to the skillet and reduce the heat to low; reserve the remaining sauce.
2. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, the remaining 3 tbsp herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.
3. Place 2 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet. Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with half of the spinach, half of the ricotta mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella and 2-3 tbsp of the reserved tomato sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with the noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover and simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20-25 minutes.
4. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more Parmesan and fresh herbs.