One Pot Pasta Primavera

Here is another one pot pasta recipe I am posting!,,,The one I have posted in the past I make at least once a week now!!,,,So I wanted to try and come up with another version, I added heavy whipping cream to this one at the end along with parmesan cheese, to give it a creamier base, I really like the texture of this recipe, I also added fresh zucchini and fresh mushrooms along with frozen peas, but I am sure you could use  other vegetables as well,,,And I just really like the fact that everything starts out in one pot together, including the uncooked pasta!!,,,Here is what I did,,,Enjoy!!

 

INGREDIENTS

 

 

1- 14 1/2 ounce box of Barilla Plus (multigrain pasta)

5 Cups Chicken Broth

3-4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 onion sliced thin

2 zucchini (quartered and sliced thin, with skin)

1/2 pound (about 10) Mushrooms (sliced)

1 Cup frozen peas

1 t dry oregano

1 t dry basil

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

 

1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Add all ingredients except the whipping cream and parmesan cheese

to a dutch oven or large pot with a lid, breaking pasta to

fit in pot

 

Bring to a boil  on Medium heat uncovered, stir,

once it comes to a boil cover pot

and turn to simmer

for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes

 

Once liquid is absorbed add heavy cream and parmesan cheese

Serve and add more parmesan if needed

 

NOTE:  If you are using 12 ounce box of regular pasta you will

only need 4 cups of broth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candy-Cookie Pizza

My daughter and I have always made Cookie Pizzas in the past,,,,but we would put cool whip and fruit on top of the cooled chocolate chip cookie,,,,For my hubby's birthday (along with his cake),,,we decided to do something a little different,,,The possibilities are endless to what you could add,,, Here is what we did, we hope he likes it!!,,,,Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 Tube ready made chocolate chip cookie dough

mini rolos

mini peanut butter cups

mini marshmallows

 

 

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat oven to 350

 

Press dough into 12 inch pizza pan (I am sure you

could do in a cookie sheet also)

 

bake for 10-12 minutes

 

remove from oven

turn oven to broil

 

add toppings

 

return to oven on middle rack (not to close to broiler)watching closely until marshmallows are toasted

about 3 minutes

 

Note: This was seriously amazing!,,,we didn't even cut it,,,everyone just

broke off a piece!!

 

 

 

Cheesy Gnocchi Bake

One of my daughters favorite Italian dishes is Gnocchi....ever since she was a little girl that is all she would ever order when we took her out to eat!!,,,,Well I make my Gnocchi soup for her and she loves that, but I wanted to come up with something a little different to do with it,,,,so I searched some recipes and came up with a combo of a few different ones,,,I guess you could call this Italian Mac and Cheese! ...You can also use gluten free gnocchi for this recipe!....Here is what I did,,,,Enjoy!!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

2- 1 pound packages dry Gnocchi

1- 15 ounce jar Alfredo Sauce (I used the four cheese)

1 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese (plus a little more to sprinkle on top)

Panko Breadcrumbs (to sprinkle on top)

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat Oven to 350

 

Boil Gnocchi as directed on package

 

Spray an ovenproof casserole dish then add cooked and drained gnocchi

 

add Alfredo sauce , parmesan cheese and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella

and mix all together

 

 

sprinkle panko and parmesan cheese on top then the remaing

1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

 

Bake for 20-25 minutes,,,then I turned oven to Broil

to brown  the top (keep an eye on it, it should only take a couple of minutes)

 

Well Stocked Pantry

So as I was pondering over what I should make for dinner tonight, I browsed my blog and then looked  in my pantry to see what I had on hand to help me decide what recipe I could make!...So that got me to thinking ..What ingredients should always be stocked in my pantry!,,,,There are the certain staples that I always try to have on hand, like chicken broth, canned tomatoes, canned beans and dry pasta or rice, so I thought I would make a list of what things would be beneficial to have on hand!,,,and by the way I ended up making my Orzo Florentine soup, but used frozen spinach and changed it up and added some canned beans to it!,,,It is smelling yummy,,,,,Here is my list, I hope it helps!!

 

 

CHICKEN BROTH

PETITE DICED TOMATOES

CANNED BEANS

CANNED TUNA OR CHICKEN

DRY PASTAS

RICE

DRY GNOCCHI

CANNED VEGETABLES

FROZEN VEGETABLES

VEGETABLE JUICE

 

THESE ITEMS ALONG WITH SOME OTHER THINGS YOU MAY HAVE ON HAND

LIKE CARROTS, ONIONS, POTATOES

SHOULD BE HELPFUL IN MAKING A LOT OF DIFFERENT RECIPES THAT

YOU CAN COME UP WITH IN A PINCH!!

 

 

 

 

Shrimp Scampi

Every gathering my parents would have at their home with our family,,,,my Dad would always break out his electric frying pan and make a batch of Shrimp Scampi,,,,,Everyone always looked forward to it!,,,,He would melt butter add the shrimp and garlic, then the breadcrumbs, then a squeeze of fresh lemon,,,,They never made it to a platter, everyone would grab a toothpick and would eat them right out of the pan, and he always had the ingredients to make a second batch, the grandkids couldn't get enough of it!!,,,I have been wanting to make it for a while, so I came up with this version, I bake it not fry it and I use a small amount of butter along with chicken broth to try and make it a little healthier,,,I also served mine over Angel Hair pasta (linguine would be great also!),,,,Here is what I came up with,,,Enjoy!!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 pound shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined, with tail)

olive oil

salt pepper

 

3 T butter

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1 Cup chicken broth

1 t dry parsley

pinch crushed red pepper

 

1/3 Cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Pasta of your choice

Parmesan cheese

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425

 

Add shrimp to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil add some salt and pepper and mix well

set aside while you make garlic sauce

 

In a saucepan add butter, melt on low then add minced garlic

cook for about a minute then add chicken broth

parsley and red pepper flakes stir then turn burner off

 

Next add  shrimp to a shallow baking dish, pour garlic sauce over them, then sprinkle

with the breadcrumbs

 

place in oven for 12 to 15 minutes until shrimp look done and pink

I turned each shrimp over half way through baking

then served over some Angel hair pasta

then topped with parmesan cheese

 

 

Shrimp Scampi

Every gathering my parents would have at their home with our family,,,,my Dad would always break out his electric frying pan and make a batch of Shrimp Scampi,,,,,Everyone always looked forward to it!,,,,He would melt butter add the shrimp and garlic, then the breadcrumbs, then a squeeze of fresh lemon,,,,They never made it to a platter, everyone would grab a toothpick and eat them right out of the pan, and he always had the ingredients to make a second batch, the grandkids couldn't get enough of it!!,,,I have been wanting to make it for a while, so I came up with this version, I bake it not fry it and I use a small amount of butter along with chicken broth to try and make it a little healthier,,,I also served mine over Angel Hair pasta,,,,Here is what I came up with,,,Enjoy!!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 pound shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined, with tail)

olive oil

salt pepper

 

3 T butter

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1 Cup chicken broth

1 t dry parsley

pinch crushed red pepper

 

1/3 Cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Pasta of your choice

Parmesan cheese

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425

 

Add shrimp to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil add some salt and pepper and mix well

set aside while you make garlic sauce

 

 

 

In a saucepan add butter, melt on low then add minced garlic

cook for about a minute then add chicken broth

parsley and red pepper flakes stir then turn burner off

 

 

 

Next add  shrimp to a shallow baking dish, pour garlic sauce over them, then sprinkle

with the breadcrumbs

 

 

place in oven for 12 to 15 minutes until shrimp look done and pink

I turned each shrimp over half way through baking

and served over some Angel hair pasta

then topped with parmesan cheese

 

 

Ammoglio Sauce

A fond memory I have of my Dad is of him grilling breaded steaks when I was young! When he made them, my Mom always made Ammoglio(a-moy-gue) to go with it!!,,,,Ammoglio is a Sicilian tomato salsa used to top grilled steaks or chicken,,,,,,It is best to make this the day before to let all of the flavors marinate together!,,,,I used it on Porterhouse steaks that I breaded,,,,I first rubbed olive oil on them and then dredged them in Italian seasoned breadcrumbs ( we call this Steak Siciliano), then left to room temperature before my hubby grilled them!,,,,Here is how I prepare my sauce (everyone does it a little different, and I am sure they are all yummy),,,,Here is what I did, Enjoy!!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1- 14 1/2 oz. can of Petite Diced Tomatoes (with juices)

2-4 cloves of minced garlic (depending on how bad you want your breath) lol

1 T Olive Oil

1 T sugar

1 t dried basil (if you have fresh on hand that is fine!)

1 t dried oregano

1 t salt

dash pepper

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate until ready to use

(This can be stored covered in fridge for 4-5 days)

 

Here are my breaded steaks

 

 

 

String Bean Potato Salad

I remember my Mom making a version of this when I was young, and I always loved it!,,,,She may not have made hers exactly like this (because she never measured anything!),,,,But the flavor is still the same! The key here is to add oil and vinegar and salt to the potatoes while warm so the flavor soaks in!,,,,Here is what I did....Enjoy!!

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

2-3 pound bag of Baby Redskin Potatoes

1-1 1/2 pounds of Fresh String Beans

1 small purple onion

fresh chives (snipped)

salt

1/4-1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1/4-1/3 Cup Red Wine or White Balsamic Vinegar

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Clean green beans and snap in half, then steam for 10-15 minutes

When done submerge in a bowl of iced water (to retain bright green color)

set aside

 

 

 

 

Boil potatoes in pot with 2 cloves of garlic and salt about 20 minutes or until fork tender

 

 

While still warm cut potatoes in quarters and add to a bowl

add 1/4 Cup of olive oil and 1/4 Cup of the vinegar while potatoes are warm to soak in,,,,,add salt also

 

 

You can then add the green beans, slivered purple onion and chives,,,stir well to coat

add more salt and the rest of the vinegar and oil

 this can be served right away at room temp

or refrigerate for future use!

 

Pizza Cupcakes

Here is a quick and easy way to make pizza's when you don't want to deal with pizza dough!,,These are made with canned biscuits in a muffin tin,,,You could easily do these in a mini muffin tin for a great appetizer!...I just added chopped pepperoni slices but you could add your favorite toppings!,,,Here is what I did,,,Enjoy!

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

(This recipe makes 10 cupcakes, you can double if needed)

 

1 Can (10 biscuits) Grands Jr.

pizza sauce

pepperoni (diced)

Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat oven to 350

 

Spray muffin tin with cooking spray

Press a biscuit evenly into tin, so it comes up the sides, place a tablespoon

of pizza sauce in center. add pepperoni and then cheese, add a dollup of sauce on top

Bake for 10 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

Cutting a Watermelon

Here is a great way to cut a Watermelon!,,,,Cutting it this way will make it last longer in the fridge too.
And it's an awesome way to serve and eat it!!
This can also make it easy for little fingers to enjoy!

 

 

1. Cut Melon in half

 

2. Turn it over to flat side down

 

3. Cut in slices

 

4. Turn the other way and cut more slices in the opposite direction

 

Serve and Enjoy!!