Family Night Pasta Bake

I have seen versions of this dish all over the place, and this is my take on it.


Family Night Pasta Bake

1 pound Italian sausage
1 box penne pasta
1 (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce
1 (24 oz.) jar Marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shaved parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes (optional)

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 Cook sausage until cooked through. Drain and set aside.

 Cook pasta according to directions and drain.

 In a large bowl, mix cooked sausage, both sauces and the mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine. Add red pepper flakes to suit your taste (optional). Add cooked pasta and mix thoroughly.

 Pour mixture into 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

 Remove from oven and top with shaved parmesan cheese.  Bake for an additional 5 minutes.  (Grated parmesan can be substituted, but shaved gives a nice melty texture.)

Serve with garlic bread and a salad, and you're all set.  So simple and tasty!

Easy Quinoa & Mixed Grain Salad

I've only recently discovered quinoa (pronounced "KEEN-wah," by the way).  I had heard about quinoa before, but hadn't tried it until a friend served it at a dinner about a year ago.  I was surprised by how much I liked it.  I'd read all about how good quinoa is for you, but frankly I was a little bit intimidated when it came to actually preparing it myself.

If you're a newcomer to quinoa, never fear!  It is so easy to make.  If you can cook rice, you can cook quinoa!

Here is a recipe I've come up with (tweaked from others I've come across), and it's really good.  There is a secret to this dish...It's great hot, but it's AMAZING cold, after sitting for a few hours in the fridge.

Here's what you need and what you do:

Easy Quinoa & Mixed Grain Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked mixed grains (I used a cup of quinoa and a cup of 5-grain mix of Italian farro, barley, brown rice, kamut wheat & oats).
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced (I used a yellow pepper)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped herbs (I used cilantro, but you can also use dill, parsley, and/or chives)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 1 lime (I didn't have a fresh lime on hand, so I used about 2 tablespoons prepared lime juice)
• Coarse salt
• Ground pepper
• Garlic powder (optional)
• Season-all (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare mixed grains according to directions.

In medium bowl, toss 2 cups cooked grains with 1/2 red onion, one bell pepper, and 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs.  Add 1-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil and lime juice, and mix.  

Season with coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste.  I also added a few sprinkles of garlic powder and season-all at the end, to give a little extra flavor.

As I mentioned earlier, this dish can be served warm, right after preparing, BUT the magic is in the waiting.  If you refrigerate this for a few hours or overnight, the flavors will blend into unexpected yumminess!  My family likes this hot or cold.  It works either way!

I served this with pork chops and seasoned green beans for this meal, but it also works as an alternative to rice with Mexican food.  Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Tortilla Bake

I saw a recipe for Easy Chicken Tortilla Bake here and thought it looked pretty easy and tasty, so I tried it.  This was one of the easiest recipes I've ever made, and the entire family (including my picky daughter) all liked it.  You make it in an 8x8 dish, but it goes all the way to the top, so it's a lot of food!

Here's the recipe:

Easy Chicken Tortilla Bake

3 cups cooked chicken, diced 

1 (16 oz) jar Pace Salsa Verde (I couldn't find Pace and just used another brand)
1 cup sour cream plus additional for topping, if desired (could also use reduced-fat)
5 (6-inch) corn tortillas (I used white corn tortillas)
2 cups shredded cheese  (I used a 2% Mexican blend)
Diced jalapeno peppers, optional (I used canned)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8X8 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Cut or tear tortillas into smaller pieces.

Spread half the chicken on the bottom of the casserole dish, top with half of the salsa verde, then half of the sour cream, half of the tortilla strips, then half of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers. 


Cover dish with aluminum foil and baked in preheated oven for 40 minutes. 


Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes, until bubbly. 


Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Top with jalapeños and/or more sour cream if desired. (I desired.)

I served this with a side of zucchini, yellow squash, and onions, topped with black pepper and a little season salt.

So yummy!

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies

Source: Ourbestbites.com

This recipe is what started my Pinterest obsession.  It's so good and rich, but I can't imagine it's a diet food by any means, even though the rumor is that it started at Cooking Light magazine.  This one has my stamp of approval for yumminess and decadence.

Ooey-Gooey Peanut-Butter Brownies
Recipe from Cooking Light, Sept. 2010

3/4 C sweetened condensed milk, divided (fat-free is fine)
1/4 C butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
1/4 C non-fat milk
1  box devil’s food cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 7 oz jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 C)
1/2 C peanut butter morsels (not gonna lie, I used a very “heaping” 1/2 cup :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, milk, butter, cake mix, and egg white.  Mixture will be very thick.  Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray.  Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Use either floured hands, or spray your hands with cooking spray in order to press it down without having it stick to your fingers.  The layer will be thin.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl and combine until smooth.  Stir in PB morsels.  No one will tell if you stir in some extras.  Spread marshmallow layer over brownie layer in pan.  Carefully drop remaining brownie batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.  (The original recipe calls for 30 minutes, but many readers have noted that 20 minutes was perfect, and I usually only bake for about 20-25).  Remove from oven and cool before cutting into squares.