GUY FIERI'S WHITE LASAGNA WITH SPICY TURKEY SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOMS

This is the best lasagna I have ever had.  Seriously, ever.  In my entire life!  I am not patting myself too hard on the back here because all the credit goes to Guy Fieri.  His recipe was perfection.  Click here to find out for yourself!

This is a tomato-less lasagna and that includes the sauce.  Instead of a marinara, it oozes with a creamy white cheese sauce.  Surprisingly it didn't feel heavy, like a typical creamy pasta dish.  The addition of mushrooms, spinach and zucchini help push it away from the "heavy" category as well.

Speaking of spinach, I made a couple tweaks to the recipe.  Spinach was not listed as an ingredient.  Nor did the recipe call for copious amounts of cheese.  I know you are absolutely SHOCKED to hear that I deviated from the plan, and for that, I apologize.  No, you know what?  I don't!  I will never apologize for using extra cheese.  Anyway, here are the changes:  a full cup of parmesan for the sauce, chopped fresh spinach mixed into the ricotta mixture, aaaaaaaand like maybe double the amount of mozzarella.  What?  Cheese is delicious.

P.S. The people I served this to had seconds.  Gave compliments to the chef with their mouths full.  Asked for leftovers to take home.  Two mushroom haters gobbled it down.  It's that good.

SHORT RIB LASAGNA

I tore another recipe from one of my mom's magazines.  Better Homes and Gardens had this amazing recipe in their February issue.  I was instantly sold because I love tender, shredded meat and I do NOT like ricotta cheese.  This is a ricotta-less lasagna!  Instead, it has a creamy Gruyere cheese sauce.  It was so comforting and delicious.  Short ribs simmered for a few hours with carrots, onions, mushrooms, beef broth and red wine. Layered with the cheese sauce and pasta, baked to perfection!  Yum.  MAKE THIS!

A few tweaks to make this lasagna as flavorful as possible: after shredding the meat, add a little salt and pepper to taste.  Don't completely drain the meat super dry, let it stay juicy; you want those flavors in your finished product.  Season the cheese sauce with salt and pepper before assembling the lasagna.  Taste it and make sure it's to your liking.  Also, my meat took about four and a half hours to finish cooking on the stove top, so don't bank on yours being done after the stated time in recipe.  My meat was thick!  Broil at the end if you want a golden crust on top.

Hello, meat.

Hello, lasagna.

CHICKEN VERDE WONTON TACOS

I spotted this recipe on one of my all-time favorite blogs over a year ago, and for some insane reason it took me until now to finally make it.  I am so glad I did though!  These little tacos are perfection.  Wonton wrappers enveloping a creamy, cheesy, slightly spicy chicken filling.  So simple.  You can find the recipe here.  I pretty much followed the recipe exactly as written, except I didn't use light cheese or sour cream.  Full fat dairy is my weakness.  Oh, and I doubled it since this was going to be a main course for us, not an appetizer.  Although these would be perfect little snacks to contribute to your next gathering!

First, you must find wonton wrappers at your grocery store!  They're usually in the produce section.

Then, you have to acquire some cooked chicken.  The most delicious way is to use a rotisserie chicken.  Or you could cook your own.  OR, you could reach into the freezer for your favorite shortcut: fully cooked chicken!  I keep this on hand for quick meals like wraps, quesadillas and buffalo chicken topped salad. 

Finally, you'll need some authentic salsa verde.  Found this amazingness at World Market.

Now it's time to mix everything together in a bowl.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then scoop the filling onto each wonton wrapper.  Top with cheese.

Bring two opposite corners up, pinch together with water, then bake!

 Ingredients

4 ounces cooked and shredded chicken
1/4 cup salsa verde
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used white cheddar)
8 wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.  In small bowl mix the chicken, salsa, sour cream, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and green onions.  Place the wonton wrappers on baking sheet and scoop about one tablespoon of filling into center of each wonton.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over each wonton.  Bring two of the opposing corners together using a little water to stick them together.  Bake for about 5 minutes, until wontons get crispy.  Keep a close eye on them the entire time so they don't burn.  (I was able to bake mine for almost 10 minutes and they got perfectly crisp)

SPINACH ARTICHOKE CHICKEN PASTA BAKE

Have you ever been in the middle of making a recipe, then decided to completely change it?  That's how this meal came to be.  The original recipe was for simple and delicious spinach artichoke chicken, which we've had several times.  You place chicken breasts or tenders in a baking dish, then mix together spinach, artichokes, parmesan cheese and mayo, then spread it over chicken and bake. Easy.

BUT, as I was spreading the mixture over the chicken it suddenly became very obvious that the spinach dominated the dish and the chicken was basically invisible.  It wasn't a lot of chicken, and who wants to eat just forkfuls of spinach for dinner?  Usually in cases like these, I turn to my best friend: pasta.  And what do all delicious pasta dishes need?  That's right, a creamy dreamy cheese sauce.  Mozzarella seemed like a perfect match for spinach, and there just so happened to be half a block sitting in the fridge.  You guys, it was like fate.  Word of warning: this completely filled a 13x9 baking dish, so if you're not feeding a crowd, halve the recipe.

Boil about 3/4 a pound of pasta with kosher salt, reserving a cup or so of starchy, salty pasta water.  Mozzarella is a sturdy cheese, and when it's melted it still manages to keep its consistency pretty well.  Adding pasta water really helps to smoothly mix the ingredients together.

Make an easy roux with butter and flour, add milk, remove from heat and whisk in cheese.  Throw in some salt, pepper and crushed red pepper for flavor.

When chicken is done baking with spinach mixture, cut it apart in the baking dish and mix it all up.  Pour cooked pasta on top, then cheese sauce, and finally the pasta water.  Stir until combined, then sprinkle on some parmesan before the final bake.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders or breasts
2 bags frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
2 cans artichoke hearts in water, drained rinsed and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise (or nonfat Greek yogurt)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup for topping
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound rotini pasta

Cheese sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded mozzarella
salt
freshly ground black pepper
crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray, then lay chicken flat without overlapping in dish.  Season with salt and pepper.  In large bowl, combine spinach, artichokes, mayonnaise, parmesan and garlic together.  Taste, add salt and pepper if needed.  Spread mixture over chicken.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is done.  Remove from oven, cut apart chicken and mix with spinach.
Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente (it will cook a little more in the oven) and scoop out a cup of pasta water before draining.
For the cheese sauce: melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in flour.  Keep whisking until thick and light brown/caramel colored, about 3-4 minutes.  Slowly pour in milk while whisking.  Keep stirring until it thickens and reaches a boil, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat, then stir in cheese.  Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Pour pasta on top of chicken spinach mixture, then pour cheese sauce all over.  Pour in hot pasta water and mix well.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup parmesan on top, then bake for 10 minutes.  Switch oven to high broil, then keep a close eye on it until it's slightly browned, about 5 more minutes. 

Note:  This recipe is super versatile.  I used what I had on hand.  If you love chicken, use more than a pound.  If you're not obsessed with pasta, use less.  Switch up the cheese.  If you're not a mayo fan, sub nonfat Greek yogurt.  Go wild!

KEVIN AND AMANDA'S CHEESEBURGER MACARONI

This meal is like a grown up chili mac, and some people have also declared it an adult version of Hamburger Helper.  Here is what you need to know: it's creamy, meaty, perfectly spiced, filling, delicious leftover AND I've made it at least 10 times.  I've used ground beef almost every time, but I've also used ground turkey and shredded chicken.  Both tasty, but I definitely prefer the beef.

This recipe doubles easily, but this time I actually tripled it.  A group of us rented a cabin for a celebratory birthday weekend, so there were many mouths to feed.  I chose to make this because it's a favorite of the birthday boy and it couldn't be easier to prepare. 

This was the first time I've had a talented photographer offer to document the cooking process.  This pasta has never looked so delicious.  These pictures are just fabulous.  THANKS, BRAD!  The photos make me want some cheeseburger mac right now.  Anyone else tempted to lick their screen??? 

If I'm giving shout outs, I'll give one more to my other half.  I like to call him my "Cheese Sauce Apprentice" because he volunteers is forced to make the cheese sauce each time we have this.  He didn't even know what a roux was the first time he made this!  Now he's an expert. 

You'll find the recipe here.  The only change I make is to use a heaping cup of macaroni, maybe an extra third or fourth of a cup.

Boil the pasta in all the other ingredients- easy!

There is something about not using an additional pot for boiling pasta and not using a colander to drain it that just makes me so happy.  The pasta will soak up the liquid and then it'll be time to add the cheese sauce!

Looks ready for some cheese

Stir in the cheese sauce (and make a big mess!)

Ingredients

1 lb lean hamburger meat
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (or petite diced tomatoes)
2 cups beef broth (or water)
1 HEAPING cup elbow macaroni

Brown and drain hamburger meat. Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel, beef broth, and macaroni. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer 12-14 mins until macaroni is tender.

Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 5 minutes until fragrant and light brown in color. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture. Stir gently to combine.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE FRITTATA

I bought ingredients to make some kind of Italian inspired pasta and was very excited about it!  Then, my other half reminded me about the dozen eggs sitting in the fridge that were about to expire.  He also declared his love for frittatas, so this dinner was born.  Mild Italian sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, aged Italian cheeses and of course, eggs.  Easy, filling, delicious and perfect to pack for lunch the next day.  Fresh tomatoes would be delicious, but there were only 6 grape tomatoes leftover from salad night.  I used those in addition to the can of tomatoes.  I may double the tomatoes next time I make this.  I had 3 packages of mushrooms and the jumbo bag of spinach, so this frittata is huge.  It fit in a 9x13 dish and would be perfect for a crowd.  If you're not planning to feed an army, just halve the recipe to fit in a pie dish!

 

This recipe is so versatile: use spicy sausage for an extra kick, a variety of mushrooms, sub Egg Beaters for the eggs, add Italian seasoning or use a different blend of cheeses.  Frittatas are fab because you can suit them to your taste!  My first frittata was very breakfasty: potatoes, cheddar, onions, peppers and Jimmy Dean sausage.  This one has a dinner/Italian flavor.

You guys, it is AGED TO PERFECTION.

Ingredients

1 lb mild Italian sausage
3 containers sliced mushrooms, 8 ounces each
1 can petite diced tomatoes, 14.5 ounces, drained of ALL liquid
1 clove chopped garlic
1 bag spinach, 9 ounces
9 eggs
1 container shredded Italian cheese blend, 6 ounces
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste*

Preheat oven to 350.  Brown and crumble sausage in nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Remove to large baking dish, 9x13.  In same skillet, saute mushrooms with salt and pepper until cooked down and all liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  Add drained tomatoes and cook until most liquid has evaporated.  Add in spinach by the handful, stirring to wilt.  When liquid has significantly reduced, add sausage back to skillet.  Stir to combine ingredients.  Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.  Add meat mixture in an even layer to dish.  In a large bowl beat eggs with salt and pepper, then carefully pour over meat mixture in dish.  Sprinkle cheese evenly on top, then bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until eggs have set.  Slice and serve immediately.

Note:  Depending on the sausage and cheese you use, you will need to adjust your salt accordingly.  Eggs need lots of salt for flavor, but be familiar with the saltiness of your cheese.