Lazy Pierogi

My Aunt Chere used to make this for family parties and it was always one of my favorites!  It is a creamy buttery delicious side dish or meal!

**There are more pictures on my Facebook page here:  Lazy Pierogi

1 16 oz box rotini pasta cooked
1 1/2 cups sauerkraut (or more/less to your taste)
1 medium onion
1 cup mushrooms chopped
1 stick of butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Saute the mushrooms in 2 TBSP butter and set into a large bowl with the cooked pasta.

Using the same pan add the rest of the butter and saute the onions until soft (approximately 4 minutes) and pour over the pasta in the large bowl.

Mix the soup and sauerkraut with the pasta mixture and pour into a 9×13 cake pan.

Bake at 350 approximately 15 minutes until heated through.

**to make this a one pot meal brown some kielbasa in the onion pan and mix into the pasta before warming**

Italian Sausage Pasta

https://wordpress.com/post/chasenchanceranch.wordpress.com/6094

This is another easy, hearty delicious meal.

This is a dish I created a while back trying to come up with a different use for Italian Sausage instead of the usual meals.

4 Italian Sausage Links
16 oz box of pasta (I use large shells) cooked
1/2 onion
1/4 slice of pepper (2 colors or 1/2 of one color)
1 medium clove of garlic
3 TBSP butter
4 TBSP olive oil
2 cups beef bouillon with 1 heaping TBSP cornstarch stirred in until dissolved
Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Par-boil the sausage for 25 minutes and then finish cooking in micro (about 3 minutes) or pan fry until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit to slice

Dice the onion and peppers (I like to use 2 colors to keep it colorful)

Mince the garlic clove or dice very small

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onions and peppers. Cook until soft (about 5 minutes).

Add the oil and garlic and stir gently heating it on medium heat for 2 minutes.

Turn the heat up and pour in the bouillon and cornstarch mixture stirring frequently until starting to thicken and turn down heat.

Add in the sliced Italian Sausage and heat it through.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with grated cheese!

Beefaroni

This is way better than hamburger helper and so easy to make.  Definitely a favorite of the boy’s in this house!

1 lb ground beef

2 TBSP minced garlic

one medium onion diced fine

2 TBSP garlic infused oil or olive oil

1 jar/can or 3 cups homemade spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 lb your choice of pasta

 

I boil ground beef before I brown it but you don’t have to.

 

Brown the ground beef and onions in the oil. When done add the 2 TBSP minced garlic.

 

Add the sauce and right on top of that add the heavy cream. Mix and heat through.

 

Cook the pasta and serve the sauce on top with some grated cheese and fresh basil leaves.

So easy to make!!  Great with ground venison and ground turkey as well!

Spaghetti Nest Cupcakes

I’m still here and very busy lately!!  Tonight we had spaghetti nest cupcakes for dinner.  Always a fun dinner for the kids even the teen queen who does not like sauce.

You can find the recipe on my Facebook page tonight here:  Spaghetti Nest Cupcakes

Shared on The Chicken Chick Blog Hop

Creamy Basil Tomato Sauce

Creamy Basil Tomato Sauce

2014 and 2015 First Place winners spoons

Saturday was the Annual Pasta-Sauce Off Competition hosted by the Cooking for Cancer Club in our area.  This club was created by two young girls in my daughter’s class to raise funds for children with cancer.  It benefits Carly’s Club of Roswell Park.

The event consists of volunteers making a pasta sauce and entering a competition.  Visitors purchase sample tickets and can sample all of the sauces and vote for their favorite sauce.  There is a huge basket raffle (94 baskets), a silent auction with some very unique treasures, a bake sale, 50/50 raffle, and all of the proceeds raised are donated to help make sick children’s lives a little bit better!  This event raised $5,000.00!!!!  Such a huge accomplishment for these girls!

Now on to the Creamy Basil Tomato Sauce—-last year I entered the event with a Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce and won 1st place!! (Recipe here: Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce)

This year I wanted to make a different sauce and decided on a Creamy Basil Tomato Sauce.  And guess what…I won again!!

Back to back victories 🙂

It is a lot of fun but even more so knowing you are doing something that will hopefully brighten someones day who may so desperately need it.

Here is the link to my Facebook page which has the recipe for you to try and a few pictures from the event!  The sauce is delicious and helped me top 13 other entries 🙂

CREAMY BASIL TOMATO SAUCE RECIPE

Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

I think goat cheese makes all things better.  I could probably eat it in my breakfast cereal and like it.  This dish is SUPER simple and so fantastically delicious.  The creamy goat cheese blends so well with the tartness of the sun-dried tomatoes.  You will be impressed!

The ingredients are simple.

Preparations could not be much easier.

Once cooked and goat cheese added it becomes a creamy taste of heaven!

I feel like I always say this but for as simple as this dish is, it’s so impressive you will amaze your family and friends.  This mixture is served in a lot of our local restaurants for triple the price it will cost you to make it for a family of 4.  Give it a try!

Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

4 thin chicken breasts cut into cubes (approximately 2 cups)

½ jar sun-dried tomatoes chopped finely (and ½ the oil and seasonings from in the jar)

Goat cheese crumbles (measure to your taste per dish)

5 Tbsp garlic flavored oil or olive oil

3 cloves minced garlic (approximately 2 Tbsp)

1 cup chicken stock or broth

16 oz box of pasta (penne is great for this dish)

Salt/Pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions

Heat 3 Tbsp oil and brown and cook the chicken until done

Once cooked add the chicken stock and garlic and bring to a boil

Turn heat off and add the sundried tomatoes with ½ jar of the oil and seasoning and 2 Tbsp garlic/olive oil stirring immediately to heat through

Serve over pasta and top with crumbled goat cheese

TIPS:

Stir the goat cheese immediately after putting on the pasta and it will melt and make the pasta creamy

You can also add chopped kale or spinach to this dish wilting it with the chicken stock.

Chicken Macaroni Salad

Yesterday the boy of the house requested our Chicken Macaroni Salad for dinner.  Sometimes you need a little reminder of the summer as this is a dish I usually make for those lazy hazy hot summer days when you don’t want to cook or eat anything hot.  It’s also a great dish for a cookout or picnic lunch.

I made it for him (and my mother and nephew who happened to be here for dinner) and threw some watermelon and strawberries on as a side.  It was a nice look to the future of those coming summer days.

You can find the recipe for our Chicken Macaroni Salad on my Facebook page here:  Chicken Macaroni Salad

Cheater?

Yes, I am a cheater sometimes.  But only when I have to be.

This is my “Cheaters Lasagna” for those nights you have hockey, basketball, shopping, barn chores, lunches to make for the next day..well you get the idea.  This is super easy, fast and yummy.

You can see how I make our “Cheaters Lasagna” on my Facebook page here:  Cheaters Lasagna

Mangia!!!

Julie’s Pasta Fagioli (Crockpot Cooking)

How incredible is a friend who brings you a batch of this for dinner???

My friend brought this over as she made a batch and it makes quite a large amount.  It was enough for 5 nice size bowls.  I grated a little fresh parmesan cheese and added a tiny basil leaf to each bowl which just enhanced the dish even more.

This is the perfect dinner for a cold night, family dinner, dinner party, or even pot luck as it makes a huge amount.  It is also something you can freeze in batches for those busy nights you don’t have enough time to cook.

This is only a portion of the amount she made:

Here is Julie’s recipe:

Julie’s Pasta Fagioli

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion chopped
3 carrots chopped
4 stalks celery chopped
2 cans (28oz) diced tomatoes – undrained
1 can (16oz) red kidney beans
1 can (16oz) white kidney beans
3 cans (10oz) beef stock
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 jar (20 oz) spaghetti sauce
8oz. Pasta
Brown the ground beef and drain.
Add all ingredients to crock pot except pasta.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.
During last hour on low or 30 minutes on high, add pasta.

This is the original recipe. Julie has changed it some for her family. – using half the amount of beans and double or almost double the ground beef and pasta.

When I make this (which will be soon) I will probably add 3 cloves of minced garlic as we love garlic in this house!!