Creamy Spinach Ricotta Pasta

I don't have a picture because I thought I had posted this and found out that I hadn't.  So sorry!

Creamy Spinach Ricotta Pasta

1 lb rigatoni
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes w/ basil, onion, and garlic
1 cup fresh or frozen chopped onions
1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
2 1/2 cup jarred alfredo sauce
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 Tb olive oil

425 degrees.  Coat 13 x 9 inch baking dish with spray.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta.  Drain; return to pot.  Stir in tomatoes and chopped onions.   Cook spinach in microwave.  Squeeze out moisture.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add alfredo sauce, ricotta, garlic salt and pepper; stir to combine.

Transfer spinach mixture to pasta pot; toss to combine.  Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish.  Mix together bread crumbs, parmesan, and oil.  Sprinkle over pasta.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

8 servings

*I don't use canned tomatoes.  I just use some chopped onion and tomato alone.  Then season as desired. 
*I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta.

Wild Rice Chicken Supreme

I got this dish from a friend when I had my daughter.  Asked for the recipe and it quickly became a favorite.  Easy to make and works well for the freezer.  If you wanted to make it more frugal you could even leave out the chicken.  In fact, I prefer it that way.

Wild Rice Chicken Supreme

1 box uncle ben's long grain and wild rice

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt

dash of pepper

1 cup half and half

1 can chicken broth

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1/3 cup chopped pimiento

1/3 cup chopped parsley

Prepare rice according to box.  Meanwhile melt butter in saucepan, add onion and cook for a few minutes until tender.  Stir in flour, salt, and pepper.  Gradually stir in half and half and chicken broth (whisking in).  Cook, stirring constantly until thickened.  Stir in chicken, pimiento, parsley, and cooked rice.  Place in 2 quart casserole dish.  Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Servers 6-8

Nachos

I've been craving nachos and decided to make our own for dinner the other night.  Don't these just look divine?!  And they couldn't be more simple.

I took a small thing of velveets, 1/2 lb I think?  I heated it in the microwave until mostly melted then added some salsa to it.  That was our cheese sauce.  I know, I know...velveeta?  I've got to find a good homemade sauce to try.

I put some sauce over my chips and added some scallions, black beans, tomato, and jalepenos to mine.  The hubs only put ground beef and cheese sauce on his.  Boring!  They were so good and will be made again, probably on a Sunday while watching football.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Found this recipe in my Taste of Home magazine, on an ad for Craisins and since I had everything other than the white chocolate chips (which the hubby went and got for me) I made them to take to our Thanksgiving meal tomorrow at the in-laws.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2/3 cup butter/margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 6-oz pkg dried cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, mixing well.

Combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in seperate mixing bowl.  Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in dried cranberries and white chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake fr 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.

Makes around 2 1/2 dozen.

Menu Plan

I was bad last week about posting new recipes.  Sorry!  This week we're eating a lot out of the freezer so there probably won't be many posts. 

Pasta Roll Ups, green beans, rolls
Tortellini Soup, garlic bread, fruit
Chicken and Stuffing, corn, fruit
Leftovers
Mini Meatloaves, Calico Beans, fruit
Breakfast Night:  pancakes, sausage, eggs
Leftovers

Pasta Roll Ups

Pretty much like lasagna but I get tired of doing things the same way all the time.

It didn't call for meat but my husband requested it so I added it in.  I think it made it better.  I also left out the green onions and used cottage cheese instead of ricotta.

Pasta Roll Ups

1 egg, beaten

1 container - 15 oz - ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded Italian three cheese blend

4 green onions, chopped

1 Tb Italian seasoning

1 jar - 26 oz - spaghetti sauce, divided

16 lasagna noodles (I used 20)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

375 degrees.

Mix first 5 ingredients until well blended.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of 9x13 dish.  (I used two 8x8 so I could freeze one.  I got 10 rolls in each one.)  Spread each noodle with 3 Tb cheese mixture; roll up.  Place, seam side down, in dish.  Top with remaining sauce and parmesan.  Cover.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until heated through, uncovering last 10 minutes.

If frozen--thaw overnight in fridge.  Bake, covered, 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until heated through, uncovering last 10 minutes.

This post is linked to:

Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free

What's Cooking Wednesday at Turning Back the Clock

A Southern Fairytale

Tasty Tuesdays at A Beautiful Mess

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Alfredo Sausage and Vegetables

I wasn't sure how this would turn out and my hubby isn't a big fan of white sauces but it was Wonderful!  Will definitely be made again.  It had really good flavor and a ton of veggies.  Not the best thing in the world for you but it sure was good!

Alfredo Sausage and Vegetables

1 pkg smoked sausage
8 oz uncooked fettuccini
1/4 cup margarine/butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup matchstick-cut zucchini
1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1/2 cup matchstick-cut red pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/3 cup grated parmesan
2 Tb chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Cut sausage into 1/4 inch slices; set aside.  Cook fettuccini; drain and keep warm.

While cooking pasta, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is tender.  Increase heat to medium high; add sausage, zucchini, carrots, pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 6 minutes or until carrots are crisp tender.

Stir in peas and cream; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through, but do not boil.  Stir in parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Toss with drained fettuccini.  Sprinkle with additional parmesan.

**I left the peas out since my husband doesn't really like them and I added in some broccoli since I had some to use up.  I think next time I might add some asparagus as well.

This post is linked to:
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative Party Blog
Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple
Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale
Tasty Tuesday at A Beautiful Mess
Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at At the Well
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Menu Plan

Not sure what days we'll have what but here's the plan:

Chili (recipe to come)
Burritos w/ cilantro lime rice
Tuna Melts (recipe to come)
Alfredo sausage and veggies (new)
Leftovers or Pizza
Maybe eating out for my birthday

Coffee Cake

This is my Grandmom's recipe for a sour cream coffee cake.  I usually double it and get three round cakes out of it and freeze a couple.  They freeze really well.

Coffee Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:  1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Add to creamed mixture alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour 1/2 batter into buttered 9x9 baking pan.  Cover with 1/2 of nut topping.  Pour remaining batter over filling and top with rest of nut mixture.  Bake about 40 minutes.

New Potatoes in Creamy Dill Sauce

I'm not a big potato fan.  I just find them kind of boring.  But these I liked.  So what does that mean?  That nobody else in my family liked them!

New Potatoes in Creamy Dill Sauce

1 1/2 lb small new potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (or 1/2 of an 8 oz tub) chive and onion cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp dill weed

Microwave potatoes and water in covered 3 quart dish, on high 15 ot 17 minutes or until tender.  Stir after 10 minutes; drain.  Return potatoes to dish and set aside.

Microwave cream cheese and milk in bowl 1 minute; stir until smooth.  Pour over potatoes; sprinkle with dill.

Microwave 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.  Stir gently.

Almond Crusted Tilapia

Almond Crusted Tilapia (Or in this case, Catfish)

2 eggs
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp garlic pepper
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 (6 oz) tilapia filets
1/4 cup all purpose flour, for dusting
6 Tb butter
salt to taste
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 sprigs parsley
8 lemon wedges

Beat the eggs with the peppers until blended; set aside.  Stir together ground almonds and 1 cup parmesan in shallow dish until combined; set aside.  Dust filets with flour, and shake off excess.  Dip in egg, then press in almond mixture.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook tilapia in melted butter until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Reduce heat to medium, and season filets with salt if desired.  Sprinkle tilapia with remaining parmesan, cover, and continue cooking until parmesan has melted, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a serving dish, and garnish with parsley and lemon.