Sunday, February 21, 2010
Heads Up
Meals this week will probably not be new. I don't expect to be super motivated. This sinus crap seems to be revisting... :: sighs :: Oh well. In the meantime, I'll do some more searching for new recipes so that I can have something to show and some good things to share. :)
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna - Crock Pot
Of the recipes I tried, this was the one that actually ended up tasting really, really good. At first we were concerned it wouldn't completely feed us, but this is a filling recipe. As a side note, we use 1 jar Great Value Alfredo and 1 jar of Classico Alfredo. I imagine any good Alfredo would work (including homemade). I would say you could feed 4 - 6 adults on this especially if you have salad or bread along with it. For whatever reason, I really enjoyed this meal, much more than I thought I would. I'm betting spinach could be added in to this as well for variation.
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 jars (16 oz each) Alfredo sauce
1/3 c. water
1.5 c. chicken, cooked and diced*
1 carton (10 - 15 oz) ricotta or cottage cheese
2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Grease 6 - 7 quart slow cooker.
2. Break noodles to fit in bottom of slow cooker.
3. Layer a third of Alfredo sauce, half of water, and half of chicken over noodles. Spread half of ricotta or cottage cheese and sprinkle a third of mozzarella over meat layer.
4. Add another layer of noodles. Layer a third of Alfredo sauce, remaining chicken, water, and ricotta or cottage cheese. Sprinkle second third of mozzarella.
5. Layer remaining noodles, sauce, and mozzarella. Cover and cook on low heat 4 - 5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours.**
Variation: Add a small can (2.25 oz) of sliced olives between layers.
* We cooked the chicken using about a tablespoon of olive oil, 2 - 3 tsp of Italian seasoning, and about 1 tablespoon of garlic.
** If you cook it for longer it becomes discolored and looses some texture quality.
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 jars (16 oz each) Alfredo sauce
1/3 c. water
1.5 c. chicken, cooked and diced*
1 carton (10 - 15 oz) ricotta or cottage cheese
2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Grease 6 - 7 quart slow cooker.
2. Break noodles to fit in bottom of slow cooker.
3. Layer a third of Alfredo sauce, half of water, and half of chicken over noodles. Spread half of ricotta or cottage cheese and sprinkle a third of mozzarella over meat layer.
4. Add another layer of noodles. Layer a third of Alfredo sauce, remaining chicken, water, and ricotta or cottage cheese. Sprinkle second third of mozzarella.
5. Layer remaining noodles, sauce, and mozzarella. Cover and cook on low heat 4 - 5 hours. Do not cook more than 5 hours.**
Variation: Add a small can (2.25 oz) of sliced olives between layers.
* We cooked the chicken using about a tablespoon of olive oil, 2 - 3 tsp of Italian seasoning, and about 1 tablespoon of garlic.
** If you cook it for longer it becomes discolored and looses some texture quality.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Quick Comment
Okay, so we are through the illness stage and the "I'm behind in scheduling my meals!" stage (more or less). As restitution for having been terrible about posting new recipes over the last little bit, I have deliberately scheduled three new crock pot meals. Tonight we will be doing Chicken Alfredo Lasagna. I'll let you all know how that goes. On Thursday it will be "Cheesy Chicken" and then after that something called "Family Favorite Casserole."
My parental just sent me a link to more slow cooker recipes, so I'm going to start digging around there too to see if something catches my eye.
My parental just sent me a link to more slow cooker recipes, so I'm going to start digging around there too to see if something catches my eye.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Baked Cavatelli
This is quite good and through my sniffles, I enjoyed it a lot! We used three hot Italian sausage links for this, so a bit more than the recipe required. It filled a 9x9 casserole dish to the brim. Really, it's more or less glorified spaghetti using a different kind of noodle, but again, we enjoyed it!
Baked Cavatelli (Prep: 25mins, Bake: 30mins)
(Makes: 9x9 casserole dish worth)
7 oz of dried Cavatelli or Wagon Wheel Macaroni
12 ounces uncooked Italian sausage links, sliced 1/2 inch thick, or lean ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
2. In a large skillet cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is brown; remove from skillet. Drain.
3. In a large bowl stir together pasta sauce, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the pepper. Add the cooked pasta and the drained sausage mixture. Stir gently to combine. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole.
4. Bake, covered, in a 375 F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until nearly heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.
Ways to add variety:
Place fresh spinach in colander for pasta draining. Drain past over spinach to cook it.
Baked Cavatelli (Prep: 25mins, Bake: 30mins)
(Makes: 9x9 casserole dish worth)
7 oz of dried Cavatelli or Wagon Wheel Macaroni
12 ounces uncooked Italian sausage links, sliced 1/2 inch thick, or lean ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
2. In a large skillet cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is brown; remove from skillet. Drain.
3. In a large bowl stir together pasta sauce, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the pepper. Add the cooked pasta and the drained sausage mixture. Stir gently to combine. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole.
4. Bake, covered, in a 375 F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until nearly heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.
Ways to add variety:
Place fresh spinach in colander for pasta draining. Drain past over spinach to cook it.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Spicy Potato Soup - Crock Pot
Hello! Sorry to be so long in the writing. We ate this on Wednesday, and yesterday was pizza 'cause I was feeling lazy and sick.
The deal with this meal is that I was sick when we made it so I couldn't taste a thing. This makes it difficult for me to do a full analysis on what it tasted like. However, my spouse had some input:
"It's incredibly simple and that's the best thing about it. It's more bland, but with pepper and salt, that improves the taste. I also think that this soup could use some peas."
So, there you have it. I will put the recipe below. I personally added a ton of hot sauce 'cause I like spicy and that's about the only thing I might've been able to register. :) We did add salt and pepper to our bowls individually. I'm guessing if peas were to be added, it needs to be near the end so they don't go mushy. Also, add another potato if you want something with a bit more substance... there's a lot of broth otherwise (I'm someone who likes stew-y-er soups). Last thing, we used ground beef.
Spicy Potato Soup
1 lb. ground beef or sausage, browned and drained
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
5 to 6 cups water
3 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in greased 4.5 - 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 7 - 9* hours or on high heat 3 - 4 hours. Makes 10 - 12 servings.
Variation: Omit black pepper and hot pepper sauce and replace with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning for a milder soup.
* To get the potatoes cooked, you're going to go for 8 - 9 hours. You might be able put the crock pot on high for the first or last hour to get them softer faster. Just a suggestion.
The deal with this meal is that I was sick when we made it so I couldn't taste a thing. This makes it difficult for me to do a full analysis on what it tasted like. However, my spouse had some input:
"It's incredibly simple and that's the best thing about it. It's more bland, but with pepper and salt, that improves the taste. I also think that this soup could use some peas."
So, there you have it. I will put the recipe below. I personally added a ton of hot sauce 'cause I like spicy and that's about the only thing I might've been able to register. :) We did add salt and pepper to our bowls individually. I'm guessing if peas were to be added, it needs to be near the end so they don't go mushy. Also, add another potato if you want something with a bit more substance... there's a lot of broth otherwise (I'm someone who likes stew-y-er soups). Last thing, we used ground beef.
Spicy Potato Soup
1 lb. ground beef or sausage, browned and drained
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
5 to 6 cups water
3 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in greased 4.5 - 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 7 - 9* hours or on high heat 3 - 4 hours. Makes 10 - 12 servings.
Variation: Omit black pepper and hot pepper sauce and replace with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning for a milder soup.
* To get the potatoes cooked, you're going to go for 8 - 9 hours. You might be able put the crock pot on high for the first or last hour to get them softer faster. Just a suggestion.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Nothing New Yet
Hello! So currently my spouse is under the weather. I was going to revamp my menu to have some new meals - particularly crock pot - but with sickness in the house, I'm going with tried and true.
Our first new meal will be on Wednesday and will be crock pot. So check on Thursday and it should be posted (assuming it was tasty)!
Our first new meal will be on Wednesday and will be crock pot. So check on Thursday and it should be posted (assuming it was tasty)!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Update
Thus far, I've not made anything new. I was suppose to make a Baked Cavatelli meal, but that didn't happen. I'm pretty sure I made pizza instead. Saturday was Greek Pitas night and then Sunday was eating with friends/relatives. Monday was Beef Stroganoff. Tonight will be Fried Rice. Tomorrow I will be making Lasagna 'cause we're taking some to a friend.
Hmmm... I'm noticing too many repeat meals. I'll work on that. I'll try to get something new up in the next day or two! In the mean time, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" is great! If you've not watched it, take the time. It's quite funny.
Hmmm... I'm noticing too many repeat meals. I'll work on that. I'll try to get something new up in the next day or two! In the mean time, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" is great! If you've not watched it, take the time. It's quite funny.
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