Baked Beef Penne Pasta

This is a crowd pleaser every time I make it. I love that it comes together quickly and that it makes enough to feed my family and have some to freeze for later. This recipe is a combination of a 5 star dish off of meals.com and my friend Lisa Fox's Lasagna sauce.  We serve it with a steamed seasonal vegetable or a nice toss salad. When company joins us we add a nice bread too.  

1 lb dried penne pasta prepared according to package directions

8 oz lean ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups water

1 (14 oz) can Tomato Sauce

1 teaspoon Basil leaves

1 teaspoon Oregano leaves

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 red cooking wine or water

1 Tablespoon INSTANT beef flavor bouillon

2 cups (8 oz) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook beef and onion in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink.  Add water, tomato paste, wine and bouillon; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until flavors are blended.

Layer ingredients as follows in UNGREASED 13 x 9 baking dish: 1/2 pasta, 1/2 sauce, and 1/2 cheese. Repeat layers; cover

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Season with salt.

Freeze (for later use)

Prepare as above, do not bake.  Cover, freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Season with salt.

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

It was a warm winter day today--high 40's/low 50's so what do you do...Get and itch to Grill!! is a food network--Bobby Flay recipe. Every time I make it Jack can't get enough. My boys love it too. Tonight Cameron said, "Mommy, this is very NUMMY!" Everyone cleaned their plates and asked for seconds. This is definitely a keeper!

3 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon honey

2 Tablespoons butter

Melt together in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in 

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon finely grated ginger

Salmon 8 salmon fillets, 6 oz each (I buy frozen Salmon at Costco which is skinless or I buy their fresh fillets if I can swing it right.  We use three of the prepackaged fillets)

Vegetable oil (I use olive)

salt and pepper

I lightly coat the salmon with oil, then salt and pepper on one side. 

Preheat your grill to medium heat (10-15 minutes). Place the salmon skin side down (I just look at the fillet and try to pick which side I thought the skin was on ;-) ) Coat the flesh of the salmon fillets with the brown sugar mixture. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once, then cook 5 to 6 minutes more. 

I like to serve this with green beans, and wild rice.

Chicken-Barley Soup Crock pot

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

5 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (original recipe calls for 1 tsp.)

2 lbs cooked chick breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used 2 boneless chicken thighs and 8 chicken tenders)

1/2 cup barley, picked over and rinsed

2 Tablespoons butter

3 14.4 oz cans chicken broth

1 cup water

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (about 2 shakes)

Place the vegetables, garlic, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker. Top with chicken pieces, barley, butter, broth, water, and bouillon. DO NOT STIR. Cover and cook on Low for  8 hours (I cooked mine on high for 3-4 hours). Before serving, stir in parsley and Tabasco sauce.

We ate it without the parsley and Tabasco, because I forgot to add it. My boys told me this was so good and they gobbled it down. I love the simplicity of this recipe and that it doesn't call for a lot of extra spices.

Calypso Black Beans and Rice and Taquitos

My family enjoyed this meal. It makes it a TON so be prepared for left overs. I served it with Chicken Taquitos and it was a lot of food.  The black beans and rice are suppose to a meal by itself.  It says it serves four generously, but it fed my family of four with left overs for another meal. On the second day we served it as a side dish on a last minute family pot lock Mexican dinner (four adults and 6 kids and there was still more left). It still got good reviews from everyone. We LOVE  extra LIME juice on top!

Calypso Black Beans

This is Claudia Bushman's recipe from 5 Star Latter Day Saint recipes.

1 cup peppers (various colors), diced

1 cup onions, chopped

2 Tablespoons prepared garlic

Half a dozen good shakes of hot pepper sauce (I used 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper made it kid friendly, but there wasn't much of a kick)

2 (16 oz) can black beans, drained

2/3 cups water

Salt and pepper, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon salt)

1 (10 oz) package, yellow rice mix (I found it at Walmart in the Mexican section)

1 tomato, diced

2 limes, cut in wedges

In an olive-oil-sprayed skillet, saute pepper and onions over medium-high heat until somewhat cooked. Add prepared garlic and half a dozen food shakes of hot pepper sauce. Add black beans and water. Cook for 6 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook yellow rice mix according to package directions. Put rice on a platter and spoon bean mixture over rice. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the rice. Top with diced tomatoes and the other lime, cut in wedges and place on the side. (We also added slices of avocado, cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream.)

Serves 4 generously !!!!

Simple Chicken Taquitos--Sarah Babbel's recipe

Cooked Chicken

Corn Tortillas (White or Yellow Corn)

Taco Seasoning packet

Canola oil

Cut or shred chicken with a fork. Place in a bowl and add a season packet. (Jack and I thought ours were a little dry so we might try adding cream cheese to them or something else to add moisture--it might have been because I used canned chicken instead of using freshly prepared chicken).

Add a small amount of oil to a skillet and add a corn tortilla one at a time to warm them so that they are easier to roll up. Add desired amount into corn tortillas, roll it up, carefully place in the pan with oil. ( I found seam side down to help them stay rolled up. Placing several in the pan at one time also helps.) Turn them until all sides were cooked.

Eat with guacamole, salsa, or beans.

Chicken/Turkey Noodle Soup

This is my version of the Turkey (Chicken) Noodle soup from Cooking Light. Enjoy fresh veggies, tender chicken and noodles. This was a hit with my kids. I guess they love soups like Jack and I. I love that it is healthy and comes together quick, just 35 minutes.

Cooking spray

1-2 cups (1/4-inch) sliced carrots

2 cups chopped leeks or 3/4 cup chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups sliced celery

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 1/2 cups (4 oz) uncooked egg noodles

1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 bay leaf

2 cups shredded chicken (I used Boneless Chicken Thighs)

Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add carrots, onion, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until onions are lightly browned.  Add celery, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; saute 3 minutes.  Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.  Add shredded chicken; cook 3 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper, if desired.

Strawberry Soup

This soup is AWESOME!!!! It is a cold soup. I thought it odd to be served it in the winter months, but I am sure enjoyed it anyway. The caterer that served the Clinic Christmas Party got this from a chef on their cruise last year. We had a similar soup on our cruise that was peach flavored. They are so smooth, creamy and DELICIOUS!!! I would serve this as an appetizer or a dessert.

2 cups frozen strawberries

2 cups cranberry/raspberry juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon juice

Mix together all above ingredients

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup Amaretto coffee-mate creamer

1 cup Half and Half

Mix into above mixture.

Pour into blender. Mix and serve.

"Stupid Easy Good Crusty Peasant Bread"

Lynnette calls this "stupid easy bread" because you mix the ingredients together and let it rest on the counter all day, knead it about 10 times and bake it. The results an awesome artisan bread that looks like you bought it at a bakery. I have seen this recipe on other blogs (Sisters Cafe and others-they are all a little different but their roots are all the same tracing back to a New York Times food column.) Thank you Lynnette for sharing your version and making me look good! My family loves it!! It is SUPER EASY and if I can make this gorgeous bread anyone can.

**I use all water 1 1/4 cups and the 1 Tablespoon of White Vinegar for my liquids and followed the recipe as instructed.  It has turned out great every time! I also used my huge dutch oven turkey roaster pan and cooked two loafs side by side with no problem.  Jack wants me to try to par bake them--up to the point where you remove the lid cool it and freeze it then we can bake it the rest of the way and have it hot and fresh when we want it.

Lynnette's recipe and instructions:

3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast (cheat and add a little more yeast if you are in a hurry)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 plus 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) water, at room temperature or a little bit warmer

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lager beer (I use O'Dooles non-alcoholic or even water if I'm out of beer)

1 tablespoon white vinegar (this gives a slight sourdough flavor, substitute 1 tablespoon water if you prefer)

Put flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Dump in water, beer, and vinegar. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy ball forms. I usually end up mixing with my hand to make sure all the flour is mixed with the liquid. No need to knead. Really. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for about 4 to 8 hours, or more, on the countertop. Sometimes I mix the dough just before bed and bake mid-morning the next day. If you need more time before you are ready to bake the bread punch the dough down and let rise again. And again, if you need.

Place a sheet of parchment paper over a medium mixing bowl. Spray parchment with cooking spray. Dump dough onto a lightly floured counter top and gently knead about 10 turns. Shape dough into a ball and transfer to prepared parchment paper. The dough and paper will sink into the bowl Cover bowl lightly with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour. 

Place a 6-qt enameled cast iron dutch oven with a tight fitting lid into the oven and preheat to 500 degrees while dough rises, at least 30 minutes. If your dutch oven has a plastic-type handle it will stink at high temperatures. I ordered a metal replacement knob for my pot.

Reduce oven heat to 425 degrees. Dust top of loaf with flour and using your sharpest knife, make 3 slashes over top of loaf. Remove super hot lid from top of pot. Using parchment paper as a sling, lift dough out of bowl and gently place into preheated pot, paper and all. The parchment paper will stick up all around the sides. Don't worry, just put the lid on as tightly as possible and bake for 30 minutes. NO PEEKING. Remove lid and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes more until loaf is a deep golden brown. Dump loaf out of pan, place onto cooling rack, remove and discard toasted parchment paper, and let loaf cool for at least 45 minutes before cutting. If bottom of loaf is too dark reduce the oven temperature by 5 or 10 degrees and/or reduce baking time next time.

Other versions:

Asiago Cheese Bread:

To the original recipe add 1/2 cup (2 ounces) asiago cheese (cut into little tiny cubes) into flour mixture. Proceed with recipe. This is my current favorite bread - so full of flavor and texture. It makes amazing panini sandwiches. 

Cranberry Pecan/Walnut Bread:

To the original recipe add 1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts of choice and 1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins) into flour mixture. Proceed with recipe.

Jalapeno Cheddar 

Italian Herb