Bubble Up Pizza Casserole

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, and my children LOVE it! So easy, and so perfect for those pizza-craving-nights.

BUBBLE-UP PIZZA CASSEROLE

What you need:

1 lb. ground beef
2 tsp. onion powder, or
1 onion, chopped
16 oz. tomato sauce, or
8 oz. tomato sauce, 12 oz. tomato paste & 12 oz. water
1/2 tsp. dried basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
15 oz. biscuits (I use just 10 oz. and cut them into fourths)
1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese (I use 1 part mozz, and 2 parts cheddar because the majority of my family is lactose intollerant)

How you do it:

Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Brown ground beef. Add onion powder, garlic, tomato sauce, basil 7 Italian seasoning. Add biscuits; stir gently until giscuits are covered. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until biscuits are done. Allowt o cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Alfredo Chicken

I got this recipe in the mail. My husband raved and raved about the chicken. I just thought, "Thanks, but it was so easy and I didn't do anything special to it at all." It really was better than I anticipated.


CHICKEN ALFREDO

What you need:

1/4 cup flour
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. onion, minced
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh parsley

How to do it:


Preheat oven to 375°. Place flour in a shallow dish or pie plate. Sprinkle chicken with salt and coat with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook, turning once, until golden, 2-4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet; place in a 9x13 baking dish. Heat remaining oil (1 tsp) in same skillet over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and onion; cook until garlic is fragrant and onion is tender, 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add whipping cream, Parmesan and pepper. Cook until sauce is bubbly and slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken in dish. Bake chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of chicken registers 180°, 8-12 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Step by Step:

After coating the chicken in flour, and heating the oil, add the chicken to the skillet. Make sure the oil is good and hot; when the oil is hot enough the flour won't absorb the oil.

Now add the chicken to the dish. No need to spray the dish before adding the chicken.

Make the sauce in the same skillet in which you cooked the chicken. I doubled the sauce because we decided to serve our chicken with pasta. It's super good without the pasta.

Bake the chicken for 8-12 minutes (total time including prep is about 30-40 minutes), then serve. I omitted the parsley because we didn't have any, and I added some extra Alfredo sauce atop the chicken. Oh, and it is so good that my husband and I had to split the leftover chicken breast so we could each have some for lunch this week. (Okay, okay, we fought over it and ended up in a compromise.)

Pasta!

Today is Table Time Tuesday! I know, I know, I haven’t posted a new recipe is two weeks. That’s why this post is just called: Pasta!

A few years ago, my friend’s husband taught me how to make two different pasta sauces. I’ve already shared one (I call it: Chunky Red Pasta Sauce), and now I’ll share the other one (of course with my modifications), plus one of my own creation.

This first one is an alfredo sauce (or as my family calls it, “white sauce”). If you like alfredo sauce, this is the sauce for you! Well, that is if you want to gain a few pounds. It is rich, creamy, and THE BEST homemade alfredo sauce I’ve ever had, if I do say so myself. We prefer it over the bottled sauces you can buy in the store. And, when I’m in a time crunch, or I just can’t think of anything to make for dinner, I make this and it’s on the table in at least 20 minutes, sometimes sooner.
ALFREDO SAUCE

What you need:

¼ cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced or chopped finely
¼ cup flour
½ tsp. salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (fresh is best)
½ tsp. basil
Dash of pepper
¼ cup frozen peas, optional
¼ to ½ cup water from pasta, optional
Pasta (my favorites are linguine, mini penne, or mini farfalle)

How you do it:

Saute garlic in butter in saucepan until butter is melted and garlic is soft. Whisk in flour and salt, and cook until bubbly. Continue stirring the roux for 3-5 minutes. Slowly, pour in whipping cream, stir until thickened, then add Parmesan cheese. When cheese is melted, add basil, pepper and peas. If sauce is too thick, add water from the cooking pasta (be sure to reserve the water if your pasta is finished cooking before your sauce is ready). Serve over pasta.

Tips:
· Always, always, always taste this sauce before you serve it. My measurements aren’t exact because I usually make it according to taste, so you may want more parm or more salt.

· When you cook pasta, do not rinse it off after you have drained it. Rinsing it releases the starches and makes the pasta really sticky. All you need to do is drain it, then pour about 1-2 tsp. of olive oil (depending on how much pasta you cook) over the pasta and toss it. That keeps the pasta from sticking together.

· You can keep this sauce in the fridge for about a week. I haven’t tried freezing it yet; but, I think it will separate even more than it does when it is in the fridge. The trick to avoid major separation is to scrap reheating in the microwave and just heat it up on the stove on a low heat. Slowly reheating the sauce will prevent the fat from separating the sauce. (I do reheat it in the microwave sometimes and it seems to be fine … I think that’s because there is flour in this recipe as opposed to other recipes that just combine butter, cream and Parmesan cheese.)

· If you don’t have, or use, a garlic press (I prefer not to), here’s how to get that pesky peel off the garlic clove (which, btw, is just one little bulb off the head of garlic you’ll end up getting in the produce section at the store): Place the clove on the cutting board on one of its flat sides. Take a wide-bladed knife and place it atop the clove. Hit the knife with the heel of your hand really hard, and push down on the clove. This should smash the clove a little bit … and that separates the peel from the clove. The peel should come right off, then you can chop up the clove (fair warning: garlic is sticky when it’s chopped).

· Try adding chicken, or pork to this … it’s really yummy.

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Now, onto sauce number two! This is one that I kind of made up. I’d gone to an Italian restaurant in our little Podunk town and the dinner I got was ravioli in a tomato-cream sauce. If you’ve not had tomato-cream sauce, you are totally missing out! It is so yummy! Anyway, when I asked what the sauce was like before ordering, the waitress told me that it was basically alfredo sauce mixed with marinara. So, I did some experimenting at home and came up with my Tomato-Cream Sauce (or “orange sauce” as my family calls it). My only problem is that I haven’t been able to scale down this recipe. I’ve tried other recipes for tomato-cream sauce, and I keep coming back to this one; so maybe one day I’ll figure out how to make a smaller amount.

TOMATO-CREAM SAUCE

What you need:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped; or
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic salt/powder (I use granulated garlic)
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
1 can tomato soup
½ can water
½ tsp. oregano, ground
½ tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
½ cup butter
2 garlic cloves, minced or chopped finely
½ cup flour
1 tsp. salt
4 cups heavy whipping cream
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
½ cup water from pasta

How you do it:

Brown ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink and onion is soft. Sprinkle ground beef with garlic salt (and onion powder if you don’t use an onion). Add tomato paste, soup, ½ can water, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add oregano and simmer 10 more minutes. While sauce simmers, melt butter in separate saucepan. Add garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Whisk in flour and salt and cook until bubbly, stirring constantly. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Pour in cream and whisk together. Stir until thickened. Add cheese and basil. Sauce will be very thick. Add water from cooked pasta. Combine white sauce and red sauce according to taste. Serve over pasta.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Our family went to a friend's soup pot luck on Saturday night. I wasn't in the mood to make any of my regular soup recipes. That's usually how I work ... either I get a recipe suggested from a friend, or I try out a new recipe on a bunch of people (just in case we don't like it so we won't have to keep a ton of leftovers in the fridge that we won't end up eating).

Anyway, for some reason I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find a recipe to replicate the Zuppa Toscana soup served at Olive Garden. So, I tried this recipe; and it turned out pretty similar and very yummy. (In fact, one of the guys there asked if I was trying to win a prize [we'd just won "most original chili" at a chili cook-off].) This is definitely worth trying if you like that spicy sausage and potato soup.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. ground spicy Italian sausage, crumbled

1/2 lb. smoked bacon (6 slices), chopped

1 qt. water

2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth (about 3 2/3 cups)

2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean and sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed or minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups chopped kale or swiss chard (I couldn't find either at the grocery store, so I used spinach)

1 cup heavy whipping cream (I added probably about another 1/2 cup)

salt & pepper, to taste

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, set aside. Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through.

Linguini Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

We eat a lot of pasta in our house. I mean, A LOT! Ever since we used to share dinners with a friend's family, who almost always served pasta, we have enjoyed the best pasta dishes ever! And, this one is just as good as any of the others. The chicken I grilled before I sliced it ... but, I think next time I'll slice it and then marinate and grill it. It was still pretty good as it was. I usually don't add chicken to my alfredo pasta .... but, it just seemed right. And, this is linguini ... one of my favs. I also LOVE penne, farfalle (the little bowties), and rotini. Choose your favorite ... my alfredo sauce is a little think, so you don't have to worry about choosing a pasta that will hold the sauce well. Marinara is different; penne is really good for that one because of the ridges.

So, start out by marinating your chicken (I used Lawry's Carribean Jerk marinade ... it was really, really good). Stick it in a bag in the fridge for 30 minutes before you serve the dish. After you take care of the chicken, start the water boiling for the pasta, and also start on the sauce.

ALFREDO PASTA SAUCE

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried basil

2 cups whipping cream

(or half and half, or milk)

1 to 2 Tbsp. milk, or some of the

water from cooking the pasta

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Start by making a roux: melt the butter, then add the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper; cook while stirring for about one minute. Slowly pour in the cream, and whisk together until it starts to thicken. Now, add the milk according to the thickness you'd like (I prefer the pasta water, and I usually just eyeball it, pouring in water and stirring until it is the right conistency). Toss in the parm; stir until melted. Add basil. Serve over pasta. (Add more or less salt according to your tastebuds.)

Sometimes I throw in a small handfull of frozen peas and just serve that over the pasta. But, on this night, I grilled the chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side, then sliced it up and served that atop the pasta. I think I added the peas to this as well ... but I didn't see any in the picture, so I didn't want to trick everyone!

Let me know what you think!

Lasagna

LASAGNA

1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. garlic salt
½ small onion, or
1 tsp. onion powder
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
1 can tomato soup
1 to 1 ¾ cans water
½ tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushroom (optional)
½ tsp. ground oregano
1 pkg. lasagna noodles
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 (12 oz.) container cottage cheese

Brown ground beef and onion. If you want spicier lasagna, try using ground Italian sausage. Sprinkle garlic salt (and onion powder if omitting the onion) on meat. Add tomato paste, tomato soup, water, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add oregano and mushrooms (add a little more water if sauce is too thick). Simmer for 10 more minutes. Combine cottage cheese and eggs in small bowl, set aside. Make two layers as follows:

1/3 meat sauce
Lasagna noodles
½ cottage cheese mixture
½ mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

End with last 1/3 of meat sauce on top. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until set, before serving

Beef & Cheese Bake

BEEF & CHEESE BAKE

1 ½ lbs. ground beef
1 (8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 to 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. basil, divided
3 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
12 oz. cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
8 to 16 oz. pasta (we like rotini; amount depends on how many you're feeding)
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. Cook pasta until slightly tender. Brown ground beef. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, 1 tsp. basil, 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper; stir to mix seasonings well with beef. Pour in tomato sauces and Worcestershire sauce. Let simmer. Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, remaining 1 tsp. basil, and remaining 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Spray 9x13 pan. Spread half of pasta on the bottom of pan. Spoon half of the beef mixture over pasta. Cover with cheese mixture. Finish layering with remaining pasta and beef mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (and, I sprinkle a little bit of Italian seasoning atop the parm). Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until bubbly hot. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Chunky Red Pasta Sauce

RED PASTA

1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
20 baby carrots, or two carrots sliced
2 cans tomatoes, petite diced (my friend used whole tomatoes I think, but I like the smaller chunks in petite diced)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste*
water, to consistency
3 cubes chicken bouillon (my friend used vegetable bouillon, I just don't have that here)
basil, to taste (I use about 1 Tbsp. or so, just smell the sauce to determine if there's enough: you don't want it to taste like peppers and tomatoes, and you don't want it to burn your nose with basil)
salt and pepper, to taste
pasta, cooked (I prefer penne or linguini, which is what we had)

In a large pot, combine butter and olive oil until butter is melted. Add pork cubes and stir to brown. When pork is lightly golden brown on one or two sides, add garlic and onion. Sauté for about one minute. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta. (*Only add about 2/3 of the can of tomato paste. Less if you want chunkier sauce, more if you want creamier sauce.) Let simmer for at least 2 hours, the longer it simmers the better is tastes (especially the carrots). (This smells heavenly!) Serve over pasta; sprinkle with parmesan.