Pasta Pie

So, I made this months ago but time got away from me so I haven't had a chance to post it yet. I really like this recipe. Tastes great and is very fun to look at. :) I found this online and just had to try it. I highly recommend it! Also, I added a few things here and there but I didn't write them down. I think it was basil and maybe some italian seasoning and a pinch of sugar. Whatever I did it made things really tasty. :)

Pasta Pie

1 pound rigatoni

2 Tbs olive oil, divided

1 pound ground beef

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (I used the not-freshly-ground kind, haha)

1 (28 oz) can good quality crushed tomatoes

butter, for pan

salt

1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

8 oz coarsely grated mozzarella

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (you'll be baking everything later so it'll finish cooking). One pound of pasta should be cookin in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together (I add a little olive oil and salt to the water when I cook pasta; oil so things don't stick, salt for extra flavor). When done, rinse in cold water and draing again. Toss pasta with 1 Tbs olive oil to coat (I think this is too much but do as you see fit). Set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil (1 Tbs) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Cood 2 minutes more.

Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Buter a 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. This may take longer than expected.

Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.

Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have. (We had quite a bit extra because we got tired of stuffing it in holes. Haha)

Spaghetti Pie

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes! My mom passed down the recipe to me about 8 years ago and I can't get enough of it! Ü

INGREDIENTS

• 6 ounces spaghetti
• 2 1/2 quarts boiling water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef (optional)
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook spaghetti in water with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon oil until tender but still firm. Drain. Add eggs, Parmesan cheese, and butter. Mix and shape into a crust in greased 10-inch pie plate.
2. Spread cottage cheese over crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Scramble-fry beef, onion, and green pepper until beef is thoroughly browned. Mix in tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and garlic powder. Spread mixture over cottage cheese. (If you'd like, you can substitute spaghetti sauce for the onion, green pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, salt, and garlic powder)
   
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake 5-10 minutes more.

Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Oh. My. Goodness. So a few months ago I had a craving. A big craving. It took a while to figure out what it was but then I realized what it was: Cinnamon Chip Cookies. When my mom's friend Darlene first moved into our ward she made us some of these cookies. She even gave us the extra dough to freeze and I remembering taking big chunks of the frozen dough and munching on that. Mmmmmmm. SO good. I didn't have the recipe so I contacted Darlene and she was gracious enough to look for it and give it to me. I made them last night because I couldn't hold off the craving any more and I can now say I am satisfied. Sam even likes them and he's not as into cinnamon as I am. :)




Cinnamon Chip Cookies
Makes approximately 5 dozen

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup cinnamon chips (I think Hershey's is the only brand of cinnamon chips out there. They're by the chocolate chips in the store)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix sugar and softened butter. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until creamy. Combine flour, spice, salt and soda in separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture. Add oatmeal and cinnamon chips. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Italian Dressing

I found this on a recipe site when I was looking for a dressing for a chicken marinade. Make this and then add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and a little bit of lemon juice for some yummy chicken marinade!

Italian Dressing Mix

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 1 tablespoon garlic salt
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 2 tablespoons dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 tablespoon dried parsley
* 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
* 2 tablespoons salt


DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic salt, onion powder, sugar, oregano, pepper, thyme, basil, parsley, celery salt and regular salt. Store in a tightly sealed container.
2. To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 white vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix.

Tallarin Saltados

Ok, my husband and I LOVE Peruvian food. Its pretty much amazing. He got into it on his mission and I was introduced to it the summer he and I met. We have a favorite Peruvian restaurant in SLC that we try to go to every time we're up there. This is a classic dish that we have almost perfected. I highly recommend it. Its pronounced tie-yah-reen sahl-ta-dos. If that makes any sense. Haha. We have tweaked the recipe to our liking. We only make about half the marinade and use low-sodium soy sauce when available. This is the recipe we use and I've added my changes. We got a new set of chopsticks for V-Day and decided to try them out with this dish. Mmmmm.

Tallarin Saltados

1 lb cooked spaghetti or linguine (we use chinese noodles from the grocery store)

1 lb beef tenderloin, sliced thinly against the grain (you can used chicken too)

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1 large red onion, cut into wedges

3-4 roma tomatoes, cut in wedges, seeds removed

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbs chopped cilantro

Mix the soy sauce and vinegar. Marinate meat in half the soy/vinegar mixture for at least 30 minutes. Add 2 Tbs oil to a heated pan or wok. Saute marinated meat on high. Drizzle in the remaining soy mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add onions, red pepper flakes and tomatoes. Saute briefly (only about 1 minute). Add cooked noodles and toss. Serve topped with cilantro.

Tres Leches Cake

This is one of my husband's favorite desserts. I'm SO glad my friend gave me the recipe. She's amazing!

Tres Leches Cake

1 yellow cake mix

1 box cook and serve vanilla pudding

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 medium sized carton heavy whipping cream

pecan bits

caramel

Make cake mix using milk instead of water and add the box of cook and serve pudding. Bake in two 9” round cake pans. While they bake pour sweetened condensed milk into a deep, flat pan. Deep enough and big enough to dip cakes into. While the cakes cool whip the whipping cream until it starts to thicken, add a little sugar and vanilla to taste. When the cakes are cool dip them in the sweetened condensed milk. Let them soak up the milk but not until they’re soggy. Cover the first layer with the whipped cream, pecan bits and caramel. Don’t warm the caramel too much or it will ruin whipped cream. Set the second layer on the top and top it the same way as the first. Stick in the fridge. Serve cold. Keep refrigerated.

Honey Apricot Sesame Chicken

The first time Sam and I made this was definitely a trial and error. The combination of onions and crushed red pepper makes us cough everytime so be careful and have a window open or something. Haha. Also, we put WAY too much of the crushed red pepper in and about died of heat. We change it up between rice and whole wheat spaghetti noodles, too. Now that we've made it a few more times it is a family favorite. I HIGHLY recommend it.



Honey-Apricot Sesame Chicken

2 Tbs honey
3 Tbs apricot jam
1/8 tsp grated ginger
2 Tbs sesame seeds
5 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 small onion, diced
1/4 cup cornstarch
vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped in 2-inch cubes

-Combine honey, jam, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and ginger in small bowl, set asid. Season chicken with salt and then dredge in cornstarch.
-In a large, non-stick skillet heat oil over med-high head. Add half the chicken. Cook, turning occasionally until golden and opaque throughout, 6-8 minutes. Transer to paper towel lined plate. Cook remaining chicken, adding more oil if needed. Put on paper towel plate.
-Add more oil if needed thena dd pepper flakes. Head for about 30 seconds. Add onions, garlic and zucchini or squash and cook until tender.
-Add sauce and bring to boil. Return all chicken to skillet and toss with sauce to coat. Cook until chicken is heated through; cook longer if thicker sauce is desired. Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

*Sam says the picture doesn't do it justice. Haha*