Mostaccioli

My Mostaccoli is a deconstructed lasagna. It looks messy, not all organized and perfectly layered, but it has the same great taste. It's a great way to use up leftover spaghetti sauce. Two meals in one pot! You will need at least 6 cups of Spaghetti Sauce. If you don't quite have enough you can always add a jar of spaghetti sauce and make it work. I think because this recipe is so easy, I felt the need to overcompensate, by adding 800 thousand pictures. Not really only 17 but who's counting.

Why do I call it Mostaccioli? Good question. I use Rigatoni noodles, because I like how the size of the noodle gives the sauce more places to creep into and the ricotta cheese to cling to. But I really think I call this dish Mostaccioli, because I like to say "Mah-sta chOlleh". I feel all Sophia Loren when I say it, "Mah-sta-CHoleHhhhh".

Anyway enough goofiness here's what you will need:

printable recipe

1 pound box Rigatoni noodles, with ridges

6-8 cups spaghetti sauce

1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

8 ounces fresh mozzarella (grated from a bag works fabulously also!)

Ricotta. Definitely on the top ten list of loves in my life.

Mozzarella, sliced thin. Using a bread knife, or a serrated knife, will help you slice this tender cheese more easily.

The Sauce! This is my leftovers from the other night.

Boil up the pasta. Al Dente! Leave your pasta a little bite, NO squishy pasta! This pasta is going to cook in sauce in the oven, if it's over done before you bake it, the pasta is going to be....well, it's going to be not as good as it could have been...lets just put it that way.

Pour sauce over drained pasta, and fold in covering all the noodles.

Now refrain from standing over the pot and snacking on noodles full of sauce. Not that I do that sort of thing.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with half of the noodle sauce mixture.

Spoon half of the ricotta cheese on top of noodles.

Smear it around a bit.

Layer the other half of noodles on top.....

covering up the hidden treasure of ricotta cheese.

Dollop the other half of ricotta cheese on top and smear it around.

Lay the thinly sliced mozzarella on top. Feel free to use shredded mozzarella. My Kenny likes me to make him these, in the wee hours when he gets off his shifts from the hospital. I like to make my man happy so I keep the stuff he likes on hand. Just in case you wondered.

Now you can do one of TWO things. Cover well and freeze for a later date. Or pop it in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

So quick! So easy....oh I won't say it...OK I have to "So easy a monkey could do it!". Sorry.

Serve with a green salad, and some bread and you have a meal fit for a king!

What are you cooking for your family this weekend? I'd love to hear. Is there anything you would like to have me make on my blog, any topics you want covered, let me know, and I'll do my best.

Luv Ya!

Spaghetti SAUCE

This is for you MariAnne! MariAnne is a fellow soccer mom who asked for my spaghetti sauce recipe after her son ate over and told her "it was the best spaghetti he'd ever had". The fact is when she told me her son had complimented my "sauce" and asked me for the recipe I was dumb founded, because the truth is I really don't have a recipe.....or didn't. I always just throw my sauce together, doing alot of tasting along the way.

So since then I set out to figure out just how is it that I make my "sauce". It's taken me a couple times of making it, taking notes each time. I found that it comes down to is the cooking time. The longer you cook it the thicker and richer the sauce. You can cook this sauce for as little as 1/2 hour and as long as.....well as long as you want really. Most of the time when I make sauce it is in under an hour. When I cook it longer I season a bit differently, not necessarily more or less, I just spread out the seasoning. Half in the beginning and the other half near the end. Just a few ingredients to chop and a few cans to open, it's really easy. So with out further ado....

Spaghetti Sauce

printable recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium white onion diced (approximately 1 cup give or take)

3 garlic cloves minced (approximately 1 heaping tablespoon)

1 teaspoon salt

1 lb ground beef

2 28oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 28oz. can tomato puree

1 12 oz can tomato paste + 1 can of water

2 heaping tablespoons of sugar

1 heaping tablespoon of McCormick Italian Seasoning

1 tablespoon dried Basil (I prefer the Lighthouse Freeze Dried brand)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

1. Saute onion and garlic in a 6 quart saucepan, add 1 teaspoon of salt, continue to cook until caramelizing starts. Add ground beef, and cook, chopping beef up with spatula to break it up as it browns.

2. When beef is completely browned add tomato paste, stir, fill can with water, add to pan. Add the diced and pureed cans of tomatoes, stir to blend.

3. Now season: add sugar, Italian seasoning, basil, crushed red pepper flakes(feel free to add more if you like spicy). Simmer for at least 1/2 hour.

1/2 hour of cooking

One hour of cooking, it's getting thicker....stick to your ribser.

This is after about 2 hours of cooking it over very low heat, stirring now and again. Dip your bread in THAT and eat it!

This sauce is so versatile. My kiddos actually prefer it with out meat. And if you are into mushrooms, which I am, but my family not so much, then slice up some mushrooms and add them in when cooking the onion and garlic. Want to hide some vegi's in there....GO FOR IT, shredded carrots go undetected in this sauce if you are cooking it for a longer time period.

Seasoning Thoughts:

No good sauce can be made with out tasting it along the way.

If you prefer more basil then by all means add more or less.

If you don't like spicy at all, then leave out the red pepper flakes.

If you are feeling sassy add a 3/4 cup of Merlot or Cabernet....VAvaVAVoom!

I always warn BE CAREFUL of too much SALT. You can always salt your food on the table. I would suggest sticking to my salt measurements.

ONE MORE NOTE: Sometimes I double up this recipe and make it in a really big pan. Then I freeze it in containers for days when I need a quick meal, or for sharing a meal with someone. This is also my lasagna sauce and my sauce for Mostaccoli.

MariAnne I hope your family loves it!

Buon Appetito!

Festive FETA Dip!

Hold on to your hats. This dip is so easy and festive it's going to blow you away. It's so easy that I nearly forgot about it! Big D had to send me an email and say "HEY! what about the Feta Dip. Dorko!" She really didn't say dorko, but I bet she was thinkin' it. It's Friday.....we are all going stark raving mad, because we have so much to do. We have five different places we need to be this weekend. If you need to bring an appetizer somewhere and you are pinched for time THIS is the appetizer for you.

Festive Feta Dip

1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with garlic and oil, or any variety will do.

4 ounces feta cheese

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro or basil (if you are like my friend Jodi and cilantro has an adverse reaction on you)

1 bag of Sea Salt Pita chips or any simple crackers

Here goes! Drain tomatoes, spread them in bottom of a plate with an edge, crumble feta cheese over tomatoes, sprinkle cilantro or basil over cheese. Serve with pita chips!

VOILA! There you have it, the simplest most festive Hors d' oeuvre you will EVER make!

Enjoy! Luv you!

Relax!

Have a great weekend!

Come back again now ya hear,

Over and out....

Buh-bye!

Isn't this ornament adorable? Our old neighbors made this for us...personalized it to our family. They have since moved and we miss them lots. Go check out their website for more unique and personal gifts, all handmade in Michigan!

Appetizer FLATBREADS

Pizza, who doesn't like pizza? Oh oops I mean flatbreads. Flatbread sounds hipper, saying flatsbread instead of pizza is nouveau. I like to think I'm with it. ("Like to think" is the key phrase there.) Anyway what could be better than serving every ones favorite as an appetizer. And you can adjust the type of pizza toppings depending on the flavors of the dinner you're serving. Or better yet serve several types of pizzas and a large salad and call it dinner!

I do make my own pizza crust, but I have found a great alternative that I like to use when I am time pinched, Naan bread. It's flat and it's bread! This is what makes these pizza's flatbreads...

I buy the large package of Naan at Costco, it provides enough bread to make 5 or 6 pizzas, that can be cut into 8 pieces each.

I don't want to beat this one over the head, but this is my new favorite, time saver. Petite diced tomatoes with garlic and oil. It packs a punch of garlic flavor with out taking the time to mince garlic.


Drain one 14.5 ounce can of tomatoes, add a heaping tablespoon of fresh or freeze dried basil.

Spread a thin layer of tomatoes over the bread and place thin slices of fresh mozzarella on top. If you only have the shredded variety of mozzarella, that will work just fine too.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Italian spices and fresh grated Parmesan, cut and serve.

The possibilities are endless! Caramelized onion, goat cheese and bacon...be still my soul.

BBQ Chicken: slather on your favorite BBQ sauce, add chicken, and Monterrey jack cheese. Add red onion, or banana peppers to this pizza to jazz it up a bit. You name you can make it on these flatbreads. Blue cheese, bacon, and pine nuts! Oh add some caramelized onions to that one too.....HeeavenLY! I don't even need to make a print out for this, do I? Get creative, the skies the limit. Cut into smallish pieces, as to make sampling more than one, not guilt inducing.

Enjoy!

BRUSCHETTA stuffed MUSHROOMS- an appAteaser

I love stuffed mushrooms of any sort, and I love bruschetta. So what better than a mushroom stuffed with bruschetta! You can whip these babies up at a moments notice. Literally!

I prefer the smaller white button mushrooms. Feel free to use the larger variety. I just like to be able to pop them in my pie hole with out having to dirty any eating utensils. I'm lazy like that! Clean up the mushrooms, and take the stems out, leaving a nice divot for the stuffin'.

Now here's where things get fun. Feel free to make this recipe your own. If I have fresh mozzarella, cut up small cubes and tuck them in the mushroom.


Grab a 14 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil. I love Red Gold brand, in particular, because they are a family owned company that uses tomatoes from small family owned farms in Michigan, and the Mid-West. And...well they are yummy too. I used to saute the garlic, and chop tomatoes, to make the bruschetta, now I pop open a can of these maters and I am good to go! I love anything that makes my life easier.

1 cup of Caesar Salad Croutons, measure them out, and then place them in a Zip-loc bag and take out all your aggression on the little suckers.

Now combine the crushed croutons and the can of drained tomatoes with garlic and olive oil. Toss in a generous tablespoon of Lighthouse Freeze Dried Basil or fresh if you have it.

Let the tomato and crouton mixture set for a few minutes to let the croutons soak up any juices from the tomatoes. Like I said before if you don't have mozzarella, no biggy. If you have fresh grated Parmesan cheese instead then add 1/4 cup to the bruschetta mixture. If you have neither...please no worries.

Take a teaspoon and scoop a spoon full of bruschetta mixture into each mushroom. Be sure to pack it into the mushroom, but also don't be afraid to pile the bruschetta up high. Pop these scrumptious morsels into a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Take out, and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Bruschetta Stuffed Mushrooms

printable recipe

12-15 medium sized white button mushrooms, cleaned and de-stemmed

1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil

1 cup Caesar salad croutons, measured then crushed

1 generous tablespoon freeze dried or fresh basil

optional: 12-15 small cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese or 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

So easy a monkey could make them!

Try to refrain from adding any salt to this recipe. The monkey tried it once and it was too salty. The croutons add enough salt to the recipe with out adding more.

Happy Noshing!

roasted tomato basil cream SAUCE

Next to coffee and chocolate I think roasted tomatoes are my third addiction. I love the smell of tomatoes cooking! Mmmm-mmm yummy! They are so versatile too. I roasted these on Tuesday, put them in this container, and stored them in the refrigerator until yesterday. Roasted tomatoes will keep 5-7 days in the refrigerator after roasting, or if you freeze them they will last 3 months. You can check my post on roasting tomatoes out here.

There they are, 2 cups of roasted tomatoes. Pretty little suckers. This sauce is so easy I am not even going to do a printable for it. You cannot ruin it. I promise. And if you are watching your fat intake...LEAVE. No really...DON'T leave, what I meant to say was you can leave the heavy cream out and add broth or white wine instead.

In a sauce pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and as much fresh minced garlic as you would like. I used 2 cloves of garlic, because my husband is a vampire and he cannot tolerate it. Saute' that on low heat. You don't want the garlic to burn.

Seriously, my husband is not a vampire, but truly he does not tolerate garlic. Which has been a huge problem in our marriage. By the way we will be celebrating our 16th year of marriage tomorrow! And we have survived the "War over Garlic" thus far. I keep sneaking it in on him in small doses. Hoping to build up a tolerance...as you can see we are only up to 2 cloves.....it's been a process.

After the garlic has warmed up in the pan, pour in the roasted tomatoes and stir around, use your spoon to break the tomatoes up a bit.

While your garlic and tomatoes are getting to know each other, chop 1/4 cup fresh basil.

Now for the really good stuff, add 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream. I just eyeballed it, but I'm sure it was about 1/2 cup. Stir and let simmer for 1 minute. This is a quick sauce less that 5 minutes!

Now toss in Basil. Isn't he handsome..and he smell good too. OOh-la-la Basil I love you.

Boil up any pasta you prefer. I had rigatoni handy, but I actually think this sauce would be perfect over gnocchi.

Ingredient list:

2 cups roasted tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

1/2 cup heavy cream (or broth or white wine)

salt and pepper to taste

pasta

Hope you enjoy!