Chili Con Queso Pasta Bake

Originally, this was a Rachael Ray recipe, but I changed it up some, and the outcome was delicious! It's, also, not too, too bad for you, which is always a plus.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lb lean ground beef or sirloin
1 yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp coriander
1 box (approximately 8 servings) of whole wheat pasta I used medium shells. Also, you could use penne, bowtie, elbow - anything like that.
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Cups 2% milk
1/4 Cup fresh cilantro or 2 Tbsp dried
1/4 Cup fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp dried
2-2.5 Cups 2% sharp chedder, shredded
1 Can of fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
Black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook beef until almost completely browned
2. When beef gets to that point, add onion, jalapeno and garlic to skillet; cook until onions are clear
3. Cook pasta as box instructs - a little bit past "al dente"
4. While beef and pasta are going, melt butter in medium-size pot on stove over medium heat
5. Add flour to completely melted butter and stir w/ a whisk til blended well
6. Add milk and whisk w/ flour/butter
7. When onions in beef skillet are clear, drain and add chili powder, coriander and cumin; stir well and remove from heat
8. Preheat broiler on high and move rack to the next-to-bottom level
9. Pasta should be finished by now; remove from heat and drain it
10. When milk begins to bubble, add cheese and stir w/ milk til melted
*Don't use your whisk for this step. A wooden utensil is best. 11. When cheese is melted, add cilantro, parsley, black pepper and tomatoes; stir
12. Combine pasta, beef mixture and cheese sauce in a large mixing bowl; stir together well
13. Pour contents of bowl evenly into a large glass baking dish
14. Sprinkle the top w/ a light amount of cheese (optional)
15. Put dish in oven and broil until the top is browned - about 5 minutes

Let the dish set for about 2-3 minutes. It won't need to cool very long, since it's not baked, and everything was still warm when combined. Serve alone or with a small salad.

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Next time I make this dish, I might add another jalepeno and another can of tomatoes, or I might even use rotel instead of the fire-roasted.

Please comment if you make this dish, and definitely let me know if you add your own flair! Have fun with it. ENJOY.

Lasagna with Homemade Meat and Garden Vegetable Marinara

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 celery stalks with leaves, diced
1/2 Tbsp each of thyme, oregano, basil and parsley
1/2 Cup red wine
2 (.28 oz) Cans crushed tomatoes
1 Bay leaf
1 Tbsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb Ground beef, lean (or any ground meat)
9 Whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/2-1 Cup ricotta
4 Cups Italian blend shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Warm olive oil in soup pot over medium heat
2. Add onions first and saute for about 5 minutes, then, add green pepper, carrots and celery

3. Cook veggies, stirring occasionally, until the onions are clear and other veggies are starting to get soft
4. Add garlic and spices, cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

5. Pour in wine, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes
6. Add the cans of tomatoes, do not drain, and bring to a light simmer
7. While bringing sauce to simmer, brown meat in a skillet and drain
8. Put meat in food processor to get a fine and even texture (optional)
9. Add meat, bay leaf, salt, pepper and sugar to sauce and bring to a low simmer (taste the sauce to see if you need to add more salt, pepper or sugar - adding just a small amount at a time between tasting)
10. Simmer for at least one hour

11. After sauce is ready, set it aside and cook pasta as instructed on the box
12. Pat pasta dry after cooking and straining water
13. Turn oven on 375
14. Spread a cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9x11 glass baking dish evenly
15. Layer 3 noodles (overlapping if needed) over sauce
16. Add sauce to cover each noodle, spreading evenly (amount is up to you)
17. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the sauce, cover the sauce really well
18. Place dollops of ricotta over the shredded cheese (in a line with the way the noodles are placed)
19. Put another layer of 3 noodles over the ricotta and follow the same steps ( sauce, shredded cheese, ricotta)
20. Add the last layer of 3 noodles, sauce and shredded cheese (put sauce and cheese in any gaps between the dish edge and the pasta)
21. Tent foil over the top to cover without touching the lasagna
22. Cook on middle rack in over for 45 minutes, uncover and cook for 5 more minutes 23. Remove and let sit for 5-10 minutes

24. SERVE

We should've had a salad with this, but instead we had Pepperidge Farm Garlic 5-Cheese Texas Toast. YUMMY.

You can make this sauce for any pasta, also...spaghetti, ravioli, etc. It is time-consuming but easy and worth it!

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Shrimp & Broccoli Alfredo

INGREDIENTS:

2.5 Cups penne pasta or any pasta you want to use; we also use linguine alot

1 Head of fresh broccoli, trimmed

1/2 Lb shrimp, "cubed" and "de-tailed" - from The Choppin' Block

1/4 Medium yellow onion, minced

5 Garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp Tony Chachere's More Spice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta in salted water as directed on box

2. Saute onions and garlic in 1-2 Tbsp butter in a deep skillet

3. Add shrimp

4. Sprinkle with Chachere's

5. Cook over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes

6. Pour in 1 cup of Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo, simmer

7. Add cooked, drained pasta to the skillet, stirring to make sure all ingredients are coated with the sauce

This made about 2.5 to 3 servings. The sauce was not very thick, and the shrimp, broccoli and pasta were perfectly, lightly coated. I just LOVE fresh broccoli and alfredo. We've also done a similar dish with aspargus and mushrooms...I guess, pretty much anything goes with yummy alfredo!

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Chicken Broccoli Penne Pasta

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE broccoli pasta dishes! The funny thing is, I didn't even know I liked broccoli until I was around 23 or 24 years old. My mom doesn't like it, so I never had it growing up. But, now, I eat broccoli at least twice a week and sometimes three times a week. I think my mom is proud of me - especially since she didn't think she'd ever see the day I would eat a vegetable!

Ingredients:

• Three small chicken breasts from The Choppin' Block
• Fresh broccoli florets, about 1.5-2 cups
• Barilla Penne Pasta
• Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo Sauce
• Low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

1. Cube and brown the chicken with salt and black pepper in a large/deep skillet; Once the chicken gets some color, add the garlic and about a 1/4 cup of chicken broth; Let it simmer
2. Bring a pot of water to boil, add salt, add pasta (enough for two servings); Cook til al dente
3. Steam or simmer your broccoli for about 5 minutes; it should be just beginning to soften in the stalk
4. After chicken has simmered and the liquid has reduced some, add alfredo sauce (enough for two servings - which is more than the bottle says - we use about half the bottle when we have other ingredients in the dish besides pasta); Add broccoli and let simmer
5. Add pasta to the sauce and stir; pasta should be coated well and all the ingredients "mixed" well
6. Serve and EAT!

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