Tortellini with Spinach, Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen tortellini (You could use fresh too if you are near a good market- either works. But this is a nice meal to make since you can have the frozen tortellini on hand anytime!)
5 cups of baby spinach spinach (sounds like a lot but trust me, it cooks down to nothing)
1 small, 8 oz. log of goat cheese
2 containers of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until translucent. Add butter until melted. Add mushrooms until tender and slightly browned. Add the spinach in handfuls, adding more to the pan as it begins to wilt and shrink.
2. While the spinach is wilting in the sauté pan, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions (mine only took 3 minutes hence making the pasta at the end instead of the beginning like most recipes).
3. Drain tortellini and add to the sauté pan with the spinach and mushrooms. Crumble up the whole log of goat cheese on top and toss lightly. Season with salt and pepper and Balsamic vinegar

Penne with Acorn Squash and Pancetta

Serves 2 to 4

Penne with Acorn Squash and Pancetta
1 acorn squash (approximately 1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
1 small head of garlic*
1/2 pound penne
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for coating garlic
1/2 pound pancetta, sliced 1/4-inch thick and diced
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon chopped, fresh rosemary
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°Fahrenheit.

Slice the squash in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut each half crosswise into long wedges, about 1/2-inch thick. Toss the wedges with the olive oil until coated, and spread on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the top off the garlic head so the tops of the cloves are exposed. Drizzle on a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on the edge of the baking sheet with the squash.

Bake the squash and garlic for about 30 minutes, turning the squash once, until both are soft and slightly caramelized. (Depending on how big the head of garlic is, it may take longer. Leave it in the oven while you peel and chop the squash.)

Allow the squash to cool slightly. Then, peel each wedge of squash and cut into large chunks.
Bring a pot of water to boil to cook the pasta. In a large, wide saucepan (you'll add the pasta to this pan at the end) sauté the pancetta until most of the fat is rendered and the meat is crispy, about 15 minutes. About halfway through, cook the pasta, making sure to salt the water.
When the pancetta is finished cooking, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Deglaze the pan with the broth, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom. Stir in the rosemary and about four cloves of the roasted garlic, mashing them up in the liquid with the back of a spoon or spatula.
Add the chunks of squash and pancetta to the pan. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the squash/pancetta mixture. Toss everything to coat, then stir in the Parmesan. Add a bit of the pasta water if the mixture seems too dry.

Recipe Notes

• Our head of garlic was small (only about four large cloves). If you are roasting a regular-sized bulb, save the other cloves for another use. Or roast peeled cloves on their own,using this technique.

Eva's Notes:

Notes: 1.) I substituted butternut squash for acorn squash. 2.) Pancetta is Italian ham. You could use regular ham or substitute thick-sliced bacon. To achieve a more pancetta taste from the bacon, boil the bacon for two-three minutes, drain, then use as called for in the recipe. 3.) If you do use pancetta, I used a fresh pan for the final steps because I thought there was too much fat to include in the dish. Alternately, I could have just poured off some of the fat and continued to use that pan.

Easy Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese

• 
• Easy Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese Recipe photo by Taste of Home
• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded provolone cheese

Directions

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine soup, milk, sour cream, butter and seasonings; cook and stir over medium-low heat until blended. Stir in cheeses until melted.
2. Drain macaroni; transfer to a greased 3-qt. slow cooker. Stir in cheese mixture. Cook, covered, on low 1-2 hours or until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.

Pepper Jack Cheesy Mac

8 ounces dry elbow macaroni 

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 can, (12 ounces)evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 Cup broken tortilla chips
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper ( optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease two and a half quart casserole dish. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain. Return to pan. Add cheddar cheese, 1 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, evaporated milk, and black pepper to macaroni. Stir until combined. Pour into casserole dish. Combine remaining half cup pepper jack cheese, tortilla chips and red pepper flakes in small bowl. Sprinkle over top. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, bake for additional 10 minutes or until lightly browned

Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread

2 cups cake flour
½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
½ cup canola oil
1⅓ cups sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup buttermilk
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini

Glaze ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Then add oil and sugar until well blended. Add lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest to this mixture and blend all together.
3. Fold in zucchini until it is mixed well.
4. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend all together until well combined.
5. Pour batter into greased 9x5 loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
7. While still warm, make glaze and spoon over the bread. Let the glaze set up before cutting and serving.

lilluna.com

Grandmom's best easy bake cheesecake

1 ready crust graham cracker pie crust
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Place crust on baking sheet and pour in filling. Bake on baking sheet in preheated 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted one inch from edge comes out clean.To prepare topping combine remaining ingredients. Spread over top of cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes longer. Cool on wire rack. Chill at least 3 hours

Blueberry Sauce

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup water
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.

In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your 

ISYBEL "Delicious, warm blueberry sauce which is fabulous on pancakes, waffles, cheesecake or ice cream! Fresh or frozen blueberries work equally well."

Allrecipes.com

Summer Vegetable Tian

(Serves 6)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato
(optional 1 medium sweet potato)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about 5 minutes)
While the onion and garlic are saueing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.
Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread teh softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern.
Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and thyme
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Jana's Zucchini casserole

 4 cups chopped zucchini
3/4 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 cups cooked chicken
1 package Stove Top stuffing (chicken flavor)
4 tablespoons butter.

saute carrots and onion in butter then add zucchini.  Stir and cook a little bit. Stir in soup, chicken, sour cream, 1 cup stuffing.  Pour into a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle the rest of the stuffing on top.  You can add cheese to the top if you want to.  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

No Bake Nutella Cheesecakes

Yield: 4-6 servings         Prep Time: 15 minutes

For the Crust

12 OREO COOKIES, CRUSHED INTO CRUMBS3 TABLESPOONS UNSALTED BUTTER, MELTED

For the Filling
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,softened
2/3 cup Nutella
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

For the Garnish

whipped topping, optional

chocolate shavings, optional

toasted, chopped hazelnuts, optional
1

In a medium bowl, stir together the Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter. Evenly divide the crumbs between your individual serving dishes and press into the bottoms of the dishes to form a crust layer.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and Nutella until smooth. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped topping until well blended and no streaks remain.

Evenly pipe or spoon the filling into individual serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

If desired, garnish with additional whipped topping, chocolate shavings, and/or toasted, chopped hazelnuts.

Notes

- I have not tried this recipe using fresh whipped cream, so I cannot attest to the results.

Source: My Baking Addiction  http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/no-bake-nutella-cheesecake-recipe

Best Chocolate Cake Ever

Devil's Food Cake Mix
 - prepare as directed

ADD:
3 ounce box of chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips

Bake as directed then turn down to 300° for 10 minutes

Five minute ice cream

2/3 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

10 ounces frozen strawberries

Combine the frozen strawberries and sugar in a food processor or blender. Process until the fruit is roughly chopped. With the processor running, slowly pour in the heavy cream until fully incorporated. Serve immediately, or freeze for up to one week.

Parmesan Tortellini Bites

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated three cheese tortellini
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Panko*
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook tortellini according to package instructions; drain well.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.

Working in batches, dredge tortellini in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.

Add tortellini to the skillet, 8 or 10 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve immediately with marinara sauce, garnished with additional Parmesan, if desired

Spicy Crispy Chickpeas

15 ounce can Chickpeas

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

dash cayenne pepper

salt to taste

Rinse and drain chickpeas (garbanzo beans).  In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add chickpeas-be sure that they are well drained, since water and hot oil definitely do not mix!  Sauté chickpeas for 10-15 minutes; obviously, the longer they’re in the skillet, the crisper they will get, but it’ll take about 15 minutes to get them “crispy”. Once the chickpeas get near the doneness you desire, add salt, pepper, and spices. The spice really makes this recipe work, and a good deal of the spice you use will remain in the skillet when you remove the chickpeas. Sauté chickpeas and spices another 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat. Use them as a salad topping instead of croutons for a healthy crunch, or a tasty snack, something to nibble on besides potato chips.