Semi-homemade (Easy-Peasy) Tortellini Casserole

Semi-homemade (Easy-Peasy) Tortellini Casserole is a big hit in my household.  Everyone loves it and wants seconds when I make this!  It's a hearty casserole that hits the spot.  And it's pretty easy to make.  It tastes like you've been cooking all day!  This recipe makes enough for our family of 3 to have seconds and even leftovers for lunch the next day.

Semi-homemade (Easy-Peasy) Tortellini Casserole
1/2 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 jar Spaghetti sauce (I like Prego, but use whatever you like!)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste

1 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. sugar
1 package frozen cheese tortellini
5 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded, divided

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, divided


Brown the ground turkey (or beef) with the diced onion and garlic over medium heat.  After the meat is no longer pink, drain.  Add the jar of Spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and sugar. 

While the ground turkey (or beef) is cooking, cook tortellini according to the package directions, but cook them 2 minutes less than the package says.  Drain tortellini.

Place 1/3 of the prepared sauce in a greased 9x9 inch pan.  Spread the tortellini over the sauce.  Sprinkle most of the shredded mozzarella and most of the Parmesan  cheese on top of the tortellini.  Save 1/4 c. of mozzarella and 1 T. of Parmesan for the top of the casserole.  Pour the rest of the prepared sauce on the cheese.  Top the casserole with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.


Bake in a 350* oven for about 20 minutes.  The casserole should be bubbly and the cheese on top should be melted.  Serve with a green salad.  Enjoy~

Summer Corn Fettuccine

Amanda and her husband

Last night, my friend Amanda posted a message on my Facebook page.

Jen, I made this for dinner tonight and thought of you. It was DELICIOUS! I used corn from the farmer's market. I love reading your blog and seeing what you are cooking up! :)  It isn't that hard to make! I actually made it while attempting to light the grill, which proved to be the harder of the 2 tasks.

I read the recipe and wished that I hadn't already made supper.  I wished that I had been to the Farmer's Market and that I had fresh corn in my refrigerator (along with other ingredients!)  Holy Cow, it looks DELICIOUS!  I can't wait to make this!  The recipe review has 5 stars.  YUM!

Summer Corn Fettuccine

Rachael Ray

This pasta tastes like corn chowder, a summer favorite of mine. Bring home a bushel of corn at summers end and cook, scrape and freeze summer fresh flavor by making your own frozen corn kernels.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound fettuccine
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
• 6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half or cream - whatever you put in your morning coffee
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• A few dashes hot sauce or 1 or 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
• 1/2 cup torn sweet basil leaves or 1/4 cup chopped tarragon leaves

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook to al dente.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook a few minutes until rendered and crisp. Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and scrape the ears. Add 3/4 of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the shallots and red pepper and liberally season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor and puree until smooth.
Pour the stock or wine into the corn and vegetables, and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce or cayenne and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Drain the pasta and add it to a large serving bowl. Pour in the sauce, add a couple of handfuls of cheese, about 1/2 cup and toss. Top with torn basil or chopped tarragon and pass the remaining cheese at the table.

P.S.  If you don't know Amanda, she's a really cool friend, a fun Bunco player, an awesome teacher and she has a boat named "The Dollar General," which I find really funny...especially since she and her husband paid $1 for their boat!  :)  

Spicy Pasta Salad and Southwest Seasoning

JP LOVES this Spicy Pasta Salad.  He begs me to make it at least once a week.  It takes a little while to chop the vegetables, but it is a fairly easy recipe to follow.  This salad is great for a meatless dinner, or as a side dish.  I use whole wheat pasta, plain fat-free yogurt, and lots of veggies to make this salad healthy.  I make my own southwest seasoning, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.  Spice up the salad (or tone it down) according to your tastes!  Enjoy~

 Southwest Seasoning

I am really picky about my Southwest Seasoning.  I don't care for packaged taco seasoning...too much salt and lots of other things I don't want to have in my food!  I also like things a little spicy, so I make my own Southwest Seasoning with that little extra kick! I use this Southwest Seasoning in my Spicy Pasta Salad, or in any recipe that calls for Taco Seasoning.

McCormick has a Southwest Seasoning.  Also, Penzeys has a Southwest Seasoning and a south of the border spice, Arizona Dreaming.  I haven't tried any of these blends, but can't wait to try them, especially Arizona Dreaming!  According to Penzeys website,

•  "Arizona Dreaming is simply a delicious all-purpose coming together of spices. The flavors of South of the Border combined in ways that Americans love so much. Great for just about everything, use frequently to season: Vegetables, Rice, Beans, Beef, Pork, Scrambled Huevos, Ground Turkey, Cheese, Salad Dressings."

Jen's Southwest Seasoning
1/2 c. chili powder, I use Penzeys Medium Hot
1/3 c. paprika, I use Penzeys Smoked Paprika
1/4 c. cumin
1/4 c. onion powder
1/4 c. garlic powder
1/4 c. cornstarch
3 T. chipotle powder, I use Penzeys Ground Chipolte Pepper
1 T. salt
1 T. cayenne pepper, I use Penzeys Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 T. oregano
1 T. crushed red pepper, I use Penzeys Crushed Red Pepper

Pasta Salad

Spicy Pasta Salad

1 package pasta, cooked according to directions, I use Ronzoni's Healthy Harvest Rotini

1 c. plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 c. mayonnaise
4 T. southwest seasoning (use less if you like things less spicy)
1 lime, zested and juiced

1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/8ths, or 1 tomato, chopped
1 can of corn, drained
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded, I use 2% cheddar
1/4  bunch cilantro, chopped

Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, taco seasoning and lime zest and juice together in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, mix the cooked pasta, chopped peppers, onion, jalapeno, tomatoes, drained corn, shredded cheese and cilantro.  Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta mixture and stir well.

Refrigerate.  Stir well before serving.

Review:  If you like things a little spicy (like I do!), add an extra jalapeno or two!  Or leave out the jalapeno if you'd like.  This is a really versatile salad, you can add ingredients you like (like chopped olives) or leave out ingredients you don't like.  I've used a can of canned, chopped tomatoes when I didn't have cherry tomatoes on hand.  Enjoy~

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I made Cajun Chicken Pasta last night for supper and it was good! I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman a few weeks ago. I've made a few changes to the original recipe. I have a hard time using cream and excessive butter that are in many of her recipes...My genes (and jeans) don't do well with the extra calories! So here is my version of Cajun Chicken Pasta! ~Enjoy~

Cajun Chicken Pasta
(serves 4 generous portions)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1-1/2 T. Cajun Spice Mix

Mix together and let marinate while you get everything ready!

2 T. olive oil
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 onion, halved and sliced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1-1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. white wine (If you don't want to use wine, just increase the chicken broth to 2 cups)

1 c. milk
3 T. flour
Whisk flour and milk together.

Enough spaghetti for 4 people

1/2 t. Crushed Red pepper (optional)
1/2 t. Cajun Spice Mix (optional)

This cooks quickly, so it's best to have all of the ingredients ready to go before you start cooking! Trust me on this... Also, start your pasta so it will be done when the chicken is done!

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium/high heat. A cast iron pan is great, but if you don't have one to use, that's OK. Use what you have! Add half of the chicken, but don't stir. Allow the chicken to brown. (I have a hard time with this...I want to stir it. Resist!) Flip the chicken to the other side and cook about 1 minute, or until it's brown. Remove the cooked chicken and add the rest of the uncooked chicken, repeat the cooking the chicken steps. Remove the chicken from the pan.

Add the sliced peppers and onion to the hot pan and cook for about 1 min. You want the peppers and onions to get brown...not burned, but brown parts. Stir every so often so they don't burn. The bottom of your pan will be dark brown, but don't worry! If you're using cast iron, I don't know if the bottom of the pan looks dark brown. After the veggies have dark brown parts, add the garlic and the drained tomatoes. Give a quick stir and cook for about 1 minute.

Add the wine (if using) and chicken broth. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. I like to use a whisk to help get the browned bits up. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir.

Scoot the chicken and veggies to the side of the pan and add the milk and flour mixed mixture. Whisk until it starts to thicken and bubble. Turn down the heat to low. Stir the veggies and chicken into the bubbling sauce and mix well. Cook about 1 min. I add about 1/2 t. more of the Cajun spice mix and about 1/2 t. Crushed Red Pepper, but I like things spicy! Use your judgment and your tastes!

Add the cooked pasta and mix well. If your frying pan isn't big enough to add the cooked pasta, you can serve the pasta on plates and spoon the Cajun Chicken over it.

Notes on Cajun Spice Mix. Last night I used McCormick's Perfect Pinch Cajun. I found it in the spice section of the grocery store. I've also used Penzeys Cajun Style Seasoning. I like the flavor of Penzeys Cajun Spice, however, it's not as hot/spicy as the McCormick's brand.