Super Shortcut Lasagna

Pasta

Happy Friday, guys! So I feel like I don’t really even need to write a recipe for this one. It is just basic assembly. Here is how it went down…

I took these frozen meatballs and warmed them up in this sauce. Then I mashed them up to mimic ground beef. I didn’t add any seasoning, because these meatballs and sauce were already full of flavor…img_4287img_4289

Layered this up with some ricotta and mozzarella cheese with these fresh sheets of lasagna…img_4288img_4290

So I forgot to take a picture of the end result because everyone was STARVING 😉 But we pretty much ate the entire pan, so it was a hit!

 

 

Creamy Chicken Pasta with Peas

Chicken, Pasta

Another pasta? Guilty! I need one of those sweatshirts that says, “No Carb Left Behind!” Here is how this recipe went down…

First, the pasta. I have never seen this pasta ever, but the package drew me to it. Such a fun shape! Cook in salted water 3 minutes less than the package says.

Sauce- 1 container of  Marscapone Cheese (or cream cheese) melted with 3 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 container (the small one) of heavy cream.   Add in a small package of frozen peas and 2 bags of precooked chicken (Tyson precooked chicken was on sale at Publix). Once the pasta is done, add it to the pot and mix all together using about a half a cup of the pasta water to bring it all together.  I salted and peppered to taste at the end. Add some crusty bread to soak up that sauce. YUM!

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Vegan Red Lentil Pasta

gluten free, Pasta, Vegetarian

Evening guys!I made this yummy pasta this morning for a family potluck Christmas party. I have a couple of vegan family members, so I thought I would add a healthy dish to the table! I am in LOVE with red lentil pasta. It is great alternative, especially if you are vegan and gluten free. You will not believe how easy it was for this to come together…

First, the pasta…

Then the veggies… saute an onion in olive oil, cut up a stalk of broccoli and cook until tender, throw in some canned black beans, and some frozen corn…

Now for that sauce… 1 jar of roasted red peppers and a container of tofu. Throw those in a blender. The sauce was SO GOOD! No one would ever know there was tofu in there! Then combine everything together! So yummy!

Beef Short Ribs with Pappardelle

Beef, Misc. stuff, One pot meal

So today was the 4th anniversary of my oldest daughter’s, Elizabeth aka Lizzie aka Lulu, death. She was 9 and full of happiness, thoughtfulness, kindness, and love. She was diagnosed with cancer at age 4 around Thanksgiving and died on this date 4 years ago. I obviously have a difficult time around this point in the year, but I have learned that even though it never gets easy to lose a loved one, life still goes on and you have to live your best life for those you have lost and those who are living who still depend on you or love you on a daily basis.

That being said, I always take the day of her death and her birthday off from work if it falls on those days, which they have so far and they will the next few years. Everyone has been super amazing and sweet; they always are, but especially during this time. Even though this happened in Dec. I think of her every second of everyday and not a moment in this entire crazy life goes by without me seeing her, hearing her voice, and dreaming about her. It is so weird how much she is in her sisters and even Brutus, our dog. He was her pal and confident every step of the way, and if you have ever seen him in person, he has a kind of sadness in his eyes.

It’s coming on Christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
– Joni Mitchell

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On to the recipe…

So I have made this recipe a few times. This time I made it on the stove top with my new braising dutch oven.

Beef Short Ribs with Pappardelle

Ingredients
4 Beef Short Ribs
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 small can tomato sauce
1 large can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
Salt and pepper both sides of your ribs.
Sprinkle about one tablespoon garlic salt over all sides. My new secret ingredient. LOVE!
Brown ribs in a bit or oil in large dutch oven on med. high heat, about 6 minutes per side.
Take out ribs. Add onions. Cook for about 6 minutes. Stir.
Add garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes. Stir.
Add tomato paste. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.
Add wine. Stir and reduce for about 5 minutes.
Add your cans of tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add in your meat. Cover. Stir every 45 min or so. Cook for 4-6 hours.
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Easy Skillet Pasta

Beef, Pasta

When my husband is on call (medical pilot), I don’t really plan dinner. There is really no point. Sure, the girls and I have to eat, but we will eat WHATEVER for dinner…cereal, eggs and toast, leftovers, pizza, fish sticks, corn dogs, buttered pasta, chips and dip etc.

When it is a surprise he is home, I try to make something out of nothing even when we just really want to go out. This time of year we skimp on eating out to make sure the girls have a good Christmas, so here is what I came up with tonight…

Ingredients

1 pound FROZEN (or not) ground beef
1 small jar of marinara
1 can roasted diced tomaoes
1 tablespoon Garlic Salt
1 package of penne

Directions

Boil salted water for the pasta. Drop pasta when boiling.

On medium high heat, cook the meat. If frozen, defrost a bit at a time and rotate in the pan until browned. If not frozen, cook per usual. I add all of the garlic salt halfway through, no matter what. Drain if its extra fatty and oily; or not. No one is there to see.

Add the marinara to the meat. I added a can of roasted diced tomatoes to the mix bc of the ratio of meat to sauce and pasta, but if you have a giant jar of sauce or homemade sauce; YOU DO YOU!

Add the slightly al dente pasta to the meat and marinara. Parm it up!

I mainly added this recipe bc you can cook dinner on a weeknight with frozen ground beef.