Sicilian Casserole

While I love the convenience of commercial pasta sauce, I love making my own sauce with tomato sauce.  

In order to get a great tasting sauce, you need to taste it to determine if it is done since tomato sauce tends to be acidic.  The acidity calms down with time as it simmers, but I also add a little brown sugar (1/4 tsp at a time) to the sauce . . . don't forget to taste, that is the secret to great sauce.  

So the cooking time will depend on your taste!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup milk
1 chopped green pepper
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 7-ounce can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 cups uncooked pasta/macaroni
1/3 cup sour cream 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping


DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. 

Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks.  Add onion When the beef starts to render some fat.

Place cubed cream cheese in a microwave-safe medium bowl along with 3/4 cup milk. Microwave 1 minute, then remove.

Whisk to stir the mixture and return to the microwave for another 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and whisk until the sauce is thick and smooth. Set aside.

Add chopped green pepper to the beef mixture when the beef is almost cooked and continue cooking until the green pepper has softened slightly.

Drain the beef mixture and return to the heat.

Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, 3/4 cup water, and 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning to the drained beef mixture. Simmer over medium heat, stirring until sauce combines and thickens. Let simmer over very low heat while preparing pasta. 

Boil pasta/macaroni in salted water following package directions, until almost cooked.

Drain pasta and add to the cream cheese mixture, along with sour cream and grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until pasta is coated.

Place all of the cream cheese/pasta mixture in the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with all of the beef mixture. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese. 

You can refrigerate the casserole until you want to eat.*

Bake the casserole at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly around the edges and the cheese on top melts and begins to brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

*If you're baking the casserole straight from the fridge, add about 10-15 minutes to the baking time.

Photo and Recipe Source

Tex Mex Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese?

The Captain and I often make it as a snack.  He tends to love the spicy versions of everything, so I know this version of macaroni and cheese will be a regular part of our menu.

This recipe comes from Pillsbury . . . love their website!

Ingredients

1

box (16 oz) penne rigate pasta

1/2

cup butter or margarine

1/2

cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1

teaspoon salt

4 1/2

cups milk

3

cups shredded Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese (12 oz)

2

cans (4.5 oz each) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles

1

cup crushed Green Giant® zesty Cheddar roasted veggie tortilla chips (about 16 chips)

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. 

Spray 3-quart glass baking dish with cooking spray. 

Cook and drain pasta as directed on box.

• Meanwhile, in 5-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, melt butter over low heat. With whisk, stir in flour and salt until smooth. Increase heat to medium; cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. 
• Remove from heat; gradually stir in cheese and chiles until cheese is melted. 
• Stir in cooked pasta.
• Pour mixture into baking dish; sprinkle with crushed chips.
• Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.

http://www.pillsbury.com/

Macaroni and cheese

Being married to a country boy taught me how to appreciate comfort food. I was reminded this morning as I've been watching the Food Network and Ina, the Barefoot Contessa . . . one of my favorite FN shows. She made the most delicious looking macaroni and cheese that has a bit of a twist to it. So I thought I would share it with everyone since I forgot to do my recipe of the week.

I'm also including two macaroni and cheese recipes from Paula Deen . . . my other favorite . . . I love both of these ladies equally, I can't really say one is a favorite over the other. They share the style of comfort food . . . much like I do . . . I've also listed my basic technique for Macaroni and Cheese . . . sorry, you know I'm the type of cook who does not measure anything on my basic recipes.





Mac and Cheese


Barefoot Contessa . . . The Food Network


Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.




Creamy Macaroni and Cheese


Paula Deen . . . The Food Network


2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (4 cups cooked)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.



The Ultimate Lady's Cheesy
Macaroni & Cheese

Paula Deen - The Food Network


2 cups dried elbow macaroni (4 cups cooked)
1/3 cup grated Cheddar
1/3 cup grated Swiss
1/3 cup grated Jack
1/3 cup grated colby
1/3 cup grated Muenster
1/3 cup grated Gouda
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
Nonstick spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot, bring water to boil. Season water with salt and cook macaroni until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl and while pasta is still hot add all the cheese. In a separate medium bowl, using a whisk, combine the sour cream, butter, eggs, salt, pepper, and milk and add to the macaroni mixture. Spray casserole dish with nonstick and pour macaroni mixture into the dish. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Top with additional cheese, if desired.

Gina's Macaroni and Cheese

I make my macaroni and cheese from scratch, but I don't measure anything. It is a combination of what these other ladies do . . . I guess you could use their measurements as a guide.

I make a roux of flour and butter as a base . . . add half and half (I use fat free) or milk and wisk over heat until I get the desired consistency. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste . . . add cheddar cheese (I use a medium sized package of shredded cheese) . . . stir until smooth.

Pour over cooked macaroni.

When my tomato plants yield lots of tomatoes and
I have an abundance of tomatoes, I also cut up
tomatoes into the mixture . . . yummy!!