tuna noodle casserole from scratch

this is a pretty tasty one :)
Serves: 5 or 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked medium egg noodles (i used macaroni)
• 1 medium onion,  chopped
• 1 pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 
• something spicy (creole seasoning, red pepper, etc)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, celery, pepper, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until theyre tender. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper, and other spices. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl, mix with bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the casserole. Top with cheese.
5. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Chicken Milano

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped ( i used regular, just put in more)
• 1 cup chicken broth, divided
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound chicken
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 or 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (hard to measure when its fresh)
• 8 ounces dry fettuccini pasta (i used spaghetti)
• mushrooms, peppers, onion (optional, good to saute)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and 3/4 cup of the chicken broth; increase to medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil; stirring. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute chicken. Press on chicken occasionally with a slotted spatula. Cook for about 4 minutes per side or until the meat feels springy and is no longer pink inside. Transfer to a board; cover and keep warm. Discard the fat from the skillet.
3. In the same skillet, over medium heat, bring 1/4 cup chicken broth to a boil; stirring the pan juices. Reduce slightly and add to the cream sauce; stir in basil and adjust seasonings to taste.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, transfer to a bowl and toss with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sauce.
5. Cut each chicken breast into 2 to 3 diagonal slices. Reheat the sauce gently if needed. Transfer the pasta to serving plates; top with chicken and coat with the cream sauce; devour messily

easiest casserole ever

I know a lot of my recipes can get a bit complicated, but this casserole is quick, easy, and very tasty!

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

• box mac and cheese
• cream of mushroom or chicken soup
• canned tuna or chicken
• frozen peas (you can use canned, but i think they are gross haha)

Make mac and cheese according to box directions (or your favorite way).
Stir in cream of soup, chicken/tuna, and frozen peas.  Add whatever seasonings you want, and heat on stove until peas are no longer cold.
I dare you not to enjoy this!  haha

Pesto Chicken Florentine -- skinny style

yum

Servings: 4ready in: 1 hour

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 chopped pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
• 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1 package Alfredo sauce* 
• 3 tablespoons pesto
• 8 oz dry pasta
• 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese
• chicken seasoning and/or tenderizer

*If you don't have an alredo sauce, here's a recipe for an easy and tasty one  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Alfredo-Sauce-2/Detail.aspx

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, saute for 1 minute; then add chicken, onion, and pepper--cook for 7 to 8 minutes on each side. When chicken is close to being cooked through (no longer pink inside), add spinach and saute all together for 3 to 4 minutes.
2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Rinse under cold water and drain.
3. Meanwhile, prepare Alfredo sauce according to package directions. When finished, stir in 2 tablespoons pesto
4. Add chicken/spinach mixture to pasta, then stir in pesto/Alfredo sauce. Mix well, top with cheese and serve.

thank you allrecipes

 http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pesto-Chicken-Florentine/Detail.aspx

chicken spaghetti

So i made chicken spaghetti.  It was awesome, hopefully i can remember everything that went into it haha
Serves 4 to 5
Prep time: 1.5 hours (on the mustard beast, having lids also will speed up cooking )

Add caption

Ingredients:
sliced bacon
dry spaghetti, or similar pasta
canned tomatoes
1 cream of celery soup (chicken, mushroom, or tomato will also probably work as well)
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
one chopped onion
chopped red and green bell peppers
3 cups of chicken, chopped or shredded
cheese!! use a couple different kinds (mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, colby jack, etc)
cooking wine (if your 'cream of'' soups are old and dry like mine was haha)
milk
cream cheese
4 cloves garlic, chopped
basil
montreal chicken seasoning
lemon pepper
red pepper
cumin--just a pinch
parsley flakes
garlic powder

• large skillet with lid
• pot for spaghetti
• large glass baking dish

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Boil salted water and add spaghetti.  Cook al dente, and strain.
Spray skillet with oil. Cook the chicken and bacon with: chopped onions, bell peppers, garlic,  mushrooms, etc.  Season chicken with lemon pepper and montreal chicken seasoning.
When the chicken is cooked well add canned tomatoes.  Stir in basil, garlic powder, red pepper, and cumin. If your chicken is still dry, add cooking wine. Cover, and allow to come to a boil.  (If your tomatoes come with as much juice as mine did, boil without a lid).  Simmer until sauce begins to thicken, and the red pepper has released its flavor.
In a bowl, mix 'cream of soup' with cream cheese.  Stir in milk if your soup is a little dry.
Add the soup mixture to the skillet and stir lightly.
When it is all heated through, add with spaghetti noodles into glass baking dish. Toss with a fork, and add cheese in layers on the top.
Cook in oven until cheese is melted.
This was pretty tasty stuff

pizza casserole

servings: 7
preheat: 350
ready in: 1 hour

ps this is not my tablecloth

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked egg noodles (can substitute other pastas)
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (doesn't matter what color)
• 1 cup sliced pepperoni sausage
• 16 ounces pizza sauce
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• some green onions, chopped 
• olives

Cook noodles in salted boiling water.  Add a little olive oil if they are especially old and dry (like mine are haha)
In a large frying pan, cook beef, onion, garlic, green onion, and pepper until meat is browned and onions are cooked.  I added meat tenderizer and mcormick hamburger seasoning to the hamburger, which had been frozen, and it helped a lot.
Stir in noodles, pepperoni, pizza sauce, olives, and milk--mix well. Pour into glass baking dish.

Pizza Sauce (I didn't have any so i made some).  Mix together until smooth:

• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon spicy crushed pepper
• creole seasoning (a nice spicy/salty seasoning)

Bake for 15 minutes, then top casserole with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese melts.
This is really pretty tasty.

special italian lasagna

This recipe is dedicated to janel--I hope you like it  :)
Recipe yield--one pan of lasagna

The finished lasagna

Janel had the idea of taking pictures as I cooked this one, and so I tried to snap some pictures of the different ingredients I used (and I threw in quite a few, big surprise).  

I'm going to put together an ingredients list, but I am going list the ingredients with the pictures.  Each picture essentially represents a separate phase or portion of the recipe.  There is definitely room for some experimentation in this recipe.  My version is fairly spicy, but please make it the way you like it  :) 

• preheat oven to 400 (this step comes especially early in my mustard yellow, 60s-style oven)

Saute us!

• 1/3 red bell pepper, chopped
• minced fresh garlic (about 4 or 5 cloves)
• chopped onion--i used about 1/2 an onion
• sliced mushrooms
• diced shallot (for stronger onion taste)
• spicy sausage--i used 1/2 tube
• thick sliced bacon--a few slices, diced
• meat tenderizer--recommended if using frozen meat
• oil for frying

Coat a frying pan with pam or whatever--only a masochist wants to clean up a sticky, charred sausage after cooking.  Saute with oil--add more if onions do not cook quickly enough.  Cover frying pan with a lid, but be sure to stir the mix every few minutes.

When the sausage is browned, bacon is cooked and onions are no longer raw, begin adding sauce ingredients.

sauce and spice time!

• can of tomato sauce 
• dry oregano
• basil--put enough in!  :)
• italian seasoning
• fennel seed (optional, but i have some so i threw it in)
• spicy pepper flakes
• cooking wine--i used red burgoundy, but white will also work (if you don't have any cooking wine, apple juice or a spoonful of sugar will work too)
• tomato, chopped
• green onions -- chopped
• spinach--optional healthy addition

Stir tomato sauce, oregano, basil, italian seasoning, fennel seed, pepper, and chopped tomato into the frying pan. Add wine to sweeten sauce, and to add moisture if sauce is too dry.  Cover with lid and allow to simmer until thick.  (If your in a rush mix cornstarch with cold water and then add to sauce--this will make it thicken much quicker).  Add green onions last.

Add lasagna noodles to a pot of salted boiling water.  Cook pasta until it is almost done (al dente), and then strain and rinse. Set aside.

While tomato/meat sauce is simmering, mix the following in a medium mixing bowl:

• milk, maybe 1/4 cup (any whippable cream will work)
• parmesan and ricotta cheese--at least 1 cup
• one egg
• parsley flakes
• dry oregano
• basil pesto
• cream cheese--the more, the richer
• sour cream--one scoop
• garlic powder--don't listen to what dad says, it'll be good  :P

Mix ingredients together until there are no lumps of cream cheese.

CHEESE!!!  Mix and match

• mozarella, shredded
• provolone, shredded
• colby or monteray jack, shredded
• white chipolte cheddar (not required, but I had some on hand so i used it)
• cheddar--optional

Grease baking or casserole dish thoroughly. Add noodles, meat sauce, and white cheese sauce in layers.  Additional cheese may be added to each layer if extra space is available. Top with shredded cheese--the more the better this will taste.  I know cheese is pricy, but its worth it...trust me.

Cover and bake until lasagna is bubbly and cheese is well melted,

bon appetite!

Try not to go back for seconds--I dare you!

I got a lot of ideas for this from two different recipes on allrecipes, feel free to experiment and make this dish exactly the way you want to.  Be sure to scale recipes similar if you take ingredients from different ones.  Here are the major sources for this recipe-- 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Worlds-Best-Lasagna/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Italian-Lasagna/Detail.aspx?prop31=1