Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles

Need a great side dish that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious?  Try making some Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles some night.  I made this recipe last night and it was a hit.    Instead of using Pasta, I used Extra Wide Egg Noodles.  They worked perfectly.
These  noodles have a nice light flavor with a hint of butter.  Tasty and delicious.  


Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles
The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
1 pound Pasta (fettuccine, Linguine, Angel Hair)
4 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Finely Minced Parsley
1 whole Lemon
 Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation

Cook the noodles according to package instructions. (If using angel hair, stop just short of the al dente stage.) Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the cooked pasta and cook it around in the butter for a couple of minutes so that a few of the noodles get a little bit of a pan fried texture to them, whatever that means.

Zest the lemon. Squeeze in the juice, then add the zest of half the lemon.


Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss around and serve. Yum!

Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake

The other day was one of those days where  I was running short of tim . I looked at the clock and shortly it  was going to be time for dinner.  What to cook for dinner that is quick, easy, and does not require a  run to the store.   I remember seeing a recipe for a pasta bake on Simply Recipes website.  I pulled it up on my computer and it was perfect for tonights dinner.  The one substitution I made was Pancetta for the ham.  I substituted 8-ounces of Pancetta for the 10-ounces of ham.

This pasta bake was rich and creamy and was delicious.  I like using mozzarella cheese.  It  makes  a rich and creamy cheese sauce.    Everyone enjoyed this for dinner and asked me to make it again.  A big plus for a new recipe.

Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake
Simply Recipes


INGREDIENTS
12 ounces fusilli pasta
Salt for pasta water
4 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced,
4 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (more to taste)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano, thyme, and basil)
3/4 teaspoons salt (more to taste)
3 ounces (about 1 cup, packed) shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces (about 1 cup, packed) shredded Mozzarella cheese
10 ounces diced ham (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh green onion greens or chives

METHOD
1 Make pasta: Put a big pot of salted water onto boil on high heat for the pasta (4 quarts, 2 Tbsp salt). While the pasta water is heating, prep the other ingredients.
Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the pasta and stir so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Let the water return to a rolling boil and cook, uncovered, for 9 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is “al dente”, cooked through but still slightly firm to the bite.
2 Make roux: Melt the butter in a large (3 to 4 quart), thick-bottomed pot on medium heat. Add the minced garlic. Let the garlic sizzle for a few seconds. Add the flour and whisk so that any lumps are dissolved. Let the roux (flour and butter) bubble and cook for a minute or two.
3 Make the sauce: Slowly add the milk and cream, a quarter cup at a time, whisking until incorporated after each addition. Increase the heat to medium high. Add ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. (You may want to increase these later to taste.) Add ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
Add half of the shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, whisking until melted and incorporated into the sauce.
Add 3/4 teaspoon of salt (again, you may want to increase this to taste).
Stir in 1 cup of water (can use pasta cooking water if you want).
4 Preheat oven to 400°F.
5 Combine pasta with sauce, ham, parsley, onion greens: Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the ham. Add the chopped parsley and onion greens or chives. Gently stir to combine. Taste, and add more nutmeg, salt, pepper, or Italian seasoning to taste.
6 Bake: Transfer the pasta mixture to an oven-proof casserole dish (if you are using a Dutch oven to make the sauce, there is no need to transfer to another dish). Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Serves 4-6

Foil-Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes are a wonderful side dish for practically any meal.  They go great with meat, poultry, and fish.  Out of habit  and family favorites I usually make mashed or baked potatoes.  I took a step on the adventurous side and made some roasted potatoes for dinner.  The family was glad I did.   These potatoes are delicious.  Creamy with a mild herb flavor.

The only change I made to the recipe was using Baby Creamers Potatoes.  I used those potatoes mainly because I had them on hand.

Foil-Roasted Potatoes
From Cook's Country Magazine December/January 2018 Issue

Ingredients:
2 pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

Method:
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss potatoes, rosemary, salt, thyme, and pepper in large bowl until potatoes are well coated.
2. Line baking sheet with 16 by 12-inch sheet of aluminum foil.  Spread potatoes mixture evenly over foil, leaving 1 1/2-inch border.  Flip potatoes cut sides down.  Scatter butter and garlic over potatoes.  Place second 16 by 12-inch sheet of foil over potatoes.  Beginning at 1 corner, fold foil inward in 1/2-inch increments 2 to 3 times to seal edge.  Continue folding around perimeter of foil to create sealed packet.
3. Transfer sheet to oven and bake until potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes.  Let potatoes cool for 5 minutes.  Using tongs, tear away top sheet of foil, being careful of escaping steam.  Serve.

Serves 6

Cookie Butter Brownies

One of my favorite things is Cookie Butter.  I can eat it by the spoonfuls.  When I saw this recipe for Cookie Butter Brownies  - I thought it doesn't get any better than this.  Rich fudge like brownies with delicious bites flavored with Cookie Butter.  Love it.  These brownies did not disappoint.  They were fantastic.  Some of the best brownies I have ever eaten.

It was a bit difficult to get pictures because the brownies disappeared.  Everyone loved them.  Just need to make some more.

Cookie Butter Brownies
Olive and Tate Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) melted butter
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
2 big spoonfuls of Cookie Butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
2. In a stand mixer, mix eggs on medium speed. Once eggs are light yellow in color, add in both sugars and continue mixing at medium speed.
3. Add melted butter, cocoa, salt, vanilla and flour. Mix until fully combined, making sure to scrape flour off of the sides of your bowl so that it can all be incorporated. Turn off mixer and fold in chocolate chips.
4.Pour mix into pan and spread it evenly. Drop small blobs of Cookie Butter all around the pan, gently blend in to the batter, using a fork.

5. Bake 50 mins or until cooked through.

Corn and Potato Chowder

I love soups, chowders, and stews during the winter months.  They are great comfort foods and they are very satisfying.  I found this delicious recipe in Woman's Day magazine.  Just looking at the ingredients made my mouth water.  It contains your basic ingredients for corn chowder but adds some fennel and chorizo.  The chorizo adds a nice spiced kick to this chowder.
Another plus for this recipe - it is cooked in a slow cooker.  Perfect for those busy days.  I made this as I was taking down the Christmas decorations.


I served this chowder with some biscuits to make a nice and easy dinner.  It was enjoyed by everyone.


Corn and Potato Chowder
Woman's Day

Ingredients:
12 ounces red potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion chopped
1 bulb fennel, cut into 1/4 inch pieces plus fronds for topping
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 ounces cured chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons flour
kosher salt and pepper
4 cup chicken broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup half-and-half


Directions:
1. In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, toss potatoes, onions, fennel, corn, garlic; half the chorizo with flour, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
2. Stir in chicken broth and thyme and cook, covered, until potatoes are tender, 3 1/2 -4 1/2 hours on high or 5 to 6 hours on low.
3. Ten minutes before serving, cook remaining chorizo in a skillet over medium-high, tossing occasionally until browned and crisp, 3 minutes.
4. Discard thyme sprigs from chowder, then stir in half-and-half.  Sprinkle crispy chorizo and fennel fronds on top, if desired.

Serves 4