made by Miranda

This is an easy but delicious summery salad that I KNOW I ate long ago at Emily's beach house, but she has no rememberance of it...who knows where it came from but it was great and here's what i came up with from what I tasted (or perhaps imagined I tasted).   
Ingredients:
1 lb uncooked cheese tortellini
6-8 oz fresh baby spinach
8-10 oz polish keilbasa
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese
Drizzle of olive oil

Cook the tortellini according to package directions being careful not to overcook (test pasta atleast 2 minutes prior to recommended cooking time).  Drain and place in a large serving bowl.  

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and drizzle in a titch of olive oil.  Slice your keilbasa into little disks about 1/8-1/4 inch thick.  Working in batches so you dont crowd the pan, brown the keilbasa on both sides in your saute pan.  Don't stir them too much, just add them to the pan and then flip them when they are browned.  As they are done, add them to the bowl with the tortellini.  Don't wipe out your keilbasa pan.  

Wash spinach well and add that to your saute pan.  Cover with a lid and let it wilt slightly.  This will only take a minute or maybe less.  Add the spinach to your bowl.  

Add the tomatoes to your saute pan and cook just until warmed through, maybe a minute.  Add the tomatoes to your bowl, as well, then top with parm.  

Toss and serve!  

Note: If your keilbasa is leaner (like turkey keilbasa) you may need a drizzle of olive oil over the salad.  Salad can be eaten warm, room temp, or cold.  Serves 6-8.  
 

made by Emily

This recipe is rich and delicious comfort food, not for the dieters.... But for once in a while it's totally worth it.  It's so good.  This is from the Pioneer Woman website, which I love.  Her recipes are great, and she's so entertaining!  I love her humor.  Anyway, I only altered it slightly because I wanted to make this slightly "lighter", haha, which is funny to say when we're talking about a pasta recipe with bacon and cream and cheese.... so there's nothing light about it really, except that I wanted to remove some of the pancetta grease from the pan before cooking the leeks.  Otherwise it's pretty much the same idea. 
You'll Need:
10 oz bowtie pasta
1/2-3/4 lb pancetta, chopped small (or you can slice it large as in my picture, and break it up after cooking when it's crispy - I hate cutting pancetta!)
3-5 leeks, cleaned well and sliced into small pcs (5 thin leeks or 3 fat leeks)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1/2 cup white or red wine (I used red because that's all I had, Pioneer Woman uses white)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh Parmesan to sprinkle on top
S & P to taste
To Make:

Start pasta water.  Cook pasta til al dente, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, and drain the pasta.  

While waiting for pasta water to boil, cook pancetta on medium heat in a large frying pan or deep pot to avoid grease splatter (if you have a metal splatter shield that helps avoid mess/burn).  
Toss so all sides cook til crispy brown looking.  Dry on paper towels and set aside.  
Wipe pan almost clean with paper towels, leaving at most a tablespoon of grease in the pan.  Add leaks, olive oil and butter, and cook 5 minutes or so.   Add wine and stir, scrape down the pot to get all the flavors incorporated.  Cook for another minute, then turn heat off and add cream.     
Keep pan on burner, just turn the heat off while you stir in the cream.   Add cooked pasta and pancetta to the pan with leeks and toss to coat everything.  If it seems dry, you can add a little of the reserved pasta water. 
Serve with fresh grated parmesan on top - Mmmm.  This dish tastes good room temp too.   
 

made by Rachel

Do you ever make a huge batch of meatballs and have them waiting for a recipe in your freezer?  Well, I feel like I always have meatballs in my freezer, so I made this lasagna recipe up to use some.  You could sub meatballs for plain old cooked ground beef, but I think this bulks up the flavor and consistency of a meat lasagna - try it out and let me know what you think! 
What you will need:
5 oz fresh spinach, chopped
16 oz ricotta
8-10 meatballs, chopped up or smashed with a potato masher
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Marinara or meat sauce - 1 cup for filling, approx 4 cups sauce for assembly
1 egg
1 box lasagna noodles (if you want you can make your own!)
Fresh or shredded mozzarella (I use both, shredded for the layers and fresh on top.  You will need about one bag  of shredded, or one square hand shredded, and one baseball size ball of fresh)
Fresh or dried basil (for sprinkling on top)
Fresh or dried oregano (for sprinkling on top)
S&P

Directions:
Start a large pot of water boiling.  Add about a tablespoon of salt and a splash of olive oil.  

In a bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, meatballs, Italian seasoning, 1 cup of the sauce and egg.  Mix well so the eggs are spread evenly throughout the mixture.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add your noodles to the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes - you want the noodles al dente so your lasagna is not mushy.  After 8 minutes take a noodle out and test it...it should be firm but not hard.  Pour your noodles over a colander to strain the water.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Now assemble your lasagna:
Spread a  1/2 cup of your sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  Layer three noodles across horizontally.  Depending on your dish,  you might need to cut an extra noodle for the side so the dish is covered in a single layer of noodles.

Spread a thin layer of your spinach/meatball/ricotta mixture across the noodles, use a spatula or your fingers to spread the filling out evenly.  Sprinkle a thin layer of shredded mozzarella on top of the filling (meat/spinach/ricotta).

Drizzle a layer of sauce on top of the cheese, using a spatula to spread, if needed.  

Layer another 3-4 noodles, filling, cheese, and sauce, and another one....until you run out of room in the dish.  The top layer should be noodle, then sauce, then fresh mozzarella.  Sprinkle the top with basil, oregano and pepper.
Bake at 350F for an hour, or until the cheese on top is starting to bubble and turn golden. 

Enjoy! 
 

By Rachel

Beware...if you made a New Year's resolution to eat super healthy I would not read this post.  This recipe is so good but so bad at the same time.  One bite will lead to many, many more bites of deliciousness!!
What you will need:
5 oz fresh spinach, chopped into small pieces
8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped small
16 oz ricotta
2 eggs
30 oz Alfredo sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 box lasagna noodles (I prefer the ones you have to cook yourself, not oven ready - OR make your own)
Fresh or shredded mozzarella (I use both, shredded for the layers and fresh on top.  You will need about one bag  of shredded, or one square block that's shredded by hand, and one baseball size ball of fresh)
Fresh or dried basil (for sprinkling on top)
Fresh or dried oregano (for sprinkling on top)
S&P

Directions:
Start a large pot of water boiling.  Add about a tablespoon of salt and a splash of olive oil.  

In a bowl, combine spinach, mushrooms, ricotta, and eggs.  Mix well so the eggs are spread evenly throughout the mixture.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add your noodles to the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes - you want the noodles al dente so your lasagna is not mushy.  After 8 minutes take a noodle out and test it...it should be firm but not hard.  Pour your noodles over a colander to strain the water.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Spread a  1/2 cup of your Alfredo sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  

Layer three noodles across horizontally.  Depending on your dish,  you might need to cut an extra noodle for the side so the dish is covered in a single layer of noodles.
Spread a thin layer of your mushroom/spinach mixture across the noodles, use a spatula or your fingers to spread the filling out evenly.  
Sprinkle a thin layer of shredded mozzarella on top of the filling.
Drizzle a layer of Alfredo sauce on top of the cheese, using a spatula to spread, if needed.  
Layer another 3-4 noodles, filling, cheese, and sauce, and another one....until you run out of room in the dish.  

The top layer should be noodle, then sauce, then fresh mozzarella.  Sprinkle the top with basil, oregano and pepper.    
Bake at 350F for an hour, or until the cheese on top is starting to bubble and turn golden.   
I shouldn't even have to say "enjoy" because I know you will....mmmmmmm.
 

By Emily

This recipe was originally from a pasta book that Miranda got for Christmas, and as soon as she opened it I copied down a few recipes and this is the one that has survived and become mine now : )  I've made it so many times, and naturally it's evolved a bit and definitely become one of my go-to pasta recipes.  I've made it for many dinner parties too because it's versatile: you can add grilled chicken or beef to make it more of a meal, and you can cover it and keep it warm for a while beforehand, and it tastes great the next day.  Use fresh ingredients though... once I made it with wine that I knew was borderline "turned" but figured I could still use for cooking, and sundried tomatoes that were a bit old (in the back of my fridge for about a year) and it definitely wasn't the same!  Use fresh parsley too....  If you use good ingredients, it will be a great recipe for you too!
Serves 4

You'll Need:
4 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
4-6 shallots, diced
1 pound baby portobello mushrooms, sliced small
Salt and pepper
A pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp flour
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs port wine, or use a good red wine
4 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and minced in Cuisinart or blender
12 oz penne pasta
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
To Make:
Start a pot of boiling water for pasta.  Meanwhile, make the sauce:Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet.  Add shallots and cook 5 minutes over med/low heat.  
Add mushrooms, cook 4 minutes and season with S & P.  Sprinkle with flour and cook another minute or two.  Stir in cream and port slowly, stirring well.  Add sun-dried tomatoes and nutmeg.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes.  
Now the water should be boiling so you can cook the pasta in the boiling pot of water.  Cook 8-10 minutes until al dente.  Drain and add to mushroom sauce in your large skillet.  Cook altogether for a couple minutes on low, then transfer to a warmed serving dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.  
 

By Rachel

I have made this dinner 3 times now because my husband claims that it's the best thing I have ever made!  It has great flavor due to the sun-dried tomatoes  and fresh basil - not to mention the super creamy sauce and homemade pasta...ok fine EVERYTHING about it is pretty awesome - give it a try!
I separated out the ingredients so you can make just the Alfredo Sauce if you want.  I made the homemade pasta first, then tossed it in the Alfredo Sauce, then topped it with Basil Grilled Chicken, minced sun-dried tomatoes, fresh chopped basil, and fresh grated Parmesan.  This sauce would be delicious on it's own, but is super delicious with those toppings!

Serves 4


Alfredo Sauce Ingredients:
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly cracked black pepper (regular pepper is ok if you don't have fresh)
Prepared Pasta (any thick pasta will do - click here for the homemade pasta recipe!)

Grilled Basil Chicken Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, each sliced in half (lay the chicken breasts flat and slice horizontally so you have four thin/flat pieces to grill)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Olive oil (enough to coat the chicken and make the basil stick)
Salt and Pepper (preferably cracked pepper)

Toppings:
Sun-dried tomatoes, about 1/4 cup after chopped really small/fine
Fresh Basil, about 1/4 cup after chopped 
Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated over top of each plate of pasta

To make:
First, marinate your chicken in olive oil, salt and pepper and the 1/2 cup of chopped basil.  I use a LOT of pepper - the mixture of cracked pepper and basil make a crusty coating when the chicken is grilled.  I like to marinate for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

Chop your sun-dried tomatoes and basil and grate your cheese while the chicken is marinating.


Grill your chicken.  While your chicken is grilling, cook your pasta and prepare your Alfredo sauce.

To prepare Alfredo sauce: 
Heat heavy cream over low-medium heat in a deep saute pan.  Add butter and whisk gently to melt.  Sprinkle in Parmesan cheese and stir.  Your sauce should thicken slightly - if it does not thicken enough to your liking, add more cheese.  Be sure to keep stirring so the cheese and cream don't burn.  Season with freshly cracked black pepper. 

Add your cooked pasta to the pan with your sauce, gently tossing to coat the noodles.

Slice your grilled chicken and serve each plate with noodles, grilled chicken and a sprinkle of sun-dried tomatoes, basil and fresh Parm.  Mmmm!
 

By Miranda

Now that I have had homemade pasta, its hard to go back to a box.  The process has become fairly easy to me so that I can "whip up" a batch within a half hour.  The possibilities are endless - this can be used to make lasagna, ravioli, or just the normal noodle
shapes (if you have the right tools).  I am lucky enough to have the KitchenAid pasta attachments and can now make pretty much everything!  Although I am only like 1/16th Italian (wish I was more), I don't claim to be an expert on pasta or making it.  This is just the recipe that works for me and that I love.
Makes 3-4 servings

1 cup semolina flour
1 cup wheat flour (can use white too)
1 Tbsp gluten (a flour that will help make pasta stronger and more chewy)
1 Tbsp milk
3 eggs
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until it starts to come together.
 It will seem really dry but keep working with it. Eventually, dump it on the counter and knead it for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes a somewhat smooth ball.  
It may not absorb all the flour, or you might need a bit more flour (depending on the size of your eggs).  Cover the dough ball and let it sit for 30 minutes on the counter.  Then either roll/cut it out by hand or use your handy pasta maker.  
I put mine through a million times and keep folding it over until its a nice rectangle, then I start decreasing the width of the press and let it stretch out to the thickness I want.  
Usually I make fettuccine but tonight I wanted an egg noodle type pasta, so I just made lasagna noogles and then cut them into a bunch of wide crazy shapes with my pizza cutter.
Cooking:  Get a huge pot of water boiling (they need lots of space) and salt it well (like 3 Tbsp).  When the water is at a rolling boil, add your noodles and stir.  Fresh pasta will cook much sooner than dried.  Mine is usually done by 4 minutes.  Definitely test it at 3 though so it doesnt get overcooked.

Hope it turns out delish!

Note: My husband, who is super good at bread-making, thinks that the milk and gluten  counteract eachother, but I'm positive that they are perfect together.  The gluten makes the pasta stronger and more chewy, but the milk makes its a little more tender and delicate, despite the gluten.
 

By Emily

My friend was over for a play date and we got to talking about food, of course. She said she was going home to do her "once a season" eggplant parm extravaganza, where she makes 3 batches and freezes it all separately: the breaded/fried eggplant, the mozz, and a few bags of sauce.  When she wants "fresh" eggplant parm, she throws it all together and cooks it. What a good idea!  That is, if you have a few hours to do all that work without a 17 month old tugging at your legs.  I only had about an hour and a half before my son woke up, so I had time for just one batch... Earlier, I went to Fiore's in Hoboken for the homemade mozz (bought SO much, the rest is in the freezer) and a farmers market for my sauce (cheater, I know!) and eggplants, and backyard for my basil - I'm very proud of my thriving urban herb garden!!!
Serves 4

You'll need:
2 medium sized eggplants
4 eggs beaten up in a bowl, may need more
2 cups flour in another bowl with S & P to season the flour
2 cups breadcrumbs in a third bowl, again you may need more depending on how much eggplant you have
1/2 c. olive oil for frying eggplant
2 quarts of spaghetti sauce or marinara of your choice, works best with a thinner sauce b/c it thickens upon cooking with the eggplant, and may want more for serving
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced thick
1/2 c. grated parmesan (maybe more for serving)
approx. 8 basil leaves julienned
salt & pepper

To Make: 
Slice eggplants very thin, about 1/8" thick or even thinner.Heavily salt the sliced eggplant and let sit for about 20-30 minutes to remove the bitterness that sometimes comes with the seeds of a big eggplant, until you see the eggplant "sweating".  Rinse and pat dry. 
Cover each dry eggplant slice in flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs.
On Medium heat, fry up each slice of eggplant until golden brown on each side.  Let "dry" on paper towels. 
Meanwhile slice up fresh mozzarella.
Arrange all the cooked/dryed eggplant in a baking dish.  Cover all eggplant in baking dish with marinara/tomato sauce until covered, then top with fresh mozzarella slices. 
Finally, garnish the finished dish with salt & pepper, basil & parmesan.   
Wrap & fridge until ready to cook.  You can make this a day in advance or freeze it.  

When ready to cook: 375' for 45 min. until top is slightly browned and bubbly.  If top doesn't brown a little, put under broiler under a close eye for maybe 5 minutes.  Make sure it doesn't burn!