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Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta

6/30/2024

I love one pot meals! This meal resembles a "spruced up" Hamburger Helper. You can swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken. I've also used a rotisserie chicken. We prefer cellentani pasta (corkscrew type.) I usually serve this dish with a nice side salad and fresh green beans. Enjoy! Diane

Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta

Ingredients

1 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 diced onion
1 Pound ground beef
1 Tablespoon dried Italian herbs
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
12oz dried pasta: cellentani, penne, bow tie, rotini or elbow macaroni
3/4 cup heavy cream

Topping before Serving:
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Heat the butter and oil on medium high heat in a large pot. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, add in the garlic the last minute.
Add in the ground beef and cook until you can no longer see pink in the meat. Add the Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds, then add tomato paste.
Add in the diced tomato, chicken broth, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir, then add the pasta.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower slightly - place a lid on the pot and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes then more frequently towards the end to ensure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add cream, then simmer for the final 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve with grated parmesan.

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Diane's Cashew Chicken Casserole

6/16/2024

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Yep! I am that odd person that would make my cooking life purely casseroles if I could! One dish bakes that render the same flavors of stove top and stir fry versions. Sure, there are times when the traditional way of making a recipe is best. I have been working on turning my Cashew Chicken recipe into a "Casserole."
I think I finally perfected it. It passed the "husband test." Enjoy! Diane

Diane's Cashew Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
2 Cups chicken breasts cut into 1-to-2-inch pieces
1 sweet red, orange or yellow bell pepper; cored, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small zucchini, cut into small rounds or quarter rounds
1 small can of diced or sliced water chestnuts
1 small onion, diced
1 Cup cashews unsalted, slightly crushed
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
4 Tablespoons soy sauce*
4 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp red chili oil
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
salt & ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of butter, for sautéing
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

Lightly oil a 9x13 casserole dish, set aside.
In a small sauté pan, sauté the diced onion and sweet pepper over medium heat in butter for about 8 minutes.
While the onion and bell pepper mixture is cooking, add the chicken, zucchini, water chestnuts and cashews to the prepared casserole dish.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the casserole dish, except for the cornstarch.
Stir the sweet bell pepper and onion into the casserole dish.
lightly salt & pepper.
Mix all ingredients until well combined.
Bake at 375F for 30 minutes.
Remove dish from over and sprinkle over the cornstarch, mix in well and place casserole dish back in oven for a remaining 5 minutes.
Serve over cooked rice or noodles.

*Recipe Note: you can use low sodium soy sauce

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Stabilized Whipped Cream

6/2/2024

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Love the taste of homemade whipped cream on desserts? Want to keep your whipped cream from deflating? Make Stabilized Whipped Cream (there are many ways to make it - this is my preferred method)
It will last well in the fridge for 3+ days.

Stabilized Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 C Powdered Sugar
1/4 C Vanilla Instant Pudding Powder
(Instant NOT cook type)

Directions:
Beat on HIGH until thickened to soft peaks
((Start with a COLD bowl and milk!))
Can last 3 days in fridge.
Try different pudding flavors too!
Add up to 2 more Tbs powdered sugar for more sweetness

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Chopped Italian Grinder "Sub" Salad

6/2/2024

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We love cold salads for dinner when the weather gets warmer. This salad is super tasty and we eat it as a main course - its a great potluck dish too. Enjoy! Diane
Ingredients
Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Pink or Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning blend
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2/3 Cup chopped pickled cherry peppers plus, 2 Tablespoons pickling liquid
2/3 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated plus more for garnish

Salad

3 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
12 ounces salami, sliced into ribbons then chopped into 1" pieces
8 ounces deli ham, sliced into ribbons then chopped into 1" pieces
8 slices provolone cheese, sliced into ribbons then chopped in half
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced pickled cherry peppers
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

To make the dressing, add the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, garlic, and cherry pepper liquid to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, then stir in the parmesan cheese. Chill the dressing in the refrigerator while you prepare the salad. I like to make this a few hours ahead of time.
Ready to Serve? In a large mixing bowl, add all of the prepared salad ingredients.
Spoon the dressing over the salad ingredients. Gently toss the salad ingredients together with the dressing. I spoon half the dressing and mix and then add more if needed - if not, you have dressing for salads during the week.
Garnish with red pepper flakes and some more parmesan before serving if desired.
Enjoy.

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