Pasta with Sausage Drenched in Creamy Tomato Sauce.

Have I mentioned that my husband loves to grill out?  He enjoys grilling out so much that he does so year round.  This may seem "normal" to some, but considering that we live in Wisconsin, this is a pretty significant feat.

How about that he loves leftovers?  So much that he would be most happy with one of us making a large meal once per week and eating it for lunch and dinner for the remainder of the week.  That being the case, when he grills out, he easily grills for 10 people when our family consists of 2.

This past weekend I convinced him to limit what he was putting on the grill and strategically selected a couple different meats that I had other plans for....and that's where this recipe comes into play!  

 

Pasta with Sausage Drenched in Creamy Tomato Sauce.
(Recipe by Me)
1 pound pasta (cavatappi is my favorite)
1 large can of your favorite pasta sauce (about 27 ounces)
2 6-ounce containers of plain Greek yogurt
3 Italian sausages cut into bite size pieces (also know as leftover bratwursts)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Prepare pasta according to package instructions.  At the same time, heat pasta sauce then add yogurt, sausage, and Parmesan cheese and mix until combined.  Combine pasta with sauce and place in an oven save dish.  Top with mozzarella cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown.

And this is where I will tell you how much I am loving Greek yogurt.  I've never been a fan of creamy sauces or alfredo because of the extra calories that came with it.  Using Greek yogurt is such a healthier option than heavy cream and tastes delicious!!

How else are you using Greek yogurt in your cooking or baking?  I just bought a large tub of the plain stuff!

...and I apologize for the terrible photo, but the baby was hungry...or maybe it was just me...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip.

I love chocolate chip cookie dough, but will only eat it in ice cream.  I figure in that form it has to be "egg free" or somehow safe of the creepy crawly things that mother's tell their children about so that they don't eat raw dough.

Did I mention that I'm going to be a mother?  It's true.  First baby on the way!  And I will blame my lack of posting the last 4 months on that.  I hope that my posting will get better before it gets worse.  Stay with me though! 

Back to talking about chocolate chip cookie dough.  The thought of it sounded so good this weekend and it just so happened that I was going to a 2-year old's birthday party.  I'm not sure that the 2-year old actually had any of the dip, but the adults did.  And then my husband and I devoured the leftovers.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip.
(Recipe from Add a Pinch)
1/2 cup butter
1 8-ounce cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits

Beat butter and cream cheese.  Add remaining ingredients until well combined.  Serve with graham crackers.

Yes, you read the recipe right.  It's that easy and tastes just like I remember "the real thing" tasting during my childhood.  Just be careful.  Before you know it, you will have eaten more than your share in a single sitting :)

Make Any Pizza Crust Better.

My husband and I have had a Valentine's tradition since we began dating.  And I love it!  We spend the evening in pajamas, create a homemade pizza, eat too much, and the lay around the rest of the night.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate our love!

And speaking of tonight's version of Valentine's pizza...we went ahead and made a good crust better.  All you need to do is add teaspoon of italian seasoning when mixing up the crust!

So tasty!


Happy Valentine's Day, my friends!!

Cheesey Potatoes.

I think my hiatus from the kitchen and blogging is over.  I still can't believe that I can count on one hand the number of times I've been in the kitchen cooking or baking anything real since...ummm...mid-November?!?  Yikes!  It's been a while and I've missed it!!  I missed it so much that I made my husband breakfast the Saturday and Sunday.  He's pretty lucky (at least he was over the weekend)!!

The other night I cooked up a pork tenderloin.  It was good, but the real reason I cooked it was to to use the leftovers to make some pulled pork sandwiches...with any luck that recipe will be coming to you later this week.  Back to the topic at hand though: cheesey potatoes.  They seemed like the perfect accompaniment to said sandwiches.

The cheesey potato recipe I usually use serves a crowd...perfect for parties.  But that night I just wanted something for the two of us and maybe enough leftovers for a couple meals (though it turns out we ate this as leftovers for more than a couple meals later...mixing up the rest of the meal was key to making it work for 4 days!!)  I remembered a recipe I had pinned and decided to go with it.  People state the recipe is just like Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole...since I have never been to a Cracker Barrel and had not expectations on taste I decided to change the recipe up to incorporate the ingredients I had on hand and was most hungry for...

Cheesey Potatoes.

(Adapted from Easy Restaurant Recipes)

1 bag frozen shredded potatoes (the bag I used was just under 2 lbs.)

8 ounce container of sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup (I've only seen this made by Campbell's)

1 stick of butter (melted) (you could get away with 1/2 or 3/4 stick to save room for dessert) :)

1 tablespoon dried onions

2 cups cheddar cheese (grated)

salt/pepper

Grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan and add shredded potatoes - distributing evenly.  Salt/pepper potatoes to your liking (I prefer heavy on the pepper, light on the salt).  In a separate bowl combine sour cream, cream of mushroom, butter, and dried onions.  Spread evenly over the top of the potatoes.  Top with cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool slightly, and enjoy.

And now that I'm hopefully back to regular postings, I'll work on my photo skills again.  I'm just glad to be cooking and blogging again!!

Returning Soon!

I dislike that I haven't posted in soooo long, but truth be had..I've done very little cooking or baking of late.  I consider myself fortunate to have completed my Christmas baking.  And, yes, I baked too much again this year, but doubt I'll ever learn.

On that note, I foresee returning to the kitchen very soon.  And am excited to share new recipes with you.  Thanks for sticking with me!!

Fantasy Fudge

Yum-o!
Can't wait to share this recipe with you guys! This is by far my favorite fudge. Ever.
We make a double or triple batch every year during my family's annual cookie baking day. Last year I screwed up and put milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet. BIG mistake!
Hope you all enjoy!

3 C. Sugar                                                       3/4 C. butter
12 oz pkg semi sweet chocolate chips              1 tsp vanilla
1- 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

Combine sugar, butter and milk in saucepan, bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate chips until melted. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla, stir until well blended, pour into greased 13x9 pan.

Happy New Year! Thank you Holly for asking me back!

Julie

Vegetable Tian

...'Twas the night before Christmas...

This is about the third recipe that I was convinced was perfect for my contribution and thankfully it turned out pretty darn amazing!

The first was a delicious Barley Turkey Meatball soup - which I highly recommend (http://www.barleyfoods.org/recipes/barley_albondigassoup.html). Throw a little roasted jalapeno in the meatballs and serve with cilantro, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream on top - Yum! (We called it Chile Butterball soup!)

The second was an amazing tasting coffee fudge which still remains this taffy consistency blob in the refrigerator - going to try to use it for hot chocolate instead!

Now - for the Vegetable Tian - its a great lighter side dish, which is exactly what I was looking for for Christmas...something that wasn't full of cream, cheese, and heaviness.

Vegetable Tian

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 large sweet yellow onion (chopped)

2-3 cloves of minced garlic

2 russet potatoes, unpeeled

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

3 Roma Tomatoes

Salt, Pepper, Thyme

Grated Parmesan cheese (I recommend the fresher kind)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet cook onion with 1 Tbsp olive oil until soft, then add garlic for about 1 minute, or until aromatic. Pour the contents of the skillet into the bottom of the baking dish and spread out evenly.

Slice potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash into 1/4" slices and layer in baking dish. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and Tyme to taste.

Bake, covered, for about 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and bake uncovered about another 25-30 minutes until all vegetables are tender and cheese is browned.

Unfortunately I didn't even think about a photo until all the compliments and fully bellies rolled in after Christmas dinner - so what you see is the left overs. It was extremely easy to throw together and a great alternative to heavy sides without losing all the flavor!

I REALLY cannot wait to make this during harvest when all the goodies are garden fresh!