How to jazz up a jarred pasta sauce

Recently, I got a request for manicotti from the hubs. (It was delicious - recipe to come, I promise.) He also wanted chicken Parmesan with some, and I quote, "fun noodles." I didn't want to make my own pasta sauce, so I bought a jarred natural sauce from the local market. Total fail. It tasted like tomatoes, a little basil, and sugar. Ok, mostly it tasted like sugar. That is not what I am looking for in a pasta sauce. I don't know anyone who's looking for that in a pasta sauce, but apparently they still make it anyway. Regardless, it called for some doctoring. The results were so much better than what we started with. In fact, the hubs has requested that I now doctor all pasta sauces we buy. So I decided it might be helpful to throw out some ideas of stuff to put in to doctor the sauce.

• a teaspoon of red pepper flakes heats it up a little bit and makes it much more flavorful
• a teaspoon of basil is always a welcome addition
• try a teaspoon of oregano, too - it adds another depth
• try a half a teaspoon of chopped fresh garlic, or
• sprinkle in a teaspoon or so of garlic powder
• half a teaspoon of onion powder
  
• a fourth cup of chopped, sauteed fresh mushrooms
• if you like rosemary, try throwing a half teaspoon of that in the mix

Have you doctored your spaghetti sauces before? What else do you add to make them sing?

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

I'm pretty sure that pulled pork is one of the most delicious foods I can think of. And making it in the crock pot is wicked easy. Let me tell you all about it. (Check out the original recipe here.)

Ingredients: boneless pork shoulder roast, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, 1 cup chopped onion, 1 bottle (12 ounces) barbecue sauce, your favorite, 3 to 4 tablespoons honey, or to taste, pickles, sandwich rolls

Directions: Place pork roast in a lightly greased 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker. Combine onion, barbecue sauce, and honey; pour over roast. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 7 to 9 hours. Serve on buns, topped with pickles. Mmmmm....

Homemade Pizza

My husband loves pizza. Like, will eat it for every meal for 6 days in a row without getting sick of it. I know this because he's done it. So I decided to make pizza for dinner. Last time I made pizza, I used a store mix for the crust. Yikes. That was a bad idea. So this time, I decided to brave the wild and make my own. Not that adventurous, I know, but it has to be tried, right? On with the recipe!
Good Housekeeping's pizza crust recipe

2/12 to 3 flour
2 1/4 t yeast
1/2 t yeast
1 c warm water
2 t oil

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/4 c flour, yeast, and salt; add water and oil. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Then beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the flour and mix. Turn out and knead until you have a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough out to fit your pan or tray or stone or whatever you're using to bake the dough on. Put the dough on your baking apparatus, cover, and let rise for 35-40 minutes, or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400. Prick the crust with a
fork so it doesn't bubble up and explode. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Take out of the oven, spread the sauce on the crust, add cheese and your favorite pizza toppings, and then pop it back in the oven for 10 or so minutes, or until all bubbly and gooey and delicious. And then eat it.

Pasta Salad

I'm not going to do a how-to on this one. It's pasta salad. You cook pasta and put in veggies and eat it. I will tell you what I used, though. I decided to use a teeny little pasta called tubettini. We were bringing this to a party with little kids, and I thought the small pasta would be fun for them. Plus, it's cute. Also, you can tell I went heavy on the salad and not so much on the pasta part. I put in corn, black beans, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, and snow peas. I dressed it with just a teensy bit of garlic olive oil. I'm not a fan of pasta salads that are covered in dressing. I prefer mine more dry, I guess. I think it gets enough flavor from fresh veggies. Anyway, it was a beautiful salad and the kiddos loved it. The adults couldn't get enough either, so I'll label that one as a success.

Rockin' Guac

Guacamole. Either you love it or you hate it. And you probably love it. I have the best recipe for guac ever and I'm totally gonna share it with you. It's more labor intensive than the cheater's "just add salsa" version, but it's so worth it. Let's begin!

Time Needed: 30 minutes
Level of difficulty: intermediate
Materials needed: 1-2 jalapenos, 2 tomatoes, 1/2 red onion, 6 green onions, 5 tablespoons cilantro, 3 tablespoons garlic, juice of 1/2 to 1 lime, 8-10 avocados, salt to taste
Directions: Roast your jalapenos (this is why I gave this recipe an intermediate rating). Put them either in a pan or directly on the burner and rotate them occasionally. You're looking to blister the skin. Because of all the moisture in them, they will wiggle and pop and they are super fun to watch. When you're done roasting them, dice them up very finely. They contain a lot of heat, and no matter how much you like heat, biting into a huge chunk of jalapeno is not fun. The inside of the pepper is where most of the heat comes from. So if you like a lot of heat, chop it with the membranes and seeds and all. If you're like me, and a little goes a long way, take that stuff out and then chop it. Word to the wise: don't touch your nose or eyes for a few hours after chopping your jalapenos. And wash your hands thoroughly like a bazillion times. You do NOT want that stuff in your eyes. Also, with jalapenos, the longer they sit in something, the more of a potent flavor they will lend to the dish. So if you like it spicy, wait a little bit before nomming down on the finished product.

Chop up your onions, tomatoes, garlic, and juice your lime. Add all of that and that jalapeno into your bowl and top with salt. This will bring out some of the juices as you move on to the next step and will help the flavors marry a bit. While this his happening, cut open your avocados and cut into chunks. Depending on how you like the consistency of your guac, you can finely chop them, blend them, mash them with a potato masher, or (my favorite) put them in your food processor. Once you have the desired consistency, chuck it in with the rest of the ingredients and mix away. Taste to make sure you like the flavor combos, and add anything that seems to be lacking. But don't eat all of it before the party. Or do and don't tell anyone. Either way, it'll be delicious.

Pico de Gallo

For anyone who doesn't know, pico de gallo is fresh chunky salsa. Or, if you're being literal, the translation means "beak of the rooster" which obviously has a lot to do with the fact that it's really salsa. Then again, burrito means "little donkey" and that doesn't sound very appetizing, either. Back on topic. Pico de gallo is delicious and amazing and you should totally make it. Let me share my fabulous recipe with you.

Time Needed: 30 minutes
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: 8-10 Roma tomatoes, 1/2 red onion, 3 green onions, 3 tablespoons garlic, 3 tablespoons cilantro, 1 jalapeno, 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, salt to taste
Directions: Dice and mince the crud out of everything. Obviously, the size of chunk will depend on the ingredient. The garlic and jalapeno will be much more finely diced than the tomato and cilantro. All of this is to personal taste, so make it as chunky or as fine as you'd like. And, if you like more or less of something, well, add more or less of it. I like a juicy salsa, so I squeezed my tomato chunks a little after chopping them, but if you like a less juicy option, leave that part out. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil (I used my garlic infused olive oil - zing!) and top with salt. Make sure you have enough chips, though, because you'll want to eat all of this in one setting.

Side note: The garlic in this is the fresh garlic my friend gave me that I mentioned here and the cilantro is from my garden that I mentioned here. Let's just say that I made everyone's 4th of July a little better by bringing this to the party. :)

Fettuccine Carbonara

My hubby's great grandma came to America from Italy when she was a young woman. Grandma Luisa was a great cook, and so was her daughter, Grandma Laura. One of their amazing recipes was their fettuccine carbonara recipe. It's one of the hub's faves, so it had to be made for Father's Day.


Ingredients:1 pkg Fettuccine pasta, 1/2 lb Italian sweet sausage (remove casing and thoroughly cook loose sausage), 6 slices bacon (cooked, drained and crumbled), 2 large scallions or 1/2 small onion (saute in small amount of olive oil until translucent), 2 eggs, beaten well, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, to taste, red pepper flakes, to taste, snipped parsley (optional)

Directions:Cook fettucini. Drain well and place in warm serving dish large enough for tossing. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, onion, cream, grated cheese, raw eggs and snipped parsley. Toss until fettucini is well coated. Add salt, pepper and red pepper to taste. Serve immediately as pasta becomes gluey rather quickly.

Thai Noodles

Check out the original here (and thanks for the picture)!

This recipe is a great resource to use when cooking from your pantry. The hubs gave it an A+ and it'll be happening again and again.
Time Needed: 20 minutes
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: 8 oz spaghetti or linguine pasta, 1 C shredded carrots, 1 T sesame seeds, ¼ C peanut butter, 2 T mayonnaise, 2 T soy sauce, 2 T canola oil, 2 T hot water, 1 T rice vinegar, 1 T toasted sesame oil, 2 t honey, 1 t ginger, 1 clove garlic

Directions: Cook your pasta. Meanwhile, put peanut butter, mayo, soy sauce, canola oil, hot water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, ginger, and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth. Mix with pasta, carrots, and sesame seeds and enjoy.

Dinner

This was the easiest dinner ever, and I felt like I should show it off:


Spaghetti and sauce (covered in parmesan), breaded chicken cutlets, Caesar salad, homemade garlic bread, and fresh berries with stevia (turns out I love that stuff). Total prep time: 15 minutes. Score!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I made this tonight for the hubs and his friend and they totally devoured it. Props to my mom for the delicious recipe!

Time Needed: 30 minutes
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: 1 C. chopped onion, ½ chopped green pepper, 2 T. butter, 2 C. shredded cooked chicken, 1 4oz can chopped green chilies, 1 ½ C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 3 T. butter, ¼ C. flour,1 tsp. coriander pepper, salt to taste, 2 ½ C. chicken broth, 1 C. sour cream, 12-6” flour tortillas
Directions: In a large saucepan, cook onion and green pepper in 2 T. butter until tender. Combine with chicken and green chilies and set aside. For sauce, melt butter, stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir in broth and cook until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and ½ c. cheese. Stir ½ c. sauce into chicken mixture. Fill tortillas with meat and arrange in 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour sauce over tortillas and sprinkle remainder of cheese. Bake uncovered for 25” at 350°.

Pasta Salad

Time Needed: 20 minutes
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: 1 box pasta (your choice of noodle shape), 3 shredded cooked chicken breasts, 1/2 can corn, 1/2 can black beans, 1/2 large can sliced olives, 1 cup steamed green beans, 1 cup steamed carrots, 1 cup steamed pea pods, 1 diced tomato, 1/4 c olive oil, 1 t mustard, 2 T lemon juice, 1 t Italian seasoning (or enough basil, oregano, parsley and the like to equal 1 t), salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, drain canned veggies and steam raw veggies. (Don't steam the tomato - ew.) In a jar, mix oil, mustard, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and shake until mixed. Pour all your ingredients into a bowl, including the dressing, mix together, and serve. Because this is full of veggies and meat, this can be your entire meal if you choose, or it can be a hearty side dish.

Chicken Chili Casserole

Time Needed: 45 minutes
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: 1 boned chicken 1 pkg. flour tortillas,1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can chili, 1 4oz. can green chilies, diced, ½ C. diced onion, 1 lb. mozzarella and cheddar cheese, gratedDirections: Layer half of chicken in bottom of casserole dish. Top with 1/2 tortillas torn into pieces. Mix soups, chili, green chilies, and onion. Spread ½ soup mixture over tortillas. Top with ½ cheese. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350°. Serve with tortilla chips and salsa and devour.

Thanks, Mom, for the fabulous recipe

Vegan 3 Bean Chili

I must preface this recipe with the statement that I am not a vegan. Chik-fil-a and I are too close for that to happen. However, I had some friends over today for a spa day and one of them is vegan, so I tried out some vegan chili just for her. And I have to say... I'm totally sold on it. This is definitely going in the "go-to meal" rotation.
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: 2-3 bell peppers (chopped), 1 onion (chopped), 3-4 tablespoons water, 3-4 cloves garlic (chopped), 1 packet of taco seasoning, 1 can kidney beans (rinsed), 1 can pinto beans (rinsed), 1 can black beans (rinsed), 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can corn, tomato juice or water (optional), cilantro (to taste), salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions: Saute the bell pepper and onion in the water until softened. Then, add the garlic and taco seasoning and saute for 5 minutes. Then add the beans, tomatoes, and corn and simmer for 30 minutes. Add water or tomato juice as needed to reach desired consistency. Once done simmering, add cilantro, salt and pepper as desired.

This is really yummy served with tortilla chips and sour cream. And, if you are thinking, "Hey, sour cream isn't vegan," my response would be, "Well, they make non-diary sour cream, so use that!"

Gramma's Lasagna

Thanks, Gramma Bowen!

Time Needed: 60 minutes
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: Part 1: 1 ½ lbs. Hamburger, browned, 1/8 tsp. minced garlic, 1 T. parsley flakes,1 T. dry basil 1 tsp. salt, 1 qt. Tomatoes, 1 can tomato paste
Part 2: 1-pint cottage cheese, 2 beaten eggs, 2 tsp. salt, 2 T. parsley flakes, ½ tsp. pepper, ¼-1/2 C. parmesan cheese
Part 3: lasagna noodles, shredded mozzarella cheese, to taste
Directions:
Part 1: Add seasonings to browned beef and cook for ½ hour or until it is boiled down.
Part 2: Mix together and set aside.
Part 3: Take pan and line lasagna noodles and double. Then cook until tender. First layer is noodles. Then ½ cottage cheese mixture. Finally ½ meat mixture. Put slices of mozerella cheese on top of the meat. Repeat layers ending with meat and cheese. Bake at 375° until bubbly.

Bread Bowls and Pot Pie Stew

Can you tell I've been dying for soup season to get here? Don't worry - I have like 3 more soups I'm posting in the next few days.
I can't take credit for this one. I found it at the King Arthur Flour website. I will, however, share my modifications.

1. Double the chicken stock and triple the milk. Otherwise, it's more like coated meat and veggies. In fact, as it was, I'd probably still like more liquid.
2. I don't have pearl onions nor does my grocery store. So I diced and sauteed a normal one and threw that in.
3. I'm an Idaho girl through and through. I diced a few potatoes, boiled them, and tossed them in as well. Mmm yum!
   

Chicken Noodle Soup

Time Needed: 45 minutes
Level of difficulty: easy
Materials needed: 1 large onion, diced, 2 large carrots, diced, 3 ribs of celery, diced, 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil (I use garlic infused oil, personally), 8 cups chicken stock, 1 cup water, 1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken, 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes, cooked, 1/2 package egg noodles, cooked, 1 cup instant rice, uncooked, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Heat the oil in a stock pot. Saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until they soften. Add the stock and the water, and bring to a boil. Add chicken and rice, cook until chicken is heated through. Add potatoes, noodles, and seasonings. Cook until rice is done or until you feel good about it. In case you are wondering, this takes less than 30 minutes to cook. I added 15 to the total time for chopping and pre-cooking stuff.

*Note - this is also really good if you leave out the potatoes done this way. If you heap the soup over mashed potatoes, that's really good, too (props to Aunt Jill on that one)