Sour Cream And Chive Pasta

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped chives (fresh)
1/2 lb. angel hair pasta

Start cooking the pasta (al dente). In  saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the milk in and stir for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the sour cream, minced garlic and the chives. Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the sour cream mixture and SERVE.

The original recipe did not call for minced garlic and it was BLAND. I would add the garlic the next time. The girls liked it the way it was, but me & B.....GARLIC!!!

Spaghetti with Spinach, Lemon and Garlic

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked
6 tablespoons olive oil
8 tablespoons minced garlic
1 lemon, zested
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Baby Spinach

In a pan, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 12 minutes. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the spinach to the cooked spaghetti, then add the lemon garlic oil and toss. BOOM.

This is tasty; not too sour, not to garlicky. Perfect. The girls eat it, I EAT IT and we serve it with another veggie, chicken or just salad. YUMMERS.

Scooter Spaghetti

8 oz linguini, boiled & drained
1 lb ground turkey, browned
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
Parmesan cheese, shredded
French-fried onions (small can)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ground turkey & spaghetti sauce in a skillet; heat up on low. Combine onion, pepper and butter in a microwavable bowl; microwave for 4 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese and milk. In a large baking dish, spoon a thin layer of sauce mixture on the bottom. Pile in the linguini and add the cream cheese mixture for the next layer. Add the rest of the sauce mixture, then sprinkle a massive amount of shredded Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Add the French-fried onions on top and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

YUM YUM YUM YUM is what my belly said while I was eating this. The girls ate it, B loved it and it was super easy to make. I think I would add a little more cream cheese to the mixture, but other than that it was absolutely delicious!

Cowboy Noodles

10 eggs
3 packages of Ramen noodles
BBQ Sauce
Whatever else you want to add

Begin scrambling the eggs; about halfway cooked, add in a little BBQ sauce. Add whatever else you'd like (lunchmeat, chicken, veggies, onions, etc). Cook the Ramen noodles and rinse. Put the Ramen & eggs in a bowl and enjoy.

Not very specific, right? That's because I never make it the same twice. My favorite is to add cooked, chopped chicken, green onions, garlic, ham & feta cheese to the eggs, plus some cheddar cheese to the whole mixture, with a little bit of sour cream. Even the hubs dug it.

Epic Lasagna

Extra Virigin Olive Oil
Large Shallot
2 Zucchinis
2 Yellow Squash
2 Green Bell Peppers
3 Large Cans of Hunts Pasta Sauce
1/2 Basket of Sliced Mushrooms
1 to 1 1/2 Boxes of No-Boil Lasagna Noodles
16 oz. Ricotta Cheese
Chicken
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Salt & Pepper
Italian Seasoning

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large pan, add in oil and heat. Slice up shallot and sautee. Add mushrooms and then add bell pepper and let them sautee until onions are translucent and bell peppers start getting limp. Add zucchini and saute until medium done. Then pour in 2 cans of sauce, mix well, heat up. Salt and pepper and Italian seasoning to taste. Spray down pan with Pam. Place one layer of noodles, ladle sauce mixture in a thin layer. Add ricotta and chicken. Add second layer, smoosh and repeat. One layer of noodles. Last layer, add rest of sauce (can add third can at this point). Put shredded mozzarella on top. Spray down a piece of foil with Pam and cover lasagna with it. Put it in the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, take foil off and cook for 15 minutes. Take it out and cool off for 15 minutes.

This recipe is from my dad. He's a great cook and this just goes to show it. It was really yummy and I actually liked the zucchini and squash in it.

Pepperoni Spaghetti

8 ounces spaghetti, cooked & drained
1 cup sliced pepperoni (4 ounces)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

In a large skillet, cook the pepperoni until the edges begin to curl. Add the onion and green bell pepper and cook until the veggies are tender. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cooked spaghetti, cheeses, tomato and oregano. Add them to the skillet and cook on medium-low for about five minutes, while mixing together. Sprinkle on some extra Parmesan cheese, if you'd like.

This was SO super easy to put together. It seriously took me maybe 20 minutes and that's because I hadn't cooked the spaghetti yet. If I had done that earlier, it would have taken me 10 minutes. Anyhow, it was really good and the girls even ate it (except for Piper...according to her, the pepperoni was "a little bad"). Definitely a meal I'd make again soon.

Turkey Mac

1 box of medium shells
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jar of four cheese alfredo sauce
1/3 cup milk
Shredded cheddar cheese
Garlic Powder
Ground Sage
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Season-All, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brown up the ground turkey with some salt, pepper and Season-All. While you're at it, go ahead and prepare the pasta too. After the turkey is browned, add the red bell pepper; cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. When the meat is done, add pasta and meat mixture to a large casserole dish. Add spices (as much as your heart desires), 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Mix together. Add the alfredo sauce. Mix together. Add the milk, then spread the remaining mozzarella cheese on top, along with some shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Yay! Bryce really liked this one too. And wow...it made a TON of food. The girls were cranky, so they really didn't eat any (except Sam ate a few bites), so I don't know how kid-friendly this was. I guess we'll find out for lunch tomorrow...and dinner...and probably lunch the next day too, with as much as I had leftover. Definitely a meal for more than 2 adults and 2 little ones.

Homemade Hamburger Helper

1 pound of ground turkey
1/2 a box of pasta (any kind)
1/2 jar of alfredo sauce
1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of ground sage
Salt & Pepper to taste

Put the ground turkey into a pan and begin the browning process. While the meat is cooking, add the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, ground sage and salt & pepper. Boil and drain the pasta. Once the meat is cooked and the pasta is done, add the two together. Mix thoroughly. Add the alfredo sauce and the spaghetti sauce. Mix together again. Go ahead and add the cheese. Mix together and let simmer until the cheese is melted.

I made this the other night when it was 5:30 in the evening and I had no idea what to make for dinner. Luckily, I had ground turkey already defrosted. So I brainstormed and came up with this meal based on a Hamburger Helper meal I saw at the store. Only this was 10 times better. Bryce seriously liked it.

I think I'm getting better at this cooking thing!

Gourmet Mac 'N Cheese

1 box of pasta
1 jar of 4 Cheese Alfredo Sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, separated
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon ground sage
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Garlic Powder, to taste
Italian Seasoning, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Follow the directions for the pasta (meaning BOIL IT and DRAIN IT). PAM up a casserole dish and pour 3/4 of the jar of alfredo sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish. Add one cup of the cheddar cheese and one cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add spices. Pour all of the pasta on top of the sauce and cheese and mix together carefully. Add the milk and the rest of the cheese. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Bryce really liked this, so that made me happy. It was easy to make and didn't take very long. It just leaves a lot of leftovers, which works for the girls 'cause they'll eat it for breakfast.

I paired it with some Baked Ranch Chicken and some salad. It was definitely yummy and I would make it again in a heart beat!