Spaghetti Carbonara

This is one of Samantha and Amy's favorites. It's from Rachael Ray. I would much rather eat spaghetti like this than with tomato sauce, plus it's quick. I usually use bacon instead of pancetta because I like the flavor better.
1 lb. spaghetti
A drizzle plus 2 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 lb. pancetta, chopped or bacon
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
½ c. chicken stock
2 large egg yolks
¼ c. boiling pasta water
¼ c. grated parmesan
A handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
Coarse salt
Several grinds black pepper
Cook spaghetti until al dente. Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Sauté pancetta in a drizzle of oil until it browns, 3-5 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté 2 minutes. Add stock to the pan and reduce liquid by half. Beat together egg yolks and while whisking stir in the pasta water. Drain pasta and add to pan and remove from heat. Add egg mixture, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and toss 2 minutes until sauce is absorbed and thickly coating pasta. Serve with extra cheese.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

When Samantha saw these she thought they were like the ones I always make, but these are slightly different, the difference being the filling is cream cheese and some spices. They were really tasty. I halved the recipe because we aren't real big eaters here, and Scott had to have a PB&J sandwich because he refused to eat them, as usual.
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
5 c. diced, cooked chicken
20- 6" flour tortillas
2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) cream of chicken soup
2 c. sour cream
1 c. milk
2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

beat cream cheese, water, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper until smooth. stir in chicken. Place 1/4 c. down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in 2 greased pans. Combine soup, sour cream, milk and chilies. Pour over enchiladas and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, uncovered. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes more.

Fast Beef with Broccoli

I've already figured out that the problem with my pictures, besides my lack of artistic talent, is that I'm in a big hurry to actually feed this to my kids so there is no time to set up for presentation. Still, it gives me something to do. We love to eat Beef with Broccoli and this was a fast and easy way to make it.
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 lb. sirloin beef tips, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
3 Tbsp. veg. oil
fresh broccoli
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 c. water
Toss beef with cornstarch, salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a wok over moderately high heat and stir fry until just cooked through. Remove and add more oil. Stir fry garlic and broccoli until tender. Add soy sauce and water and bring to a boil. Return meat and cook until sauce is thickened.

Fried Rice

My kids love this.
1/3 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. butter
2 c. cooked rice
3 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

Sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in rice, teriyaki sauce, parsley, garlic powder and pepper. Cook over medium- low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the egg. Cook and stir until egg is completely set, about 3 minutes.

Barbecued Picnic Chicken

I don't like store bought BBQ sauce so I thought I'd give this a try. The kids really liked it. I used drumsticks, which Marshall doesn't care for because he only likes all white meat, and cooked them in the oven, but the grill would probably taste the best.
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. butter
1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. chili sauce
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
2 dashes hot sauce
chicken

Saute garlic in butter until tender. Add next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Baste chicken with sauce while cooking.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1 c. olive oil
1/3 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground mustard
Combine ingredients. Shake until sugar is completely dissolved. Shake again before serving.

Fruit Salad Cheesecake

This doesn't really taste like cheesecake, but it is really good.
1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. cold water
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 pkg. cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 c. crushed crisp macaroons
2 Tbsp. butter melted
2 c. green grapes, halved
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 jar (10 oz.) maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
2 c. whipped topping

Cook pineapple and sugar over medium heat for 5 minutes. place cold water in a bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand for 1 minute. Stir into the pineapple. Reduce heat to low and add cream cheese. Cook and stir until melted. Allow to cool completely.
Combine macaroon crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9" springform pan. Set aside. Stir grapes, oranges, cherries and nuts into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Southwest Roll-Ups

I love these with homemade guacamole.

2 Tbsp. salsa
1-2 jalapenos, seeded
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 can refried beans
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. cilantro
1 c. cubed chicken, cooked
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
10-12 flour tortillas
Sour cream

Place first 8 ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Spread evenly over tortillas. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13x9x2” dish. Cover and bake @ 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with sour cream.

Creamy Ham 'n' Macaroni

2 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. fully cooked ham
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
Cook macaroni. Drain and set aside. Melt better over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in milk, bouillon and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 c. cheese, ham, parmesn and macaroni. Pour into a greased baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. bake, uncovered for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Honey Nut Chicken

This one's from Rachael Ray. Marshall especially liked it.
2/3 c. honey roasted peanuts
½ c. plain bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. grill seasoning
2 eggs
A splash milk
½ tsp. hot sauce
½ c. flour
2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350°. Put nuts, bread crumbs and grill seasoning in food processor and pulse grind to combine the nuts into bread crumbs. Pour nutty-breading onto a plate. Beat eggs and milk. Pour flour into a plate. Dust both sides of the chicken with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then coat with the nutty-breading. Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Brown chicken 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in oven until juices run clear, about 10-12 minutes.

Shrimp Salad

This is from Barefoot Contessa and is so good.

3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. salt
1 lemon
2 lbs. large shrimp
1 c. mayo
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
black pepper
3 Tbsp. minced dill
1/2 c. chopped red onion
3 celery stalks, chopped
Salt a large pot of water and add lemon, cut into quarters. Bring to a boil and add shrimp. cook 3 minutes and remove to a bowl of cold water. Peel Shrimp. Mix together mayo, mustard, vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, pepper and dill. mix with shrimp. Add onion and celery and refrigerate for a few hours.

Trifle

This is really good with Devils' food cake, but I prefer yellow cake.

1 yellow cake mix, prepared according to package directions
1/2 c. chocolate milk mixed with chocolate syrup
2 small packages instant chocolate pudding, prepared
1 container cool whip
1 pkg. toffee bits

Cut cake into bite size pieces. Arrange half in a glass bowl and drizzle with 1/4 c. chocolate milk. Spread half the pudding on top, followed by half the cool whip and half the toffee bits. Repeat layers.