Marinara Pasta Bake

This made a TON last night. I think the bow tie took up more room than I had planned. It was a little dry, but sometimes that happens when you try to double a recipe. If I did it again, I would increase the sauce or decrease the noodles--probably decrease the noodles because it was way too full in the pan.

1 pound ground beef

2 cans diced tomatoes (or 1 quart tomatoes)

1 pkg Spaghetti dry mix(you can use any brand)

1 can tomato sauce

1 box bow tie noodles

1 Cup water( I usually just use the empty tomato sauce can)

• Brown beef and drain fat. Mix in tomatoes, spaghetti mix and tomato sauce. I use my immersion blender because Tyler doesn't like big chunks of meat or tomatoes.
• Cook noodles to al dente. In a 9 x 13 pan, pour noodles and cover with sauce. Bake at 275 for 20 minutes or serve immediately. You can also sprinkle with mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.
• At our house, we don't bake it--my boys won't eat any kind of sauce. So I just cook the noodles(we usually do angel hair or thin spaghetti) and then pour sauce over noodles and eat.

Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Okay so I have used this recipe several times, but never baked it. As you all noticed last night, it doesn't bake well, but still tasted yummy. So if I had to do it again,(and this is how we do it at our house) I would cook the noodles, then stir in the chicken and Alfredo and serve immediately or just pour the sauce over noodles. Here is what it normally looks like.

8 ounces cream cheese
2 Cups chicken (cooked and cubed)
1 Cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup butter
garlic powder
2 Cup milk
1 box of penne noodles


Add cream cheese and butter to a sauce pan and slowly start melting them. As the cheese and butter melts, slowly add the milk. Add 1 tsp. garlic powder to start. Now add 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Taste to decide if you need more garlic powder or Parmesan cheese.

Strawberry Delight

Okay ladies, here is the recipe for the cake from last night. And thanks to Kristen for posing for the picture:) This has been a family favorite for decades.

1 white cake mix

4 cups strawberries

8 ounce cream cheese(room temperature)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 container of Cool whip(thawed)

1 box Danish Dessert

Bake cake in a cookie sheet or two 9 x 13 pans. Or you can do half the cake mix in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake until lightly golden, 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.

Follow the danish dessert directions on the box. Wash and cut strawberries. Fold in strawberries and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar well. Fold in cool whip. Spread over cooled cake.

Spread cooled strawberries on top of cream cheese mixture. Serves 12-15 depending on the size you want:)

Cook's note--I bought the "Danish Dessert" at Walmart by the jello for $1.22 a box. You can also use raspberries with the raspberry danish dessert. I have had the raspberry with a chocolate cake too.

Irish Soda Bread Update

Post submitted by Stacey Hutchings

Okay, the Irish Soda Bread I submitted is okay, but I've never been that thrilled with it. I had a TON of left-over buttermilk and when I heard that Ina Garten had done one on FoodTV, I thought I would try hers. I've never made a recipe of hers that I didn't like, and HOLY COW this one did not disappoint. It is sooooo good. Alas, it has raisins in it (I didn't have currants, so I used raisins) and that means only Mat and I will eat it. It makes a HUGE loaf. So if anyone wants to come over to the house and get a slice, they are welcome to it. I'm not going to post her recipe because it says at the top "all rights reserved", but here's the link to it. I'm going to have to try tweaking the other one because I like the savory/caraway seed-ness of it, but I think it's cooked too long or something. Maybe next year.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!

A big thanks to all who contributed recipes for the holiday. I have tried a few with hopes to make more today. We will be having a prize drawing tomorrow night at the birthday celebration for those who contributed. You won't want to miss it--dinner, a fun game, a small service project, and time to visit with the sisters in our ward.

I added 5 new recipes last night for St. Patrick's Day. Check them out below.

Baked Corned Beef and Sauteed Cabbage

Submitted by Stacey Hutchings

Baked Corned Beef

Corned beef (in package)

10 whole cloves

Mustard Topping:

1/4 Cup Dijon mustard

2 TB yellow mustard

2 TB honey

Pepper

2 TB brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Drain the corned beef from the package and discard the spice packet. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil. Put in the corned beef, fat side up. Poke cloves into the top of the meat--I needed to pierce it with a sharp knife first, then the cloves would go in. Spread half of the mustard topping on top of the meat. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top.

Take another piece of foil and tent it over the top and seal the sides. Try to leave space between the top of the meat and the foil. Bake 1 hour per pound of meat.

Remove from oven and move oven rack up and turn to Broil. Take off the top piece of foil (or just tear it off) and spread the rest of the mustard (or however much you want) on top. Broil for 2-3 minutes, until the top is bubbly and lightly browned. Rest 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sauteed Cabbage

1 TB olive oil
1 TB butter
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced, then chopped into bite-size pieces
Salt

In a large saute pan, on medium high heat, heat the oil and butter and cook the onions for about 5 minutes(don't let it brown). Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add a third of the cabbage, sprinkle with salt, mix well. When the cabbage begins to brown, add another third of the cabbage, sprinkle with salt, mix well. When it again begins to brown, add the last batch of cabbage, sprinkle with salt, let it brown a little, and then you're good to go. Add more olive oil it if things get sticky.

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Horseradish Sauce

Submitted by Stacey Hutchings

For years we made it this way--the boiled method:

1 onion
4 whole cloves
4 pound corned beef
2 sprigs parsley
8 whole peppercorns
1 head cabbage, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
1 Cup sour cream
1 TB prepared horseradish

Peel onion and stick with cloves. Put corned beef, onion, parsley, and peppercorns in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Cut cabbage into wedges and core. Add to the pot, cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Combine sour cream with horseradish. Serve with meat and cabbage with some of the broth ladled over all and the horseradish sauce on the side.

Cook's Note--But this year, I tried a baked corned beef and sauteed cabbage recipe. It's a slight variation from on posted on http://www.simplyrecipes.com/, which did a great job comparing boiling and baked/sauteed. We really liked it, and I think we'll be making a permanent switch. Click here for the baked recipe.

Champ

St. Patrick's Day recipe number 3--Submitted by Stacey Hutchings

3 pounds boiling potatoes

8 scallions

6 TB butter

salt and pepper

6 TB milk

Cut potatoes in chunks. Put in a large pot with salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. Slice scallions, including green tops. Melt butter in same pan you cooked potatoes in. Cook scallions. Mash potatoes with butter, salt and pepper to taste and milk. Combine with scallions.

Cook's Note: Champ is just mashed potatoes with green onions mixed in. Don't ask me why they call green onions scallions, but the picture showed green onions in the potatoes. We like smashed (cooked, but not peeled) red potatoes at our house, and kids don't like the onions mixed in, so I just sprinkle some on top for looks.

Irish Soda Bread

Submitted by Stacey Hutchings

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
10 servings
per slice: Cal. 219; Pro. 6 g; Sod. 330 mg; Carb. 30 g; Chol. 41 mg

3 Cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. whole caraway seeds
6 T butter
1 1/4 C plus 1 T buttermilk
1 egg

Heat oven to 350. Combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder and 1 tsp of caraway seeds. Cut in butter until it is the size of peas. Stire in 1 1/4 C of the buttermilk until ingredients are well-moistened. Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Form dough into a ball and put on an ungreased baking sheet. Beat egg with remaining 1 T buttermilk and brush dough with some of this glaze. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp. seeds. Cut a 1/4 inch deep cross in the top. Bake until golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes. After 1 hour, brush with more glaze. Cool completely before servings.

St. Patrick's Day Menu

If you came to St. Patrick's dinner at my house. . .

. . .this is what you would see. Way back in 1991, I found this menu in First Magazine and we've made it ever since. Submitted by Stacey Hutchings.

Green Pea Soup with Mint

Prep Time: 45 minutes

8 Servings

Per serving--Cal.--171; Prot.--7 g; Fat 9 g; Sod. 425 mg; Carb. 16 g; Chol. 12 mg

1 onion

3 T butter

2 T olive oil

3 10 ounce packages frozen peas

4 1/2 Cup chicken stock or broth

1 Cup water

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 tsp chopped fresh mint or 3/4 tsp. dried mint

Chop onion. Melt butter with oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add peas, stock, water, salt and pepper. Simmer 20-25 minutes. Add mint and puree soup in a blender or food processor, in batches if necessary. CAUTION: When blending hot mixtures, always leave an opening at top for air to escape! If possible, let soup cool before blending. When ready to serve, simmer until heated through.

Cook's Note: I really try to make this a day ahead. I also use an immersion blender to puree the soup--one of the best tools out there.

Jello Poke Cake

I found this and made it tonight for a FHE treat. I have had this before with other flavors, but never lime. It was quite good.

1 white cake mix

1 container cool whip

1 pkg lime jello

• Mix and bake cake as directed on box. Let cool completely.
• Mix lime jello as directed on box.
• Poke holes in the cake with the end of a skewer(about every 1/2 inch).
• Pour jello over cake. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Spread cool whip on top and serve.