pinoli pasta bake

This is our knock off of a delicious pasta they used to serve at Firehouse, one of our favorite local eats. Derek especially loved it and would get it almost all the time. We thought we'd give it a go and try our own version. It wasn't quite the same, but it was pretty close- and quite tasty! Still, this version was a major hit with the whole family! We will definitely be making this again!

RECIPE: Pinoli Pasta Bake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 oz raw pine nuts

16 oz cellentani/radiatore pasta

2/3 c fresh basil, cut into strips

4 oz (1/2 jar) sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), chopped

8 oz fresh Mozzarella Pearls 

6-8 oz Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Put a med pot of water (salted) on to boil. 

Toast the pine nuts. {I do this by dry heating the pine nuts in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly.} Set aside. Dice up the sun-dried tomatoes and mozza, if needed. Also set aside.

Once water is boiling, cook pasta -- only for 8ish minutes, though. It'll cook further in the oven. Drain.

Toss the pasta in the vinaigrette until well coated. Add in the tomatoes, basil, mozza and half the toasted pine nuts. Dump it all into a baking dish (9x13 or other). Top with the rest of the pinenuts. Bake at 400F until cheese is melted, bubbled and brown (about 15 min).

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Maybe add some basil for prettiness' sake. Serve warm.

Side Notes: 

My preferred balsamic dressing (I use 1/2 to 2/3 of the bottle) is

Brianna's New American Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. 

If you can't find Mozerella Pearls, you can just get fresh mozza and cut/tear it into pieces. I love the pearls, though, as I'm lazy. (You can find these in the deli section of most grocery stores.)

And most ingredients here are "ish" amounts. Add or subtract according to your own preferences.

red enchiladas

New Mexico, sometimes I miss you like crazy. Eating these enchiladas with a side of frijoles was one of those times. Mmm. ¡Viva Nuevo México!

RECIPE: Red Enchiladas

Yield: Two 8x8 pans*

*One will feed a family of 4-5 easily. Freeze or share the second pan! Two in one; hooray! 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 lg can red enchilada sauce

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese (opt)

10-12 corn tortillas

Directions:

Brown beef with onion. Drain. Add a bit of the enchilada sauce to the meat.

In a 9x13 pan (or two 8x8s), put down a little sauce. Then fill tortillas and roll, placing the rolls in the pan(s) next. Once the rolled enchiladas are packed in, pour on the remaining sauce. Top with shredded cheese(s). 

Bake at 400F for 15 min or until cheese is melted. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Note: Serve with pinto beans (Rinse and drain, then add s&p and garlic powder, a bit of water, and nuke for 2 minutes... easy!) and top with sour cream. Yum!

lasagna

What happens if you aren't patient enough to let it set
up before dishing... less pretty but soooo good!

This recipe is courtesy of my amazing friend (and next-door neighbor) Shaughnessy. She is seriously the best! A few days ago, I wasn't feeling great and was stumped as to what to make for dinner. And SHE BROUGHT OVER HERS!!! It was ridiculously generous and unnecessary, but it also looked and smelled sooo good. So I gobbled it up with a thank you. :) I haven't stopped thinking about it since, so I figured I'd make some myself. This is her recipe, how I used it.

** This makes TWO full 8x8 pans of lasagna. One was paaalllenty for our family. We baked one and froze the other.  Just put cling-wrap on top (do all steps except baking), followed by the dish's lid, then place it in the freezer. Two dinners in one! Score! :)

RECIPE: Lasagna

Yield: 2 8x8 pans, 9 BIG servings each

Calories: 336 ea

Ingredients:

1 box lasagna noodles

2 (24oz) cans/jars spaghetti sauce {Hunts Garden Veggies is best}

1 (48oz) tub cottage cheese

1 (32oz) bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions: 
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. 

Preheat oven to 375F.

Layer (in each 8x8 baking dish) a bit of sauce first, then noodles (3 is about right...use a pizza cutter to trim the noodles to size), then cottage cheese, then mozzarella, then sauce. Repeat 2-3 times. Have cheese be your last/top layer. 

Bake, uncovered, at 375F for 45 minutes. Let rest (so it will set up) a few minutes before dishing up.  Serve warm... and enjoy!