Alfredo

Ok, this one is for Aimee! I also used the focaccia recipe for bread sticks and a nice green salad to round out the meal.
If you just want a plain sauce, omit bacon and add 2 tbls butter. Increase the parmesan to 1/2 cup and don't add the peas. This is a great dipping sauce for breadsticks and a good white sauce for pizza as well.
"Alfredo"
1/4 pound of bacon cut into small pieces
2 tbls butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups of milk
1 to 1 1/2 cups of cream
2 tsp salt
2 handfuls of frozen peas or 1/3 cup
In large saute pan, fry pieces of bacon until crispy (you can omit this step and just use Costco bacon bits...1/4 cup and add 2 more tbls butter.) Remove bacon and keep grease in pan. To that add the butter. Saute garlic and onion until tender. Add the flour and combine. When bubbly, add milk. Stir constantly with a wisk (I like the pampered chef sauce wisk) until thickened. Add cheese. When melted, add cream. When it begins to bubble again, add peas and bacon back in. Add salt last (I would do a half a tsp at a time to compensate for super salty bacon or butter.) This recipe makes enough for a good 16 oz to 20oz package of pasta. Enjoy!

Red Pepper Soup

Ok, so I am sick, but I had to stay warm today...so I cooked all day. The grape juice got done. My house smells like a winery. I made the Spaghetti sauce for the previous recipe. I made Shepard's Pie for dinner with beans from my garden and a wonderful roasted tomato sauce that is too die for...and I made a batch of Red Pepper soup before the peppers went bad. I am not a penny pincher by any stretch of the imagination, but I hate to see something go to waste. It's painful to me. So I made some creamy soup

Red Pepper Soup
3 to 4 red peppers, cored, seeded and chopped
1 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 T butter
Saute above vegetables with the butter for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender.
24 oz of Chicken broth
1/2 cup of cream
dash of cayenne pepper
Add broth and vegetables together and simmer for 30 min. Use immersion blender or regular blender to puree mixture. Return to pan and add cream and cayenne. Heat another 5 min or until heated through. Serve with a dollop of Sour Cream. Makes 4 servings.

"The Summer Sauce"

This is straight from Rachel Short...thanks a ton. I have so much produce to get rid of!

Summer Bounty Spaghetti Sauce
1 sliced zucchini
1 sliced yellow squash
1 sliced white or yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
Saute veggies in 2T olive oil and then add one pound of browned and drained Italian Sausage.
Add I large can crushed tomatoes and 1 can diced tomatoes. Add 2T balsamic vinegar and 2T sugar.
Mix well, cover and simmer for about 15 min.

I think I am going to make a bunch and freeze it. I will use tomatoes out of my garden and she used
Angel hair pasta or Thin spaghetti. This is a chunky delight!

Chicken Enchiladas

Normally, I serve a chicken enchiladas that have a sour cream sauce instead of the traditional red, but I thought I would give this one a try.
Dinner tonight:
Chips
Homemade fresh salsa (thanks Afton!)
Refried beans (we actually use the church cannery ones and they are my kids favorite)
Chicken Enchiladas

Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
2 cans of chicken, drained and shredded (from costco) or two chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1/2 of large onion chopped
1 jalapeno cored and seeded then finely chopped
1 tbls chili powder
1 heaping tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
Saute onion and jalapeno in a little oil. Add chicken. Heat thoroughly and add spices. Remove from heat.
18 corn tortillas
2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
Mix this together in small bowl
2-3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese or Colby jack
Large can of Enchilada sauce 20 oz+
To assemble; soften tortillas in the microwave wrapped in a wet towel. Put a spoonful of meat mixture, spoonful of cottage cheese mixture and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll and place into a large casserole pan that has a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Add remaining enchilada sauce and rest of shredded cheese over the filled pan. Top with olives if you like (my family does not.)
Place in 350 degree oven for 30 mins.

Hints: You can use taco seasoning in place of the chili powder and cumin if you want, but I prefer the cumin flavor with chicken. The recipe called for a can of green chilies, but my family wont eat them. I added a jalapeno instead and it was very mild with a little kick. Don't let the cottage cheese fool you, you can't even tell and it gives a great flavor.

Kid's Favorite Things

Most kids I know love Mac and Cheese, carrots and applesauce...well that is what we had tonight with a little twist:

Brown Sugar Carrots
5 large carrots cut into cute pieces
2 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls butter
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dill
Cover carrots with water and add salt. Boil until tender. Drain. Add sugar, butter and dill. Yumm!


Way Better than Kraft Mac and Cheese
1lb elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
3 to 4 cups half and half or milk
1/4 cup flour
2 tbls butter
1/2 lb Hickory Farms sausage
1 Tbls salt
Bring water to boil with salt added. Cook Macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, cut sausage into bite size pieces and saute' until crispy on the edges. Remove from pan and leave grease(that's the best part!) Add butter, add flour and stir until bubbly. Add half and half and whisk until thick. Add cheese a handful at a time. Thin to desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Add macaroni and you are done! This recipe feeds 5 hungry kids and two adults with leftovers.

Hope your family likes it as much as mine. Can you see why we want a cow!! All that cream and milk...