Easy Peasy Cheesy Pasta

 

 This recipe was inspired by a short video I recently saw as I was randomly scrolling through my feed. (you do that too, right?) Anyway, I thought, ooo that looks yummy and easy.. lets try it.. but then I thought, wait.. why is he cooking it like that????? I immediately knew of a few things I would do differently, so I decided to test my ideas. (Yes, I could go into what he did, and what I changed, but that's not important here.) The important thing is that I was right! Well, at least for the way I like to cook. 

 So this is my version of Pasta and Peas or rather Pasta e Piselli, which is basically a traditonal Italian peasant sort of comfort food. I'm sure there are many versions of it, but this is where I landed. 

 It comes together SO quickly, you can have dinner ready in less than a half hour, and you won't break the bank in the process. And I'm not even kidding when I tell you I loved it so much I literally ate the entire thing. Now THAT'S the kind of recipe I like! I know you will too! Enjoy!

 

 

 

olive oil

1 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth, or just water

1 cup ditalini pasta

1 12oz bag frozen peas

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cracked black pepper

 

 

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the minced onion and saute until it begins to soften. Add the minced garlic and continue to saute for another minute. Add the broth and increase heat to bring it up to a boil. Add the pasta. Let it cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is tender. Add the peas, cheese, and pepper. Stir and saute until the peas are heated through, and the cheese melts into any remaining broth. Add more broth or water if it needs a little more liquid. Serve immediately, 

 

 

Tips:

  Ok, ok, I'll tell you what I did differently. The chef in the video added the peas to the broth before adding the pasta. I thought "wait.., by the time the pasta is cooked, the peas are gonna be overdone!" So I cooked it the other way around, He also blended some of the peas and then added them back in to make a thicker sauce, but I wanted to keep it light. I guess there's no right or wrong way to do it, but this worked for me. 

  This recipe doesn't need any added salt because the Parmesan cheese is quite salty. Speaking of which, adding a whole cup of grated cheese is quite a lot, so you can cut back on it a little, if you like. Then again, I called it Easy Peasy CHEESY for a reason! 

 This dish stands on its own as a delicious meatless main dish, but I think it would be equally delicious served next to a fillet of baked or grilled chicken or fish.  

 

 

 

Joey's Crab Rangoon Casserole

 

 

 

 Have you ever heard of Crab Rangoon?

 It's an American-Chinese appetizer made of deep-fried wontons filled with a creamy mixture of cream cheese, imitation crab meat, garlic, and scallions, and it's one of my all time faves when I'm ordering take-out. It's right up there with my favorite egg rolls and pan fried dumplings.

And then of course, as with so many other dishes, someone took all of these flavors and ran with them to turn it into a fabulous casserole! I thought, how can this not be good???? CLEARLY I needed to try it.  

 Now, I thought, ok, this is pretty straight forward, but OH how wrong I was! Just like every other home cooked casserole, there are about a million and one versions of it. So I did what I always do. I read through a bunch, took what I liked from each of them, and made my own. (I know I say that all the time, but it's truly how I do!) I'm SO pleased with how it turned out!!!! So, although I can't lay claim to the idea of turning a crab rangoon into a casserole, I'll happily take credit for making it this way. It was so good, everyone went back for seconds! Sometimes a really good casserole just hits the spot, doesn't it?!?

 Even if you've never had crab rangoon, definitely give this one a try. It's warm and comforting, feeds a crowd, and.. side note.. it just happens to meatless, if that's how you roll. 

 Hope you like it!

16 oz wide egg noodles

3 or 4 scallions

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbs butter 

2 pkgs cream cheese 

2 cups half and half

Splash of soy sauce

1/2 tsp onion powder 

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

Pinch of salt

1 lb imitation crab 

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Sweet Chili Sauce

Wonton Chips 

Heat oven to 375F. 

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, slice the scallions and separate the green ends from the white. Add the white ends to a sauce pan along with the butter and celery. Sauté over medium heat for a few minutes, then add the garlic. Sauté for a few minutes more then add cream cheese, half and half, soy sauce, and spices.  Heat and stir until smooth.

 In a casserole dish, add cooked noodles, flaked crab meat, and 1 cup shredded mozzarella. 

Pour cream cheese mixture over all and toss until well combined.

Top with remaining cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly. 

To serve, top with sweet chili sauce, crispy wonton chips, and reserved green onions. 

Tips:

When boiling the noodles, you want to drain them when they're just under done. They'll finish cooking in the oven. Otherwise they might become too mushy. And no one wants mushy pasta. 

If you like a lot of something, add a lot! Want more crab! Do it! Want it to be cheesier?? Go for it! Want to add shrimp? Why not? As my friend Carol would say, "It's your story, you tell it any way you want!" 

Be sure to include the toppings! Thats what takes the whole dish from good to amazing! 

And I know this may seem obvious, but I'll say it anyway... instead of using half and half, you can use 1 cup milk plus 1 cup heavy cream.

(Half and half = half milk and half cream, get it?)

Slow Cooker Butter Beef

  Have you ever heard of Butter Beef? I must confess I hadn't heard of it, but of course as soon as I saw it, it started popping up on every feed. So I thought, "ok ok, I'll make it!"

 If you've never heard of it, it's literally just three ingredients: beef cubes, onion soup mix, and butter. That's it. Throw it all in a slow cooker, and there's dinner. Super simple, right? You can serve it over rice or wide egg noodles and it's absolutely delicious. SO easy!!! 

 Then I saw that it was wide open for one's own variations. Some people added mushrooms and bell peppers or other veggies. I decided to go with garlic, potatoes, and carrots for a beef stew vibe. It's delicious no matter which direction you choose. And it literally comes together in minutes.  

  Btw, full disclosure, I saw it on several different websites, so I have no idea whose recipe it is. One site called it "buttery beef," but it was basically the same thing. 

 Anyway, whether you serve it over noodles, or add potatoes and veggies, you definitely need to give this one a try! 

 

 

3 lbs beef cubes or stew meat

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 stick butter 

 

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. 

Cook on low for 7 or 8 hours. 

Serve over wide egg noodles or rice.  

 

 

Tips: 

The recipe calls for 3 lbs of beef, but since there's only one of me, I didn't want to cook that much meat. So I added 1 lb of baby carrots, 2 lbs baby potatoes, and some minced garlic. 

If you don't want to add any veggies and you don't want to cook 3 lbs of beef, just cut everything in half, and save the other half of the onion soup mix packet for next time. 

 

 

 

Tollhouse Cookie Bars

   Here’s a good one to keep in your recipe arsenal. It’s just a simple cookie bar, but it hits all the right notes, and everyone goes crazy for them every time I make them. They’re a great picky-uppy kind of sweet treat and the recipe comes from a blog called Midwestern Homelife. Of course, I tweaked it ever so slightly because I can never leave well enough alone. 

 They just hit the spot whenever you feel like having a little something sweet, and you literally don’t even need an occasion to make them! On the other hand, they’re the perfect thing to make for your special somebody… or as a boost for your nephew who has a crazy 48 hour work shift coming up….   or as a huge thank you to your ANGEL of a next door neighbor who, without asking, cleared your walkways with his snowblower… TWICE. Come to think of it, I think I need to make another batch, just for myself, because why not??? I think you need to make some too!!

 
 

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, (2 sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups mix-ins (any kind of chips, chopped chocolate or nuts)



Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 
Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper with an overhang for easy removal. 
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the butter, brown and white sugars, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each one. Gradually add the flour and mix until combined. The dough will be very thick. Add the mix-ins. Set aside some chocolate chips or chocolate chunks for the top. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts on low speed until combined. 
Press or spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle reserved chocolate chips over top of the dough. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the edges are set.  
Cool the bars in the pan on a wire rack. 




Tips:

It may seem like overkill to spray the pan and then line it with parchment, but I still like to do both. Just that little quick spray helps the parchment paper stay in place for when you're pressing the cookie dough into the pan. Otherwise, the paper slides all over the place. 

The original recipe only called for 1 tsp salt, but I added the extra half tsp because I think it needed it. I also only ever use salted butter, but you do you. 

The mix-ins I used were chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and white chocolate chips, with mini chocolate chips over the top.  I think I might do peanut butter chips next time. Chopped pecans, walnuts, and/or macadamia nuts would also be awesome. Use anything you like!