Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Made this today and Sam really liked it! It's this recipe, modified slightly and a great way to use leftover chicken that doesn't seem like leftovers.

Ingredients:

12 oz pasta, cooked

2 c cooked diced chicken

1 green pepper, diced

1 1/c c frozen green peas
4 T butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 T flour

1 c chicken broth

2 c milk

1 tsp onion powder

1 T Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper (or a bit more)

1 c grated Parmesan cheese

3 c (8 oz) grated mozzarella cheese, split 2 c in sauce, 1 c for the top

Grease a 9"x13" pan and preheat over to 375 F,  Cook and drain the pasta.  

Make the sauce in a 12" saucepan.  Melt the butter and add the garlic, about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add the flour and cook for about two minutes.  Add the broth and milk slowly and stirring constantly, bring to a simmer.  Add all the spices and stir the mixture until it thickens (it won't be all that thick),  Add the Parmesan and 2 c mozzarella, stirring until melted.  Stir in the pasta, chicken, and vegetables and pour everything into the prepared pan.  Top with the remaining cup of mozzarella.

Bake 20-30 minutes, until hot throughout and the cheese is melted.

 Spicy Pork Noodles

1 to 1 1/2 lb ground pork

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 chopped jalapeno pepper

2 carrots, sliced however you like

1 or 2 large bell pepper, diced

1 c chopped broccoli

2 T olive oil

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 T toasted sesame seeds with hulls

2 T soy sauce

2 T mirin

Grated black pepper

1 T chili garlic sauce

1 lb linguine - cooked per instructions

Brown the ground pork in a very large (I think it's 14" with 2" sides) pan -- add a little oil to the pan, spread it thin and leave it alone until it's nice and brown then flip it over and let that  brown. Break the pieces apart and remove from the pan leaving the rendered fat.  Add a little  more oil, the toasted sesame oil, and the onions, garlic, and jalapeno.  Saute until nearly transparent.  Add back the meat, the soy sauce, mirin, sesame seeds, and chili garlic sauce.  Add the carrots and cook together until they soften and the flavors mix nicely, adding a little water if it's dry.  Adjust the flavors as you see fit.  Add the cooked noodles, broccoli, and bell pepper.  Stir and cook until the veggies are cooked to your liking, once again adding water if it's needed.

Spicy Pork Noodles

I made this once, loved it.   Made it again and brought it to friends who oohed and aahhed and ate seconds because it was so good, and now I'm making it again because I like it so much.  It's a throw together recipe and I do everything to taste so these are estimates.  If you like a higher ratio of sauce to noodles, use fewer noodles.  I've  made it with about half a pound but I like noodles, lots of noodles.  More veggies are good too, use whatever sounds good in amounts that make you happy. 


Spicy Pork Noodles

1 to 1 1/2 lb ground pork
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chopped jalapeno pepper
2 carrots, sliced however you like
1 or 2 large bell pepper, diced
1 c chopped broccoli
2 T olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 T toasted sesame seeds with hulls
2 T soy sauce
2 T mirin
Grated black pepper
1 T chili garlic sauce

1 lb linguine - cooked per instructions

Brown the ground pork in a very large (I think it's 14" with 2" sides) pan -- add a little oil to the pan, spread it thin and leave it alone until it's nice and brown then flip it over and let that  brown. Break the pieces apart and remove from the pan leaving the rendered fat.  Add a little  more oil, the toasted sesame oil, and the onions, garlic, and jalapeno.  Saute until nearly transparent.  Add back the meat, the soy sauce, mirin, sesame seeds, and chili garlic sauce.  Add the carrots and cook together until they soften and the flavors mix nicely, adding a little water if it's dry.  Adjust the flavors as you see fit.  Add the cooked noodles, broccoli, and bell pepper.  Stir and cook until the veggies are cooked to your liking, once again adding water if it's needed.

I freeze leftovers in single serving sizes for lunch...

Macaroni and Cheese

Who doesn't love the stuff?  I wanted to see if Sam would like home made as much as the stuff out of a box so I found a recipe on line, a well-reviewed one from the NY Times.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2 T butter (1 T for to butter the dish, the other for the top during baking)
1 c full fat cottage cheese
2 c (non-skim) milk
1 t dried mustard
pinch cayenne
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated  (1/4 c reserved for the top during baking)
1/2 lb elbow macaroni, not cooked

Heat oven to 375F.  Use 1 T of butter to grease a 9" round or square baking pan.

In a blender (I used the food processor), puree the cottage cheese, milk, and spices.  In a large bowl mix the milk mixture, grated cheese, and dried pasta.  Pour into prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover, stir gently, sprinkle on the reserved cheese and dot the top with butter. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.


So let's just say it makes a lot of dishes for something that would seem to be so simple. It smelled great as it baked, but that wasn't enough to pull Sam from the video game he was playing with a friend...I'm not sure that a fire could interrupt the game though so it's probably not a fair expectation. The browned cheese on the top looks spectacular.

But creamy?  Not really.  It was kind of grainy but also delicious.  The pasta was pretty soft and I like a little more chew so I think it would have been better with smaller elbows (I used the large ones) or perhaps some other type of pasta if you're not a traditionalist.  And I'm not!

I think I'd make it again but try using some cream cheese to see if that would up the creaminess factor a bit.

Asparagus!

We don't get it in the share but it's wonderful stuff even with the less pleasant side effects. I found a recipe adapted from Bon Appetit to use it with pasta.


Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta

1 lb pasta
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 c olive oil
Juice and zest from one lemon
1/4 c chopped fresh dill
5 oz fresh soft goat cheese

Cook pasta until about 2 minutes from done. Add asparagus to the water and cook until firm-tender, about 2 minutes. Keep some of the water to thin the sauce.

Combine olive oil, crumbled goat cheese, and other ingredients to a large bowl. Add pasta and asparagus and mix together, adding water as necessary to get to to the texture you want. Add salt and pepper.



I also made an asparagus and Jarlsberg tart that was quite quite good.

Asparagus and Jarlsberg Tart

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1/4 c chopped fresh dill
2 c shredded Jarlsberg cheese
1 lb asparagus - leave long
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Score a line along the outside edge of the puff pastry, about 1" from the edge. Bake for about 10 minutes until the pastry has puffed. Spread dill evenly, top with cheese and arrange the asparagus spears on the top in a single layer. Bake for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and pastry is browned.