Buffalo Chicken Ranch Mac-n-Cheese

Put the following into a crockpot:

2 large chicken breasts

Season to taste with:

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning

1 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo

1 cup Ranch Dressing

Cook on low for 2.5 to 3 hours.  While cooking, boil 1 pound of your favorite pasta.  Once chicken cooked, shred and put back in crock pot.  

Add:

16 oz (2 cups) Colby Jack

1 block Cream Cheese

Cooked pasta

Stir until cheeses melt. Serve

Colton found this one on Instagram (profile richardeats_).  We tried it and he loved it.  It made a TON...but he ate on it for days till it was all gone. Saving this here for him so he can make it again sometime.

Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

2 cups Penne pasta (7 oz), uncooked
1/2 lb. hot or mild Italian sausage, casing removed
1 pkg. (6 oz) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
Couple squirts of Italian Dressing, Zesty Italian is best if you have it
1 cup Shredded low-fat Mozzarella
2 Tbs. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, crumble meat into large deep skillet. Cook on medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally; drain.

Add spinach, tomatoes and dressing; cook 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

Drain pasta; place in a large serving bowl. Add meat mixture and cheeses; mix lightly.

Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each

Source: Food and Family (Kraft's (free) recipe magazine) - Winter 2007

COMMENTS: 7 cups of spinach sounds like alot! But it wilts down in no time at all, don't blink! HA. I'm not a big cooked spinach fan myself...but this is really good, I can't believe I'm saying that. I think it is the dressing that takes the spinachy taste out of the dish?

I've made it a couple times now and Tommy and I both like it. It's a good way to get your spinach in if you don't like it fresh or from a can.

Wurtsversteckel

Bologna lunch meat
Ham lunch meat
Salami lunch meat
Dried chopped onions

Chop up lunch meats. Saute with onions in a pan until browned. Meanwhile cook some egg noodles and drain. Toss the noodles with the meat mix. Good served with a salad and garlic bread.

Source: Dorothy M (my 1st Mother-in-law)

Tenor Pasta

1 lb Sweet Italian sausage
1/4 lb Bacon or Pancetta, chopped
1 lb Ground beef
2 Onions, chopped fine
2 Celery stalks, diced
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups Chicken stock
1 can (8 oz) Tomato sauce
2 cans (19 oz each) Cannellini beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.) Red Kidney beans, well drained
1 can (14 oz.) Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp White pepper
1 tsp Dried Ground Thyme
1 tsp Dried rosemary
2 tsp Dried basil
1 1/2 cups Ditalini or other tube pasta
1 cup Cooked orzo
1 Carrot, shredded
Parmesan and Fresh Basil as garnish

Place a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the sausage links with a small amount of water, covered, until the sausage has browned, about 10 minutes.

Remove sausages to a plate and let cool. Once cooled chop into pieces and then put in a processor till finely ground. Brown the bacon in the same pot as used for the sausage links, using a little olive oil if necessary. Brown it but don't let it get crisp. Add the chopped sausage back in with the ground beef and cook until everything is browned, about 15 minutes.

Add onions, celery and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Add the stock and skim the fat off as it rises to the top (can use a gravy separator also). Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.

In processor, blend tomato sauce with 1 cup cannellini beans. Pour the mixture into the pot then add the rest of the cannellini beans, kidneybeans, tomatoes and herbs. After 5 minutes, add the pasta and simmer for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed.
5
Add the orzo and carrots and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Should be a thick stew like consistency.

Yield: Makes about 8 servings.

Spaghetti Pie

4 oz spaghetti
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbs margarine or butter
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese
1/2 lb ground beef or bulk Italian Sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350°F. For crust, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Combine 1 egg, parmesan cheese and margarine. Stir in hot spaghetti. Press mixture evenly into bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. Drain cottage cheese; combine with 1 egg. Spread over crust. Set aside. In a large skillet cook meat, onion, and green pepper till meat is brown. Drain fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Heat through. Spoon over cottage cheese mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake about 5 minutes more or till cheese melts and crust sets. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into wedges.

Servings: 4

Source: Betty Crocker Cookbook

Pizza Casserole

1 cup uncooked medium egg noodles
1/4 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, cut in quarters
8 oz can pizza sauce
2 Tbs milk
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles as directed. Meanwhile, in medium skillet brown ground beef and onion; drain. Stir in noodles and all remaining ingredients except cheese; mix well. Pour into ungreased 1-quart casserole. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with cheese; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Source: Terry S (a friend I've lost track of over the years)

Old-World Manicotti

12 large Manicotti Shells
4 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
6 tbs Fresh Basil, chopped (or 2 Tbs Dried Basil)
1 jar (26 oz) Prepared Spaghetti Sauce, Divided
1/2 cup Parmesan or Raomano Cheese, grated
1/2 to 1 pound Italian sausage

1 Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2 Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on paper towels.

3 For filling: Brown sausage. Meanwhile in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta and fresh basil. Add the sausage to the cheese mixture as well. Salt and pepper this mixture to taste. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture. You could also pipe the cheese mixture in by filling a baggie and cutting the corner off creating a piping bag.

4 Spoon 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

5 Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Servings: 6

***NOTE: I haven't really perfected this recipe yet...but it is very yummy! That's why its on my site!

Source: Grandma's Kitchen Recipe Cards

Garlic Spaghetti

Make your pasta ahead and drain it. Heat a saute pan and put about 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil in it. Mince 3 or 4 cloves of garlic into the pan and saute till they start to turn golden. Don't overcook! Overcooked garlic is very bitter. Take the oil/garlic mixture off the heat. Toss the garlic mixture and noodles together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Great easy meal.

Source: Dorothy M (my first Mother-in-law)

Fettuccine Carbonara

4 oz bacon, cut into thin strips
3 cloves garlic, cut into halves
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup whipping cream
Fettuccine or spaghetti noodles
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch ground white pepper
1 pinch nutmeg

1 While cooking noodles, cook bacon and garlic in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until bacon is light brown. Discard garlic and all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings.

2 Add wine to skillet. Cook about 3 minutes or until wine is almost cooked out.

3 Stir in Cream; cook about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

4 Whisk egg and egg yolk in small bowl; whisk in Parmesan cheese as well as the pepper and nutmeg.

5 Pour the bacon-cream mixture over fettuccine in saucepan; toss to coat. Heat over medium-low heat just until hot.

6 Stir in egg-cheese mixture. Toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Servings: 4

Cooking Tips: Get all your ingredients ready before you begin. The cooking goes very quickly on this and it will not turn out as well if you have to stop between steps.

Dorothy's Lasagna

8 oz. Italian sausage
Lasagna noodles
8 oz parmesan
Ricotta cheese (small container)
8 oz mozzarella
Cottage Cheese (16 ounces)

*Mix the following items with the Cottage Cheese:
1 or 2 eggs depending on size
Salt and pepper
Nutmeg
Parsley

1 Make the Spaghetti Bolognese sauce but add browned italian sausage before simmering.

2 Follow package directions to make noodles. Preheat oven to 375°F. Layer starting with sauce: Sauce, Noodles, and Cheese. Cover and bake for about 1 hour, checking to make sure the middle is hot. When frozen, thaw before cooking. Half way through the baking, remove foil so the top can brown without burning.

This recipe takes time but is WELL worth it!

Source: Dorothy M (my first Mother-in-law)

Cold Pasta Salad

Salad Base:
1 cup Miracle whip
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Mustard
3 cans of tuna or some turkey
1 whole pack of shell noodles

Optional Items:
Lunch meat (julienned)
Carrots (slightly cooked to soften)
Celery
Cucumbers
Red Peppers
Peas
Chickpeas
Shrimp
Boiled egg

Boil and drain noodles. Meanwhile mix salad base. You can make this very tart because when the noodles are added the taste becomes milder. Then add any of the optional items you would like. Best when served chilled.

Source: Sherie K (my Mom)

Bacon Spaghetti

1/2 package bacon, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
Cayenne pepper

Brown bacon in frying pan. Add garlic towards the end. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add the tomatoes. If you don't like the chunky tomatoes then put them in the food processor before adding. Add salt and pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Serve over your choice of pasta. Freezes well for later.

Source: Dorothy M (my first Mother-in-law)

Spaghetti Bolognese

2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 slices unsmoked bacon, thinly sliced
1/2 lb ground beef
1 celery stalk
1 medium carrot, grated
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
4 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
4 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
or 1 or 2 large cans of diced tomatoes
1 can beef stock
2 tsp brown sugar
1 pinch nutmeg

Brown vegetables with bacon in olive oil. Brown meat separately, drain. Combine ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. You can blend portions to make it more saucy if desired.

Recipe Source: Dorothy M (my first Mother-in-law)