Creamy 3-Cheese Baked Penne

I'm sitting here watching TV, trying to think of some witty header to put on this recipe & I am coming up empty! The show is America's Next Top Model... something I'm almost embarrassed to admit I watch!! LOL And they just took a plane to Venice, Italy to do some fancy-schmancy scenic European shoots... and wouldn't you know it, I made pasta for dinner tonight! Haha! I feel like I'm practically in Italy! I'm SO authentic Italian. Wait 'til you see this recipe! You'll feel like you're right there in Venice with these ridiculous wannabe models! Actually, you totally won't, because as far as what I recall from my time in Italy 16 years ago, we never had anything like this. This is like white girl trying to be Italian! But it's good white girl food!! Give it a go!

The shopping list:


Penne, spaghetti sauce (I love Newman's Own Sockarooni!), a can of diced tomatoes (I chose fire roasted today), sour cream, cream cheese, mozzarella & Parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind - the shredded stuff that will melt!)

First up is boiling your pasta. Just cook it up like you normally would; drain it.


Now take that still-hot pan & put it back on the burner over medium heat. Pour in the sauce, tomatoes & cream cheese. Stir it around until the cream cheese melts & it's all nice, creamy & well-combined.


Add the pasta to it and stir it around to coat it evenly.


Now put half the pasta mixture into a 9x13 pan & spread with half the sour cream. It's a little tricky - just use small scoops & spread it a little at a time. But don't worry about being perfect. It's all gonna blend together anyway. Top the sour cream with half the mozzarella then do it all again with the rest of the pasta, the rest of the sour cream & the rest of the mozzarella!


Put the Parmesan cheese on top of it all & pop it into a 375 oven for about 20 minutes.

(and ignore the dirty oven that is overdue for a cleaning!)

Pull it out & let it set up for about 10 minutes - then dig in & enjoy!


Take a look inside!


I think you're gonna like it! It's very rich & creamy & delicious - and SO totally not Italian!

Creamy 3-Cheese Baked Penne:

1 box of Penne (4 cups dry)
1 jar (26oz) spaghetti/marinara sauce
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
6-oz cream cheese (3/4 of a block)
8-oz sour cream (1 cup)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Heat oven to 375.

Boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside. In the same pot mix sauce, tomatoes & cream cheese. Cook on medium heat until cheese is melted and everything is well combined, about 5 minutes. Add pasta to the sauce mixture & stir around to coat.

Put half the pasta mixture in a 9x13 pan. Top with half the sour cream and half the mozzarella. Repeat layers with remaining pasta, sour cream & mozzarella. Top with Parmesan & bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

2-Hour Red Potatoes

I know.... 2 HOURS!???? Who has time to do any sort of cooking that takes 2 hours? Really!? Yep. Really. 2-hour potatoes. Just throw them into the oven when the kids get home from school & they'll be ready in time for dinner. And you will be glad you did it. You don't really have to do anything special - they just sit in your oven for 2 hours and transform from hard, red balls of starch into beautiful, buttery, brown, melt-in-your-mouth pieces of Heaven! It's amazing how something this simple can make such great potatoes! Have faith - they're fantastic!

Here are the ingredients:


Red potatoes - the little ones, butter, olive oil, black pepper and COURSE salt. Don't use table salt for this. It needs to be course.

Get your potatoes washed up & dried off. Then melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in an 8x8 pan (If you're going big do 4 Tbsp in a 9x13, which is what I made this time).


Roll the potatoes around in the butter to makes sure they all get coated in it. Then drizzle some olive oil over them all.


Now shake some pepper over them all & then put a fairly generous amount of the course salt on each potato. Don't be afraid of the salt! Potatoes *heart* salt.


I was wishing I'd used a little more salt.

Bake at 350 for 2 hours! And when you go pull them out of the oven, 2 hours later, you will find that your ruby-red gems have turned into a rich, brown, mouth-watering side dish!


Put the potatoes into a bowl & then pour all the pan drippings down over the top of them.


Buttery, velvet goodness. The skin gets thick & almost leathery - but in a good, delicious way, and the potatoes are just fall-apart wonderful & full of great flavor.


MMmmmmmm...... It's the German girl in me. I just LOVE potatoes! Or maybe it's the Irish. Or perhaps the Scottish...? Awe, who cares where it comes from! LOL I just love potatoes.

2-Hour Red Potatoes

a 2-lb bag of small red potatoes
2 Tbsp butter
olive oil
black pepper
course salt

Wash your potatoes & dry completely. Melt butter in an 8x8 pan. Add potatoes & toss to coat thoroughly. Drizzle with oil. Add pepper & salt - be generous with the seasonings.

Bake at 350 for 2 hours. Transfer potatoes to a bowl & pour pan drippings over the top.

I've seen this recipe a few places but I think it originates from Your Homebased Mom!

CSN.com is at it Again!

.... But this time it's my turn! Woo hoo! Remember the fabulous giveaway they offered all my readers last month!? I was excited for the chance for one of YOU to spend $35 on something great from their collection of 200+online stores - with a convenient one-spot check out. Well now I am the lucky one that gets to choose a fabulous product of my own to review and rave about. What will I choose!!?? The obvious answer is something for the kitchen - after all, this is a food blog!! LOL But maybe I'd rather have a new dining room table (OK, OK, that's kinda in the kitchen)! I think Hubby would love it if I got him a new grill (I know, I know - we're still talking food prep! I can't help it!) If I wanted to be a good mom I could get the kids one of the 10,000+ toys available on CSN's site. If I'm gonna be selfish - which I think I deserve to be sometimes - I just might end up with some new bedding for my room!? Ooooo... a nice, comfy, cozy, fluffy, cuddly quilt, perhaps!? There is so much to choose from - keep your eyes peeled for my review in the coming weeks!! I'm looking forward to it!

Cake Balls

It's Halloween Party season at school! And for the over-achieving mom that means more time in the kitchen coming up with great homemade treats for them to bring in to class. And this leads me to a gripe.... it makes me sad each & every year when I bring goodies to the Halloween/Christmas/Valentine's/Birthday parties and I am the ONLY one with something homemade (I know some schools only allow store-bought things - ours is not one of them). It just makes me sad that people don't have that extra hour for their kids. Or do they - but they're just addicted to the convenience of the Walmart cupcakes with 3 inches of frosting that is so full of dye that it changes the color of your... um... you know... stuff. Whatever the case, in the 15+ times that I have brought goodies in I'm always the lone scratch goodies. C'mon, folks! Give your kids some love! Go homemade this year - even if it's just a pan of boxed brownies!!

Well, this year I decided to go with cake balls for Nolan - and not just plain cake balls.... EYE BALLS! Ewwwww. What 5 year old wouldn't love to crunch into one of these!!??

Grab some of this:


A box of cake mix (to make a 9x13), a tub of frosting (16oz) and a pack of almond bark.

The flavor combinations you go with are totally up to you. I've done chocolate cake with chocolate frosting & chocolate almond bark & they are really good! Like think Ho-Ho or Ding Dong. Good.

Step 1: Bake the cake, according to the package directions.


Let it cool & then *gasp* break it into pieces & crumble it in a bowl. I always feel like I'm doing something criminal for this part! Add in the frosting & combine it well.


You can mix it several ways - wooden spoon, mush it in a ziplock bag, use your hands in a bowl or, like I do, with a pastry blender!


Roll them into balls. Your hands will get messy - just rinse them every 10 balls or so. And be sure you don't go too big. I though bigger would be better - it's not. Last time I measured them out with my 2 Tbsp cookie scoop but they were just too big. Bite-sized is better so, if you use a cookie scoop, go with the one Tbsp one.


Pop them into the freezer for an hour or so. If you don't they'll fall apart in the almond bark.

Melt the almond bark according to the package directions & dip the balls, one at a time. And only take like 8 balls out of the freezer at a time. Once they're dipped they can just sit on the counter in an air-tight container, but when you're dipping you want them pretty solid. Pick whatever dipping method works for you - I've done 2 forks & also toothpicks. Either is fine. Just dip & tap the excess off against the side of the bowl.


Dip & tap!


And now, because I'm making eyeballs... decorate!


And with the red velvet inside, a bite will reveal the red, bloody guts of the eyeballs! Ewwww. I mean YUM!!!! LOL

(My camera's just a little pocket-sized point & shoot so I have a hard time getting good focus. Darn it.)

I hope you'll try 'em! Play with the flavors & make your own! They're really good. And addicting. And easy (they just take a little while from start to finish!)

Cake Pops:

1 box cake mix (9x13)
1 tub frosting (16oz)
1 pkg almond bark

Bake the cake. Let it cool completely. Crumble cake into a large bowl. Add frosting & combine thoroughly. Shape into small balls - no bigger that a large marble. Freeze for about an hour.

Melt almond bark according to instructions. Dip balls, one at a time, working in small batches. Set dipped balls on wax paper to set up. Store on the counter in an air-tight container.

I Made a Button!

I'm so proud of myself! I actually figured it out!
Woo hooo, woo hooo! *happy dance*
Do you like me enough to grab it for your blog!?
You'll find it on the right side bar! Thanks!

Pan Fried Asparagus with Garlic

Asparagus has a sweet spot with me. We never had it growing up so as a young adult it was a completely strange, foreign green 'thing' that I was very intimidated by. I had no desire to try it, prepare it or even see it on someone else's plate! Asparagus. Even the name is a little exclusive sounding & somewhat off-putting, you know!? Until one day we were eating dinner at my in-laws' house & my father-in-law somehow got on the topic of asparagus. Except he didn't call it asparagus - he called it ditch weed! DITCH WEED! LOL In one phrase he tore down the hoity-toity walls I'd built around this elegant, higher-class-than-me green shoot & turned it into something not only tangible & approachable, but into some poor, unloved stick that I was doing a favor by welcoming it into my kitchen! And toady I prepared it on the stove top with some fresh sliced garlic. Wanna see how I did it?

You'll need:


Asparagus, butter, olive oil & garlic.

First prep your ditch weed!
*hehehehe*
To do that you can either just take a knife to the last inch or two of the stalk or if you grab each end of the stalk in each hand & gently bend it it'll snap at its natural breaking point. Just get rid of the woody end of the stalk - you don't want to be chewing on tree bark!


Now get a pan on the stove, crank the heat to medium high. Throw some butter in the pan; once it's melted add your asparagus. Roll it around in the pan so it all gets coated with some butter & then grab your olive oil & just drizzle back & forth over the asparagus a few passes. Sprinkle on some salt & pepper.


Let it go for maybe 4-5 minutes - you're just looking for the green to get bright. Don't over cook your asparagus. Mushy asparagus is not awesome.

See how much brighter it is!??


Now toss on some THINLY sliced garlic. I have a fancy-schmancy tool that makes it paper thin. It's great! Just toss it around the pan for a few minutes - bring out that strong garlic perfection! Only go for a minute or two - again, NO mushy ditch weed!

You know what's wonderful about ultra-thin garlic slices? They get crispy! Like little garlic chips! Oh. My. Goodness.


Good stuff. See those crispy garlic chips? Paired up with perfect, pan fried asparagus. Delicious!

Pan Fried Asparagus with Garlic:

1 bunch of asparagus
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt & pepper, to taste

Cut the woody ends from your asparagus. Melt butter in a pan over med-high heat. Add asparagus, toss around to coat. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the color brightens. Add garlic, cook another minute or two. Enjoy!!

Banana Crumb Bread

I called Hubby at work to talk about a potential Christmas gift for our kids & heard his partner & captain yelling in the background, trying to talk to me over the phone. They're getting spoiled. I often bake treats and deliver a plate to the station, just to get them out of the house. The yelling was a request - for Banana Bread! So, of course I'm a sucker for requests so I hopped into the kitchen and went to work. Lucky for them I had some fairly ripe bananas on the counters waiting for me to turn them into something great!

Ingredients:


Bananas, walnuts (optional), milk, egg, margarine, baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour & sugar.

First step is to cream together the margarine & sugar.


Then add the egg & blend again.

Get your bananas all mashed up.


Add it to the mix & blend it well.


Now mix the flour, baking powder, soda & salt in a bowl. Add it to the batter.


Next stpe is to add in your milk & nuts. Do you have one of these? A food chopper? They are great. I love mine. They work for dicing up SO many things, from nuts to veggies to cooked bacon - anything you need a dice on. Depending on the number of hits you can get a finer dice. Also great for a frustrating day when you just need to hit something!! LOL


Spray your loaf pan with some PAM & pour in your batter.


Now, you can just pop it into the oven at this step, if that's your style. But... I'm an over achiever so we're taking it a little further! Grab a couple more ingredients - we're making a crumb topping! Flour, cinnamon, butter & brown sugar.


Mix your flour, sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl & mash in the butter. Keep going until it looks kinda like cornmeal. Coarse crumbs.


Throw it down over the top of your bread & it's ready to pop into the oven!


It bakes at 350 for an hour. Check on it about half way & then again about 3/4 through. Make sure the edges and/or crumb topping aren't burning. If they're looking more done then the est of the loaf just wrap some foil around the top edge of the pan. Be careful, though! It's a hot pan!!


...... and here she is! Sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifffff! Can you smell it!?


Want some!? You're gonna have to make it!!! HAHA!!

Banana Crumb Bread:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium/large ripe bananas)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter

In a large bowl cream together the butter & sugar. Add egg & mix well. Add bananas; mix. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda & salt. Add to the batter. Stir in milk & nuts. Pour into greased loaf pan.

In a small bowl mix brown sugar, flour & cinnamon. Using a fork, mash in the butter. Mix until it comes together like coarse crumbs - like cornmeal. Sprinkle on top of batter.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour, checking the top crust for burning periodically. If it's getting too dark tent it with foil. It's done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.