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This rich, delicious, full flavored Rigatoni will be the first entr�e that people will head for at ANY potluck or gathering. It will feed 5 or 6 people depending on their appetite, so if you are feeding a crowd, double (or triple) the recipe.1 pound lean ground beef1 cup onion chopped1 clove garlic minced14 ounce can crushed tomatoes1 14 ounce can water6 ounce can tomato paste8 ounce can tomato sauce1 tablespoon sugar1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (don't leave out)2 teaspoons dry basil leaves1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (don't leave out)1 teaspoon dry oregano leaves1 teaspoon Italian seasoning1 1/2 teaspoons salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind)1 pound of mozzarella cheese gratedrigatoni noodles (eyeball this amount - about 8 ounces)Cook the chopped onion in a tablespoon of vegetable oil for about 5 minutes or until it starts to smell a little sweet. Add the garlic and cook/stir for another minute or so.Stir the ground beef into the onion-garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink. After it is cooked, if there is a lot of oil in the pan, make sure you drain the meat well before you add the following.Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, sugar and spices. Stir well and simmer SLOWLY for an hour and a half (stirring once in a while). After an hour and a half, most of the liquid should have cooked away and it will look like this (not too dry). If it looks overly dry, add a cup of water.Stir in the Parmesan and Mozzarella (but save a little of the mozzarella to sprinkle over the top before you bake it).Now a word about the noodles: You can use ANY noodle you want, but we really like the hardy (thick walled) rigatoni noodles. Boil them in salted water for 15 minutes. I use half a package of rigatoni noodles in this recipe. If you are using another kind of noodle, just eyeball the amount (and boil according to package directions).Drain the noodles well and Stir them into the meat and cheese mixture. Top with a little extra mozzarella and bake at 350� for 30-35 minutes or till bubbly.ENJOY !!!
I seldom buy spice blends because I don't use them very much AND you never really know what is in them; some are heavy on garlic, some are heavy on onion and even more of them are heavy on ..."what the heck is that?". When that happens, the $5 jar goes right in the trash, what a waste. Nowadays, when the occasional recipe calls for Italian seasoning, I just mix up this one, it is excellent.2 1/4 teaspoons dry basil2 1/4 teaspoons dry oregano2 1/4 teaspoons dry parsley1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)1/4 teaspoon onion powder (not onion salt)1/4 teaspoon fennel seed1/4 teaspoon dry thyme1/4 teaspoon dry rosemary1/4 teaspoon black pepperpinch dry red chili flakesBasically you just mix all of these ingredients together, however I do an extra step: I measure out the bulky spices, like the fennel seed, rosemary and chili flakes, THEN I work them over a little in my mortar and pestle so it breaks them up which helps distribute their flavor more evenly to the finished spice blend. This step isn't absolutely necessary, but it works well.ENJOY !!!
Crockpot chicken and noodles is pure comfort food in our home. Easy and inexpensive, it pleases everyone.........even picky-picky husband !!This is one of those super yummy recipes that just doesn't photograph well......... but trust me, it's GOOOOOOD !!!1 pound of boneless-skinless chicken breast2 10.75 ounce cans of cream of chicken soup4 cups of chicken broth or stock1 small onion diced1 cup chopped celery1 large carrot grated1 cup peas1/4 teaspoon black pepperFlat wide egg noodlesSpray your Crockpot with a little cooking spray to make cleanup easier. This recipe (as written) requires a nice big Crockpot. If you only have a smaller one, just make half of the recipe.Dice the onion and celery and grate the carrot. Sautee in a little butter until the onions and celery soften a little. Put the saut�ed veggies, soup, broth and pepper into the Crockpot and stir or whisk it around until it is smooth. Add whole (boneless-skinless) chicken breasts and cook on low for three hours.After 3 hours, the broth will look a little thin, but that's ok because the noodles with thicken it as they cook. Remove the chicken and cut it into pieces, then return it to the Crockpot.After 3 hours (on low), add about 3-4 cups UNCOOKED egg noodles and the peas. The noodles will expand (and drink up some of the gravy) so be careful how many noodles you add. It also depends on what KIND of noodles you use, so use your best judgment as to how many dry noodles you put in. Depending on what style noodles you are using, it can take as little as 20 minutes for the noodles to cook. If you use a thicker noodle like a Penne, it can take as much as 45 minutes.If you use the flat egg style noodles, be careful how vigorously you stir them, because they break easily once they start to get soft.ENJOY !!?
This French fry dipping sauce is a delicious condiment that is quick, easy to make and very versatile. It goes together in minutes and everyone loves it.There are a MILLION fry sauce recipes out there; some have a TON of ingredients, some have just a handful. This is our recipe.1/2 cup mayonnaise1/2 cup ketchup2 tablespoons finely minced dill pickles (see note below)1 teaspoon regular old yellow mustarddash of saltscant 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 teaspoon white vinegar1 teaspoon sugarWhen I make this, I put the pickle into the food processor first and pulse it until it is finely minced (2 tablespoons minced pickle is about 1 large pickle). NOTE: You can also just use 2 tablespoons of your favorite pickle relish.Then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse them all together until the sauce is well mixed and smooth. You can do this in a full size food processor, although a small food processor (or an hand held immersion blender) works even better.This recipe makes one cup of French fry sauce. Keep chilled. It is excellent to dip just about anything in, but it is also good on hamburgers.ENJOY !!!
