Pasta and Sausage alla Lasagna

A while back I was cleaning out some closets when I came across a binder filled with cutouts of recipes from magazines I had tried or planned to try. While flipping through it, I found this recipe for "Pasta alla Lasagna". I had made this dish before but had completely forgotten about it. I was so excited to find it again because it's so good and easy (a Chef Mommy theme you might have noticed :)...perfect weeknight food the entire family will love!


Think of this hearty dish as lasagna without the assembly; it contains the same ingredients but is a lot easier to put together.


I love the ricotta mixture on the side! Perfect, built-in portion control!!


Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 days. Just be sure to store the ricotta mixture and sauced pasta separately.

Ingredients:
2 cups chunky pasta (I used rotini)
1 (2 1/2 ounce) sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 cup reduced-sodium marinara
1/2 part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 Italian parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Pepper

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package instructions; drain and place in a serving bowl. Keep warm.

Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Drain off any fat and add sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan and pepper in a small bowl.

To assemble, toss the pasta with the sausage and sauce. Top each serving with a dollop of the ricotta mixture.

Makes 4 servings
Per Serving (1 cup pasta w/ sauce + 1 dollop of ricotta mixture)
258 Cal
8g Fat
323 mg. Sodium
3 g Fiber
13 g. Protein

Source: Weight Watchers Magazine

Easy Peasy Ham Mac and Cheesey

My kids are mac and cheese FANATICS, and they inspired me to come up with this kid-friendly, easy and tasty recipe.

Now, personally, I prefer a baked mac and cheese. However, for this recipe I decided that stove top was the way to go. This way all of the cheese is ooey-gooey and it cooks in much less time...a very important thing with too little hungry ones.

I used Wisconsin Swiss and Wisconsin Cheddar in this recipe along with cubed cooked ham (that I just picked up from my deli) and some frozen peas for color and too sneak in some veggies (hee, hee). The result....a perfect, kid-friendly meal that any grown-up will love too! Both of the kids really loved this dinner and requested it for lunch the next day. My son even exclaimed that it was the BEST mac and cheese he ever had! Endorsed by an expert!


Ingredients:

1 pound mini fusilli pasta (or you may use mini penne or elbow macaroni)
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
2 cups (8 ounces) Wisconsin Swiss Cheese, shredded
3 cups (12 ounces) Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup cooked ham, diced
1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

In a large pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour until well blended. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the milk; stir well. Add in the cheeses, mustard, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir until smooth, hot and thickened. Stir in the ham, peas and cooked/drained pasta. Stir well until heated through.

Source: Chef Mommy, developed for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. I received compensation to create this recipe.

Sesame Street Cake and Cupcakes

I was recently asked to make these Sesame Street cupcakes and "smash" cake for a little boy's first birthday. I couldn't help but say yes. I had tried my hand at these before but it was some time ago (see those HERE) and I knew I wouldn't ever be making them for my own kids again. Sadly, our Sesame Street days are already over. And much too soon for my liking :(

Below are instructions and tips on how I made these. If you have any additional questions, please leave a comment below...Thanks!

The "Smash" Cake

- Bake a 2-layer cake. Use your favorite recipe. This cake was classic vanilla.
- The birthday boy's mom asked for a small cake. The smallest cake pan I had was 5" which I thought might still be bigger than she would like. So, I baked the cake in one 9" cake pan and then used a 4" ring cutter to get the two layers. I thought the cake was the perfect size.
- Dye frosting your favorite color. I used a very pale blue here so I didn't need to add a lot of food coloring.
- Frost the cake with a crumb coat first and then another layer of frosting. Smooth out the frosting. Here is a post on how I smooth out my frosting.
- To make the sign I used Wilton's fondant, dyed it green and yellow. See this post for a few more tips on how to work with fondant.
- Apply the sign to the cake and press gently to have it adhere.
- The use a tiny round tip (this was a Wilton's #3) to write the number and name on the sign.
- Finally add a decorative boarder at the base of the cake and on top to give it a finished look.

Elmo Cupcakes

- Dye the frosting red. You will need A LOT of food coloring to get a true red frosting needed for Elmo.
- Apply frosting to the cupcake using a small star shaped tip.
- Add candy eyes*.
- Add a nose. These are just orange colored peanut M&M's. Buy the big bag of M&M's b/c the single serving bags (that you find near the check out register) will only have 3-4 orange per bag.
- Add a mouth. This mouth is made from an Oreo cookie. I twisted the cookie apart, used a sharp knife to scrape off the white cream center and then cute it in half.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

- Dye the frosting blue. You will not need a lot of food coloring to get the right shade. So start with just a little and add more as needed.
- Apply frosting to the cupcake using a small star shaped tip. I used the same tip that I used for Elmo.
- Add candy eyes*.
- Add a cookie. These cookies are the Famous Amos mini cookies (cut in half). They were the perfect size, not too big, not too little.

Oscar the Grouch Cupcakes

- Dye the frosting green. I added just a tiny bit of brown food coloring here too to give green a bit more of an olive hue.
- Apply frosting to the cupcake using a grass shaped tip.
- Add candy eyes*.
- Add a mouth. This mouth is made from an Oreo cookie also.
- Add a tongue. Just pipe a small amount of red frosting into the center of the mouth. I used leftover frosting from the Elmo cupcakes
- Add eyebrows around the top half of the eyeballs. Use brown frosting for this and a very small star shaped tip.

More Tips:
- *I cheated and bought candy eyeballs from a local cake supply store to save time. There are a few ways to make these at home but that is a post all on it's own. If anyone wants to see that, please let me know and I will post a tutorial.
- Give yourself some time to make these, at least two days. Try baking the cake and cupcakes one day. Then make the frosting and decorate the next.
- I used coordinating greaseproof liners (red, blue and green) to match the cupcakes.
- Making several different frosting colors it is helpful to use this plastic wrap technique (aka..."the frosting condom") to save pastry bags and make clean-up easier.


Here is the birthday boy enjoying his first taste of cake. How cute is he??!! Happy 1st birthday Maddox!

Green Monster Smoothie

What the heck is a Green Monster smoothie? It's simply a smoothie made with spinach and fruit. This super healthy drink has been all over the food blogosphere and I finally gave it a try last week. I'm sorry I waited so long. Not only is it good for you but it is also super yummy!

The spinach adds a ton of nutrients (great if your kids don't like eating veggies) and gives it it's bright green color. The spinach flavor is so mild that you can barely taste it and doesn't really compete with the fruit. For the fruit, use any you like that is light in color. We love bananas, mango, peaches and pineapples. If you use a dark colored fruit like strawberries, your smoothie will still taste great but it will be a "brown monster" instead of a "green monster".


Since it is almost Halloween, here is a fun way you could serve these to the kids. Give them a permanent marker and a clear, disposable cup. Then have them draw a monster face on the cup.


I did this with the kids and a playmate this week. While they were busy drawing on their cups, I whipped up the smoothies and snuck in the spinach (hee, hee)...they loved these and had no idea they were drinking spinach!!

Ingredients:

Handful of baby spinach
1 frozen banana, peeled
3/4 cup frozen fruit (pineapple, mango or peach)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp sugar (optional)

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend until everything is well combined and you reach desired consistence. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Source: Inspired by OhSheGlows

(Slow Cooker) Meatballs with Sauce

From meatball cupcakes to Crockpot meatballs....Enjoy (and sorry for the delay in posting. It's been a busy week!).

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
3/4 lb ground beef
1 sweet Italian sausage link (casing removed)
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten

Remaining Ingredients:
½ large onion, chopped
16 oz (2 cups) of your favorite homemade or store-bought marinara sauce

Directions:

Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl using your hands. Do not over mix. Roll the mixture into balls roughly the size of a golf ball.

Scatter the onion over the base of your slow cooker.

In a nonstick skillet on med-high heat, add the meatballs (but don't overcrowd) and cook for about 1 minute, until they sear slightly. Add your meatballs to the slow cooker. Pour the sauce evenly over the top, making sure to coat everything.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve with pasta, grated Parmesan and basil.

Snickerdoodles

It has been a busy, busy week and not much time for blogging. However, I did want to share this quick cookie recipe with you all.


These were terrific and I can't wait to make them again....YUM!!!



Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.


Source: AllRecipes.com

Friendship Muffins

This is a wonderful muffin recipe that I've dubbed the "friendship muffin" because I made it a few weeks ago with my daughter and one of her very best friends.

The girls are crazy about each other but being both strong willed 3 year-olds can sometimes cause for a bumpy play-date. So, last time they had a play-date, I had this muffin recipe ready to go. The girls loved making these and worked so well taking turns adding ingredients and stirring the batter.


The muffins also served as their snack and they both devoured these!!

It really was so cute to see these two little munchkins working cooperatively. They were so proud of themselves too :) I know my daughter is really going to miss her good friend when she moves to Alabama this summer (and I'm really going to miss her mommy- boo).


This wholesome muffin recipe is loaded with fruit (apple), vegetable (carrot) and healthy grains (whole wheat flour and rain bran cereal), a perfect "kid" muffin but tasty enough for grown-ups to enjoy (as I did with a big cup of coffee!!).



Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups raisin bran cereal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup finely chopped peeled tart apple
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple, carrots and walnuts. Fill paper-lined muffin cups or cups coated with nonstick cooking spray three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Source: Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Thank You Teacher Cookies

Here we are in May and another school year is quickly coming to a close. My daughter actually finishes preschool this week and my son will be done in three short weeks. They have both had a great year and wonderful teachers. I am so grateful for all the hard work, dedication and patients they have showed my children. We have been very blessed. Both of my kids have learned and grown so much!

For example, here is my daughter singing the "Continents" song. My 3-year old can name the continents....love it!



Every year, I give the teachers an end-of-the- year thank you gift. This year I think I will make them some personalized sugar cookies that they can enjoy and share with their families. These apple cookies are similar to what I will be making. I actually made these a few weeks ago for a teacher appreciation week order.


The cookies were green apples (instead of red) because the school colors are yellow and green.


I also made 6 dozen cupcakes for this order. Aren't the school themed toppers cute?

Ground Beef Tacos and Homemade Shells

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo last week by having "assemble your own" tacos for dinner. As popular as tacos are for a family dinner (easy to make,quick and an inexpensive meal) a lot of us don't get very excited by the idea and I think it all has to do with what type of taco shell typically used.

I am not a fan of store-bought taco shells at all. Too me they taste like stale tortilla chips--yuck! The homemade version are 100x better with a nice crispness and fresh taste. They are also surprisingly easy to make. All you will need is small (6 inch) corn tortillas, a pan and some canola oil.

Here...I'll show you how:

In a pan, pour about a 1/2 inch of oil and heat until very hot. Then place a tortilla in the oil and cook on both sides, for 30 sec- 1 minute per side. You will see the tortilla bubble and that's when you turn it over.


Then fold it in half again and cook it on both sides until lightly browned. When you are ready to remove the tortilla shell, lift out with tongs and let the excess oil drip onto the pan.


Then place tortilla shells on a stack of paper towels to blot excess oil.


See, wasn't that easy? And trust me, once you have these you won't be going back to those Ortega shells.


The recipe for the taco meat is how I typically make it. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1-2 tbsp taco seasoning, depending on how much spiciness you like (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup salsa

Directions:

Heat a nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt. Start breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. When the meat is about half way cooked add the onions and continue cooking. When the meat is fully browned and no longer pink, drain any excess fat. Return skillet to the heat and add the taco seasoning and salsa. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring often.
To serve, spoon taco meat into a tortilla shell and add your favorite toppings. We like cheddar and/or Colby-jack cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce and sour cream

Source: Chef Mommy

Funfetti Waffles

I think I've mentioned this before on the blog, but we tend to have pretty boring breakfasts most weekday mornings. So, with the kids on Spring Break this week and our morning not so hectic, I decided to treat them with something other than cold cereal and milk. First up, funfetti waffles!


This recipe starts with a great basic waffle recipe and includes the addition of colorful sprinkles. A surefire hit with any kid or kid at heart :)


Being off from school also gave us a chance for some fun field trips. This day we hit the farm!


A trip to the farm is always great of course but we also went there b/c my son's teacher gave each child a disposable camera and the assignment to document something fun they did during their break. My son took this assignment pretty seriously and enjoyed taking pictures of all the animals.


Of course, my daughter wanted to take pictures too so I reluctantly handed her my point and shoot. You don't know just how scary that can be in the hands of a three year old on a bumpy wagon ride who is determined to photograph EVERYTHING!!
It was fun to see what she captured at the end of the trip. She took close to 40 pictures (and had a few good ones) but most were of feet and knees :)


We all had a blast! We saw all the farm animals, went on a wagon ride, had a picnic lunch and played on the playground but the best was running into so many friends who had the same idea.


























At the end, we grabbed some ice cream with our friends....I *heart* Spring Break!!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sprinkles

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.
Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Add the sprinkles on top. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve with whipped cream and additional sprinkles on top.

Source: waffle recipe adapted from All Recipes

Ballerina Cupcakes

Here is a cute way to personalize cupcakes for the little princess in your life. I made these recently for a play date my daughter had with her 3 best friends. The girls are all in the same preschool and ballet class together. They love ballet so much, that I thought these would make for an extra special treat.


This was a simple homemade vanilla cake (yes, I do use cake mix from a box too) with a simple vanilla Swiss meringue frosting.


To make the ballerina cupcake toppers, I used card stock, a lollipop stick, ribbon and letter stickers.

First, cut out two leotards out of heavy card stock. Click HERE for the template. Then add a lollipop stick to the middle of the leotard (tape in place) and glue both pieces together. The tutu's were made out of wide wire rimmed ribbon and finally a sticker with each girl's initials completed the look.


The girls having fun in ballet class.



Source: Inspired by Glorious Treats

Princess Crown and Magic Wand Sugar Cookies

Along with the princess castle cake, I also made these sugar cookies for the birthday party.


Here is the sugar cookie and the royal icing recipe I use.


Sweet and simple!