Three-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Homemade macaroni and cheese probably doesn't sound like a very "summertime centric" selection for a July meal.

But, when your summer includes getting a tooth pulled? Then maybe you'd be looking for soft comfort food, too.

It was one of those recipes that catches your eye as you're strolling through Facebook. C'mon ... you know you do it, too. My mouth was throbbing, and a summer salad just wasn't going to make the cut for a few meals.

So when the recipe said The BEST Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese? Of course, I clicked. (Yes, BEST was capitalized in the recipe's title, so how could I resist?)

Sharp Cheddar cheese is a staple in my refrigerator, but I didn't have Gruyere cheese. So I substituted Swiss. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I know I can't get Gruyere cheese at my Stafford grocery store. Actually, I think I'd have to go to the big cheese counter at the super-sized Dillon's to even find any in Hutchinson. 

The topping included Parmesan cheese along with the panko and butter, so it gave it an extra boost of cheese flavor. The recipe didn't disappoint. Because it didn't use processed American cheese, it wasn't quite as smooth as recipes using that as an ingredient. However, the sharp Cheddar and Swiss, combined with some Parmesan flavor on top, gave a big boost of taste.

And even though Randy didn't get a tooth pulled, he liked it. too.  (He had a side of ham to go with his mac and cheese.) If you try it, let me know what you think!

Three-Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese

Modified from Mom on Timeout blog

16 oz. pasta (elbow, rotini, etc.)

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

6 tbsp. butter

1/3 cup flour

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 cups sharp Cheddar cheese (freshly grated)

2 cups Gruyere cheese (freshly grated) * 

Salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

4 tbsp. butter, melted

1 1/2 cups panko crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

 

*I substituted Swiss cheese for Gruyere.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3- or 4-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. 

Shred your own cheeses; already grated cheeses don't melt as well. After both kinds of cheese are grated, combine and set aside.

Cook the pasta about 1 minute shy of al dente, according to package directions. While pasta is cooking prepare cheese sauce. (If you don't have the cheese sauce completed when the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta and coat it with the olive oil; set aside until ready to combine with cheese sauce.)

To prepare cheese sauce: Melt butter in a deep saucepan or large skillet. Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden. Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface. Continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another 2 cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. (Retain 2 cups cheese.) Sauce should be smooth and thick.

 

Stir in the pasta until combined and pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce. Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese and then top with remaining mac and cheese. 

 

In a small bowl, combine panko, Parmesan, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Tortellini Primavera

 

It's a sad state of affairs. Our freezer is dangerously close to running out of beef. When the pandemic hit last year and grocery stores were having trouble stocking essentials, consumers suddenly wanted to purchase beef and other meats from farmers and ranchers.

 

That's a great thing for the industry. But it created a new problem. Suddenly, producers were booking extra harvest dates for their animals at the small butcher shops. 

 

It pushed wait times for appointments to more than a year away. We called our processing plant a year ago. The first available date was September 2021!

 

While we normally would have butchered a couple of steers this spring, we are now waiting until September. I'm already out of our homegrown hamburger, and I've already gone through the first extra 20 pounds we purchased from Ellinwood Packing. 

So I've found some recipes that don't use my go-to freezer beef. This Tortellini Primavera was one we enjoyed. 

It's loaded with veggies. It also used up some frozen tri-color tortellini that had been hanging around in my freezer. So win-win!

 

If you have leftovers, add a splash of cream or milk. Pasta always absorbs liquid after it's refrigerated.  

Enjoy!

 

 

Tortellini Primavera

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman blog

 

2 tbsp. butter

1 small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced (you can use jarred minced garlic)

3 whole carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup broccoli florets, rough chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth 

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup cooked ham, diced

1 cup frozen peas

1 pound cheese, spinach or tri-color tortellini

Extra Parmesan for serving

Cook tortellini a couple of minutes less than package directions call for. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add carrots and broccoli, stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the liquid reduces a bit. Stir in cream and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and stir.

When the mixture is hot and a cream sauce has formed, stir in peas, ham, salt and pepper. Allow them to heat through. When the sauce is hot, stir in the tortellini. Check seasonings and add more salt and/or pepper, if needed. Allow the pasta to heat back up, then serve with extra Parmesan. Serves 6.

If you have leftovers, add a splash of cream or milk. Pasta always absorbs liquid after it's refrigerated.

Pasta Alla Vodka

I'll admit it: I have often used prepared spaghetti sauce as a jumping off point for a quick meal. And, most of the time, it's an inexpensive canned sauce, not a name-brand jarred sauce. Sure, I add some seasonings, and I stir in browned ground beef. I may add some pepperoni, too, if I'm throwing together a quick cavatini. 

However, after Jill made a from-scratch version the last time we visited, I may be a changed woman.

Her homemade sauce was quick and easy and a whole lot tastier than my doctored-up prepared sauce. And it was still ready in 30 minutes or less. Win - win!

She often serves it meatless. But, because she knows her dad is a "meat-is-a-meal kind of guy," Eric grilled some chicken breasts to go with the pasta. I did the same when I re-created the recipe here at home. We both added a tossed salad. 

Jill says it reminds her of her favorite restaurant pasta sauce. Brooke prefers her pasta without sauce. Rigatoni pasta creates great finger jewelry for kindergarteners - just in case you wanted to know. The rest of us ate it with a fork. 

I've made it twice here at home since. One time, like Jill, I served it with grilled chicken. 

The next time, I added about 3/4 of a pound of already browned hamburger to the sauce. 

 

The original recipe called for 16 ounces of pasta. I decided I'd rather have it a little "saucier," so I decreased to about 12 ounces of dried pasta when I served it with the chicken. For my hamburger version, I used about 8 ounces of pasta so that there was plenty of sauce.

It's also important to save some of the pasta water as you drain the noodles. I've heard chefs say that on Food Network, but I hadn't necessarily followed suit. The need for this was confirmed this week with one of those random articles that your search engine promotes. I actually clicked on the one titled "36 Common Cooking Mistakes You Should Actually Ditch ASAP" from Buzzfeed. A few of the mistakes were related to pasta:

• You undersalt the water: When adding pasta to boiling water, the pasta will absorb part of the water as it cooks. If you don't salt the water, the food will remain bland. But if you do, it'll be seasoned from within, which is a sure-fire way to achieve pasta greatness. If you're wondering how much salt you should add to the water, the answer is: more than you think! Italians will tell you it should be "as salty as the sea," and while that's a charming overstatement, it's not that far from the truth. Most of the salt you add will get lost in the water, so to make sure some of it gets in the pasta, you need to be generous.
• When cooking pasta, you don't reserve any of the pasta water. Pasta cooking water is filled with starch — that will help bind the pasta and sauce together and make the sauce silkier. It's also already salted, making it more flavorful than basic water. So the next time you make pasta, save 1/2 a cup of cooking water that you can then use in the sauce. (This recipe says to save more, and I probably used more than 1/2 cup, but not nearly 2 cups.) 
• You rinse pasta after draining it: Rinsing the pasta will strip it of its starch, which is something you need if you want to make your sauce super silky and yummy. The only times when it's fine to rinse pasta is if you're making pasta salad or using it in a stir-fry.

Bon appetit!

 

 Pasta Alla Vodka

Adapted from Delish.com

 

3 tbsp. butter

1 shallot or 1 small onion, minced

2 cloves, garlic, minced

1/2 cup tomato paste

2 tbsp. vodka

Salt to taste

8 to 12 ounces tubed pasta, such as penne or rigatoni

1/2 cup cream or half and half

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (plus more for serving)

Fresh basil for serving (if available)

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (opt.) 

 

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add shallot or onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

 

Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes (if desired) and cook; stirring frequently, until paste has coated shallots and garlic and it's beginning to darken, 5 minutes. Don't burn.

 

Add vodka to pot and stir to incorporate, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Turn off heat.

 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. (I used rigatoni.) Reserve 2 cups of pasta water before draining. 

 

Return sauce to medium heat and add 1/4 cup pasta water and cream, stirring to combine. Add half of the Parmesan and stir until melted. Turn off heat and stir in cooked pasta. Fold in remaining Parmesan, adding more pasta water - about a tablespoon at a time - if the sauce is looking dry. Season with salt, if needed. Serve topped with more Parmesan and torn basil leaves. If you don't have fresh basil, you can sprinkle in a little dried basil with the tomato paste, if desired. 

Notes:

• We don't like spicy food, so I didn't use any red pepper flakes. I got this recipe from Jill after she served it to us. She didn't add red pepper flakes when serving to us. However, she and Eric added some at the table. 
• The original recipe called for 16 ounces of pasta. I decided I'd rather have it a little "saucier," so I decreased to about 12 ounces of dried pasta when I served it with grilled chicken. When I added 3/4 pound of hamburger to the sauce, I used only 8 ounces of pasta.
  
• As the recipe says, be sure and save some of the pasta water to "loosen" up the sauce. To reheat any leftover pasta, you may want to add another splash of cream. Pasta always needs a little help with moisture when it comes to leftovers, but the extras are tasty anyway!
  

Farmers Market Pasta: A Recipe

I am ready for fall. After our day-time temperatures again soared into the 90s this week, I'm ready for sweatshirt and soup weather. Anybody else with me?

Even though I won't miss the sweltering temperatures, the humidity or the gargantuan mosquitoes as we transition to fall, I will miss the plethora of fresh vegetables. Living where we do, I don't get the opportunity to frequent farmers markets as often as I'd like. But if I happen to go to Hutchinson on a Wednesday or Saturday during the summer, a stop at the Reno County Farmers Market is a must.

And, here in the U.S., we are fortunate to have fresh fruits and vegetables available to us at the grocery store year-round.

The stereotypical farm wife is queen of her garden. Sadly, I am not. That's probably not a surprise to anyone who reads this little spot of the internet with any regularity. But I am always thankful to my friends and family who share. And I certainly don't mind supporting the hard-working folks who bring their produce to farmers markets or the farmers who make it possible for me to choose beautiful fruits and vegetables in my grocery store's produce section.

During the summer, there's a long-running joke that you need to keep your car locked so productive gardeners don't load it with excess zucchini or squash. This Farmers Market Pasta includes those veggies, along with broccoli, a bell pepper and tomatoes. The delicious combination of pesto, balsamic vinegar and spices will have you searching out your gardening friends who are still reaping the bounty of their hard work.

Or pick up the ingredients the next time you're at the grocery store. We highly recommend this tasty dish! I served it with grilled steak, but it would be delicious with other proteins as well. Enjoy!

Farmers Market Pasta

Adapted from Skinny Taste blog

For vegetables:
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds (halve or quarter, if the zucchini is large)
1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds (halve or quarter, if the squash is large)
1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, halves
1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

For pasta:
1/3 cup basil pesto
1/2 pound fusilli pasta (you can use another shape, like rotini)
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 sheet pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, Italian herbs and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and whisk until emulsified.

In a large bowl, combine vegetables. Stir in contents of small bowl and toss to evenly coat. Spread vegetables out in an even layer onto prepared sheet pans. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to the package directions or until al dente. Before draining pasta, reserve a small amount of pasta water.

To assemble: Combine drained, cooked pasta, pesto and beans, adding 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water as needed. Toss with roasted veggies and top with Parmesan cheese.  Toss well to coat.

To serve, drizzle with a little more balsamic vinegar and additional Parmesan, as desired.

We had leftovers. I added a little additional pasta water before putting it in the fridge, since pasta leftovers notoriously absorb liquid. 

Makes 6, 1 1/2 cup-servings.

NOTE:  The original recipe called for 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms. Feel free to add those, if desired.

One-Pot Swedish Meatball Pasta

It still comes as a bit of a shock when I get an email from Brent with a recipe to try. Jill? Sure. She's been cooking and baking since she was a little girl. But while Brent lived at home, the kitchen wasn't on his radar. I tried to get him to choose 4-H foods and nutrition for a project. Nope, he wasn't interested.

These days, though, he's the one getting supper on the table at his house.

Wait. No, he's not getting "supper" on the table. He's whipping up "dinner." Our two children have become city folk. They eat "lunch" and "dinner" ... well, unless they are here on the County Line. Then they eat "dinner" and "supper," though Brent has been known to "argue" with me about the semantics.

Whether for "dinner" or "supper" or "lunch," Brent was right:  This easy one-pot meal is a keeper. I had thawed hamburger in the fridge. So I threw the recipe together Tuesday morning after helping move cattle and had it ready to go quickly and easily. I served it with a green salad, and it was an easy meal after a busy morning.

The meatballs have less moisture than my regular recipe. But the denser quality keeps them together while you're stirring the sauce and noodles, I think.

We can all use something that's quick and easy during this busy time of year, right?!

One-Pot Swedish Meatball Pasta

Adapted from Tasty Recipes

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 onion, finely minced
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 cups beef broth (or hot water and bouillon)
2 cups milk
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
4 cups egg noodles
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh parsley (or about 2 tbsp. dried)
Additional salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper; mix until evenly combined.

Heat the canola oil in a pot or large skillet over medium-high Take golf-ball-sized portions of the meatball mixture and roll it into balls. (I used a cookie scoop.) Place the meatballs into the heated skillet, cooking about 1 minute. Flip the meatballs and brown on all sides.

Add the beef broth, milk and worcestershire sauce and stir. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add the egg noodles. Stir several times while the pasta is cooking and the liquid is reducing to a sauce that coats the noodles, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the Parmesan and parsley, stirring until the cheese melts. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley to serve, if desired.

Note: I didn't have fresh parsley, so I used dried. I sprinkled a little more on top for color for the photos.

One-Pan Pasta Pot

I like cooking and baking. I'm not as fond of the clean-up. Who is? So when I see a recipe for something I can put together in one skillet, it's appealing.

We like spaghetti and cavatini as much as anyone. But it's kind of nice to try a little something different for a pasta dish. This rich and creamy tomato sauce covers the pasta, as well as fresh spinach and halved cherry tomatoes. It also includes two kinds of cheeses - ricotta and freshly-shredded Parmesan. You can't go wrong with cheese!

The original recipe was meatless, but that doesn't go over too well with my meat-loving husband. So I added some smoked sausage. It would be good with chicken, too. But that's Randy's least favorite meat. Well, he probably likes liver less. But since I don't like liver either, there's no danger of it appearing on the table anytime soon.

This, on the other hand, will definitely appear on our table again.

***

One-Pan Pasta Pot

Adapted from Call Me PMC

7 oz. smoked sausage
12 oz. rotini pasta
1/4 cup basil pesto
1 tbsp. minced garlic
24 oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
1 1/4 cups water with 2 tsp. chicken bouillon powder dissolved into it
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Cut smoked sausage into rounds and gently brown in a large non-stick skillet. Add pasta, pesto, garlic, tomatoes, enchilada sauce and water to the skillet. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover with the lid and continue cooking until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar, cream, ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Stir until melted. Toss in spinach and cherry tomatoes. Serve with additional shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Note: You can use regular diced tomatoes. I bought fire-roasted tomatoes, but I really couldn't tell the difference. Next time, I'll just use regular canned, diced tomatoes from my hometown grocery store.

***

Today, I'm linked to Weekend Potluck, hosted by these bloggers. Check out the tried-and-true recipes from them and other foodies!

• Served Up With Love ~ Melissa
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary
• Mommy’s Kitchen~ Tina 

***

 

Looking for another pasta alternative? Try Spicy Sausage Pasta, also a tried-and-true recipe from The County Line via Brent.

Steak and Orzo Salad

I should probably say this is a lunch-sized plate, not a dinner plate, but the photo doesn't offer that perspective.

It's now Dairy Month, but why don't we backtrack to Beef Month for just a moment, OK? It was just a few days ago in May. And, technically, the feta cheese in this recipe would qualify for a nod to Dairy Month, so we're good, right?

I saw this recipe in the Summer 2015 issue of the Kansas Farm Bureau's Kansas Living Magazine, and I knew I wanted to give it a try. We weren't disappointed.

Perfectly grilled medium rare slices of seasoned sirloin steak are perched on top of orzo pasta combined with colorful grape tomatoes, chopped green onion and feta cheese in a light vinaigrette. The original recipe called for soy nuts. I didn't have time to make a run to Glenn's Bulk Foods, where I might have been able to purchase them (though I'm not sure about that). But, since Randy isn't the biggest nut fan (not counting me, of course - ha), I just deleted the nuts. Leaving out salted nuts makes the addition of some salt a must to this recipe, though. I did throw a few shelled and salted pistachios on my serving of leftover salad, which was delicious.

This made a lot, so we've enjoyed it as leftovers, too. The recipe says to keep 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette separate to be able to add later. Even though pasta salad often absorbs moisture, we haven't added any additional dressing as we've eaten the leftovers.

Dairy Month or Beef Month or any old month ... This recipe is a keeper!

Orzo Pasta Salad 

with Grilled Steak

From Kansas Farm Bureau's 

Country Living magazine, Summer 2015

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. beef steak, seasoned and grilled to desired doneness
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. chicken base paste (I used a bouillon powder)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. orzo pasta
Additional chicken broth, base or bouillon
2 cups red and/or yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup feta crumbles (can be plain and/or sun-dried tomato feta)
1/2 cup minced fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 cup sliced green onions
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup soy nuts (opt.)

Cook orzo pasta according to package directions, using chicken broth (or water flavored with paste or bouillon instead of water). While orzo is cooking, prepare dressing by combining vinegar, lemon juice, honey and chicken base pasta. Whisk in olive oil. (If fresh basil isn't available, add the dried basil to the dressing)

When orzo is cooked, drain completely, then place into large serving bowl. Toss with tomatoes, feta, basil and green onions.  Add all but 1/3 cup of dressing and toss to coat. Stir in soy nuts (if desired) and serve immediately with steak, which has been grilled to desired temperature and cut into strips across the grain.

Keep remainder of dressing on hand in the refrigerator for serving with salad at a later time. (Pasta absorbs moisture, so additional dressing may need to be added; however, we didn't find that to be the case with this salad.)

Note:  Soy nuts are not something I can get at my grocery store, so I did not use them. I did use some salted pistachios on some leftover salad, and that was tasty.

Beef Enchilada Mac & Cheese

 

May is Beef Month. Of course, pretty much every month is beef month around here. With a freezer full of beef and a farmer who much prefers beef over chicken, beef is on our table 9 times out of 10.

I've enjoyed searching the Beef: It's What's for Dinner website, especially recipes from The Healthy Beef Cookbook. Dieters may not think about beef as part of a plan for smart eating. However, the Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) study, conducted by researchers at Pennsylvania State University, found consuming lean beef daily as part of a heart-healthy diet lowered LDL “bad” cholesterol by 10 percent, which was just as effective as the DASH diet. That's good news for Kansas cattle producers like us.

This research provides support that nutrient-rich lean beef can be an everyday part of a heart-healthy diet:

• On average, a 3-oz. serving of lean beef is about 150 calories.
• Beef is an excellent source of nutrients, including protein, zinc, vitamin B₁₂, vitamin B₆ and niacin.
• Many of the most popular beef cuts sold at retail are lean, including T-Bone, Tenderloin, Top Sirloin and more. 

We enjoy the steaks and roasts that we get when we harvest one of our farm-raised animals. But hamburger fills a good portion of the freezer, so I'm always looking for new ways to use it.

The original recipe for this dressed-up mac and cheese used chicken, but I substituted hamburger instead. I made it for our church's potluck to honor our graduating seniors. It makes a lot, so it's probably a recipe you'll want to prepare when you have more than two people at the dinner table (though we're not opposed to leftovers)!

I used mild enchilada sauce, but you could definitely bump up the heat by using a zestier sauce. The sauce used four different cheeses - pepper jack, Cheddar, Parmesan and cream cheese - for a creamy and tasty combination that spices up traditional mac and cheese. Enjoy!

Beef Enchilada Mac and Cheese

 Recipe adapted from A Dash of Sanity blog

16 oz. bag pasta (rotini, bowtie, shell or other favorite or combo)
1 lb. hamburger, browned
2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
10 oz. can enchilada sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro, if desired

Brown hamburger and drain. Set aside. (The original recipe called for 2 cups of grilled or rotisserie chicken.)

Cook pasta in large pan of boiling water until al dente. (I used a combination of rotini and bowtie.) Drain and set aside in a strainer.

Using the same pan, add cream cheese, sour cream, milk, enchilada sauce and all the cheeses. Stir over medium heat, until melted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in pasta and hamburger. Stir until well combined and heated through. Serve immediately. Top with chopped cilantro, if desired.

I was serving this for a potluck at church, so I knew it was going to sit in the refrigerator before I warmed it up later in the day in the oven. Pasta absorbs liquid, so I added additional enchilada sauce before putting it in the pan. I put it in an oven-proof pan and topped with additional cheese, warming it up until it was heated through.

One-Pot Taco Chili Mac

I'm a messy cook. I always confessed that to my 4-H cooking kids, usually after one of them had spread flour from hither to yon in my kitchen. So dirtying just one pot for a main dish sounded like a way to cut down on kitchen clean-up - always a good thing, in my book.

This One-Pot Taco Chili Mac was also a tasty addition to the recipe line-up. Don't get scared off by all the ingredients. Several of them are spices that you likely have hanging out in your spice cabinet. The others are staples in my pantry, and I'm guessing they are in yours, too.

It's kind of a mash-up between Italian, Mexican and pasta, some of our dinner-time favorites. This is a big recipe. We don't mind leftovers, so I used some for other meals right now and put some in the freezer for a busy day. Though I haven't used the frozen entree yet, I'm guessing it will just need a little bit of water or chicken broth to bring it back to life.

It was delicious with a green salad. Hope you enjoy it, too!

One-Pot Taco Chili Mac

Makes 8 generous servings

1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 (10 oz.) can tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
1 (14.5 oz.) can pink or red beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup refried beans
1 (15 oz.) can chicken broth
1 3/4 cups water
8 oz. pasta (shells, elbow, rotini, etc.)
1  1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (divided)
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. chopped green onion

Use a large Dutch oven, pot or skillet with fitted lid for this recipe. Spray with cooking spray. Put hamburger and chopped onion and red pepper in skillet and cook until hamburger is browned and vegetables softened; drain fat. Add garlic and all seasonings. Cook 2 to 3 minutes.

Add Rotel, beans, tomato sauce, refried beans, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Stir in uncooked pasta and simmer, uncovered, over medium heat until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of cheese, stirring into the sauce. Cook just until melted and sauce is smooth.

Remove pot from heat and top with additional 1/2 cup cheese. Cover and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese melts.

Serve immediately, garnished with fresh cilantro and green onions.

Chicken on a Beef Day

It's Mother's Day week, and women should celebrate life's little victories, don't you think? I'm certainly no Superwoman. I wouldn't look good in the costume anyway, so it's just as well. 

We got more of the baby calves and their mamas moved to pasture this week. (More on that later.) It went well, despite a close call or two when I let a couple of calves get around me while we were sorting. Thankfully, Jake is younger and quicker than me and got the gate closed before the babies escaped into another pen, where we would have had to start the process all over again.

But, even though I spent all morning outside, I still got a new recipe on the table for our noon meal, along with a lettuce salad packed with fresh veggies. Even better? It got good reviews, and there were plenty of leftovers. Bonus!

Though my cattleman prefers beef, he will eat chicken. Since my time was limited, I opted to use frozen chicken breasts rather than grilling a steak and using the pasta as a side dish. Because I had less than 30 minutes, I cooked the chicken breasts via the microwave, putting some pesto on top of each breast to give additional flavor and moistness. 

We ate the pasta dish warm for our noon meal, and that's Randy's preference. I have eaten some cold for subsequent meals, and that's good, too, If you're looking for a good pasta salad or side dish for Mother's Day, try this Chicken & Bowtie Feta Pasta - with or without the chicken and served warm or cold. Moms love options, don't we? 

 Enjoy!

Chicken and Bowtie Feta Pasta

3 chicken breasts (see below)*
1 12-oz. package bowtie pasta (farfalle)
3/4 cup prepared pesto
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt, to taste
Freshly-ground pepper to taste
Olive oil or additional pesto as needed

*  The original recipe didn't call for any meat. However, I added chicken to make this a main dish meal. Since I had limited time, I put three frozen chicken breasts in a 9-inch-square baking dish and covered with a little prepared pesto. I covered with plastic wrap and then cooked in the microwave until the chicken tested done. Cooking it in the microwave with the pesto kept it moist and gave it good flavor. I then cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks to add to the completed pasta dish. You could use leftover grilled chicken, too.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Mix pasta with pesto, tomatoes and feta cheese. Mix in prepared chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If needed, moisten with additional olive oil or a little more pesto, especially if you need to reheat to serve again.

Serves at least 6, main-dish-sized portions. You could also serve this as a side dish or a salad. I liked it both hot and cold. Randy preferred it served warm.

***

Today I'm linked to Ashley's What's In Your Kitchen Wednesday, a place to share all sorts of yummy food for anytime of the day. Check it out!