Baked Ziti / Rotini (secret ingredient - Bacon!)

                               Before cheese and oven                                        after

• 1 pound ground beef 
• 1/2 package Bacon & Bacon fat 
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 can Rotel, undrained
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup Pace Picante salsa
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced (divided)
• 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning 
• 1/2 teaspoon Johnny's Seasoning Salt
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 8 ounces ziti or Rotini, cooked and drained
• handful of pre-shredded cheddar
• grated parmesan
• Parmesan/Ramano Mix
• 1/2 teaspoon oil
• dried parsley (garnish)

Cook bacon then set aside keeping the fat.  

Saute onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, italian seasoning, and pepper in bacon fat and oil until onions are soft and aromatic. Add Rotel, Pace, tomato Sauce. Season to taste.  add 1/4 cup grated parmesan. Stir. 

Boil noodles, drain.  

Cook beef separately in garlic, Montreal Steak Seasoning and Johnny's Seasoning Salt, drain. Add beef to sauce, stir. mix in handful of shredded cheddar.  Add noodles to sauce, stir.  Pour in baking dish.  Top with grated parmesan and parmesan/ramano mix (shredded) and parsley.  Bake until cheese on top is melted.

beef, comfort food, italian, pasta,

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Shrimp Scampi Linguini

 

Finally..the end of the work week ..I was ready for some comfort food!  I was also ready for seafood.  Seafood could easily be one of my favorite foods. love love love.  Being from Seattle fresh seafood was a constant.  Easliy attainable at any moment.  Oh I do so miss Pike Place Market.  Working downtown made it easy for me to pop over on my lunch, grab all the fresh seafood (seriously fresh.. like right out of the water .. Pike Place is right near the pier) that I could put in my work fridge and take home at the end of the day. 

 

 

I now live in Tennessee ... as you can imagine, this is nowhere near the ocean.  So Kroger seafood department it is.  It works.   I had some frozen shrimp on hand so I decided to cook up a Shrimp Scampi Linguini Pasta.  Glad I did.  It was flavorful and nice to curl up on the couch with while watching the newest Breaking Bad.  The boys loved it.  There were no leftovers. lol.  On to the recipe...

 

Shrimp Scampi Linguini



• 10 oz linguini pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 shallots (or half an onion), finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• Seasoning salt (I use Johnny's)
• Sprinkling of blackened Cajun seasoning (optional but yummy)
• Sprinkling of Garlic powder

Directions

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or WOK , melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Season the shrimp with, pepper, seasoning salt, garlic powder, blackened seasoning; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside. 

Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, taste sauce, drain more of needed, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper, mix in a 1/4 cup shredded parmesan. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately. Garnish with more shredded parmesan and another sprinkling of seasoning salt.

 

 

Also try these great pasta dishes:

 

Chicken Scampi - Olive Garden's Copycat

 

Ramen Noodle Stir Fry 

 

 

dinner, italian, pasta, seafood,

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Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Scampi

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken tenders
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil - divided use
• 1/2 green bell pepper sliced thin
• 1/2 red bell pepper sliced thin
• 1/2 orange bell pepper sliced thin
• 1/2 medium sized red onion sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic sliced thin
• 1 pound Anegel hair pasta cooked according to package directions
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
• Seasoning salt or Garlic salt

Instructions

Place flour, panko, salt, and pepper into a shallow dish and mix well with a fork. Place milk in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken first in flour/panko, then dip into milk, and then dredge again in the flour/panko. Place breaded chicken on a wrack and allow to rest 10 minutes before cooking. While the chicken is resting, cut peppers, onions, and garlic.

Saute peppers, onions, and garlic in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season peppers, onions, and garlic with a light spinkling of salt. Saute until peppers begin to brown. Remove from skillet.

Place remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in hot skillet or WOK .   Place chicken in skillet. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side until the chicken has browned on both sides. Add more olive oil as needed. Sprinkle with a pinch of seasoning salt or garlic salt.  Remove chicken from pan.

Deglaze the pan by adding white wine to the pan and add italian seasoning blend. Scrape the bottom with a spoon scrapping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add heavy cream and mix well. Return cooked vegetables to the pan and stir. Simmer for a minute or two. Add cooked pasta to the skillet. Plate the pasta and sauce, placing a few pieces of cooked chicken with each plate.

Serve with Cheesy Garlic Bread.

  

  

 

 

Recipe adapted and changed from Copykat.com

chicken, comfort food, copy cat, dinner, italian, pasta,

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Ramen Noodle Stir Fry (Cheap & Easy Dinners)

 

Yes this is a meal using Top Ramen (or any ramen noodle package). Another edition of Mrs. Scales CHEAP & EASY meals. :)   

Ingredients:

1-2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (or meat/seafood of your choice)
1 block of  ramen noodles
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 c frozen veggie mix
1 egg
1 tsp cooking oil (olive, sesame, vegetable)
seasoning salt, to taste
salt/pepper, to taste

First, cut up your boneless skinless chicken breast or whatever meat you use. 

On medium heat, put garlic and the tsp of oil in the frying pan or wok.

                                             

Toss your chicken in the pan with soy sauce, Worcestershire, frozen veggies, a couple dashes of seasoning salt.  Stir with wooden spoon.

While this is cooking and blending flavors, put a bowl of water in the microwave for 3 minutes.  When the 3 minutes is up you'll have boiling water, while still in the microwave add your block of noodles (break in half if you wish).  Turn microwave back on for another 2.5 min. This method makes the perfect consistency of noodles.. not soggy or puffy.

Back over to the pan - Once the veggies are almost cooked crack in the egg.  Stir again with wooden spoon or spatula to scramble the egg.

Back to the microwave - Your noodles should be done at this point.  Drain all the water from the bowl.  Use an oven mitt, the bowl will be HOT. (Note: if you want to save those couple extra minutes, I recommend using this rapid ramen bowl, which will give you the same perfect consistency with only 3 minutes total in the microwave rather than the 3 minutes then extra 2.5 minutes),

Add the noodles and ramen seasoning packet to the pan/wok and stir it all up.  Add a little more oil if you need to and a little water (maybe a table spoon). 

Serve.  

I recommend trying it with mushrooms too if you have them on hand (pic on right). 

Try also

Easy Fried Rice

Chicken Satay w/ Thai Peanut Sauce





asian, cheap, chicken, dinner, easy, pasta,

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Chicken Spaghetti

So good!  I didnt take pictures last time I made it. 


pictures coming soon !

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained  (optional, but makes it pretty)
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Johnny's Seasoning Salt (or Lawry's or other seasoning salt)
• 1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman - Recipe changed/modified by Mrs. Scales.

comfort food, dinner, italian, pasta,

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