Alfredo Sauce

Super rich and creamy... Easy to make... This is a family fave.

1 stick of butter
1 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups grated parmesan

In a saucepan melt the butter. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Once warmed through, add the parmesan and stir until melted.

Serve over pasta or use as dipping sauce for breadsticks.

Red Enchilada Sauce

I've always bought the canned enchilada sauce in the past so I was excited to find a recipe for it. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make and SO much better flavor! Use it to top your favorite enchiladas before baking.

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp chili powder
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water

Add the oil, flour, and chili powder to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the ingredients together; cook until it begins to bubble, then continue to cook and whisk for 1 minute.

Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Allow it to come to a simmer, which will let it thicken slightly. Remove from heat.

Alabama White BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

This a delicious swap for the traditional BBQ chicken sandwiches. My 10-yr old loved them so much he had two large sandwiches! I'm not a fan of horseradish, so it can easily be left out of the sauce and it still fantastic. Thanks, Tori, for introducing me to these! (Original recipe here)

2.5 lbs bone-in chicken breasts, or 2 lbs boneless
14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 tbsp liquid smoke
1 tsp seasoned salt

White Sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1.5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp jarred horseradish
1 tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth and liquid smoke. Cover and cook on low 5 hours. Remove chicken, pull off skin, remove bones, then shred the meat. Sprinkle seasoned salt over the meat and mix it in using your hands.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients. Pour half the sauce on the chicken and toss. Put the chicken on toasted rolls and top with more sauce. Top with pickles, if desired.


To freeze: Put chicken, broth, and liquid smoke in large freezer bag. Mix sauce together and put in small bowl or small freezer bag. Thaw and follow directions above.

Homemade Pesto

With all the basil in our garden, I've been making pesto quite a bit!  Here's the recipe I've been using, adjusted from one I saw on allrecipes.com:

Ingredients:
3 c. packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 c. pine nuts
4 cloves garlic
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
Pinch of coarse salt
1/4 c. olive oil

Blend all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor.  With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil.

Mushroom Cream Pasta

This isn't exactly kid approved, my kids wouldn't touch it. It also isn't healthy. But it is wonderful! Mike and I loved this and it came together super quickly.

Ingredients
8 ounces sliced baby portabello mushrooms
1/2 cup marsala wine
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces of pasta (use gluten free pasta to make the dish gluten free)

1. Bring water to boil and start prepping pasta.
2. Combine musrooms and wine in a large skillet; bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Cook until wine is reduced by half.
4. Add cream and tarragon to mushroom mixture. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper and remove from heat.
6. When pasta is ready pour into large serving bowl and mix with the mushroom sauce.

Garlic-Lemon Aioli

This works great as a spread or a dip. I used it on toasted french bread to make a killer BLT (thick cut bacon, tomatoes, fresh spinach, and avocado). It would also be great with french fries.

1 c. Mayo
1/3 c. Fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
4 T. Minced garlic
1/4 t. Black pepper
1/8 t. Cayenne pepper
Salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Add salt to taste.

Korean Chili Sauce

This might not be authentic, but it sure tastes good! It's a sweet and spicy combination that is easily made with items from a regular grocery store (no need to go to a specialty market). It's great served with the bulgogi and the bibimbap.

1/4 c. lemon lime soda
2 T. EACH white or red miso and Sriracha sauce
1 T. EACH light corn syrup, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and brown sugar

Whisk together all ingredients.

Sage Pesto

With an abundance of sage growing in my garden this year, I needed to figure out a way to use it. Since I was making pesto with my basil, I thought I'd try it with sage. It was delicious, and would be perfect to top a pork loin. Again, pesto also freezes well (you can put it in ice cube trays to portion it out).

1 head garlic
3 cups fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
3-5 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 tsp lemon juice
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the top off the garlic head and place on foil; drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Close up the foil, leaving a bit of room for air, and place in oven for 45-50 minutes. (Once it's done, the cloves will squeeze right out of the papery outer layer.)

Put the sage, garlic, parsley, almonds, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor. Start the food processor and stream in the olive oil. Blend until smooth.

Basil and Roasted Garlic Pesto

With an abundance of basil growing in my garden this year, I needed to figure out a way to use it. I also grew flat-leaf parsley, so pesto was an obvious choice. This recipe is super simple, you just need to take the time to roast the garlic. You could leave it raw, but I like the more muted (but enhanced) flavor of roasted garlic. Pesto also freezes really well.

1 head garlic
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
3-5 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp lemon juice
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the top off the garlic head and place on foil; drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Close up the foil, leaving a bit of room for air, and place in oven for 45-50 minutes. (Once it's done, the cloves will squeeze right out of the papery outer layer.)

Put the basil, garlic, parsley, pine nuts, cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor. Start the food processor and stream in the olive oil. Blend until smooth.

Stove-Top Marinara

This spaghetti sauce is SO good! I don't know if I can ever go back to canned sauce! The best part is that I almost always have these ingredients on hand, so I can make it any time I want. I would also recommend using this for my Fried Eggplant Mozzarella.

1 c. diced onion
3 T. olive oil
2 T. minced garlic
2 cans (28 oz. each) whole tomatoes
1 1/2 T. sugar
2 t. dried basil leaves
1/4 t. red pepper flakes (more or less depending on the desired spiciness)
1/2 t. ground black pepper
Kosher salt to taste (I used quite a bit)

1. Saute onion in oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; saute briefly. Stir in tomatoes with their juice. Crush tomatoes with a potato masher and simmer sauce for 15 minutes.

2. Stir in sugar, basil, peppers, and season with salt. Simmer 15 minutes longer.

Bolognese Rigatoni

I made this dish for some guests this evening and everyone LOVED it! We each had seconds and some had more than that! It is meaty and so flavorful. It takes a while to cook, so make a double batch to freeze.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chuck
1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage (I actually used regular instead of Italian)
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup EACH chopped onion, celery, and carrot
1 T. chopped garlic
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
1 c. dry red wine
1 c. whole milk
1/4 c. tomato paste
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. dried basil (or 1 T. fresh basil, chopped)
1 t. dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how much spice you like)
1 lb. dry rigatoni
1/2 c. mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
1 c. chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Brown chuck and sausage in oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Make the meat as fine as possible by using a potato masher. Drain fat; return meat to pan.

2. Mince onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a food processor. Add vegetables to browned meat; cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in tomatoes, wine, milk, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, basil, oregano, and pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer sauce 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

4. Cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain and set it aside.

5. Add mascarpone, parsley, salt, and pepper to sauce. Serve over rigatoni.

Spaghetti Marinara and Meatballs

Wow! This is an AWESOME recipe. The marinara sauce is composed entirely of fresh vegetables roasted in the oven with drippings from the meatballs. The meatballs are moist and SO flavorful! I recommend doubling the marinara recipe with a single batch of meatballs. Enjoy :-)

For the marinara:
3 1b. fresh cherry or Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 c. chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 T. fresh chopped basil

For the meatballs:
1 c. fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. whole milk
1/2 c. beef broth
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, beaten
2 T. dried oregano
1 T. minced garlic
2 t. dried basil
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. ground black pepper
sprinkle of red pepper (optional)
2 lb. ground beef sirloin

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine tomatoes, onion, smashed garlic, sugar, 1 t. salt, 1 t. pepper, and red pepper flakes for marinara in an 11x15 in. baking dish (I used two 11x13 baking dishes and put this much in each dish to double the sauce).

3. Mix together in a large bowl the meatball ingredients minus the sirloin. Add the ground sirloin and combine well.

4. Shape meat mixture into balls the size of a golf ball (about 2 oz. each).

5. Arrange meatballs on vegetable mixture in baking dish; roast for 40-45 min.

6. Remove meatballs from baking dish; keep them warm. Process roasted tomato mixture in batches in a food processor or blender. Stir in basil, add to meatballs. Serve over spaghetti and garnish with Parmesan.