Pizza Casserole

16oz. box

elbow macaroni or sea shells

1 lb

ground beef

2 jar(s)

(16-oz.size) pizza sauce or make a large pot of homemade pizza sauce

4 Tbsp

olive oil, extra virgin

2 clove

garlic chopped

1 medium

bell pepper diced

1 medium onion diced

1 pkg

mushroom pieces

1 can(s)

4.25 sliced black olives

1 Tbsp

Italian seasoning

1 pkg

pepperioni sliced

12 oz

package of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c

water

1 Tbsp

oregano, dried

1 can(s)

10 oz. rotel diced tomatoes and chilies this is optional add only if you like spicy

Directions

Step-By-Step

1

 Prepare the pasta as directed remembering to salt the water while boiling macaroni. Drain and set aside in a large mixing bowl

2

 In a large deep skillet brown the ground beef drain and set aside.

3

 In the same skillet over medium heat put in the olive oil and lightly saute the garlic, onion, and bell pepper until a little tender.

4

 Add the sauce, ground beef, Italian seasoning, and the water. Stir together and let simmer about 5 min.

5

 Pour over macaroni add the mushrooms and black olives. Stir all ingredients together pour in a 9x13 deep dish pan.

6

 Cover the top of casserole with the shredded cheese then layer the pepperoni across the top.

7

 Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Pepperoni and cheese should look like a pizza when ready.

Kale and Goat Cheese Pizza

KALE GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

Miryam's original recipe from Eat Good 4 Life

Yield: 12 slices

Total Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups fresh kale, chopped
5 oz goat cheese
2-3 tomatoes, quartered
2 lbs mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 prepared whole wheat pizza dough, or store bought
1 lb tomato sauce, any favorite kind

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 400F.

On a flat surface, like your kitchen counter, place some whole wheat flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Roll out your pizza dough with a rolling pin in a rectangular shape and place the pizza dough onto the the rectangular baking cookie sheet making sure you reach the edges. My cookie sheet dimensions were 16.5 x 11.38 x 1 inches. Repeat this with the second pizza dough.

Divide the sauce among the two pizzas making sure to spread the sauce to the edges. Divide the shredded mozzarella cheese between the two pizzas and top with the chopped kale and tomatoes followed by the goat cheese.

Bake the pizzas in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes. When baked, top the pizzas with some chopped red pepper flakes if desired.

Read more at http://www.eatgood4life.com/kale-goat-cheese-pizza/#cE1h7s2Y8dEPevuV.99

Leftover Ham? Make Ham Soup

1 pkg bacon, cut into small squares (cutting while frozen works best)

1 large onion (softball size), chopped

2 bay leaves

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4-5 lb of leftover ham still on the bone

12 c water

4 chicken bouillon cubes

16 oz frozen turnips

2 c mixed vegetables, frozen

1 can(s) cream of chicken soup

1 can(s) cream of potato soup

1 can(s) cream of mushroom of soup

Step-by-Step

1

 In a large (deep) pot, cook the bacon till crispy. Remove bacon and set aside in a paper towel lined bowl, leave the bacon drippings in the pot. Add chopped onion to the bacon drippings and cook until tender and transparent, about 15-20 minutes.

2

 Add bay leaves and garlic, sauté for about 3 minutes. Add leftover ham, water and chicken bouillon cubes…bring to a boil. Once at a boil reduce heat to low and cook until the ham starts to release from the bone, about two hours.

3

 Once the ham has started to release from the bone, remove the bone from the pot...you may need to cut some of the ham off the bone. Any large pieces of ham will need to be cut into smaller chunks.

Add any ham that you had removed from the bone back into the pot along with the remaining ingredients.

Cook for another 15-20 minutes until veggies are tender.

Add soup to bowls and sprinkle with reserved bacon pieces.

Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

• 1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
• Greek seasoning (I used the no-salt version)
• optional - Feiny's veggie rub seasoning 
• 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 4 tsp chopped garlic (about 4 large cloves)
• 2 Tbsp shallots, chopped
• 6 Tablespoons jarred sun dried tomato bruschetta (or sun dried tomatoes in oil)
• 1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 4 oz package of crumbled feta cheese
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed
• 1 lb cooked penne noodles, al dente, drained and rinsed
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• additional sun dried tomatoes 
• sliced black olives to garnish

Make ahead time savers: 

You can make the garlic wine sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.  You can make, drain, and rinse the pasta ahead of time.  Then when you want to cook dinner, all you need to do is cook the chicken and throw it all together.

Also, get all of your veggies chopped before beginning.  I have a great helper for this type of thing!  Remember, there's always some aspect of a recipe that the kids can help with!  My spinach didn't necessarily NEED to be chopped, but it gave Lily a sense of being needed and involved.  And this is just as important as any of the rest of the things you do! 

Step-by-Step:

Garlic wine sauce - 

To a sauce pan, add olive oil,  half the garlic and half the shallots.  Saute them until golden brown, then add the white wine.  Allow it to come up to a boil, then reduce by half, stirring frequently.   The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator until you need it if you are making it ahead of time.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 Tablespoon chopped shallots

Allow them to saute until they start to become golden and soft.

Once the garlic and shallots are golden, add in the wine.  I keep some of these small individual bottles of wine just for cooking.  They are usually just the right amount for a recipe, and I don't have to worry about saving the leftovers.  They usually come in a 4-pack. 

1 cup of dry white wine (I'm using Pinot Grigio today)

In a measuring cup or bowl, stir together the cold chicken stock and corn starch to make a slurry.   The slurry will keep the corn starch from lumping up on you when you add it to the hot wine sauce.

2 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp corn starch

Add the slurry to the reduced wine sauce.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium simmer for about 10 minutes until it has thickened up a bit.  Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.  

chicken stock + corn starch slurry

kosher salt

black pepper

Strain the sauce and discard the garlic and shallots to complete the sauce.

I ended up with a little over 1 1/2 cups of sauce after the reduction, etc.  If you are making the sauce ahead of time, you can cover and refrigerate it now.