Pasta

Spring Tortellini with Asparagus, Peas, Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts & Mint

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Do you think that’s a descriptive enough title?  Should I have also told you that it has salt in it?  Honestly though, I tried to shorten it, but I thought people needed to know what was in this perfect for springtime pasta right from the start.  So no need to read on for the recipe, just print it out, go to the store and make this for dinner.

I don’t get any cooking magazines other than Fine Cooking.  It isn’t loaded down with ads and is full of yummy recipes.  I bookmarked this one the first time I went through the issue.  It did not disappoint.  We ate it warm the first night and then a few days later as a cold pasta salad for lunch.  It was delicious each time.  The flavors are refreshing and light, a great option for a warmer weather pasta dinner.  It is a cinch to prepare since you use store bought tortellini.  The only work you have to do is cut the asparagus, mince the garlic, chop the mint and toast the pine nuts.  This meal came together incredibly fast.  So fast, in fact, that Carson wasn’t yet in bed by the time it was done so I had to let it sit for a while before we ate.

The only things I changed from the original recipe were using a little less olive oil in the sauce, adding a few extra peas (I love peas), using 2 packages of tortellini totaling 18 ounces (just 2 ounces more than called for) I used 1 package of cheese and 1 of Italian sausage.  I also used closer to 3 ounces of goat cheese (I love goat cheese).  Make sure to reserve the pasta water!  It makes a lovely sauce on this dish.

Spring Tortellini

From Fine Cooking Magazine

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne
  • 1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini (or 2 9-ounce packages)
  • 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed of tough, woody stems, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (leave the tips whole)
  • 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas (or thawed frozen peas)
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
  • 2-3 oz. fresh goat cheese, softened
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. In a 6-quart covered pot, bring 3 quarts well-salted water to a boil over high heat.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp. salt.
  3. Add the tortellini to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, then add the asparagus, and peas to the water and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and vegetables and toss with the garlic-oil mixture. Add  the pine nuts, mint, and  goat cheese and stir until the cheese melts into a sauce, adding cooking water as needed to moisten the pasta.
  5. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
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Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan

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Once it starts to cool down just a touch, as in highs in the 80’s or so, I find that it is time for roasting vegetables at every possible chance.  I saw this recipe in the October issue of Martha Stewart, and immediately added the ingredients to my grocery list.

I changed a few things.  More bacon, of course.  I’m pretty sure I doubled it, but I wasn’t really keeping track.  I also roasted some brussels sprouts along with the other vegetables.  I didn’t think I liked brussels sprouts until about 5 years ago when my husband’s aunt cooked them for Thanksgiving.  It was a huge eye opener for me.  I guess I’d just always thought I was supposed to hate them, so I did, without any good reason.  Thank you, Lynn!  They might be one of of my favorite vegetables now.  I also opted to use medium pasta shells because I was not about to pay $8 for a bag of orcchiette.  Not going to happen, Martha.  I shaved big hunks of Parmesan into the pasta but I wished I’d grated at least some of it, as the recipe suggests.  It’s nice to get those big pieces of salty cheese, but I think smaller pieces that can make their way into the nooks and crannies of the pasta would’ve been better.  A few shaved pieces on top are all you need.

This was a lovely dinner.  A definite comfort food that fed 4 quite generously.  I will be making this again as the weather continues to cool off.  Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2-4 ounces bacon, preferably slab, chopped
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 head cauliflower, trimmed into 1 1/2-inch florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 bag of brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 8 ounces orecchiette or other medium pasta shape
  • 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 ounces), plus more, shaved, for garnish
  • 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels using a slotted spoon. Reserve drippings.
  2. Toss sweet potato, onion, brussel sprouts and cauliflower with reserved drippings. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until tender and caramelized, about 35 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot with cooking water, and toss with grated cheese and vegetables. Stir in parsley. Sprinkle bacon over top. Garnish with shaved cheese.
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Freezer Meals

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With baby countdown at 2 weeks and 1 day I felt it necessary to make some freezer meals for those days (of which I’m sure there will be many) that I don’t have time to cook a real meal.  I searched quite a few websites for recipes that would freeze and reheat well.  I cannot attest to their post-freezer goodness , but I did some taste testing along the way and I was pleased with the flavors and a little upset that I wasn’t going to be able to enjoy the food for dinner that night.

I didn’t want to make typical freezer meals.  Lasagna, chili and casseroles that use cans of cream of whatever soup were just not the kind of meals I was looking for.  Yes, I like to make things difficult for myself.  Yes, I am a bit of a food snob.  Ask me a year from now, and I think my love of convenience foods will have grown.  But since I have the time now, why not make something extra good?

Here is what I ended up with in my freezer.  Click on the meal for a link to the recipe.  The pastitsio and shepherd’s pie include freezing instructions.  I added my own for the chicken pasta.

Pastitsio – a layered Greek noodle dish with ground beef, tomatoes and bechamel sauce.  The beef layer is spiced with olives, oregano, cinnamon and oregano.

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake – a bowtie pasta casserole with chicken, artichokes, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese.

Shepherd’s Pie – Turkey, tomato, peas, corn and mushrooms topped with mashed carrots and potatoes.

These are not the quickest meals to get prepped for the freezer.  But the time you spend now will be time you save in a few weeks or a couple months when you go to enjoy the results of your hard work.  I made the pastitsio the other afternooon, I think it took me about an hour and a half to cook and clean up.  I made the chicken pasta and shepherd’s pie Saturday morning, and I think my total chopping, cooking, boiling, packaging and cleaning time was 3 hours.  Here’s my kitchen during its worst moment on Saturday.

I know some of you have now decided that I am crazy to have spent that much of my Saturday morning on this project, but it’s something I’d planned to do…and so I had to do it.  I also kind of like spending that time in the kitchen and having something to show for it.  It makes me feel productive, and it’s a lot more fun that organizing the stacks of paper on the desk in the office.  And look at my fully stocked freezer!  Two 9×13 pans and two 8×8 pans of food waiting patiently to be eaten.  Why does this kind of thing make me happy?

Here are a few quick notes and changes on these recipes.  Some changes were made because of personal preferences, others because I forgot to or chose not to buy an ingredient.  I am becoming more and more comfortable with improvising in the kitchen.  It makes life so much easier, and it saves money too.  A jar of sun-dried tomatoes was going to set me back $5.99…so I used some sun-dried tomato pesto that I already had.  It makes me feel so resourceful when I can do things like that.

Pastitsio:

  • Left out the red wine
  • Used green olives instead of Kalamata
  • Used only 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of milk and 1 egg in the pasta mixture
  • Use a LARGE and DEEP pan, I did not have room in a regular 9×13 to fit all the sauce.  It broke my heart to pour that creamy bechamel down the drain.

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Pasta

  • Cooked 2 chicken breasts in a skillet and chopped it up to make 2 cups
  • Used a 12 ounce package of pasta instead of 8 ounce
  • Used 2 tablespoons of sun dried tomato pesto instead of the chopped sun dried tomatoes
  • Freezer Instructions: Bake without bread crumbs for 15 minutes, then with bread crumbs for 5 minutes.  Let cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and a couple layers of foil.  When ready to bake, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake @ 350 F covered with foil for 20 minutes and without foil for 15-20 minutes or until nicely brown on top.

Shepherd’s Pie

  • Used 6 carrots and 4 large baking potatoes which was enough to top 2 8-inch pans
  • Made one of my pans with cheese, and one without
  • Used 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, 1 1/2 cups peas and 1 cup corn in addition to the meat and tomatoes

When Ben and I get around to eating these over the next couple months I will give some feedback about how the thawing and re-heating goes.  If you try them in the meantime and bake them right away, please let me know how they turn out!

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Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna

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This week was going to be a busy one.  With every other night but Monday being packed with some event, I wanted something to make for dinner on Monday night that would create good leftovers for the week and be quick to reheat.  Lasagna it would be.  And because I like to try new recipes, I tried this one.

It was OK, but Ben agreed that I have a better white lasagna recipe that I’ll probably stick to for now.  This artichoke and mushroom lasagna is pretty spectacular.  You can add chicken to it if you want to, but it doesn’t need it.  It is a great vegetarian dinner option.  I’ve made it for a few guests before and everyone seems to like it…or they’re just being nice!

Anyway, there were some great things about this lasagna.  Melted in to the béchamel sauce is a creamy herb cheese that gives a great lively flavor.  I made the mistake of trying to use 2% milk instead of whole milk in the béchamel, leaving it pretty runny even after baking.  I’m not entirely sure it was just a milk problem, though.  When I’ve made béchamel sauce in the past I’ve always made a butter and flour paste before adding the milk.  This recipe didn’t call for any flour.  I ended up adding some when I saw how thin the sauce was, but it didn’t solve the problem.  So, I made some changes to the recipe below to help others avoid the runny béchamel.

Another change I would make it to cut the chicken into smaller pieces.  I might even suggest shredding it.  The pieces were just a little too big to get a good combination of noodle, mushroom, spinach, chicken and sauce in one bite.

The flavors are wonderful, and I like the combination of ingredients.  I skimped on some of the cheese since I have often found lasagnas a bit too heavy on the cheese, but I might have skimped too much since the layers didn’t hold together well.  It’s hard to tell what this would have been like if the béchamel had been thicker.  It may not need more cheese…but then again it may.  I don’t know for sure.  I would guess that a thicker sauce would mean the same amount of cheese listed would be fine.  But if you like cheese or you just don’t trust me, add more.

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BLT Mac and Cheese

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This obsession I have with macaroni and cheese may never end.  It is just too good.  How can you not love it?

My most recent mac and cheese adventure was a BLT version with bacon, leeks, tomatoes, colby jack cheese, and a toasted bread crumb topping.  While this did not quite live up to the deliciousness of other macs, it was still very tasty.  I liked the subtle flavor of the leeks, juicy tomatoes, salty bacon and creamy cheese.

The inspiration for this dish came while I was perusing recipes and found a BLT pizza that used arugala as the “lettuce” in the BLT.  I thought it could be changed a bit to make mac and cheese.  I searched BLT mac and cheese and found quite a few recipes, the top result being one from Rachel Ray.  It sounds pretty tasty, and I will probably try it sometime and see how it compares to this one.  She uses cream cheese in her recipe, and does not make a roux at all.  I like making the cheese sauce with the roux, milk and cheese, but maybe she’s on to something with the cream cheese.  I’ll let you know once I try it out.

All the recipes I found had a few basics in common.  All used bacon and tomatoes, of course, most used leeks, and arugala was the lettuce in most recipes that I found.  I could not find arugala at the grocery store, so my leeks became the “L” in this BLT.

Bacon, Leek and Tomato Macaroni and Cheese
  • 1 lb. short tubular pasta, such as penne
  • 12 slices of bacon
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 12 ounces shredded cheese, cheddar, Monterey jack, etc
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts
  • 4 roma tomatoes
  • ¾ to 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and place cooked pasta in a large bowl; set aside.
  3. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, leaving drippings in the pan, to paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.  Chop bacon into ½ inch pieces then place in the large bowl.
  4. Slice leek in half lengthwise, then submerge halves in cold water to rinse out any dirt.  Remove from water, pat dry and slice into ½ inch pieces.  Saute the leeks in the skillet with bacon drippings over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, just until it softens up and place in the large bowl.
  5. Cut tomatoes into ¼ inch slices.
  6. In a sauce pan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Once it’s completely melted, add the flour and whisk to create a roux.  Allow to just come to a boil and then slowly stir in the milk, then the garlic. Allow the milk to come to a simmer and thicken, whisking frequently to avoid clumps. Once it thickens up to coat the back of the spoon, turn off the heat. Carefully stir in the cheeses until melted. Add the garlic powder and salt & pepper to taste.
  7. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and other ingredients in the large bowl and mix well to combine.
  8. Spread half the pasta mixture into a pan, then layer half the tomato slices on top.  Cover with the rest of the pasta, then the rest of the tomatoes.
  9. In a small skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat.  Add the bread crumbs and stir until the crumbs are slightly golden brown.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the casserole.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes until bubbly and the top has browned slightly.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
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Croque Monsieur Mac and Cheese

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Macaroni and cheese has become one of my favorite things to cook and something that I can count on Ben being happy about having for dinner almost 100% of the time.  I love that there are endless options when it comes to this dish.  You can go plain and simple with traditional elbow macaroni and cheddar cheese.  You can mix things up and add chicken or ham for a meaty version.  This one with chicken was great.  Vegetables are another great addition.  This green chile mac and cheese was incredible.  I would like to try a mac and cheese with cauliflower or broccoli sometime.

This recipe pays tribute to the amazing French ham and cheese sandwich of the same name.  I’ve made croque monsieurs and madames and they are both delicious sandwiches, so there was no possible way that this could be anything less than incredible!  It was more than incredible.  It was life altering and something I will definitely make again, but not regularly since gruyere cheese is not exactly cheap.  I think it was something like $13.99 per pound at my grocery store, but can apparently set you back even more if you order it from this artisanal cheese site.  Yikes.  You could use Swiss cheese and it would be just as good.

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Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna

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There are so many reasons to love lasagna.

  1. It can be simple or fancy.
  2. It can be a meat lovers delight, a vegetarians dream, or you can combine your meat and veggies and create an omnivores dilemma!  Get it?  Anyway…I know Sarah does.
  3. It can be made with a red pasta sauce, a creamy white bechamel, or a fresh basil pesto sauce, and others.
  4. It can be prepared in advance, frozen and baked later.
  5. It can feed a crowd, or it can feed a couple for days and days!
  6. It can be enjoyed warm with oozing cheese, or cold from the fridge.

I love lasagna.  This lasagna is a delicious veggie combination of mushrooms and artichokes in a rich bechamel sauce.  Ben and I really enjoyed it, and brought a plate to our neighbor who also was pretty complimentary of the dish.  The only criticism he gave was that it should have had a garnish of cilantro instead of parsley.  He puts cilantro on everything.  I think he might eat it on his cereal…

My iPhone is incredible.  Epicurious has an app that I just love.  I am able to search for a recipe while at the grocery store, get a shopping list, email the recipe to myself and have it waiting for me when I get home to cook.  Modern technology is one of my best friends.  That is how I found this recipe.  Here is the link. I made a few changes to the recipe based on the time I had to make this meal and what I had at home.  I used canned artichoke hearts instead of frozen since I did not have time to let them thaw.  I also used regular lasagna noodles because I had some in the pantry.  I used shredded mozzarella instead of sliced.  I substituted vermouth with dry white wine that I had left over from another recipe.  Despite the substitutions this lasagna was delicious and we enjoyed it for a few days.  It was great reheated, and cold as well.  This is something I would make again and serve at a dinner party or bring to a pot-luck.

Mushroom and Artichoke Lasagna

Bon Appetit, February 2002

Ingredients

Filling

  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup dry white wine

Béchamel sauce

  • 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 4 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 7 1/2 ounces)
  • Ground nutmeg
  • 1 package lasagna noodles, prepared according to package directions to al dente
  • 1 pound (4 cups) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions

For filling:

  1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; sauté until mushrooms release juices and begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Add artichokes and wine. Cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

For béchamel sauce:

  1. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens and lightly coats spoon, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups Parmesan. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg.
  2. Spread 2/3 cup béchamel sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Top with enough noodles to cover bottom of dish. Spread 1/4 of artichoke mixture over. Spoon 2/3 cup béchamel sauce over. Top béchamel with 1/4 of mozzarella.
  3. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with enough noodles to cover. Repeat layering 3 more times, finishing with a layer of noodles, then remaining béchamel. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with foil and refrigerate.)
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake lasagna covered with foil 1 hour (or 1 hour 15 minutes if chilled). Remove foil. Increase temperature to 450°F. Bake lasagna until golden on top, about 10 minutes longer.
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Tarragon Chicken Fricassée

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My attempts in writing the title to this post resulted in many misspellings of the word “fricassée”.  I will not tell you the number of times I tried and failed to spell it…and do not ask Ben, because he will probably tell you and I will be embarrassed.

Despite the difficulty involved in spelling this French word, this tarragon chicken fricassée was quite easy to prepare and very delicious.

Fricassée is, by definition, meat, usually chicken or veal, browned lightly, stewed, and served in a sauce made with its own stock.  The origin of the word itself is French, but there are many regional variations of a fricassée.  Greek and Cuban fricassée are a few that I saw while searching for recipes.

The meal I made was, if I had to ascribe it to a region, French.  I love the flavor of the fresh tarragon.  It gives this dish an incredibly fresh flavor and perfectly slight sweetness.  Tarragon is a classic herb used in French cooking, and is considered to be one of the four fine herbs of Mediterranean cooking.  The other three are parsley, chives and chervil.

Some fricassée recipes use a variety of vegetables along with the chicken.  Quite a few recipes included mushrooms and onions.  A few had vegetables like peas, beans or peppers.  One recipe I saw had apples.  This recipe is simple in that the only vegetables to be found are shallots and tarragon.  Is garlic a vegetable?  Is tarragon a vegetable?  Anyway.  This is a simple chicken fricassée which allows for the flavors of the tarragon, chicken, white wine and cream to really shine and not be covered or overshadowed by a bunch of other stuff.

Everything in the recipe below is just as it was originally, except I used 4 chicken breasts and added more tarragon.  You can find the original recipe here.  I served this with green beans with toasted walnuts and egg noodles.  I will definitely be making this again.  I used the leftovers in a really special meal the following evening…more on that later.

Tarragon Chicken Fricassée

From Epicurious.com

Ingredients
  • 4 bone-in chicken breasts (skin on or off)
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½  cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Directions
  1. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté chicken in 2 batches, skin side down first, turning over once, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.
  3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then cook shallots, garlic, and bay leaf over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Stir in cream, broth, and 1 tablespoon tarragon, then add chicken, skin side up, and simmer, covered, until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered. If necessary, boil sauce until thickened slightly.
  4. Stir in lemon juice, remaining 1/2 tablespoon tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf; pour sauce over chicken.
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Green Chile Mac and Cheese

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There is something wonderful about the unnatural orange color and flavor of Kraft mac and cheese, but I have become quite a fan of mac and cheese from scratch.  Simple is terrific.  Cute elbow macaroni surrounded by smooth and creamy cheddar cheese sauce.  However, dressing it up can be so much fun!  Roasted tomatoes are a nice addition to mac and cheese as is bacon or ham.  This recipe caught my eye because Ben absolutely LOVES green chiles and would put them on his cereal if it were socially acceptable…well, maybe he’s not that extreme.

This recipe came from the Southern Food section on about.com and I found it easy and delicious.  The end product is a cross between creamy mac and cheese and a casserole.  I loved the green chile flavor and the toasty breadcrumbs on top.  I served this with a little sour cream on the side and sprinkled it with some chopped cilantro.

I used half cheddar and half queso quesadilla in this macaroni with great results.  Creamy, cheesy, a bit spicy and incredibly yummy.  If you have fresh roasted green chiles, then you must used them in this dish.  I used canned and it was good, so fresh would be crazy good.  I also used a 7-ounce can of chopped green chiles instead of the measly 4 ounces called for in this recipe.

mac1Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese

  • 8 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup green jalapeno salsa
  • 1 can (4 ounces) mild chopped green chile peppers
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno peppers, canned or fresh, optional
  • 8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
  • salt, to taste
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
  • 1 cup fresh finely ground bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • paprika
  1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
  2. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water following package directions. Drain and rinse well.
  3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in flour and pepper until well blended and bubbly. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in salsa, chile peppers, and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Taste and add salt, as needed. Combine with the drained macaroni; stir in cilantro, if using. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
  4. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
    Serves 4 to 6.
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Butternut Squash Pasta with Bacon and Sage

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Originally I made this pasta dish because I had leftover squash from the butternut squash spice cake.  In the future I will buy a butternut squash with it’s sole purpose being the foundation of this meal.  I was expecting something tasty, and I was not disappointed.  How can one go wrong with a pasta dish where bacon and sage are involved?  You can’t.

bpasta14

I found so many variations on butternut squash sauce for pastas.  At first I started to get an anxiety attack.  What is the BEST way?  Please!  Someone!  Just give me the all time best recipe so that I will stop wasting my time browsing recipe after recipe finding something about the ingredient list or preparation in each recipe to be lacking!  Then an ingenious idea came to me.  Would it be so wrong for me to take the things I liked best about all the recipes and make…my own recipe?  I keep getting braver and braver, people!  One of these days I will use nothing but pure instinct in the kitchen…someday.

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