Rigatoni Bake

This was really good!
I used spaghetti sauce in place of the tomato sauce, for added flavor. I also added garlic salt and italian seasonings to the white sauce.
I also cut the recipe in half (didn't wanna make one to freeze since it was my 1st time making it and didn't know if we'd like it) ☺
Here's the link.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package rigatoni or large tube pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth; gradually add milk and water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add eggs. Spoon into two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Top each with one can of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Spoon white sauce over top; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake second casserole, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Footnotes

• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 7-10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Cheesy Potato & Corn Chowder

This was really good and easy to make! (the girls didn't care for it, but whatever, they never like anything!) ☺

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth (or vegetable broth if u really wanna make it vegetarian)
• 3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 (2.5 ounce) package country style gravy mix
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded Mexican-style processed cheese food (IDK what this even means! LOL, I just used shredded Pepper Jack Cheese and it was yummy!)

Directions

1. In large saucepan, melt margarine over medium high heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in corn and chiles; return to boiling. Dissolve gravy mix in milk; stir into boiling mixture. Add cheese; cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted.

Here's the link to the recipe as well. Enjoy!

Ratatouille Polenta Bake

This is what we are having for dinner tonight. I'm excited to try it. :)

Ingredients

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)

1 medium bell pepper, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

1 small unpeeled eggplant, (1 pound), diced (2 cups)

1 medium zucchini, diced (1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 tube (16 ounces) refrigerated plain polenta (or any flavor) - I'm making my own.

2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Step 1 - Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook onion and bell pepper in skillet 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomatoes, breaking up with spoon; reduce heat to low. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 2 - Spray rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2 inches, with cooking spray. Cut polenta into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices on bottom of dish, overlapping and cutting to fit where necessary. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly over top.

Step 3 - Cover and bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and parsley. Bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cheese Enchiladas Verde

So we have decided to stop eating meat at night for the most part. Only because we generally eat really late and it's not very good for the body to try and digest meat when you are sleeping. Does this mean we are NEVER eating meat at night? No, of course not. Occasionally we will and in all reality we will still eat it on the weekends as we USUALLY eat earlier in the day and I have time to prepare. During the week it's sometimes like running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Yes I do prepare, no it's not always the greatest preparation, and sometimes I am just exhausted and meat takes much longer to prepare anyways so ha!

With all of that being said here is the recipe we tried last night. For the most part we really liked it. Sam and I did. The girls somewhat picked at the salsa, I don't know why they usually like it. Maybe because Jadyn wasn't feeling well and was being grouchy and Jakayla was... I dunno being a weirdy LOL!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend (6 ounces)

1 small zucchini, shredded (3/4 cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

8 soft corn tortillas (5 or 6 inch)

1/3 cup soft cream cheese with roasted garlic

1 jar (16 ounces) green salsa (salsa verde) (2 cups)

1 medium avocado, diced

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

Directions

Step 1 - Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2 inches, with cooking spray. Mix shredded cheese, zucchini and cilantro.

Step 2 - Spread each tortilla with about 2 teaspoons cream cheese. Spoon about 1/3 cup shredded cheese mixture onto each tortilla; spread to within 1 inch of edge. Roll up tortillas; place seam sides down in baking dish. Pour salsa over tortillas.

Step 3 - Cover and bake about 25 minutes or until hot. Top with avocado and onions.