Lasagna

My sister Marie had a friend that went to Italy on his mission, and he taught her how to make this Lasagna. It's kind of time consuming preparation, but it sure tastes great!

2 celery sticks and 2 carrot sticks – sauté in 1 cube of butter. Pour in a 15 oz can of tomato sauce. Let simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

Brown 1 pound hamburger or use ½ sausage if desired. Start boiling water for 1 small box of lasagna noodles so they will be ready.

Cheese sauce: Melt 1 cube butter in sauce pan, add flour until it looks like paste, add milk until runny and then add grated cheese (1/4 pound). Add: onion salt, garlic salt, all spice, thyme, cumin, oregano. One dash thyme and oregano, add other spices to taste.

Oil the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer in pay, noodles, vegetables, meat, ricotta or cottage cheese, cheese sauce, repeat until pan is full. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. For a best flavor prepare the night before and refrigerate.

Newlywed Stroganoff

Shared by Donna Rufener
This is a Millett family favorite - so easy to prepare, but there are rarely leftovers.

Brown 1 pound ground beef and ½ cup diced onion – cook until tender.

Stir in:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt and pepper

Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add one 8 oz package cream cheese. Stir until melted.

Serve over noodles, rice or toast.

Mock Noodle Casserole

This is one of those recipes that you kind of look at and go hmmm, but it's not bad in a pinch, and I suppose it's just a bit healthier with the vegetables.

1 pkg. Ramen Noodles and spice packet
1 1/2 cups cooked peas (or other veggies)
a big glob of Mayonnaise
Other Spices

Cook Ramen Noodles according to directions and drain but don't add the spice packet yet. Immediately place noodles in a bowl and mix in spice packet, veggies, mayonnaise and any other seasoning to taste. Try parsley flakes, chives, basil, etc. - plus add a dash of nutmeg. Do not disclose recipe until they have tried it.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.
Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh...butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly like this:

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

I use this sauce for so many things. Here's a few ideas:

-Over pasta (obviously)
-As a dip for breadsticks
-As a sauce on pizza (this is the garlic cream sauce I was referring to in this recipe) and a half batch of sauce covers 2 medium pizza's.
-Mix it with pesto for a creamy pesto sauce (so good)
-Mix it with marinara for a creamy marinara sauce

One time when we had dinner guests over with a bunch of kids, we did a pasta bar. I made a couple different pastas, a couple different meats, and then made this sauce, marinara, and pesto. Everyone had so much fun mixing and matching and combining. The adults could get fancy with alfredo-pesto over bow-ties and the kids could have plain ol' spaghetti if they wanted to. Toss in some french bread and a salad and you have a really fun, and really easy meal!

This clocks in at around 100 calories for 1/4 C sauce!

Chicken Spaghetti

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks:

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 pound fusilli
4 oz. pimientos, drained
1 small onion, diced
1 finely diced green bell pepper
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I used Campbell’s Healthy Selections: MISTAKE)
8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp. seasoned salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
2 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the pasta. Drain it, then throw it in a big bowl or pot with the cream of mushroom soup and 2 cups of the shredded cheddar. Toss in the onion, green pepper, and pimiento. Add the seasoned salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Toss in the chicken and the broth. Stir it all together and, if you can bear to taste raw casserole, check that the seasonings suit your taste. Pour the mixture into a large baking pan (I used a glass casserole dish sprayed with Pam) and top with the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until bubbly.