Just a few of my favorite recipes

It's no secret that l love to cook and bake. Just take a look at David's facebook feed and you'll see some of our dinners.  I also love to try new recipes.  I'm always on the look out for something new to try.  I thought I'd share some of our favorites and since there are so many, I going to break it up into a few posts based on the type of food.  I'll start with a few Italian recipes.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

I got this recipe from David's grandma.  Even though it doesn't taste just like hers, we still love it!  It's perfect for doubling and freezing for later use.

Sauce
Large can tomato purée (Whole tomatoes work too, they just need to be squished with your hands or ran through a food processor.)
Medium onion
4 cloves Garlic
24 oz Tomato paste
4 cups water (divided)
1 Tbs parsley
2-4 Tbs sugar
1/4 c or more fresh basil, chopped (2 Tbs dried works too, but fresh is better.)
1-2 Tbs Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Run onion and  garlic through a food processor.  In a large pot, cook onion/garlic mix in olive oil until the onions are soft.  Add the tomatoes and 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45-60 minutes.
Add tomato paste, 2 cups of water, sugar, basil, parsley, salt and pepper.  Let simmer for 4-8 hours. The sauce will taste best if its allowed to simmer with meatballs.  Additional water can be added to achieve desired consistency.

Meatballs
2lbs hamburger
1lb ground pork
6 eggs
3/4 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 - 1/2c Bread crumbs
2 Tbs dried parsley
4 gloves garlic (minced)
Medium onion

Mix everything together and shape into balls.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat.  Cook meatballs for about 20 minutes, turning every 3-4 minutes.  To ensure that the meatball are cooked thoroughly, bake them in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes.

Manicotti

This is one of the first recipes I perfected.  I have been making this for years, but it's still one of my favorites.

1 box of manicotti noodles 

2c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4c parmesan cheese

2T fresh parsley (dried works too)

1/2t pepper

1/2t salt

Ricotta cheese

1 jar of spaghetti sauce or 3c homemade sauce

Boil the noddles for just a couple minutes.  They're easier to work with if they're not quite done.

Mix all ingredients except sauce.

Put a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Fill each noodle with cheese mixture and place in pan on top of sauce.  Pour remaining sauce on top of the filled noodles.  

Cover and bake for 45 min

Remove foil and bake for 15 min or until bubbles.

Can be served with extra sauce on top

Green Sauce Chicken 

I've adapted this from (recipe) from the food network.  This is perfect for a simple week night dinner or a family get together.  This is one of David's top 10 meals.

 

Shrimp with noodles and tomatoes

(Sorry, no picture.)
This is Madi's favorite meal.  I got this recipe from a coworker before Kaitlyn was born.  It is a quick week night meal.  It's also great with rotisserie chicken, though shrimp is definitely Madi's favorite.

-2T olive oil

-2 cloves of garlic (mined or pressed)

-2-3 cans of diced tomatoes with basil and oregano (drained)

-1/2c white wine (I've used apple cider vinegar when I was out of wine.)

-1c whipping cream

-2-3T dried parsley (1/2c or more if fresh) ( I usually use dried.)

-Cooked shrimp or rotisserie chiken

-1 package of angel hair or linguini

Cook the noodles according to the package. 

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).  Add the parsley and tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid is gone. Then add the wine and cook until the volume is reduced by half.

Add the cream and return to boil.  Let simmer until the sauce thickens.  Then add cooked shrimp or chicken and pasta.

That's all for this post.  I'd love to know some of your favorite got to recipes.

Next up...our second favorite, Mexican