Baked Rigatoni

Here is a really easy recipe that is also very delicious. It is almost like baked ziti except I use rigatoni because I like the way the sauce binds to this shape of pasta.  Most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen right now and it is very quick to make and also great for a crowd.  Enjoy this delicious pasta dish!

Ingredients:
1 jar of store-bought tomato sauce or homemade sauce (my mom's recipe for tomato sauce will be up soon, obviously it is WAY better than the store-bought)
1 lb rigatoni pasta (ziti or any other short pasta will work too
1 8 oz bag or block of mozzarella cheese (don't use fresh here because there is too much moisture and will make pasta wattery)
1 lb ricotta cheese
5 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Bring pot of boiling water to boil.  Put a handful of salt into the water, then add your pasta.  Stir pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes.  Drain the pasta and pour into a 13 x 9 greased baking dish. 

To the baking dish add the ricotta cheese until every noodle has been covered with the sauce.  Then add your parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir to incorporate.  Next add the sauce to the pasta and ricotta mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.  Now add 3/4 of the shredded mozzarella cheese and all of the parmesan cheese.  Stir until everything is evenly mixed.  Add the additional mozzarella cheese on top and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.  Enjoy!

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Pasta con Aglio e Olio (Pasta with garlic and oil)

Here is an easy, easy recipe that you can make using things you probably have around.  Ease doesn't always mean not very delicious, and here is a perfect example of this.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1 lb long pasta (linguine or spaghetti work best)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese (about 2 handfuls)

salt

pepper

1 cup reserved pasta water

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

1 whole fresh mozzarella (optional)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  This will be for the pasta to cook in.

In a very large skillet, heat 1/2 cup of olive oil.  Chop garlic very fine.  The finer it is the more flavorful it will become.  Once oil is hot pinch in the red pepper flakes.  Be careful, these are very hot.  Then add the garlic.  Stir constantly so the garlic does not burn.  Once he begins to turn light brown lower the heat to low.  Burnt garlic is bitter and will ruin your dish. 

After water begins to boil, add a handful of salt to the water.  Add your pasta and stir.  Pasta will take about 8-10 minutes.  One minute before pasta is done, take out one cup of pasta water and reserve.  This water is a great thickening agent because of its high starch content.  Drain the pasta and pour into the garlic and oil.  Make sure the heat it still on low.  Using tongs, toss the pasta around while adding parmesan cheese and then pasta water.  Continue adding a little bit at a time of each until it is all gone and you see a thicker sauce.  Now you can add the parsley and 1/2 inch cubes of mozzarella cheese.  Continue tossing for about 1-2 minutes or until cheese slightly melts.  Finish with ground pepper.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

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Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

It took me a long time to figure out the best recipe to mock the Cheesecake Factory's.  I tried a lot of fancy techniques that people say make a best cheesecake.  I searched all over the internet and I found the best recipe was actually the simplest and most like my Mom's recipe for cheesecake.  I made this recipe on Thanksgiving and it was a crowd favorite! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon of sugar

Filling:
1 cup sugar
3-8 ounce packages of cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Whipped cream for top if desired

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar together.  Then add the melted butter and stir until a slightly moist mixture forms.  Press the crust into the bottom and 2/3 of the sides of a springform pan.  I use a metal measuring cup to press the crumbs in, but your hand will work just fine.  Bake for 5 minutes and then put into fridge to chill. 

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg and beat again until very creamy and there are no lumps.  Pour into the graham cracker crust.  Bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes.  Many professionals recommend to use a water bath which is just a roasting an full of hot water that the springform pan is immersed in for even cooking and to prevent cracking.  I personally don't do this step because I like the crack on my cheesecake.  It makes it look homemade.  After it is finished baking, chill in the fridge.  Preferably let chill for 24 hours, but 6-8 hours will do if you can't wait that long.  You can decorate with whipped cream if you want like they do at the cheesecake factory, but I prefer to leave mine plain.  Cut and Enjoy!

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Nutella Banana Peanut Butter Stuffed French Toast

I was watching Foodnetwork one day and found a similar recipe for this French Toast.  It was just bananas and peanut butter stuffed inside bread.  I decided Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) would be a great addition, and it definitely was.  This is great for breakfast or even dessert.  Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 slices of bread (I prefer a thick, chewy bread, but any bread is fine)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

1/4 of water

2 bananas

1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
1 cup nutella

butter

Directions:

Begin heating a large skillet with butter.  Peel and slice bananas into very thin slices. 

If you are using a whole loaf of bread, slice 8 pieces, about a 1/2 inch - 1inch thick.  If you are using already sliced bread that is fine too. 

To prepare the egg wash, crack 2 eggs into a shallow bowl.  Beat the eggs.  Then add cinnamon and 1/4 cup of water.  Beat eggs again until light and fluffy. 

Take one slice of bread and spread with peanut butter, then top with a thin layer of bananas.  On another piece of bread spread the nutella and place it over the first piece of bread like you are making a sandwich.  Continue this with the rest of the ingredients.  Then soak each sandwich in the egg wash and allow to drain a little bit.  Fry in pan until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.  Serve and enjoy!

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Potatoes Au Gratin

My recipe for potatoes au gratin is very similar to my macaroni and cheese recipe except for a few extra additions here and there.  It is very simple and a delicious side dish with any meal.  Hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons oil or butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
2 cups of sharp Cheddar cheese
5 russet potatoes
1 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in a medisum saucepan on medium heat.  Slice bacon into strips and put into hot pan.  Slice onion into thin slices and chop the garlic.  Add both of these to the oil with the bacon.  Once the bacon has become brown and the onions are translucent (about 5-10 minutes) add the flour and stir.  A paste should form.  Continue to cook this for 1 to 2 minutes to cook the raw flour taste out.  Lower the heat to low and slowly add in the 2 cups of milk while whisking.  Once all has been added continue to whisk until the paste and the milk have become one.  At this point you can turn the heat up to medium high and allow the sauce to thicken for about 10 minutes.  Stir often so that no lumps form.

While sauce is thickening prep the potatoes.  Peel each potatoe and slice very thin, like 1/8 -1/4 of an inch thick.  You can use a mandoline but I find a knife works just as well. 

Once sauce has thickened add the cheese and stir.  Once cheese has melted add the parsley, salt and pepper. 

Cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 greased baking dish with a few tablespoons of sauce.  Then layer the thinly sliced potatoes in one single layer, slightly overlapping.  After each layer of potatoes add enough sauce to cover the potatoes and continue to work up until all of the potatoes and sauce have been used.  Add extra cheese on top.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.  Enjoy!

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Famous Macaroni and Cheese

One of my favorite dishes to eat and cook is macaroni and cheese.  Anytime I go to a restaurant, if it's on the menu I am definitely ordering it.  What most people don't know is that delicious mac and cheese is very easy to make at home, without any powdered cheese packets.  This is my recipe for mac and cheese and I hope you enjoy it!

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of flour
1 lb any short cut pasta (I use shells or rigatoni usually, but elbows are classically used)
2 cups of milk (usually recipes recommend to use whole milk, but I use skim and it works out perfectly too)
1 cup sharp yellow cheddar
1/2 cup colby jack
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs (optional)
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

At this point, I usually put a pot of water on the stove to boil while I am making the cheese sauce. 

In a small sauce pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter on medium.  Slice the bacon into strips (lardons in French) and add to the oil.  Then chop the 2 cloves of garlic very small and add to the pan with the bacon.  Let bacon and garlic saute together until bacon begins to turn brown.  Then add 2 tablespoons of flour and begin to whisk.  A paste will begin to form, this is called a roux and is the beginning of most creamy sauces as a source of thickening.  Allow the roux to cook for 1-2 minutes to cook the raw flour taste out.  Then slowly add your milk while whisking and lower the heat to low.  Once you whisk in all of the milk so that the roux and milk have become one mixture you can turn the heat up to med-high.  Allow the sauce to thicken for about 5-10 minutes while stirring every so often. 

By now the water should be boiling.  Add a hand ful of salt to the water and then add the lb. of pasta and stir. 

Once the sauce has thickened add in your three cheeses.  I use cheddar for color, colby jack for flavor, and mozzarella for texture.  Reserve 1 cup of the combination of cheeses for the top.  Then add your parmesan cheese which I use for a salty factor.  Stir until all the cheese has melted.  Then add in your spices and taste the mixture.  It might need a touch more salt to just add it to your taste. 

Once the pasta is done cooking, about 8-10 minutes, drain the pasta and put into a greased baking dish.  Add the sauce on top and stir around to evenly coat each noodle.  Add extra cheese and breadcrumb on top and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 

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