An amazing new macaroni and cheese recipe with ground beef and bacon, drowned in a homemade Gouda cheese sauce...yes, please! I've used in this amazing homemade cheese sauce and the flavor is outta this world... How to Make Homemade Macaroni & Cheese If you've never made a homemade cheese sauce, here's what that looks like: Melt the butter in a large … [Read more...]
Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta
I think if there was really such a thing as "comfort food heaven," this would be the first pasta served in the buffet. I have vivid memories of eating Chicken Cordon Bleu as a child. VIVID ones. Let's just say that my mom was not a fan of cooking. The "I love cooking" gene skipped a generation from my grandma to me. But my mom was fortunate enough to be rescued sometime in … [Read more...]
Sun-Dried Tomato & Parmesan Pasta Bake
Let me tell you where this meal comes from. It comes from the fact that I absolutely adore this skillet recipe (and thought it needed an oven-version!)...AND...the fact that I have a jar of sun-dried tomatoes leftover from the recent 20 Meals for $150 meal plan! I love sun-dried tomatoes and the flavor that they add to a meal, especially pasta. This pasta bake calls for … [Read more...]
Southwest Shells with Beans and Corn
Smoky, smoky, smoky! The flavor in this simple pasta salad gets kicked up a few notches by adding 2 spices to the mayo before you toss it all together. My guess is that you have all of these items on hand you could make this TONIGHT. I adore pantry staple recipes like this one...not only because of how easy and simple they are to put together, but also because they … [Read more...]
Barbecue Spaghetti with Smoked Chicken
Flavor overload my friend. This right here will make your taste buds explode! Amazing smoked chicken doused in BBQ sauce and mixed with a bunch of fresh summer veggies...then topped with cheddar cheese (I'd suggest sharp cheddar for this one!)...piled high over a plate of pasta. Drooling. Seriously, I might have had to wipe a little drool off my chin while I typed this … [Read more...]
Pesto Orzo with Tomatoes
Oh pesto. Pesto, pesto, pesto. Pesto just tastes like summer, doesn't it?! I don't make pesto too often because pine nuts are expensive and I can't always get them into my budget...but I found some on sale this week and made my own pesto! Because, enjoying pesto-laced pasta is like taking a bite out of summer. I've written the recipe below with store bought pesto, … [Read more...]
Homemade Mac & Cheese with Bacon and Spinach
Please pardon me while I wipe the cheese off my chin. Um, that was sorta embarrassing there...that cheese all over my chin. But you kinda don't care when your taste buds are bursting with joy and want to leap out of your mouth onto the spoon. It's the cream cheese in this recipe that works the magic. Well, that combined with the bacon. And the spinach, and the Italian … [Read more...]
Creamy Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pasta Skillet Dinner
Holy flavor explosion. I made this two days in a row last week. Once for my husband and I (and the non-dairy allergic boy!)...and again for our neighbors because they had a recent surgery and needed a warm home cooked meal after a few days of hospital food! But I confess that the reason I made this for them is because I wanted to sneak a few bites, in the name of quality … [Read more...]
Weeknight Spinach Lasagna Skillet
Welp, I couldn't not include a skillet lasagna recipe in this month's 31 Days of Skillet Dinner series. So here it is. I adore lasagna. While my mom isn't known for her skills in the kitchen, she can make a mean lasagna! I adore her lasagna. I adore any lasagna. I should clarify...I adore the taste of lasagna. The pasta with the flavorful tomato sauce and richness and tang … [Read more...]
Skillet Macaroni with Swiss Chard
Don't think your family will eat chard? Then they haven't tried this skillet macaroni yet. (Seriously, you have to make them try it. Or if you think they will adamantly refuse, you can substitute spinach for the chard. And if they refuse that, then I can't help! ;) ) But I find masking it in a delicious pasta, topped with some Parmesan, shouldn't garner too many complaints. … [Read more...]