Ma What's For Dinner?

Rachael Ray’s Delicious Recipe

• Salt
• 1 pound linguini
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 to 6 anchovies
• 1 pint small cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 stems oregano, leaves stripped and finely chopped
• A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped ( I add mine at the end)
• Black pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 pounds Manilla clams, scrubbed (I used littlenecks)
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn

Bring water to a boil for pasta, salt water and cook pasta just shy of al dente.

While water comes to a boil, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add anchovies and melt into oil. Add tomatoes, onions and garlic to the pan, season with crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley and pepper, saute until the tomatoes and onions are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

The hubs couldn't wait til we sat down to dig in...

Add wine and reduce for 1 or 2 minutes, melt butter into sauce and add clams to pot. Cover the pot and cook clams until they open, 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove any unopened clams and add pasta to the pan. Toss linguini with sauce for about 2 to 3 minutes so the pasta absorbs the flavors. Add basil to pasta and taste to adjust seasonings.

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Serves: 6   Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time: 1 hr 30 minutes

1 5-6 pound roasting chicken

1 pound red potatoes

3 carrots chopped in big chunks

16 oz button mushrooms

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 heads garlic (divided)

2 large onions

1 lemon

1/2 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch thyme

4 T butter, room temperature

S&P

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Wash your chicken and pat it dry.  Remove the gizzard, etc from the cavity.  Replace it with lemon, halved, 1 garlic clove halved, 1 onion halved, and the parsley and thyme.  Rub your chicken’s skin with butter and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper.  

In the bottom of your roasting pan arrange potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.  Slice your remaining onion into big chunks and sprinkle around veggies.  Peel remaining garlic cloves and sprinkle around veggies.  Toss all the veggies in olive oil and season with S&P.  Place your chicken on top of veggies (or on a rack above the veggies) and get him into the oven.

Cook chicken for 1 hour 20 minutes or until an internal thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Allow your chicken to rest on the counter for 10 minutes.  Carve and serve with veggies.  Yum!  

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This recipe is a sure fire hit.  I gave this one to my friend Shelbi to try on her family chock full o’ picky eaters. Her four year old not only finished his plate for the first time he asked for seconds. She cried. Then I cried. Try it and let me know if you cry!  Little story for ya.  The hubs is a real meat and potatoes kind of guy.  He’s not into fancy cooking and doesn’t get excited much about food.  The first time I served up this puppy and he quickly polished off his first plate and looked at me with big eyes and a silly grin and said, “is this hamburger helper?”  Now, some may consider that an insult but I know my guy…that was the biggest compliment he could ever give me.  Don’t get between that man and his cheeseburger macaroni!

Serves: 4                        Prep time: 10 minutes                        Cook time: 25 minutes

1 lb                                    ground chicken

2 T                                    butter, divided

1 T                                    extra virgin olive oil

1 small                         onion, sliced

1 c                                    mushrooms, sliced

1 clove                                    garlic, chopped

1 10 oz can                        low sodium cream of mushroom soup

½ c                                    chicken stock

1 T                                    Worcestershire Sauce

¾ c                                    sour cream

S&P

¼ c                                    chopped parsley

1 bag                                    whole wheat egg noodles

Set a large pot of water to boil for your noodles.  In a large skillet heat 1 T butter and olive oil over medium high heat.  Add in ground chicken and allow to brown.  Once chicken is browned toss in your onions, mushrooms and garlic.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until your vegetables begin to soften.  Next add in the soup, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and season with S&P.   Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer while your pasta cooks.

When water is boiling, flavor your water with a handful of salt then add in pasta.  Cook to package directions, usually about 8 minutes.  Drain and toss with remaining T butter.

Remove stroganoff from heat and stir in sour cream and parsley.  Top noodles with stroganoff sauce and serve with roasted veggies.

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Serves 6  Prep Time:  5 minutes  Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

1 spaghetti squash split with seeds removed

1 t olive oil

1 t butter

2 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 T cup chopped sage

1/4 cup chopped basil

2 T chopped oregano

2 T parmesan cheese

S&P

Preheat your oven to 375.  Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish.  Place squash flesh side down and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool slightly.

Scrape down the squash with a fork to create the spaghetti like strings.  In a large skillet melt butter with olive oil.  Saute garlic for one minute.  Add in spaghetti squash and toss to cover with garlic, oil, and butter.  Toss with fresh herbs and cheese.  Enjoy!

You can also add some marinara sauce to this dish.  The kids love it!

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Serves 4  Prep Time: 5 minutes  Cook Time: 10 minutes

½ t minced fresh garlic

½ t minced fresh thyme leaves

½ t minced fresh rosemary leaves

½ t minced fresh oregano leaves

2 T minced fresh parsley

2 T freshly grated Parmesan

8 extra-large eggs

4 T heavy cream

2 T unsalted butter

S&P

Whole Wheat Toast for dipping

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 2 eggs into each of 4 small bowls or teacups without breaking the yolks.  You aren’t going to bake them in these, you just want to have them ready to go.

Place 4 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 2 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren’t cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to cool a bit and serve hot with toasted bread.

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