I was trying to figure out something new to make with pasta. There is the traditional mac n cheese, or baked ziti, lasagna, penne vodka... But, I could not think of anything when it came to spaghetti....until I thought of spaghetti pie!
What you will need: 1 pound cooked spaghetti, cooled ½ cup marinara sauce ½ cup grated cheese blend (or mozzarella) 4 eggs Salt and freshly ground black pepper Pinch of paprika 2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Make the spaghetti according to the box directions.
Mix the cooled spaghetti, grated cheeses and eggs together in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add the oil to a large nonstick sauté pan or round baking dish and place in oven to heat up. Once hot (around 5 minutes), add a handful of the spaghetti mixture to the pan and flatten it out to the edges. Lay the cheese on top and add another layer of the spaghetti mixture. Top with more cheese.
Cook for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn out onto a cutting board, slice as you would a pizza and serve. Enjoy!
I love anything that is cute and individual portion sized. That is why I decided to make chicken pot pie in little ramekins instead of one big pot pie. They are perfect for a dinner party, or for just my husband and I and freeze the rest for easy dinners!
What you will need: 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts 3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Paprika 5 cups chicken stock (or water with bouillon cubes or consommé added) ½ stick unsalted margarine 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions) 2 cloves garlic ¾ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups medium-diced carrots 1 cup button mushrooms sliced 1 head broccoli cut into florets 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups) 1 ½ cups frozen small whole onions (optional) ½ cup minced fresh parsley leaves For the pastry: Pie dough (recipe here) or any store-bought pastry or pie dough sheets
Place the chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.
In a small saucepan, heat the water (or stock) and dissolve the chicken consommé flavoring in the water. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine and sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add in the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the cubed chicken, peas, mushrooms, broccoli, onions and parsley. Mix well.
Once the pie dough is made, dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Divide the filling equally among 6 ovenproof bowls.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to ½-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.
I love trying out new dessert recipes and I love the sound of this dessert "kla-FOO-tee."
What you will need: 1¼ cup milk 2⁄3 cup sugar, divided 3 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla 1⁄8 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 cup flour 3 cups cherries, pitted powdered sugar, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a blender, combine the milk, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour, and blend.
Lightly butter an 8-cup baking dish, and pour a 1/4-inch layer of the blended mixture over the bottom. Set remaining batter aside.
Place dish into the oven for about 7-10 minutes, until a film of batter sets in the pan but the mixture is not baked through. Remove from oven (but don’t turn the oven off, yet).
Distribute the pitted cherries over the set batter in the pan, then sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries and sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the clafouti is puffed and brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm. Servings: 6-8 for dessert, 4 for breakfast.
What you will need:
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Mix the cooled spaghetti, grated cheeses and eggs together in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. 
Cook for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. 
