Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe & picture courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

Makes: 6 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

• 4 strips bacon
• 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 6 oz. dry elbow macaroni
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 2 to 4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (cream cheese can be substituted)
• 1 cup half-and-half or light cream
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, turning once. Drain bacon on paper towels; crumble. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.
2. Cook onion in reserved bacon drippings for 5 to 8 minutes or until onion is tender and golden brown. Set aside.
3. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain and place in a 1-1/2-quart casserole. Add the crumbled bacon, onions, 1-1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the blue cheese, half-and half, and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir gently. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10 minutes more or until top of casserole is brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Pan Roasted Steak Dinner

Recipe & picture courtesy of Kraft Foods

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 1 hr 5 min
Makes: 4 servings

• 1 lb. well-trimmed boneless beef sirloin steak, 1 inch thick
• 1/2 cup KRAFT Light CATALINA Dressing, divided
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cups small broccoli florets
• 1-1/2 cups very thinly sliced carrots (4 large carrots)
• 1-1/2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

1. Place steak in resealable plastic bag. Pour 1/4 cup of the dressing over steak; refrigerate at least 30 min. to marinate.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat until hot. Remove steak from bag; discard bag and marinade. Place steak in hot skillet; sprinkle with pepper. Place onions around steak. Cook 3 min. or until bottom of steak is well browned. Turn steak over; turn off heat. Combine broccoli, carrots and remaining 1/4 cup dressing; mix with onions. Wrap handle of skillet in heavy-duty foil. Place skillet in oven.
3. Bake 18 to 20 min. or until steak is cooked to medium doneness (160°F). Meanwhile, prepare rice as directed on package. Cut steak across the grain into thin slices; transfer to serving plates. Spoon vegetable mixture over steak; serve with rice.

**Personal Review: YUM! Jason couldn’t stop raving about this and I inhaled it before I realized I was finished. I will make this one again.**

One-Pan Italian Pasta

Recipe & picture courtesy of Kraft Foods

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min
Makes: 8 servings, 1 cup each

• 2 lb. ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups bow tie pasta (farfalle), uncooked
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

1. Brown meat with garlic in large skillet; drain. Return to skillet.
2. Add tomatoes with their liquid, the broth and water; mix well. Bring to boil. Add pasta and zucchini; mix well. Cover. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 15 min. or until pasta is tender.
3. Stir in tomato paste and Italian seasoning until well blended. Sprinkle with cheese.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Shortcut Chicken Manicotti

Recipe & picture courtesy of Kraft Foods

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 1 hr
Makes: 4 servings, 3 stuffed manicotti each

• 1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets
• 12 manicotti shells, uncooked
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Microwave soup, water and VELVEETA in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 3 min. or until VELVEETA is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 2 min.; pour 1/3 into 13×9-inch baking dish. Set aside. Add broccoli to remaining soup mixture.
2. Stuff manicotti with chicken; place in baking dish. Top with remaining soup mixture and Parmesan; cover with foil.
3. Bake 45 to 50 min. or until manicotti is tender and chicken is done.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Recipe & picture courtesy of Food Network

Cook Time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.
3. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Garlicky Peppers & Shrimp

Recipe & picture courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

Makes: 4 servings
Start to Finish: 20 minutes

• 1 9-oz. pkg. refrigerated spinach fettuccine
• 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 small red, green, yellow, or orange sweet peppers, seeded and cut in strips
• 2 medium onions, cut in thin wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pan. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in peppers, onions, and garlic; stir-fry 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add shrimp and cayenne pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more or until shrimp are opaque, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Spanish Fideos with Shrimp

Recipe & picture courtesy of Rachael Ray

Makes 4 servings

• Salt
• 1 pound thin egg noodles (fideos), broken into 2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 1 pound medium shrimp-peeled,deveined and chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a couple of generous handfuls)
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the noodles and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
2. In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat until rippling. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the noodles to the shrimp mixture; toss to coat. Add the parsley, sherry, soy sauce and a little hot sauce. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water. Top with the nuts.

**Personal Review: YUM! This was sooo easy to make and it tasted wonderful! I used angel hair pasta instead of the fideos – I could find them. It was gobbled up quickly!**

Sesame Pork Rice

Recipe & picture courtesy of My Recipes

Makes 4 servings

• 2 (3 1/2-ounce) bags boil-in-bag long-grain rice
• 1 pound boneless center-cut loin pork chops, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic, divided
• 1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger, divided
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Cook rice according to package directions; omit salt. Drain well; set aside.
2. While rice cooks, toss pork with 1/2 teaspoon garlic and 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat; add 1 teaspoon garlic and 1/2 teaspoon ginger; sauté 30 seconds. Add rice, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and vinegar; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in pork; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.

**Personal Review: This was very simple to make – it tasted pretty good too – although I think I will add a scrambled egg, onions and other “goodies” to this the next time I make it.**

Tex-Mex Lasagna

Recipe & picture courtesy of My Recipes

Makes 4 servings

• 3/4 cup bottled salsa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt-added diced tomatoes
• 1 (8-ounce) can no salt-added tomato sauce
• Cooking spray
• 6 precooked lasagna noodles (such as Barilla or Vigo)
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients; spread 2/3 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top with 1/2 cup corn and half of beans. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese; top with 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat layers once; top with remaining 2 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with onions.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**

Pesto Shrimp Mac & Cheese

Recipe & picture courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

Serves 6
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes

• 1 lb. fresh or frozen medium shrimp in shells
• 8 oz. dried elbow macaroni (2 cups)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1-1/4 cups shredded fontina cheese (5 oz.)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
• 1-1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
• Fresh basil leaves

1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and devein shrimp, removing tails. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Chop shrimp and set aside.
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
3. In large bowl stir together eggs, butter, half-and-half, 1 cup of the fontina cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts, chopped basil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in shrimp and macaroni. Transfer to buttered 2-quart casserole. Top with remaining cheeses.
4. Bake, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through and shrimp pieces are opaque. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil leaves.

**Personal Review: No Review Yet**