Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, removed from its casing
2 onions, minced
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz ziti
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp peper
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
hot water, as needed
1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 oz)

Line slow cooker with aluminum foil color and coat with vegetable oil spray.  Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat until just smoking.  Brown sausage well, breaking up large pieces with wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.  Add onions, bell peppers, garlic, and oregano and cook 8-10 minutes. stir in tomatoes and heavy cream, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in ziti, salt and peper.  Transfer ziti mixture to prepared sow cooker and spread tomato sauce evenly over pasta.  Cover and cook 3 hours on high. Remove foil colar.  Gently stir pasta, adding hot water as needed to loosen sauce consistency.  Sprinkle with mozzarella, cover and let sit until melted, about 5 minutes.

Creamy Pasta Salad

Salt

1 lb. elbow macaroni
½ small red onion, minced
1 rib celery, minced
¼ c. minced fresh parsley
2 Tbls. lemon juice
1 Tbls. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 ½ c. mayonnaise
Black pepper

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Salt water and add elbow macaroni and cook until nearly tender. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cook, then drain briefly so that pasta remains moist. Transfer to large bowl.

Stir in onion, celery, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne, and let sit until flavors are absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add mayonnaise and let sit until salad texture is no longer watery, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
NOTES: Don’t drain the pasta too well before adding the other ingredients. A little extra moisture will keep the salad from drying out. If made ahead of time, stir in a little warm water to loosen the texture.
Can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

1 lb rotini
salt
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
12 oz jar marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1/2 lb mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 lb thinly sliced sweet soppressata, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 lb pitted Kalamata olives
1 1/2 cups flat leaf parsley leaves
black pepper

Cook rotini according to package directions in salted water.  Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.  Toss with the vinegar and oil. Mix with artichokes, peppers, cheese, meat, olives, and parsely.  Season with salt and pepper and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Chicken and vegetable lo mein

Ingredients:

2 cups slices of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
6 Tbsp soy sauce, divided
2 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp chili garlic paste (I could only find chili garlic sauce so that's what I used)
4 Tbsp corn starch, divided
1 lb thin spaghetti, broken in half
6 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 carrots, cut into sticks
2 stalks celery, sliced on the bias
1 cup snow peas
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Marinade chicken with 3 Tbsp soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chili garlic paste and 2 Tbsp cornstarch for 1 hour.

Boil pasta until al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with 2 Tbsp canola oil.

In a wok, heat 2 Tbsp canola oil to almost smoking point then add the chicken. Cook until browned and just cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add 2 Tbsp canola oil to wok and heat to almost smoking point. Add vegetables and cook 3-5 minutes. Add chicken and spaghetti with hoisin sauce, 3 Tbsp soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss well and remove to serving bowl.

Mix 2 Tbsp cornstarch with chicken stock then deglaze hot wok with mixture and let reduce by a third. Pour over lo mein and toss everything together. Serve garnished with scallions.

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients:

8 oz linguine
1 cup broccoli florets
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into 1.5 inch pieces
2 cups white sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper


Instructions:

Cook linguine. Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of the cooking time. Drain well. Stir together white sauce, cheese, pepper, chicken, linguine, and broccoli in a 10-inch skillet over med-high heat until heated through. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

pasta al forno con pomodori e mozzarella

From Jamie Oliver Jamie's Italy

Serves 4

salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
3 14-oz cans plum tomatoes
large handful of basil leaves
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (optional)
14 oz dried orecchiette
4 big handfuls of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 5-oz balls of mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400 F. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Heat a couple of glugs of olive oil in an appropriately sized pan. Add the onion and garlic and slowly fry for about 10 minutes on a medium to low heat until softened but without any color. Add the tomatoes to the onion and garlic with a small glass of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for around 20 minutes. Blend to make a loose sauce. Tear the basil leaves into the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and the red wine vinegar.

Add the orecchiette to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, then drain and toss with half of the tomato sauce and a handful of the Parmigiano. Layer a little pasta into a baking pan, followed by some tomato sauce, a handful of Parmigiano, and a sliced up mozzarella ball, then repeat these layers until all of the ingredients are used up, ending with a good layer of cheese on the top. Pop the dish into the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden, crisp, and bubbling.