Lemon Spaghetti

Hey Hilary- here is that recipe, it is Rachel Ray's, but I don't think I put quite that much garlic in it as she does! It really does sound good, maybe I'll have to make it too! Love ya!

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (10 or 12 leaves) fresh basil, very thinly sliced

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and drop the spaghetti into the pot.

Heat a large deep skillet over low heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil andgarlic and crushed red pepper flakes.

When the pasta has been cooking about 5 minutes, add lemonjuice, a ladle of the cooking water from the pasta and the cream to the garlic and oil. Raise heat a bit to bring sauce to a bubble.

Drain pasta when it still has a good bite to it, al dente. Add lemonzest and half of the cheese to the cream sauce. Season the sauce with salt, to taste. Add pasta to pan and turn off heat. Toss thepasta with sauce a minute or 2, allowing it time to soak up the sauce.

Top the plates of pasta or platter with remaining cheese, parsley and basil.

Shrimp, Tortellini, & Spinach

1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1/4 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 lb. cooked cleaned medium shrimp
1 bag (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
Make It!

COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package. Drain in colander; set aside. Heat dressing in same pan on medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook 1 min. Add tomatoes and shrimp; mix well. Bring just to boil. Stir in spinach; cover. Simmer 1 to 2 min. or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally.

STIR in pasta and basil; simmer, uncovered, 3 to 4 min. or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

SERVE topped with cheese.

Ben and I really liked this, although I used chicken instead of shrimp cause it's cheaper! It was really good that way too!

Thai Noodle Salad

My friend Stacy cooked this recipe for us and it was fantastic! Hope you enjoy it!

Thai Noodle Salad

6 oz. dried vermicelli
1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. vegetable or chicken broth
2 Tbs. peanut butter
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 1/2 c. cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1 red sweet pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
3 green onions, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
lime wedges for garnish

1. Cook vermicelli according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
2. Brown chicken in skillet. Add sweet red pepper and green onions the last few minutes.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, broth, peanut butter, lime juice, ginger and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until peanut butter is melted.
4. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly.
5. Stir in chicken, sweet red pepper, green onions, and cilantro.
6. Serve with lime wedges.

The original recipe doesn't cook the red pepper and green onions, but I prefer them a little stir-fried. This recipe can be served either warm or cold. We like it best warm.

I don't always use shrimp in this recipe, chicken tastes great too.




Ingredients
* 1 pound linguine pasta
* 1/2 cup butter
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/3 cup pesto
* 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in cream, and season with pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir Parmesan cheese into cream sauce, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Blend in the pesto, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened.
4. Stir in the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, about 5 minutes. Serve over the hot linguine.

Delicious Lasagna

My friend brought this lasagna to us when Krynn was in the hospital. It was so good I asked her for the recipe. I think it's the best lasagna I've ever had. I forgot to take a picture before we ate it all...

Delicious Lasagna

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (I use the kind with garlic and basil)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 large container cottage cheese (at least 16 oz, I used half ricotta cheese.)
3 Tbs. dried parsley
1 egg
2/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

In a large frying pan cook sausage and onion. Drain off fat. Place in crock pot on low heat. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes. Let simmer on low approx. 4 hours, stirring once in a while. Add minced garlic, basil, oregano, and pepper 30 minutes before sauce is done. Then turn crock pot off. In medium sized bowl, mix together cottage cheese, egg, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. You should now have 4 layers (noodles, cottage cheese mixture, sauce, and mozzarella cheese.) Layer it in this order, beginning with the noodles. Grease Pyrex dish with a little olive oil. This makes enough for a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. This is a great recipe to make the day before and also freezes well.

Shrimp and Pasta in a Tomato-Chile Cream Sauce

Shrimp and Pasta in a Tomato-Chile Cream Sauce
(This is Quade's favorite I made a big batch of Essence because I cook it so much)
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup kosher salt
* 1 pound linguine
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
* 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 11/2 cups heavy cream
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup diced tomatoes
* 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
* 1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Set a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the linguine in the pot and stir the pot until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender, but with a bit of resistance (al dente), about 12 minutes. Drain a reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the Essence and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and add the shrimp to the pan. Sear the shrimp until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions and jalapenos to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, remaining 1 tablespoon of Essence, remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and the pepper to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Return the shrimp to the pan, and add the tomatoes, linguine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add the Pepper Jack, Parmesan, parsley and basil and toss to blend. Serve immediately.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Chicken Caesar Pasta

I got this from my friend, Tami. It was on her family's recipe blog. Quick and easy and quite tasty! It makes an 8x8 dish. I also precooked the chicken to speed up the process.



1-2 chicken breasts, cut up and sauteed
8 oz pasta, cooked (I used rotini)

Stir into the following and put in casserole dish:
1/2 c. Caesar dressing
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 c. chicken broth
1 cup grated mozzarella

Top with Caesar-style croutons and 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until warmed through. Croutons brown quickly, so you might want to cover with foil or put croutons at bottom of casserole dish.