Cheesy Spaghetti and Peas

Cheesy Spaghetti and Peas

(adapted from Everyday Food magazine)

*To break up the spaghetti, wrap uncooked noodles in a tea towel 

and firmly break in several places on the edge of the counter.

1/2 lb spaghetti, broken in pieces*

1 can evaporated milk

3 large eggs

pinch nutmeg (optional)

dash cayenne (optional)

1 1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated

3/4 C frozen peas

Heat oven to 400.

Cook pasta a couple minutes less than package directions.

In the mean time, whisk all other ingredients in a large bowl.

Add cooked pasta to cheese mixture.

Pour into a 2 Quart casserole dish.

Bake 12-15 mins.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Alphabet Soup

Seeing letters floating around in their food gives my kids so much joy.

They love alphabet soup.

This is one of my favourite soups because of the simplicity of its method.

You will hardly need to think about it.

Cut up a whole bunch of veg, whatever you like, and throw it into some stock, boil, season and simmer.

Done.

Which is perfect on a day like today because who wants to be inside when it's warm and sunny outside.

We did everything outside today.

We raked, shoveled dirt, swept, read and did some bike riding.

Spring is very near.

Alphabet Soup

(Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking: by Beth Hensperger)

**I like to freeze this soup in small lunch size portions enough for the kids and I. That way, we can pull one out for lunch on a whim- instead of opening a can.

One 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

6-8 cups stock

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 potatoes, diced

1 C diced green beans

1 C frozen corn

1 C frozen petite peas

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 C alphabet pasta or any other mini pasta shape

In a large stock pot over med-high heat, combine tomatoes, in their juice and stock; bring to a boil. Add all vegetables and seasonings.

Boil again.

Reduce heat and simmer 40 mins.

Add pasta and cook about 5 mins.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Broccoli Pasta with Feta

Don't pass this one by. It's EASY, cheap and so tasty.

A bunch of broccoli, a can of beans, some pasta and feta.

This couldn't be easier or more perfect for making after work. (Shannon, if you like broccoli, this one's for you.)

I threw some chopped tomatoes and kalamata olives on top.

I think a Sauvignon Blanc would go perfectly.

Mum I see this being a great dinner to take down to the beach this summer... The Sauv will be a must!

Broccoli Pasta with Feta

(Moosewood Cooking for Health)

450g (1lb) chunky pasta

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Cups chopped broccoli

1-2 Tbsp minced (pressed) garlic

1/2 tsp salt

ground pepper

2 ladles of pasta water

1 small can pinto beans

1 C crumbled feta (cow or goat)

chopped tomato, sliced kalamata olives to finish

Cook pasta.

While pasta cooks, warm oil in a large frying pan over med-high heat. Add broccoli, cooking 5 mins, and stirring constantly.

Add garlic, salt, ground pepper and 2 ladles full of pasta water. Stir in beans. Cover and steam for about 5 mins.

Please do not overcook the broccoli! Let it remain bright and green!

Top cooked pasta with broccoli and feta. (add tomatoes and olives if desired)

Oven Roasted Tomato Peach Pasta

My Gramma, "Doda" as Jibs calls her, has been raving about frozen peaches lately. They're really quite good.

This pasta uses frozen peaches as the primary ingredient in its sauce. Mixed in with the peaches are onion, lots of fresh and sun-dried tomato, some cinnamon and cayenne pepper.

All the ingredients go into a 9 x 13 baking dish and get thrown in a hot oven to roast.

Once the sauce is done, it will be sweet and rich and thick. You can pour it over some chunky pasta and top it with parmesan cheese.

This one's for you, Gramma...do you want the leftovers?

Oven Roasted Tomato Peach Pasta

(Moosewood Cooking for Health)

6 sundried-tomatoes, chopped

4 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes

2 cups chopped fresh or frozen peaches, thaw if frozen

1 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp olive oil, (I used the oil that the sundried tomatoes came packed in.)

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne

2 tsp herbs de provence

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

450g chunky shaped pasta (3 Cups or so dried)

grated parmesan cheese

In a 9 x 11 inch baking dish, stir together sundried tomatoes, tomatoes, peaches, onions, oil, salt, cinnamon, herbs de provence pepper and cayenne. In a 450* oven roast, uncovered, for 40 mins stirring a couple of times.

When the sauce has been cooking about 25 mins, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.

When the sauce is cooked, stir in vinegar.

Serve sauce atop pasta with a generous grating of cheese.

A side salad of spinach, goat cheese and walnuts would be nice.

Jib says, "Get over here pasta, I love you."

Jib tip, "Don't get the pasta in your eyes, the cayenne is quite unforgiving!"

Baked Pasta with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes

How pleasant a thing it is to find a recipe, sorta special, perfect for dinner, good for a crowd and one that I have all the ingredients for. The kind of dinner that people feel free to keep taking a little more of. Everything right in the middle of the table, comfortable and inviting.

The creamy white pasta looks so pretty all studded with the bright colours of the tomatoes and broccoli. Sun-dried tomatoes and the roasted chicken breast give this dish so much flavour. And I'm in love with bread crumb topping on almost anything. See, comfortable and sorta special.

When I saw the amount of food this was going to make (serves 8 people) and remembered a few of my favourite ladies were alone tonight I quickly called them and begged them to come eat with us. It was a great evening. Complete with a salad from Gramma, a lemon Pie from Clara, and the entertainment of watching Jim and Jill learn the drums.

This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Mel has so many recipes that look good, I want to make them all. She takes lovely photos of them too.

Head over and check out Mel's blog for this recipe and all her other goodies.

Clara's lemon pie

Moosewood Pasta Primavera

Another winner from the Moosewood collection. This pasta primavera is loaded with vegetables and in a very tasty, tomato-wine (ricotta) sauce. If you have Moosewood's Lowfat Favourites, turn page 206, get out a pen and make some changes to the original recipe. My humble recommendation is that you add a few things to the recipe as shown in the cookbook. I love adapting recipes and this one needed just a few tweaks to make it perfect.

To make the sauce a little creamier, I added a tub of ricotta cheese with some salt, parsley, butter and parmesan cheese stirred in, to the pasta just before adding the tomato sauce. The cheeses and butter will melt into the pasta so nicely.

I love vegetables and the brief steaming keeps them tasting fresh and sweet. A lot of vegetables would work in this dish, so feel free to add what you like or subtract any that you don't.

Pasta Primavera

6 cloves garlic, minced

2tsp Olive oil

3Cups Chopped tomatoes

1/4C White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc)

1t salt

1/2C chopped basil

1 small red onion, sliced thinly

2 carrots, 2inch matchsticks

1 bunch asparagus, 2 inch pieces

2 heads broccoli, bite-size

1 bell pepper, 2 inch matchsticks

1 zucchini, 2 inch matchsticks

1/2C green peas

salt, pepper

1 tub ricotta

3Tbsp butter, diced

1/2C grated parmesan

1/3C chopped parsley

1 lb pasta- any shape works

extra parmesan for topping

Warm olive oil in a large deep skillet, add garlic and cook over med heat 2 mins.

Add tomatoes, wine, salt and stir 5-10mins. Add basil and red onions and remove from heat.

Bring a large pot of water to boil with a steamer basket inside. Starting with the carrots for 1 minute, add peppers, asparagus, and broccoli to basket and cook another 3 mins. Add zucchini and cook 1 min. Add veg to tomato sauce, season if necessary and keep off heat.

Cook Pasta.

While pasta is cooking mix ricotta, butter, salt and parsley to taste and parmesan in a serving bowl. Add cooked pasta, stir well. Add tomato-veg mixture and stir well.

Top with lots of fresh pepper and grated parmesan cheese.

Jibs says "Dont forget a healthy sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan on top!"

A few new things

~My first zucchini was harvested today...so beautiful.

~Clara and I were feeling adventurous today so we decided to try something new- Hand kneaded, rolled and cut pasta from the River Cottage Family cookbook. We plan on eating it with a certain roasted zucchini and this sauce. This recipe for pasta gives a really nice pictured tutorial with an identical recipe to ours.

~Sunday Suppers has a great recipe for an Herbed Flatbread...we made that too.

Clara made this bread almost entirely by herself. I read the recipe to her and got out the ingredients and she went to it kneading and rolling, forming and topping. She proudly served her daddy and baby brother the bread she made herself.
Clara rolling out the dough for the flat bread.
Loving the zucchini.

Rows of beautiful pasta.