Fettuccine with Brussels sprouts

One last spaghetti recipe from me. This is one of John's favorites.

———

8 ounces fettuccine

1 pound brussels sprouts
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup walnut halves, toasted

1. Cook fettuccine.
2. Chop Brussels sprouts, onion, and garlic.
3. Fry in butter until tender.
4. Drain pasta and toss together all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

Spicy sausage spaghetti sauce

I made this one up myself. It's my favorite!

———

1 pound hot Italian sausage
2 onions, chopped
1 head garlic, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
6 14.5 ounce cans chopped tomatoes, with juice
2 small cans tomato paste
juice of one lemon
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
zest of one lemon

1. Cook sausage, onions, garlic, and peppers in 6-quart, heavy-bottomed pot. 
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Simmer until sauce comes together and thickens, about 45 minutes. 
3. Add basil and lemon zest and serve. 

Serves 12. 

BLT Spaghetti

I just made this for dinner tonight. Dear husband (what do I call him on this blog? nothing....) requested it, so I made it. It's from the Rachael Ray website, although I didn't follow her recipe exactly.

BLT Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti

4 thick slices of pancetta (I just used about 6 slices of bacon)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used a bit more)

1 medium red onion, diced

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 cup basil, shredded (I used slightly under 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup parsley, chopped (again, slightly under 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese (of course, I probably used more)

2 cups arugula (I used baby spinach)

While pasta water is coming to a boil, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and add bacon/pancetta. Brown for about 3 minutes. (Cook pasta when water boils.)

Add the garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook about 1-2 minutes. Add red onion and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, some salt, and ground black pepper. Cover and cook about 7-8 minutes, or until the tomatoes burst.

Add spaghetti to skillet along with basil, parsley, and parmesan. Just before serving, top with arugula (or spinach).

Note: This made a lot (you can imagine, 1 lb of spaghetti...) so I put some in the fridge for tomorrow, and froze the rest of it. I can't wait to eat it again!

This was so yummy! I took some (still warm) over to Marmee, and she loved it too! I'm glad I found this just in time for spaghetti week! :) I almost took a picture, but I forgot. Sorry!

Sopa seca

8 oz. spaghetti
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 14.5-ounce can tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped very vine
shredded cheese
sour cream
cilantro

Heat half the oil in large lidded skillet or Dutch oven. Roll spaghetti in a towel the long way and twist the ends. Grab the ends of the towel and break the spaghetti in half on the edge of the counter. Toast spaghetti in skillet until golden. Remove from pan.

Heat remaining oil and saute onion and garlic with salt. Add cumin. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, and chile. Bring to a boil.

Stir in the spaghetti. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 15 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. Serves 3–4.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Note: I use the herb measurements as guidelines and not hard-and-fast measurements.

1 lb pasta
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 T cajun seasoning (or more to taste)
2 T butter or margarine
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 large bell peppers (any color), diced
1-2 small zucchini, diced
1-2 small yellow squash, diced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch green onion, finely diced
1 cup heavy cream (may substitute thickened chicken broth or plain yogurt)

1 t dried basil

1 t dried oregano

1/2 t dried thyme

1 t lemon pepper

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 c grated parmesean cheese

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and coat with cajun seasoning. In a wok or large skillet, saute garlic and yellow onion in margarine over medium heat. Add chicken, cook until nearly done. Add peppers, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until peppers are tender and chicken is fully cooked.Add cream, basil, lemon pepper, and black pepper. Heat through. Toss with pasta and top with parmesean cheese.

Be warned that this fills my full-sized wok to capacity when everything is combined.

Angel Chicken Pasta

Angel Chicken Pasta
Serves 4-6

1 – 1 ½ lbs. chicken tenders
2 T. butter
1 package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
( You can use Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder, and pepper)
2 T. vinegar
2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup
8 ounces light cream cheese
¼ c. chopped fresh chives (optional)
Mushrooms, peppers, or onions (optional)
1 lb. angel hair pasta


Preheat oven to 325. If using optional vegetables, sauté in a separate pan until almost tender.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in salad dressing mix or seasonings. Blend in vinegar and golden mushroom soup. Cut cream cheese into cubes and gradually add to mixture; do not boil. Add chives. Add optional vegetables.
Arrange chicken in 9x13 pan and pour sauce over all. Bake for 60 minutes. Cook pasta al dente, timing to finish when chicken is done. Drain and serve chicken and sauce over the pasta.

Lemon Spaghetti

Lemon Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti (sometimes I use any ridged pasta, because the sauce coats it better)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I use more)

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Optional - fresh parsley and basil leaves

Cook pasta.

While pasta is cooking, heat a large, deep skillet over low heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest.

When pasta has been cooking for about 5 minutes, add the lemon juice, a ladle of the cooking water from the pasta, and the cream to the garlic mixture. Raise the heat, and bring the sauce to a bubble.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and put in serving bowl. Pour sauce over, and toss to coat. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Pride and Prejudice Land

Good old Red Dwarf. Watch them in order for clarity.

Balsamic chicken pasta

Everyone post your favorite spaghetti recipes this week!

———
Balsamic chicken pasta

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 chicken portions
• salt and pepper
• 2 14.5-ounce cans tomatoes
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 pound pasta, cooked (preferably angel hair)

Heat olive oil in medium pan and brown chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces a bit. Serve over pasta.

Round Robin Storytime

Since I have yet to post, I thought I'd kick things off with a Jo-inspired interactive. Everyone add a sentence or two or up to a paragraph at their leisure and we'll see where the story takes us.

***

Running down the muddy, rutted dirt road at full speed, Abigail desperately tried to keep her one-size-too-large boots from slipping off of her feet.