Chicken Parmesan

I have two ways to cook this recipe. One is using a crock pot or slow cooker. This method is good for working families. It will cook for almost 4 hours on low. The second is a faster method and will be useful if you have an hour or so when you get home from work, school or any sports activity. The ingredients are the same, just the cooking method changes.

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese blend (Italian, Mexican, plain mozzarella, whatever is your preference).

2/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs or panko.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

1 24 oz. pasta sauce (preferably without salt)

Hot cooked pasta (optional).

Place egg in shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, put 1/2 cup cheese and 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs. stir to combine. Dig chicken in egg and then in crumb mixture. Place chicken in a 4-quart slow cooker, adding pasta sauce on top. Cover and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese and 1/3 cup bread crumb mixture. Cover and cook on low for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. You can use this time to add your pasta to boiling water.

Serve over pasta and enjoy.

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The fast version uses the same ingredients

Place 1 tablespoon oil in pan and heat. Dip chicken as you would above. Pan fry chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Place chicken in an oven-safe quart casserole dish. Add pasta sauce on top of chicken. Bake for 25 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Remove chicken and top with remaining 1 cup cheese and 1/3 cup breadcrumbs. Return to oven and cook for an addional 10 to 15 minutes. Serve over hot pasta.

Baked Ziti

I have tried several Ziti recipes. This one is probably the easiest and my husband’s favorite. I made mine in an 8 x 8 inch baking pan. As my husband can eat pasta every day, I elected not to freeze half. But you can do that easily. I prefer to bake it before freezing and then after it is cooled, I put it in containers to freeze. It is easily thawed and reheated in the micro for lunch or for those nights where you want something warm, but don’t want to waste a lot of time cooking. Also great when you don’t have to turn on the oven during the warm summer days.

1/2 of a 16 oz. box of ziti or penne pasta

12 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese*

8 oz. finely shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 beaten egg

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 pound cooked hamburger if desired.

Bring to a boil 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon oil. When water is boiled, add 1 teaspoon salt and pasta. Cook for about 12 minutes until pasta is soft, but not mushy. It will cook in the sauce so you don’t want it overcooked.

If you decide to add hamburger to your mix, cook it in a small fry pan with 2 teaspoons chopped onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/8 tsp. garlic powder. Drain before adding to sauce mix.

While pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, mix hamburger (if using) spaghetti sauce, egg, ricotta/cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and 6 oz. of the shredded Mozzarella. When ziti is cooked, drain and add to the sauce mixing well. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water when draining. After everything is mixed, if you feel like the mixture is not moist enough, add a little of the pasta water until it is a little moist.

If you like it really cheesy, mix all the shredded Mozzarella into sauce mix. then lay 4 thin slices of mozzarella over top. This gives you a nice cover and also adds more cheese to the casserole.

I always use cottage cheese with pineapple. It adds a little sweetness to your sauce and also, if I don’t use the full container, it makes a great afternoon snack. I am not a fan of ricotta cheese so this works well for me.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until cover cheese is browned and bubbly.

Tuna Casserole

Remember when you were in school and you were served Tuna Casserole for lunch. It always seemed to be thick and gloopy. There was no moisture to it. I swore I would never eat tuna casserole when I grew up. Well, I do eat tuna casserole now. It is not thick and gloopy. My tuna casserole is moist and creamy.

The recipe below calls for canned mushroom soup. But if you check the soup category, you will see a recipe for Creamy Mushroom Soup. I make the tuna casserole using soup that I have made.

1 cup dry medium egg noodles

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (or 2 cup homemade mushroom soup)

8 oz. milk (you do not need this if you use homemade soup)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 can undrained, solid, white albacore tuna*

1/4 tsp curry powder

Put about 2 inches of water into a medium saucepan with 1 tsp oil. Bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt to boiling water and add pasta. Cook uncovered for about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain pasta.

While pasta is cooking, spray a 1 quart casserole dish with pam. Mix together the tuna, soup, milk, if using, mayonnaise and curry powder with a whisk. Add cooked pasta and stir to mix. Cover with bread crumbs and bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. You have a carb in the casserole with the pasta, but maybe a fruit will round off your meal.

*I use solid, white albacore tuna instead of chunk tuna. It gives you more fresh taste instead of a can taste. It is just my preference, so use the tuna that you like best. The curry powder is an addition I made to bring out the flavor a bit. You could easily leave this ingredient out.

Macaroni and Cheese

3/4 Cup Uncooked Macaroni 2 Tbs. Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt 8 oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 Tbs. margarine 1 1/2 Cup Milk

1/8 tsp. Pepper 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs

Cook macaroni in water with a little oil*. Place this in a Pam sprayed casserole.

While macaroni is cooking. Melt margarine in medium saucepan. Add flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. It will be thick. Let cook for one minute. Slowly add milk about 1/2 cup at a time. Let thicken between each portion. Stir constantly when adding milk. When milk is all added, let sauce thicken a little. Then add shredded cheese, still stirring constantly. When cheese is all melted and blended in, add this mixture to macaroni in baking dish. Mix together. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Should be golden and bubbly.

To Cook Macaroni:
In medium saucepan put 2 inches of water. Add 1 tsp. oil. Bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp. salt and stir. Add uncooked macaroni. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until soft but not mushy.

Remember, pasta doubles when cooked. so if a recipe asks for 3/4 cup uncooked macaroni, it will be 1 1/2 cups when cooked. Always check recipe to see if they ask for cooked or uncooked.