Spaghetti Carbonara- Pasta Night
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This is a simple and classic meal. Very cheap too but full of nutrition. I like to add a handful of frozen cooked peas for a bit of color. I got this recipe from a British cookbook I bought and use often. See below.
Friday pasta days/nights are my effort to use all the dried pasta that I have in the pantry.
Spaghetti Carbonara
2 tbsp oil
1 onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp butter
6 oz bacon, chopped
6 tbsp dry white wine
12 oz. spaghetti
3 egg yolks
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Heat the oil and fry the onion & garlic until soft but not brown. Add the butter and bacon and fry until crisp. Add the wine, bring to a boil and simmer until the wine has evaporated.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until just tender, then drain and rinse in hot water. Beat the egg yolks with the cheese and parsley and season to taste. Toss the spaghetti with the egg mixture, then mix in the bacon mixture. The heat from the spaghetti will be sufficient to cook the eggs. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Friday Pasta
Friday is Pasta Day! Again, my goal is to ‘work through’ and use up all the pasta I have. I usually buy in bulk or when on sale, but the time has come when I need to use what I have, and save the money. I have wanted a special trip for just John and me to celebrate a recent accomplishment, but the funds are just not there…. so, I double down on my efforts to save every penny. The grocery budget is where I can do this most easily. Some months are more bountiful for us than others. The month of May will be lean, but it can be a learning time as well.
So… after taking stock of what I have, I’ve chosen this recipe to use up some ‘elbow’ macaroni I have.
Hamburger Cheese Hot Dish
3/4 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 cups dried medium noodles ( 8 ounces) I am using elbow macaroni
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese -Using the lite variety
½ of an 8-ounce package of cream cheese- I use the lite variety
1/3 cup of sliced green onions- I have these growing in a pot which will save me a little cash
¼ cup dairy sour cream- In Spain I use quark- non-fat.
¼ cup chopped green sweet pepper- I grew these last summer and froze them diced, which will save me money
¼ cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
- In a large skillet cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, sugar & salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile cook noodles/pasta according to package directions; drain. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine, cottage cheese, cream cheese, green onion, sour cream and sweet pepper; set aside.
- Spread half the noodles in and ungreased 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture. Top with the cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining noodles and meat mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake covered, in a 350° F oven for 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake about 15 minutes more or until heated through
Serves 6 @ 351 calories per serving.
I found this recipe in: Biggest Book of Casseroles which I recommend. I have used many of the 380 recipes included.
Friday Pasta~ Greek-Style Garlic Shrimp & Orzo
Friday’s is the day I make pasta with the these 2 goals in mind:
- to try new recipes
- use the pasta I have in my pantry… which is still considerable.
This week I made this really tasty dish with orzo a small pasta and it was super yummy and it came together very fast. I made substitutions because I wanted to use up what I already have in the house to keep my expenses down. Living in Spain, I would use this recipe as a 1st plate before the meat course, but it could easily be the main dish. I didn’t serve it with anything else but garlic bread would be nice or even a salad.
Greek-Style Garlic Shrimp & Orzo
Serves 4 main dishes or 8 as a 1st plate
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
1 small red onion ( I used a yellow onion)
1 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted & chopped (I used regular black olives which were pitted but I tossed in whole)
2 teaspoons of lemon zest
juice of ¼ lemon
2 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves ( I used 1 teaspoon of dried)
6 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 4)
2/3 box of orzo pasta ( I used 250 grams)
1/3 cup of dry white wine
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
1 lb of small shrimp, deveined, peeled & tales removed ( I bought a frozen bag of small cooked shrimp and added it frozen)
8 oz of feta cheese
Cook the orzo as directed on the package in salted water until al dente, drain & reserve.
Heat the ¼ cup of olive oil , then add the onions, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for 2 min, then add the shrimp and cook for another minute more. Add the cherry tomatoes, parsley, olives and oregano, lemon zest, juice of ¼ lemon & white wine and season with salt & pepper. Cook until the shrimp is heated through.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the orzo to keep it from sticking in a serving bowl. Top with the shrimp mixture & crumble the feta cheese on top.
* I got this recipe from a Rachael Ray cook book I own.
Navajo Fry Bread
This is some seriously good eating! I’ve been making this recipe for about 30 years and it’s always a hit.
Keep in mind that:
- even though it is fried, if you fry in very hot oil it doesn’t absorb the grease.
- I made mine large, but smaller ones can be made too
- They can be a snack (merienda), for tacos, with soup or for breakfast
- I timed the process today and from start to finish including the clean-up and drying and putting away the dishes… it was only 28 mins!
- I re-use my oil in and keep it in an oil can for the next time I fry.
- I made mine bigger than 5″
Navajo Fry Bread
Sift into a bowl:
4½ c. flour
½ t. salt
2 t .baking powder
Stir in:
1½ c. water
½ c milk
Knead with hands. pat or roll into circles approximately 5″ in diameter. With fingers make small hole in center. Fry in several inches of hot oil at 400°. Dough will puff and bubble. Turn when golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with honey or use while fresh for Navajo tacos.
Pasta with Arugula, White Beans, and Walnuts~ It’s Friday Pasta Night!
I got this recipe from Everyday Food magazine. I am really enjoying the recipes in it. Since it’s Friday, this is the day I fix pasta. I do this in order to move through my stock of dried pasta and use up what I have, all the while trying new recipes and flavors. This is a meatless meal but has plenty of protein with the nuts and the beans. We tried it & we both liked it. I’ll do it again! Also… the only thing I had to buy for this recipe was the bag of arugula. A bargain!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound baby arugula
- 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup walnut pieces, toasted if desired
Directions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and set aside.
- Place pasta pot over medium heat. Add garlic and 1 tablespoon butter; cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add arugula to pot; toss just until wilted. Add beans, pasta, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Toss, adding enough reserved water to mixture to coat pasta. Garnish with walnuts.
Fried Rice… Using up that last pork chop
Last week I made pork chops and we ended up with 1 lone pork chop leftover. A thrifty way I stretch this into a whole meal is to make fried rice. I don’t use a recipe but here’s what I do:
- I cut all the meat off the bone and into small pieces; could be chicken, shrimp, pork beef, what ever you have; cooked or raw.
- I made a pot of rice; ½ for the fried rice and the other ½ for other dishes we will eat this week.
- I prep all the veggies I have on hand. This time I used 1 carrot, ½ bag and fresh spinach, ½ onion, 1 hand full of frozen peas, 2 leeks, 2 garlic, the last couple of celery stocks that I had, ½ zucchini. I cut all in slices or on the diagonal.
- Heat up vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet. I like the ‘roominess’ of the wok.
- To very hot and abundant oil I add one beaten egg. In just under a minute it will be cooked and I take it out, slice it and leave it to the very end and add it just before serving.
- in the same oil, I add the meat, the carrot and zucchini… all in a very hot wok.
- then all the other veggies
- I add whatever seasoning I want… any or a couple of: sesame oil ( it’s a flavoring not a frying oil), red hot curry paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce and/or rice vinegar. Today I used the hot curry paste… it’s VERY spicy.
- add the cooked rice
- adjust seasonings
- If I have cashews, peanuts or almonds on hand, I will add a handful + the scrambled egg right before serving.
It has protein from the meat and egg, the starch from the rice and all the yummy vegetables. It’s very nice with broccoli when I have it. This is not a dish I serve to guests, just a mid-week meal that goes a long way. There are always leftovers, which make a good breakfast with an egg on top.
Pear Tart
Pear Tart (from Rebekah):
A friend came over for coffee the other morning and brought this pear tart: it was DELICIOUS! Not too sweet, and very moist (hmm, could it be the stick of butter?? 
) Anyhow, just thought I’d share …
ingredients:
• ½ cup (1 stick) softened, unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
• Juice of ½ lemon, divided
• 1 lb. pears (Concorde or Anjou), cored and sliced ½ inch thick
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/8/ tsp salt
• 1cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
Servings: 8
Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 1 hr 45 min
directions:
1. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Squeeze half the lemon juice over pears.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. With an electric mixer, cream ½ cup butter and 1 cup sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Beat in flour mixture on low until batter just comes together. Spread in pan. Wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange pears in tight concentric circles on top of dough. Squeeze remaining lemon juice evenly over pears.
5. In a bowl, mix 2 Tbsp sugar with cinnamon. Sprinkle over pears. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until edges are golden and center is set.
6. Cool tart in pan for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edge. Remove sides of pan.
• Try serving this with softened vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, or with cinnamon whipped cream. To make the latter, whip some heavy cream with a pinch of cinnamon.
• You can serve the tart warm or at room temperature.
• Wrap in plastic and keep overnight at room temp. Or refrigerate for longer storage.
Stuffed Zucchini with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
John and I really liked these as a side dish to our pork chops. I had purchased a lot of zucchini at a good price and have made several meals these past 2 weeks from them. By the way, I got this recipe from the Everyday Food magazine that Jerusha gave me as a gift. I really love the simplicity of this magazine with an emphasis on healthy eating.
ingredients
Olive oil, for brushing baking sheet
2 medium zucchini
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, and diced small
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
5 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into 1-inch pieces
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Halve zucchini lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place, cut side up, on sheet and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, oregano, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Top zucchini with tomato mixture. Bake until zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes.
Heat broiler, with rack in top position. Top zucchini with mozzarella. Broil until cheese is brown and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes; serve immediately.
More of the Zucchini Enchiladas… I made them!
I made the recipe for the zucchini enchiladas that Jerusha posted. To say they were a hit is an understatement! John and I both loved them. This recipe was enough for 4 meals for John and me.
Here are my photos:
I hope you’ll try these!
Guest Recipe… Zucchini Enchiladas
Thank you to Jerusha for including this recipe. It looks very yummy and I can’t wait to try it. Please send in your comments!
Zucchini Enchiladas
I have probably made this recipe at least 10 times since my sister-in-law first introduced it at our family reunion last year. It’s inexpensive, healthy, and full of bright and tangy flavors – all the elements of a great recipe. Serve it along with a green salad tossed with yellow peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro-lime dressing.
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 medium zucchinis, grated
- Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cups grated Mexican blend cheese
- 10-12 small flour tortillas
- 1 small can green enchilada sauce
- Chopped cilantro (optional)
- Lime wedges (optional)
Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium nonstick skillet, sauté garlic and scallions in olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes; add zucchini, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup cheese; mix well. Divide zucchini between each tortilla, roll and place seam side down in baking dish.
Top with enchilada sauce and remaining cheese and bake until hot and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges, if desired.
~ Jerusha Gish
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