Gnocchi with ricotta and tomato sauce

Adapted from Good Housekeeping: Vegetarian Meals cookbook

Ingredients:
1 package gnocchi (16 oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 medium tomatoes (1 1/2 lbs) chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 - 10 fresh basil leaves chopped
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Cook gnocchi as directed on package.

2. In nonstick skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

3. Stir in tomatoes, salt, basil, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break up slightly - about 5 minutes.

4. Drain gnocchi; transfer to warm serving bowl. Stir in ricotta and permesan.

5. Pour tomato mixture on top; toss before serving.

Serve with a leafy green salad and bread sticks or garlic bread. Use an olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper dressing on the salad.

Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup chicken broth
3 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
Handful of chopped green onion

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix cream cheese, sour cream and broth in large bowl until well blended.
Add potatoes, onion, 1-3/4 cups of the cheese; stir gently to coat all ingredients.
Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake 1 hour or until casserole is heated through and potatoes are tender.

This is such a versatile recipe - add ham, different cheese etc. This recipe accompanied the sugar glazed pork below... don't trust the potato picture, it's much tastier than it looks.

Cheesy Chicken Chowder:

From page 33 of Taste of Home's Prize Winning Recipes cookbook.

3 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups grated cheese
2 cups diced, cooked chicken

In a 4 quart saucepan bring chicken broth to a boil.
Reduce heat; add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan; add flour and mix well.
Gradually stir in milk; cook over low heat until slightly thickened.
Stir in cheese and cook until melted.

Add cheese mixture to broth and add chicken.
Cook and stir over low heat until heated through.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

*I didn't add celery but did add a lot more onion. Broccoli would be a good add to this as would bacon. It's so good!

Skillet Enchiladas

These are easy and delicious.

You need:
1lb of meat - ground beef or chicken
Diced onion

1/2 cup of milk
1 10oz can of enchilada sauce - green or red, either is fine
1 can cream of mushroom soup undiluted
flour toritillas
grated cheese

2 tblsp diced green chili

Heat skillet and brown meat and onion.
Add enchilada sauce, soup, milk and chilis
Bring to a boil. 
Turn down. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Fill tortillas with cheese and roll up.
Bury in soupy sauce mixture.
Cover with cheese.

Cover and heat for 5 minutes or so until cheese is melty.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

*You can use less meat and add some black beans to it instead. Whatever you fancy.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas:

This is a recipe Stuart makes when we're having people over. They always ask for the recipe and I never get around to giving it to them... Today is your lucky day.

Indgredients:
12 flour or corn tortillas
¼ cup chopped onion
4 cups sour cream
1 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut up
1tbs or more chili powder
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2-3 cups grated cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 large can refried beans
1 small can green chilies

In a large bowl, mix together chicken, sour cream, soups, chilies, onions, garlic powder, and chili powder.
Add 1 ½ cups grated cheese.
Mix.
Down the center of each tortilla, spread a line of refried beans, then a line of sour cream mixture.
Fold ends to middle and roll up.
Place seam side down in a 13x9” pan.
Continue with all tortillas.
Then spread remaining sour cream mixture on top.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over all.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Stuffed Mushrooms:

I made these for a fancy potluck dinner and they were delectable.

You need:
mushrooms
1 package cream cheese; softened
handful of green onions; finely sliced
1/4lb sausage, browned
pepper
1 tsp chopped garlic
hot sauce

Pull the stems out the mushrooms and chop them finely.
Heat a little butter in a frying pan and saute the chopped stems, onion and sausage with the garlic and pepper.
Once browned and nice put the mixture on a paper towel on a plate to cool.
Mix softened cream cheese with a shake of hot sauce and garlic powder if you want.
Once mushroomy mixture is cooler chuck it in the cream cheese and mix well.
Fill mushroom caps with cream cheese mixture.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400'f for 15-20 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and clear juices are visable.

You can thicken the mixture by adding some parmesan cheese if you like. I meant to but it turned out fine without.

Tip: Use a cookie scoop to get cheese mixture into mushrooms.

Paula Deen's Creamy Mac & Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes.
Drain.
In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese.
Stir until the cheese melts.
In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well.
Then add drained macaroni and stir again.
Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.


Smelling this whilst it cooks will drive you insane. Mmmmm. I do prefer my own macaroni from scratch but it was nice to have this in the crock pot whilst going about my daily business and it tasted quite close to my own...