italian sausage and ravioli casserole

serves 8      prep time: 20 minutes      cook time: 1 hour      total time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

ingredients
1 lb italian sausage
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper
2 c spinach
1/2-3/4 jar (26 oz.) red pasta sauce of choice
1 bag (25 oz.) frozen cheese-filled ravioli
2.5 c shredded 5-cheese italian cheese blend (10 oz.)

directions

1. heat oven to 350 degrees. in a skillet, cook sausage, onion, garlic, and bell pepper over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink; drain. stir in pasta sauce and spinach. add salt and pepper, as desired.
2. in ungreased 13×9 inch (3-qt.) baking dish, spread 1 cup of sausage mixture. arrange half of the ravioli on top; sprinkle with 1 cup of the italian cheese. top with remaining ravioli, sausage mixture and remaining 1.5 c cheese.
3. cover with foil; bake 45 to 50 minutes or until thoroughly heated. remove foil; bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. let stand 15 minutes before serving.
4. to freeze baked casserole: cover baked casserole with foil, then in double layer of plastic wrap; freeze up to 3 months. to thaw and bake, thaw in refrigerator overnight or until completely thawed. remove plastic wrap; leave foil cover on. bake 50 to 65 minutes at 350 degrees until center is hot (165 degrees).

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carla hall’s show stopping mac n cheese

servings: 6-8       prep time: 15 minutes       cook time: 20 minutes       total time: 35

minutes

ingredients
1.5 lb elbow noodles
kosher salt
3 T butter
3 T all-purpose flour
3.5 c milk
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese (grated) – [i bought 2 6oz bags of murray’s mac & cheese which is a combination of a mix of nutty Gruyère, creamy Butterkase, and meaty Raclette cheeses]
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

directions

1. bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. cook the noodles to al dente according to the package instructions. drain and set aside.
2. in a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until the flour start to take on color, stirring constantly. whisk in the milk, making sure to eliminate any lumps. cook for 5 minutes over low, stirring occasionally.
3. stir in the cheese and adjust seasoning to taste. stir in noodles to coat completely.

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sticky rice with chinese sausage (luo mi fan)

prep time: 30 minutes      cook time: 30 minutes       total time: 1 hour       makes 4 servings

ingredients
2 cups uncooked sticky rice (aka sweet rice or glutinous rice)
1 T oyster sauce
2 T soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/4 c chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
2 T oil
1/4 c dried shrimp, soaked overnight
1 medium onion, finely diced
5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water until softened and diced
3 links chinese sausage, cut into small discs
1 tsp shaoxing wine
pepper, to taste
4 scallions, chopped

directions

1. cook the sticky rice according to the directions on the package and set aside to cool (normally cooked in the rice cooker). when in doubt, use less water to ensure you don’t come out with mushy, overcooked rice. in this case, undercooked is better than overcooked, because you will cook the rice again when stir-frying in the wok.
2. combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken stock, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3. heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. add the shrimp and stir-fry for 30 seconds to bring out the flavor.
4. next add the onion, mushrooms, and chinese sausage, and stir-fry for another minute, taking care not to burn the onion. add the shaoxing wine and stir-fry for another 2 minutes. use a couple of spoonfuls of set aside sauce to flavor everything.
5.  add all of the cooked sticky rice to the wok and break it up as much as possible. spoon half of the sauce mixture over the rice (it helps to add the sauce over any clumps of rice to help break them up).
6. mix well, using a scooping motion to ensure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the wok. add the rest of the sauce and stir-fry until the rice is uniform in color.
7. season with pepper to taste and mix in about half of the scallions. you can serve it as is or if you want to get fancy, you can pack the rice into a nice round bowl rinsed in warm water and turn it over on a plate. sprinkle the rest of the scallions over the rice.

**note to self – look at the notes below on how much water to add to rice cooker

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antipasto squares

servings: 6-8       prep time: 15 minutes      cook time: 30 minutes      total time: 1 hour

ingredients
2 cans crescent dough
1/2 lb. deli ham
1/4 lb. pepperoni (could also use salami)
1/4 lb. sliced provolone
1/4 lb. sliced mozzarella
1 c. sliced pepperoncini
2 T olive oil
1/4 c. grated parmesan
1 tsp. dried oregano

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. unroll one can of crescents onto greased baking sheet and pinch seams together.
3. layer ham, provolone, pepperoni (or salami), mozzarella, and pepperoncini.
4. unroll second crescent dough and place on top of pepperoncini. pinch crescent sheets together to seal.
5. brush olive oil all over the top of crescent dough and then sprinkle parmesan and oregano on top.
6. bake until crescent dough is golden and cooked through, about 30 minutes. (if the crescent dough is browning too quickly, cover with foil.)
7. let cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing into squares.

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french toast bake

prep time: 20 minutes       cook time: 45 minutes – 1 hour      total: 1 hour – 1 hour and 20 minutes      makes 8-10 servings

ingredients
1 loaf sourdough bread
8 eggs
2 c milk
1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c sugar
2 T vanilla

topping:
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c cold butter, cut into pieces

directions

1. cut loaf into cubes and place evenly in a greased 9×13 pan.
2. in a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. pour evenly over bread.
3. cover your pan and refrigerate overnight.
4. mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
5. cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly and place in a ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight as well.
6. take pan and ziploc out when ready to bake. sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread.
7. bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.

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