Crab Stuffed Shells with Bechamel

It has been quite some time since my last post!  I have been busy with work and was visiting my best friend in Charleston (hey, Hillary!) last weekend, so I haven't had much time to get in the kitchen and cook.  Being at the beach had me in the mood for some seafood, so I whipped up some crab stuffed shells shortly after coming home!  Here's how to make them:

Linguine with Clams, Mussels and Bacon

Sometimes you just get a craving for some really good pasta that's super flavorful but not too complicated to make.  Here's the recipe for my last craving: 

Quick Tomato Sauce

This is a really easy and inexpensive tomato sauce recipe for when you don't feel like taking all the time to make a hearty marinara.  It's good on pasta and pizza but I used it for Chicken Parmesan Subs.  Here's how to make it:

What you'll need:

1 onion, small dice

3 cloves of garlic, minced

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade

Salt, as needed

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Coat the bottom of a pot with olive oil and heat over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onion and season generously with salt.  Cook until the onion is translucent and tender.

Add the garlic and cook a minute more.  Add the tomatoes, sugar and oregano.  Bring to a bubble then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 30 minutes.  

Taste and season with more salt if needed then add the fresh basil leaves right before serving.  

Enjoy!

Chili Mac and Cheese

Can you tell it's comfort food season at my house?  Here's another mac and cheese recipe.  Chili Mac! I love using pasta shells for this recipe because they hold so much of the filling.  Here's how to make it:

Easy Sesame Noodles

These sesame noodles are soo easy and quick!  They are one of my favorite things to make because they are simple and satisfying.  They are even good leftover the next day, straight from the refrigerator.  Here's how to make them:

Chicken Noodle Soup with Orzo and Lemon

Cold and flu season is definitely here.  I've been battling a cold the past few days and couldn't think of anything I'd rather eat than chicken noodle soup.  I add a whole rotisserie chicken and lots of lemon juice to give it a nice tang.  It's easy and delicious.  Here's how to make it:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi!  It's so good and a great change from regular old pasta.  Gnocchi are little dumplings that are made with potato.  I had some sweet potatoes laying around and thought it would be fun to make sweet potato gnocchi instead.  It's easy to make and is stored in the freezer which makes it great for a quick dinner.  Here's how to make it:

 

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Fall is here and that means comfort food. We had some friends over on Sunday to watch the Panthers game.  What better dish to make for a crowd than a big batch of mac and cheese?  Buffalo chicken mac and cheese sounded perfect for a football game.  I've been wanting to come up with a recipe like this for a while.  Blue cheese is one of those things some people just really hate, so I didn't want this dish to be overpowered with Blue cheese.  I used Gorgonzola cheese because it is a little milder than regular Blue cheese. Everyone agreed that it was subtle and really good!  Here's how to make it:

Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta!  It might not sound like it, but it really does have a similar texture to spaghetti.  It doesn't have much flavor on its own, but if you mix it with your favorite pasta sauce it really mimics pasta.  It's simple to make, it's filling, and it goes great with any sauce.  It is also great to use in chilled pasta salads.  This time, I decided to mix mine with marinara sauce.  Here's how to make it:

Ellen's Marinara Sauce

I am such a big fan of pasta.  I know it's something I shouldn't eat all the time because it's pretty much just straight up carbs, but I don't care, I love it anyway.  I don't eat it all the time, but about once a week.  One of my favorite sauces of all time is a thick, rich and hearty marinara sauce.  In my opinion, a pasta sauce should coat the pasta and there shouldn't be a lot of excess sauce on the bottom of your plate.  This is my version of marinara and how I think it should be done.  In this recipe, I build different levels of flavor by using multiple techniques that each achieve a different flavor.

Uovo di Raviolo

Pasta with an egg inside!