You’ll note there wasn’t any posts for awhile. I have been ill with a terrible cold that has lasted for 10 days and isn’t completely gone. I was not totally idle. In the last couple of days, my brother and his wife came to visit for a couple of days so I had to do some cooking. It was all on the easy side. Continue reading Easy Meat Sauce
I have posted my Marinara Sauce recipe previously. I really like it but I am addicted to trying to make something a little better every time I make it. Sometimes it is “interesting” and some time it works. This time I decided to try adding some bacon to my Marinara Sauce. Continue reading Smoky Marinara Sauce
I’d just got home from curling. She Who Must Be Obeyed had hamburger out and told me I was making dinner. I decided on a nice hearty casserole to warm us up on a cold winter day. However, I didn’t feel like making a roux based cheese sauce and decided to use Campbell’s Condensed Mushroom Soup as a base. I also used the low sodium version. I like mushroom soup based casseroles but they just aren’t as rich as ones made with a sauce from scratch. I thought I could overcome that and made Beef Rotini Casserole. Continue reading Beef Rotini Casserole
I love Mac & Cheese. However, it often isn’t very cheesy and it can be a bit bland. So I added extra cheese, made a ham topping and added a few more adult seasonings and made a great updated Mac & Cheese. As for the name Monday Mac & Cheese, I didn’t know what to call this. She Who Must Be Obeyed heaved a long suffering sigh and said, “Call it Monday.” She must be obeyed. Continue reading Monday Mac & Cheese
She Who Must Be Obeyed likes those casseroles that our mothers used to make. You know the ones, a can of mushroom soup, noodles, cheese and some kind of protein. Mostly they were pretty bland. Who would want those. Ok, they’re not that bad. Don’t look at me like that. Ok, I like them too. However, they can be adjusted to make them more flavourful and made from less processed food. That is what I have done with Beef Mushroom Casserole. Continue reading Beef Mushroom Casserole
Christmas is coming and many people cook a turkey. If your house is anything like mine, that means having to deal with leftover turkey. This recipe uses left over chicken or turkey in a different way. It is so good it is worth cooking chicken just to make it. Also, it is very quick and easy. Continue reading Cacciatore Casserole
There are some things you should have around just in case you need them. Marinara Sauce is one of those things. You can freeze it and then bring it out to make pasta in hurry or as a base for so many recipes. Continue reading Marinara Sauce
I ordered baked spaghetti at an Italian restaurant recently. It was spaghetti tossed with Bolognese sauce, some cheese sprinkled over the top and broiled. It was OK but I was sure I could do better. Here is my effort. Continue reading Baked Spaghetti
I suspect you have several dishes that you make over and over again. This is one of them. It is comfort food similar to a lasagna but with different seasonings and using macaroni. I would have no problem serving this to company. Continue reading Pistatsio, One of My Favourites
I was listening to the CBC and they had a Chef, Ricardo Larrivee, on. He has written a book, Ricardo Slow Cooker Favourites: From Lasagna to Creme Brulee, By: Ricardo Larrivee, Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
He went over a recipe for Slow Cooker Lasagna. It sounded reasonably easy and used ingredients that are readily available in the supermarket. He let the CBC post the recipe. Here is the link:
http://www.cbc.ca/nxnw/featured-guests/2013/11/03/slow-cooking-with-ricardo/
I decided to give it a try and the pictures of my efforts are above.
I only made 1/2 the recipe as I only have a 3 quart slow cooker and I was cooking for She Who Must Be Obeyed and myself. I used mild Italian Sausage (if I made it again I would use spicy). I also used whole wheat lasagna noodles as I like the flavour better and it gives some fiber.
It only took a little over 3 hours for it to cook as I had halved the recipe.
I served it with garlic bread made from a whole wheat French loaf and steamed broccoli, carrots and corn. I had a nice Shiraz with it and the missus had a Chardonnay.
The Verdict
This was a very easy recipe to make. I put it together in just a couple of minutes. The result is better than I was expecting in a slow cooker pasta. The taste was nice but could use a bit more seasoning in my opinion. I think it would be better with spicy Italian sausage. There isn’t enough sausage in it that the spicy sausage would make it hot but it would punch it up a little.
This would be a great recipe to whip up in a hurry and then relax while it cooks away. I would make it again. I might also buy the book.
The Old Fat Guy