Baked Tortellini

There is NOTHING better than a baked pasta dish with really good tomato-based sauce.

Ingredients

1 bag of frozen cheese-filled tortellini
1 pound of extra-lean ground sirloin
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 of a yellow sweet onion, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1-12 oz. can of tomato paste
6 cups of tomato sauce (I use our's from our garden)
2 Tablespoons of Splenda (or 1 Tablespoon of white sugar)
1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large saucepan cook the tortellini according to the al dente directions on the package. Drain and reserve the saucepan.

While the pasta is cooking, brown the sirloin in a skillet. Use a metal potato masher to break into small pieces while cooking. When cooked through, remove to a plate covered with a paper towel.

Using the tortellini's saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, mix everything, and allow to heat for about 3-4 minutes. Using a wire whisk, add in the tomato sauce, salt, pepper, Splenda (or sugar), and Italian seasoning. Allow everything to simmer for about 10 minutes to infuse flavors.

Add the tortellini and sirloin to the sauce and mix well. Toss in the grated Parmesan and mix. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

***WHY SUGAR? My grandmother taught me this trick. If you are using home-made tomato sauce, straight from your garden, it is sometimes bitter. Adding just a little sugar to the sauce helps remove the bitter taste.

***This also applies to dishes using home-grown peppers, except use brown sugar instead of white.

Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Bake

With our extra-busy life, and with the weather being too cold and rainy to fire up the grill, I have been experimenting with casseroles.

This is an excellent way to use leftover ham (from holidays). It also MAKES great leftovers for lunch the next day (or two).

Ingredients

1 box of bowtie pasta (I use whole wheat)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 cups of 2% milk
1 handful of 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 small handful of 2% colby jack cheese cubes
1 handful of shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 bag of frozen broccoli florets, slightly thawed
1/2 pound of ham, cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Cook noodles according to the al dente directions. Drain.

Using the pasta pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour to the melted butter and mix well. Whisk the mustard and milk into the flour-butter mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer until thickened. Toss in the cheeses to melt.

Combine the noodles, broccoli, and ham with the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix gently.

Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes to warm everything, stir, and bake for 5 more minutes.

Brownies

These were given a huge thumbs up at a recent party I hosted.

Ingredients

1/2 cup REAL unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour an 8x8 glass baking dish.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. While the butter is melting, in a separate bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.

When melted completely, remove the butter from the heat. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir quickly! When well mixed, add in the cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder mixture. Stir until well-combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes. Do not overbake or they will turn out hard.

Serve warm.

Yield: 16 bite-sized brownies.

***Brownies are, to me, one of the hardest desserts to make because they always seem under or over-cooked! I begin checking them five minutes before the time given in the recipe, and pull them out when they seem set and the edges look like the middle.

***This recipe would be excellent with dark chocolate chips sprinkled on top before baking.