Springtime Asparagus Pasta Toss

Walmart had asparagus on sale this week for 1.88 per lb. I absolutely LOVE asparagus, and thankfully so does my husband. So I decided I wanted to try something I haven't ever tried for dinner tonight. I was just browsing and found a recipe that I thought sounded really yummy. I'll have to let you know how it goes. Click on the picture above for the link to the recipe on the Kraft Foods site.

Spaghetti Sauce From Scratch

This isn't a picture of mine because I was dumb and didn't take one. It is the closest to what mine looked like though. I got it here :

One time, I was really wanting pasta, but I didn't have any sauce in the cupboard, so I decided to try to make my own. It turned out pretty good I thought. I was even smart ish enough to write down what I did.

• 1c. hot water
• 1 boullion cube
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried onion
• 2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 Tbs. basil
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 3 Tbs. brown sugar
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (14 ish oz.)
• 1 can tomato sauce (14 ish oz.)
  

It's easy. Disolve the boullion in the water, pour in a pot, or crockpot, add all the other ingredients and cook till it boils. You can let it simmer for a while or use it as soon as it heats up. I like mine to simmer for a while, because the flavors mix together better. When it is done, pour it over your favorite pasta. If you want to add a pound of browned hamburger or shredded chicken you can. I didn't this time because I didn't have any left, but usually I do put meat in.

Chicken Parmesan

I've made breaded fried chicken a couple of times in the last little while and it turned out really good both times, so last week I decided to give it an Italian twist and see how it turned out. It turned out really good. I was dumb and didn't write down what I did and measurements or anything and was kicking myself afterward. So of course I had to make it again and write it down this time. It was easy, and really didn't take a long time.

3-4 c. cornflakes

4-5 chicken breasts (depending on size)

1/2 c. pancake mix

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. season salt

1/2 tsp. sage

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 pinch black pepper

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/4 c. milk

3/4-1c. oil (depending on the size of the pan)

Pour cornflakes in a large ziplock bag. Use a rolling pin to smash them till they are almost powder, but there are still some pieces. Add all other ingredients to the bag except the chicken, milk and egg. Shake bag till everything is evenly mixed together. Put the egg and the milk in a container large enough for the largest piece of chicken to fit in. Put each piece of chicken in the egg mixture and cover evenly, then immediately place it in the ziplock and shake until the chicken is evenly covered with the mixture, then place each piece of chicken in a hot frying pan with about a 1/4 in. of oil in the bottom. Cook on Medium till each side is golden brown and crispy and the inside is fully cooked. If the chicken is frozen when you put it in, it will take longer to finish the middle so you might want to put it on a lower heat so it won't burn the outside. When fully cooked, you can pour marinara over the top, and sprinkle with parmesan and grated cheese.

We had spaghetti and salad with ours and it was sooooooo good. I know it kind of sounds like a pain, but aside from the chicken cooking, (which took about 15 minutes using thawed chicken breasts) the part that takes the longest is mashing the cornflakes. If you are in a hurry, you can mix all the dry ingredients in the blender or a food processor and then pour in a bag. I promise you won't regret trying it.

Broccolli Alfredo Pasta

I made this for the first time a few weeks ago when my sister Holly came to my house to visit. I didn't have chicken, but I had alfredo and pasta and a bag of frozen broccolli. Tonight I made it again, but I used fresh broccolli because I had a bundle in the fridge that I needed to use before it went bad since it has been there for a week. So, here is a fantastic, very fast, very easy, delicious meal for any night of the week.

1/2 box of any kind of pasta (I used Rotini)

1 jar of alfredo sauce

1/2 bag frozen broccolli, or a bundle of fresh broccolli

Bring some water to a boil in a sauce pot. Add pasta and boil for about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile in another pot put broccolli and just enough water to cover about half of it. Boil till the broccolli is tender. (It took me about 8 minutes with the fresh broccolli and some salt) Drain whatever water remains, add alfredo sauce and heat to desired temperature to serve over pasta. When pasta is finished, just drain, rinse and serve with the broccolli alfredo sauce.

I also sprinkled mozerella and parmesan cheeses on top. It was delicious.

The 2 Step Breadsticks:

1. I take 4-12 Rhodes frozen dough rolls, out of the freezer and put them on a plate sprayed with cooking spray. Then I cover them with plastic wrap, also sprayed. Then I let them thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours on the plate.

2. When they are done rising, I roll them till they are about 9 inches long, move them to a cookie sheet, spread melted butter with parmesan and garlic salt, and if you want, parsley, and or italian seasoning on them and bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350.

Cheesy Baked Lasagna

Last night for dinner we had lasagna. I have never made lasagna before and it surprised me how easy it is to make. It turned out so well. I was very proud of the finished product. Here is the recipe I used.

1 box lasagna pasta
1 30 oz. container of ricotta cheese
2 c. mozerella cheese separated into two 1 cup portions
1/4 c. parmesan
2 partially beaten eggs
1 tsp. dried basil
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 jar of spaghetti sauce

In a large pot bring to boil about 6-8 cups of water. Add pasta and boil for 8-10 minutes stirring gently every so often so the pasta doesn't stick together or to the pot. While the pasta cooks, mix the ricotta, 1 cup mozerella, parmesan, eggs, basil, parsley, garlic salt, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. When pasta is done boiling drain in a collander. In a 9x13 casserole dish pour a thin layer of the spaghetti sauce, just enough to cover the bottom. Then cover with a layer of the pasta, then cheese mixture on top of that, then repeat beginning with another layer of sauce, pasta, cheese, sauce, pasta, then sauce again, and sprinkle top with the remaining one cup of mozerella and sprinkle slightly with parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for 60 minutes at 450 degrees F. The whole process only took me about an hour and a half from start to finish. Easy and worth every second. Enjoy and let me know what you think. I'd love some feedback.