Katie's recipe swap.

Katie is looking for some good recipes, so I thought I'd join in on the fun...


ROCKIN Mac and Cheese {this ain't Kraft Mac and Cheese...and I have NO idea where I got this recipe...but it's a favorite at our house.}

image- southern living.com

I'm telling you... this stuff is UH-MAZING.

Ingredients:

1 lb. elbow macaroni
3 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. milk {room temp.}
4 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, colby jack, or whatever you like!)
salt, black pepper, and fresh nutmeg
10 oz. box of frozen pureed squash

Cook the pasta in boiling, WELL SALTED water like the box says, probably eight or nine minutes. While it cooks, make the cheese sauce.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, and stir it like crazy with a whisk.
Whisk that together until your mixture turns a golden color.
Add the milk, and whisk like crazy again.
Don't burn your sauce!
Lower the heat and season the sauce with a couple of good pinches of salt and a little pepper and nutmeg.
Now it's time to add the cheese.
Just stir the cheese in until it melts. Taste the sauce to see if it tastes good, and it should! Add the defrosted squash to the mixture and make sure it's all well mixed.
Then add the cooked, drained pasta to the sauce in a large bowl or the pot you cooked the pasta in. Stir it together, and pour it into a casserole dish.
Bake it for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees until it's a little brown on top.


Chicken Enchiladas {Mad Hungry, Feeding men and boys- Lucinda Quinn...I just got this book and LOVE it !}
- this is good with or without the salad on top.

image- allrecipies.com

ingredients:

green sauce-
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 garlic coves, unpeeled
2 jalapeno chili's, stems removed
14 whole tomatillos, peeled and simmered in water for 5 min.
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1/2 cup chicken broth

{OR if you don't want to or to save time you can buy green ench. sauce....just make sure it is made with tomatillos...tastes MUCH better}

enchiladas:
1 tbsp. veg oil. + 2 teas. for salad
3 cups of green sauce
12 corn tortillas
4 cups shredded chicken {I used a rotisserie chicken}
7 oz. Monterrey jack or queso fresco cheese
3-4 cups romaine lettuce
6 radishes trimmed and sliced
1 tbsp. white vinegar
salt/pepper

{to make sauce}
preheat broiler. place onion, garlic and chilies on baking sheet. cook for 4 min. discard garlic skin. Place onion, garlic and chilies in blender with tomatillos, peanuts, salt and broth. Blend until smooth.

PRE-heat oven to 375.

Heat a saucepan to medium high and add tablespoon of oil. Add green sauce and cook a bit to thicken it up.
One by one dip in tortillas and place in 9x13 fill with some chicken {I add a little cheese too}
and roll 'er up.
Fit each ench. snugly next to the other in the dish.
Pour remaining green sauce over enchiladas.
Sprinkle Cheese on top.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and the enchiladas are heated through.

While ench. cook toss lettuce and radishes with 2 teas. oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Layer salad on top of hot ench. and serve immediately.

Vegetable Lasagna {What can I say? I heart Martha.}
image- marthastewart.com


Ingredients:

4 cups (32 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
1 cup shredded carrots {I added this...it's not in the orig. recipe}
6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 ounces)
1 pound fontina cheese (4 cups), shredded
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
2.Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
3.Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

Taco Lasagna { from my mother-in-law}
image-bigoven.com
ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seas.
4 cups salsa
1 31 oz. can refried beans
6- 9 inch tortillas { I've used corn and flour}
3 cups Mexican cheese mix

brown meat and drain. Add taco seas, and 2/3 c. water.
Add salsa.
layer 9x13 with 1/3 meat sauce.
cover with 2 tortillas.
layer with another 1/3 of meat sauce and 1 c. cheese.
cover with 2 tortillas
spread can of refried beans on this layer, and 1 c. of cheese over beans.
layer last 2 tortillas.
cover with the last of the meat, and cheese

bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Meatballs for spaghetti { from our friend Dana Conley}


ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup dry Italian bread crumbs
2 T finely chopped onions
2 T grated parm. cheese
1 teas. salt
1/2 teas. pepper
1/2 teas. garlic powder
1/2 teas. Italian seas.
1.5 lbs. ground beef
.5 lb. of ground pork

combine all ingredients well. {using your hands works best!}
shape into 1 " balls and place unto ungreased {rimmed} baking sheet

bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

serve with sauce and pasta. YUM!

Greek potatoes { from my Mom..a GREAT side dish or good served with some good veggies}
image-greekfood.com
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 teas. oregano
1 chopped garlic clove
1 tbsp. oil
salt/pepper
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 teas. each of thyme, basil, and rosemary.
16 oz. can of chicken broth.
5lbs. potatoes

Saute onion, oregano and garlic in oil. Add all other ingredients besides potatoes and broth.
Peel and cut potatoes into wedges.
Arrange into a 9x13.
Add broth to sauce and bring to a boil.
Pour over potatoes and bake at 450 for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.