Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

1 pound Fettuccine pasta

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of garlic powder

3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

Follow steps 1 and 2 simultaneously

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.   Add Fettuccine pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente.

Step 2

In a large saucepan, melt butter into cream over low heat.  Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and garlic powder. 

Stir in cheese over medium heat until melted

Step 3

Drain pasta

Step 4

Add pasta to sauce 

Mix well, coating pasta. 

Serve immediately.

All Time Favorite Tomato Sauce

All Time Favorite Tomato Sauce

This is the best, basic tomato sauce you will ever need. Do you need a meat tomato sauce? If yes, all you have to do is add cooked Italian sausage or cooked ground beef to the sauce.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 rounded tablespoons minced garlic

2 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes w/ puree
1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 to 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
3/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a large pot, saute the chopped onion and minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until softened.

Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and parsley.

Simmer for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

David picking fresh Roma tomatoes for All Time Favorite Tomato Sauce, 9/1/13

Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler
Original recipe by Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

1/2 sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups fresh or frozen peaches
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping
2 cup flour
2 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons shortening
1 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Blend 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch in medium saucepan. 

Stir in peaches, lemon juice and cinnamon. 

Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole.  Keep fruit mixture hot in oven while preparing biscuit topping.

Measure flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and salt into bowl.  Add shortening and milk.   Mix until dough forms a ball.  Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto hot fruit and then spread topping.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until biscuit topping is golden brown.  Serve warm and with vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

6 servings

Peanut Butter Delight Dog Birthday Cake

                                                                                                         

Peanut Butter Delight Dog Birthday Cake

Crowded Kitchen wants to help celebrate your best friend's birthday.  Send us your photographs of the special day, and we'll share the special moment with everyone.

Send photographs, and names to  crowdedkitchen509@gmail.com

Ingredients:

1 cup white or whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg

Frosting:

Cottage cheese
1/2 shredded carrots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together the flour, baking soda, peanut butter, vegetable oil, (1 cup) shredded carrots, vanilla, honey, egg, and mix well.

Pour into a round or square baking dish sprayed with a nonstick spray.

Bake for 40 minutes

Frost the cake with cottage cheese and decorate with remaining carrot pieces.

Axle's birthday cake, 3/2/13

Axle, Frank & Chief celebrating!  3/2/13

Fanny (left) & Emma (right) celebrating  their first birthday

Axle's fourth birthday party

Axle patiently waiting for his birthday cake!

Chief Gaimari (left) & Axle Hays (right) celebrating Axle's fifth birthday

David & Chief,  6/10/12

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large chopped onion, divided
4 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 - 28 ounce crushed tomatoes w/ puree
1 - 15 ounce tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Italian parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage

15 ounce ricotta cheese
1 large egg, beaten slightly

12 oven ready (no-boil) lasagna pasta sheets (7 x 3 1/2-inch)
12 ounce mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Step 1

Tomato Sauce

In a large pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Saute 1/2 of the chopped onions, 4 tablespoons minced garlic until softened.  Add 2 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 - 15 ounce can of tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning.

Simmer for 15 minutes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Step 2

In a large saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the remaining chopped onions and minced garlic until softened.

Add the sausage and chopped bell pepper.  Cook for 6 minutes, or until sausage is almost cooked.  Break up sausage with utensil.

Once the sausage is almost cooked, pour the mixture into the large pot.  Stir sausage and tomato sauce mixture together.

Simmer for 15 minutes

Step 3

In a large bowl stir together ricotta cheese and slightly beaten egg.

Step 4

Spread 1 cup of cooked sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  The sauce will not cover the bottom of the dish completely.

Cover with 3 lasagna sheets, making sure they do not touch each other.

Spread about 1 1/2 cups of sauce over pasta.

Drop 1/3 portion of ricotta cheese mixture by spoonfuls onto sauce and gently spread with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle 1/4 portion of mozzarella cheese over ricotta cheese mixture.

REPEAT ABOVE DIRECTIONS AND MAKE TWO MORE LAYERS IN THE SAME MANNER.

After placing the last three pasta sheets, spread the remaining sauce evenly over the top.  Make sure the pasta is completely covered, and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cover the lasagna dish tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake lasagna for 10 additional minutes, or until top is bubbling and golden.

Let lasagna stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

The Best Pecan Pie Ever!

The Best Pecan Pie Ever!
1 9-inch deep-dish pie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup

4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (1/2 lb) pecan pieces (use a wooden mallet and break-up pecan halves)
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pastry shell

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts and sugar dissolves.  REMOVE FROM HEAT AND COOL SLIGHTLY.

While sugar mixture is cooling, beat the eggs, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl.

Pour the sugar mixture into the egg mixture, beating well with a wire whisk.   Add the pecan halves (pecan pieces) and mix together.  Pour into pastry shell. 

Bake for 60 minutes 

HINT - YOU MUST HAVE PATIENCE WHEN MAKING A PECAN PIE.  REMOVE THE PIE FROM THE OVEN AND COOL COMPLETELY ON A WIRE RACK.  THE SECRET TO MAKING A PECAN PIE IS TO REFRIGERATE IT OVERNIGHT, SO MAKE THIS PIE ONE DAY IN ADVANCE.  IF YOU FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS, YOU WILL HAVE MASTERED THIS RECIPE.   

Don't forget the Vanilla Ice Cream!