Roasted pumpkin seeds

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkins seeds
• 2 tablespoons butter - melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

• Rinse seeds
• Combine seeds, butter, olive oil, garlic salt, and Worchestershire - mix well
• Spread on baking sheet and bake at 275 for 45 minutes (after the first 30 minutes, stir the seeds around on the baking sheet a bit to mix/turn)
• Turn heat up to 300 and bake for another 15 minutes

Ashley's American Goulash

This is an American take on goulash (which is actually a traditional Hungarian dish that doesn't have noodles or cheese so this is a very altered version to say the least). 

Time needed:  45 minutes (30 of which is baking)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion - chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 5 tomatoes - chopped
• 4 stalks of celery - chopped
• 1 cup kerneled corn
• 1 cup peas
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 jalapenos - chopped
• 3 cups elbow macaroni (3 cups dry)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups Velveeta - cubed

Directions:

• Brown beef in saute pan.  Add chopped onion and simmer on low until onion is soft (4-5 minutes).  Add salt/pepper to taste. 
• Bring water to boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and the olive oil, add the elbow macaroni.  Boil until soft but not completely al dente (you're going to bake this dish for 30 minutes, so if you boil the noodles until they are "done" or al dente completely they will become too mushy when you bake them).  Strain and set aside.
• In a large bake safe and lightly greased casserole dish, combine the browned meat/onion, noodles, tomato, celery, jalapenos (raw), cooked peas/corn/carrots and Velveeta.  Add any salt/pepper to taste.  Mix well.
• Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Slab it on a piece of toast for a divine experience.

Ashley's All American Mac & Cheese

Time needed: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 4 cups elbow macaroni
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese - cubed
• 1/3 cup medium cheddar cheese - cubed
• 1 cup fresh mozz - pulled apart into marble-sized balls (it's important you use fresh mozz so don't substitute this for anything else)
• 1/3 cup Muenster cheese - cubed
• 8 ounces of "processed cheese food" cubed (that's right, my American version has to have a little somethin' processed in it - fittingly enough)
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 2 eggs - beaten
• 8 tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Boil water in a stock pot, add olive oil and a pinch of salt once water comes to a rolling boil
• Add pasta
• Preheat oven to 350
• Once pasta is cooked, drain
• In the stock pot, melt butter over low heat
• Add the half and half, drained pasta, eggs
• Add about 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper
• Mix well until the half and half, butter, salt/pepper, and eggs are all evenly distributed and all of the pasta has been coated
• Add the cheeses and mix well
• Pour the mixture into a lightly greased, deep (maybe 2 or 2.5 inches) bake safe dish
• Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes

Dunkers

Time needed:  40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf Italian bread (Italian, Dutch, or French will all work fine) - cut into rectangles or sliced evenly
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh mozz - pulled apart (I guess you could use the processed stuff that's already shredded in a bag but, that's gross...)
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese - shredded
• 1/4 cup parsley - finely chopped
• Garlic salt
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup basil - chopped
• 1/2 white onion

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325
• Brown ground beef over medium heat and season with salt and pepper to taste
• Add sliced garlic, mushrooms, basil, onion and crushed tomatoes, cover, simmer (this should simmer for at least 30 minutes)
• Place bread on a baking sheet and brush the bread pieces lightly with olive oil and season lightly with garlic salt
• Sprinkle with the mozz and cheddar
• Bake bread for 7-9 minutes or until the cheese has melted

Chicken salad

Time needed: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or tenders
• 3 stalks of celery - finely chopped
• 1/2 red onion - finely chopped
• 1/3 cup dill pickles - chopped
• 12 grape tomatoes - quartered
• 2/3 cup mayo (I prefer the mayo made with olive oil)
• 1/3 cup dijon mustard
• salt, pepper, paprika to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

* You may want to add more mayo and/or mustard depending on your preference.

Instructions:

• Wash chicken thoroughly
• Heat olive oil in pan, add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown/juices clear
• Add celery, onion, pickles, tomatoes, mayo, and mustard to a large bowl - mix well
• Once chicken is cooked, allow it to cool for a few minutes before pulling apart until well shredded
• Add chicken to large bowl with the rest of the mixture and turn in until completely coated
• Serve/refridgerate

Meatballs

Time needed:  45 minutes

Ingredients | Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground beef (85/15) or ground turkey
• 1/4 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parsley - finely chopped
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese
• 1 garlic clove - smashed
• 1 egg - beaten

Ingredients | Sauce:

• 2 cans (28 ounces each) of crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium white onion - sliced in half (don't cut/chop - just leave it sliced in half)
• 4 cloves of garlic - smashed
• 1/4 cup fresh basil - chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt/pepper to taste

Instructions for sauce:

• In a large sauce pot, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Over medium heat, add the smashed garlic and brown slightly (about 2 minutes)- careful not to burn
• Add the tomatoes, onion, basil, and stir well
• Allow sauce to come to a soft boil, then add salt/pepper to taste
• Cover and reduce heat to low/sim

Instructions for meatballs:

• Combine meat, bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, cheese and garlic in a large bowl and mix well.  Ensure all ingredients are even distributed.
• Form meatballs out of mixture - make sure you pack them tightly.  One pound of meat should make five 2-inch meatballs or ten 1-inch meatballs.
• Carefully place meatballs in the sauce.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Serve with sauce (remove the 1/2 of the onion)

Nota Bene:  Obviously you can make pasta along with this.  The meatballs are hearty enough to suffice on their own though.  Also, if you want directions for making your own seasoned bread crumbs or a more authentic sauce (which would take a few more hours) just let me know and I'd be happy to provide either, or both!

Mangiamo!

Shell pasta with peas / asparagus / prosciutto

Time needed: 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shell pasta (medium)
• 3 ounces prosciutto (one package is generally 3 ounces / 5 slices) torn into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup peas
• 1 bunch/bundle of asparagus (if you aren't sure how much to cut off, bend the asparagus in half until it snaps - the top half is the one you use)
• 1 bunch green onions (thinly slice the parts into 1/2 inch strips)
• 1 shallot - minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 gloves of garlic - thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

• In a medium-sized saucepan, bring salted water to a boil and add the pasta.
• In a large saute pan, add olive oil and butter and melt over medium/low heat. Add the minced shallot and garlic. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper. Stir occassionally while browning slightly (about 6 to 7 minutes).
• In another medium-sized sauce pan, bring salted water to boil and add the asparagus. Boil under asparagus turns bright green (about 3 minutes or so).   Strain.   Place asparagus in a bowl of ice water for 1 minute and then return it to the sauce pan.
• Once shallot/garlic mixture is browned, add the chicken broth and wine to the saute pan.  Continue to cook on medium/low. Add the peas. Allow to boil softly for another few minutes.
• Strain pasta.
• After the peas are softened in the saute pan, add the pasta to the saute pan. Add the asparagus. Stir/toss. Add salt/pepper to taste.
• Dish up. Top with the parsley, parmesan and prosciutto.
• Done.

Grilled cheese with fresh mozzarella / ham / tomatoes / peppers

Time needed:  15 minutes.  People forget about the good ole grilled cheese.  Just add some vegetables, ham, and fresh mozzarella.  Literally - 15 minutes.  If your child doesn't like this, chances are there's something wrong with them. 

Remember:  Use wheat bread and real ingredients (fresh mozzarella, real butter, et cetera).

Ingredients: (this is for 4 sandwiches)

• Sliced wheat bread (the number of slices depends on how many sandwiches you want to make - 2 slices per sandwich)
• Softened butter (real butter - not crap margarine), enough to coat one side of each slice of bread
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tomato - thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper - thinly sliced (or 1 jalapeno if you prefer it hot)
• 2 slices of ham per sandwich (I prefer Black Forest ham)
• 1 slice of cheddar cheese per sandwich -  4 total
• 1 cup-sized ball of fresh mozzarella - torn apart

Directions:

• Generously coat one side of each piece of bread with softened butter and set aside.
• Thinly slice the tomato and pepper.
• In a saucepan heated to medium, add slices of bread butter side down.
• Layer each with the slice of cheddar, tomato, ham, pepper, and top with the small balls of mozzarella.
• Place the topping slice of buttered on the very top, butter side facing up.
• With a spatula, press down on top of each sandwich, gently squishing ingredients together (makes it easier to flip).
• Add the olive oil to the outer rim of the pan (adding some olive oil makes a nicer crust)
• Cover.
• After 2 minutes, flip sandwiches to the other side and cover again.
• Continue until fully melted and you have the desired crusting. 
• Done.

Mango garlic chicken with basmati rice and salsa

Time needed:  30 minutes.


Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinned boneless chicken breasts, cut into long strips. (You can buy chicken tenders or medallions so they are already sliced, but regular breasts work fine since you can just cut them into strips.)
• 3 cups white basmati rice.
• 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro - chopped.
• 1 mango - sliced/cubed/whatever.
• 3 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced.
• Olive oil - about 3 tablespoons, or just enough to coat the saute pan in which you'll be cooking your chicken.
• Salt/pepper.
• 2 cups salsa.
• 1 fresh jalapeno (don't you dare use jalapenos out of a jar or a can).

Instructions:

• Wash chicken thoroughly.
• Coat your saute pan in olive oil and turn your heat on low/medium. After about 30 seconds, distribute chicken pieces evenly around the pan. Salt and pepper the pieces on the side that's up. Cover the pan and continue to simmer. Every 3 to 4 minutes you are going to come back to your chicken and turn the pieces. You will do this until they are browned perfectly. Should only take about 15-20 minutes depending on the type of pan you're using and your stove top.
• Boil about 3 cups water, salted. Once water comes to a boil, add about a tablespoon of butter until it's melted. Add basmati rice, stir. (Depending on the bagged basmati rice you buy, the water to dry rice ratio might vary so be sure to check the directions on the bag to make sure it's correct. Also, don't use margarine because that's disgusting. Use real butter.) Cover pan and cook on low/medium heat. Come back to stir/turn over your rice about every 3-4 minutes. (After your turn your chicken, check your rice - easy.)
• Turn your chicken over onto the other side. Salt and pepper the new side. Add the sliced garlic pieces.
• After you have turned your chicken a few times and the pieces are starting to get slightly golden, add the mango to the pan with the chicken. Make sure you still have enough olive oil in the pan. You don't want to burn anything, so if things are looking dry in the saute pan, add another tablespoon or two of olive oil.
• Add salsa and the sliced fresh jalapenos to another saute pan and sim on low/medium heat. Stir to ensure jalapenos are mixed into the salsa well. Cover.
• Keep checking chicken until it is browned on both sides.
• Keep checking rice until the texture is soft.
• Once done, remove chicken and rice from heat. Dish up chicken on plates and top with your garlic and mango mixture, side with the rice and salsa. Top the rice with the fresh chopped cilantro.
• Done.