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.