Creamy Ham Fettuccine Recipe

Jennifer S.

This is good with leftover roasted chicken. Or with a shredded "deli roasted" chicken in place of the ham.

1 package (12 ounces) fettuccine
3 cups cubed fully cooked ham
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a large saucepan, cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain. In the same pan, add the ham, peas,cheese, cream and fettuccine.
Cook and stir until heated through. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Rigatoni with Sausage and Tomato Cream Sauce

Jennifer S.

Use water, or chicken broth or apple juice in the place of the white wine.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds mild or hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (from a 15-ounce can)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup light cream
1 pound rigatoni
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a fork, until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat.
Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it almost evaporates, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sausage, tomatoes, and salt. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the pepper, parsley, and cream.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until just done, about 14 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan.

HJORTEBAKKELS (Norwegian Christmas Cake Doughnuts)

Grandma Helen Walberg Larsen Evans

Hjortebakkels Pronounced Yoh-tah-bahk-elles literally means "Jesus buckles or Crosses" The shape of the "doughnuts" end up looking like an Ankh (rounded cross).

This makes a HUGE amount, for first time adventures so I ended up cutting the recipe in half. The half recipe is as follows:

Dry Ingredients:
5 C. Flour
½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Cardamom
½ tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Nutmeg
¼ tsp. Ground Cloves
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Brown Sugar
Sift together in a bowl and make a well to add the wet ingredients.

Wet Ingredients:
5 Eggs
¼ C. Cream
1 stick Butter, melted
½ tsp. Lemon Juice

Knead until dough is formed. Refrigerate over night. Roll dough into ropes (use a little flour), cut into 3-4” lengths. Cross dough and press to make knots. Make 2 slits at top of circle. Dough must be kept cold at all times!! Deep fry at 350° until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe in my Grandmother Helen's handwriting when she wrote the recipe out for me 22 years ago.

 

Helen Walberg Larsen Evans

Nov. 11, 1916 - Dec. 1, 2009

Homemade Berger Cookies

Amy D.

I love making these cookies at Christmas.

There is a bakery in Maryland that makes these fabulous cookies and you can even buy them on their website, http://bergercookies.com/ ; but the cost for shipping is too much!
It is worth taking your time to layer on the frosting/ganache…delicious!

Note: You could make this dough using a hand held mixer but I really think it's better suited to a stand mixer. The dough uses a lot of flour and even though it's alternated with an entire cup of liquid, it might be too much for a hand mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer, don't despair. Use your hand mixer but be prepared to have to do some of the mixing by hand.
Also, I was concerned that the frosting would not firm up enough to allow these to be shipped. It does. But it takes some time. So if you plan to make these to send, make sure you leave yourself enough time for the frosted cookies to set up before you package them. I can't say how well they will hold up to the United States Postal Service but I'm hoping for the best.

Cookies
• 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk (whole or 2 percent)
Frosting
• 3 1/2 cups (21 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 stick butter, chilled
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two or three baking sheets with parchment.
Beat the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium high speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Add the salt, vanilla, and baking powder and mix to combine. Add the sugar and mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
On low speed, or by hand, add the flour and milk in several additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
Using a standard 2 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop six portions of dough, spaced 2 inches apart, onto a prepared sheet pan. For smaller cookies, use a 1 1/4 inch or 1 3/4 inch scoop.
Working with one sheet at a time, bake until the cookies puff, the bottom edges just begins to color, but the top are still pale (no color at all), approximately 11 minutes. The tops will look a bit cracked when you pull them from the oven. Don't be tempted to over bake the cookies or they will be dry.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely. Bake remaining dough and make the frosting.

Frosting
Combine the chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, corn syrup, cream, and butter in a medium or large microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% power in 1 1/2 minute increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate has melted and can be easily mixed to a smooth consistency. Let stand at room temperature to cool completely, approximately 2 to 3 hours(seriously).
Once the chocolate has completely cooled, use a hand mixer or transfer the chocolate to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until the frosting thickens, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
Spread a dollop of frosting on the top of each cookie and let it set up completely, approximately 30 minutes. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap.

Hay and Straw

Jessica S.

16 oz linguini
2 cups julienned fully cooked ham
1 TBS butter or margarine
3 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Cook linguini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute ham in butter for 3 minutes. Add peas and heat through. Drain linguini; toss with ham mixture Parmesan cheese and cream. Serve immediately. Serves 8

Sausage & Four Cheese Rigatoni

Jennifer S.

1 lb. rigatoni pasta
1 lb. Italian sausage, casing removed
1/4 cup panchetta, thinly sliced (or bacon)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/4 lb. fresh sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp. fresh chopped basil
3 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 (16-oz.) container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup grated provolone cheese
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 (28-oz.) can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until only halfway cooked, according to package directions. Drain, and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Toss with a minimal amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Cook panchetta (or bacon) in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on a paper towel. Add sausage to drippings in skillet and cook, breaking up large pieces, until well browned. Transfer to paper towel. Pour off all but 2 tbsp. drippings from skillet. Add onion, carrot, mushrooms, basil and parsley. Cook until onion is tender. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan; set aside. Place ricotta in a large mixing bowl and gradually stir in cream and then broth. Add the partially cooked rigatoni, panchetta, sausage, onion mixture, provolone, feta, tomatoes, and 1 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Turn out into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil cover and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Southwest Cheese 'n Pasta

Jennifer S.

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup green salsa (salsa verde)
1 can (15 ounces) cream-style corn
1 can (11 ounces) Mexican style whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
8 ounces uncooked cavatappi pasta or elbow macaroni
8 ounces process cheese product loaf (Velveeta), cubed

1. Mix all ingredients except cheese in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 to 14 minutes, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender.
2. Add cheese; stir until melted.

Easy, Super Tasty Alfredo

Jessica S.

1/2 cup half and half or light cream or whipping cream
1TBS butter or margarine
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper

allow half and half and butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. pour over 6 oz hot cooked, drained pasta. add Parmesan. mix until well coated. add pepper to taste.

Pasta Dish

Diana P.

2 2/3 Cups uncooked penne pasta (8 oz)
3 oz pancetta or 4 strips bacon, chopped*
1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 Can (28 oz) organic crushed tomatoes with basil, undrained
1/2 Cup whipping cream
2 Cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves


1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on box. Return to pan; keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Remove pancetta to paper towels to drain. In same skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and mushrooms in oil 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender. Stir in tomatoes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in whipping cream; heat just until hot. Stir in pasta.
3. Add spinach; toss until spinach is wilted. Sprinkle individual servings with pancetta.

Makes 5 servings (1 1/3 cups each)

4 Cheese Penne Bake

Michelle H.

1 can crushed tomatoes with juice
2 c. cream
1 c. fresh cubed buffalo mozzarella
¼ c. crumbled Gorgonzola (or used more mozzarella)
¼ c. cubed fontina
¼ c. fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
1 c. chopped fresh basil
1 box penne pasta, cooked al dente

In a blender combine first two ingredients until smooth. Pour into a big mixing bowl with pasta. Add remaining ingredients and stir until mixed. Pour mixture into a large baking dish or 4-6 individual oven safe baking dishes. Bake at 500° for 7-10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Pesto Cavatappi

Summer S.

½ lb white mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)
1 pkg Knorr pesto sauce
3T Christopher Ranch Pesto sauce (jar in veggie section)
1c. heavy cream (or half & half)
2T olive oil
1 bottle yummy Italian dressing (I like Paul Newman’s Original Family Recipe)
1 pkg. Cavatappi noodles
In a 350 degree skillet- place chicken (whole), cover with Italian dressing- place lid. 10 min one side, 10 min the other, uncovered 5 min. You can either add mushrooms to the chicken the last 15 min- or saute them separately with butter/garlic. 
While this is cooking- in a small sauce pan, prepare Knorr sauce to package directions, add pesto paste and cream- simmer until ready to serve.
Boil Cavatappi according to package (approx 11 min.)
Cut chicken into nice sized bite-chunks. In a “fry pan” add olive oil and noodles. Toss until warm.  Add chicken and mushrooms, toss until warm.  Add sauce and toss until “glistens”. If it looks “dry” add more cream. 
Sounds like a lot of work- its not- and its DELICIOUS!

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

Summer S.

1 stick of butter
1 pint of Heavy Cream
4 oz. Cream Cheese
1/2 - 3/4 C. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Garlic powder
2 T. chopped parsley
lots of cracked pepper to taste.

In a saucepan melt butter. When butter is melted add cream cheese, whisk to combine. When the cream cheese is blended in, add heavy cream. Simmer this for 15 - 20 minutes on low. You may wish to season with a little salt and pepper.
IMPORTANT note: don’t let this come to a boil (very gently rolling is okay) otherwise it separates too easily and gets “glucky”. 
I think its best served with penne- but then again, it is called fettuccine Alfredo