Creamy Garden Spaghetti

1/2 lb. fresh broccoli florets

1 1/2 c. sliced zucchini
1 1/2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled & sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil

8 oz. uncooked spaghetti

1/4 c. chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced (I usually use garlic powder instead)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. Chicken bouillon
1 tsp. Thyme
2 c. milk
1 c. shredded mozarella

In a large skillet, saute the broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms & carrot in oil until crisp-tender. Remove from heat & set aside.

Cook spaghetti.

In another saucepan, saute onion & garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour, bouillon & thyme until blended. Add a little milk, stir until smooth. Add a little more, stir until smooth. Continue until all the milk has been added and you have no flour lumps. Bring to boil; cook & stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low; stir in cheese until melted. Add to veggies, heat through. Drain spaghetti and toss it all together.

I got this recipe from ApronGirls.blogspot.com, Love it!!! So yummy! I didn't have chicken bouillon, so I used a cup of chicken stock and only one cup of milk instead of 2 cups. I bet it would delicious either way :)

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE TRIFLE

2 qt. Strawberries sliced

1 C. sugar divided

2 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese softened

3 T. orange juice or lime juice (I prefer lime squeezed fresh)

3 C. whipped Whipping Cream

1 loaf (10 oz.) pound cake cubed (Sara Lee in the freezer section works great) (We used angel food cake. It was SO good)

1 large chocolate bars, grated

chocolate swirls and strawberries to garnish1.

Toss strawberries with ½ C. sugar. Allow to chill in refrigerator until juicy. (About an hour)

2. Cream together the citrus juice, cream cheese and the remainder of the sugar. Add whip cream and blend until creamy. (Make sure you blend the cream cheese, citrus juice and sugar first, or the acid will curdle the whipped cream.)

3. Drain juice off the strawberries and drizzle onto the cake cubes.4. Layer in trifle bowl as follows:
½ cake cubes on bottom
1/3 cream cheese mixture
½ strawberry mixture
chocolate shavings
the rest of the cake cubes
1/3 cream cheese mixture
the rest of the strawberry mixture
chocolate shavings
the rest of the cream cheese mixture
chocolate shavings
Strawberries to Garnish

Click here to see a picture and/or the video. My mom saw this on "Studio 5" in Utah a while back. It is SO delicious!

Autumn Harvest Pork

In Honor of the Upcoming FALL:
Harvest Pork (from the Sister's Cafe)

1 Cup cider or apple juice
1.5-2 lb pork loin roast
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
2 large apples, peeled and cubed (Granny Smith or other)
1 1/2 whole butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp dried thyme
1/4 Tsp dried sage
Heat cider in deep skillet on medium-high heat. Sear pork loin on all sides in cider. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper on all sides and place in crock pot, along with juices. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Combine apples and squash in large bowl. Sprinkle with brown sugar and herbs, stirring to coat well. One or two hours before roast is done, arrange the squash and apples around the pork loin. Continue to cook on slow for the remainder of time and until squash/apples are desired tenderness. Remove pork from crock pot, cover with foil, and let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.~

Cranberry Pork Roast

Cranberry Pork Roast
3 Lb Pork Roast, Browned And Placed In Slow Cooker
1 Can Whole Cranberry Sauce
1/4 Cup Steak Sauce (Lea Perrin's)
1 Tbl Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Prepared Mustard
2 Tbl Water
2 Tbl Cornstarch
Combine ingredients and pour over roast. I like to double the sauce recipe. Use half to cook and warm other half of sauce to serve with meat.

Pesto Pasta

Pesto Pasta
From http://www.cooksillustrated.com/ (July 2006)
3/4 Cups Pine Nuts
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Pound Bow Tie Pasta
1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Cups (4 Oz) Fresh Basil
1 Cup Baby Spinach
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
6 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes Or Grape Tomatoes; Halved

Toast pine nuts over medium heat until golden and fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Cook bowtie pasta in boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt until tender (see box). Toss pasta with 1 tablespoon EVOO and cool (about 30 minutes). In a food processor combine 1/4 cup pine nuts, garlic, basil, spinach, pepper, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 EVOO, and 1 teaspoon salt and process until smooth. Add cheese and mayo and process until thoroughly coombined. Just before serving, combine the pesto sauce with the pasta. Fold in remaining pine nuts and tomatoes.
Can add cooked chicken if desired.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

I love this recipe for a few reasons. It is so easy, so tasty, and so quick. After you make this you'll never want to use jar spaghetti sauce again! I've made this with shrimp and with chicken and we loved it both ways. Also, I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but I used stewed tomatoes because that's what I had.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

18 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup dry white wine (I used 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and 3/4 cup chicken broth)
  
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I used dried)
  
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

I just pour everything over some angel hair pasta (or whatever pasta you like) and mix it up and top with some freshly shaved Parmesan cheese! YUM.