Phyllis's Manicotti

1/2 lb ground beef

1 clove garlic crushed (She uses more garlic)

1 cup cottage cheese

4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

8 manicotti

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 tsp oregano leaves

Parmesan cheese

Brown beef and garlic. Drain fat.  Mix next 4 ingredients in bowl.  Stir in meat.

Boil manicotti until soft.  Drain. Set aside.  Fill manicotti with mix.

Pour a little sauce in bottom of baking dish.  Place manicotti in baking dish.

Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano leaves.

Cover and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Anna mixes ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese together.

( a tub of ricotta, a ball of mozzarella). Then she fills the manicotti before cooking them.

She uses bottled spaghetti sauce and adds cooked hamburger and Italian sausage.

She makes the sauce thin ( add some water I guess) since the manicotti cooks in it.

Oven Chicken and Linguine

from Grandma Jean

1/2 cup butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
8 chicken thighs (2 1/2 pounds), rinsed and dried (I use breasts)
8 ounces linguine or spaghetti (or angel hair)
Boiling salted water
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
1 small unpeeled orange, quartered

Melt butter in a 10 x 15 rimmed baking dish or pan in a 400 degree
oven, remove pan from oven. Stir onion, garlic, basil and pepper into butter.
Place chicken in the butter mixture, then turn over. Bake, uncovered,
until meat near bone is no longer pink when slashed, about 45 minutes.

Ten minutes prior to removing chicken from oven, cook linguine
in boiling, salted water until al dente (about 13 minutes). Drain. When
chicken is done, lift from pan and keep warm. Add pasta and cheese
and toss and lift with two forks to mix well. Season to taste with salt.

To serve, mound a portion of the pasta mixture on each of four plates.
Flank with two pieces of chicken and an orange wedge. Before
eating, squeeze orange over chicken and pasta. Serves four.

Tortellini Spinach Salad with Balsamic Tomato Vinaigrette

Salad:
20 ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 (14.5 oz.) can quartered artichokes
1 (9 oz.) bag fresh baby spinach
1 (3 oz.) bag sun dried tomatoes or jar of sun dried tomatoes, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup diced red onion

Dressing:
9 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/8 teaspoon each)
3/4 cup olive oil

Cook tortellini in boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss (carefully so the tortellini don’t break apart) with a teaspoon of olive oil to keep from sticking. Let cool in colander. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together after the pasta has cooled.

In a blender add all of the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil and process until smooth. Then, while the blender is running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until completely combined. If serving the salad right away, immediately pour the dressing over the salad and toss well (you may not need all the dressing). Serve.

Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe
*Serves 6-8

*Note: I tweaked this recipe to have a high noodle ratio since I love me a lot of noodles, but if you like a bit less noodles, simply cut down the amount to 12 ounces.*

1 pound linguine
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can substitute 1 cup fresh basil)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese
½ cup feta cheese

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender according to package directions. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is completely combined.

While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bell pepper. Cook briefly until crisp-tender. Add the cooked chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.

When the noodles have been drained, add the hot noodles to the skillet with the red pepper and chicken and toss. Add the shredded or cubed mozzarella and toss quickly to combine before the cheese melts. Pour the dressing over the top and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Macaroni and Cheese Lasagne

1- 8 oz. package of macaroni (or any small pasta)-- cook according to directions
3 zucchini - slice and steam until tender

Combine:
3 eggs
16 oz. cottage cheese
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 tsp. salt
dash pepper
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Add macaroni and mix well

Layer in 9x13" pan:
noodle mixture/zucchini/half jar of Prego
noodle mixture/ zucchini/ the rest of the Prego and top with extra mozzarella cheese

Cover with foil and bake at 350* for 45 minutes, if cold a little longer.