Pizza Casserole

• 1½ pounds of ground meat
• 1 large jar spaghetti sauce or 2 small cans of pizza sauce
• ½ pound fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• Sliced Mozzarella Cheese (About 12 slices)
• 1 package Manicotti or Spiral noodles

Start water boiling for noodles. Cook noodles per package directions. In the mean time chop onions and mushrooms. In a sauté pan brown meat, onion and mushroom until done. Drain. Spray a large casserole dish with PAM. Layer with 1/3 the cheese, top cheese with 1/3 meat mixture and 1/2 noodles. Layer a second time and then a third ending with the Meat. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Double Crust Pizza Pie

This double crust pizza is one of the family favorites. The recipe first made by my Mother in Law, I've refined it to suit our living style.  It's very filling and not terribly difficult to make.  Serving it up with a big garden salad makes it complete. The one thing I do know; it sure beats store bought pizza!

• 2 - 12 inch pizza crusts
• 2 cups pizza sauce or 1 - 15 oz can
• 1 ½ pound ground meat (lean Italian Seasoned turkey)
• 8 oz sliced Mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 tablespoon Italian Season
• Variety of pizza toppings (mushrooms, onions, pepper, olives, pepperoni etc.)
• ¼ cup milk

Season meat, if necessary, with Italian season, salt and pepper to taste. Sauté optional vegetables, such as onion garlic and pepper, in small amount of olive oil about 3 minutes. Add meat. Cook until browned. Add pizza sauce to meat mixture. Spray 12 inch pizza pan. Shape first crust on pan allowing extra to hang over pan (about ½ inch) . Sprinkle crust with ½ of the Parmesan Cheese. Dump the meat mixture in center of crust spreading it leaving 1 inch around the edges. Top meat mixture with the remaining optional toppings, such as fresh mushrooms, pepperoni, black olives, etc). Add a layer of Mozzarella cheese (sliced or grated). Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan Cheese. Lay second crust over the top of all ingredients stretching to edges of meat. Fold the extra crust from bottom crust over the top of the top crust. Pinch and flute edges like pie crust to seal. Cut steam holes in the top of crust. Bake 15 minutes at 400° F . Brush top of crust with 1/4 cup milk and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly (about 15 minutes) before cutting.

 Extra tips if desired:

• I usually make my own whole wheat crust using the bread machine but I've found Pillsbury Pizza crust works well if you want something quick and easy. It's rectangular in shape but simple enough to reshape into a circle just by moving stuff around a bit.
• I use ground turkey or Italian turkey sausage removed from their casings but pizza meat, ground beef or any combination work just as well. I always sauté the meat with the onion, garlic and peppers. The remaining toppings I leave raw and place those on top later.
• Make sure the pizza sauce isn't too runny. When mixed with the meat (or vegetables) it needs to be a ratio that makes it thick or the pizza ends up mushy and won't stay together when cut .
• I've made this complete vegetarian as well mixing the sauce with sautéd vegetables.
• If you haven't got sliced Mozzarella - grated cheese works okay as well, so does a mixture of cheese such as Provolone. Grated Romano or a combo of Romano and Parmesan work well to replace the Parmesan cheese as well.

Torellini Pasta Salad & Pesto Sauce

This is a great pasta to make in large quantities for parties. The fact that it doesn't have to be chilled is another plus.

• 1 bag dry cheese filled tortellini  Cooked per directions
• 2 or3  diced sweet peppers of various colors (red, yellow, orange)
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 cups firm tomatoes, diced (roma tomatoes diced or grape tomatoes cut in half are good)
• 1 can sliced black olives
• 2 to 3 cups home made or store bought basil pesto
• ¼ cup pasta water to thin pesto if needed
• 1 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped (optional)

Chop fresh ingredients while preparing pasta.  Mix all ingredients gently folding in pesto until everything is well coated.  Serve chilled.
PESTO 

• approximately 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic
•  1/3 cup pine nuts
• salt and pepper to taste
• approximately 1/2 cup Olive oil or more to desired consistency
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (if using in a dish immediately otherwise leave it out)

Put all ingredients except olive oil into food processor. Pulse until chopped fine. Drizzle in Olive oil until desired consistency.

Italian Meatballs

• 1 pound ground meat
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 small onion minced into tiny pieces

Using your fingers squish all ingredients together but only until just combined well.  Do not over mix!
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Put an additional 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs into a bowl. Set aside. Spray a casserole or cake pan with PAM. Set Aside Roll meatballs into golf ball sized pieces.  Toss in bowl of loose bread crumbs until coated and place each ball on baking pan.  Cover with foil. Bake 35 Minutes.
Uncover. Add 1 large jar spaghetti sauce to pan covering meatballs. Bake an additional 20-30 minutes. During this second baking time boil your noodles for spaghetti or heat rolls until mozzerella cheese is melted for meatball sandwiches.

Browned Butter Gnocchi with Broccoli & Pine Nuts

• 2 (16 oz.) packages prepared gnocchi 
• 5 c. chopped broccoli florets
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. Sendik’s extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 T. pine nuts, toasted
• 1.5 oz. fresh Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1/3 cup)

Cook gnocchi in a large Dutch oven according to package directions.  Add broccoli during last minute or two of cooking; cook one minute.  Drain.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add butter and oil; cook 7 minutes or until butter browns.  Add gnocchi mixture and pepper to pan; toss to coat. Pour into a shallow serving bowl. Sprinkle with  pine nuts and cheese. Serves 6 (unless you have a hubby like mine)

Fresh Tomato Pizza Sauce

• 8-10 large tomatoes (or a mixture of a couple pounds) cored, blanched, skinned and chopped or blended.
• 1 medium head garlic (8-10 cloves) rough chopped.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning or 1/4 cup of fresh Italian herbs (parsley, basil, sage, oregano)

Boil a large pot of water.
Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Set Aside.
Meanwhile; core your tomatoes and cut an X in the top of each. 
Blanch tomatoes in small batches in boiling water for 1 - 2 minutes until skins begin to wrinkle slightly.
Remove from boiling water with slotted spoon and immediately immerse them into the bowl of ice water.
Drain ice water from cooled tomatoes.  If you need to use a small paring knife to catch the skins but they should peel off easily.  Discard skins reserving the meat and juice of the tomatoes.
Chop or blend tomato meats.
Take a head of garlic and press hard with the palm of your hand until the cloves separate. Hit each clove with the side of a knife just enough to break the skins.  Peel the garlic cloves and rough chop.
Put 1 tablespoon of butter in the bottom of a medium sauce pan. Add garlic and salt.
Saute' on medium until garlic is translucent but not brown (about 2 - 3 minutes).
Add tomatoes, sugar, pepper, chilli powder and spices.
Cook on medium until boiling. Reduce heat to med. low and simmer until the desire thickness is reached stirring occasionally.  This could take an hour or more.  (If you'd like to speed up the process, you can take 1/4 cup of sauce from the pan whisking in 1 tablespoon corn starch before adding it back to the pan of sauce. It should thicken within a few minutes this way).
Save in air tight container in the refrigerator/freezer, or use immediately.

Chicken Parmesan

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 (2 cups) package Italian Cheese (sliced or shredded)
• 1 Jar favorite Spaghetti Sauce

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Dry chicken breasts. Salt & Pepper.
Crack egg into a bowl, add 1 Tablespoon water and whisk until frothy.
On a large plate mix bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
Dip chicken into egg then into bread crumbs, then back into egg and again into bread crumbs.  Repeat with each chicken breast. Place them into a sprayed casserole dish.
Top with shredded or sliced cheese.
Bake 20 minutes on middle rack of oven.
Pour sauce over each piece of chicken and bake another 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with cooked noodles if you wish.