ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE (food.com)

1 lb uncooked bow tie pasta
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 (12 ounce) bottle roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, divided

thinly sliced fresh basil (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

Add bell peppers, cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, cool 5 minutes.

Place bell pepper mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Return bell pepper mixture to pan, cook over low heat until warm. Combine half and half and tomato paste in a small bowl, stirring with a whisIk until well combined. Stir in ground red pepper.

Combine pasta and bell pepper mixture in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup cheese, tossing to coat. Spoon 1 1/3 cups pasta into each of 6 bowls, top each with about 1 1/2 Tbs cheese.

Garnish with basil if desired.

http://www.food.com/recipe/bow-tie-pasta-with-roasted-red-pepper-and-cream-sauce-167266#ixzz1tqS3nE2K


Note: I really liked this sauce overall, BUT... I did a few things differently, and would do others differently too. First off, I didn't have any half and half, so instead I used cream cheese w/chives since that was what I had on hand. Instead of chopping the onion I grated it. I also didn't have parmigiano-reggiano cheese, so I used a shredded mix I had. I also added a little brown sugar. It also needed salt to taste. It was a little bland, but not too bad for a first try!

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA MARINADE

1 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c. plain yogurt
2 TB lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground red pepper
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 piece minced ginger

Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken for at least an hour. I modified my own a bit because of the ingredients I usually have on hand. I don't usually have plain yogurt, so I subbed in sour cream and used closer to 1/2 c. and I don't usually have fresh ginger, so I used 1 tsp ground ginger. I marinated mine for probably about 2-3 hours (because I finally remembered to get it done a head of time!).
The original recipe skewers the chicken, I didn't. I just cooked it like I cook chicken for a stir-fry in my skillet.  The recipe says to discard the marinade, to that I say, Don't Do It!! It made the sauce sooo yummy!
I also didn't actually make the sauce from this recipe, I intend to, but it's one of those not-having-the-ingredients thing. I happened upon a jar of tikka masala at Walmart for about $3.50, next to all the Asian and Thai cuisine.  Given I don't have to slave over the stove any longer, or buy all the extra ingredients, I think it's totally worth it! I dumped the whole jar into the same skillet once my chicken was cooked. The extra marinade from the chicken had already made its own little sauce and mixed perfectly with the jarred sauce. I won't have the jarred sauce by itself now, that's how good it is!
Here's a link to the original recipe on food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-tikka-masala-25587 

Reeses Pie

3/4 cup sugar
3 TB flour (or 3 TB cornstarch)
1/4 tsp salt
2 c. milk

Mix all but milk first with a wire wisk. Add milk in slowly. Cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil (takes about 5 minutes). Time for 2 minutes. Take off heat.
Beat 2 eggs in a separate bowl. Add a little (I do about 1/2 c)of the pudding mix to the egg and stir in. (This is to endure that you don't cook the egg by putting it directly into the boiling hot pudding) Mix egg mixture back into pudding. Bring back to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 TB butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Divide pudding in half. Mix 1/2 c. chocolate chips in one half and 1/2 c. peanut butter in the second half. Pour into pie shell and refridgerate. (I put a sheet of wax paper on top to prevent the pudding from getting a hard film on top)

Lemon Pie

1-1 1/2 cup sugar
3 TB cornstarch
3 TB flour
dash of salt
1 1/2 c HOT water

Mix all but water first with a wire wisk. Add water in slowly. Cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil (takes about 5 minutes). Time for 2 minutes. Take off heat.
Beat 2 eggs in a separate bowl. Add a little (I do about 1/2 c)of the pudding mix to the egg and stir in. (This is to endure that you don't cook the egg by putting it directly into the boiling hot pudding) Mix egg mixture back into pudding. Bring back to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 TB butter and 1/2 lemon juice. Pour into pie shell and refridgerate. (I put a sheet of wax paper on top to prevent the pudding from getting a hard film on top)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

2 oranges
1 (12oz) package of cranberries
2 cups sugar

Use grinder to grind oranges and cranberries. Add sugar and stir. Refridgerate overnight.

Korean Style Short Ribs

5 lbs beef short ribs or 5 lbs pork ribs
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

I actually used 1 lb. of bonesless, skinless, country-style ribs I got on sale! With my 1 lb. of meat I halved the rest of the sauce and it turned out to be just right.
Blend soy sauce, sugar, oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper in bowl. Place ribs in 5 quart slow cooker (or smaller if you're not using as much meat. It goes really dry if your crock pot is too big). Add sauce. Cover, cook on High for 6 hours or Low for 9 hours, until meat is tender. Transfer ribs to a platter. Skim and discard excess fat from liquid. Combine 3 TB cornstarch and 3 TB water to make a slurry, blend with leftover sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until thickened.

Kevin and I thought this tasted similar to the teriyaki beef at Tucanos!!

Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

2 lb roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg onion soup mix
2/3 c water
potatoes
baby carrots
onion

Wisk together the cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, and water in the crock pot. Cube potatoes (I like bigger chunks), dice the onion, then add the potatoes, onion, and carrots to the crock pot. I mixed it together with the sauce. Put roast in the veggies surrounding it. (I also did a little salt, pepper, basil and rosemary rub on the roast, but I couldn't really taste the basil and rosemary- maybe more next time?) I left it in the crock pot on low for 8-9hours (or high for 3-4 hrs). It was reall yummy and really moist! *The gravey left was really watery, would have been best if I thickened it a little, but it was full of flavor!!