Braided Spaghetti Bread

I have to give a shout out to Danielle for finding this yummy bread on Pinterest! And what a better day to  make it...drinking some wine and waiting for this hurricane!! :)

I made homemade dough and sauce, but if you want to keep it really simple, follow these simple ingredients:


1 loaf bread dough, thawed ( I make a pizza dough recipe for any stuffed bread)
6 oz spaghetti, cooked - I used angel hair pasta
1 cup spaghetti sauce
8-12 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes ( the more, the better!)
1 egg white ( i brushed the bread with olive oil)
Parmesan cheese
Parsley flakes
Garlic powder


Lightly flour the surface you are going to roll dough on; make into a 12x16 rectangle.

Cook pasta according to package; drain and let cool slightly.

Mix spaghetti and sauce together and then place in the center of the dough; top with cubed mozzarella cheese.

Make cuts 1 1/2 inches apart so you can braid the dough. Begin by braiding top and bottom strips towards the filling. Then braid strips left over right, then right over left and tuck last strip under braid.

Brush with egg white (or olive oil) and sprinkle with parsley, parmesan cheese and garlic powder.

Bake @ 350 for 35 minutes or until golden.  Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Baked Mac-n-Cheese (Sriracha Style!)

Try this recipe for a new twist to the traditional macaroni-n-cheese recipe! The panko breadcrumbs make a nice crunchy topping!

4 cups (1 lb) dry elbow macaroni

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 small onion, diced

2 TBS flour

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 cups milk

4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 TBS Sriracha Sauce

1/4 cup grated parmigiano cheese

~Melt 1/2 stick butter; then add panko breadcrumbs,mix and set aside.

~Cook elbow macaroni in salted boiling water for one minute less than recommended time.

~In a large pot, saute the diced onion with the other 1/2 stick of butter over low heat until tender. Add flour and wisk for 2 minutes over low heat. Add dry mustard and black pepper.

~Add milk and stir until thickened. 

~Remove from heat and add cheddar cheese and Sriracha sauce; mix until the cheese melts.

~Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese mixture, then transfer to 13X9 pan.

Top with the parm cheese, then breadcrumb mixture and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese(if desired).

BAKE AT 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Ultimate Sriracha Burger

This recipe comes from "The Sriracha Cookbook", which has some amazingly HOT recipes. Perfect for you spice lovers out there. I am pretty sure I made my neighbors jealous when grilling these awesome burgers! :)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs Sriracha
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
6 slices bacon
1 sweet onion
blue cheese dressing
6 kaiser or sesame seed buns
6 thick slices swiss cheese
1 large tomato, sliced
romaine or curly green lettuce

Form ground beef into six patties. Combine soy sauce, Sriracha and black pepper. Generously brush on both sides of burgers and set aside.

In a medium frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon. Slice the onion thin and once the bacon is done, cook the onion in the bacon fat over medium-low heat until they carmelize, 20-25 min.

Grill burgers and lightly toast the buns. Top with a slice of swiss cheese.

To assemble, spread some blue cheese dressing on buns, top with bacon, cooked onions, tomato and lettuce. This was delicious served with sweet potato waffle fries.

"Farfalle Piccanti" (Spicy Butterflies)

This is one of my favorite recipes from my "Ciao Italia" cookbook by Mary Ann Esposito. She has a family story for each of the recipes, commenting than in an Italian family, love is expressed through kisses, kudos, and in the kitchen!! <3

Ingredients:

2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes ( I used one tsp and it was spicy!)
1 cup diced prosciutto ( approx 1/4 pound)
one- 28 ounce can plum tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano ( or 1 Tbs of fresh oregano)
Ground black pepper to season
1 cup frozen peas
one pound bowtie pasta (farfalle)
grated pecorino romano cheese

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add the garlic and crush red pepper. (saute until soft, but do not let the garlic brown) Add the prosciutto and saute until it renders its fat.

Add the plum tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the basil, oregano and black pepper. Stir well and simmer, covered over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well. Add the peas to the sauce and cook for 5 more minutes.

My saucepan is large enough to add all the pasta directly into the sauce. This dish is best if the pasta is tossed with the sauce before serving.

Top with grated pecorino romano cheese and serve with a crusty Italian bread. Enjoy!!

Chicken Fried Rice

Who doesn't love fried rice?!? This recipe has been perfected, thanks to my hubby! We cook the rice early in the day and chill it so it "fries" better.

3 cups uncooked rice ( cook in 1 1/2 cups water and then refrigerate)
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken ( great way to use leftover chicken or any meat)
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup diced raw carrots
3 eggs, scrambled
2 T chicken stock
1 T soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
spicy garlic
canola oil

Heat skillet on high and add canola. Saute onion,carrots, peas,and chicken, then egg. Mix chicken stock, soy sauce and sherry together in a bowl, then add to rice. Continue to toss rice until it is fried. Looks delish, right?!?

Sweet and Sour Pork Stir Fry

Got a craving for a tasty stir fry? This was put together by creating a recipe with ingredients we love!

2 lbs boneless pork (or pork chops) sliced in strips
Season with:
1/2 tsp spicy garlic
1 T soy sauce

Dice and set aside the following ingredients:
2 red peppers sliced
1 sweet onion sliced
1 large bunch broccoli, use tops only
20 oz can pineapple chunks
canola oil/few drops of sesame oil

Sweet and sour sauce:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 T hoison sauce
1 1/2 T dry sherry
1 1/2 ketchup
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp corn starch

Using a hot skillet, cook meat with seasonings, then remove from pan. Next cook all ingredients listed with the veggies. Return meat to skillet and add the sweet and sour sauce. This was really authentic!

Chicken with Kielbasa

This recipe can be made in either a  crock pot or skillet. It is a very tasty combination of two meats and is perfect over rice. Very easy to make!

Ingredients:

2 TBS olive oil
1 pkg kielbasa (usually around 12 oz) sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
6 pieces boneless chicken (adjust to number of servings you want)
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2- 1 cup frozen peas

NOTE: If you want to cook rice in the crock pot with meat, the ratio is 2 cups rice and 3 1/2 cup water. I prefer to do mine separately.

Saute onion, garlic, red pepper and carrots until tender. Then over medium heat, brown sausage on both sides.  Add chicken to skillet and brown. This will simmer nicely in a skillet. Add the peas 5 minutes before serving. ( or you can brown the meats and add everything to a crock pot if desired)

Pretty over rice!