What to make for dinner? Hmmmm......

A good place to start is the pantry. What's available? That cooks fast!

How about some of these? They look a little funny but I've had them before and they are tasty. Just like homemade pasta. And they cook in 5 minutes. Perfect!

Now let's add a little bit of this. You can never go wrong with butter.

And some of this. I just happened to have this in the fridge. Thought I would use it up. You can see I'm not really going for healthy here.

Now for flavor....hmmmm....so far things are pretty heavy.

Ah! How about this?

Time to cook the pasta.

Now add a little garlic, salt, pepper, freshly grated romano cheese and a pinch of nutmeg and viola....

A wonderfully satisfying bowl of pasta to put even the best of us into a carb coma. Just what the doctor ordered. And all in less than 10 minutes...stove to table.

Now if you're looking for a formal recipe here, I don't actually have one. It is so easy you don't really need one.

Just cook the noodles according to the box and drain them. Don't rinse. While they are in the strainer, in the same pot...melt some 4 - 8 Tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add 4 cloves minced garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in about a cup of heavy cream and add 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese and few Tablespoons of lemon juice. Simmer over medium low heat for another minute or so. Take a spoon and taste the sauce. Add salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and more cream or cheese to your taste. When you like it, add back the noodles and give them a toss.

This is one of those recipes that you can pull together with whatever you have in the house. No garlic, add onion and garlic salt. No cream, use half and half. No Romano, use parmesan or leave out the cheese. No lemon...so what.

I remember the exact moment I thought I could read.  I was five.  It was about 7:30 pm on a weekday evening.  I was reading by candlelight in the living room.  I was sitting in the lap of an old Amish mother, after finishing dinner with her husband and six children.  That night I learned to read The Little Red Hen. 

My father sold real estate when I was young.  He happened to be "on a roll" and sold a lot of farms to Amish families that were relocating.  It became almost customary to invite the real estate agent and his family for dinner; so I spent quite a bit of time visiting Amish families that summer.  

One of the things that stands out in my mind when I think back...Pumpkin Bread. 

Warm, cinnamony pumpkin bread...topped with crunchy, toasted nuts. 

This recipe is one that my mother acquired that year.  I've been enjoying it ever since. 

I made some bread to take into work today.  A friend gave me a wonderful compliment.  She told me she thought the bread was on par with a that of a local bakery (an area favorite!).  By the way...if you're in the area, take a stop at Ravelin's bakery.  I hear the croissants are out of this world!

Midweek dinners are perfect for casseroles.  Say what you will about the culinary value of a casserole supper, the one pot meals remain a staple on American dinner tables for good reason.  They are easy to make, inexpensive, and satisfy us with their humble charm. 

I can't help but chuckle every time I think of this quote.  In "The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste," Jane and Michael Stern wrote: "Anchoring the low end of the culinary hierarchy, with no hope of upward mobility, is the tuna casserole, a dish of such unmitigated cloddishness that no one concerned about his reputation as an epicure would dare admit to eating it."

Isn't macaroni and cheese a casserole?  The ultimate comfort food a culinary disgrace?  Pa leeez. :)

So, for those of us that are comfortable celebrating the convenience and collage of flavors of the casserole supper...here's my recipe for Hot Dish (a technical term).  In our house, the defining characteristic of a Hot Dish is adding in some leftovers from the refridgerator.  In this recipe, you'll see that I added some leftover egg noodles that I had available.  In the past I've added corn, peas, beans, spaghetti sauce, taco meat, ... 

This recipe freezes very nicely (freeze it before it's cooked, thaw and bake when you're ready).  This recipe is also really easy to double, so you can keep one for yourself and surprise a friend with the other one.  I've always loved receiving and giving casseroles.  There's something nostalgic about having someone show up at your door with a homemade casserole, ready to bake.

Kids love the cheese and adults enjoy the variety of healthy ingredients.  By the way...if you have never used whole wheat pasta before...I urge you to try it in this recipe.  It's delicious and so much healthier than traditional white pasta.  Your family will never know the difference and you'll know you're serving a meal that's inexpensive and good for you too.

Be well.

The Muse Gourmet

So I was having a little craving for cheesecake. 

Not the full fledged cheesecake that's thick,... and rich, ...and, mmmmm..... full of calories.  The kind of cheesecake that tastes like cheesecake but doesn't make you feel guilty for breaking a few of those New Year's resolutions already.  So...here's a torte version of cheesecake that I've been making since I was 8 years old.  I remember typing this recipe exact out on my Dad's typewriter.  Karen is my sister.  And for the for the past oh, say, many moons, this is the only version of cheesecake that my family ever prepared.  I will say, that as simple as it is....this recipe has earned its share of praise over the years.  It's requested for birthdays and holidays and goes down as "The best cheesecake I ever had!" according to my nephew. 

PS  When this original recipe was typed, there weren't precrushed graham crackers available in the store.  I've adapted the recipe to "modern times" and thrown in a low fat, low sugar version if you're feeling really guilty about breaking some of those New Year's resolutions.