And More Recipes...

Kelley's post yesterday made me remember that I have been trying lots of new recipes this year (yep, still once a week), but that I haven't been posting the good ones. Some of them... not so much worth sharing. But there are a couple that have been great!

The pasta bake is a quick (!) casserole - this is a Rachael Ray idea, with some very minor Mark-and-Erin tweaking. We brought it to Jenny and Dan when their daughter was born, and it was a hit. The squash is a good summer side dish for a day when you just don't feel like grilling - and it reheats really well.

And if you want a couple of our all-time favorite side-dishes, follow the links for microwave cheese grits (try it with pepper jack!) and Mark's favorite mac & cheese.

Bacon, Leek, Tomato Pasta Bake
1 lb pasta
8 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
1 large leek
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
3 cups milk
1 cup chicken stock
3 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 can diced tomatoes
salt & pepper

Preheat broiler. Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. While the bacon is cooking, slice the leeks (if you've never done this before, click here). Add drained and dry leeks to bacon pan. Season with salt & pepper. Cook until tender (3-4 minutes).

For the sauce, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne, and paprika and whisk together until the roux bubbles; cook for 1 minute longer. Whisk in the milk and stock and raise the heat a little. Bring the sauce to a quick boil and simmer to thicken (about 5 min). Remove from heat and stir in 3 cups of cheese and the mustard; set aside.

Add tomatoes to the leek mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

Drain pasta and combine into casserole dish with cheese sauce and leek mixture. (Note: Mark and I found that you can stop at this step, let half the recipe cool, and then freeze it for later, and it works great.) Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and broil until melted.


Squash Casserole
3 lbs yellow squash, sliced
5 tbs butter or margarine
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup lite mayo
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
20 ritz crackers

Cover squash in water in a large skillet, and boil for 8-10 minutes. Drain well (dry between towels).

Melt 4 tbs butter in the skillet; add onion and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in squash, cheese, and next 4 ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased baking dish. Melt remaining butter and combine with crackers. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. This is pretty easy to "lighten up" with less butter, egg beaters, and low-fat versions of the other stuff.