Restaurant Chicken Alfredo

September 20, 2010 by
 
I’ve gotten some requests for recipes to make Olive Garden dishes at home.  So when my hubby took me there for my birthday (I know, livin’ the life of glamour : ), I took mental notes and then tried my hand at making some “copycat” versions at home.  First I made some notes, then looked online for others ideas too.  First up was the Alfredo recipe, which it seems A LOT of people want that recipe!  There were many different ideas, the most common of which was to use cream cheese, like my usual recipe.  The Olive Garden website actually had an Alfredo recipe on it using eggs in the sauce.  I’m pretty positive they are both impostors.  The only way in my opinion to get the same flavor is to use both Parmesan and Romano cheeses, FRESHLY GRATED, and let it cook for a bit to thicken naturally.  I was really surprised at how closely this dish resembled theirs.  
Keep checking back all week for more copycat olive garden recipes!
P.S. This also is great for dipping bread sticks!

RESTAURANT ALFREDO
Recipe by My Stained Apron
 
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk
2 cups cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 oz)
1 cup grated Romano cheese (about 4 oz)
salt and pepper, to taste
8 to 12 oz fettuccine noodles (use the lower amount if you want it really saucy)
fresh parsley, for serving
extra grated Parmesan, for serving
 
Melt butter in a saucepan and add garlic.  Saute for a couple of minutes over medium heat.
Add milk and cream, bring to a simmer.
Add cheeses, mix well. 
Let simmer, uncovered, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Cook noodles and toss together.  Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.
 
To serve with Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
olive oil
salt and pepper
 
Brush grill or pan with olive oil, season chicken with salt and pepper and either grill or saute on both sides.  (I use my indoor grill pan).  Cut into strips when done.
 
Filed Under: Pasta, Sauces / Condiments Tagged With: , ,

Lasagna with Bolognese and Parmesan Bechamel

September 2, 2010 by
 
Once you try this lasagna, you’ll be amazed that you don’t miss all the cheese in those other versions.  Lasagna can be quite expensive to make usually, as most recipes call for ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, etc.  And definitely not very healthy.  I am not a huge lasagna fan, but I love this version.
I used to make this dish using just one quart of Bolognese sauce, but we like it better when it’s a little more saucy.  So often times I double it, and use 3 quarts total.  I take the extra dish to a friend or freeze for later even.  Or if I don’t double it, that extra half a quart of sauce mysteriously disappears after my husband goes in the kitchen.  Oh, and did I mention that my husband rates this one at a 10 plus?
Not bad. : ) 
 
LASAGNA WITH BOLOGNESE AND PARMESAN BECHAMEL
Makes one 9 by 13 inch pan or 2 smaller
 
For assembly:
1 1/2 quarts bolognese sauce
3/4 cup milk
Lasagna noodles, homemade or oven-ready
1 lb. sliced Fresh mozzarella, optional
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
For the Parmesan Béchamel sauce:
6 T cup butter
6 T flour
2 cups milk
dash salt
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
Mix milk together with Bolognese sauce. Set aside.
Make the Béchamel sauce.  Melt butter in a pan over medium heat.  Add flour and cook for a minute.  Add milk and salt, cook until smooth and thickened, stirring often.
Mix in 1 cup of Parmesan.
 
Now to assemble.  Spray your pan with non stick spray, and spoon a little Bolognese on the bottom.
Layer in the following order: (If using the mozzarella, lay the slices on top of each béchamel layer)
noodles, béchamel, noodles, Bolognese,
noodles, béchamel, noodles, Bolognese,
You can stop here, depending on how thick you layered everything, how large your pan is, etc., or add one more :
noodles, béchamel, noodles, Bolognese.
 
Top with the 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
I serve with a big green salad and fresh baguettes.
Filed Under: Pasta

Fresh Lasagna Noodles

September 2, 2010 by
 
 
 
Did you try making spaghetti noodles yet?  Either way, you really should make these!  It takes very little practice to become comfortable working with homemade pasta dough.  The texture, in my opinion, is completely different from store-bought.  In the pictures I was actually making a double batch, since I made a pan for our family and one to take to an amazing friend who just had baby number 7!  If that doesn’t deserve a pan of fresh homemade lasagna, I don’t know what does!
 
HOMEMADE LASAGNA NOODLES
 
This makes enough for one 9 by 13 inch dish of lasagna with 4 to 6 layers of noodles (depending on how thin you make your noodles, how much you overlap them, etc.  Can be doubled.
 
2 1/4 cups flour
3 eggs
pinch salt
 
Mix everything together in a food processor for about 30 seconds.
 
 
 
 
 
Turn out and knead for 3 to 4 minutes.
Until dough is fairly smooth.
Add water if dry, flour if too sticky. (Just a little at a time.)
Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap on counter until ready to roll.
To roll out, start with pasta roller on thickest setting. Pat dough flat into a disc.
FLOUR YOUR PASTA ROLLER WELL. Don’t skip this step.  You’ll want to keep it floured the entire time.
Pass it through on the thickest setting a couple times, then go down to the next setting and repeat.
Repeat for the third setting. (If you want it thinner, go ahead and repeat- this is the thickness I use for Lasagna noodles)
If your noodles look shaggy, just dust with a little extra flour and fold in thirds and roll again.
Cut noodles to fit to pan approximately, cutting a little shorter (they will expand when cooked).
Boil in salted boiling water for about 2 minutes, then remove with a large slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water.  Separate noodles and lay out on a damp tea towel in single layer.  You’re now ready to assemble your lasagna!
HAND DIRECTIONS

Put flour in a mound on the counter or in a shallow bowl.
Make a well in the center of flour and add eggs and salt in the well.
Use a fork to whisk eggs in the well, and stir in flour, working in a little at a time.
Add a few teaspoons of warm water if too dry, a little flour if too wet.
Knead for a few minutes until very smooth.
Divide dough into four balls and cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap.
Roll each dough ball out as thin as you can on a floured surface, then cut into strips.
Cook same as above.

Filed Under: Pasta

Homemade Spaghetti Noodles

August 31, 2010 by
 
Now that you made the Bolognese Sauce it’s time for homemade noodles.
Once you try them, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them!
Homemade noodles are incredibly soft and tender, a world above store-bought dry noodles.
While you may not want to make them every time you cook noodles, you really will be surprised at how quick and easy they are when you are used to making them.  I’ve included directions for making them with a pasta machine and also by hand in case you don’t have one.  This recipe can also be used to make other shapes, like fettuccini noodles for instance, just cut into thicker strips.
 
HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI NOODLES
 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs (large or extra-large)
pinch kosher salt
 
Put all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
Run for about 30 seconds.
If the dough hasn’t balled up add a few teaspoons of warm water and run a little more.
 
Knead by hand for a couple of minutes.  Dough should be smooth.
If the dough is sticky, lightly flour counter and dough while kneading.
Divide dough into 4 balls, and cover with a slightly damp tea towel or plastic wrap.
Take one piece of dough at a time, and flatten into a disc.
Set pasta roller on highest setting and dust well with flour.
IMPORTANT STEP: while working with the pasta dough, make sure your pasta roller and counter stay dusted with flour.  Things will go a lot smoother, trust me.
Roll dough through at highest setting.
Fold dough into thirds, pressing seam closed slightly.
Put through roller again, with the seam in the middle.
Run through the next setting, and keep repeating to desired thickness. (we like second to last setting.)
If your dough seems shaggy, no worries, it’s just too wet.
Work into a ball again and knead in a little flour.
If the dough gets difficult to handle, cut length in half.
Attach spaghetti cutter and run sheet of pasta dough through.
 
Dust noodles lightly with flour and cover with a tea towel while you repeat the process with remaining pasta dough balls.
Add noodles to salted boiling water.  They will be done quite quickly, check after one minute.
Toss with Bolognese Sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce.
HAND DIRECTIONS
Put flour in a mound on the counter or in a shallow bowl.
Make a well in the center of flour and add eggs and salt in the well.
Use a fork to whisk eggs in the well, and stir in flour, working in a little at a time.
Add a few teaspoons of warm water if too dry, a little flour if too wet.
Knead for a few minutes until very smooth.
Divide dough into four balls and cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap.
Roll each dough ball out as thin as you can on a floured surface, then cut into thin strips.
Separate strips, and dust with flour. Cover with a tea towel while you repeat with remaining dough.
Cook in boiling salted water until done.
Check after one minute, they will cook quickly.
Filed Under: Pasta

Bolognese

August 30, 2010 by
 
This is probably my husband’s favorite dish that I make.  He seriously makes a fool out of himself when I serve this.  And I love every second of it. : )  There is nothing like seeing your family savor every bite of a meal.  Happy and content.  I make a big batch of this so I have it on hand in the freezer when needed for a seriously good quick dinner.   And I know with school starting back up, many of you are looking for some extra satisfying dinners with minimal effort. 
I’ll be sharing more recipes for using this sauce this week, so make sure to check back for that!  At the bottom I’m including directions for a small batch as well.  Usually you would use white wine when making this sauce, but since we don’t drink alcohol I don’t cook with it either, so I use all chicken stock in it’s place.  I don’t think you miss it at all.
 
 
Saute onions, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil.  You can finely dice them or puree them in a food processor to make a smooth paste.  Let cook and soften while you cook meat.
In another pan, brown meat in batches, then add the vegetables.
Add tomato paste and incorporate well.
Add chicken stock, then crushed tomatoes.
Simmer on stove for 1 to 3 hours.  Add salt and pepper to taste. (If making for the freezer I under season and season more so when heating to serve.
I then separate into 7 freezer-safe quart containers.  Label and freeze.
To serve: Heat in a pot, add 1/2 to 1 cup milk depending on personal preference.
Toss with noodles. Sprinkle on some fresh basil if desired.
Filed Under: Freezer, Pasta, Sauces / Condiments Tagged With: , ,

Calico Macaroni Salad

August 13, 2010 by
 
First things first, next week I’m having my first GIVEAWAY! Hooray! So make sure you stay tuned and enter!  Now, on to the recipe!
 
This recipe comes from my grandmother.  When my mother was a child she was with her at a church picnic and someone brought this salad.  My grandmother really liked it and got the recipe, and has made it ever since.  It’s the only macaroni salad I ever ate growing up, since my mother really liked it too.  I hadn’t made it in a long time, and it was so good to have again.  Usually the recipe uses pimentos, but I didn’t have any, so I improvised with bell peppers and we really liked it.  Try it either way, I think you’ll like it!  And the paprika is essential to this dish in my opinion, but then again I LOVE paprika. : )
 
CALICO MACARONI SALAD
Recipe by My Stained Apron
 
 
3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
1 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced cheddar cheese
1 cup diced cucumber (I prefer English)
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 T sugar
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
paprika, for serving
 
Cook noodles according to package directions.
Rinse and cool.  Mix mayo with sugar, salt, and pepper. 
Stir in cheese and vegetables.
If desired, stir in paprika or sprinkle on top.
VARIATION: In place of bell peppers, add 1 large jar of drained pimentos.
Filed Under: Pasta, Salad / Dressings

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

August 2, 2010 by
 
I have a confession.  Fresh mozzarella isn’t always that exciting to me.  I know, I know, I’m a food blogger, so I should love such a trendy item.  And don’t get me wrong, it can be good.  But I personally think it needs a little coaxing.  Since it isn’t aged, it really has more of a “blank canvas” kind of taste, unlike a strong aged Irish cheddar (one of my favorites).  This dish is perfect for dressing it up just enough, while still keeping with the simplicity of things.  And if you don’t have “fresh” mozzarella, don’t worry, I won’t tell if you won’t. : )
PASTA WITH ROASTED TOMATOES
 
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
2 T fresh Thyme leaves
3 cloves garlic, crushed
drizzle olive oil
drizzle balsamic vinegar
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cups fresh basil, chopped
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan
 
Cut tomatoes in half and lay out on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with garlic, thyme, olive oil, and vinegar.
Toss to coat.  Roast at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
Cook spaghetti noodles.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
Toss spaghetti with roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, parmesan, and salt.
Add a drizzle of olive oil, and 1/4 cup of the pasta liquid.  Add remaining 1/4 cup of liquid if needed.
Serve hot.
Filed Under: Pasta

Baked Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo

June 28, 2010 by
I’ve made this dish for many years, sometimes I add cooked chicken cut into strips, sliced mushrooms, some fresh herbs… but this is a nice basic edition that you can serve as is or add your own favorite pasta pairings to.  And you don’t have to bake it, but it really does add another nice layer of flavors. Hope you like it!
 
BAKED SUN DRIED TOMATO ALFREDO
Recipe by My Stained Apron
 
 
3 T butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 pound pasta
 
Combine butter, cream cheese, and milk in saucepan over medium heat, stirring well until well combined.
Add milk, Parmesan, mozzarella, and sun dried tomatoes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente.
Pour pasta into casserole dish, pour sauce over pasta.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
 
 
Filed Under: Pasta, Sauces / Condiments Tagged With: , , ,

Macaroni and Cheese

June 11, 2010 by
 
This is one of those dishes that everyone should know how to make.  I love playing around with it and adding different cheeses, but just plain ol mac and cheese seems to always hit the spot, whether it’s for adults or kids. And one fun way to serve it is put it in individual serving bowls (oven safe) or dishes, and let each person top it how they like. Get creative! Or not, you’ll still like it. : )
 
BAKED (or not) MACARONI AND CHEESE
 
8 T butter
8 T flour
salt and pepper
4 cups milk
1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese
12 oz. elbow macaroni (or noodle of choice), cooked firm*
 
Melt butter in pan until bubbly.
Add flour, salt, and pepper.
Cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
Add milk slowly, whisking in.
Cook until slightly thickened, then add cheese.
*If you don’t want to bake it, just cook the noodles all the way through and toss with sauce now and serve.
Spray a casserole dish or 9 by 13″ pan with nonstick spray.
Pour noodles into pan.
Pour sauce over noodles.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, broil for a couple minutes to brown.
 
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: (Bake as above with each one)
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs
Top with sliced tomatoes, then a little breadcrumbs
Cut 3 slices of bread into 1/2″ cubes (crusts removed), toss with 3 T melted butter.
Spread on top of dish, then top with 1 cup shredded cheese
Or (My favorite) top with 1 cup of shredded cheddar (shown at top)
Filed Under: Pasta

Parmesan Noodles

April 14, 2010 by
This is one of those crazy-simple dishes that is a stand-by in our home.
Everyone loves it, and with a big salad or some steamed broccoli, it’s a quick and easy meal that makes everyone happy.  And you wouldn’t believe how many dinner guests have asked for this recipe.
 
 I keep a few all purpose seasonings around just for this dish.  Just watch if it has added salt to adjust your seasoning, as some can be quite salty.
 
PARMESAN NOODLES
 
 
1 pound noodles of choice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (add more to liking)
2 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
Seasonings of choice (an all purpose garlic seasoning is my go to)
Seared chicken, optional
 
Cook pasta al dente.
Melt butter with oil in pan over medium high heat.
Add pasta and toss.
Add seasonings, chicken if using, and parmesan cheese.
Mix to combine. Serve hot.
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Filed Under: Pasta