Fettuccine with Red Pepper Cayenne Sauce

I found this recipe for Fettuccine With Red Pepper Cayenne Sauce at Recipe for Disaster. This recipe was certainly not a disaster. ;) I made a few changes from the original recipe that will be reflected here.

This recipe is easily something you'd order at a nice Italian restaurant. My kids inhaled it- even the one that doesn't like peppers. This would be fabulous with grilled chicken on top also.

12 oz. fettuccine pasta
3 red bell peppers, julienne sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced (I didn't have fresh garlic- which is not a usual thing here- so I substituted a few shakes of garlic powder.)
1/2 small onion, minced
1/3 of a zucchini julienne sliced (I made zucchini bread today and just threw in the leftover)
Roasted Tomatoes (I threw these in because I had them left over from pizza on Sunday)
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (Once again I didn't really measure- I shook to taste)
1 cup fat sour cream (I was out of sour cream also- I used powdered sour cream. I think it'd be good with heavy whipping cream as well)
3/4 cup chicken broth (I did this to consistency)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I didn't have that much Parmesan so I threw in some asiago, mozzarella and topped it with Romano)
salt and pepper to taste.

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute red bell peppers, garlic, onions and zucchini in olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the sour cream and broth. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese- when cheese is melted add tomatoes. Stir in salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.

Toss hot pasta with sauce and serve with Focciacia.

Easy Pasta Salad

This is a great recipe for a hot summer night and you can mix and match ingredients to your families tastes. This was a hit with the whole family tonight.

Ingredients:
1 Pkg. Angel Hair Pasta
1 bottle of Zesty Italian dressing (Kraft)
meat cut into bite sized pieces (we did grilled chicken pre cooked and thawed from costco, and pepperoni)
veggies (green/red peppers, tomatoes, olives, zucchini, summer squash)
cheese if you want (we did cheddar, asiago and fresh parm tonight)

Toss all together with dressing (not the whole bottle- just enough to moisten) and serve cold.

Hawaiian Haystacks

This quick and easy dinner is a family favorite. My kids love it because they can choose what to put on theirs- I love it because it's fast and everyone likes it (and ends up eating more veggies then they realize).

The important thing here is options. You don't HAVE to have all of these ingredients- and when you put them on the table it's best to let people build their own.

Base:
Rice (I prefer brown- but white works well)
'crunchy noodles' (chow mein noodles)

Create your haystack with any/all of the following:
cheese
pineapple
ham
cut up chicken
polish keilbsa
celery
tomatoes
peppers (I like red ones on mine)
olives
green onions
coconut
almonds

Top with Sweet and Sour sauce

Taco Salad

This is one of our favorites for a fast and easy dinner. The trick is with this to find how your family likes it best. Here is how I make it.


Saute:
1 onion
5Tbs. (ish) minced garlic (I use pre minced garlic- but you can substitute powder to taste- but add after tomatoes)
one green pepper
1lb of ground beef (I use extra lean)
This is a good place to add extra veggies and grains also. I generally add chopped zucchini and quinoa.


When veggies are cooked through and beef is browned add:
2-3 cans of tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of corn
taco seasoning to taste
simmer until it's cooked through

Serve over lettuce and chips and top with sour cream, cheese, guacamole and olives. I like to add ketchup to mine- which my husband finds disgusting, my kids like it with ranch, which I can't stomach. I like to make mine with lettuce on the bottom and then crush just a few chips on top for crunch without adding too many calories.