Green Spaghetti

Green Spaghetti
from Kellie Dye's Instagram a few weeks ago
It's a weird name but that's what we call it.

1 box spaghetti, cooked to package directions (I like thin or angel hair)
Artichoke hearts, halves and quarters, in marinating oil, from Costco
Chicken chunks (usually leftovers from smoked thighs or rotiss chick)
Genovese basil pesto, from Costco
cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat chicken with one jar of artichokes over low heat in dutch oven.  Add spaghetti noodles.  Add pesto and stir to coat - I usually use about half the jar of pesto.  Add tomatoes and stir again.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Sometimes we top with parmesan cheese.

Goes well with copycat Olive Garden salad and Costco baguettes.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Pinch of Yum  https://pinchofyum.com/the-best-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies/print/39213

• 8 tablespoons of salted butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar (I like to use raw cane sugar with a coarser texture)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (more as needed – see video)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (but I always add a little extra)
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I use a combination of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds to just barely melt it. It shouldn’t be hot – but it should be almost entirely in liquid form.
2. Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, beat the butter with the sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and the egg; beat on low speed until just incorporated – 10-15 seconds or so (if you beat the egg for too long, the cookies will be stiff).
3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball that is easy to handle (right at the stage between “wet” dough and “dry” dough). Add the chocolate chips and incorporate with your hands.
4. Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or 9 for HUGELY awesome cookies) and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden.Warning, friends: DO NOT OVERBAKE. This advice is probably written on every cookie recipe everywhere, but this is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Take them out even if they look like they’re not done yet (see picture in the post). They’ll be pale and puffy.
5. Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes or so (I mean, okay, eat four or five but then let the rest of them cool). They will sink down and turn into these dense, buttery, soft cookies that are the best in all the land. These should stay soft for many days if kept in an airtight container. I also like to freeze them.

I'm still looking for my favorite recipe, but this one is really good.  Makes one dozen big cookies or two dozen small cookies, so double the recipe if you have six hundred kids like I do. 

Emma's Favorite Debbie's Macaroni and Cheese

Debbie's Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb elbow noodles (Barilla is my favorite)
18 slices Kraft American cheese
2-3 cups of milk
6 T butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.  Over medium-low heat, add milk and butter to cooked noodles.  Gradually add 18 cheese slices, stirring often, until melted.  Mixture will be runny.  Add salt and pepper to taste - don't forget to season!
Bake in oven-safe dish at 325 for 20 minutes and serve to your favorite toddlers.

Sweet Potato Souffle

Sweet Potato Souffle

from Ginger Manning 

6 sweet potatoes - bake at 375 for 45min. or until soft to mash
Mash and add in: 

2 cups of brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. of cinnamon 

1/2 evaporated milk

Stir ingredients together & put in 9x13 baking dish.

Topping 

1 stick of butter 

1 cup b. sugar

2 tbls. of flour

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans)

Spread topping over potatoes in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 min.

If the topping is to thick, add some water so it will spread better.

Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana (copycat from Olive Garden)
from geniuskitchen, with edits

1 lb Italian sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 medium russet potatoes, washed, sliced in half, then cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 cloves garlic
salt, pepper, chicken bouillon to taste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups (one box) chicken broth
2 cups water
4 cups kale, deveined and sliced into ribbons
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 1/4 c heavy whipping cream

Cook and crumble sausage in Dutch oven.  Remove from pot.  Add bacon drippings and saute onions until translucent over medium heat, about 5 minutes.  Add sliced potatoes, garlic, salt and pepper, red pepper; mix, then add broth and water, and return sausage to the pot.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until potatoes are tender.  Reduce heat to low and give a few good smashes with a potato masher to thicken.  Add kale, allowing it to wilt slightly.  Add in crumbled bacon and then slowly mix in cream.  Serve hot with crusty bread.

Apple Dumplings

Apple Dumplings with Mountain Dew

from Agatha Jenkins, because she's amazing 

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced into 8 pieces

2 tubes crescent rolls 

1 c butter, melted

1 1/2 c. White sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 can Mountain Dew 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
3. Melt butter and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings. (I usually use half the can. Also may sub sprite or other citrus  soda.)
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

White Bean and Chicken Chili

White Bean and Chicken Chili (in the instant pot)
from Linda Castillo, via the internet, with modifications

Ingredient
6 c chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 c dry white northern beans
4oz can diced green chiles, undrained
1 t dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1 t salt
1 t ground black pepper
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (we use rotisserie)
3/4 c sour cream

Directions
Rinse and drain beans - no need to soak beforehand!  Add all the ingredients except chicken and sour cream to the pot.  Cook on manual high pressure for 32 minutes, then turn off and quick-release pressure. 
Add chicken to the pot and simmer for 12 minutes.  Add sour cream and serve.