Here are a few lines from Jake introducing you to the recipe:

You may remember my Spinach and Chicken Lasagna Rolls from a while back and when I saw this latest recipe on Kitty’s Pintrest Foodies board I knew I had to give it a try. I decided to scale down the original recipe as it was only being made for myself. There are also a few ingredients I left out and I added mushrooms.

We hope you enjoy it!

Lasagna Cups

Adapted from Lauren’s Latest
Yield: Makes 6 Cups

Ingredients for Sauce:
6 oz of tomato paste
8 oz of tomato sauce
7 oz of diced tomatoes
1/2 lb of ground beef
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of minced onion
1/2 tsp of basil
1/2 tsp of oregano

Ingredients for Cheese Filling:
5 oz of cooking creme
1/4 cup of Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup of mozzarella (1/4 for toping)
1/4 cup of parm cheese
1 small egg

Directions:

1. Place the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and start browning the meat. Add a pinch of each of the spices (garlic powder, minced onion, basil and oregano). A few minutes before the meat is done add the mushrooms and continue to brown.
2. On another burner add the tomato sauce, paste and diced tomatoes to a pot. Bring to a simmer and add the rest of the spices you have left. Stir from time to time. Once meat is done add to the sauce and continue on low heat for about 30 mins.
3. During this time prepare your pot of water for your lasagna noodles. Cook as per the directions on the box. You will need one noodle for each cup. So in this case 6. I did throw in an extra one just in case one broke or something. A really good tip I got from Lauren’s Latest is to use a greased cookie sheet to lay them out once they are cooked and waiting to be used.
4. Now for the cheese filling. Stir all of those ingredients except ¼ cup of the mozzarella for adding at the very end. This filling includes a the new product called Philadelphia Italian Herb & Cheese Cooking Cream (http://www.kraftbrands.com/philly/Pages/default.aspx).
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using parchment line each section of a jumbo muffin tin. They are a little tricky to get to stay in but you can work them in with your fingers. Plus the pasta will push them down when added. Take each noodle and cut 2-3 inches off of one end and set that aside. You will need them. Line each section of the tin with 1 lasagna noodle. Make sure to over lap it slightly so it will hold the sauce and filling well. Push one of the 2-3 inch cut offs into the bottom of each tin. Now take a table spoon and add some of the sauce, meat and mushrooms. Then add some of the cheese filling. Repeat this until your tins are just about full, ending with the cheese filling. Add a bit of the ¼ of mozzarella, we set aside, to eat of the tins to finish it off.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until all the cheese is melted and the edges of the noodle start to brown a little. To serve, pull out by the parchment paper and remove the paper when plating. Enjoy!

© 2011, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

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I made this pasta pie a few years ago, for Halloween.  This is a perfectly comforting savory dish that can be served as a main course, I highly recommend you pair it with tomato soup. (you can try ours if you feel like make one from scratch).  The combination of potatoes, pasta, cheese and bacon is outstanding.  Next time, I think I’ll add a few chopped sundried tomatoes to it… or maybe fresh ones, what do you think? Maybe a little basil, too.

I adapted this recipe from Living Magazine, by substituting 1/4 lb prosciutto for 1/2 lb bacon and also substituted 1 crumbled red chile for 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.

Pasta, Bacon and Potato Pie

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, October 2005
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds russet potatoes (3 to 4 medium)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 scallions, white and light-green parts, finely chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 large bunch (14 ounces) Swiss chard, stemmed and coarsely chopped
3/4 pound penne, cooked according to package instructions
1/2 pound bacon, cut into squares
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, coarsely chopped

Special equipment:
A springform pan

Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook whole potatoes in boiling water until they are tender, about 20 min (check them with a fork).  Let cool slightly.
3. Peel potatoes; discard skin. Mash with a potato masher.
4. Stir potatoes, butter, and scallions in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Press potato mixture evenly into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until light golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
5. Bring milk and cream to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in chile. Whisk in eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
6. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot; cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Add chard; cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Stir pasta, Parmesan mixture, chard mixture, prosciutto, and oregano in a large bowl. Spread over crust. Bake until golden brown and set, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

© 2011, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

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This is one of Jake’s signature dishes. The sauce is the perfect match for the lasagna rolls. You’ll notice that there’s no salt for the sauce. This is because we used Italian flavored breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, which is salty by itself. You can also replace the Spinach with Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower… any veggie you are in the mood for! Lasagna rolls are a perfect comfort food in these chilly winter nights, and make a great meal for the next day too. They go well with a fresh green salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette and paired it with a good white wine. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Spinach & Chicken Lasagna Rolls
A Foodies’ Original by Jake Van Ness
Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:
2 handfuls of Spinach
5 ounces Ricotta cheese
6 oz chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Oregano, Salt and Pepper  to taste
6 Lasagna noodles, cooked, drained
Jake’s Parmesan Sauce (recipe bellow)

Directions:

1. Chop finely the cooked chicken breasts. We’ve found that its much easier using the food processor and give it a few spins there.
2. Mix in the Ricotta Cheese, Oregano and Garlic.
3. Cook the lasagna noodles al dente (this is important so when it bakes later it doesn’t ), drain them out, place on clean towel to dry excess water.
4. Place a spinach leaf at the end of a lasagna noodle and take one tablespoon of the chicken and ricotta mix, place it on the top and roll until conceal.
5. Repeat the same process once again and roll completely. Repeat with all lasagna noodles.
6. Place on a greased baking dish, and pour sauce over rolled noodles and cover.
7. Bake at 375º for 25 minutes
8. Uncover and bake for 3 minutes.
9. To serve, pour remaining sauce over spinach leaves and serve the rolls on top.

Jake’s Parmesan Sauce
A Foodies’ Original by Jake Van Ness
Serving Size: 6

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces sour cream
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
3 ounces ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add sour cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth.
3. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps.
4. Stir in Parmesan, Ricotta and pepper.
5. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.
6. Note: If you don’t find Italian breadcrumbs at your grocery store, you can make your own. For each cup of breadcrumbs, add one tablespoon of each: fresh rosemary, oregano, and parsley freshly chopped.

© 2010, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

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This is one of my “I don’t know what to cook for lunch today” dishes.  I had some yellow corn in the fridge, and I remembered that at my cooking classes, we made a recipe that used the corn cob to flavor the sauce by browning it first and then leaving it there to simmer with the rest of the ingredients. The result is delicious. I had a few other vegetables I could use, so I added them to give the plate some coloring. I didn’t want to just serve pasta with a white sauce. I started to throw stuff in, and here it is. Corn Cream Pasta.

Corn Cream Pasta

2-3 servings
A The Foodies’ Kitchen original recipe

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 yellow corn on the cob
½ white onion, chopped
4 mini green zucchinis
15 cherry tomatoes
3 slices of ham, chopped.
1 cup cream
½ cup white wine
½ cup chicken stalk
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon powdered thyme
1 lb fettuccini

Procedure:

1. Remove the kernels from your 2 corns. Place them vertically on a cutting board and run a sharp knife along side, going from top to bottom and all around. Reserve the cob.
2. In a medium sized pot heat olive oil, add the chopped onion and the 2 cobs. Let them brown for a few minutes. Add the ham and let it brown for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and the corn kernels.
3. Now, we add the liquids: Wine, chicken stalk and cream. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Let it come to a slow boil, and cover to let all the flavors come together for about 15 minutes. Make sure you cover your pot and that you let it cook at low heat, otherwise you will evaporate all the liquids and burn the vegetables.
4. When the 15 minutes are up, remove the cobs and check the seasoning.
5. Serve with cooked fettuccini and sprinkle with fresh or dried basil.

Note: To serve it, mix the cooked pasta with the sauce in the pot. Then serve it.

© 2010, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

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I know.  Meatballs… boring.  I have to tell you that I have never been a fan of ground beef.  Meatballs and especially meatloaf are one of the few things that I don’t particularly enjoy. I think its because of the way these types of dishes where prepared when I was growing up . It was just wrong.

Now,  I have made my peace with ground beef.  However, it has to be a really lean cut and it has to be seasoned just right.  I decided to try this recipe and give it my own twist.  I promise you, it is very good.  Have some homemade tomato sauce handy, or get some of the canned type with basil or with mushrooms to go with it and lots of Parmesan cheese on top!

Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

For the Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
A couple of sprinkles of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
About 2 tablespoons olive oil, to fry the meatballs.

Garnish: chopped cilantro
1 cup tomato sauce, Italian style
Basil, either fresh or dried.

Preparation:

1. Make the meatballs: Combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, egg, salt, pepper in a bowl;
2. mix together using 2 forks until just combined.
3. Roll into 1-inch balls; transfer to a baking sheet.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.
5. Working in batches and adding more oil as necessary, cook meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Add basil to tomato sauce.
7. Serve meatballs warm, topped with sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
8. Serve over pasta.

© 2010, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

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We  had some cooked frozen shrimp around from the night before. Usually tuned to The Food Network, a shot of Mario Batali on screen- so I though why not Fettucine Alfredo? I started browsing through the fridge and found my ingredients. Hope you like it! It’s easy, takes about 20 minutes!

Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo
A The Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Serves 6

1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound shrimp, cooked
4 cloves garlic
⅜ cups parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon onion, minced
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. On a pot, heat the milk and the butter until it melts.
2. Prepare the pasta according to the box.
3. On a large skillet, sauté the shrimp, garlic, parsley and onions, just for a minute or two.  Enough for the cooked shrimp to heat and get the flavors of the onion, parsley and garlic.
4. Add the milk and butter, mix and add the parmesan in two parts.
5. Add the ricotta cheese and sour cream and thicken sauce. It will take a bit, about 4 minutes.
6. Combine with the cooked pasta and serve hot. Add a bit of extra parsley to decorate.

© 2010, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

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Yes, avocado pizza! I’ve been looking at new ways to use avocados in my cooking, and I got this idea from a website that features recipes using them, I’ll definitely make this one again.

Chicken and Avocado Pizza

Yields: 4 Personal Sized Pizzas
Recipe from The Amazing Avocado

Ingredients:
4 personal pizza crusts
1 cup tomato sauce
½ onion, finely chopped
2 grilled chicken breasts, shredded or cut into strips
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese (or you can use Mozzarella)
1 ripe avocado, sliced
Tabasco, to taste (optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet; bake crust 7 minutes.
2. In small bowl, combine pizza sauce and Tabasco (Tabasco is optional).
3. Spread pizza with sauce; top with chicken, Avocado and cheese.
4. Bake until crusts are crisp on the bottom, and the cheese has melted, 4 to 6 minutes longer.
5. Enjoy with a nice cold beer!

© 2010, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

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