Hi, all:
So my husband and I did the WSJ thingy this week and found out that we're in the top 5% of household income in the country. This made us sad because we can barely save for retirement, but it made us happy because we're so much better off than so many others.
I hate waste. Hate it with a passion. So even though we spend about $600/month in groceries for a family of three (my brother Joe included), I'm very careful about how I use our resources.
Sundays in my home are dedicated to the NFL. Ok, really? To the Packers. But also to all of football....we watch football all day while ironing clothes, dusting the bookcases, folding laundry, etc. And I cook.
I don't do recipes. I concoct. And I was asked on Facebook today to share a recipe for today's concoction, made of both inexpensive ingredients and leftovers. So here's the best I can do at the request of Nurse Kelley:
Kate's Concoction
1 lb. boxed ziti or rigatoni
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 tablespoons chopped garlic (18 cloves or roughly two heads)
5 tablespoons dried basil
3 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1.5 tablespoons crushed red pepper
1.5 cups peas (leftovers)
1.5 cups cubed chicken (leftovers)
1 pound cooked hot italian sausage (leftovers)
1 pound low fat ricotta
1 pound dry curd cottage cheese
1 pound shredded nonfat mozzarella
1 large can (29oz) crushed tomatoes
1 large can (29oz) tomato sauce
1 medium can (12 oz) tomato paste
10 large fresh basil leaves, chopped finely
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 13x9x2 casserole dish.
In a bowl, combine cottage cheese curds and ricotta with chopped fresh basil and 1 tablespoon dried oregano. Fold gently to blend and set aside at room temperature.
In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until translucent (about four-six minutes). Add dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes and continue to saute for another 90 seconds. Add chicken, peas, and cooked Italian sausage and heat until warmed, tossing frequently. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a large saucepan (like, BIG, but not stock pot sized), blend all canned tomato products and fresh basil gently with spatula over medium heat. When the mixture begins to bubble, turn heat down to low and add contents of skillet. Fold gently to blend, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Bring 5 quarts of water to boil. Add a dash of salt and all pasta. Cook pasta in rolling boil for 9-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and drain.
Spread 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture from large saucepan over bottom of casserole. Add four 1/4 cup "lumps" of cheese mixture from bowl at random places over sauce. Scatter pasta over sauce and cheese until mostly covered. Add more sauce, cheese "lumps", and pasta in continuing layers (I ended up with about 1/4 cup pasta that just didn't fit).
Bake casserole dish in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top (it will be thick) and bake for another five minutes, and then broil until cheese is bubbling and brown.
Remove again and allow to sit for two hours. You can then either reheat at 350 for fifteen minutes, or nuke individual servings.
Makes a LOT.
I love making meals stretch. Do you?