Alfredo Sauce

(picture is of Olive Garden alfredo pasta)

I thought this recipe was on here, but when I looked it up I realized I had never posted it! What a travesty! This sauce is not only great on pasta, but can be used in place of red pizza sauce for a vegetarian pizza, used in Lasagna, or  to make delicious chicken alfredo. And, of course, dip some french bread in it as an appetizer and you are in Heaven!

Alfredo Sauce by Erin Taylor

1 pint Half and Half
1 pint whipping cream
1 stick (1/2 c. butter)
1 C. grated parmesan cheese (the finely grated kind in the green plastic bottle is perfect for this recipe)
2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
1/4 C. water
1 Tsp. garlic powder or garlic salt
Salt to taste

Heat butter, cream and half and half in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and garlic powder, continue to stir over heat until cheese is melted. Mix cornstarch with water and pour into pot, stirring as it thickens. Add salt to taste and remove from heat immediately. Store in freezer or in refridgerator for up to a week.

Creamy Lasagna Casserole

                                           

This casserole is rich, creamy, tomato-y, warm, noodl-y, and delicious!  Tastes  a LOT like lasagna, so you can't really go wrong! Oh, and it's not an Erin original. I got it from Better Homes and Gardens but I changed the name (from 8 layer casserole) and a few small steps. I make it more than I make lasagna now, and if you used regular pasta instead of egg noodles, I bet you could make it in the crock pot!!! It also makes fantastic left-overs, and I usually HATE leftovers!

 Creamy Lasagna Casserole

3 cups dried medium egg noodles (6 ounces) (I use no-yolk noodles)


1 pound ground beef

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and well drained

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Directions

1. Grease a 2-quart casserole or a 2-quart square baking dish; set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.


2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown onions, then  add  beef until brown. Drain off fat. Stir tomato sauce, basil, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

3. In a medium mixing bowl beat together the sour cream and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in milk. In prepared casserole or baking dish, layer half of the noodles (about 2 cups), half of the meat mixture (about 1 1/2 cups), half of the cream cheese mixture (about 1 cup), and all of the spinach. Top with the remaining meat mixture and noodles. Cover and chill remaining cream cheese mixture until needed.

*Erin's tip- I added the cream  mixture on top of everything else and covered with foil to bake. It worked just as well, I thought.



4. Cover casserole or baking dish with lightly greased foil. Bake in 350 degree F oven about 45 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; spread with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

5. Makes 8 servings


6. Make-ahead directions: Prepare as directed through Step 3. Cover with lightly greased foil and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; spread with remaining cream-cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.¿¿Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before baking.

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

I made this up once for a pot luck at my husband's work and it was sooo creamy and good! It has a smoky flavor from the smoked Gouda cheese, but you can substitute plain Gouda, or any cheese really and it would be just as good! (measurements are not *exact* but this is really a fool-proof dish. I can't remember the exact amount of water I added, so let it cook for a while before you add more water if needed. Again, any cheese combinations would work for this recipe. I even added pepper jack once and it was really good!)

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

1-8 0z. pkg. Cream Cheese (low fat works fine)
2 C. macaroni noodles, uncooked
1 C. grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 C. grated Smoked Gouda (in gourmet cheese section at grocery store)
1 C. Monterey Jack Cheese
1 Tbsp. Ground Mustard
1 Tbsp. corn starch mixed with 1/4 C. water
2 C. milk
about 4 C. water (enough to just cover the top of the ingredients)
Salt and pepper
*optional- 1 C. crumbled, cooked bacon (this is delicious!)

Add all ingredients to crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, high for 4-6 hours. Check consistency of sauce before serving, if too thick add milk or water, if too thin mix more cornstarch and water and let thicken for a few minutes before serving.

Vegetarian Crock Pot Lasagna

I have another recipe for crock pot lasagna I got from a friend's recipe website,and it's the best lasagna I have EVER tried, honestly! But I adore veggie lasagna with alfredo sauce, so I made up my own. Be sure to use a crock pot liner (found in the foil and ziplock bag section of most grocery stores), it makes cleanup much easier!

Vegetarian Crock Pot Lasagna (Erin Taylor)

(this recipe is using a medium size crock pot. If you have a great big one, double the amounts, or you will have a very thin lasagna.)

step 1: assemble the sauce

1 bottle alfredo sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil
bottle of milk after sauce has been dumped into bowl
salt and pepper to taste

pour sauce into a bowl. Fill bottle with milk, shake to get all the sauce off the sides and dump into sauce. Add garlic powder and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. set aside.

Step 2: Prepare vegetables and ricotta cheese

3 small zucchini (about 9 inches long and 2 inches across) sliced in small rounds
1 C. grated carrotts
2 C. spinach leaves, chopped or whole
2 medium tomatoes, sliced in rounds

1 small container ricotta cheese mixed with 1 egg, dash of salt, 1 tsp garlic powder,and 1 C. grated Mozzerella cheese

Step 3: layer lasagna

place 1/2 c. of the sauce in bottom of crock pot. Break up lasagna noodles (uncooked)so they will fit on bottom of pot. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles. Add one layer of half of the zucchini rounds neatly across ricotta cheese, then half the carrots, then all the spinach. Layer another layer of noodles, sauce, ricotta cheese, zucchini, carrotts, then chopped tomatoes. Pour half the sauce that's left over the top. Add one more layer of noodles and cover with remaining sauce.

Let cook in crock pot on medium for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours. Add shredded mozzerella cheese the last 15-20 minutes of cooking until it's melted.

Fantastic!!!

*You can use pretty much any veggies you like, and a tomato based sauce would be delicious as well! Dare to experiment!!!