Fresh Tomatoes, Garlic and Onion Pasta

Most of the time my dinners are planned out each week. But due to unexpected events (like having to cook a dinner for 6 instead of just 3 in the instance my stepkiddos are staying with us for the weekend after all) I have usually find myself in an episode of "Chopped" where I have to make an amazing, tasty dinner with limited ingredients. Lately, however, we have not been as organized and almost every night has been our own little episode of "Chopped." Tonight I knew I had fresh roma tomatoes, garlic, onion and pasta. Of course the obvious could have been the good ole dice those babies up and saute and toss in olive oil. But I was tired of that option.

I was going to make a fresh tomato cream sauce with the whipping cream I found, but by the end of cooking I totally ditz out on the cream and fresh basil. Of course I remembered it while we were eating. I guess that will have to be the next recipes I try. But, on to tonight!

Tonight's meal got four thumbs up. All three boys had seconds and even my daughter ate it up (including the small diced tomato bites). I label this a success. I wish I had a photo of it. I'll try to be better about snagging photos for future posts. Things look so much more tempting when you're gazing, mouth watering at a meal.

Fresh Tomatoes, Garlic and Onion Pasta

Ingredients:

• About 8 roma tomatoes skinned and diced. (Keep the innards and juice too.)
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped (You can do less if you want but my family loves the garlic)
• 1/2 red or sweet onion chopped
• Half a can (or a small can) of olives, diced.
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Your favorite pasta (Keep 2 cups of the pasta water)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes, oregano, basil (optional add ons)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese

What to do:

1. Get your pasta going. Make sure that you reserve at least 2 cups of the water after it is done cooking. It will help to better flavor the pasta sauce.

2. Warm up your extra virgin olive oil and saute your onion until they start to soften.

3. Add your garlic to the mix and stir around for about 30 seconds. You don't want it to brown. 

4. Add in your diced tomatoes, olives and red wine. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. You want the tomatoes to slightly cook down.

5. Add in a cup of your pasta water. You can add in more water to make the sauce more saucy. 

6. Toss your pasta with the sauce.

7. Add in the salt and pepper to taste. This is also where you would add in your optional add ons like red pepper flakes or other herbs. 

Scoop your pasta into your bowl or dish and sprinkle with the shredded Parmesan cheese before serving.

Thanksgiving Dinner Shepherd's Pie

One of the challenges each year after Thanksgiving Day is to figure out which recipes I can make with all the leftovers. We’re just about all souped out at this house so turkey soup was out of the question. We thought about doing hot turkey sandwiches but there wasn’t enough gravy for all six of us to enjoy a smothered sandwich. So yesterday after reading a post on fellow foodie’s blog … I got remember that I made a Shepherd’s Pie last year with the leftovers. It was OK. But this year I had better leftovers and a ton of them too. What’s more perfect than a big casserole dish to throw them all together in?

The first layer: Shredded/diced turkey mixed with the stuffing and cranberry sauce.
The second layer: Gravy
The third layer: green bean casserole – with soggy frech-fried onions included.
The fourth layer: squash casserole.
The fifth layer: more gravy.
And the topper: mashed potatoes.

I was a little nervous about how it would be received with the squash casserole in there, especially since we had it still because it wasn’t as popular. However, it got top ratings! All of the kids, including the toddler, chowed down. We had extra because I had made so much but it’s so tasty that the toddler and I ate more of it for lunch today. This one is definitely a keeper for the books.

Thanksgiving Dinner Shepherd's Pie
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

What you need: (basically anything leftover from Thanksgiving Dinner)
Turkey
Gravy
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Any veggie side dishes
Cranberry sauce

Directions:
1. Shred or dice your leftover turkey. Combine it with your leftover stuffing and spread out on the bottom of your baking dish.

2. Dot this layer with the cranberry sauce. Then lightly toss together. You want the cranberry sauce to still be a bit chunky.

3. Spread gravy over this layer. Remember you need another layer of gravy on top so don’t use it all. You can always make more if you need too.

4. Start layering your veggie side dishes. Each dish can be a layer or you can combine vegetables with a casserole if it’s easier or more convenient for space concerns.

5. Spread another layer of gravy on top.

6. Spread mashed potatoes on the top. You can do it lightly so that the gravy bubbles through the cracks.

7. Bake in the oven uncovered for about 40-45 minutes. The potatoes will have a slight crisp to them when it is done.

The serving size depends on how much you use to make it. I made a ton.