My mother taught me how to make this great lasagna.  It is an authentic Italian recipe and I’ve been making this lasagna for as long as I can remember.  It’s definitely a family favorite and its special enough to be served even for Christmas day! 

Mom’s Lasagna

My homemade Italian sauce

15 no boil lasagna noodles

1 lb. hamburger

1 lb. Italian hot sausage

1 container of ricotta Cheese (28 oz. size)

2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

3 TBL parsley

1 TBS garlic powder

salt & pepper

Directions:

Drizzle the olive oil in a pan and fry the 1 pound of hot sausage.  First be sure and take off the casing or skin of the sausage as it will be easier to break and crumble up for the lasagna.  Then cook the sausage until done and put aside in a bowl.  Use the same pan to fry the hamburger in and cook until done.  Then drain any oil and juices from the meat.

Here is a photo of the ricotta mix

While the meat is cooking get a separate bowl to put the ricotta cheese, eggs, parsley, garlic, 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper in.  In a 9 x 13″ dish put the sausage on the bottom and layer the hard lasagna (no boil) noodles.  Place for a cross and one down the side to cover.  Spread half of the cheese mixture (the ricotta mix you made above).  Then take half of the hamburger and sausage and spread it over the top.  Then add mozzarella cheese about 1 cup.  Then add the sauce. 

Here is the lasagna straight out of the oven.

Then layer the noodles again for cross and one down to cover.  Then repeat again with the ricotta mix and the rest of the hamburger and sausage.  Then cover again with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and sauce to cover.  Then repeat the noodles for cross and one down the side.  Apply sauce to cover the noodles.  Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to completely cover the dish and spray the underside of a foil before covering to prevent sticking (use Pam or some non stick spray vegetable oil).

Here it is showing the layers. Doesn't it make you hungry?

Bake in the oven at 350° for approximately one hour.  For the last 15 minutes take off the foil and sprinkle 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Don’t let the cheese Brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Serve and enjoy – you are sure to please everyone with this great lasagna recipe from my mom.

This recipe came from my sister-in-law Hilary.  It is one of my personal favorites.  It’s quick and easy yet elegant enough to serve to company and it’s just delicious.  I guarantee if you like shrimp scampi you’ll definitely like this recipe.

Delicious Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter

1/2 cup of olive oil

2 cloves of crushed garlic

1/3 cup of onion (I prefer sweet onions for this recipe)

1/3 cup of white wine

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 lb. of angel hair spaghetti

2 bags medium-size shrimp (40 – 50 shrimp in each bag)

1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put the olive oil and butter in a pan and sauté the onions. 

Sauteing the onions

Then add garlic and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.  Then add the white wine, parsley, salt and pepper and cook for two minutes.  Add the shrimp last and then cook an additional five minutes.

After adding the shrimp, white wine and parsley.

Meanwhile boil the angel hair spaghetti following the directions on the box drain very well.  Then add the spaghetti to the pan and stir together.

After adding the angel hair spaghetti

Add the 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and put in a pretty serving bowl. 

Here is the completed shrimp scampi ready to eat - doesn't it look delicious?

Serve the shrimp scampi with white wine, garlic bread and a nice salad.  You will definitely impress your guests with this dish.

This recipe was from an old neighbor of mine from Utica New York, Toni, whom I have known just about all my life.  These vodka riggies (or rigatoni as some may refer to it as) are the quickest to make when you’re expecting company and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking, but it will look and taste like you did!  Everyone loves this recipe.  This is the one I am constantly being asked for almost on a daily basis.

Vodka Riggies (Rigatoni)

Ingredients:

1 shot of vodka or two

1 pound of riggies (rigatoni)

1 half pint of heavy cream

1 to 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce

1 medium onion chopped

1/4 pound prosciutto

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 1/2 cups of grated Romano cheese

Directions:

While you boil the riggies (rigatoni), make the sauce.  In a large pan add the oil and sauté the onions on low to medium heat until the onion softens.  Then add the prosciutto.  Season with garlic powder, salt and basil.  Add the riggies (rigatoni) after you have drained them really well (making sure they are al dente). 

These are amazing and taste every bit as good as they look!

Next add the vodka and sauté over low heat for a couple of minutes.  Then add the sauce and heavy cream and stir thoroughly over low heat for three minutes.  Add the grated cheese and stir.  After this step I like to set one or two handfuls of shredded Parmesan cheese melted on top.  You can do this to your liking.  This is the way my husband and children prefer it and its the way I’ve been making it for years.  Place the vodka riggies in a nice dish, serve and enjoy.  You are sure to impress everyone with this dish – I guarantee it.

This is a great appetizer that everyone will love.  It is super easy to make and everyone will surely rave over these and how great they taste!  This recipe came from my sister-in-law Hilary.  I watched her make it and I was extremely surprised at how flavorful they were. 

Stuffed Sausage Mushroom Caps

Ingredients:

1 package of mild breakfast sausage

1 package of cream cheese

2 containers of whole mushrooms

Directions:

Fry the sausage in a pan first then add in the cream cheese.  While that’s cooking down clean and the stem the mushrooms.  The stem of the mushrooms will come off easily. Then you stuff the mushroom with the sausage and cream cheese mix where you took the stem off.  Place the stuffed mushrooms on a 9 x 13″ dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 325°.

As I told you these are super easy to make and be sure and tell everyone you plan on serving this dish to that you got it on Hotcookingrecipes.com so they can try it and the other great recipes here also.  This is also a great recipe for finding another tasty way to get your kids to eat their vegetables – hint, hint!

I was looking for a great goulash recipe and I wanted something different and better than what was currently out there in books and on TV.  So, I made this one up on the fly as I went along and it came out really great.  I have tried a lot of goulash recipes and found they don’t always have a lot of flavor.  So I took my Italian culinary skills and tweaked and played with this recipe to make it my own and I’m sure you really like it.  My family really enjoys goulash recipe and it is great to make in a pinch.

Melissa’s Best Goulash Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. hamburger lean

1 medium onion (I use sweet onions for added flavor)

1 can of beef broth

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon parsley

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cans tomato paste (6 oz. each)

1 cup of red wine

1 lb. shell macaroni

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese grated

Directions:

I like to make this recipe is easy as possible with minimum cleanup (this is actually my goal with every recipe, it just doesn’t always turn out that way).  So what I do is boil the macaroni first and add a teaspoon of salt to the water.  Be sure and follow the directions that came on the box of macaroni and boil until done.  Then drain in a strainer.  Cut the onion in slices.

Then take the same pot you bold the macaroni in and put some olive oil in the bottom and sauté the onions.  When that’s done for the hamburger in and fry that up.  I use extra lean meat so there isn’t much juice so I don’t drain anything.  If you use regular or less lean hamburger meat you may want to make sure the drain at first as it may be too greasy and fatty and will definitely alter the taste.  Next add all your ingredients except the macaroni.

Stir it up well and cook on low for a few minutes then add the macaroni and stirring gently and let that cook on low for around 10 minutes or so with a cover.  Serve and enjoy.  I’m sure your family will love this goulash recipe just as mine does.

Mom’s stuffed shells

Ingredients:

1 box 12 oz. jumbo shells

1 large (30 oz.) ricotta cheese

2 eggs

3 TBL parsley

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 TBL garlic powder

1 Cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

mix all the ingredients by hand in a bowl.  Boil the shells following the directions on the box they came in.  Then drain really well.

Here is a picture of the stuffing for the shells.

Picture of the pasta shells stuffed prior to baking in the oven.

Here are the stuffed shells after adding sauce and covering with cheese.

In a 9″ x 13″ baking dish spray the bottom and put a thin layer of sauce down.  Then with a tablespoon stuff the shells with the mixture above.   Take the sauce and put it over the shells then sprinkle over the sauce with extra Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  Bake on 350° for 30 minutes covered with foil.  Be sure and spray the underside of the foil first to prevent it from sticking to the cheese.

The finished stuffed shells ready to eat - Don't they look delicious?

Serve and enjoy – this is a delicious recipe that I am sure your family will love you for many years to come – just look at the picture above and try and tell me that it doesn’t look delicious and tasty!  This recipe serves approximately 6 adults.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

Italian sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 table spoon garlic powder (not garlic salt as they are two entirely different things and will greatly alter the taste of the chicken Parmesan in the end).

Pepper

2 eggs

Milk

1 cup of mozzarella cheese

1 bag of chicken breasts (about six or seven chicken breasts and trim all the white fat off)

Directions:

in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish (you will need two of them) insurance break up with vegetable spray then put a layer of sauce down.  Get a bowl and put 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in it along with 1 tablespoon of garlic powder.  Sprinkle in some pepper.  Then mix with a fork.  Put it in a gallon sized plastic bag.

In a separate bowl add two eggs and a splash of milk and whip these two ingredients by hand.  Then take each piece of chicken and get into the egg mixture draining off the excess and put into the bag with the other ingredients and move around coating each piece of chicken very well.  Do this to each piece of chicken separately.  When coated set each piece of chicken into the baking dish.

And yes, they are even better then they look!

When you’re done coding the last piece of chicken breasts cover the chicken with sauce then about 1 cup or more with mozzarella cheese and then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on.  Cover the dish with foil – be sure and spray the underside of the foil first to prevent sticking.  Bake in the oven at 350° for about 45 minutes.  You can take the cover off for the last five minutes or so to brown the cheese a bit.  Serve an enjoy – just look at the above 3 picture – doesn’t it just look delicious?.

Mom’s Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. hamburger

A splash of milk

1 tbs. Parsley

1 tbs. Garlic powder (be sure and use garlic powder and not garlic salt as there will be a huge difference in taste and flavor - it will also make your recipe come out salty tasting).

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Directions:

Mix and smash the ingredients with your fingers and roll into balls.  Place the balls on to a cookie sheet and bake on 250° for about 20 minutes.  That’s it – I told you it was simple!  And look at the picture below.  Don’t the meatballs look mouthwatering and yummy?

These meatballs are great in sauce or even all by themselves!

You can eat them plain when they come out of the oven and believe me they’re tasty as is.  Or you can also sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese and then serve them.  Our brothers go crazy for these meatballs with the Parmesan cheese on them. 

Or you can also add them to your favorite sauce while you’re sauce is cooking down.  For added flavor put some grease in the sauce from the meatballs in the pan.  I’ve found that I get more flavor and softer meatballs when I use hamburger meat with a higher fat percentage such as 73% versus 80%.  Experiment and find what works best for you and your family.

As an added plus you will stay healthier this winter with this excellent butternut squash soup recipe – it is loaded with vitamins A and C and great for boosting your immune system!  It is also excellent to eat when you have the flu or are feeling sick.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

2 medium or 1 large squash

1 C oil

5 Cups chicken broth

1 jalapeno pepper

Salt and pepper

The directions here are pretty simple.  You peel and cut the squash into 1 inch cubes to make about 5 cups worth.  Then brown 1 cup of squash in the oil.

In a large pot add all the squash along with 5 cups of chicken broth.  Then slice one small jalapeno pepper to give it a little added zing or spice – this makes the soup really exceptional and stand out. 

Boil all the ingredients in the pot until soft, then put it in a blender to purée.  Follow this by seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste and then enjoy.  This is a great soup served either hot or cold.

You can also make this soup a great anti-cold or anti-flu remedy by adding some garlic (either ground or fresh) to the soup before serving.  I’ve used this remedy myself to weather many a nasty flu bug or cold.  If you didn’t know already, garlic has great anti-cold and anti-flu properties and has been proven through medical science and research to be extremely effective in fighting off viruses like the flu and even H1N1.  Soups are also great to have when you’re sick with or without the garlic.  The garlic just tends to help that much more.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. hamburger meat

1 onion chopped

2 peppers cut small

1 (30 oz.) crushed tomatoes can

1/2 tsp. salt/pepper, curry powder, chili powder, cumin

1 3/4 C  rice

Added note – you may want to add more than 1/2 tsp of each just be sure and taste first.

Fry the hamburger along with the onions and peppers and at the end, when they’re softening, add the sauce.

Separately cook the rice in water.  Boil and add a little salt to the water.  Follow the directions on the package for the rice.