Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Butter your favorite bread, laying one buttered side down on a baking sheet.
2. Top the buttered sided down with a piece of your desired cheese. Add your favorite filling, caramelized onions for example, on top of the cheese. Top the filling with another piece of cheese and put the other piece of buttered bread on top, buttered side up.

   

   

3. Bake on one side for 8-10 minutes, flip and bake for another 8 or so more minutes.

   

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   I know 20 minutes may seem long for a prep time for grilled cheese but believe me once you try this for the first time it will become your “go to” preparation method every time!  🙂

   

I use a classic meatball recipe to make 2 batches of meatballs-24 meatballs in a batch. One to freeze for another quick, easy to go to meal and the other one to use for soups, appetizers, this recipe and many more go to meals. They freeze well, can be made ahead of time and one multiple prep session can yield many great dishes. This recipe makes 48 small to medium meatballs (I am usually tired of rolling in the end so the meatballs tend to get bigger).  😉 Double up the recipe ingredients for crockpot meatballs or the like and now you have a party!  😀

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta of your choice according to package directions. I always add a palm full of kosher salt to the boiling water I do believe it adds taste and if I need the pasta water to loosen up the sauce at times it is already pre-seasoned.

   

2. Chop up your onions and shred your cheese.

   

3. Now we can get this party started! In a nice big cast iron pot or whatever oven safe pot you got, melt 4 tablespoons of the whipped butter on medium heat. Add the flour, one tablespoon at a time, whisking with each addition to combine the flour and butter to make a roux (sauce thickener). Now add the milk one cup at a time as well, whisking again with each addition. Now the arm workout comes in. We want a smooth sauce so keep on whisking until you achieve a no lump sauce. When you are lump free, add the mustard powder, cinnamon, bay leaf and onion. Stir those ingredients together, turn the heat up a smidge and boil for about 2-3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. After you have boiled the sauce to thicken it, lower the heat to medium-low and add that glorious cheese, stir to melt and simmer for about 5 more minutes.

   

   

   

4. In the meantime, melt the remaining whipped butter in a pan and add the breadcrumbs. Coat all of the breadcrumbs.
5. Remove the bay leaf from your sauce. Take your drained macaroni and add it to the beautiful bechamel cheese sauce and combine them together coating all of your macaroni. Sprinkle the breadcrumb and whipped butter mixture evenly over your macaroni and sauce and do the same with the parmesan cheese. Bake in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Turn the oven off and set your broiler to high, broil the topping for about 2-3 minutes until it is nice and golden brown.

   

   

   

6. Remove from the oven and let your bubbly, delish goodness rest for about 5 minutes (if you can restrain yourself  😉 ) Plate and Enjoy!!  😀

   

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

1. In a crockpot or slow cooker (whichever term you prefer) place your ground beef. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce, bay leaves, dried oregano, garlic powder, pepper, onion and 3 whole cloves of garlic.
2. Mix all the ingredients together and set the timer to cook for 4-6 hours. Stir every hour or so if you are home. The garlic will start to soften and just permeate the sauce.

   

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   Garlic Breadcrumb Topping

   1. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and bring it to a sizzle about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the breadcrumbs and combine, coating all of the breadcrumbs.

   

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Faux Lasagna Assembly

1. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
2. Layer the bottom of an oven safe baking dish with enough noodles to cover the bottom.
3. Layer a cup or so of the crockpot spaghetti sauce over the noodles.
4. Add half of the mozzarella cheese and spread to cover the sauce.
5. Add half of the garlic breadcrumb topping, spread out over the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle this layer with some parmesan cheese.
6. REPEAT the layers and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a little olive oil over the top to add a golden color when baking.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!  😛

   

   

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. Remove the mushroom stems (put aside to chop for the filling) and place the mushrooms on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tbsp of the olive oil over the mushrooms. Sprinkle each one with a little kosher salt.

   

2. In a frypan on medium heat, add the remaining tbsp of olive oil and the whipper butter. Melt the butter. Sauté the sliced green onions, chopped garlic and chopped mushroom stems for 5 minutes. Add black pepper and kosher salt to season. Add the breadcrumbs and mix it into the mixture.

   

3. Take the frypan off the heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese. Mix to combine and to start to melt the cheese.

   

   

4. Spoon 2 tbsp of the mixture into the mushrooms. Fill them liberally at first to spread out the mixture and then pile on the remaining mixture to “beef” up their appearance. Top them with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

   

5. You can serve them anyway you like—on a platter or piled gloriously on top of each other in a serving dish. Either way, I guarantee they won’t last! Enjoy!!!  😀

   

1. In a wide saucepan, on medium heat, add 3 tbsp of the olive oil and the whipped butter. When the butter is melted, add 3 of the minced/chopped garlic cloves and saute for about a minute, watching the garlic so it doesn’t burn. Add the flour and mix it in with the butter and olive oil with a whisk. Add the chicken stock and continue whisking until there are no lumps. Turn the heat up to high to boil and thicken the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue whisking for about 5 minutes or until your sauce is the consistency or thickness you enjoy.

   

2. Turn the heat back down to medium and add the bell peppers. Cook them for 20 minutes for a firm, yet chewy bite. Add the fresh chopped parsley and parmesan cheese. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste.

   

   

3. In a frypan, on medium heat, add the remaining tbsp of olive oil. When heated add the remaining minced/chopped clove of garlic and saute for about a minute. Add the shrimp and cook them about 2-3 minutes per side until they turn from grayish to a nice pink color. Shrimp cook very fast.

   

4. While the shrimp is cooking, cook the angel hair pasta according to package directions. After it is cooked, turn off the heat and leave it in the water to stay warm.
5. When ready to plate, use a pair of tongs to take out a generous portion of pasta and twist it for presentation in a nice themed bowl. Add your scampi sauce and shrimp on top. Garnish with a little more parmesan if you please and a little fresh parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!!!

   

   

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, about 2 tablespoons. Add the chopped mushroom stems (chop them pretty small) and saute for about 5 minutes until they are tender.

   

   

2. Add the chopped garlic, then the breadcrumbs. Mix together. Turn off the heat and add the cheese and mix through. The residual heat will melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from the heat and set aside.

   

   

   

   

3. Butterfly your chicken breasts (cut them in half, without cutting all the way through). Cover your surface with plastic wrap and place a piece of plastic wrap on top of your butterflied chicken. Take the spiked side of your mallet and pound and simultaneously gently pull the chicken out to the side to flatten and create a bigger surface. Flip them skin side down (yes I know they are skinless, pretend there is skin) and put your stuffing on top a little away from the edge. Now roll the chicken, starting from the edge and tucking the stuffing in as you go. The rollups will be a little uneven but we will take care of that in step 4.

   

   

   

   

4. Take a piece of plastic wrap about 12′ by 12′ and lay it flat on your counter surface. Put your rollup on the edge, centered on the plastic wrap edge and roll it tight as you go in the plastic wrap. When your chicken is all rolled up. Twist the sides of the plastic wrap in opposite directions tightly. This will result in a uniformed size rollup. Tie off the ends. Put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more to continue forming.

   

   

5. When ready to cook, remove rollups from the fridge and let set on the counter for about 5 minutes. Unwrap and salt and pepper rollups. In an oven safe fry pan add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of whipped butter, melt over medium heat. When butter is melted brown your chicken rollups on all sides. About 1 minute per side. Baste chicken with butter sauce as you turn. Finish cooking in the oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven, and put them on a plate and set aside to rest.

   

6. Put your fry pan back on the stove, be careful as the handle will still be really hot! Over medium heat, add two more tablespoons of whipped butter, the sherry, chicken stock and the mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms are to your desired texture and the sauce has reduced about half.

   

7. Slice your chicken rollups on a biased (diagonal) and feather them out on your plate. Pour a nice amount of reduction on top and serve with your favorite vegetable. Enjoy!!!  🙂

   

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. In a pan over medium heat add your oil and whipped butter. When your butter has melted add the chopped onion and sautee for 3-5 minutes. Add your flour to combine and coat the onions. When the onions are all coated add your beef stock and whisk everything to combine and remove any lumps from the flour. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce. Stir often. Reduce heat and add your chicken, frozen brussel sprouts, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste. Combine and let simmer for 5 minutes while you prepare your baking dish.

   

2. In a baking dish, line the bottom and as much of the sides as you can with one of the pie crusts. Add the filling evenly. Place the next pie crust on top covering as much of the pie filling as you can. In a bowl, beat an egg with a little water or milk to make an egg wash for the crust. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top of the crust in a nice even layer. This helps to really brown the crust and add a nice richness. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pot pie and turn the broiler on the oven to high. Brown the top to your desired color and crispness but watch it closely so it does not burn. Remove from the oven and let it set for 5 minutes.

   

3. Last but not least, serve a nice bowl full and Enjoy!!!  😀