WHITNEY'S NOODLES

This is a cheap, filling meal. It's named after my nephew, Whitney, who served his mission in Taiwan and learned to cook inexpensive meals. Eggs.

Bacon.

Onions and garlic.

Veggies--this is the crookneck squash. Add half of the seasoning pkgs. to the veggies as they are cooking. Boil the noodles with the other half of the seasoning pkgs. Mix everything together and serve. Delicious. Thanks, Whitney. WHITNEY'S NOODLES--Whitney Peterson

Some kind of meat. I have only ever used bacon but other meats could be used or if you're a vegetarian just leave the meat out.

Eggs
Onions and garlic
Mushrooms--I didn't have any but usually always use them.
Veggies--I used two good sized crookneck squash and one good sized zucchini
Other veggies--lots of things could be used.
Ramen noodles, one pkg for each person

Boil ramen noodles with one half of the seasoning pkg. Boil only 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain. Use the remaining seasoning pkg. in the veggies.

Cook bacon, drain well. Set aside. I add everything to an oven proof bowl in a 200 degree oven to keep things warm while I sauté the remaining ingredients.

Sauté one veggie at a time and add to bowl in the oven--or you could steam them with a bit of water. I used some of the bacon grease and it was too greasy. I couldn't find my original recipe so I sautéed the veggies for too long. You want the veggies to have a bit of crunch.

Cook the eggs and then cut them into chunks.

Add everything together and serve.

I made extra as I want to send them some to my neighbor. I told her about the recipe but she looked at me a little oddly so I want her to taste it. Her daughter has gone away to college and needs cheap, filling meals.

TASTES-BETTER-THAN-IT-LOOKS PASTA SALAD

I'm calling this salad '"Tastes-Better-Than-It-Looks Pasta Salad because it's so plain--kind of like a girl with a face that doesn't stop traffic. Perhaps I should change the noodles, but the family knows this salad with macaroni noodles so I probably won't. Besides that, my daughter-in-law told Phil this was the best pasta salad she's ever eaten. What better praise could you have?

This photo was taken two full days after I made the salad so it's looking a little weary. I usually forget to take food photos until we've either gobbled everything up or almost gobbled it up. This time, because I made a double batch we still had some. The peas were bright green the first day--not so much today, when I took the photo.

TASTES-BETTER-THAN-IT-LOOKS PASTA SALAD--Lynne Snyder

1 part Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
1 to 3 parts sweet cucumber chip’s pickle juice (taste and decide how much pickle juice you want to use)
chopped sweet pickles
canned tuna
shredded carrots

finely diced celery
frozen peas
finely minced green onions
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper
Elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed and drained.

I used a one pound pkg. of pasta to one can of tuna, about 1 1/4 (or more) cups Miracle Whip, a pint of home canned sweet pickles and all the juice, 2 medium carrots, 8 oz. frozen peas, 3 stalks of celery, one bunch of green onions and then seasoned it with salt, pepper and cayenne.

NAKED LASAGNA WITH SPINACH

This is a nice little recipe. A tasty dinner when you forgot to plan ahead.

Naked lasagna before baking.

Naked lasagna after baking.

Yield: 4 very generous Servings or six to eight normal ones. Especially if you have side dishes and a salad.

3 cups Rotini (curly) Noodles--measure before cooking
1 cup plain (not vanilla) Yogurt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, divided
10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed*
1/2 cup minced onions--one medium onion, a medium onion makes a heaping one half cup, which is fine.
1½-cup shredded cheddar cheese—divided
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Squeeze about half of water out of the spinach. Set aside. Cook noodles until tender, drain. Combine yogurt, cottage cheese, 1 cup cheese, spinach, onions and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in noodles. Pour into an 8 or 9 inch baking dish. Cover and bake 25-35 minutes. Uncover, top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until cheese is melted and browned a bit.

*If I plan ahead I thaw my spinach, right in the box, in the fridge for a day. If not, I dump it in a pan of boiling water, remove the pan from the heat and let sit a few minutes, breaking the spinach apart with a knife or a fork.

MUSHROOM-ASPARAGUS LASAGNA

This is wonderful! The first time I made this Phil ate 5 pieces. Five pieces! Can you imagine? He said his stomach hurt. I don't doubt it. He said it was worth it though. I ate one and a half because it was so doggone good. Mmm.

The original recipe had about a million steps and a lot of butter and even a fair amount of olive oil. I decided it didn't need all that fat and I also decided all those steps made me nauseous so I changed it. I honestly can't tell the difference and it's way easier. (You're welcome.)

You only make three layers of noodles but because you only boil the noodles for 4 minutes the noodles haven't expanded like a normal lasagna noodle you will need to cut pieces of another noodle and piece it on the end of each row. Does that make sense? You will actually have some noodle left over.

I put the asparagus and mushrooms on separate layers this time but would make them as the recipe says from now on. So much less complicated.

Add the mozzarella cheese to each layer.

I used waaaay too many mushrooms--I just kept slicing--so added an extra layer on the top. Like I said, I won't do that again, I will just mix the mushrooms and asparagus together for each layer. This is the third time I've made this recipe and the first time I've done it this way. Never again.

This is the final layer. Push it down before adding the sauce and cheese.
I added Parmesan and a fair amount of mozzarella and then uncovered it the last 15 minutes so it browned nicely. MUSHROOM-ASPARAGUS LASAGNA--Lynne Snyder

11 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 to 2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 cans (14 ounces) veggie or chicken broth--I used water and some of that concentrated soup base that has to be kept in the fridge.
Enough milk, soy milk or cream added to broth to equal 4 cups--I used one can of condensed milk
½ cup flour
¾ cup shredded Parmesan, divided (I used dry)
1 tsp lemon pepper
2-4 cups mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 13x9 inch pan.. Cook noodles ONLY 4 minutes. Boil asparagus 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how large it is, or until crisp-tender; drain.

Bring three cups of broth/milk mixture to a boil. Mix remaining broth with ½ cup flour, add to boiling broth mixture, return to boiling, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and lemon pepper.

Spread about 3/4 cup of the white sauce in baking dish. Top with 3 noodles (adding a cut noodle to the ends to fill the pan), 1 cup of white sauce, half mushrooms, half asparagus and 1 cup or a little more--maybe another half cup--mozzarella cheese, top with three noodles and cut pieces, 1 cup sauce, remaining mushrooms and asparagus and 1 cup (or more) mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining 3 noodles and cut pieces. Push everything down well. Add remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and extra mozzarella cheese--I added a cup more--, if using.

Bake covered for 45 minutes and then uncovered for about another 15 minutes until it is hot and bubbly in the middle. If the sauce and noodles are hot then the baking time will be a bit less.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, it is our favorite spring dish.

VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE

This is a dry vegan cheese sauce mix that I found on Veggies Unite. It is not really called Veggies Unite but that is how I have it bookmarked--actually I think that's what it used to be called. It's really VegWeb.com.

Dragonfly's Bulk, Dry Uncheese Mix

3 cups raw, organic cashew pieces

2 cups either Red Star or Vegetarian Support, nutritional yeast

3 Tbsp seasoning salt

3 Tbsp garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)

3 Tbsp of onion powder (NOT onion salt)

8 Tbsp of arrowroot powder. Can use cornstarch, but it is not stringy like arrowroot.

Directions:

Using a VERY dry blender, blend the nuts till they are very fine. (I tried using the blender but switched to the food processor.) Then, blend in batches of about 1 cup and then mix in a dry container.You can keep this tightly covered in the frig for about 6 weeks.

To make up, add one heaping 1/2 cup of mix to 1 cup of water and stir over heat till thickened. Use less water and add salsa for queso dip. Pour over hot veggies and/or pasta. Spread on vegan bread and toast for grilled uncheeses...or look up my enchilada recipe and use it that way. Serves: many! Preparation time: 15 minutes

This is what I made with the dry cheese mix.

3/4 pound of curly noodles

chopped broccoli

Boil pasta according to package directions and add broccoli during the last 2-4 minutes. Drain, and pour over sauteed veggies and uncheese sauce. Directions follow:

1 cup dry cheese mix

2 cups hot pasta water

green onions

yellow bell pepper

chopped mushrooms

fresh spinach

Saute green onions, bell pepper and mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil. Add cheese mix and water. Stir well, Add spinach, pour hot noodles and broccoli over and mix well.

Any veggies could be used, I think. This was good. There are a lot of suggestions of how to use this sauce mix on the web site.

PEANUT-CHICKEN BOWL

This recipe came from the August 2006 Better Homes and Garden's magazine. It was a $200 contest winner in the Noodle Bowls category.

I made this w/out meat as we are trying to eat more meatless meals and it was still pretty good, good enough to fix again. I also sauteed some celery and red bell peppers (recipe said to boil peppers) and added them when everything was finished.

2 (3 oz.) pkgs. Oriental-flavored ramen noodles
3 cups cut up vegetables such as broccoli florets, red sweet pepper strips (saute those, don't boil them), halved pea pods (saute with red peppers) and thinly sliced carrots
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs. packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 pkt. of the Oriental Seasonings found in soup package (save other two for other uses)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (as much as we like this ingredient I knew this much would make the dish hot so I used 1/4 tsp. and it was perfect for us. If you like things hot use more but then again I wasn't using the chicken so maybe the 1/2 tsp. would have been perfect w/the chicken)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 (8 oz.) can bamboo shoots, drained
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Boil noodles, broken up, in water along with cut up veggies. Boil three minutes, drain.

Sauce: Stir together: water, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, crushed red pepper and the one seasoning packet. Whisk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Add chicken, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots to sauce, heat through. Add to noodle mixture, adding sauteed veggies if you used that option. Toss, top with peanuts and gr e en onions.

PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATOES AND SPINACH--Lynne Snyder

I ate a pasta like this at a restaurant and so came home and fiddled with ingredients until I came up with something I liked. This will serve 8

Roma tomatoes, about 20 or about 4 pounds
1-2 pounds fresh spinach, chopped
1-2 onions, chopped
6-10 garlic cloves, chopped
olive oil
1-2 Tbs. dried basil--or use a whole lot of fresh
1 recipe Reduced Fat Sour Cream W/ Double Spices and Salt
22 ounces curly (or other) pasta

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil until onions are wilted. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté ½ hour. Add basil and simmer a few minutes longer. Boil pasta until al dente, drain. Put spinach on top of tomato mixture, top with pasta and sour cream, stir.

Reduced fat sour cream w/ double spice and salt recipe
½ cup cashews
1 recipe thick water
¼ cup water
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
Put water (not thick water), lemon juice, cashews and oil in a blender and blend until the cashews are liquefied. Add thick water, spices and salt mix well.

Note: These spices and the salt are doubled! If making regular sour cream cut them in half.

Thick Water—Lynne Snyder

1 cup water
2 Tbs. Arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Bring ¾ cup water to a boil, mix ¼ cup water with arrowroot powder and stir into boiling water. Boil and stir, one half minute or until clear.

OYSTER MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS OVER ANGEL HAIR PASTA--Lynne Snyder

One day I saw oyster mushrooms in the grocery store and so i bought them. I think the angels were hovering because I had never heard of a recipe like this so one of them must have whispered in my ear. Serves 2 hungry people or 3 polite ones.

Olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch asparagus, sliced diagonally (or use broccoli)
1 8 oz. container oyster mushrooms, sliced
1/2 can black olives, cut in
half
garlic powder
salt and pepper

Heat several Tbs. olive oil in fry pan and sauté onion. When almost done add asparagus and oyster mushrooms, sauté a few more minutes. Add chopped olives, season with garlic powder, salt & pepper and serve over hot angel hair pasta.

HEY CURLY, WHERE'S MOE?--adapted from a recipe from the Chancery Restaurants in Wisconsin

My daughter-in-law, Michelle loves this. I haven't made it for a long time, I guess it's time because it really is good.

4 (3 oz.) pkgs. Ramen-style noodles (without seasoning packets)
vegetable oil
3 zucchini (6 inches each, with skins on), cut into half-moon slices
60 fresh pea pods, ends trimmed
3 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and julienne-cut
2 large carrots, julienne-cut
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges or 2 bunches green onions, chopped, white part only
Sweet and spicy sauce (recipe following)
Boil noodles 3 to 4 minutes or until tender; drain. In large skillet, stir fry vegetables until they are tender yet still crisp. Add drained hot noodles and enough hot sweet and spicy sauce to coat well. Make 6 to 8 servings.

Sweet and Spicy Sauce:

2 cups water (divided)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon Chinese chili with garlic*, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine 1/2 cup water with cornstarch and mix until cornstarch is dissolved. Combine remaining ingredients, including 1 1/2 cups water, in a medium saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Add cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until smooth. Bring to full boil. Refrigerate any unused sauce. Note from Lynne: I used about half to 3/4 recipe of the sauce. Leftovers make a nice sauce for any stir fry.

*I didn't have any Chinese chili with garlic but used a spicy Vietnamese garlic sauce I had in the fridge; it worked wonderfully.

PASTA SALAD--Emily's (Hillary's friend of 20 years) Mom's recipe

This is a simple recipe, it doesn't look like much but it is tasty. Bentley LOVES it so when he and Tricia come home I try and remember to make it.

Macaroni pasta
1 part Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
3 parts sweet cucumber chip’s pickle juice
chopped pickles
1 can tuna
shredded carrots
frozen peas
finely minced green onions
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne

Boil pasta. Add all other ingredients to taste.

SUMMER PASTA--Lynne Snyder

Summer Pasta! Yum.

The best pasta you will ever eat. I promise.

SUMMER PASTA--Lynne Snyder

4 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (I use Roma tomatoes)
1 (16 oz.) can black olives, sliced in thirds
½ cup chopped fresh basil or 2 Tbs. dried
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. (or more) balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
pepper to taste (use a lot of pepper)
salt (start with ½ tsp. and add if needed)
Angel hair pasta

Mix all sauce ingredients together.

Boil Angel hair pasta 4 to 4½ minutes. Drain pasta, rinse with very hot water and drain again. Serve w/ room temp. sauce.

This is the very best pasta I have ever tasted. When I first made Summer Pasta we loved it so much we ate it eight times in one month. I gave the recipe (plus a bunch of basil) to a friend and later she said "Lynne, we ate Summer Pasta eight times that month." (It must be a rule.) Almost all my neighbors now grow basil just so they can have Summer Pasta. Last winter I got a craving for it and so I used 2 Tbs. dried instead of the fresh basil and it was wonderful.

CINDY CROOKSTON’S FABULOUS SPAGHETTI SAUCE--Cindy Crookston, a friend of Lynne's

This is a totally fabulous spaghetti. It is one of the few meals that I will eat leaftovers of.

1 ½ pound hamburger or ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 to ½ green bell pepper, chopped
mushrooms, chopped (optional) I use one or two cans, drained
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1-2 (15 oz.) cans tomato paste
1 (29 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 Tbs.. sugar (optional—Cindy uses it)
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. Basil
½ tsp. instant onion
¼ tsp. marjoram
¼ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 - ½ tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp oregano

Sauté ground meat with onions, pepper and mushrooms. Add remaining ingredients and simmer several hours. Cindy uses the crock pot and so do I.

ORZO–Pam Warren--a friend of Lynne's

Pam brought some of this to us. It is very tasty. I wish I had some right now.

1/2 box Orzo cooked according to package directions.

1/4 c olive oil
1/4 pkg frozen chopped spinach
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

While Orzo is cooking, saute spinach, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil. Drain Orzo and add spinach mixture. Serve hot.
Everything in this recipe is approximate.

ITALIAN ZUCCHINI PASTA--Trish Snyder

My brother, Dee, got this recipe from a family in Milan Italy when he was there on a mission for the LDS church.

4-5 green zucchini (cucumber sized)
olive oil
3 to 4 Roma tomatoes
1 pound bacon, cooked and chopped
2 beef bouillon cubes (I like Knorr brand)
garlic salt to taste

Put sliced zucchini in a frying pan. Add olive oil (like it's a salad dressing) and bouillon cubes. Cook over medium heat until it is soupy. Add diced tomatoes and simmer. Add bacon and serve over your choice of pasta. I like penne. Bentley likes egg noodles. Pass fresh grated parmesian cheese to put on top.

SUMMER PASTA--Lynne Snyder

This is the very best pasta I have ever tasted. When I first made Summer Pasta we loved it so much we ate it eight times in one month.

4 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (I use Roma)
1 (16 oz.) can black olives, sliced in thirds
½ cup chopped fresh basil or 2 Tbs. dried
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. (or more) balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
pepper to taste (use quite a lot of pepper)
salt (start with ½ tsp. and add if needed)
Angel hair pasta

Mix all sauce ingredients together. Boil Angel hair pasta 4 to 4½ minutes. Drain pasta, rinse with very hot water and drain again. Serve w/ room temp. sauce.