I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes with y’all.  The first two are family favorites from my mom and the rest are recipes that I have found and love.  You’re going to notice a tread, I like pasta!

Rigatoni
I have two recipes that are family favorites and were never written down and this is one of them. This dish is hard to mess up since it is a casserole and if you think it’s lacking in one of the ingredients then add more! Also, it’s called rigatoni but isn’t actually made with rigatoni noodles… go figure.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic (more or less depending on your taste)
1 8 oz package of pepperoni
1 24oz jar of pasta sauce
1 16 oz tub of cottage cheese
12 ounces of short pasta noodle (I like rotini or penne)
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop the onions into a small dice and mince the garlic. Then add them to pan along with 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once the onions start to turn translucent add the ground beef and cook until no pink remains in the beef.
3. Meanwhile, boil noodles as directions state, drain and set aside. Cut pepperoni into bite size pieces.
4. Once ground beef and noodles are done transfer them to a big bowl and add the remaining ingredients: pepperoni, pasta sauce, cottage cheese mix to combine. Transfer to baking dish.
5. Bake in oven, covered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.
6. Remove foil and top with mozzarella cheese and place back into oven to melt the cheese.
 
Stuffed jumbo shells
This is the other recipe that has been past down but not written down. This is also a vegetarian meal. My mother called this lasagna roll ups but I changed it to stuff shells to make it easier to cook.

Jumbo noodles, 1 box
1 16 oz bag of broccoli
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
15 oz of ricotta cheese
2 8oz bags of Colby-jack cheese
1 egg
1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Dice onion and mince garlic add to oil in a medium pan and cook over medium heat until translucent. Remove from heat.
3. Boil jumbo shells according to package directions
4. Cook broccoli in a microwave safe bowl until tender. Once cooled chop broccoli into small pieces and return the broccoli to the bowl.
5. Add the following ingredients to the bowl: onions and garlic mixture, ricotta cheese, can of mushroom soup, 1 8 ox bag of Colby-jack cheese, 1 egg, lightly beaten. Mix to combine.
6. Line the bottom of a 9x 13 pan with half the jar of pasta sauce. Stuff each shell with generously with the mixture and place in pan. Repeat until done.
7. Cover pan in foil and bake until heated through about 45 minutes. Remove cover and top with remaining cheese. Return to oven to melt cheese.
Variation 1: You can use any pasta noodle you want, as long as you can stuff it. My mom used lasagna noodles and then rolled them up.
Variation 2: Make the recipe as it says only instead of placing the noodles in the pan with the sauce freeze them! Just lay them seam side down on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour. Then transfer them to freezer bags. When you are ready to cook them just layer the sauce and frozen pasta shells in the baking dish.

Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Bocconcini from Martha Stewart
Bocconcini it’s a big strange word but don’t freak out. All it is little mozzarella balls and if you can’t find them (or think it’s too expensive) just buy some fresh mozzarella cut it into ½ squares. See my notes below for other hits and tidbits.

Ingredients
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 pound ground turkey (93 percent lean, dark meat) Actually, I just use 1lb of frozen turkey breast, it combs in a tube (similar to sausage)
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (I prefer the Italian breadcrumbs, adds more flavor
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
8 ounces orecchiette or other short pasta
1/2 pint bocconcini (about 20 balls) (remember you can use cut up fresh mozzarella)

Directions
1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large bowl, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, garlic, egg, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, 1/4 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix to combine. Using a level 1-tablespoon measure for each, form mixture into meatballs (you should have about 24).
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add meatballs, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water; simmer, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup, 10 to 12 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook until they begin to soften, about 1 minute.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, return to pot, and place on the still-warm burner. Add bocconcini, meatballs and sauce, remaining 1/4 cup parsley, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and remaining tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper, and toss until combined.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake from Food Network
I substitute the 8 ounces of cream cheese for Neufchatel aka light cream cheese. No one ever notices.

Ingredients
Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
3. To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.
4. Serve with fresh whipped cream.
Variations: For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.
For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.
For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

Greek-Style Beef & Cheese Ravioli
I haven’t made this since college. Also I use a bag of frozen ravioli rather then refrigerated.

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese ravioli
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
2 cups lightly packed fresh baby spinach
1 cup pitted ripe olives
1/2 to 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh baby spinach for garnish

1. Cook ravioli according to package directions; drain.
2. Meanwhile brown ground beef in deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat about 8 minutes or until beef is not pink, breaking into crumbles.
3. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes. Stir in ravioli. Stir in 2 cups spinach and olives; cook just until spinach is wilted. Sprinkle with cheese before serving. Garnish with remaining spinach.