Pasta with Feta Cheese, Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cups sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 bag baby spinach, about 7 oz.
1 pound pasta
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper



Directions:

In large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add chopped onions. Saute onions, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add red pepper flakes and tomatoes, give a quick stir. Then add spinach, cooking until spinach is wilted. Set aside.



Cook pasta as instructed, drain and place hot pasta in large bowl. Add feta and parmesan cheeses and mix well, allowing cheeses to melt.



Fold in spinach mixture, pepper and salt, to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with parmesan cheese.



Verdict:

Laura - Thumbs Up - This pasta was great. I love the feta and the sweet, chewy tomatoes. I will make it again.

Randy - Thumbs Down - Randy doesn't like pasta.

Nathan - Thumbs Down - Nathan wasn't interested in pasta tonight.

Leftovers: The leftovers were good. I ate it for lunch for several days. I just heated it up in the microwave.

Baked Lemon Pasta

Ingredients:
1 pound thin spaghetti
1/4 cups butter
1 ounce olive oil
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 pint sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup parmesan cheese



Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente. In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over low heat. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Turn off heat. Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary.

Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.



Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then, remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don't bake too long to the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Verdict:

Laura - Thumbs Up - I love this pasta. It's very light and crisp.

Randy - Thumbs Down - Randy doesn't like pasta.

Nathan - Thumbs Up - Nathan likes this pasta. It's a bit hard for him to get the pasta noodles on his fork, but he manages. He also loves it leftover.

Leftovers: I reheat it in the microwave and it's great the second time around.

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Begin by sifting the first 5 ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl; set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream the sugar and shortening, then add the pumpkin; blend well. Add the egg; beat well.



Next, gently stir in the dry ingredients, a little at a time, to form a smooth batter. Finally, add the vanilla and stir to combine.



Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake for around 12 minutes.



Once cookies are done, cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.


Verdict:

Laura - Thumbs Up - These were delicious. I gobbled them up. The batter is very fluffy and not like a regular cookie dough. The cookies are more like cake than a cookie.

Randy - Thumbs Up - Randy liked them.

Nathan - Thumbs Up - Nathan loved these cookies. He licked the batter from the bowl and couldn't wait for the cookies to come out of the oven. He said these reminded him of muffins.

Leftovers: Leftovers didn't last long. I keep them in a ziploc container in the pantry.