Dijon Mustard Pasta

The first time I made this recipe, I made the whole thing...way to much for one meal!  The second time I halved it and that was about the perfect amount for our family of five with enough leftovers for Jon's lunch.  It is very rich and creamy.  Shout out to my sister Michelle for sharing this recipe!!  If you are on a diet or counting calories and fat grams, this recipe is not for you!  I feel like meals like this are okay once in a while.  

I have noted the changes I made in red (only because those were the ingredients I had on hand when making this recipe) 

Dijon Mustard Pasta
Sauce (Full recipe listed below, I would recommend halfing it)
7 ½ tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 ¾ tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ¼ cup chicken broth
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¼ cup milk (3 C  1% milk, (more or less depending on desired thickness of sauce) combined with cream cheese)
2 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
5 tsp. fresh rosemary (oregano)
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 ¼ tsp. fresh thyme
¾ tsp cayenne pepper
4½ cups of heavy whipping cream (replaced with 8 oz. of lowfat cream cheese)
2 ½ cup parmesan cheese
2 cooked breast cut in bite size pieces
6 slices of bacon cooked cut in 1” pieces
16 oz. of dried GF penne pasta, cooked as directed on package

1. Melt butter and garlic (don’t brown).
2. Dissolve cornstarch in small amount of chicken broth.
3. Add all sauce ingredients EXCEPT FOR PARMESAN CHEESE, stir with a whisk; and simmer about 10 minutes until thickened.
4. Stir in 2 ½ cup parmesan cheese, set aside.
5. Layer cooked pasta with chicken and bacon in a well sprayed casserole dish.
6. Spoon sauce over top.
7. Top with additional 1/4 C parmesan cheese mixed with paprika (to add color).
8. Cook at 475 ̊F for around 10-15 minutes until bubbly.

Cheeseburger Chili Macaroni

Cheeseburger Chili Macaroni

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin ( I just used ground beef)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1 to 2 cups beef stock (depending on how liquid-y you want it)
• 1 16 oz. Pkg. GF noodles
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar (the sharper the better!)

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat for the pasta.
Heat 2TB of Olive oil in pan and brown the beef. (I did not use any oil with the ground beef)

Add the onion and chili powder to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the ketchup, mustard and beef stock to the pot, bring up to a bubble and simmer until slightly thickened, 4-5 minutes.
While the chili is working, salt the boiling water and drop the pasta in. Cook to al dente according to package directions then drain thoroughly and return it to the pot.

Add the chili to the pot with the pasta and give everything a good toss. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with the shredded cheese. Place the casserole under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese. Serve with a simple salad alongside.