Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

Apologies in advance to anyone trying to eat kosher. Or to Curtis and Jenny, who don't like spaghetti and red sauce, respectively. MORE FOR THE REST OF US.

SPAGHETTI WITH RED CLAM SAUCE
2 cans (each 7½ oz.) chopped or minced clams
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T. chopped parsley
¾ t. dried oregano leaves
¼ t. dried basil leaves
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 can (1 lb. 3 oz.) tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 lb. dry spaghetti

Drain clams, reserving 1 cup clam liquid; set aside.

Slowly heat oil in medium saucepan. Add garlic and cook until golden.

Remove saucepan from heat. Add parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce and reserved clam liquid; mix well.

Simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 15 minutes before the sauce is done, start the spaghetti in salted boiling water with a bit of oil on top. (Or just follow the package directions for how long to cook the spaghetti. I dunno, I'm not a mind reader.)

Add clams to sauce and heat through. Drain the spaghetti and serve hot with sauce on top (don't mix it in! What are you, a Philistine?), dusted with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Goes very well with a fresh lettuce and tomato salad or marinated vegetables.

Contributor: Soozcat (who stole it from her mom's '60s-era McCall's cookbook)

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Yeah, we already have a tuna noodle casserole on the site. But we made this the other night and it was SUPER DELICIOUS, so we're passing it on.

CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE
12 oz. egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 10 oz. cans chunk chicken breast, drained (or the same amount of rotisserie or boiled chicken meat)
2 10 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk (or use water)
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped (or use half an onion, diced fine and sautéed until soft)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1½ cups frozen peas and carrots
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
enough melted butter to moisten the breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream soup, mayonnaise, milk (or water), onions, cheese and frozen peas and carrots. Stir until combined, then gently stir in cooked noodles. Pour into baking dish. Combine breadcrumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake, uncovered, about 30-35 minutes or until edges are bubbly and top is golden brown. The cheese and mayo will sort of disappear into the cream of whatsit sauce, creating savory casserole goodness. You can also substitute other frozen green veggies for the peas and carrots if you prefer them, or if you don't happen to have peas and carrots in the freezer (we used a bag of frozen broccoli instead and it turned out fantastic).

Serves 6 happy people.

Source: shamelessly stolen and tweaked from the Internet.

Aunt Reenie's Tortellini Soup

What frozen tortellini was made for, bay-bee.

AUNT REENIE'S TORTELLINI SOUP
1 lb. Italian sausage (hot or mild), removed from casings
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
5 cups beef broth
1 cup water
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 cup carrots, sliced
1½ cups zucchini, sliced
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon oregano
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 8 oz. package frozen tortellini
3 teaspoons parsley
1 cup chopped green pepper

In a large soup kettle, brown sausage, onion and garlic, draining fat as needed. Add all ingredients except zucchini and tortellini; cook until carrots are tender. Add zucchini and tortellini and cook until they are just done. Serve immediately in big soup bowls with garlic bread on the side.

Makes 12 servings, so it's a good recipe for Soup Night.

Contributor: Maureen Muhlestein