Penne Boscaiola

This pasta dish is very yummy.
The kids thought we were having pizza night going by the smells that were wafting through the house and Hubby who isn't a big pasta fan really enjoyed this and said he would happily eat it again.  Definitely a win win situation lol

PENNE BOSCAIOLA

500 grams dried Penne

2 Tablespoons extra virgin Olive Oil

4 rashers middle bacon, finely sliced

250 grams button mushrooms, finely sliced

2 Brown Onions, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

Approx 2 Tablespoons dried Thyme or half bunch fresh, finely chopped (this can be adjusted according to taste)

1 cup White Wine

300ml Thickened Cream

Salt and Pepper

1 cup Rocket leaves, torn

1 Tablespoon dried Parsley

Half cup Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta in large saucepan of rapidly boiling water until al dente

Drain well, then toss in a little of the oil to keep it moist

Heat a large pan on medium heat

Add bacon and cook for 5 minutes or until brown and beginning to crisp

Add mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes

Fold in onion, garlic and thyme, stirring well and cook for 5 minutes or until onion has softened

Increase the heat to high, add wine and cook till liquid reduces by half

Stir in cream and season with salt and pepper

Mix in the pasta

Cook for a few minutes to thicken

Fold in the rocket, parsley and Parmesan cheese

Cheesy Beef & Macaroni Bake

Simple filling and cheap to make for a quick week night dinner

So good served with a simple salad

Serves 6-8 easily as a main meal

CHEESY BEEF & MACARONI BAKE

500 grams Beef Mince

1 onion - finely diced

1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic

1 Tablespoon Worcestshire Sauce

2 teaspoons Dried Mixed Herbs

800 gram tin Crushed Tomatoes

2 Cups uncooked Macaroni Noodles

1.5 Cups Grated Cheese

Fry onion and garlic until soft

Add Beef Mince and brown well

Add Worcestshire Sauce, herbs and tinned tomatoes

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

Boil macaroni until just tender

In a baking dish (I used a lasagne dish) spoon a layer of mince then top with the macaroni

Spoon remaining mince on top

Sprinkle with cheese

Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celcius

Serve with a simple side salad

STICKY TOMATO SAUSAGES

Fast, cheap, kid friendly - aka perfect weeknight meal.

Really simple to halve, double or triple depending on how many people you are feeding or how many left overs you would like :)

INGREDIENTS

10 standard sausages (choose any flavour you like)

200ml Tomato Sauce

4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Crushed Garlic

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180C

Place sausages on lined baking tray and cook for 25 minutes or until brown

Pour off excess oil

Mix together the other ingredients and pour over the sausages

Cook for a further 10 minutes or until they get sticky

Serve with potato and veggies of your choice :)

COCONUT IMPOSSIBLE PIE

So simple to make and great to eat hot or cold

It gets made in one bowl and poured into the baking dish - then as it cooks the magic happens and you end up with a base, a custard like middle and a gorgeous coconut layer on top

We get 10 serves out of this pie which makes it great for a larger family or when you have guests over

COCONUT IMPOSSIBLE PIE

1 cup Plain Flour
1 cup Caster Sugar
1 cup Dessicated Coconut
4 eggs
3 cups Milk
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Place all ingredients in a large bowl
Mix with electric mixer until combined
Pour into greased pie dish
Bake for 1 hour at 180C

* If you don't have a large pie dish, two smaller ones or even a baking dish would do
* Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your dish and oven conditions but once it has set in the middle you are generally good to go :)