Dredge pieces of chicken with flour.  Heat oil in large skillet.  Brown chicken on all sides in oil.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cover; simmer 1 hour or until tender.  Serve with hot cooked spaghetti & grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Slit the skins on the tomatoes & put them in boiling water for a minute to get the skins off.  Once skinned, put them in the blender to crush them.  Add tomato paste to thicken it.  Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse the onion, herbs, & pine nuts until neatly smooth.
3. In a nonstick pan, cook the mushrooms & onion/herb mixture with a bit of vegetable stock until translucent, then add the tomatoes.  Cook for about 1 hour on a very low simmer until reduced by about ¼.

Chef’s Note: When serving I add a chicken breast with all fat removed, thinly sliced & dry grilled, & some heart healthy bacon dry grilled.

Carnivore Option

Vegetarian Option

1. Empty all cans to a medium saucepan on medium heat. Season to taste. Experiment, add you own ideas.
2. For the carnivorous option, brown the meat & add to the sauce.
3. For the vegetarian option, drain the spinach & stir into sauce. Squeeze the tofu to drain & crumble into the sauce.
4. Taste & adjust spices as tofu will dilute flavors a bit.
5. Boil noodles to desired finish & serve with sauce.

1. Cook pancetta in oil in a 12″ heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add onion & cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic & 1 tbsp sage & cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in chestnuts & remove from heat.
3. Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-qt. pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1½ c. cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander & add to pancetta mixture in skillet.
4. Add 1 c. reserved cooking water along with cheese & butter & cook, tossing constantly, over high heat until pasta is well coated (add more reserved water if necessary), about 1 minute.
5. Add salt & black pepper to taste & serve sprinkled with parsley & remaining tbsp sage.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13″ x 9″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on paper towels.
3. For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 c. mozzarella with the ricotta & fresh basil. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture.
4. Spoon 2 c. spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
5. Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

1. Cut chicken into chunks. Beat egg with ½ milk; dip chicken in egg & milk mixture, then into bread crumbs, coating well.
2. Brown in a little oil until golden. Place chunks in baking dish, add swiss cheese & ham. Mix cream of chicken soup with 1 c. of milk; mix well & pour over all.
3. Bake about 30 minutes at 350°F. or until bubbly.
4. Boil 2 c. of your choice pasta (penne works well). Drain & toss with the chicken mixture.

Cook pasta per directions until firm-tender. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage & heat through. Remove with a slotted spoon & set aside. Add peppers, broccoli, & garlic & cook until crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes & add sausage back. Increase heat to high & cook uncovered until hot, stirring often. Drain pasta & return to pot. Add sausage mixture, then toss to mix. Spoon into serving dish & top with cheese.

1. On medium heat, in a large skillet, add olive oil & minced garlic. Cook until slightly browned , add Italian seasoning & toast for 2 minutes.
2. Add 4 cans of clams (with juice), add salt & pepper to taste.
3. Bring to a boil, add one full can of wine (or, if you don’t want to use wine, add the juice of 1 lemon), turn down heat to a simmer.
4. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until only about ¾ to 1 c. of liquid is left (about 30-40 minutes)
5. Cook pasta according to directions on the pkg. in salted water (the water should have at least 1 full tsp of salt – NO OIL).
6. When the pasta is al dente, add pasta to the pan with clam sauce to finish cooking.
7. Add pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce (you’ll need anywhere from ½ to 1½ c.).
8. Add fresh herbs & cheese, fold together. Serve with hot crusty bread & more cheese.

1. In a big pot fill ¾ of the way with cold water. Dash some salt in there, & about a tbsp or so of Olive Oil. Bring that to a boil, & throw in your box of pasta. If it’s Barilla brand it will be about 11½ – 12 minutes to boil until done. Be sure to stir it every so often. Drain it, put it aside.
2. In a good sized saucepan, throw in the garlic, basil, oregano, salt, & pepper with the butter. On low-medium heat, simmer until butter melts. Once the butter melts, sauté herbs for about 3-5 minutes (stirring constantly), any longer than that & the mixture will burn.
3. Turn the heat up to medium level & splash a little heavy cream in there & get a good stir going. I’d say, maybe ½ c.. Keep that up every 5 minutes until you have about a ½ container left. Now you’ve got about ½ container of cream left, some unused cheese, & the herb mixture. Open the container of cheese. With a kitchen knife, stab at the cheese in the container & break the bigger clumps of cheese down.
4. Put about a quarter of the cheese into the pot. Stir well, pour in ½ c. of the remaining cream, & repeat until you have no more cheese or cream left. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat & stir every 3-5 minutes for about 15 minutes The cream will eventually expand & “puff” up the whole thing, so don’t panic. When that happens, turn the heat to low, & get ready to serve. If it doesn’t happen, no worries, after your 15 minutes is up (after adding the last of the cream & cheese) just turn the heat down to low & prepare to serve.
5. Put some pasta on the plate, dump some sauce on all over it, garnish with a basil leaf.

1. Cook enough pasta for 4 people following the directions on the pkg.
2. Heat a large non-stick pan to medium heat. If you don’t have non-stick pans, use approximately 1 tbsp of olive oil to coat the pan.
3. When the pan is warm, add the bacon & cook until well browned & crispy. Add mushrooms & leek to the pan & cook until the leek is transparent & mushrooms have wilted.
4. Add white wine to this mixture. Add cream & stir thoroughly. Turn down to simmer & leave for 10 minutes.
5. Add parmesan & fresh herbs. Allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta to pan & stir through.
6. Garnish with fresh herbs & serve with a crispy side salad.