'Tis the season for casseroles! Sharing one of my favorites today, one that takes me back to my momma's dinner table.  Our family of five could clear out an entire dish of this delicious casserole in 20 minutes- no problema.  This is a meatless, super-cheesy twist on her ziti that we all shared so many moons ago.

Reed ready to work- armed with a wooden spoon and toothy smile.  How I love that smile!

The ingredients are simple for this one: alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, rigatoni, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesean, and an italian blend of cheeses.  It's a quick dinner too; I made two batches, took pictures, and baked this in under an hour.  Oh, yeah!

First, fill a pot with water to boil an entire box of pasta.  Heat the water as you prepare the sauce.  As soon as it starts boiling, add the rigatoni and cook according to the instructions on the box.

Over medium heat, add a jar of Alfredo sauce to a large stock pot or sauce pan.

Add an entire jar of marinara.  This is so complicated!

Next, add a cup of mozzarella cheese.

Stir in 1/4 cup of the Italian cheese blend and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

Putting the little guy to work here as my "stirrer".   He takes his stirring job very seriously. With great cheese comes great responsibility.

Stir, stir, stir!  Add 1/2 cup of creamy ricotta cheese.

Sorry about the "cheesy" jokes!

Ok, ok, I'm finished.  I couldn't help myself.

​Drain the pasta.

Add the pasta to the sauce.  Mix it together really well.

Normally, I would grease a 9x13 pan, pour all of the noodles in, and call it a day.  But Jacob's on his first business trip this week, and I felt bad keeping all of that cheese to myself.  Plus, we currently have in our family right now a very sick person, another person taking care of the sick person, and two pregnant women with toddlers.

Time to share, and this is the perfect recipe!  We split the casserole into two smaller pans.  I chose a 2 quart and an 8x8 pan.  Reedie did the scooping.

Cover the noodles with a cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.   Simple, easy-cheesy goodness.

One for us, one to share- that's what casseroles are made of.  I just popped this one in the fridge overnight and delivered it the next day.

We cleared out our whole pan in one sitting!  This is everything I want in an easy weeknight dinner.  I know you will love it, too.  

Looking for some other easy, delicious weeknight dinners?  Check these out:

Easy Chicken Quesadillas

Simple Pasta Salad

Melty Cheese and Chicken Wraps 

Ingredients:
-1 pound of rigatoni, cooked
- 1 (15 oz) jar of Alfredo sauce
-1 (24 oz) jar of marinara sauce
-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
-1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
-1/4 cup Italian cheese blend
-1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Instructions:
1.  Cook pasta.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large stockpot or sauce pan, mix alfredo sauce, marinara, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesean, italian cheese blend, and ricotta on medium heat.
3. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.  Add cooked pasta and mix well.
4. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish and add pasta.  Cover with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup parmesean cheese.
5.  Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Brrrr.... the cold is here!  Yesterday, the schools in our area closed because of the windchill!  Maybe today I'll just curl up with Oliver, put a heating pad on my back, and read a book.  I'm currently working on Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.  It's sooooo creepy!  Or maybe I'll watch 5 episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen- ​oddly, also creepy.  I guess I have a theme going.

I know it's been a while since I posted here in Table.  Between teacher-ing, mommy-ing, wife-ing, master's degree-ing, and a inexplicable puzzle obsession, I just haven't had the time.  We spent the holiday season in a flurry of activity, eating as much as possible, seeing the local holiday sights, and spending quiet time at home by the Christmas tree.  It was glorious. ​

Now the holidays are over and the cold is here to stay!  And that means it is time to cash in on that turkey hunt Jacob and Reed did back in the spring.  The turkey breasts have been in the freezer since April, waiting for the cold to come.  Waiting to become this creamy, spicy chili.

Jacob and I (mostly Jacob) perfected this turkey chili recipe a few years ago.  It is loaded with ingredients to fill your body and soul on a creepy, chilly day.  If you aren't a hunter, feel free to substitute store-bought turkey or chicken for the turkey in the recipe.  I won't tell anybody.

Lots of ingredients are needed for this flavor-filled chili!  Turkey, corn, bell peppers, heavy cream, cannellini beans, kidney beans, olive oil, garlic, onion, chicken stock, flour, and a few spices.  Yes, those are habaneros.  If heat isn't your thing, feel free to substitute jalapenos or just take them out altogether.  Again, your secret is safe with me.  This is a safe space.  Although, it is getting a bit crowded.

Give yourself about an hour to put this beautiful chili together. (See the bottom of the post for complete recipe.)  It's a bit of a commitment, but totally worth it!

First, cut the turkey breasts into small chunks and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil on a large pot on medium-low.  Dice the onion and saute it in the oil for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, dice the bell peppers.

Add the turkey to the garlic-oil mixture and brown, increasing the heat to medium.  Add the cumin and chili powder once the turkey has browned.  After about a minute, add the garlic and stir.

Now it's going to start smelling wonderful.  Add your diced peppers, a bay leaf, and the flour.  Stir until the flour is coating the turkey.

Next, pour in the chicken stock and add my favorite ingredients: corn, beans, and heavy cream.  Oh yeah!

I love heavy cream.

Don't forget to rinse the beans before you add them!

Almost done!  Look at all of that yummy goodness crammed into this stew!

Let it thicken up a little, then slice a couple of slits in each habanero.   DON'T DICE IT- you're going to pull them out later.  You would be very, very upset if you diced them.  Cutting slits in the peppers adds a nice kick, but doesn't overpower the chili at all.  Reed (3 years old) eats this chili with no problem.  We let them simmer in the chili for about 10 minutes and then pull them out.  Allow the chili to simmer and thicken for another 35-45 minutes. Taste-test, and add salt and pepper as you like it.

It's finished!  We like to serve ours with tortilla chips.

Cooking really good food with the meat that we hunt is the best part of the process of teaching Reed the value of hunting.  This delicious chili is one of many wild game recipes I hope to share on the site in the coming months.  Field to table- it's a proud, unique way of life, and one that I am still learning a lot about.  What I do know for sure: it's bowl-lickin' good!

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 turkey breasts
- 3/4 tablespoon cumin
- 3/4 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 10 oz frozen corn
- 30 oz cannelini beans
- 8 oz kidney beans
- 2 habanero peppers
- salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in large stockpot on medium-low heat.  Saute the onion until tender.  Add the turkey, raise heat to medium, and brown.  Add cumin and chili powder, cook one minute, add garlic and stir.

Add peppers, bay leaf, and flour.  Stir to coat everything with flour so it is all soaked up.  Add chicken stock, cream, corn, and beans and stir.  

Slice 2-3 slits in each habanero pepper- DO NOT DICE.  Let the habaneros float around in the chili as it thickens, about 10 minutes.  Pull out the habaneros.  Allow chili to simmer for another 35-45 minutes, pull out the bay leaf, add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with tortilla chips.