Pioneer Woman's Pasta ala Marlboro Man

or aka Meatloaf Pasta because thats what the sauce tasted like.. it was delicious. Very meaty, I think next time I'll make it with a smaller pasta like penne. It was good though.

I love meatloaf, My husband does not. I think this is the sneaky way of getting the flavor I love in something he will eat. mwahaha.

Pasta alla Marlboro Man
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 generous teaspoon ground thyme
2 14-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 to 2 pounds rigatoni

Heat olive oil in large skillet or pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook a couple of minutes, until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and stir, cooking 1 minute, making sure not to brown the garlic.
Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of excess fat.
Add salt, pepper, and ground thyme. Stir to combine.
Dump in canned tomatoes with their juice. Stir, reduce heat to low, and cover pot. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Uncover the pot and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese before serving

Cook rigatoni according to package directions—don’t overcook! Drain and place individual portions into bowls.
Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan into the sauce. Check and adjust seasonings. Ladle sauce over cooked pasta, sprinkle with more Parmesan, and serve.

Bobby Flay's Homemade Texas Toast

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cloves garlic, pureed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 loaf good white bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
1/2 cup mozzerella cheese
italian seasoning

Directions
Mix together the butter and garlic in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brush both sides of the bread with the butter and place in the oven. Bake the bread for 1 to 2 minutes per side until lightly golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese and italian seasoning and broil until melted.

Chicken Romano

Awhile back my friend Jennifer and I went to the cheesecake factory because she had never been. I had Chicken Romano because the people next to me were having it and it looked good. They subbed the tomato sauce on the spaghetti for white sauce .. so I did too. Why not.

It was very good. I vowed to make it again at home and Jenn and I sat there and tried to figure out how. panko bread crumbs - she said and I agreed. Until I found a recipe online - and it said nothing about panko. So I did threw some panko in with the flour to give it some crunch..like we remembered and I thought it turned out perfect. I could be wrong. Maybe I should go again to make sure :)

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 egg
2 teaspoons water

Directions
1. Whisk together the egg, and the water.

2. Pound out chicken breasts to, at most, 1/2 inch thick.

3. Season the flour with salt and pepper, and coat the chicken lightly. Sprinkle with panko bread crumbs

4. Then dip in egg, and cover with shredded Romano.

5. Place in frying pan on medium high, with a little bit of oil.

6. Cook until golden brown.

As for the pasta, its regular spaghetti with a white sauce.

Basic white sauce:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Melt butter in a sauce pan and whisk in flour and salt until smooth. Gradually stir in cold milk, cooking over direct heat and stirring constantly until sauce boils; reduce heat slightly and continue to stir until sauce becomes smooth and thick. When sauce thickens, simmer for an additional 10 minutes over very low heat, stirring occasionally.
Stir carefully to avoid lumps. If sauce becomes lumpy, use a stick blender or rotary beater to blend out lumps or else press through a sieve. Wondra flour may be used to great advantage since this flour does not have a tendency to lump.

garnished it all with some more sprinkled cheese and served it. It was really good!