The Skye Trilogy: Isle of Skye, Isle of Night, and Isle of Dawn. * Bonus: Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook* (129 page)

Thai Chicken Wraps

6 (8-10-inch) flour tortillas

½ tsp. salt & pepper

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

2 TBLS. cooking oil

4 cups broccoli slaw mix

1-medium red onion

1 tsp. ginger

*peanut sauce, recipe follows*

Directions:

1)
      
Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in 350-degree oven for ten minutes; set aside.

2)
     
Toss chicken with 1 TBLS. flour, 1 tsp. garlic salt and 1 tsp. black pepper. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and add chicken. Cook until chicken is done, and juices are clear, remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

3)
     
Add broccoli, onion and ginger to skillet. Cook for three minutes, frequently stirring. Remove from heat.

4)
     
Spread each tortilla with 1 TBLS of peanut sauce and top with chicken and broccoli mixture. Roll up and serve immediately.

Peanut Sauce

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

3 TBLS. soy sauce

3 TBLS.
water

2 TBLS.
cooking oil

1tsp. minced garlic

1)
      
Combine all ingredients until mixture is smooth.

Mama Mia! Italian Food, Willa style.

I always have said that all three of my children came out of my womb singing ‘That’s Amore’.They all love Italian food. I was a little worried and frankly grossed out at the thought of my children being half vampire. I had this horrifying vision of feeding them baby bottles of blood. Luckily for me, their eating habits are fairly normal. The boys do like their meat on the rare size, but I think I dodged a bloody bullet on the whole baby vamp thing.

One of my most requested recipes is for my lasagna with pepperoni sauce. Mathias thinks it’s too spicy, so that’s why I make him a loaf of Italian bread to eat while we feast on this truly excellent lasagna.

Willa’s Lasagna with Pepperoni Sauce

1-package lasagna noodles

3 cups spaghetti sauce

1-pound Italian sausage

1 large container (1pound) Part-skim ricotta cheese

1 egg

1-cup sour cream

4 cups of mozzarella cheese

2 cups parmesan cheese, divided

2 TBLS.
parsley

Salt & pepper

1 TBLS. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 TBLS. oregano

1 TBLS.
basil

¼ cup red wine

Pepperoni Sauce

1 pkg. green onions, minced

1 pound of pepperoni, sliced thin

2 TBLS.
garlic

1 can diced tomatoes

Salt & pepper to taste

1-cup tomato sauce

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

½ cup red wine

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

1)
      
Prepare pepperoni sauce first. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for about two minutes. Add pepperoni, diced tomatoes, salt & pepper, tomato sauce, oregano, red pepper flakes, and red wine. Bring to boil and reduce to low. Simmer until pepperoni is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Place back into skillet and simmer for ten more minutes.

2)
     
Meanwhile prepare other sauce. Heat 1 TBLS. of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add ground sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink. Add spaghetti sauce, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper, to taste, oregano, basil and red wine. Reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.

3)
     
Cook lasagna noodles in salted boiling water for 7-8 minutes; you want the noodles to be very al dente! Drain noodles and take each wet noodle and squeeze off excess water. Place noodles gently over the side of the pot to cool.

4)
     
In a large mixing bowl, stir together, ricotta, sour cream, ¼ cup parmesan, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, salt & pepper, 1TBLS. parsley.

5)
     
Spray large, deep dish baking pan with cooking spray and place ¼ cup of pepperoni sauce and 1 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Place four-lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan and spread about one cup of ricotta cheese on top of noodles. Drizzle ¼ cup of pepperoni sauce, ¼ cup of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat two more layers, making sure to use all of the pepperoni sauce on the last layer. Place remaining 4-lasagna noodles on top and spread spaghetti sauce all over. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and parsley.

6)
     
Cover with tin foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Take off tin foil and cook for another 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Julia is very similar to my aunt Gussie when it comes to cooking, but she does make this great recipe and I badgered her to give it to me so I could add it to my book.

Lemon Pasta with Arugula

This is a nice, light, refreshing summer dish.

1 TBLS. olive oil

1 TBLS.
garlic, minced

2 cups of half-half

3 lemons

Salt & pepper to taste

1 pound of pasta (fusilli is nice)

½ pound of arugula

½ cup of parmesan cheese

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1)
      
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the cream, zest, and juice of two lemons. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

2)
     
Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain and return to pot. Add cream mixture and cook for three minutes.

3)
     
Pour hot pasta into a large serving bowl and add arugula, parmesan cheese and tomatoes. Toss well. Slice last lemon into wedges and use to garnish, if desired.

Bow Tie Pasta with Roasted Red pepper and Cream Sauce

1-pound bow tie pasta

2 tsp. olive oil

½ cup finely chopped green onion or shallot

1 (12oz.) bottle of roasted red bell peppers, drained and coarsely chopped

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1-cup half-half

1 TBLS.
tomato paste

½ tsp. ground red pepper flakes

1-cup parmesan cheese

1 TBLS.
basil

Directions:

1)
      
Cook pasta according to package instructions

2)
     
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for two minutes or until tender. Add bell peppers and cook until heated, about two minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in vinegar. Cook one minute or until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

3)
     
Place bell pepper mixture in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return mixture to skillet over low heat until warm. Combine half-half and tomato paste in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add tomato mixture to bell pepper mixture, stirring with a whisk until well combined. Stir in ground pepper flakes.

4)
     
Combine pasta and bell pepper mixture in a large bowl. Add ½ cup of cheese, tossing to coat. Top with rest of cheese and basil.

Linguine with Asparagus, Parmesan and Bacon

3 cups (1 inch) sliced asparagus, about 1 pound

1 pound of linguine pasta

4-bacon slices, uncooked

1 cup chopped green onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 cups grape or cherry tomato

1-cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth

1 TBLS. butter

¼ tsp. salt & pepper

2 TBLS. lemon juice

¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Shaved parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

1)
      
Cook pasta according to package directions. The last three minutes of cooking, add asparagus, drain; set aside

2)
     
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 tsp. of bacon drippings. Cool bacon slightly and crumble. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano to pan drippings in skillet; sauté for four minutes. Add tomatoes; cook two minutes. Add the broth and bring to boil. Stir in butter, salt & pepper; remove from heat.

3)
     
Place asparagus and pasta mixture in a large bowl. Add tomato mixture and lemon juice, tossing well. Top with bacon and shredded cheese. Garnish with shaved parmesan if desired.

Baked Ziti

1 pound of ziti, prepared according to package directions

1-pound ground beef or ground turkey

2 TBLS.
of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups fresh spinach

2 small shallots, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes or 2 cups fresh tomatoes-chopped

1
can tomato paste

2 TBLS.
basil

Salt & pepper

¼ cup red wine

1 jar or 2 cups Alfredo sauce *recipe follows*

1 TBLS. lemon zest

1/3-cup ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

½ cup parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

1)
      
Cook ziti according to package instructions, reserve about ¼ cup of pasta sauce

2)
     
In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute, add spinach and stir well. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Add shallots and cook two minutes. Add ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Combine diced tomatoes and paste to meat mixture; stir well. Add red wine, basil, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to simmer for about ten minutes.

3)
     
Meanwhile, place cooked and drained pasta back into the pot you cooked it in and add ¼ cup pasta water, Alfredo sauce, white wine, lemon zest, ricotta cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Mix well

4)
     
Add about one cup of meat sauce to pasta mixture and stir. Place in a greased baking dish and cover with remaining sauce and cheeses.