Thursday Recipe - Noodles Romanov

Costco has enormous tubs of sour cream. Really big ones. I was running on habit when I went Thanksgiving shopping. I'm used to making food for giant crowds - minimum of ten and up to thirty or forty or more for things like Thanksgiving. We had a grand total of nine for dinner this year. And only five of us around to eat all the leftovers. I don't know how to cook or shop for only five.

So I have this giant tub of sour cream in my fridge. We're not that big on dairy at my house. One child can't eat any. Most of the rest of us can only eat small portions. We usually get our dairy allowance from cheese. Or Tillamook Vanilla Yogurt. That stuff is really tasty. Point is, we really don't eat much sour cream.

I'm getting creative at ways to use it in cooking. I made a lemon sour cream pound cake the other day that was pretty tasty. And last night, I made Noodles Romanov. The plan was Beef Stroganoff, but my daughter wouldn't have been able to eat the meat sauce if I'd done it traditional. But since she can't eat the noodles anyway, we put the sour cream in there.

Serve this stuff with a hamburger and mushroom gravy and you have a pretty close approximation of stroganoff. At least close enough for me.

Noodles Romanov

1 12 oz package pasta (I used spaghetti, traditional would call for egg noodles)
1 T. butter
1 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper (adjust to your taste)
1/2 c. shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. chopped green onions

Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente noodles. Drain, then dump back into the pot.

Add the butter and gently stir until it's melted and the noodles are coated. Stir in the garlic salt and black pepper. Add the cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Gently stir until coated.

Serve warm.

Thursday Recipe - One-Pot Alfredo Noodles

My son does these all the time and he's getting really good at making them. It's not really alfredo sauce, but it's close. It only uses one pot, a colander, and a spoon, so it's easy on the dishes. And it tastes great.

One-Pot Alfredo Noodles

1 lb uncooked macaroni or noodles, whatever shape you want (bowties, elbows, shells, etc.)
1/4 c. butter
2 T. flour
2 c. milk
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 c. shredded cheese (or more if you want it cheesier), this can be parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, or any cheese you want to use
1/2 c. chopped salami (optional)
1 c. steamed broccoli or frozen chopped veggies (also optional)

In a large saucepan, bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Stir in the flour. Cook and stir for a minute or so until it's smooth, creamy, and bubbly. Stir in the milk with a whisk. Make sure you whisk it long enough to smooth out any lumps. Add the salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook and stir until it comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts.

Add the noodles, salami, and veggies. Stir gently to coat. Serve with extra cheese to sprinkle on top. Serves 2-8, depending on who is eating it.