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pastagneQuick & Cheesy Pastagna

Quick & Cheesy Pastagna is fast and easy pasta-lasagna: a new take on an old favorite. Pasta cooks faster and more evenly in the Stack Cooker than lengthy lasagna noodles. For softer noodles, allow pasta to soak in water before and after cooking (before straining). For firmer noodles, strain water from pasta immediately after cooking. You may also reduce cook time from 15 to 10-12 minutes. This recipe is basic and has plenty room for your added panache. For example, you could use a tasty variety of cheeses (as is typical of lasagna) in addition to, or instead of the one presented here. This dish also lends itself to a spicy base. If you want to add a kick to your pasta, try some curry and paprika – not too much – you do not want to flame out the cheese flavor. Add extra vegetables for a chunkier sauce. Have fun with this one!

Tools

tools

Tupperwave® Stack Cooker Complete System (Item #1195)
Tupperware® Measuring cups (Item #708)

Ingredients

ingredients

3 cups of 100% whole grain pasta
2 cups of chopped mushrooms
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
3 ½ cups of your favorite pasta sauce or marinara
3 cups of shredded cheddar (or your favorite cheese)
6 cups of water

Preparation

preparation

  1. Pour three cups of dry, 100% whole grain pasta into the 1 ¾ quart Stack Cooker base.
  2. Rinse pasta three times under cold water.
  3. Place seal on Stack Cooker.
  4. Place dish into microwave.
  5. Cook on high for 15 minutes.
  6. Place Stack Cooker colander into 3 Qt. Stack Cooker base.
  7. Remove 1 ¾ quart Stack Cooker base from microwave and carefully remove seal (It’s HOT!).
  8. Pour cooked pasta into colander, allowing water to drain into 3 Qt. base.
  9. Pour cooked pasta from colander, back into 1 ¾ Qt base.
  10. Pour 3 ½ cups of your favorite pasta sauce or marinara over cooked pasta.
  11. Stir sauce into pasta.
  12. Pour 1 cup of shredded cheddar over pasta and stir cheese into sauce.
  13. Pour second 1 cup of cheese over pasta and stir into sauce.
  14. Pour 2 cups of chopped mushrooms into cooked pasta, sauce, and cheese.
  15. Pour 2 cups of chopped tomatoes into cooked pasta, sauce, and cheese.
  16. Pour 1 cup of shredded cheese over mixed pasta.
  17. Place seal on Stack Cooker.
  18. Place Stack Cooker in center of microwave.
  19. Cook for 2 minutes on high.
  20. Take Stack Cooker out of microwave.
  21. Remove Stack Cooker from microwave and let stand for 5 minutes (do not remove seal).

Serve & Enjoy!

Serve with fresh fruit and a smile.

Snapshot_20130814_2

To order the dishes and or utensils used in this lesson, contact your Tupperware Consultant. If you do not have a Consultant, please support my business at http://my2.tupperware.com/srgraham.

MESSAGE IN THE MIX

Principles: 1) You can create new dishes from old recipes. 2) God can create a new you.

Devotional Reading: Jeremiah 31:3

Memory Verse:  – “17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!” (II Corinthians 5:17 Amplified Bible (AMP)).

Sharing Is Caring: Share today’s devotional, memory verse and your Quick & Cheesy Pastagna with a friend.

DEVOTIONAL READING

“3 The Lord appeared from of old to me [Israel], saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you” (Jeremiah 31:3 Amplified Bible (AMP)).

Application

You may have favorite dishes that your mother, or father, or grandmother, or someone else made for you. You may recall every sensory detail – the tantalizing smell; the buttery taste; the golden color; the rich texture… Perhaps you have tried to make the dish yourself and couldn’t make it like momma used to make. Or maybe you discovered something new that brings back good memories, yet speaks to a new beginning that is special for your children the way the original was special to you.

If you are not a chef du jour (as I am not), sometimes putting a new spin on an old favorite can spark your inner artiste cuisinière. When you re-make a recipe, you may be able to retain some of the original qualities that you fell in love with, while presenting a new look, or adding some new flavor. You may want to preserve the best traits and make them stronger.

When you cook something, regardless of your skill or lack thereof, love makes the mix taste better. Cooking with love will guide you when you have no clue what goes into a quiche, for example. You may even pray, “Lord help this mix” (I’ve done that). Even if you have to make it over after tasting to see if it is good, your learning curve will be much higher when you cook with love.

When God makes you over, His great love is at work. He puts within you a recipe of perfection – the foundation for a perfect you. You may be like a novice chef, not knowing at first taste what seasoning you lack. Yet, God will begin to teach you how to be salt and light to the world. His love will guide you when there is no precedent for what you bring to the table. You may pray, “Lord help me (I’ve done that).”

You may not master life’s kitchen in one day. Yet, just as you can add a zest of lemon, God can give you more grace. You can use a cup to measure, and God can use your measure of faith. You see, God is a Master Chef. He knows exactly what you need to become the masterpiece that He envisions. You may not have a box of cards that tell you what to stir into life – but God has a book that you can read to stir up the gift in living. When you do not know where to start, stir some love in first.

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Copyrighted © 2013 by Shenica Graham | Blog Books

Shenica GrahamShenica Graham is the author of RMC online and the Seeds of Promise series. Read her devotionals and go behind the music at wiseeku.wordpress.com. Subscribe to her Examiner column on Spiritual Living. Download her music app. Become a sponsor.

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