Shrimp or Crawfish Fettucine

I actually haven't made this yet, but I've specifically asked for it because I've heard it is incredible. My mom brought me her copy and since I've packed my notecards, I'm storing this recipe here for my future use. I think I'll try it next week. It is my Aunt Tanya's recipe, and she got it from a friend, I think. I can't imagine that it is anything less than delicious.

1 1/2 sticks butter (not margarine)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
6-8 pods garlic or 4 T minced garlic
1/3 c flour
1/2 c water
2 lbs crawfish or shrimp, cooked and seasoned to taste (Bernards?)
4 T fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 lbs Velveeta Hot Mexican (or regular Velveeta)
16 oz fettucine (or farfalle)
1 pint half-and-half + 1/4 c of milk (pour milk in cream carton, swish, and add for extra sauce
Fresh parmesan

Melt butter. Saute vegetables (except parsley) until wilted. Add flour. Blend well. Add water, blend well. Cook over olw heat for 5 min. Add tails or shrimp; cook 15-20 min over very low heat. Cook noodles according to package directions, rinse with cold water. Add velveeta to crawfish or shrimp mix, blend well. Add half-and-half. When all is melted, add salt and pepper, to taste, and parsley. Mix noodles with crawfish or shrimp mixture and pour into 3 qt baking dish. Cover with Parmesan and bake at 350 about 30 minutes or until the mixture bubbles.

Serves 8-10.

It freezes well, but thaw before baking.

Baked penne with sausage and broccoli

Here is one of my fail-safe pasta recipes. I actually found it in a Williams-Sonoma catalog and have adapted to my liking so much that it looks very little like the original...so in some ways I consider it my own...something rare in my book. Its great because you can make it ahead and bake it before serving and it is all freezable so it is perfect for a new mommy. I am going to (hopefully--if my kids all go to sleep for their naps) go make it in just a minute for our church community group tomorrow night.

2 lbs pre-cooked turkey sausage, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 heads of broccoli, cut into pieces
1/2 c white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4-1/3 c olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 T dried thyme (more or less to taste)
24 garlic cloves, minced (or 12 t minced garlic)
1/2 pound whole-grain penne, cooked according to package directions
1 c part-skim ricotta
pinch red chili fakes
2 oz Parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 400. Saute sausage 3 minutes over medium heat. Remove to a large bowl. Cook broccoli in same pan 6 minutes, until tender. Add wine after 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add broccoli and wine to bowl. Warm oil. Add onions and thyme. Cook 8 minutes or until onions are tender. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add mixture to bowl, reserving oil. Add pasta, salt and pepper to the bowl. Add ricotta to bowl and gently toss to coat. Spoon mixture into 9x11 baking dish. Drizzle with reserved oil. Sprinkle with red chili flakes. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 10 more minutes.