RECIPE: PARMESAN CHEESE SKILLET SPAGHETTI CAKE

If you're like me, you always make too much pasta and have a ton left over. Here's a way to use it! My Parmesan Cheese Skillet Spaghetti Cake uses pantry or fridge items you simply bake in a cast iron skillet. It's pretty fantastic. In fact, you can throw just about anything you want in there... leftover roasted veggies, a bit of sausage or even leftover short ribs. This easy recipe is great for an impromptu party or for  dinner, as a side dish or anytime you have leftover pasta. Add some marinara on the side. You’ll love it!

PARMESAN CHEESE SKILLET SPAGHETTI CAKE

Prep Time: 10 minutes    Cook time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, smashed

12 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked and drained

2 eggs

1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese, grated, plus 1/4 cup more for serving

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS: 

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. Toss with ½ teaspoon olive oil. Set aside.

Put the eggs in a large bowl and whisk them well. Whisk in the salt, pepper and the garlic. Add the pasta and the cheese. Toss to coat evenly.

Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron or oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. When it gets hot, add the smashed garlic clove and let it cook 1-2 minutes but don’t let it burn. Remove from heat. Use the back of a knife to turn the garlic clove into a paste. Mix it into the pasta.

Turn the heat down to medium. Carefully spin the hot skillet to distribute the olive oil. Pour the pasta mixture into the hot pan. Let it cook 3-4 minutes or until well-browned. Use a large spatula or two small ones to flip the cake and brown the other side; about 4 minutes more. The cake is done when the eggs are set and the cheese is melted.

If you prefer not to flip the cake, no problem. You can finish it in the oven. Before you start, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Once you've cooked the cake on the stove to brown the bottom, move the pan into the oven and cook for 10 minutes more or until the top is golden brown and the eggs are completely set. (Make sure to use an oven safe pan like a cast iron skillet)

To serve, run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake and turn it out on a heat-proof platter or wooden cutting board. Sprinkle with more freshly grated Parmesan and some finely chopped Italian parsley.

IT'S NATIONAL HOMEMADE SOUP DAY!

With record cold and snowfall around the country, National Homemade Soup Day couldn't come at a better time. Here are my favorite homemade soup recipes... fast, easy, and homemade delicious!

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP RECIPE: My number one all-time most popular soup recipe is my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. I've made it hundreds of times for thousands of people. Everyone loves it- you will too. Get the recipe...

My all-time most popular recipe... Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. So much so, I now grow my own butternut squash from all the seeds!

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP: The comfort of a fully loaded baked potato, spoon version. Your family and friends will love this soup! Perfect for family game night, a tailgate, or a quick weeknight dinner. Best of all, everyone can customize their bowl of soup their own way. Get the recipe...

Loaded Baked Potato soup is even better than its namesake. Another fast, easy, and delicious recipe.

LOWER ALABAMA STYLE GUMBO: I don't think I like anything more than gumbo. You can put just about anything you want into it; this one happens to be shrimp and Alabama made Conecuh sausage but I also make it with chicken. Mardi Gras is in February so it is gumbo season! Get the recipe...

Lower Alabama gumbo always is chock full of fresh Gulf shrimp!

SAUSAGE, WHITE BEAN & ESCAROLE SOUP: This has to be a one of the most flavorful and easiest recipes I've ever come up with. You might not know what escarole is; a leafy green vegetable used frequently in Italian cooking. You certainly can substitute kale in place of escarole if you cannot find it. Get the recipe...

Easy and so much flavor... try my Sausage, White Bean, and Escarole Soup- I promise it will become a cold weather favorite!

CHEF MICHELE RAGUSSIS' AWARD-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER RECIPE! Michele recently shared her recipe with me and it is one you'll want to try. Most of us only order Clam Chowder in a restaurant; now you can make it at home! Get the recipe...

Chef Michele Ragussis' award-winning restaurant style New England Clam Chowder.

MY AWARD-WINNING CHILI RECIPE: My chili is so fast and easy with smoky chipotle and roasted tomatoes creating warm and cozy flavor. You make it in a crockpot so it could not be easier... and our friend Melanie has won her local chili competition with it several years in a row! Get the recipe...

Martie's award winning crockpot chili recipe

RECIPE: LEMON RICOTTA POUND CAKE

Always being on the road or in someone else's kitchen, you would think I'd make sure I had everything I needed BEFORE I started cooking. I planned to make my Mom's pound cake recipe and was already in the middle of creaming the butter when I discovered the cream cheese was waaay past the expiration date. I did however, have some perfectly good ricotta cheese in the fridge so I ended up with this Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake. So moist yet a bit fluffy and very, very good. This will never replace my Mom's pound cake but I gotta tell you, it is the perfect shower, party, or afternoon tea cake. It is a lot better than that Lemon Pound Cake you get at Starbucks! Put it on your list to try.

A baking mistake sometimes results in something really good. Try this Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake recipe. Moist yet fluffy. Really easy. Really good.

LEMON RICOTTA POUND CAKE

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean

INGREDIENTS

3 sticks butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons lemon zest

juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)

4 whole eggs, room temperature

2 egg whites, room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1/8 tsp salt

LEMON GLAZE

Juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups Confectioners' sugar (plus more if desired)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Prep two 9 x 5 loaf pans; grease and flour or spray all sides with Baker's Joy.

In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Add the ricotta and beat until combined. Then add the sugar, a little at a time. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the lemon zest and the eggs, one at a time, beating until they are combined. Add the egg whites and beat until they are just incorporated. Turn the speed on the mixer down. Add the lemon juice. Combine the salt and the flour; adding a little at a time to the mixer until it is blended. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts.

Pour into the prepared pans. Place on a baking sheet and place on center rack of your oven. Bake for 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire cooling rack to allow it to cool until just slightly warm before icing.

For the glaze, combine the lemon juice and Confectioners' sugar and whisk; the glaze should be thick and creamy and not too stiff. You should be able to pour it. Add more lemon juice or sugar as necessary to achieve the pourable consistency.

Using a toothpick, poke a few holes into the top of the cake. Pour onto the top of the cake and spread. Allow to cool. Add a second layer if you want a thick glaze.

Serve with berries, whipped cream or any of your favorites.