Quick and easy Brussels sprouts recipe

If you like Brussels sprouts, you'll love this recipe.  It's so easy and quick, I make it all the time.  Most of the time I make it without the corn, but it's good both ways!  And I really just eyeball the amounts of the spices, just a few shakes over the pan.  I also made it the other day without the lemon juice and they were just as delicious! 

Brussels Sprouts and Corn

Ingredients 

1 lb Brussels sprouts

2 ears of corn, kernels freshly cut off of the cob (or, for quick and easy, out of a can)

3 tbs olive oil, divided

1/2 lemons-worth of juice 

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. In a large pan heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium-high heat.  Cut Brussels sprouts in half and add to pan.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and generous pinches of salt and pepper.   

2. Shake and stir to coat, continue to shake every so often, to enable a caramelized sear but not an over-cook on one side.

3. After about 10 minutes (adding more olive oil as needed), when Brussels sprouts are browned, soft on the outside, but a bit hard and crunchy on the inside, add fresh corn kernels to the pan.

4. Drizzle 1 tbs olive oil over the corn, sprinkle with more salt and pepper; stir and shake to fully mix.

5. Cook altogether for another 5 minutes, until corn is warm but pops to the bite.

6. Serve warm and enjoy! 

Zoodles!

There's been so much talk lately on blogs and among my friends about spiralizers and zoodles, I thought I would give it a shot.  After a few friends raved about their spiralizer, I ordered one!

Photo from Amazon

What's a spiralizer you say?  Well it takes vegetables or potatoes and turns them into spiraled noodle type things!  I did some searching on Amazon and this is the one I ordered.  There are several different options, including 3 and 4 blade models.  I opted for the cheaper, highly recommended 3 blade option.  I finally used it one night this week to make dinner! 

I picked zucchini for my first spiralizer meal, since there are tons of recipes for zoodles.  I found one from my favorite food blogger, Skinnytaste - Shrimp Scampi Zoodles.  

It was so easy to use.  You just put the zucchini on the crank, and twist! 

The recipe calls for the zoodles to be sauteed for just 2 minutes - and shrimp only takes a few minutes to cook, too, so dinner was ready in no time!  Perfect for a busy weeknight. 

M was skeptical when I put the plate down in front of him... "What, is this like a healthier version of healthy?"  Um, yes, it is.  It was delicious!  And he practically licked the plate, and commented that it was really good.  Ha!

Photo from Skinnytaste

I am looking forward to trying many more recipes with zoodles and other veggies!  Skinnytaste has some great ones that are already on my list!

Happy Spiralizing! 

Super easy chicken dinner

I found this recipe on Pinterest several weeks ago, and have been meaning to try it - I finally got around to it last night.  I didn't use all of the butter than the original recipe called for - actually, I didn't use any butter - and it was delicious.  The original also called for the Italian dressing seasoning packet - I had the dressing on hand so just used that.  I feel like it would have less sodium anyway, and the liquid replaces all the butter.  I loved that I could throw it in the pan and into the oven, and I had an hour to work out (twice this week, watch out!) and dinner was finished.  

Green Beans, Chicken & Potatoes

3-4 medium potatoes, cut

2 c. green beans, cut

1 lb chicken breasts

1 onion, chunked

3-4 garlic cloves, smashed

Italian dressing

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Spray the pan with Pam.  Line the chicken breasts down the middle of the baking dish.  Put the potatoes on one side and the green beans on the other.  Salt and pepper everything.  Lay the onion pieces around on top and drop in the garlic cloves.  Drizzle some Italian dressing over the top and some olive oil.  I probably used 2ish tablespoons of dressing and one of olive oil.  Cover with foil and bake for an hour at 350*.  Enjoy!

The chicken was so tender and delicious.  I have to admit, the potatoes were a smidge on the crunchier side, so if you really wanted to you could boil them for 5-10 minutes first – but that takes 15 more minutes and you have to clean another pot.  The hardest part of this recipe is breaking the beans, but if you buy them already cleaned, then you’re golden.  I’ll definitely do that next time.    

This was super easy and really tasty - we'll definitely have it again.  Hope you enjoy it!

Quick and easy dinner

Hi everyone.  Life has been a bit, um, chaotic over the last few months...new job, lots of travel, and just life.  But what's a couple of months among friends...

I made this for dinner last night, and it was super easy and delicious so I thought I'd share.  This is the first recipe I pinned to my 'Recipes to Try' board on Pinterest, and I'm finally getting around to trying it.  Standing in Wegmans on Sunday evening, desperate for something new and easy, I scrolled through the board on my iPhone and decided to give it a shot.  This will definitely become a go-to in our house from now on.

The most complicated part of this recipe was chopping the garlic.  And if you buy it already done in the little jar, then it's even simpler.  I cut the recipe down a bit - only used 4 tomatoes and 1 lb of shrimp - because I didn't want too many leftovers.  I did get the crusty bread as suggested, which was a great addition.  You could also serve this over pasta.  I had planned to throw in some asparagus to roast with the shrimp...but completely forgot until we had just about finished eating.  Oh well...next time!  M went back for seconds - always a good sign :)

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp and Feta

Serves 6 | Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 40m

Ingredients

• 5 large tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup Feta, crumbled
• crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Place the tomatoes in a large baking dish and spoon the olive oil and garlic over them.
2. Sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper and toss. Roast on top rack of oven for 20 minutes.
3. Remove baking dish from oven and stir in the shrimp, parsley, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the Feta.
4. Return the dish to oven until the shrimp are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm with the bread.

Hope y'all enjoy it as much as we did!  

Original recipe from Real Simple.

Crockpot pot roast

With everything going on these days - wrapping presents, last minute shopping, big meal planning, cooking, baking, cleaning, card writing - I don't seem to have much time to cook the regular meals.  So this weekend, instead of caving in to Chipotle or Dominoes, I did a swing through the meat section while at the store and threw a roast in the crock pot.  The house smelled delicious all day, plus this recipe couldn't have been easier.  And by dinner time, we had a delicious and reasonably healthy meal waiting for us.  I love the crockpot, and I'm really enjoying trying out new recipes.  It's such an easy alternative to slaving away on a big meal in the kitchen! 

Easy Crockpot Pot Roast
(from My Life as a Mrs.)

Makes: 6 servings  Prep Time: 10 minutes (if that)  Cook time: 8 hours

Ingredients:

28 ounce bag of mini potatoes, rinsed and pierced with fork
1 onion, quartered
2 1/2 pound boneless chuck roast (Wegmans didn't have chuck roast, so I used beef shoulder - it was probably a little tough, but still tasty)
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
cracked black pepper

1 small bag of carrots (I used baby carrots)

Directions:

Spray Crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Add Potatoes and onion quarters then top with chuck roast. Add onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, red wine vinegar, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Cover and cook on low for at least 8 hours. (I was late getting started, so I did about 4 hours on high and the last hour on low) During the last hour of cooking add the carrots, making sure they are submerged in the cooking liquid.

Place some of the meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions in a bowl and ladle broth on top. Enjoy with some warm crusty bread if desired!


This is delicious and we will certainly be making it again this winter!

Figgy Focaccia

Figs are one of my favorite foods, but I rarely think about them when I'm at the store.  In the past edition of Southern Living, they had a whole section on celebrating fig season and different ways to incorporate them into recipes!

When M mentioned that he wanted to have homemade pizza one night, I remembered a recipe I saw in that feature, and knew it would be perfect.  The original recipe is just for a flat bread, but they suggest adding salami and fontina cheese to make it into a pizza.

Figgy Focaccia

Ingredients

·        1 medium-size red onion 

·        3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

·        Coarse sea or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

·        Plain cornmeal

·        1 pound bakery pizza dough (I used whole wheat)

·        8 fresh figs, halved 

·        1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Cut onion into 3/4- to 1-inch slices. Brush onion slices with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Grill onion slices, without grill lid, 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until tender and lightly charred.  (I just used a grill pan on the stove and it worked perfectly.)

2. Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly dust work surface with cornmeal. Stretch dough into a 10- to 12-inch oval on work surface. Place dough, cornmeal side down, on a greased baking sheet; drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Rub oil into dough. Arrange fig halves and grilled onion over dough, pressing lightly. Sprinkle with rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.

      2a. This is where I added the salami and fontina.  You could put the salami down before the figs like you would pepperoni, but with having it on top, it got crispy in the oven.  

3. Bake at 425° on lowest oven rack 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.  Slice and enjoy!

It was delicious!  I will definitely make this combination again.  I love making homemade pizzas and experimenting with all different things.  It's easy, creative, and definitely healthier than getting pizza out!

If you want to try the other fig recipes, check out the list from Southern Living.  I've done a couple of the others before and they're just as yummy.

Pesto Orecchiette

This is one of the better pasta dishes I've made in a long time!  It was really delicious and super easy. I'm not even sure where I originally found this, but the recipe is on the Real Simple website.  The original one calls for frozen peas, but apparently I was out of those...and didn't realize that until I was halfway into making this!  I did have some frozen okra, so I used that - and loved it!  What a fun twist!

Pesto Orecchiette With Chicken Sausage

Ingredients

• 12 ounces orecchiette
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen okra
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage links, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup pesto (I didn't really measure this, just used 3-4 spoonfuls) 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans and peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and vegetables and return them to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the sausage, pesto, Parmesan, and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and vegetables and toss to combine (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry).

It comes together super quickly, and is delicious.  Great for leftovers, too!

Enjoy!

Beer BBQ Chicken

This winter/spring, I have really tried to use the crockpot a lot more than before...which, seeing that I'd only made 1 or 2 meals in it ever, it wasn't a huge feat... But I have really fallen in love.  Pork, chili, bolognese sauce, bbq...there are so many options!

When I saw this post on one of the other blogs I read, and noticed at the very bottom the words 'beer bbq chicken.'  I knew it would be perfect to make while M was out running 50 miles.

© 2012 Bobby Gill

 What a great surprise - to come home to a house that smelled amazing and have bbq chicken for dinner!

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

serves about 8-10

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large)

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces of beer (I used Dale's Pale Ale)

32 ounces of barbecue sauce

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add to crockpot, then add beer and 24 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce. Toss chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. Serve as desired.

I didn't even really have to shred it - the chicken just fell apart as I tried to get it out of the crockpot with the tongs.  It doesn't get any easier, or tastier, than this.  It makes a ton, but you could always use less of everything...or just eat it for almost every meal like we H did for a week!

Enjoy!

Cilantro shrimp and herb orzo

Happy Friday!  This week has just flown by...it's that time of year for me, the crazy conference time.  We have about 2 weeks until our freight truck leaves, and less than 3 weeks before we all head to New Orleans! It's crunch time!

This recipe was so delicious, I wanted to share it with you - I haven't posted a recipe in a while.  I found this while poking around on the Skinny Taste blog - she's one of my new found favorites.

One of our friends stopped by to visit for a little while on Wednesday and I insisted that he stay for dinner.  This came together so quickly, and was really easy.  I added some orzo to the meal since we had company, but you could totally eat it without it.

Put the pot of water on the stove for the orzo.  While it's heating up, get everything else out and ready...start chopping the herbs, drain the shrimp (I used a bag of unthawed shrimp that needed to be drained and rinsed).  Put a cup of orzo in the pot of boiling water, and turn on the skillet with a little olive oil.  Once that's hot, put in the shrimp, in 2 minutes flip and add the crushed garlic.  The orzo takes about 8-9 minutes and the shrimp 5 or so.

Drain the orzo, then mix in some lemon juice, olive oil, chopped parsley and cilantro.  Stir in lime juice and cilantro with the shrimp, and serve!  It's really that easy!  I threw a bag of steamer vegetables into the microwave, too, and it was a well rounded meal.

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Cilantro Lime Shrimp
2 tsp olive oil
2 lb shrimp, shelled and deviened
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime
salt and pepper

Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add oil to the pan, when hot add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. When the shrimp is cooked on one side, about 2 minutes, turn over and add garlic. Sauté another minute or two until shrimp is cooked, careful not to overcook. Remove from heat. Squeeze lime all over shrimp and toss with cilantro. Serve hot.

Lemon Herb Orzo

1 cup of orzo

1 tbsp olive oil

A couple tablespoons lemon juice, to taste

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook orzo according to package directions (about 9 minutes). Drain pasta and transfer to a bowl.  Mix in remaining ingredients and serve.

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Enjoy, and have a great weekend friends!

Pasta alla Formiana

I have mentioned before my love of Giada, and I'll say it again.  She really is one of my favorites - and everything of hers that I've made is delicious and easy. 

It doesn't get much easier than Pasta alla Formiana.  I had everything except the tomatoes already in the pantry.  And I also like that you control the sodium and calories since you're making the sauce with just crushed tomatoes, garlic, spices and olive oil.  You don't even have to cook the pasta before you bake it - it happens in the oven!  Dump, mix, bake. 


source

The fresh tomatoes in this were delicious, especially after they had roasted for an hour.  Add a little parmesean cheese and a veggie and you've got a great, super easy dinner!  This would be great for entertaining too because you can just throw it in the oven when your guests arrive and will have an hour to hang out before you sit down to eat.  And M had the leftovers the next night and said it was even better.  One tip I have is to make sure you put a baking sheet on the shelf under the dish in the oven - it definitely bubbled over and made a bit of a stinky mess on the bottom of our oven...

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Pasta alla Formiana

Ingredients

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 pound (8 ounces) mezze penne or other small pasta

1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1/4 cup dried oregano

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 very ripe, extra-large or beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.

In a food processor, blend together the crushed tomatoes and garlic. Pour into a medium bowl and add the uncooked pasta, 1/3 cup olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with tomato slices. Pour the pasta mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Arrange the remaining tomato slices in an overlapping layer on top of the pasta mixture, making sure the mixture is completely covered. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the tomatoes are slightly crispy and the pasta is cooked, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Enjoy and have a great weekend!!  Any fun plans?!

Chicken Taco Chili

It's as good as it sounds.  Trust me.

So many people I know swear by their crockpots, especially on the weekends.  Dump it all in the pot, turn it on, and come back hours later to a delicious meal.  I am not one of those people, but keep wanting to use it more.  Iowa Girl Eats (love her!) posted a recipe a couple of weeks ago for this chicken taco chili, and I'll been thinking about it ever since.  It's originally from Skinny Taste so not only is it delicious but healthy to boot!

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans, drained
1 16-oz can kidney beans, drained
10 oz package frozen corn kernels
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
chili peppers, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine onion, beans, corn, tomatos and sauce, cumin, chili powder, taco seasoning and chili peppers if you're using them in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream (extra points).
 
Servings: 10 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 203.7 • Fat: 1.4 g • Carb: 33.3 g • Fiber: 10.0 g • Protein: 16.9 g

Based on IGE's recommendations, I cooked it for 4.5 hours on high, and it was perfect.  The chicken was tender and everything was delicious together.  I served it over a bed of white rice.  We were both so hungry when it was ready, we didn't even think about cheese, sour cream, salsa or chips!  And it makes a ton for yummy leftovers.  You could even serve it in a tortilla one night to change it up a bit.

Homemade Chipotle burrito bowls!  Black olives optional :)

Pesto chicken stuffed shells

I don't know about you but I need a little break from the long posts about Sonoma.  While it's wonderful to relive our trip, I need something else in my life.  I will have the final 3 posts for you next week.

So, for now, pesto stuffed shells.  Cheese, pesto, pasta...baked...yeah it doesn't get too much better than that.

After the mess that Hurricane Irene left behind in Richmond, we got a phone call Sunday afternoon from dad - he and the dogs were on their way.  Twenty-four hours without power was enough for him.  Mom had been in Cumberland with her sister visiting some aunts of theirs and joined the party Monday.  I had already bought food for dinner, and luckily the recipe was flexible enough that I could easily add 2 more.


Source

 These shells were delicious and totally easy.  You can adjust the recipe to add whatever you'd like - tomatoes, red peppers, nuts, sauce...whatever you have on hand.  They are also great to make ahead or freeze.

I found the recipe originally while doing some blog jumping around, and am so glad I did.  We'll definitely make this again - and it would be great to take to a friend when a baby is born or if there's a death in the family - it would travel really well.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

12-16 jumbo pasta shells (I ended up cooking about 26, which made 24 after 2 shells ripped during production)
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I baked 3 chicken breasts, but next time might use a rotisserie)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I skipped this part since my store bought pesto was garlicy enough)
salt and pepper to taste

 In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish (this is the messy part).  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.  


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I didn't cover the dish while they baked and the pasta was a little dry - I think covering them would make a big difference in keeping everything nice and tender.  Also, you can make the dish up until you sprinkle it with the remaining cheese and stick it in the fridge for later in the week or freeze it.  Just let it warm up for about 30 minutes before baking it. 

Roasted strawberry bruschetta

This summer is flying by, I can't believe it's the middle of August.  We've been so busy going here and there and everywhere this summer, I feel like we've missed some of the wonderful, fresh summer foods.  After another busy weekend, we just wanted something light for dinner last Sunday...so roasted strawberry bruschetta it was.  

I know that you typically don't think of strawberries with bruschetta, and I was a bit skeptical when I first saw this recipe on Reluctant Entertainer's site a couple of weeks ago - but let me tell you, it was delicious.

Roasted Strawberry Bruschetta
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 loaf ciabatta bread 
1-2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup soft goat cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the strawberries into a bowl and gently mix with the balsamic vinegar.


Spread strawberries out on a baking sheet and bake for five minutes. Remove and let cool.

Slice the ciabatta into equal slices, drizzle with olive oil, and toast for about 8-10 minutes until crisp. 



Spread goat cheese on hot bread, top equally with the roasted berries and juice.


Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with basil.

The flavors were so delicious together, with the goat cheese (love goat cheese!), crispy bread, sweet strawberries and fresh basil.  This would be great as an appetizer at a party, or just as a light meal as we did.

Enjoy this and the last few weeks of summer!

What's for dinner?

I love Giada. 

I really love her.  Everything of hers I have ever made has been delicious. 

Well, everything except the chicken tetrezzini I tried to make when I was living down in NC about 7 years ago.  It is the one dinner I actually didn't eat because I threw it out.  I have had nightmares...I had flour everywhere....

Anyway.

Pasta Ponza.  A few weeks ago I was catching up on DVR'd shows and watching one of her 30 minute shows on the Food Network (yes, I record them) and the episode was all about pasta.  Hello!  I love pasta!  So I printed out this recipe and made it a few days later for dinner. And it was delicious.

Well, last night I made it again.  And this time I just threw it together with what I had in my fridge and pantry.  I didn't need to buy a thing for this dinner, which was great.  I used the leftover 1/2 full boxes of fusilli and bowtie pastas, the grape tomatoes I had left from lunches last week, and then already had a 1/2 jar of capers in the fridge and the olive oil and bread crumbs in the pantry.  Plus I had the 'good stuff' as husband calls it - fresh shredded cheese left over from a previous dinner.  I used what was left and filled in with grated parmesean from the green can.  I even used fresh parsley from my back deck! 

I apologize, I forgot to take pictures (again).  I threw the tomatoes in quickly, made the dog her dinner, put the pasta on, threw a bag of steamer green beans in the microwave, grabbed and opened a bottle of wine and everything was ready!  It really is that quick!  The actual recipe below is pretty structured, but I really just threw together what I had in the house already.  It was so good, I just couldn't not tell you about it.

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Pasta Ponza by Giada from the Food Network

Ingredients

Butter for greasing
2 cups (12 ounces) red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups (12 ounces) yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 cup Italian-style seasoned breadcrumbs
1 pound ziti or other short tube-shaped pasta
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 ounces) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.

Place the tomatoes, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in the prepared baking dish. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the tomato mixture. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden. Cool for 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Place the pasta in a large serving bowl. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the pasta. Add the cheese and toss well. Thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

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This is definitely a tasty, quick and easy go to pasta dinner.  And it makes delicious leftovers for lunch at work the next day!

Make this. Tonight.

You need to make this for dinner.  Tonight.  It's delicious, healthy, light, easy, and super fast.

Thanks to one of my other favorite blogs, Iowa Girl Eats, I made Wild Salmon with Lemon CousCous for dinner last week.  It's so good.  She said it's a dinner for 1 but it really made a ton and was enough for both of us (I did use a little more veggies and couscous to be sure there was enough).

I made it without counters or a working sink in the kitchen and it still only took 15 minutes.  It's that easy and quick.

I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed!

Summer cookout

Recently we got together with 2 of our very favorite couples for a fun, casual outdoor dinner.  I made ribs and southern skillet corn, our neighbor made some grilled and roasted vegetables and caramelized onions. They also made caprese salad bites and grilled some sausages for appetizers.   

I found these 2 recipes from one of my favorite blogs, Eat, Live, Run.  

Both were very simple.  The corn was amazing - and only needed fresh corn, some flour, water, salt, pepper and sugar.  Cook it with a bit of butter, and it's just delicious.  

The cayenne cinnamon baby back ribs with maple glaze were just as easy.  You mix brown sugar, garlic powder, cinnamon, paprika, and some cayenne pepper with a little salt.  After putting the rub on, you wrap it in foil.

The recipe calls for you to bake it for an hour, but we threw it on the smoker instead.  After the hour, you brush some maple syrup on the ribs and let them caramelize a little.  

We enjoyed dinner with some yummy white and rose' wines, which was a great addition to our summer cookout.  Nothing says warm weather, back decks, and big red umbrellas like whites and roses, ribs, corn and grilled veggies.

Our other friends brought dessert - delicious brownies with ice cream - yum!

I love it when friends come over for casual get togethers. It's great when everyone brings something - it's always fun to see what everyone makes, and it's always so delicious!  It takes a lot of pressure off the host, but financially and with the work load.  It's so much easier to host dinner when you're not trying to do everything!

Do you have a favorite dish that you always take to parties?

Ground Beef Week

Budget.

I hate that word. 

But, alas, we have started a new one.  We have lots of things around the house we have been talking about doing for years, and we're going to finally do them.  So, we're on a budget.

After buying a flight to SC to visit girlfriends this summer and purchasing gifts and a few other things this week, we had $50 to spend at the grocery store.  Husband decided that it was going to be ground beef week - we were going to buy one of the Wegman's ClubPacks and use it throughout the week. 

Monday night was spaghetti.  And it was delicious if I do say so myself.  We love spaghetti.  It's our go to when we want something easy and quick, and that makes a ton of leftovers.  Some people feel the need to make their own sauce...not me.  That's what the jars at the store are for.  So we browned up the meat, added half an onion I had left over, sautéed mushrooms, and added 2 jars of Wegmans brand sauce.  Then I went out to my herb garden and picked some oregano, rosemary, basil and thyme and added them to the sauce.  Dump the sauce into a big pot with all the noodles, and voila! Dinner!

Tuesday night was tacos.  I love tacos too.  A little ground beef, some taco seasoning leftover from last time, and lots of toppings.  We had avocado, chopped tomato, black beans, sour cream, salsa, black olives, and of course cheese, all wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla.  They are very filling, you only need one or 1.5, and usually I'm stuffed!  This time we skipped the chips and salsa, so we both ate 2 - but we figured they had to be a little healthier than the cheese covered nachos that husband always makes.

Leftovers covered lunches and Wednesday's dinner while husband was away on business.  I had a work happy hour last night, so husband made the 3rd and final meal - tomato 'n beef casserole.  (You know it's serious when he actually cooks the dinner I leave for him rather than just making nachos and a smoothie for dinner)  I found it while searching for a new beef recipe on Southern Living a few days ago, trying to be a little creative after the 2 staples.  It had polenta, canned tomatos, onion, zucchini and the main character, ground beef.  He said it was pretty good, so I'll have to try some this weekend!

All in all it was a tasty week!  I don't need to eat spaghetti again for a little while...but we had tons of delicious food and only spent $50 at the store.  This also will last us through the weekend a little with the casserole.

And luckily, our weekly budget resets tomorrow!

Ok, now who's hungry?

Pasta, Pesto, and Peas



We had this for dinner last night and it's super good - and fairly healthy!  It made for a great lunch leftover too, although not as good with water as it was with wine.  It's one of Ina Garten's recipes - the first one of her's I've ever tried.



Blurry picture from foodnetwork.com



Pasta, Pesto and Peas

3/4 pound fusilli pasta

3/4 pound bow tie pasta

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 1/2 cups pesto, packaged or see recipe below (I used store bought pesto.  Also, the jar was smaller than what I needed, so I just cut back on the spinach, lemon juice and mayo and it was still great with enough sauce)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise (And by good, I used fat free, and only a cup - see note above)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted

1/3 cup pine nuts (I didn't use these because they're so expensive.  I do think it was missing them, maybe just cause I love pine nuts and knew they were supposed to be there?)

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature. (I was too impatient and hungry to do this and actually liked how it warm pasta both defrosted my peas, melted the cheese and warmed the sauce.)
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignolis, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve.



If you're feeling like you need some extra credit, below is Ina's recipe for pesto.

Pesto:
1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)

3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)

5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
Yield: 4 cups