Roasted Tomato Penne alla Vodka

We've now been back from San Francisco for about a month. Our trip was a wonderful week filled with great sight-seeing and absolutely wonderful food. The Golden Gate Bridge really is as cool to see in person as you'd think it is. I want to go back, badly. I mean, look at this. It's beautiful.

We both fell in love with the North Beach neighborhood, San Francisco's "Little Italy." The Twin Cities have a lot of really great restaurants, but they truly don't hold a candle to anything we ate in San Francisco. I don't think I've eaten better Italian since I was in Italy. If you're ever there, you should go to Tommaso's.  It's an adorable little hole-in-the wall place - very small, quaint, and cute. Order their lasagna. It's amazing.

And in the meantime, make this Penne alla Vodka. You won't regret it.

Roasted Tomato Penne alla Vodka
Recipe from Rachael Ray, adapted
Serves 4ish

INGREDIENTS
1 lb penne pasta
3 lbs plum tomatoes
2 TBSP olive oil, plus drizzles
2 TBSP fresh thyme, finely chopped
salt & pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced fine
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup mascarpone cheese
handful basil leaves, torn

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange cut-side up on baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the thyme, salt, & pepper.

Roast for about 1 hr, 15 min. Let cool.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions & garlic and season with salt & pepper. Cook until soft, about 12-15 min. Add the vodka and cook until reduced by about half. Add the chicken stock.and roasted tomatoes and heat through.

Stir in the mascarpone cheese, and then, using an immersion blender (or transfer to food processor), puree until smooth and creamy. Add the basil and stir until it is wilted.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, and drain. Toss the pasta with the sauce, and serve. Top with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Grilled Chicken Caprese Sandwiches

The magazine companies are on to me. I subscribed to CookingLight about a year ago. Since then, I've been inundated with other magazine subscription offers - Everyday with Rachael Ray, Food Network Magazine, People, Parents, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens.... they all want me. I feel so popular.

The sad thing about this is that if it's a magazine I'm even somewhat interested in, and the deal is good, I'll probably subscribe. My husband tells me "oh, but honey, you can get those recipes online." Which is true. But looking them up online is nowhere near as fun as getting a fresh new magazine in the mail every month. I like to think I have the self-control to know when it's time to stop (and hey, I turned down Parents magazine, even though it was truly a great deal. That's gotta count for something, right? Nevermind that I have no children or need for such a magazine).

I made these sandwiches when my tomatoes and basil were at their absolute peak - before the fall weather officially arrived and far before I had to start bringing my plants in at night for fear of frost (I'm not a fan of this weather). You should make them and enjoy them while the you still have access to fresh tomatoes and basil.

Grilled Chicken Caprese Sandwiches
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
4-6 chicken tenders
Italian dressing, for marinading
2 Roma tomatoes
1-2 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper
6ish leaves fresh basil
Mozzarella cheese slices
baguette

DIRECTIONS
Marinade the chicken tenders in Italian dressing for at least a few hours. Cut the tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper.

Pre-heat the broiler.

Grill the chicken till cooked through (3-5 min per side or so) and grill the tomatoes till soft.

Meanwhile, cut the baguette in half, length-wise, and put slices of mozzarella. Right before the chicken is done, place the bread under the broiler until the cheese melts and starts to get bubbly.

Cut the basil into little ribbons.

Place the chicken on top of the bread, then top with tomato and fresh basil.

Chicken Stock

Can I tell you a secret? You have to promise you won't tell anyone...

Alright, if you promise you won't tell, I'll tell you my secret.  Are you ready for it? Well, here it is.

I only pretend that I make homemade stock for culinary reasons. Any talk of "oh, there's just no comparison" or "it really is worth the extra effort" is just that - talk. Sure, it may all be true, but it's not the reason I make stocks. In fact, I regularly buy boxes of the stuff and use it frequently (the six-pack from Costco and I are besties).

Nope. I make homemade stock because I'm kind of cheap and hate wasting things. And homemade stock is a great way to clean out the veggie crisper. It's just a bonus that it's super easy and makes my house smell good. In fact, it's so easy that it just may change your life.

Here's what I do:

If you want to make a meat stock, save the bones (a chicken carcass works really great). Put that at the bottom of a crock pot (mine is a 4-quart, and I think a slightly larger one would work better, but I make do). If you want to do a veggie stock, skip this step.

Next, add some veggies. I think onions, carrots, and celery are the essentials, but I've not used carrots or celery when I was out. Baby carrots, shredded carrot, carrot coins - whatever you've got. If you're using whole carrots, you don't even need to peel them. Cut those and the celery into big chunks. If you have a whole onion, chop it into big chunks and leave the skin on. The skin will help the stock get a nice dark color. If you have something else onion-y that you want to get rid of, throw that in too - shallots, scallions, leeks... they're all good. I'm pretty sure I added a green pepper once when I discovered I had one that was at the "I need to use this by tomorrow or throw it out" stage.

Add some garlic. I prefer to use whole cloves, in their skins (again, the skins help get that nice stock-y color), but if you only have a jar of minced or those little frozen garlic cubes from Trader Joe's, throw a few cloves worth in.

Next add some fresh herbs - a few full sprigs. I prefer to use Parsley and Thyme, but I'm really not picky. I've used Rosemary instead. Once, I even threw in some arugula. Use whatever you've got. I wouldn't recommend using dried herbs, though - only fresh, whole sprigs.

Throw in a palm full of whole peppercorns.

Cover everything with water, put the lid on the crockpot, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Pour everything through a fine mesh strainer and let cool before packaging up into individual containers. It will stay in the fridge for a few days or frozen for a long time.

Ratatouille Pasta

My oldest two nephews love the movie Ratatouille. I doubt the yonger two have a preference, considering they're 6 months and 12 months, respectively, though I like to think if they could follow a plot line, they'd love the movie, too. We watched it at Thanksgiving (or more accurately, it was on while the adults were talking and drinking homemade Sangria). I'd forgotten how cute the movie actually is. It made me hungry for ratatouille. 

Fastforward 4 months. It feels like summer here. March is normally our snowiest month of the year, but I was sitting on my deck wearing a tank top and capri pants. Now, as much as I know this weather isn't normal and in all probability shouldn't be happening right now, I can't help but love it. It really puts me in the mood to make the things I normally make in the summer when I can get fresh, local produce (often from my back yard or the Farmer's Market at my office). 

This time I decided to take it one step further and make traditionally ratatouille even more delicious - add ravioli, top it with cheese, and bake it. It was a revelation. Now if only I could be guaranteed it won't drop below freezing for the rest of the year so I can get started planting my garden.

Ratatouille Pasta Bake

Serves 4ish

INGREDIENTS

2-3 TBSP olive oil

1 eggplant, peeled chopped (about 2 cups)

2 zucchini, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) can diced tomato

1 (28 oz) can tomato puree 

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade

3 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped

2 packages fresh ravioli (we like the 4-cheese kind from Trader Joe's)

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Put the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit out for about an hour. You'll probably notice a lot of moisture on the eggplant. After about an hour, rinse the eggplant thoroughly, and then pat it dry. This process will help coax out the bitterness in the eggplant and help collapse the air pockets, so your eggplant doesn't absorb as much oil.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Let it get very hot, but not smoking. If your oil isn't hot enough, the eggplant will absorb it and it. Cook until the eggplant has begun to soften and is a little brown, stirring occasionally. It should take around 5. Add the zucchini and cook until it starts to soften, again about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and again cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomato, tomato puree, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley and simmer for about 20 minutes, again, stirring occasionally.

In a bit pot, bring some salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook until al dente. Set aside if the 20 minutes isn't up yet, or to the ratatouille, if it is. Stir to combine.

Add the ratatouille with ravioli to a casserole dish and cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.

Chicken & Herb White Pizza

As I mentioned in my last post, we're not the fastest at things like decorating our house. In August or September, about a month or so after we moved in, I went to Ikea and bought a few decorations, including a little shelf I thought would look good in the kitchen. Since that day, they sat in the spare room with all the other decorations we hadn't put up yet. Every time I went into the room, I would think about putting up the kitchen decorations I'd bought those months back. But I never did anything. Not even bug my husband to get out the power tools.

Then, last weekend, we were at Target browsed through the home decor section, and found a few wall-hangings that we decided would look cute in the kitchen with the previously-purchased shelf, and on Friday night, we hung them up. My kitchen now looks like a real, proper kitchen, and I love it so much.

It's now the perfect setting to cook things like this yummy pizza from Cooking Light - and I didn't even change a thing in the recipe.

Chicken & Herb White Pizza
Cooking Light, October 2011

Chicken in Roasted Tomato Pan Sauce

Sometimes I think I shouldn't be allowed at the Farmer's Market. When I get there, I all of a sudden think I'm a hippie nature girl that will have no problem eating tons of vegetables. So, I buy several baskets of tomatoes.... and then realize that only one of the two of us in my household actually likes tomatoes (and that one would not be me). There's something about the texture. I like them cooked, but raw is another thing. I considered buying "rainbow" carrots. I even considered buying some fresh broccoli, until I reminded myself that I think the stuff tastes like grass.

Anyway, back to the tomatoes. I used most of them to make homemade tomato sauce, but when you combine the leftover two with the abundance of ripe tomatoes in my back yard, I needed something to do with them, and quickly. So, I came across this recipe and thought it would be a tasty way to use up those tomatoes. And it was. The sauce was practically jumping with the flavor of the roasted tomatoes and when combined with the hint of dijon mustard, it created the perfect amount of tang. When you add it to the chicken, it was one very delicious, very late-summery dinner.

Seared Chicken Breasts in Roasted Tomato Pan Sauce
Recipe from Food Network, adapted
Serves 4
Prep Time - 5 minutes
Cook Time - 25 min

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium tomatoes 
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 TBSP dijon mustard
• 1 TBSP chopped fresh basil
• 3 TBSP salted butter, cut into pieces
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
• 
  
• Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place them onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with canola oil and then season with salt & pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until they're nice and soft.
• 
  
• Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet to medium heat and add 1-2 TBSP canola oil. Season the chicken with salt & pepper on both sides. When the pan is heated, add the chicken to the pan and cook until brown on both sides and cooked through, probably about 3-5 minutes per side. When the chicken is done, remove from the pan and place on a plate. Tent with foil if you want.
• 
  
• If you have a lot of excess oil in your pan, drain off most of it. Add the chicken stock to the pan to deglaze and scrape up any brown bits.  Add the mustard to the pan and whisk together. 
• 
  
• Add the tomatoes and any juices from the baking sheet to the pan. Mash up the tomatoes with a potato masher. Add the basil and stir to combine. 
• 
  
• Once everything is combined, add the butter and stir it in. 
• 
  
• Return the chicken breasts to the pan and let cook for just a couple of minutes to get the flavors to meld a little. 
• 
  
• Serve the chicken with sauce on top.
• 
  

Italian Beef Stew

Beef stew is something I never liked growing up. I'm not completely sure why. I loved gravy, so it should have been a perfect fit. I think it's a combination of not having it very much and not really liking beef in an not-ground form.

It took me going to Ireland and trying Guinness stew at a little pub tucked away in the Wicklow Mountains to discover what a wonder stew could be. After having moderate success recreating Guinness stew over the years since, I've broadened out to stews that don't involve stout. My most recent was an Italian version - that used white wine and tomatoes. My husband is somewhat of a stew purist, and he was skeptical (to be polite) after reading the recipe but in the end, we both agreed. This was a great recipe for a change, but we prefer our "regular" recipe. I think he may have had a higher opinion of it if I had put more carrots in the stew, though.

Italian Beef Stew

Recipe from Italian Foodies blog

Serves 4ish

Prep Time - 20 min

Cook Time - 2 1/2 hrs

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lb stewing meat, cut into small cubes

3 TBSP canola oil

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, cut into chunks

1-2 ribs celery, sliced

5 TBSP dry white wine

1 can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 big sprig of thyme

salt & pepper, to taste

2 TBSP flour

2 cups beef broth

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a big pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 5-7 min, or until soft. Add bay leaves.

Add carrots, celery, and thyme and cook for about 10 min, stirring occasionally.

Add meat and flour and cook until browned.

Add wine and cook until it is almost all evaporated. Add tomatoes and beef broth (start with 1 cup of broth and then add more if it's looking a bit dry. Season with salt & pepper (I think I ended up using about 1/2 tsp of both). Cover and cook over low heat for about 2 hrs. 

Serve with thick bread for dipping.

Spaghetti Pomodoro

The first time I went to Italy, I was 18 years old. While not particularly well-traveled, I knew that the food in Italy wouldn't taste anything like the spaghetti or lasagna my parents made or the stuff they served at Olive Garden (the closest thing to "authentic" my readily available when I grew up). I didn't know how simple and delicious it would actually be. I also had no idea that pasta is generally a first course. 

On our first night in Italy, we were served a big plate of pasta and it was so delicious that when the waiters came around asking if anyone wanted any more, we all happily took some. Imagine how surprised (and stuffed!) we were when they took our plates away and brought us each a couple of pieces of roasted chicken and potatoes. We learned our lesson the next night, and while we definitely still over-indulged in every dish of pasta the waiters put in front of us, we knew to save room for the equally delicious second plate that was about to come our way.

I've been trying for a while to make a good spaghetti pomodoro, plain and simple, like what you can find in pretty much every restaurant and cafe across Italy. I tried several recipes with no luck. I think I was over-thinking it. So, one day, I decided to just throw things that made sense into a pot and see what came out. I think I hit it with this one. I'm not saying this is going to be better than your Italian grandmother's, but I'll be flattered if you think it is. 

I'm going to submit this to this week's Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Ruth of the great blog Once Upon a Feast. I haven't participated in a while and am looking forward to getting back into it!

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Pomodoro
Serves 4

Cook & Prep Time - 15-20 min

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken or veggie stock
salt & pepper
6 basil leaves, chiffonade
dash red pepper flakes
1 lb spaghetti noodles
1 TBSP butter

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Heat about 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add the garli and sautee for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the red wine vinegar and cook for about 2 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the tomato sauce and stock and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper, to taste (you shouldn't need much). Add the basil and red pepper flakes and stir. Cook for about 5-10 minutes.

Add the hot pasta to the pot. Top the pasta with about 1 TBSP of butter and toss to combine. Top with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce

My tomatoes this year are doing pretty well. I planted a bunch of seeds from a variety pack, so I really had no idea what I'd be getting when I planted them. It's so much fun to see them grow and ripen. One of my plants is a little yellow cherry tomato plant. For my first harvest from that plant, I decided to make some sort of sauce. A while back, I saved a recipe from Savory Spicy Sweet for Chicken Pomodoro and used that for inspiration to come up with this chicken in a creamy tomato sauce. It's delicious and I'm sure it'll be a hit at your house.


Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce
Serves 2-4
Prep Time - 15-20 min
Cook Time - 15 min

INGREDIENTS
4 chicken cutlets, butterflied and pounded thin (I used 2, but there was enough sauce for 4)
flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
2 TBSP canola oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup + 1 cup chicken broth, divided
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 cups tomatoes, chopped (I used a combination of fresh and canned)
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I'm sure any dairy liquid would work)
A few leaves of basil, chopped or torn


DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a big pan over medium heat. Dredge the cutlets in flour seasned with salt & pepper. Saute the cutlets a few minutes per side, until cooked through.

Remove from the pan and cover with foil.

Add onions and garlic to the pan and saute for a few minutes, or until the onions begin to get translucent. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth to de-glaze the pan and cook until the chicken broth has almost evaporated. Add the rest of the broth, lemon juice, and tomatoes. Add the cutlets back to the pan and cook for one minute per side.

Put the cutlets on plates and finish the sauce with the yogurt and basil. Stir till combined and cook just a minute or two. Top the chicken with the sauce to serve.

Pioneer Woman's Rosemary Rolls

To go with my turkey dinner, I wanted to make fresh bread. I'd been eying Pioneer Woman's Rosemary Rolls for some time and thought they'd make a nice accompaniment.

They were great, and they couldn't have been easier. They were almost like little mini focaccia buns. They were great on their own, and I'm sure they'd be great with marinara as well, and they were delicious accompanying my gravy. You really should make them.

Rosemary Rolls

INGREDIENTS

Frozen, unbaked dinner rolls

melted butter

coarsely chopped rosemary

coarse sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Spray a small cast-iron skillet with cooking spray. Place frozen rolls in the skillet and leave room for rising. Cover and let rise for several hours. Mine rose for about 4 1/2 hrs and could've used at least another hour.

After rising, brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with rosemary and just a little sea salt.

Bake according to package directions, usually 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are a deep golden brown.

Italian-Style Chicken & Noodles

I really wanted to make this recipe for dinner. It had been on my menu planning list for about a week and a half. I'd combed through my cupboards and decided I had all the necessary ingredients. Then, I went to make it. I didn't have a packet of Italian dressing mix. So, I improvised and came up with this really tasty, really easy chicken & pasta dish. We both really liked it and will be making it again.


Italian Style Chicken & Noodles
Serves 3
Cook & Prep Time - 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2-3 TBSP butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2-3 TBSP flour
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
1/4 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 frozen basil cube from Trader Joe's (or equivalent)
8 oz egg noodles, cooked to al dente

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Season with salt & pepper and let cook until onions soften and begin to be translucent (about 5 minutes). If the skillet is dry, add a little more butter. Add flour and whisk together to form a roux and whisk constantly for about a minute. Add chicken broth and stir to combine.

Reduce heat to medium low and add milk. Stir and let simmer until it begins to thicken. Once thickened to your liking, add Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Reduce heat to low. Add the basil cube and stir until cube is melted and combined in the sauce.

Add chicken and cook until heated through. Serve over the egg noodles.

Chicken in Creamy Pan Sauce

I think it's important for everyone to have a collection of quick recipes that call for only a few basic ingredients. As much as we may want to, not everyone has the time to slave over the stove every night. That's why I'm posting this recipe. It was a hit at our house and I hope you enjoy it, too.


Chicken in a Creamy Pan Sauce
Recipe from Kraftfoods, adapted
Serves 2
Cook & Prep Time - about 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3-4 TBSP flour, seasoned with salt & pepper

1 -2 TBSP oil

3/4 cup chicken stock

4 oz. plain cream cheese, softened & cubed
1 clove garlic, minced

A few leaves basil, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS
Place chicken in a big ziplock bag with the seasoned flour. Shake to coat.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and reserve the drippings in the skillet. Cover chicken with foil to keep warm.

Add chicken stock to skillet. Stir to scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add the garlic and cream cheese and cook 2 to 3 min. or until the cream cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken. Stir constantly with wire whisk.

Return chicken to skillet and coat both sides with the sauce. Cook about 2 min. to make sure the chicken is nice and hot. Sprinkle with basil.

Serve with a side of hot rice.

Pasta e Fagioli

I love a good, hot bowl of soup on a cold day. I bet you do, too. Recently, I had a craving for a nice, hot bowl of pasta e fagioli. If you are also a soup fan, you really should make this one. I think it's technically supposed to be a vegetarian dish, even though most of the recipes I came across called for pancetta or Italian sausage - so, vegetarians, knock yourself out. :)



Pasta e Fagioli
Recipe by Rachael Ray, adapted
Serves 6
Prep Time - 10 min
Cook Time - 20 min

INGREDIENTS
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 lb Hot Italian Sausage
2 (4 to 6-inch) sprigs rosemary, left intact
1 (4 to 6-inch) sprig thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
Coarse salt and pepper
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1 cup water
4-5 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups small pasta (I used elbows)
Grated Parmesn cheese, to top

DIRECTIONS
Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and sausage. Once the sausage is almost cooked through, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper.

Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta.**

Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks.

Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and remove pot from the heat. Let sit for a few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese.

**If you will be eating this for leftovers, I suggest cooking the noodles in a separate pot and adding them to your individual soup bowls instead of cooking them in the pot. When reheated, the noodles will get way over-cooked and mushy.

Spicy Sausage with Peppers

It's been awhile since I came across a recipe that both my husband and I really loved. Sure, there were recipes we both liked, but nothing recently had wow-ed us. Until I made spicy sausage with peppers.

I went back & forth over whether I should post this recipe. I didn't take a picture, and I like to post pictures of whatever dish I'm blogging about. Finally, my husband convinced me that I should, simply because we enjoyed it so much.

I hope you try it, even without being able to see a picture of it. You'll love it.


Spicy Sausage with Peppers

Inspired by Giada de Laurentiis and Rachael Ray
Serves 3-4
Prep Time - 10 min
Cook Time - about 30 min

INGREDIENTS
4 Hot Italian Sausages
3 TBSP olive oil
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 bell peppers, seeded & sliced (I used red, orange, and yellow)
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
crushed red peper flakes, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
6 chopped fresh basil leaves
toasted buns*

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on both sides, 8-10 minutes. Add chicken broth to the pan to deglaze and cook for about a minute. Remove sausages from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions, peppers, garlic, salt, & pepper, and cook until onions begin to soften, about 6 minutes.

Return the sausages back to the pan and add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, and red pepper. Reduce heat to low or medium low and cook for about 10 minutes.

Serve sausages with peppers and tomato sauce on toasted buns.

*If you're not a fan of making these into subs, I'm sure this would be delicious over pasta.

Guacamole

Up until about a year ago, I was convinced that I hated guacamole. There was just one problem with that opinion - I hadn't actually ever tried guacamole. Whenever it came on my plate at Mexican restaurants, I'd scrape it off or just ignore that weird looking green blob. At Chipotle, I'd simply pass on the guacamole option.

Then, one day it dawned on me that despite my belief that I hated the stuff and continual passing it up in restaurants, I hadn't ever eaten it. About six months later, I finally broke down and bought some. I was pleasantly surprised.

I hope you enjoy this guacamole recipe. I'll probably make it a little spicier then next time I make it, but overall, it's excellent and simple to make.


Guacamole
Serves 4-ish

INGREDIENTS
2 small Hass avocados, peeled & pitted
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 serrano chili pepper, finely chopped
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

DIRECTIONS
Mash up avocado with a fork.

Add lime juice and blend together.

Add all other ingredients and stir until well-combined.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Way back when I first started cooking, I relied pretty heavily on Kraft Foods. I like how most of the recipes on their site use relatively few ingredients, and they're usually ingredients I have in my fridge or cupboard anyway. I don't use that site anywhere near as frequently as I used to, but I still get the Kraft Food & Family magazine every quarter. This last magazine, the "1 Bag, 5 Dinners" section caught my eye. I previously had noticed that section, but just sort of blew on past it without giving it much attention. However, for some reason, this time it got me thinking. So, off to the website I went to see if their website had any such suggestions. Well, it did. After careful consideration, my husband and I decided on one to give a try. Our first experiment is what they call "Spaghetti with Zesty Bolognese."

Truth be told, Bolognese this absolutely is not. But, it was really good, and really easy, and came together in about 25 minutes. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who specifically asked me for a great Bolognese sauce recipe (Tyler Florence has a great one), but I would recommend it to someone just looking for some good, relatively healthy pasta.



Spaghetti with Zesty "Bolognese"
Recipe from Kraft Foods, adapted (my changes noted)
Serves 4
Total Cook Time - 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS
12 oz dry spaghetti noodles
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef (I used 1/2 lb)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper, to taste
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup Italian dressing
2 TBSP Cream cheese, softened (I used 2 oz)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
dash red pepper flakes
Flat-leaf Parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Meanwhile, saute onions & garlic in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add ground beef and brown. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Add tomatoes, Italian dressing, & Italian seasoning, & parsley. I also added a cube of frozen basil from Trader Joe's. Bring to a low boil. Add red pepper flakes.

Add cream cheese and stir in until melted and well-combined. Toss with pasta. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

In keeping with the theme of "clean out the fridge," I decided to make us Spaghetti Aglio Olio as a side to tonight's Parmesan Chicken. I love that Aglio Olio is simple, with only a few ingredients, and only about 10 minutes of cooking time, but is packed with flavor. I decided to kick it up a notch by adding red pepper flakes.



Spaghetti Aglio Olio
Serves 4 (0r 8 as a side dish)
Cook Time - 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1-4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
coarse salt
1 lb Spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Cook spaghetti to al dente. Drain & set aside.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic & pepper flakes. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant.

Toss spaghetti with the garlic oil and add the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. I like to top it with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve as a main dish or along side your favorite entree.

Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes

We're going on vacation in a few days, so it's time to clean out the fridge. I just hate to let the perishables go to waste while I'll be galavanting around with Mickey Mouse. That lead me to Pioneer Woman's Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes.

I wasn't sure how I'd react to these. I mean, I don't like plain tomatoes and I'm just starting to warm up to ricotta. However, I overcame that fear and decided to give them a try.

I'm a little torn on what I thought about these. They were decent - the cheesy filling was great. But overall, I felt like it was missing some pasta; like I was eating the sauce and cheese inside a lasagna. I'd encourage you to try them, possibly improve upon them, and let me know what you think.


Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes
Recipe from Pioneer Woman
Serves 8-ish (I cut down to serve 2-3)

INGREDIENTS
1 handful flat-leaf Parsley
1 handful fresh Basil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
8 Roma tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups Ricotta cheese
*1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I added)
bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to to 400 degrees F.

Wash tomatoes and half them. After halving them, gut the insides out with a spoon. Discard the seeds and other gooey parts. Sprinkle a bit of salt inside each tomato half and place them on a cookie sheet.

Chop up herbs & garlic and mix with the Ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Fill each tomato half with a heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture.

Sprinkle each tomato half with bread crumbs. Drizzle each with a little bit of olive oil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

PW's Sherried Tomato Soup

There isn't much more comforting on a cold day than a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, is there? Don't be afraid to admit it. Fall is here, it's getting colder outside... you know you want some tomato soup and a grilled cheese. But wait, before you open that can of Campbell's, think about a nice creamy tomato soup with basil. That sounds better, right? Sure it does. Lucky for you, I've got just the recipe for you. Pioneer Woman's Sherried Tomato Soup will hit the spot, and as an extra bonus, it doesn't use any weird ingredients, so you won't have to go to any specialty shops or wander around your grocery store aimlessly trying to find something.

Sherried Tomato Soup
Recipe by Pioneer Woman
Serves 6-ish
Cook & Prep Time - 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons melted butter (I used about 4)
1 medium onion, diced
1 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 to 3 TBSP chicken base (I omitted)
3 to 6 TBSP sugar
Pinch of salt
Black Pepper
1 cup cooking sherry
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS
Saute diced onions in butter until transluscent. Add canned tomatoes. Stir.

Add tomato juice, sugar, pinch of salt, and black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat.

Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste, adjust other seasoning, and serve with yummy, crusty bread.

Turkey Ragu with Fresh Basil

I don't have any unique or humorous stories to tell. I felt like trying to create something using marinara and the mascarpone cheese in my fridge. So, taking a cue from a technique I've seen Giada do a couple times, I came up this quick, satisfying dish.


Turkey Ragu
Serves 4
Cook Time - about 20 min

INGREDIENTS
1 lb pasta (I used rigtoni)
2 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground turkey
red wine, for de-glazing
1 jar chunky marinara sauce (or make your own)
8 oz mascarpone cheese
A few basil leaves, torn

DIRECTIONS
Cook noodes to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook about 3 minutes. Add ground turkey and brown.

Turn heat to high and add a bit of red wine to de-glaze the pan.

Turn heat to medium-low and add marinara sauce (should be about 3-4 cups). Simmer about 10 minutes.

Add mascarpone and basil and mix together until well blended. Once blended, add pasta and toss until well-coated.

**I think this sauce would be great with some small chunks of fresh veggies - maybe some zucchini, carrots, celery, and green/red peppers.**