Another Weeknight Keeper!

Almost every week I am trying out new recipes.  Sometimes 3 or 4 new ones make the menu and sometimes we stick with the o'll standbys.  I love it when I try a new recipe and it becomes an o'll standby.  Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels sprouts is one of those for sure.  If you are not in love with Brussels sprouts or cauliflower, this may just be your gateway dish.  Phoebe has been trying a Brussels sprout or two here and there and every time she likes them a little bit more.  She had a whole pile of them when I made this (and I even said it was okay to pick around them if she didn't want to eat them). 

Like I always say, get all your prep done first then cook, things will run much smoother and you will finish much quicker.  Start by peeling off the outer leaves and halving or quartering (if large) your Brussels sprouts and wash them off (these were from our garden-go us!).

Now cut and clean your cauliflower and set aside.

Next chop an onion, some fresh rosemary and thyme and slice some garlic.  You will also need to mince a few anchovies.  No, the anchovies are not pictured because lets face it, they're not very photogenic.  Speaking of anchovies, don't let them scare you off (if my sister is reading this she has completely checked out at the mention of anchovies.  Doesn't matter though because I'll feed them to her when she doesn't see it coming).  I waited to tell Phoebe about the anchovies until she had already made several declarations of approval for this meal.  Its important to know that sometimes things we don't like by themselves can really add to the flavor of a dish.

I will mention again how great fresh herbs are to have on hand.  They really can have a big impact and some, like this rosemary will last quite a while in the fridge.  While prepping all this good stuff get that salted water boiling for your pasta.

In a large deep skillet heat some olive oil.  Then add your veggies along with some salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned and crisp tender.  Get your pasta in the water when boiling and cook until the package indicates for al dente.

See how nice and brown the sprouts are getting? Oh man, those are good.

Next you add another 1/4 cup of oil (Nelsy was mildly horrified by the amount of oil but it is olive oil and we all know how healthy those Mediterranean's are do we not?  And its not like we're making one serving here so I think we're okay.  Along with the olive oil goes the anchovies, onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme.  Cook stirring until onions have softened and then lower the heat and keep warm.  When I make this next time I will add a little lemon zest at this stage.  Hayden and I both agreed that a little lemon would be a nice touch.

Writing this and looking at these pictures is making me very hungry! Once the pasta is done, reserve a 1/2 cup of cooking water before draining the pasta.  Add the pasta and reserved cooking liquid to the veggies and toss until most of the liquid is absorbed.

You will see in the actual recipe that it calls for toasted breadcrumbs.  We did toast some, and burnt them and didn't eat them.  I thought it was great without them and won't bother with them next time either.  Like I said, I will add a little lemon zest.

And there you have it, one super tasty quick meal for any night of the week.  Check it out at Food & Wine and let me know what you think!

Not Your Usual Breakfast for Dinner

It's been forever since I shared a recipe!  I've been having too much fun I guess.  Time spent poolside (when it was actually hot outside), time teaching kids to cook, time having lots of fun in the Adirondack's (my fave) and now, of all things, I'm hooked on Breaking Bad.  OK, aside from one rainy Friday afternoon I'm not just sitting around watching T.V. all day, I swear.  So here we go, a whole new take on breakfast for dinner!  I found this in Better Homes and Gardens back in March and just got around to trying it last night.  They call it "Bacon & Egg Spaghetti".  No joke, we over cooked our bacon and it was still really good!  It's simple, cheap, easy, and comes in around 470 calories a serving for those keeping track.

This recipe involves a few staples that you might already have on hand...eggs,  Parmesan cheese and garlic.

Naturally, we had some chard kicking around too so we steamed some up as a side dish..gotta have your greens right?

Pre-heat your oven and chop up a piece of bread, preferably whole grain (mine was whole grain flax something or other).  You put the bread some parm and some olive oil in a food processor

and turn them into crumbs.  Spread them on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 oven for about 10 min.

Bake until nice and toasty (this is the toast part of the breakfast).

Meanwhile, cook up some bacon and some whole wheat pasta according to the directions.  This bacon was from our CSA, Side Hill Farmers and it was really good...

even if we did over cook it a tad.  We get distracted too you know!

Once it drains and cools, tear it into pieces. 

Next you'll cook up some garlic, salt and crushed red pepper.  Add the pasta, some reserved pasta water and parm to the pot and toss to coat.

Next, fry an egg for each person.  Sunny side up is the way to go I think.  We did ours over easy (habit) but they could've been runnier.

Dish up your spag, top with bread crumbs, bacon and fresh chopped chives....

When the egg mixes with everything...Mmmm.  Really good.  Does this sound a little odd to you?  Think deconstructed carbonara.  This is easier and chances are you have what you need already on hand.  We're just wondering what took us so long!

Here's the link to Bacon & Egg Spaghetti from Better Homes and Gardens, because I'm still enjoying my summer and not about to retype it at the moment ;)

Enjoy your new found breakfast for dinner!

Sans Meat Saturday?

Are you a vegetarian?  If not, do you make it a point to have meatless meals throughout the week?  I notice different groups on social media and elsewhere promote the idea of meatless Mondays to encourage people to reduce their consumption of meat and saturated fats.  Personally, I don't like being tied down to a certain day to eat a certain food (my kids thought it was cool that the neighbors have Taco Tuesdays but I say, what if I feel like spaghetti on Tuesday eh?).  We typically have at least one meatless dinner per week but it's not something we consciously plan out.  It just sort of happens that way.  Yesterday however, was a true meatless Monday (because I forgot to thaw the chicken).  I looked at a couple of different recipes and created my own Springy Pasta with Herbs.

I started with some frozen corn, a few zucchinis a couple of tomatoes, an onion and some garlic (always).

I heated a little olive oil and cooked the onion for a few minutes, then added the corn.

Once the corn was heated through I added the zucchini and cooked a few minutes more.

While the veggies were cooking and pasta was boiling I chopped up a variety of herbs.  Here I have a combo of thyme, parsley, oregano and basil for a total of about 3 tablespoons chopped.

Next I added the herbs, garlic and a couple of chopped tomatoes and a splash of the pasta water to the pan and cooked until the tomatoes broke down a little and zucchini was soft.

While that was working I whisked together a cup of part-skim ricotta, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup pasta water.

I added the pasta right into my new fabulous pan that holds a ton!

Pour the cheese right on top and mix well.  I also stirred in a 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

In the end we had a nice creamy, veggie pasta dinner that everybody loved!  I love it when the experiments pay off.

Springy Pasta with Herbs

12 oz farfalle pasta cooked according to package (al dente)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
3 med zucchini, chopped
1 3/4 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 med tomatoes, chopped
3 Tbs chopped fresh herbs (any combination of thyme, basil, oregano, parsley)
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
kosher salt
pepper

Cook pasta according to directions to al dente in salted water.  Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep skillet.  Cook onions until soft about 5 min.  Add corn kernels and cook about 3 min until corn is heated through.  Add chopped zucchini and cook stirring occasionally 3 min.  When zucchini has softened, add tomatoes, garlic and herbs, cook until tomatoes start to break down slightly.  Add a splash of cooking water if needed.

Meanwhile, whisk ricotta, milk and 1/4 cup pasta water in a small bowl.  Add pasta and then cheese mixture to the skillet stirring to coat veggies and pasta.  Stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately with a sprinkle of parm if desired.

Hayden loved this so much that he took some to school today and ate it cold for lunch.  Sounds better than a PBJ to me. 

Single Pot, I Kid You Not

With such a busy evening schedule lately, I'm always looking for quick meals with few steps and not a lot of dishes to wash.  Sometimes I think something will be quick and we end up scrambling around to finish the meal with enough time to eat it before we have to dart out the door in a variety of directions.  I was super excited when I came across this traditional Italian one pot pasta in a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living.  It never occurred to me that you could cook the sauce and the pasta in the same pot AT THE SAME TIME!  What, are you kidding me?  It's genius.  I roughly made it they way they advised in the magazine but with a couple of my own additions of course.  I can't wait to try it again with other variations on the sauce.

Nelsy and the kids got me this pot for Mother's day.  I've had my eye out for a nice large, deep skillet for a while.  I'd been struggling with the whole non-stick situation.  I have a large (not so deep) skillet that is full stick and can be rather annoying at times.  With all the info out there about the creepy materials used to make the pan non stick I wasn't sure what to do.  They found this ceramic pot which nothing sticks to, even wipes out with a paper towel if needed between stages. 

This is a simple pasta but you can get creative with it (and I intend to very soon!).  I chopped three tomatoes,  about a cup (loosely packed) of fresh basil, about a quarter of a red onion (that's the only onion I had), and four or five cloves of garlic.

Put about 12 or so ounces of linguine in the pot with the herbs and veg.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt and 4 1/2 cups of water to the pot.

Bring to a boil and toss occasionally with tongs to keep pasta from sticking together.  Cook according to directions on the pasta box, until al dente.

Most of the water will be absorbed by the end of the cooking time.  Remove from heat.  I added some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a little lemon zest to the pot stirring until slightly creamy but off the heat.  Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve Immediately.

Serve it up as a main dish or as a side with chicken, fish or what ever else you have on hand.  When you're ready to clean up, there's only one pot to wash! I love that.

Are You Nuts?

I look at a ton of food every week.  I look in magazines, cookbooks and  websites.  I might be a little obsessed but I do love to eat and therefore am very entertained by picking out recipes.  I may go through the same magazine 10 times before I decide something looks good to me or worth giving a try.  Such is the case with the Angel Hair Pasta with Walnut-Carrot Sauce.  Maybe you agree that at a glance, the name isn't overly appealing.  Personally I've never been a big fan of the walnut.  But being aware of just how healthy Walnuts are, I decided to give them more of a chance lately.

This pasta dish was surprisingly delicious and honestly, I've been having a bit of a craving for it (I make it a couple of weeks ago).  This recipe is pretty simple and only takes 30 min to make, perfect for a busy weeknight.

Gather your tools and let's get to it.  I actually roasted up some shrimp to go with this and I'll show you that after the sauce.  First you cook some whole-grain angel hair pasta saving 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water when its done.

The recipe calls for 10 ounces of pasta but I probably used closer to 12 for the 4 of us.  12 ounces is plenty for 4 and there are almost always leftovers, enough for a little lunch the next day. 

While the pasta water is heating up, put a couple of carrots, walnuts, some garlic, oregano, lemon zest and some salt and pepper in the food processor.  Almost forgot, a pinch of red pepper flakes as well. 

Process until finely chopped.

Next you heat some olive oil in a large skillet and add the carrots.  At this point the recipe says to add golden raisins, I say no thank you.  You do what you like.  So is it just me or does this picture make my stove look like it isn't flat?  I keep thinking my skillet is going to slide onto the floor.  What's up with that?

While those carrots are cooking through,  juice a lemon.  Once the carrot mixture has cooked about 5 minutes, add the cooking water from the pasta, and bring to a simmer.  Then you add the pasta, lemon juice, some fresh parsley and pecorino cheese.  Salt to taste and serve.

I know it doesn't sound like much but man, this was tasty.  I find that I don't like the whole-grain pasta with everything but it really works well with this sauce.

Angel Hair Pasta with Walnut-Carrot Sauce (Food Network Magazine)

Kosher salt
12 oz whole-grain angel hair pasta
2 med carrots, rough chopped
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp grated lemon zest
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup golden raisins (I opted out)
1/2 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook as label directs.  Reserve 1 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain.

Put the carrots, nuts, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp salt and red pepper flakes in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the carrot-walnut mixture and the raisins and cook, stirring until carrots soften and begin to brown, about 5 min.  Add reserved cooking water and bring to a simmer.  Next add the pasta, pecorino, lemon juice, parsley and salt to taste.  Toss and serve.

So about the shrimp,  I find this so easy and delicious anytime you need to add a little somethin' somethin' to a meal.

I put a tablespoon or so (just eyeball it) of olive oil, a squeeze of a lemon, a minced clove of garlic a dash of salt and a couple of turns of the pepper mill in a little bowl.  I also chop about a teaspoon or two of whatever fresh herb I have, usually oregano but parsley or thyme would be great too.

Pre-heat the oven to about 375 and toss the shrimp with the bowl of oily goodness and roast, turning once until they are opaque and pink.  If it has stopped snowing where you are you could also put the shrimp on a skewer and grill them instead.  Grilled shrimp is my fave.

There you have it.  A few simple ingredients, no specific measurements required.  Enjoy!

You Say You Want a Resolution

Here we are, at the end of another year.  I've been enjoying the past month or so getting ready for holiday festivities, making a few gifts for people, watching the snow build up,

and hanging out with my crazy family.  Get a load of these guys!  Tonight we'll ring in the New Year with Nels and the kids and my dear friend Jill and her friend that came into town for the weekend. We'll have a nice dinner of steaks on the grill (once we shovel a path to it!) and a fabulous shrimp and pasta dish that I must share. 

But first lets discuss this whole resolution thing.  I wonder how many people actually follow through with their resolutions.  I personally don't think I know anyone who has.  Unless you count the fact that about 20 years ago a friend and I resolved to never make another resolution and that one I have continued to keep.  It seems like a good idea and all, but they never seem all that realistic.  I read a stat that said by January 7 a third of people will have broken their resolution, by Valentine's Day half will have lapsed and by 4th of July,  60% will have been forgotten (Norcross, Ratzin & Payne 1989).  So, why do we bother?  Obviously we have things about ourselves that we want to change, so how about doing so in a way that won't set us up to fail.  Let's not vow to exercise everyday when we haven't done it at all in three years.  Let's not start a crazy restrictive diet that we can't survive on for more than a week.  Let's not run out and join a gym and only go once or twice ever.  Instead let's plan to always take the stairs, to go for a walk a few times a week, to cook real food at home and involve our families in gradual change towards a healthy lifestyle.  I think we can all handle that. 

OK, now let's get to that shrimp recipe I think you need to have in your arsenal.  I was supposed to make this on Christmas day but we had too much food already.  Grilled Shrimp with Oregano and Lemon is from the Food & Wine website (which I LOVE).  I made this the other day but roasted the shrimp instead (again, there's alot of snow on the grill). 

Toss the shrimp with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  Either grill on metal skewers or pop it in a 375 oven for 4 min on each side or until cooked through.

Toss with the easy to make sauce or as we will try tonight, cook a pound of linguine or spaghetti and place shrimp over the pasta and drizzle the sauce over it and gently toss.  My mouth is totally watering right now.

Grilled Shrimp with Oregano and Lemon

1/2 cup (1 jar) salted capers, drained, rinsed and soaked for 1 hour, then drained
1/2 cup fresh oregano leaves
1 (or 2!) garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 TBS fresh squeezed lemon zest
Fresh ground pepper
2 1/2 lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined
salt

Finely chop the drained capers with the oregano leaves and garlic.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup plus 2 TBS olive oil along with lemon zest and juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  (This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, let come to room temp before serving).

Toss the shrimp in remaining 2 TBS olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Thread on to skewers and grill over high heat turning once (about 3 min per side or until cooked through). Or, place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast on 375 about 4 min per side until cooked through. Remove shrimp to a platter, spoon sauce over the top and serve.

When I made this the other day I only used about half of the sauce (my shrimp were on the small side).  I used the remaining sauce as a dressing on mixed baby greens for my dinner guests the next night, delicious!