Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Empty the Fridge Pasta Primavera

This dish was inspired by Ree Drummond's Pasta Primavera that you can find on her blog.  I love her show and follow her blog.  I would also give my right arm for her kitchen.  I made a big pot of this a couple of weeks ago and we ate every bite!

First I swirled some olive oil in a large Dutch oven and added some shallots and garlic; the shallots were chopped fine and the garlic was crushed.


Then I added carrots and red pepper diced finely.


Next I added frozen corn, frozen green beans and some frozen chopped spinach.  I also added in a cup and a half of chicken broth.


Then I added a cup of heavy cream, 3/4 C. Parmesan cheese, and 1 pkg. of smoked sausage sliced in quarter inch slices.


While all of this was cooking, I cooked a pkg. of gemelli according package directions.  When the pasta was just about done, I took a cup of the pasta cooking water and put it into the Dutch oven.  The sauce had started to thicken and the pasta water loosened it up a bit.


I drained the cooked pasta and added it my meat and veggie mixture.


Chris is not a big fan of sun dried tomatoes so I added them to just my portion when serving.


Topped it off with some shaved Asiago cheese.  It was yummy.


I didn't measure much of anything in this recipe.  I was mostly just eyeballing everything as I threw it in.  I added less spinach because honestly, I am not a big fan of cooked spinach.  All of the other veggies I really liked.  You could also add asparagus or broccoli...you won't catch me adding broccoli but when you make it; add whatever you like, whatever is in season or whatever is in your fridge!!

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Beef Flatbread Tacos

I found this in Cooking Light's April 2015 issue.  The recipe indicates that it can be made with beef or lamb...or maybe a combination of the two.  I see this being very popular at my house in the summer time.

1 6oz. container plain 2% Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. black pepper, divided
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
4 multi grain flatbreads
1 English cucumber
12oz. 90% lean ground beef
1 14.5oz. can Italian style diced tomatoes

Preheat broiler to high.

Combine yogurt, olive oil, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1/8 tsp. salt.

Cut each flatbread in half at the fold.  Broil 1 minute or until toasted, turning after 30 seconds.

Cut cucumber in half lengthwise.  Place cut side down and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

Heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add ground beef to pan, stirring to crumble.  Add tomatoes to pan; cook 6 minutes.  Stir in remaining salt and pepper.

Spread 1 tbsp. yogurt mixture on each flatbread half; divide beef mixture between flatbreads.  Top with cucumber slices and additional yogurt if desired.



Sausage Pasta

I think for the first time trying this, I will use mild Italian sausage.  This might be something we can get the kids to eat as well


3/4 pound pasta
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 1 pound spicy Italian sausage
 1 onion, chopped
 4 cloves garlic, minced
 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
 1 teaspoon dried basil
 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.

In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid.

Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Add chopped spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender.

Add pasta to skillet and mix together. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Simple Carnitas

I have the pork shoulder thawing for this as we speak...I will update the post with photos when I get cooking!

1 (3 1/2) pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2 inch chunks
2 oranges, quartered
1 large white onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves


Place the pork shoulder, oranges, onion, garlic, kosher salt, cumin, black peppercorns, and bay leaves into a large Dutch oven.



 Add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.



 Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Cover loosely, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Allow the pork to cool, covered, in the broth for 1 hour.






Shred the meat with two forks.  The photo below is the carnitas on a corn tortilla with tomato, avocado, chihuahua cheese and sour cream.




Quick Chicken Piccata

I never think of chicken piccata as something you can make after work for a weekday supper.  This recipe is going to make me think differently.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
 cayenne pepper, or to taste
 salt and ground black pepper to taste
 all-purpose flour for dredging
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 1 tablespoon capers, drained
 1/2 cup white wine
 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
 1/4 cup water
 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/4-inch slices
 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Place chicken breasts between 2 layers of plastic wrap and pound to about 1/2-inch thick.

Season both sides of chicken breasts with cayenne, salt, and black pepper; dredge lightly in flour and shake off any excess.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken in the pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side; remove to a plate.

Cook capers in reserved oil, smashing them lightly to release brine, until warmed though, about 30 seconds.

Pour white wine into skillet. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Stir lemon juice, water, and butter into the reduced wine mixture; cook and stir continuously to form a thick sauce, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir parsley through the sauce.

Return chicken breasts to the pan cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with sauce spooned over the top.

Chicken with Quinoa and Vegetables

Here is another recipe that came via email from allrecipes.com I know Chris is fairly leery of quinoa.  Hopefully one of the quinoa recipes I have will finally win him over.  It's really not as scary as he thinks!!

1 cup rinsed quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic scapes, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast
halves - cut into strips
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 zucchini, diced
1 tomato, diced
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
8 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice

1. Bring the quinoa and chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan; reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Simmer until the broth is absorbed, the quinoa is fluffy, and the white line is visible in the grain, about 12 minutes.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet; cook and stir the garlic scapes and onion until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken breast strips and cook until the chicken is still slightly pink in the middle, about 5 more minutes. Remove the chicken meat and set aside. Pour 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and cook and stir the zucchini and tomato until the zucchini is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and sprinkle with feta cheese, basil leaves, and lime juice. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and hot, about 10 more minutes. Serve over hot quinoa.

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

I get recipes via email every day; as if the gazillion cooking magazines I get each month aren't enough!  LOL  This was an email that looking interesting to me...I like orange chicken from our local Chinese restaurant...not sure it's that good for me so maybe this one will get me the taste I want with less fat and calories.


4-5 Boneless Chicken Breasts - Thawed
3/4 cup Orange Marmalade
3/4 cup of BBQ sauce
2 tbsp. Soy Sauce



Cook the Chicken in the crock pot for 3 hours - covered
Drain the Juice from the Crock Pot
Mix the BBQ sauce, Orange Marmalade, and Soy Sauce

Pour Mix over chicken, cover and cook on high for an additional 30 minutes.

Serve with cooked rice.

Coffee Ice Cream

Summer is right around the corner...this is going to be something we're going to try.

1 1/4 cup (300 milliliters) heavy or double cream, well-chilled
2/3 cup (175 grams) sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons espresso liqueur


  1. Whisk all the ingredients together just until the whisk leaves trails of soft peaks in the bowl, and you have a gorgeous, caffe-latte-colored airy mixture.
  2. Fill two 500-mililiter or one 1-pint airtight container(s), and freeze for 6 hours or overnight. Serve straight from the freezer

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Crisp Lemon Shortbread

I saw this in the April/May issue of  Taste of Home.  I bet I could add some fresh herbs to it for a flavor twist.

3/4 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 C. all purpose flour
2 tsp. coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a bowl, beat butter, confectioner's sugar and lemon peel until blended.  Beat in lemon juice.  Gradually beat in flour.

Divide into 4 portions.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 5x3 1/2 inch rectangle.  Transfer to ungreased baking sheets.  Cut each rectangle into 6 squares, but do not separate.  Prick tops with a fork.  Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until light brown.  Cool on pans 10 minutes.  Transfer shortbread to a cutting board; recut into squares.  Cool on a wire rack.

Note:  This would also be good with lime juice and peel or a mixture of lemon and lime.

Chicken Scarpariello

 Every so often Chris gives me a cooking "challenge".  I was laid off from my job a few weeks ago so I have some spare time and ha...