Penne with Spinach and Pancetta

Our dinner tonight was amazing!!  I'd definitely make it again but add a bit of spice...maybe the chipotles from the other pasta dish or just some crushed red pepper.  It'll be an experiment!  The original recipe calls for peas (not my fave)  and tortellini (not B's fave) so we changed it a bit.  My changes are in the recipe below but here's the original recipe.

Ingredients

• 3/4 box of  penne
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup Fat Free Half and Half
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook as the label directs.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add half the margarine and half the garlic.  Saute the spinach until wilted.  Let it drain on a paper towel when done.  

Using the same skillet, add the other half margarine and prosciutto and cook until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Ladle in about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and simmer until reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Drain the penne and add it along with the spinach to the skillet, tossing to coat with the sauce. Stir in the parsley. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.

Run of the Mill Meatloaf

We made meatloaf last night.  It was super easy and very tasty.  The only variance to the recipe that I found here was that we sauteed the onions before putting them in the meat.  I don't like onions in the meatloaf but I love the taste of them so this was a great way to get them in there!

Here's a pic right after we took it out of the oven:

Here's my dinner:

Serves: 8

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, chopped (you may saute in some butter before mixing)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1/3 cup ketchup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread OR cracker crumbs (we used Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs). Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5×9 inch loaf pan, OR form into a loaf and place in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf. (I advice to triple the topping as suggested by others).
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour.

Grilled Shrimp, Sausage, Mushroom, Pepper Kabobs

This meal was completely made up by me (yay)!    The kabobs were so flavorful and light.  They will definitely become a rotation as we come into summer!!
I did shrimp; mushroom; red pepper and chicken sausage (going for less calories) over brown rice.  (I added sauteed broccoli because I wasn't sure how it would turn out grilled)   It was amazing and everyone came back for seconds!
This is a recipe that can be changed easily to add ingredients for anyone's tastes!  I pre-cooked the sausage last night (about 3/4 cooked) and marinated the other items -
shrimp in olive oil; lemon pepper and a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic;
mushrooms and pepper in lite Italian dressing
I refrigerated everything overnight and pulled them out about 20 minutes before grilling to get to room temperature.

Here's a pic of the kabobs before the grill:

They look so good on the grill!

MMMM - here they are done:

My plate with the shrimp; mushrooms; peppers; sausage and broccoli:

Ingredients:

3/4 lb raw shrimp; peeled and deveined

1 pkg of raw mushrooms - cleaned and de-stemmed

1 red pepper, cut into lengths and small pieces

1 pkg chicken sausage (mine was flavored with pesto...but there are spicier versions)

Italian dressing

Lemon pepper

Olive oil

Garlic

Directions:

Night before 

Sautee sausage about 3/4 through cooking; set aside on paper towels to drain and cool.  

Peel and devein shrimp; cut pepper and clean/ de-stem mushrooms (keep only the tops of mushrooms)

In separate plastic bags, put Italian dressing for any component you want to marinade in it (I did mushrooms and peppers); put lemon pepper seasoning; garlic and olive oil for others ( I did the shrimp in that) and the cooked items (i.e.: sausage - goes in a separate bag)

Refrigerate / Marinate overnite

Night Of:

Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes in cold water

Preheat oven to about 350 degrees

Load your skewers with your items (I separated half cooked items from raw)

Veggies cook a little longer - so put them on first for about 10 minutes total (rotating throughout)

Shrimp and pre-cooked items take 3-5 minutes (rotating throughout)

I served over brown rice.  It made an amazing meal!

Feta Chicken Salad

When the oven was on the fritz, I was using the grill quite a bit!  I made a 7lb beer can chicken last Friday and decided to make a chicken salad on Sunday to use up some of the meat.  B doesn't like "crunch" in her chicken salad so next time I may add some diced up celery and/or walnuts into mine.  Otherwise, this was a very tasty version of chicken salad!  I used Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil and Non-Fat Greek yogurt to slim down the calorie count but you won't be able to tell with the taste! The feta and Greek yogurt really add a nice flavor! 

(Sorry for a so-so picture.  I didn't take one the night we served it on a roll.)

Ingredients:

Cut up cooked chicken (approx 3 cups) 6 tbsp mayo  1 (6oz) container non fat greek yogurt 4 oz feta cheese (I used one with herbs in it) Spices to your liking - I used onion powder; garlic powder; old bay & celery salt.  I didn't really measure any of it - just a few shakes on top then stirred then a few more shakes

Directions: Combine above ingredients and refrigerate Serve cold on club rolls

Marinated Flank Steak

B really likes this recipe so I made it last night for her.  The trick to this is marinating the steak for at least the better part of the day.  I sometimes even let it sit overnight.  I ended up cooking this in the oven (because it's fixed - yay!) last night but have done it on the grill too.  Grilling time is pretty easy as listed below but the oven is a little more tricky.  I broil each side for a couple of minutes then put the oven temp on about 375 and let it cook for another 5-8 minutes.  I found the recipe here.

The marinated steak ready for the oven

When it comes out of the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes

 Slice it really thin

 Here's our dinner

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

INGREDIENTS

Marinade Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Other ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions

• 1 Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch deep knife cuts, about an inch apart, across the grain of the meat. Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl. Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
  2 Using olive oil soaked onto a paper towel, coat the grill rack of your grill with olive oil. Preheat the grill with high, direct heat. The grill is hot enough when you hold your hand about an inch over it and you can only hold it there for about a second.
  3 Take the steak out of the marinade bag and sprinkle generously on all sides with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. The salt and pepper will help form a savory crust on the steak. Place steak on the hot grill. If you are using a gas grill, cover the grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. Half way through grilling on each side, turn the steak 90° so that you get more grill marks.
  How do you know if the steak is done? The best way to tell is to poke it with your finger tips. While the steak is still raw, test it with your fingers; it will be quite squishy. That's what a very rare steak feels like. As the steak cooks the muscles contract and firm up. Touch the tip of your nose and that's what a very well done steak feels like. 
  4 Flank steak is best eaten medium rare; well done will make it too tough. When the steak has cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil to hold in the heat and to keep the steak from drying out, and let rest for 10 minutes.
  5 Make very thin slices, against the grain, and at a slight diagonal so that the slices are wide.

Grilled Rosemary Potatoes

My oven wasn't working for a few days so I had to get creative with cooking!  I made a 7lb beer can chicken on Friday and decided to make chicken salad last night (that recipe will be posted soon).  I served it with potatoes that I par boiled then finished on the grill.  I recently purchased my early Mother's Day gifts (a mandolin and veggie grill pan).  I put both to use last night.  Loved the results!  The picture isn't great because of our downpours...but, the potatoes tasted delicious!

Ingredients:

Yukon Gold potatoes - sliced

Dried Rosemary

Kosher Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Directions:

Pre-heat grill to 350

Par boil potatoes in water on the stove top for about 8-10 minutes (depending on thickness of potatoes)

Drain potatoes and drizzle with olive oil; rosemary; salt & pepper.  Toss to coat

Place in grill pan and onto grill

Grill for about 10 minutes

Serve warm

Grilled Corn

When we were in SC we had grilled corn (and all longed for our awesome MD Eastern Shore corn).  While we wait for our local corn to be ready, I bought corn when we got home and grilled it again.  The trick to this is soaking it for a while beforehand in cold water.  I know that with fresh corn in the summer, I don't need to soak as long, but for this corn, I soaked it for probably 45 minutes.  (In the summer, I do at least 30 though.)  It was pretty tender and good!

Here's the corn on the grill

Here's the corn when I pulled it off the grill:

Here's the corn - ready to eat:

Ingredients:

Corn (in the husk)

Salt

Pepper

Butter

Directions:

Soak corn (in the husk) in cold water (I put mine in the sink) for a minimum of 30 minutes

Preheat the grill for medium heat (350)

Place corn (in the husk) on the grill 

Let it cook for 15-18 minutes - rotating a couple of times

When you take the corn off the grill, it will need to cool a little before you remove the husk

Remove husks and use butter; salt and pepper to your liking

Grilled Pork Roast

Well, it had to happen at some point...I had to learn how to grill the simple stuff.  Two nights ago I did boneless skinless chicken breasts (and they turned out delish) and last night was a pork roast.  I didn't plan on grilling last night but my oven had other thoughts!  I turned the oven on to pre-heat and 20 minutes later (after I left it and came back) it was still in the 100's.  YIKES.  So, out to the grill I went!  This turned out so moist and yummy, it's now my new favorite way to cook it!  I basically did the same method as my oven way with the exception of some indirect heat for the last 2/3 of the cooking time.  I use a 20 minute / pound estimate for cook time and divide it into 3rds.  The first 3rd is at a high temp; the last two 3rds are at a lower / indirect heat.

Here's a pic of the pork when I first pulled it off the grill to rest:

Here's a pic of the pork after about 5 minutes of rest time (very juicy!):

Here's the meal:

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

McCormick's Cowboy Rub

Pork Loin Roast (boneless)

Directions:

Bring roast out and get to room temperature

Preheat grill for 400 degrees (all burners lit)

Drizzle a little olive oil over the roast & sprinkle both sides with McCormick's Cowboy rub.  

Grill at 400 degrees for first 1/3 of cooking time (turning 1 time during this) Turn off middle burner and keep pork in middle for indirect heat.  Grill should end up at about 350 degrees.  Continue cooking for last 2/3 of  cook time  Check roast temp - and pull out when it's about 150 degrees internal temp Take off grill and put on cutting board.  Let it rest for 5-10 minutes then serve  

Linguine in Spicy Chipotle Cream Sauce With Seared Sea Scallops

I'd like to take credit for this one entirely but M actually made it last night.  We had this at a restaurant and he wanted to replicate it.  I found the recipe here and we followed it to a tee.  I'll tell ya - the chipotle packs a kick but after the first couple of bites, it tasted amazing!!  If you like dry scallops and a bit of spice, you'll love this meal!  Even my mother in law (who doesn't love too much spice) really enjoyed it!

1 (7-ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 
1/2 pound dried linguine 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
12 dry-packed sea scallops (about 3/4 pound) 
Salt and freshly ground white pepper 
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1/2 cup dry white wine 
1 cup heavy cream 
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
Dried red pepper flakes, to taste 

Directions

Empty the can of chipotle peppers into a blender or food processor and puree. Set aside 1 to 2 tablespoons of the puree for the sauce; save the remaining puree for another use. 
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente; drain. 
While the pasta cooks, prepare the scallops. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sear on one side for about 1 minute and turn. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chipotle, depending on your tolerance of chile heat, and the chopped garlic, and toss. Add white wine to deglaze the pan. (If necessary, you can quickly detach and discard the hinge muscles from the scallops.) When liquid has been reduced by half, add cream. Cook on high until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove scallops from pan and set aside. Add the cooked linguine to the pan and toss with the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl and arrange the scallops on top. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and dried red pepper flakes. 

Suzy's Pizza Dough

I'm sure this pizza dough has a different name but I'm naming it after my friend who gave me the recipe.  I tried a couple others but none that called for a little sugar in the yeast mixture.  This really seems to do the trick & make the perfect pizza dough!  

We made these while we were in Aiken visiting my parents.  I absolutely read the recipe wrong and considered this a "massive fail" but somehow we managed to make it work.  If the directions are followed, it turns out amazing!  :-)  The only other "ah-ha" that we had was that a square cookie tray (with sides) works WAY better than the "pizza pan" that my Mom just bought!  

We made ours with pepperoni; mushrooms and olives (separate pizzas to make everyone happy).

Suzy's Pizza Dough

1 1/4 c. Warm water (105 to 115)
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
About 4 cups all-purpose flour (have an extra cup ready just in case you need it)

1.  In large bowl combine 1/4 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in remaining warm water, oil, salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups flour, more if needed, until dough doesn't stick.

3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, knead until smooth, about 10 minutes, working in a little more flour, when sticky. Place dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (80 to 85) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Punch dough down, roll/shape to fit lightly greased pizza pan.  (I usually cover it, and let it rise again, this makes a very light and crispy crust.)
I pre-bake the crust in pan before making pizza.  Prepare pizza, bake in 425 oven. After pizza is almost ready, I take it out of pan, bake directly on rack to make crust crispy.

Au Gratin Potatoes with Gruyere

One of the sides we made for Easter dinner were these Au Gratin potatoes with Gruyere.  Our friend made them for another get together and I knew these would be delish with the other items we had for the dinner.  I found the recipe on Food Network and mixed it with the one our friend made.  They were pretty easy to throw together (a mandolin will be on my "Mother's Day wish list") and tasted yummy!!

Au Gratin Potatoes with Gruyere

Ingredients

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1/2 cup grated Gruyere

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I omitted this because I was trying to replicate a friend's recipe that calls for just gruyere)

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

I added a dash of cayene pepper too

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of the softened butter.

Arrange a layer of potatoes in the baking dish, and sprinkle some of the cheeses over them. Continue layering potatoes and cheeses until you've used them all, ending with a layer of potatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk the cream with the salt and pepper; cayenne pepper & pour this over the potatoes. Dot the remaining butter over the top and sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender and golden brown on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

We did a pot luck type of meal for Easter dinner with the neighbors.  I decided to make the lamb chops I bought at the Italian Market in Philly.  I've made this recipe a couple other times and it always turns out amazing!  It's super easy but looks and tastes like it took hours to make.  I found the recipe on Allrecipes.

Here's a picture of the 8 lamb chops (resting and coming to room temp before cooking)

The dry rub is so easy and can be done minutes before cooking

Here's a picture of the final product

INGREDIENTS

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1.                   In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.

2.                   Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.  (I also tented them loosely with aluminum foil)

3.                   Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Shells

Yesterday was a foodie type of day!  I went to the Italian Market in Philadelphia with neighbors.  We went to Espisito's to pick up various meats (lamb chops; Italian sausage; bacon; pancetta; etc...) and took in the sights.  Since it was Good Friday, I planned to make the stuffed shells with mushrooms and spinach for dinner and the neighbors came over to enjoy them too.  I put a few pieces of the Italian sausage in them too for the kids.  They were really tasty!  I think they needed a little more spice next time so I'll experiment with that.  I found the recipe here.

Here's the spinach; mushroom; cheese mixture

Shells stuffed with the mix

 Ready for the oven

 Final product

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
• 1 15 oz ricotta cheese – I used low fat
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (divided)
• 1/2 cup of fresh spinach, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (divided)
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups of roasted tomato, garlic and onion marinara
• 12 jumbo pasta shells, cooked per instructions

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the mushrooms and onions and sauté until golden brown (about 5-6 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the egg, the spinach, 1/2 the parsley, fresh basil, the nutmeg, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly then add the mushrooms and onion sauté and combine. Taste mixture and re-season if needed.

Pour 1/2 cup of marinara in the bottom of a baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Place the 12 cooked shells in the pan. Stuff each shell with the ricotta and mushroom mixture.

    

Chick Fil A Nuggets

I have always been a fan of Chick Fil A chicken nuggets and I finally found a recipe that tastes amazingly like theirs!  Who knew the secret ingredient was powdered sugar??  It was a hit in this house!  B likes hers with Ranch but I think they'd be amazing with Honey Mustard!  I found the recipe here.

Ingredients: 
1 lg egg
1 cup milk
1 lb. skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1-1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder (I think it could use a tad more...didn't seem to have much of a kick)
canola oil for frying (I used Smart Balance Omega Oil)

Preparation:
In a large bowl whisk milk and egg together
Place chicken on counter and cut into cubed bite size pieces; trim any fat that you may see
Put the chicken in the milk mixture and mix so that all is coated and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
In another large bowl combine the dry ingredients listed above and stir
In cast iron pot or sauce pan pour in oil so that its at least an inch deep on med/high heat
Remove the chicken from refrigerator and place about 8 pieces in milk mixture and then into the flour mixture
Make sure all the chicken is coated with the flour and then place into the hot oil
Cook each side for at least 2-3 minutes or until golden brown (You want to make sure that chicken is no longer pink so you can cut one piece to test it out)
Place the chicken on some paper towels to soak up any oil
Repeat the same steps with the rest of the chicken and serve

Chicken; Broccoli; Pasta in a Light Cream Sauce

I love pasta...and cream sauces but I'm trying to eat a little healthier.  I found a recipe for shrimp in a light cream sauce but wanted to use up chicken that I defrosted.  I swapped the shrimp for chicken.  The recipe is based on this one but I also subbed shallot for green onion (because I'm not a fan of green onions!).  This turned out really good and I'm definitely going to make it again!

Ingredients:
6 oz. uncooked egg noodles (I used rigatoni)
1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp (I subbed this for chicken)
2 tblsp. butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (about 2-3)  (I subbed 1/2 of a shallot)
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
1/2 cup shaved or grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions.
Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add the shrimp and green onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until shrimp is done.
Add half-and-half and Parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.
Add noodles, salt and pepper. Stir together to coat the noodles well.