Summer Veggie Pasta Salad

I was looking for something light to serve with a weekend of food events (M smoked a brisket; salmon and pork shoulder for a house full of guests!).  The appealing part of this recipe was the make-it-yourself dressing.  It is really easy and delicious!!  I found the recipe here and made some adjustments based on personal tastes in terms of the veggies & adding cheese but the dressing was followed exactly.  I doubled the dressing and only put a little on when I made it.  I added a little more each time we served it which worked well to not have it be too much at one time.

Ingredients
12 oz bow tie pasta
1 package cherry tomatoes
2 medium zucchini
1 medium broccoli crown
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 medium ball mozzerella cheese

Dressing
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c olive oil
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt / Pepper

Directions
Cook pasta according to package instructions.  When it's done, drain. 
Cut up and prepare veggies.  I ended up grilling my zucchini (marinated in a little EVOO and salt/ pepper).  All other veggies I just washed & cut up.
Cut mozzerella into bite size pieces
While the pasta is cooling, prepare the vinaigrette
Combine the pasta; veggies & cheese in a large bowl.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette.  Refrigerate until you're ready to serve. 

Lasagna Cupcakes

I found this recipe for lasagna cupcakes and really wanted to try it!  They turned out so delicious.  The recipe said to use a biscuit cutter to form circles (to put in the muffin tin) but I found that they turned out better to use whole wonton paper.  Everyone that tried them really enjoyed them.  They would be great as an appetizer or main dish!

Before they went in the oven:

After they baked:

Ingredients
Wonton wrappers
Mozzeralla cheese
Parmesan cheese
Ricotta cheese
Marinara sauce
Ground Beef
(I also used mild italian sausage)

Directions
Brown the beef (and sausage if you choose to use it)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
I sprayed the inside of the muffin pan with Pam
Lay 1 wonton wrapper in each muffin tin
Layer beef; then another wonton wrapper; then cheeses and sauce (I think 2 wrappers per tin worked well)
Bake for 18-20 minutes and let cool for a few minutes
Serve warm

Knock Off Graul's Chicken Salad

For those of you in MD, you know that Graul's chicken salad is pretty darn good!  I found a recipe online that says it's the way that Graul's makes it.  I'm not convinced but it's not a bad version of chicken salad.  I used the left over beer can chicken that we did earlier this week, so maybe that has something to do with it not being exact (the recipe calls for boiling chicken breasts in chicken broth then shredding it).  In any event, I followed the gist of the recipe below (I scaled down my quantities due to the amount of chicken I was working with) and I think it's pretty good.

3 lbs. chicken meat
1 cup finely chopped celery
3 cups mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Shred / cut chicken Combine shredded chicken and celery into a large bowl. Stir together mayonnaise, ground red pepper, salt, and white pepper until well blended; spoon over shredded chicken mixture, stirring to coat. Cover and chill at least 4 hours (Original recipe says to place skinned & boned chicken breasts in a large skillet, add chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet, and let stand 15 minutes or until cool to touch.)

Angel Hair Pasta with Sauteed Veggies & Cream Sauce

I did a "throw together" dinner last night that turned out pretty yummy!  We had our neighbors over and even they liked it!!  The measurements below are estimates because I didn't measure anything...but, hopefully if you try it, it'll turn out just as good!  Next time, I'll try to thin the sauce out just a tad.  One of our neighbors wanted red pasta sauce on theirs (instead of the cream) and I added some of that to my cream sauce but it still needs something else to make it a little thinner.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Cayenne pepper (a few dashes)
1 small head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 package of sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 medium zuchinni, cut into bit size pieces
1 package chicken sausage
Angel hair pasta
1 Tbsp butter
8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
1/4 cup skim milk

Directions
- Cook sausage according to package (I simmered mine for about 10 minutes then drained the water and browned, turning frequently).  When they are done, cut into bite size pieces & put them on a plate.  Keep warm
- Using the same pan, add a little olive oil and saute the veggies, turning frequently to avoid burning them (add extra olive oil as needed)
- Cook pasta according to package instructions
- In a small sauce pan, add butter, cream cheese and milk.  Stir frequently to "melt" the cream cheese.  Add the dashes of cayenne and taste to ensure it's not too spicy.  (Here's where I added the red pasta sauce to mine)
- When pasta is done, mix all ingredients together and serve with sauce drizzled over top. 

Foil Packet Potatoes

I was grilling anyway tonight with beer can chicken and decided to make these foil packet potatoes to go along with them.  They were super easy and turned out really great!!  I did mine with salt, pepper and rosemary but you can season them any way you  like!  The trick is to double wrap the potatoes in foil so the olive oil doesn't drip.  I found the recipe here.

Here's a picture of the finished potatoes (along with the beer can chicken and balsamic roasted beets & carrots):

For fun, here's the beer can chicken.  (I'm hoping to replicate Graul's chicken salad with the left overs!)

Ingredients:

4 white potatoes (you can use any type potato and it turns out great!)

2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt, pepper, rosemary (to taste)

Cooking spray

Directions

Heat grill to 350 degrees, medium heat

Combine cut up potatoes, olive oil and seasonings in a bowl.  Toss to coat

For 4 medium potatoes, I started with 2 sheets of foil.  Coat foil with cooking spray and evenly place potatoes in foil (to have a single layer of potatoes)

Fold foil around potatoes so there are no openings.  Double wrap the potatoes in another layer of foil.  

Place on grill and cook for 30 minutes, turning 1x half way through.

Serve immediately.  

Roasted Balsamic Beets & Carrots

We have a great organic farmers market every Tuesday night in our neighborhood.  Last week, M went with B to explore.  They came back with these wonderful little beets.  Thankfully, they last a little bit and we made them tonight.  I found the recipe here for roasted beets and carrots.  They were delish!  I could have roasted mine a little longer to make them even more tender but the flavor was amazing!  I added a touch of butter at the end to mix it all together (who doesn't love butter?!).  Perfect!!

Picture of the beets ready for the oven

Picture of the beets ready to serve

 
Ingredients:
2 cups of fresh beets cut into about 1" pieces
2 cups of fresh carrots cut into about 1" pieces (I used less carrots and beets since it was just the 3 of us)
1 tsp olive oil
Salt / Pepper / Dried Thyme, to taste
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
(Dab of margarine if you desire)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Peel veggies and place in bowl
Drizzle olive oil on them and salt, pepper, thyme.  Toss to coat
I put mine on parchment paper and in the oven
Roast for 25-30 minutes
Remove from oven and drizzle balsamic vinegar / margarine (if desired) and stir to coat
Serve immediately

Stuffed Flank Steak

B really likes flank steak and I didn't have time to marinade it the way I've done in the past for her (which is already posted on this blog).  So, I found this recipe and changed a couple of ingredients to suit our tastes.  It turned out really delicious and got rave reviews.  I prepped it in advance and just wrapped it up in plastic wrap and refrigerated it.  I pulled it out about 10 minutes before we wanted to cook it and it was ready to go!  This is a great / easy main course.

Here's a picture of the steak all stuffed

Here's a picture of the final product

Ingredients:
2 lbs flank steak
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz wild mushrooms, sliced thin (I used baby bella mushrooms)
1 bunch fresh arugula (I used frozen spinach, thawed but would likely use fresh spinach, lightly wilted next time)
6 pieces of prosciuto
8 thin slices of provolone (I used feta)
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika
Salt & Pepper
Kitchen twine

Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 tbsp olive oil and the mushrooms & saute until soft.  Add the garlic and salt / pepper to taste. 
Lay the flank steak on a cutting board & place a piece of plastic wrap over top.  Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, POUND the steak to about 1/4" thick (mine didn't flatten that much but it worked out just fine)
Lay the cheese over the steak, leaving 2-3" area uncovered around one long edge.  Next, lay the mushrooms over the cheese followed by the prosciutto and spinach
Starting with the long edge, carefully roll the flank steak.  Tie the steak in 4 places with kitchen twine. 
Mix flour; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper and paprika.  Rub that mixture over the steak. 
Preheat oven to 350. 
In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.  Carefully place the steak roll in skillet and sear for 5-8 minutes, turning to brown all sides
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until cooked through - about 30 minutes.
Tent with foil and let meat rest for 10 minutes.  Carefully cut into 1/2" pieces & serve. 

Ground Beef & Sausage Meatloaf Topped with a Cajun Mayo Spread

I'm proud to say I made "regular 'ole meatloaf" into something pretty delicious! I pulled out ground beef from the freezer before work and was trying to decide what to do with it.  I went to my favorite site (foodgawker) and began perusing.  I tripped on a few different recipes there; checked out allrecipes too and came up with this recipe after reading several variations of "meat loaf".  The end result was really amazing!  It's probably the best meat loaf I've ever tasted!!
The cajun mayo spread was something I saw on foodgawker but the recipe called for lemon juice.  I didn't have any of that so I was looking around the kitchen for what to sub in there.  I came up with some Dijon mustard.  I think that made it perfect!  (I'm not sure I'd try lemon juice!)
I served the meat loaf with a salad made from our own romaine lettuce in our garden and some mashed potatoes.  

Here's a picture of our romaine lettuce:

Here's a picture of the salad I made:  (tomatoes are store bought but our garden ones are looking pretty healthy!)

Here's a picture of the final meal:

Ground Beef & Sausage Meatloaf Topped with a Cajun Mayo Spread

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1/2 link of Mild Italian Sausage, casings removed and cut into smaller chunks
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup saltine crackers, crushed
Onion Powder - a few dashes
Salt / Pepper to taste
Worcestershire Sauce - a few dashes
About 1/4 cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar


For the Cajun Mayo Spread (I only made it for me so these measurements are for 1 serving):
Cajun Seasoning, a few dashes
3 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Worcestershire Sauce, 2-3 dashes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl and mix well
Place meat mixture into loaf pan (coat with Pam spray first)
Mix ketchup & brown sugar together in a smaller bowl
Top meat mixture with ketchup mixture
Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes
Remove from oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into it
While meat loaf is cooking, combine ingredients for the mayo spread and set aside
Top finished meat loaf slices (on plates) with mayo spread & serve

Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives

I was looking for a pasta salad to serve at the river with dinner.  I found the recipe here and thought the sound of pesto was perfect!  The original recipe called for green beans and kalamata olives.  I omitted the beans because when I went to the store, they just didn't look very crisp.  I subbed regular sliced black olives for the kalamata.  The cherry tomatoes were a late add (even though the recipe called for them).  I don't like tomatoes but the dish definitely needed a little more color.  I didn't roast the tomatoes (as the original recipe called for) but I think it turned out really nice.

Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and OlivesServes 8

Ingredients

• 1 lb mini ravioli or tortellini (I used 3 cheese spinach ravioli)
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tuscany seasoning (or other Italian blend)
• 8 oz black olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (I used fresh grated)
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli according to package directions.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, toss the asparagus with the olive oil, tuscany seasoning, salt and black pepper. Spread out onto one or two parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until tender and starting to brown/shrivel.
3. Toss the pasta with the veggies, olives, pesto, and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.