Dick & I have been married almost 5 years, and just recently made my first batch of meatballs. And I mean very first, like never in all my life before this have I made meatballs. It was so easy, and they were so good, that I'm sure this won't be my last time. In fact, Miss Betty Crocker gives this bit of advice to make the whole process that much more simpl: "To save time, instead of shaping mixture into balls, pat mixture into a 9 x 3-inch rectangle in ungreased rectangular pan, 13 x 9 x 2 inches. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares; separate slightly. Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes. You can also use an ice cream scoop to form meatballs." Sadly I did neither of these things because I tend not to read directions fully until it's too late. But next time, I'll be set.
Turkey Meatballs
From Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Bridal Edition
Ingredients
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 c.)
1 large egg
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into twenty 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Place in ungreased rectangular pan, 9 x 13 x 2 inches, or on a rack in broiler pan.
3. Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink in center and juice is clear.
Don't you worry, there'll be no excuses coming from me about why I stopped my countdown to Valentine's Day. Only because I didn't stop it - I just took a little hiatus. Still been cooking, and watching some of my fave romantic comedies, so I'm gonna finish this thing even if it takes me 'til summer. My fingers are crossed that it won't! Better late than never, right? I don't believe that saying is applicable in every situation, but this is my blog, and I say it fits perfectly here.
Actually, this recipe is one you should be glad I didn't share until after the lover's holiday. Its mighty tasty, but it'll leave your breath wreaking of garlic for days! At least ours did. But after nearly five years of wedded bliss, you don't really let the breath thing get in your way anymore. Which is exactly why I chose the honorable mention that I did for today. This pasta really is delicious, and mighty healthy, so enjoy it with whomever will tolerate your breath after. That's how you know its true love.
Penne with Spinach Sauce
From Giada De Laurentis via foodnetwork.com
Ingredients
1 pound whole wheat or multi grain penne
3 garlic cloves
2 ounces goat cheese
1 ounce reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until its tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.
Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle Parmesan over and serve.
#4: Message in a Bottle
There was no way I could leave a Nicholas Sparks selection off my list, so I'm sharing with you the most recent of my discoveries/favorites. I'm quite the fanatic of all things Nicholas Sparks (see this post on my personal blog to see just how serious I am), which makes it a joke that I just saw Message in a Bottle for the first time a couple of months ago. I loved it, although I was a wreck by the end (romantic and emotionally draining, just like every other movie based on one of his novels). But so worth it! Kind of like the pasta, kids! If you haven't seen it, you must. Its on Instant Play if you've got Netflix (how is it possible for technology to be a godsend and life-ruiner at the same time? I could seriously watch Netflix for days at a time!).
The Honorable Mention for the night is Couple's Retreat. Its funny because its true.
Every two weeks I host a healthy taster table at work (a fun part of my job as the employee wellness coordinator), and I saw this recipe on one of fave cooking blogs last week: Gourmified. It looked pretty darn good, and the guest host who posted it gave raving reviews of it. I put it on my list of recipes to sample for my bi-weekly taster. When I saw it on yet another of the blogs I follow: Just Cook Already, I bumped it right to the top of the list tout suite! Today was the day, and it was quite the success. It even rivals my current favorite lasagna (which is also super quick and healthy) which you can find the recipe to right here. Anyway, I hope you and whoever you choose to treat with this dinner find it as fabulous as we all did!
Crock Pot Spinach Lasagna
From Jessica Seinfeld
Ingredients
1 can (14.5 oz.) crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 container (15 oz.) part skim ricotta cheese
1 ½ c. grated mozzarella cheese
¼ c. grated parmesan cheese
8-12 lasagna noodles (depending on the size of your crock pot; precooked noodles are not necessary!)
6 c. fresh baby spinach
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, salt, oregano, black pepper and red pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and parmesan.
2. In the bottom of a 5-6 quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit, if necessary). Spread about 1/3 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach. Dollop 1/3 of the cheese mixture evenly over the top. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce, and ½ cup of mozzarella.
3. Cook on low, covered until the noodles are tender – especially in the center of the lasagna – about 3 to 3 ½ hours.
#5 = French Kiss
Ok, so I know this is not the most romantic scene from the movie, but it is one of the funniest for sure! This one is just one of those great, sweet romantic comedies. Its classic Meg Ryan (pre plastic surgery nightmare), and if you don't already love Kevin Kline, you will after this movie. He's offensive, and its fantastic.
Speaking of offensive...the honorable mention for today is Pretty Woman. If someone were to tell you that a story about a hooker would make a great romantic comedy, you might not believe them. But then you see the movie and you admit that you were wrong-o! I love this movie - again, its no oscar winner, but its classic. My grandmother even loves this movie ha! If you haven't seen it, it's time to just get it over with. You'll be glad you did. Promise.
Have you ever tasted food so good that you dreamed about it after? It was probably something out of the norm, something not on your normal recipe rotation. You probably didn't even make it yourself. It was dinner at a friend's house, or a new restaurant. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's something that sticks with you all day (like a sex dream, only you don't feel even the slightest bit guilty about it).
Manicotti from Sal's in Little Italy (remember our trip to the Big Apple?) is one of my dream-dishes. It comes up on a regular basis in conversation when Dick and I are out to eat. It's usually something like, "Yeah, this is good...but remember that manicotti at Sal's?" It was the perfect amount of cheesy - like so cheesy you couldn't even talk with a mouth full no matter how hard you tried! That's my perfect amount of cheesy. We loved NYC (and all the food we ate there) so much the first time around, that we're going back for our Christmas vacation! It's a pretty safe bet that we'll be stopping at Sal's.
Well, I finally tried my hand at manicotti. It wasn't quite what I'd hoped for on the cheesy side, but we didn't do much talking while we ate. Dick and I both loved it! And I have to admit I was a bit skeptical because the recipe called for crepes rather than pasta. I'm pretty sure I'd never had it that way before, but I'll definitely make it that way again. Not one complaint from this kitch. Not one. I loved the spinach, and I think next time I'll add some mushrooms, too. And I know that not everyone is a fan of leftovers, but we're big fans here. I don't like paying for lunch if I can just bring it from home. Especially if I loved it as dinner. I loved it as dinner, and then I loved it as lunch the next day. Give it a try, because I bet you will, too.
1. Mix ingredients together and stir until smooth.
2. Drop by spoonfuls or 1/4 c. of mixture onto a hot, lightly greased nonstick 6-inch pan. Crepes should form and become dry almost instantly as you swirl the pan and its contents. Turn crepe over to cook other side quickly. Remove cooked crepe to waxed paper to cool.
**They can be stacked w/ waxed paper between each and then placed in the freezer until you're ready to fill them. This makes about 9 crepes that can be filled with more than just ricotta.
Filling for Manicotti
1 pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed and well washed or a 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed
kosher salt, plus 1/2 tsp
3 c. marinara sauce
1 1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
freshly ground pepper
pinch ground nutmeg
2 tsp. unsalted butter, diced
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt.
2. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt, as well.
3. Boil the spinach, uncovered, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Remove with a slotted spoon, (do not drain), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water.
5. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop.
**Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop.
6. Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1 c. of the marinara sauce.
7. In a medium mixing bowl, evenly combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 c. of the Parmesan, the eggs, and the spinach.
8. Season with 1/2 tsp salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste.
9. Spoon some of the cheese into the center of each crepe, then fold over the edges to close. Line them up in the baking dish with the seam side down.
10. Cover with the remaining sauce and scatter the cheese on top. Dot with the butter.
I'm a big fan of traditions. As a matter of fact, I love 'em! Traditions, the good ones at least, give me that tingly, happy fluttery feeling from the ends of my hair to the tips of my toes...every time. One of my very favorites that Dick and I have had the entire time we've been married is enjoying a pumpkin-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's. It started out as an excuse to not eat something I'd made, because, let's face it, in the beginning it was pretty bad, folks. But now, its just one of those things we look forward to - its festive, its fun, and its pretty darn tasty! Here's our 2010 Jacko-Yummy!
Another thing I really love is trying new recipes. I especially love making seasonal foods, so when I saw the recipe for this pumpkin penne I knew it was a must-try. Sometimes I halve recipes since its just Dick and I at our house, but when I think we're gonna like something I'll risk making the whole thing so we can have the leftovers for lunches at work throughout the week. The leftovers from this pasta were gone in record time, and may have even been fought over. Just a little bit, though. So, yeah, this yummy seasonal dish was a hit, and I bet it will be at your house, too!
Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta
From Rachael Ray on Foodnetwork.com
Ingredients
salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, grated
2 c. chicken stock
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 c. cream
1 tsp. hot sauce, to taste
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
2 pinches ground cinnamon
salt & black pepper
7-8 leaves fresh sage, thinly sliced
grated parmigiano-reggiano
Directions
1. Heat water for pasta, salt it & cook penne to al dente.
2. Heat the oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic to the pan, saute 3 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken stock and combine w/ pumpkin, stir in cream then season sauce w/ hot sauce, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt & pepper.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5-6 minutes more to thicken.
5. Stir in sage, toss with pasta with grated cheese, to taste.
Looking for something quick & healthy for dinner tonight? Well my friends, you've come to the right place. And did I mention the time involved would be minimal? Add that one to the pro's. Summer is winding down, and the last thing you want to do is waste lots of your precious play-time slaving away in the kitchen. Am I right? Of course I'm right. So, don't let me take up any more of your time, either. Take 20 minutes to make this dinner, and enjoy the bounteous fruits of your SLIM efforts.
Spaghetti with Summer Squash
A Get in the Kitch Original
Ingredients
12 oz. whole wheat spaghetti
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small to medium zucchini squash, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 small to medium yellow summer squash, chopped into 1-inch pieces
6 oz. button mushrooms, brushed clean & quartered
Your favorite pasta sauce
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
1. Cook spaghetti as directed until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, saute vegetables in olive oil in a deep skillet until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Drain pasta, then pour it into the skillet with the vegetables.
4. Add your favorite pasta sauce, and gently toss the pasta and veggies to coat them.
I didn't even have to think twice when I was flipping through this month's Food Network Magazine...I knew right away that I'd be making this recipe. Spicy buffalo? Love it. Blue cheese? Gotta have it. Mac & cheese? At the top of my "guilty pleasures to indulge in" list. There are only two of us, and this recipe makes A LOT of food! We had leftovers for days, and some of it is still in the freezer. Think you're not one for the leftover scene? Think again. This is one dish that is even better a day or two after you make it! No joke.
Ok. Before I share this fantastic recipe, I have to make one request. Please only make this dish, and any others including meat of any kind with locally raised, grass or seed-fed chicken or beef (or whatever kind of meat you're using). I watched the documentary Food Inc. the other night, and I've been having serious guilt issues ever since. I'm making the switch to this better kind of meat from here on out, and I hope you'll join me.
Now, here you go:
Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni & Cheese
From the Food Network Magazine, April 2010
beautiful melty crumbles of blue cheese...
yummmmmm!
Ingredients
7 Tbsp unsalted butter
kosher salt
1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 c. shredded chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. hot sauce
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 1/2 c. half & half
1 lb. yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
8 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded
2/3 c. sour cream
1 c. panko breadcrumbs
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Directions
1. preheat the oven to 350 & butter a 9x13 baking dish. bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the pasta & cook until aldente, about 7 min. drain.
2. meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over med. heat. add the onion & cook until soft, ~5 min. stir in the chicken & garlic & cook 2 min, then add 1/2 c. hot sauce & simmer until slightly thickened, ~1 more min.
3. melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan over med. heat. stir in the flour & mustard w/ a wooden spoon until smooth. whisk in the half & half, then add the remaining 1/4 c. hot sauce and stir until thick, ~ 2 min. whisk in the sour cream until smooth.
4. spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top w/ the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top.
5. Mix the panko, blue cheese & parsley, and sprinkle over the macaroni. bake until bubbly, 30-40 min. Let rest 10 min. before serving.
I love pretty much all things that include in their title spinach-artichoke, be it a dip of some kind, a pasta, or any other edible creation. So it was no surprise that my mouth literally started to water when I saw Rachael Ray do this one on her show. I immediately put it at the top of my list of "recipes to try" and added the ingredients to my grocery list. I was able to use two kinds of cheese I've never cooked with before, and make yet another trip to my favorite Cheese Kingdom at Harmon's. It was a BIG hit with Dick, and it's a good thing we always have plenty of leftovers because I'm sure this one would have been fought over for lunch the next day if there was only enough for one. It was simple to make, and tasted fantastic! I hope you love it just as much as we did.
Spinach-Artichoke Mac & Cheese
From Rachael Ray
Ingredients 1 lb semolina or whole wheat penne 2 Tbsp olive oil 3 Tbsp butter 1 medium onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbsp flour 1/2 c. white wine, or chicken broth 2 c. milk freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (I used dried w/ good results) 1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in a clean kitchen towel 1 10-oz box frozen chopped artichokes, defrosted and wrung dry in a clean kitchen towel black pepper 1 1/2 c. shredded Italian Fontina cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top 1 1/2 c. grated ParmigianoReggiano cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top
Directions 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta, salt water & cook pasta to aldente. 2. While the pasta water comes to a boil, place a medium pot over med-low heat w/ 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, ~2 Tbsp, and the butter. Add the onion & garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, ~10 min. Then heat the broiler and position rack in the middle of the oven. 3. Turn the heat up to med-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for ~1 min. then whisk the wine/broth into the pan, cooking for another minute to burn off the alcohol. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, spinach, artichokes, salt & pepper to the sauce and simmer until thickened and vegetables are warmed through, 2-3 min. more. Add 1 cup of each of the cheeses to the sauce & stir until melted. 4. Toss the prepared sauce w/ the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. sprinkle some more cheese over the top and back until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, ~25 minutes.
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I've decided to do a little countdown this week...each day you'll get a recipe and a clip of one of my all-time favorite romantic movies to help get you in the mood. Even though I've not always had a valentine on this Day of Love, I've always been a fan of the holiday. Okay, so maybe not the actual holiday because those years without a date or boyfriend really sucked, but at least the idea of the holiday. And let me tell you, just because you get married does NOT mean that the rest of your Valentine's Days will be roses and chocolates (I'll catch you up later this week hahaha!), but if you have a good sense of humor (which is a must when you're married anyway), a good romantic comedy and some yummy food can make just about any love disaster at least a little bit better. Yep, I've always lived my life vicariously through movies, and I'm not about to quit now. If you haven't seen Return to Me you have to Netflix it pronto! It will make you laugh (so much!), maybe cry, and definitely leave you feeling the lovey dovey butterflies. Love love love it, and I hope you do, too!
Well, this recipe has been a long time coming, my friends. Truly. This was the very first recipe that I ever looked up on the internet and dared to make with my own two very inexperienced hands. This is the one that started what some may call my cooking obsession. And I may be going a little overboard, but I'm just going to say it anyway, this recipe changed my life. I'd seen Everyday Italian with GiadaDe Laurentiis a few times before, but when I saw her make this, I just had to try it. I remember the thinking, "It doesn't look that hard." And I also remember that it took me FOREVER to make hahaha! It was my first time using fresh garlic, and my first time making a roue with butter and flour. Oh, the memories. This was the first time I mustered up the courage to seriously step out of my comfort zone in the kitchen - before then everything had been frozen, prepackaged, or a casserole. Anyway, we loved it the first time, and this time it was just as good, except that I forgot to add the peas. But still, it was fun going back to my cooking roots with this delicious Chicken Tetrazzini!
Chicken Tetrazzini
From GiadaDe Laurentiis of the Food Network
Ingredients
9 Tbsp butter (I only used 5)
2 Tbsp Olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried
1/2 c. dry white wine, or chicken broth
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
4 c. whole milk (I used skim w/ good results)
1 c. heavy whipping cream, room temp.
1 c. chicken broth
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
12 oz. linguine
3/4 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley leaves, or 1 Tbsp dried
1 c. grated Parmesan
1/4 c. dried Italian-style bread crumbs
Directions
1. preheat oven to 450.
2. spread 1 Tbsp butter over a 13x9x2-inch baking dish (I just used my oven-safe deep skillet). Melt 1 Tbsp each of butter and oil in a large deep nonstick frying pan over med-high heat. Sprinkle chicken w/ half tsp each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 min. each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.
3. Meanwhile, add 1 Tbsp. each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over med-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 min. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 min. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 min. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl w/ the chicken.
4. Melt 3 more Tbsp butter in the same pan over med-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 min. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 tsp. salt and remaining 3/4 tsp. pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 min.
5. Cook pasta as directed, only until tender, but still firm to the bite.
6. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well-blended.
7. Transfer back to the deep oven-safe skillet, or to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot w/ remaining 3 Tbsp. of butter (I didn't do this, and it was still awesome!). Bake uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 min.
So, Dick claims that he's not a big fan of mushrooms, but I think deep down he really is. Maybe not raw mushrooms, but I'm not big on raw ones either, so that's ok with me. Anyway, I think I've just about got him converted after this dinner! He loved it, and so did I! I think next time I'll leave out the chicken and add more mushrooms to make it a vegetarian meal. The red peppers add so much flavor, and the parmesan cheese really puts the cherry on top! You'll love this one, too - it's the perfect dinner for an awesome Autumn day! We ate it with a spinach salad, and it was still delicious as leftovers for lunch at work the next day, too. This is one we'll add to our list of fave casseroles, for sure!
Portobello Mushroom Bake
From Prevention Magazine
Ingredients
8 oz. small rigatoni pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
2 large portobello mushroom caps, sliced
1 onion, halved & sliced
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
2 cans (10 oz each) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
Directions
preheat the oven to 375. coat a 13 x 9 baking dish w/ cooking spray.
prepare pasta according to package directions.
meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. add the chicken and cook, turning once, for 8 minutes or until golden. remove to a plate and keep warm.
heat the remaining Tbsp oil in the same skillet. add the mushrooms, onion, and peppers & cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until soft.
in a large bowl, combine chicken, pasta, mushroom mixture, soup, broth, & sage. spoon into the prepared baking dish. sprinkle with the cheese.
cover loosely with foil and bake 20 minutes. remove foil and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until hot and bubbly.
I know, I know! This is like my 4th soup recipe in a row! But the weather is finally cooling down to that brisk Fall that I LOVE, and the leaves are changing, and it just feels like "soup weather," ya know?! Plus, they've all been crazy simple and fast, so they're nice to make after going to work. I'm not gonna lie though, I think Dick might be all souped out for the time being. He hasn't complained at all, he even requested the black bean soup again the other night, but I'm just sensing a vibe that's saying give me something solid! hahaha Anyway, I've made homemade chicken noodle soup before, and it has always always always been better than anything I've had out of a can - my days of canned chicken noodle are long gone! The one that set this one apart from the others is that it called for dill. LOVED IT! Once again, it was easy peasy and a big hit! We ate it for dinner while watching Biggest Loser this week, and it was very satisfying, but can I just say that if that Loony Toon Tracy doesn't get sent home next week I'm going to lose it! hahaha But seriously, if you like chicken, and you like noodles, this one is right up your alley.
1. put broth, chicken, celery, onion, carrots, parsnip, garlic, bay leaf, and pepper in a large saucepan. cover and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and veggies are tender.
2. discard bay leaf. remove chicken to a plate to cool slightly. add noodles to soup; cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until tender.
3. meanwhile, shred chicken with 2 forks. add to soup along with the dill.
I don't know if I've ever talked about my job on this blog, but after some of the recipes on here you'll probably never believe it when I tell you what I do...I'm a Wellness Specialist for an Independent Wellness Company that does Employee Wellness Programs for various businesses and corporations. I absolutely love it!!! But I also absolutely love to eat, and I sometimes feel a little bit like a hypocrite when I eat/cook junk food. Don't worry though, that doesn't bother me enough to stop. Anyway, a little while ago at work I was asked to do a Lunch & Learn with one of my coworkers about healthy cooking substitutions. We talked a lot about all of that wonderful stuff, and then we made some healthy recipes (or should I say, healthier than most) for them to sample. This delicious minestrone soup, these fabulous biscuits, and a breakfast cookie I've made before all made it on to the menu. They were all a big hit, too! Can I just say thank heavens for the Food Network?! It is always there when I need them, via TV, internet, or magazine (yes I just subscribed, and am loving it!). So yeah, I hope you enjoy these healthier recipes just as much as our audience did!
Minestrone Soup
From Robin Miller of the Food Network
Ingredients
3 c. low sodium chicken broth
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes (I used Italian style)
1 can white beans (Great Northern), drained and rinsed
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 c. onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried sage
2 bay leaves
2 c. cooked ditalini pasta
Directions
In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, & 1/2 tsp salt & pepper. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours, or HIGH 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before soup is done, add pasta, zucchini, & spinach. Cover & cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves & season to taste.
Wheat Biscuits
From the Food Network
Ingredients
1 c. wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk, cold
Directions
Whisk dry ingredients. Cut in butter until resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring until moistened. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface & knead lightly 4-5 times. Pat dough out to 1 inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter (I used a small cup) & place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees 12-14 minutes.
Hello? Is anybody still out there? I've totally neglected my blog this past week because my work/life schedule has been sooooo crazy-busy! I am a Wellness Specialist with an employee wellness company, and we started our annual fitness testing for all the employees this week. I also signed up for an assignment to do a "Lunch & Learn" about healthy cooking substitutions which consumed MUCHO time, I covered a shift for someone, and my volleyball league started, so things have really been all over the place...but in a good way haha. I pretty much had to choose between sleep and blogging, and sleep clearly won. Although I've been tired a lot, so who knows if all these blogging withdrawals have been worth it?! Anyway, I'm back, and I hope some of you will come back with me!
So, this recipe's been in the pipeline for a little while - there was clearly no time for cooking this week. It didn't take long to make at all, which means I probably could have made it this week if I'd really wanted to. I have to admit that I'd never made something of this same green brightness before, so I was a little bit concerned, but the first bite wiped out any fear or reservation I may have had. It was spectacular!!! Dick loved it, too, of course. Another home run by the lovely, talented, and I'm not gonna lie I think she's a little high strung, miss Rachael Ray. It may very well be one of her infamous 30-minute meals, but I wouldn't know because I just found it online when I was searching for spinach recipes. I bought this 3 1/2 lb bag of spinach at Costco thinking oh, we'll definitely eat that, piece of cake. But let me just tell you, 3 1/2 lbs of spinach is pretty deceiving in a bag because that is a lot of freaking spinach!
Anywho, hope you like this one just as much as we did.
Spinach Artichoke whole-wheat Penne
From Rachael Ray of the Food Network
Ingredients
1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 (15 oz) can or 1 (10 oz) box frozen artichoke hearts, drained & quartered
1 small bundle farm fresh spinach, stems trimmed
1 shallot, peeled & roughly chopped
1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
a handful of fresh mint leaves
a handful lightly toasted slivered almonds
kosher salt and black pepper
1 large clove garlic, peeled & minced or grated
a handful grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of cooking water.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in medium non-stick skillet. Add artichokes to heat through & lightly brown at edges.
In bowl of food processor, add shallot, chicken stock, spinach leaves, mint, almonds, garlic & salt & pepper, to taste. Turn processor on and add about 2 Tbsp olive oil.
Scrape the spinach pesto into the artichoke pan & loosely cover with foil (I used a lid). Bring mixture to simmer over low to med-low heat and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the reserved pasta cooking water, the pasta & the cheese. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce and heat for 1 minute. Transfer to serving bowl or platter, season with salt & pepper to taste, and serve.
Right now I'm thinking two things: 1) that Hugh Jackman is way hotter than Hugh Grant, and 2) that this recipe is going knock your lasagna-loving socks off! I decided to put the movie 'Music and Lyrics' in while I blog instead of 'Australia'...you know, the one where Wolverine (the official "sexiest man alive") dumps a bucket of water over his half-naked body. What in the world was I thinking?! Whatever, I'm over it. Never mind. So, this is the first lasagna I've ever dared to make, and I'm not gonna lie, I only did it because the cook time is 30 minutes and it looked super easy. FYI it was easy, and it was an absolute HIT! The only lasagna I've ever really loved was the Stouffer's Vegetarian Lasagna from the freezer at the grocery store, and this one totally trumps that one. Also note, as I've mentioned before I'm not a fan of the chunky tomatoes, so the fact that this calls for you to puree them was a plus. You could definitely add chunks if you wanted to, though. Try this one, for sure - you'll be happy you did!
1. Heat the oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic; cook until golden, 1 min. Add tomatoes, 1 Tbsp herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste; cook until saucy, ~5 min. Transfer to a blender & puree. Return 1 c. of sauce to skillet and reduce heat to low; reserve remaining sauce.
2. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, remaining herbs, 1/2 tsp. salt, & pepper to taste in a bowl.
3. Place 2 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet. Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle w/ olive oil & season w/ salt and pepper. cover w/ half of the spinach, half of the ricotta mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella & 2-3 Tbsp of sauce. Repeat the layers, ending w/ noodles.
4. Top w/ the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover & simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20-25 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish w/ more Parmesan & herbs.
