Quick and Easy Pesto Pasta

I love making things that take no time at all and out of ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge.  This is one of those recipes.  I felt like cooking lunch today, but didn't want to worry about making something that took a million different ingredients.  I also didn't want to have to clean up the entire kitchen afterwards.  So, I found a few things in the fridge and came up with this super simple pasta dish.  All you really need is pre-made pesto sauce, and then you can add whatever else you like to add more flavor.  I obviously added bacon, and also decided to add some sliced cherry heirloom tomatoes. 

INGREDIENTS:
1 Box of your favorite pasta - I used bow tie!
1 Jar of Pesto - you can often find this near the pizza or pasta sauces
3 Slices Bacon- diced
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan 
1 Package Heirloom Tomatoes - sliced into fours

1.  Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  Don't forget to salt the water once boiling before adding the pasta.  This is the only time you will be able to season the pasta itself.

2.  While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon until crispy.  Remove from the heat and drain the oil. Once the pasta is finished, strain and add back into the pot.  Add in enough pesto to coat all of the noodles.  Add in the bacon and the tomatoes as well as the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and then Serve and enjoy!

Bell Pepper Salad

I have been extremely obsessed with avocados recently.  I absolutely love them, and since they're in season right now I've been using them as much as possible.  Plus, they make your hair and skin glow, so that's an added bonus.

I like to believe that if I make food that is fitting for summer, it will come faster.  I don't think it's actually working, but it's worth a try.  Sometimes when you think about salad, you assume it has to have lettuce.  I love making salads with a bunch of chopped up veggies, and I truly believe every meal should be served with a salad.  It's a great way to get your serving of vegetables.

For this salad, I used some left over roasted garlic in the salad dressing and tons of honey to play on the bell peppers sweetness.  The dressing was so delicious I could have drank it with a straw.  I also added some Feta Cheese in, because everything is better with cheese.





 INGREDIENTS:
1 Red Bell Pepper - diced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper - diced
1/4 Sweet Onion - diced
1 Avocado - diced
2 Tbs. Feta Cheese Crumbles

Dressing:
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
4-5 Roasted Garlic Cloves - mashed/minced
2-3 Tbs. Honey
1/2 Tsp.  Sugar
1-2 drops of Dijon Mustard - just enough to help the dressing emulsify 
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste


1.  Dice all of the veggies except for the avocado and add them to a medium sized bowl.  You will add the avocado right before serving so the avocado stay nice and green and don't turn brown.

2. For the dressing, add the honey, garlic, mustard, sugar salt and pepper, and vinegar to a small bowl.  Whisk these items together.  While whisking begin adding the olive oil slowly until it is well mixed. 

3.  Pour enough over the veggies to coat each piece nicely.  Mix and put in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Right before serving, add the avocado and Feta cheese.  Mix the salad again, and add dressing as necessary.

Mini BBQ Chicken Biscuit Pizzas

I tried to be an awesome fiance today by having lunch ready for Blake when he got home.  Sadly, he showed up with TACO BELL... ohhhh the disgrace! Oh well, guess we have dinner ready and it's only noon.  I love love love BBQ chicken pizza, as you probably know, since I've made it on here before.  I also love "hoooot poooockets" (say in Jim Gaffigans voice). This is basically the best of both worlds.   It's a homemade hot pocket, and all you need is your favorite pizza ingredients and a can of Pillsbury biscuits.  The recipe below will reflect the BBQ chicken pizza idea; however, fill it with whatever you want.  This would be a great recipe to make with your kids too!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Container Pillsbury Biscuits
1 Chicken Breast - Boiled and pulled apart (You can also substitute canned chicken if you don't wanna do this step)
1/4 Sweet Onion - diced
2 Tbs. Real Bacon Bits
1/2 Tbs. Red Pepper Flakes - this amount can vary depending on how much heat you like
1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce

** yields 8 mini pizza hot pockets

1.  Boil your chicken breast ahead of time.  Once ready to go, add it to a medium sized bowl with the onions, red pepper flakes, bacon bits, and BBQ sauce.  I used Sweet Baby Rays, but you can use whatever you have on hand.  I like this BBQ sauce because I enjoy the sweetness it adds to the pizza.

2.  Preheat your oven to the temperature it states on the biscuits container.  Mine said 350 for about 15 minutes.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up, and begin preparing the biscuits.

3.  After opening the biscuits, take each biscuit and flatten to create a bigger biscuit.  Spoon a heaping teaspoon full of the chicken and BBQ mixture into the center of the biscuit.  Fold up the biscuit to create four edges and seal them together.  I just squished mine together, but some did open up while baking.  You could use an egg wash to help seal it better, or just flip the pockets seam down when baking. Both should help keep the pockets closed during the cooking process.

4.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown, and serve with a side of BBQ sauce or ranch dressing.

These will re-heat very well, so feel free to save your left overs.  Microwave them for about 1-2 minutes and then throw them in the toaster oven to crisp them up.  I haven't tried freezing them, but that might be a good idea too for a last minute lunch or dinner idea.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Pan Roasted Tomatoes

 I decided to take a major Christmas break.  I'm pretty sure I only cooked one meal, and I must say I loved it.  Sometimes it's a good thing to stop everything and focus on yourself and your family.  I had a wonderful Christmas break and I was in no mood to have it end this past Monday when school started up again.  I'm thankful that I only have class on Monday and Tuesday because that will leave me plenty of time to cook dinner during the week... if I'm not too exhausted!

If you could see inside mine and Blake's refrigerator, you would be astounded! We have managed to accumulate so much food that we cannot fit anything else in it.  Therefore, I dug deep and found some left over Tilapia fillets from a blog entry I did a while back, and figured it would be perfect for dinner tonight.  I spent most of the day running errands and doing things for school, so the fact that I am able to come home and thaw out this fish in only 15-20 minutes is perfect.  Obviously, fresh fish is the way to go, and if you have that as an option go with that instead. However, as you probably all already know, I am in college and these Tilapia frozen fillets were cheap and I must say, good.  If you haven't had it before, you should definitely try it out.  I do not like fishy fish, this is very light and takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with.

INGREDIENTS:
Tilapia Fillets
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs - beaten
1/4 Cup Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
TOMATOES:
6-8 baby tomatoes (whatever kind you like)
2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. Olive Oil 
2 Cloves Garlic - Minced

* I used three different plates for preparing the fish.  One with the flour, the second with the eggs, and the third with the Panko and Parmesan mixture.
** The measurements for this recipe will vary depending on how many fillets you are making.  I made two for dinner tonight and used about 1/4 cup of cheese and Panko.

1.  Pat dry the fish, and season both sides with salt and pepper.  Flat side down (there should be no skin), place the fish in the flour so that you get a nice light layer.  Then place the fish (same side down - flour side) into the eggs and then into the Panko and Parmesan cheese mixture.  Place the fillet Panko side up on a plate until you are ready to cook.  (You can do this a few minutes ahead of time so that they are ready to go when you are.  I only coated one side of the fish tonight.  It's healthier and really you just want to get a nice crunch on it without taking away from the actual fishes texture.

2/ Once the fillets are all set to go, heat up a large skillet pan on medium-medium high heat with about 2 Tbs. Olive Oil.  You want your pan to be hot so that the fish does not stick at all.  Place the fish Panko/Parmesan side down and allow to cook until the Panko/Parmesan mixture is golden brown.  This should take no longer than 3-4 minutes.  Flip the fish and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.  Remove fish and plate.

3.  For the Roasted tomatoes, in the same pan, add the butter and olive oil.  Add in a handful of your favorite cherry tomatoes and saute until they begin to soften and pop.  Add in 2 cloves minced garlic and continue to saute until they are at a desired consistency.  I like mine to still have some body.  Spoon the tomatoes and sauce over the fish and enjoy!

*** I served this on top of mashed potatoes and with some pieces of bread and roasted garlic.  My favorite part was the crunch that the Panko and Parmesan gave to the fish.  Let me know what you think!!!

Rosemary Thyme Potatoes and Cedar Plank Salmon

First, let me apologize for being absent from the kitchen for the past few weeks.  School and Christmas took over for a while, and I needed a break from everything, including cooking.  Now, after a few days of sleeping in and not studying, I'm back with a vengeance. 

I discovered something wonderful at the super market today.  Pre-packaged cedar plank salmon.  Not only did this save me the time of finding a cedar plank, but it was also already marinated and ready to go! Does it get any better? Of all the recipes I've made, this had to be the easiest to clean up.  The salmon was delicious and just one package was enough for Blake and I to split.  Did I mention it only cost $5.99??? That's only 3 bucks a person.  As Blake pointed out during dinner, this meal would probably cost at least 12 or 13 bucks at a restaurant.  I found this in the frozen food section, and they had a few different marinades to choose from.  This particular one was a honey marinade.  It was light but flavorful.  I served it with roasted potatoes and topped it with a light salad dressed in a sweet onion lemon vinaigrette.

 This is what the salmon looked like before cooking it and right after I took it out of the packaging.... perfect!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Large Russet Potato - diced into bite size pieces 
5-6 Garlic Cloves - peeled 
1 Yellow Squash - sliced 
1 Red Bell Pepper - diced 
2-3 Sprigs Thyme

2-3 Sprigs Rosemary - minced   
1/2 Tbs. Paprika 
2-3 Tbs. Olive Oil 
Salt and Pepper to taste  - I added it after it was cooked as well and it still could have used more 

1.  In a large bowl, add the diced potatoes, squash, red bell peppers, and garlic. sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper and stir.  Top  with the olive oil and stir until all the veggies are covered in the spices.  


2.  Pull off the Thyme leaves and add them to the bowl.  Pull of the Rosemary leaves and give them a rough chop before also adding them to the bowl.  mix the veggies again, and add to a baking dish. 


3.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.  Depending on how large you dice your potatoes this cooking time may vary.  It will need at least 30 minutes, so after that time passes then you can begin checking on it.  When you can poke the potatoes with a fork with ease it is ready. 

SALMON:
Pre-Packaged Cedar Plank Salmon - you could also use fresh salmon and add your own marinade or spices 
Mixed Lettuce Greens 
1/2 Freshly Squeezed Lemon 
1 Tbs. Honey 
1 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar 
1 Garlic Clove - minced 
2 Tbs. Grated Sweet Onion
About 1/4 Cup Olive Oil - I don't like a lot of oil in my dressings, so you may need more - I also don't measure so this is literally a guess. 
2-3 slices of beets - julienned  
Salt and Pepper to taste 


1.  Follow the directions on the package of the salmon and cook accordingly, mine called for 14 minutes, but I think it could have actually used a little less.  

2.  In a small bowl, squeeze 1/2 a lemon, making sure no seeds get into the bowl.  Add the honey, garlic, cider vinegar,  salt and pepper.  


3.  Cut a sweet onion in half and then again into fourths.  Using a fine grater, grate the onion until you get about 2 tbs worth. Add into the bowl.  This will give the dressing flavor without having chunks of onion.  


4.  Mix together and while whisking, mix in the olive oil.  Taste and adjust flavors as needed.  


5.  In a separate bowl, add mixed greens and top with enough dressing to coat.  Top the salmon with the lettuce mixture and with a few slices of beets. Store the extra dressing for a salad the next day, the flavors will meld together and make it taste even better!  

Chorizo Stew and Brown Rice

 

When I go to the grocery story I love looking for new things to try and cook with.  Today it was Mexican Ground Chorizo.  I've never cooked with it before, nor have I eaten it, but it's made from ground beef or pork, so I figured I could make it work.  This week seemed to fall under the category of "wahhhh waaahhhhh."  Just like the last post, this meal was good, just not great.  I'm not even sure what I would have done differently.  The Chorizo is filled with spices, which gives it a lot of flavor on its own.  Luckily, Blake and I both liked the flavor of the Chorizo, it was just difficult to add any depth to it because it was so strong.  That would be my only complaint about this recipe.  

Try some things out if you make this and let me know what you think.  Like I said it was a great meal, that was extremely generous on the pocketbook and didn't take very long either.  I am not a chef, or even a cook for that matter.  I'm simply someone trying to learn how to cook through trial and error and a lot of "googling" of terms and techniques.  With that said, I have no idea what makes a "stew" a stew.  The name seemed fitting, so don't be disappointed when you realize it's not like your mothers beef stew or beef and noodles.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Ground Chorizo - spicy (pretty sure it's the only way it comes, but you never know) 

1/2 Sweet Onion - diced 

1 Green Bell Pepper - sliced 

2 Cloves Garlic - Minced 

1 Cup Red Wine (Anything you have is good) 

1 Cup Chicken Stock 

8 oz. Heavy Cream 

Goat Cheese for topping

1.  In a large pot, begin browning the Chorizo.  Once the Chorizo begins browning, add in the bell pepper, onions, and garlic.  Don't worry about adding any oil or butter. The Chorizo has enough fat in it, and adding it in will only add unnecessary calories.  

2.  Once the peppers and onions begin to soften and the Chorizo is pretty much cooked fully, add in the red wine and chicken stock.  Keep the stove on medium high heat and reduce the sauce by half.  

3. Before finishing, add in the heavy cream and allow the sauce to thicken by reducing.  Taste the stew to see if salt or pepper is needed.  I didn't add any in this recipe, because the Chorizo seemed to be salty enough.  If you feel that your stew isn't spicy enough (you're crazy), I'd add in a Jalapeno or Serrano at this point as well. 

4.  I served this over homemade brown rice, but you could also do quinoa, risotto, or white rice.  You could even use the microwave rice that cooks in a minute if you'd like too.  I happen to have a big bag of brown rice left over from a previous recipe experiment. 

5.  Top with crumbled fresh goat cheese

*** I always like to serve my dinners with at least one vegetable.  In this case I served a Cool Corn Salad on the side.  This ended up being perfect because it worked exactly as I had hoped, and helped to cool off our burning tongues!  Of course the milk helped too. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with pulled Chicken and Brown Butter Sauce

I don't want to say this was a fail, but I also don't want to say this was a total success.  The Gnocchi (pronounced "knyoh-KEE") turned out great, however there were some changes I would make to the sauce when I make this again.  The Gnocchi were really simple and I actually found the directions on line and they were easy to follow.  Originally I was going to use regular potatoes for this, but when I went to get them out of the cupboard, I realized they were growing their own arms and legs.  Did you know that Potatoes begin turning poisonous???? Me either!!!! Check it out here, I'm so glad I looked it up before I started cooking with mine! Mine didn't turn green like in this article by "The Kitchen", but I thought it was a good idea to still throw them out.

Luckily, sweet potatoes have been extremely cheap and I happened to by a lot the last time I went to the store.  And when I say cheap, I mean it (.25 cents a pound!).  Did I mention I'm in graduate school??? This is a better deal than buying Ramen Noodles! Also, sweet potatoes are GREAT for you, check out this  article by "Fast Fit Tips," where they discuss all the health benefits sweet potatoes have to offer.  There is nothing I love more than a vegetable that tastes great (literally like candy) and that is also good for you.  The only thing I need to find out is how many is too many?!

As I stated before, I followed a really great recipe for how to make the sweet potato gnocchi and I will have the link below in the actual recipe.  At first I was afraid and worried that they wouldn't turn out well, but I was not only impressed at how easy it was to make them, but also at how delicious they really were.  I had seen these made many times on The Food Network channel and also on Top Chef, but never thought I could make them.  Well, I decided to experiment and it was worth it! If you are still too nervous, or you just don't have the time, you can always pick some up at your local specialty market.  They often have different types of Gnocchi, and it's often not very expensive (BONUS!).

P.S. I would recommend preparing your chicken first.  You can boil it, buy a roasted chicken, or grill it.  It's really your preference here.  I liked the idea of just throwing it in a pot and not having to worry about it for 15 minutes, but that's just me.  


Sweet Potato Gnocchi:
I adapted these gnocchi from a recipe I found on All Recipes.  The original recipe is here if you'd like to see it.  

1 Large Sweet Potato 
4-5 Roasted Garlic Cloves - mashed 
1 Cup Flour 
1 Egg 
Salt and Pepper to taste 
** yields - two hefty servings 

1.  To begin, cook your sweet potato.  You can do this by wrapping it in foil and baking it for about 30 minutes at 350-375 degrees until the potato is soft and squishy to the touch, OR you can poke the sweet potato a few times with a fork, put it in the microwave and cook it for 5 minutes, and then flip the potato over and cook it for another 5 minutes. (Do whichever one you prefer.... I personally like the microwave better.  I'm not that patient)

2.  Take the sweet potato out of the microwave/oven and set aside until it has cooled enough for you to handle it.  

3.  In a bowl, mash up the roasted garlic cloves, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the egg.  Mix the ingredients well and when the sweet potato is ready, open up the skin and put the yummy goodness from inside in the bowl.  


4.  Mix the sweet potato with the egg and garlic mixture until it is all incorporated.  Begin adding flower 1/4 Cup at a time.  you may not need a full cup or you may need more.  Add enough until it begins to turn into a dough.  Mine was a little under a cup once I finished.  


5.  Flour your counter top and roll the dough out into a "snake" (yep, just like you did with Play-doh).  Cut the "snake" into 1/2" pieces and set aside.  At this point, you can roll each individual Gnocchi along the back of a fork to get the signature marks, but this is not necessary and I found it to be tedious and waste of time.  


6.  In a slightly salted large pot of boiling water, add in the Gnocchi, being sure to not splash and burn yourself (I did this... a lot - learn from my mistakes).  Once the Gnocchi float to the top scoop them out using a slotted ladle.  


7.  Set the Gnocchi aside and begin preparing the sauce. 

Brown Butter Sauce:
This brown butter sauce was great, but Blake and I both decided it would be have been better if it was more of a cream based sauce.  The Gnocchi, although delicious, could have used a little more savoriness (did I just make up a word?), and I think having a cream based sauce really would have pushed this dish over the edge. 

**The recipe below has the cream added in, so it will look different than in the picture above. 

1/2 Sweet Onion - diced 
4-5 Garlic Cloves - minced
3 Tbs. Butter
1-2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese 
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup White Wine
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  Begin by melting the butter until it begins to brown over medium heat.  You will actually begin to see the butter begin to change color.  It should take a few minutes, but be sure not to burn it.  It usually begins to smell really good at this point too!

2.  Add in the olive oil and onions, sauteing for a few minutes.  Just as the onions begin to wilt add in the garlic and red pepper flakes.  You add this in after, because burning the garlic makes it taste very terrible.  Be sure NOT to do this.

3.  Continue cooking the onion mixture until they become translucent.  Add the wine and let it cook off for a few minutes.  This will take about 3-4 minutes.  You want to allow the wine to cook long enough to cook off all of the alcohol. 

4.  Finally, add in the cream the Parmesan cheese and again let the sauce cook until it thickens.  Continue stirring the sauce to make sure it cooks evenly and do not allow it to come to a boil.  You want this sauce to simply simmer. (little bubbles)

5.  Now that your sauce is finished, you will want to get out a large saute pan.  Add a tsp. or twoolive oil to the pan and add the previously cooked Gnocchi and chicken.  Allow the Gnocchi to saute for a few, letting them get some color and warm all the way through.  Pour the sauce over top and mix the ingredients thoroughly.

6.  Serve and top with parsley and Parmesan cheese!