Summer Pasta

This is an incredibly late submission for a recent recipe swap for Fourth of July inspired meals. 



When I saw this recipe from Melissa was my assignment, I was excited to make something deemed "Sicilian."  my grandfather, while born in America, was Sicilian, and I don't know a whole lot about it, other than that could be where my temper comes from.  I was late in making this for my own slacker reasons, but it's been delayed so much because of my grandmother's passing; losing her has made me think a lot about when my grandfather passed.  So, even though Mom Mom's family was from northern Italy, I felt I was honoring her by making this dish from her beloved husband's heritage.

This is probably the first recipe that I've really made some changes to in order to make this my own.  I typically don't have anchovies around, and didn't really feel like getting some when I had an idea of something that would be a good substitute.  I chose to use some kalamata olives instead; I definitely used too many and so the sauce was a bit too salty.  My basil plants are going crazy, so I threw some of that into the sauce too.  I figure a sauce can't be too garlicky, so added some of that with the onions. 

My finished product came out pretty well.  I do wish I'd added some broccoli as instructed, so maybe next time.  The great thing about this recipe is that it has some interesting textures--you've got the crunch of the nuts, the squish of the raisins, and the softer textures of the tomatoes and pasta.

Ha, I just remembered I meant to add cooked chicken to this.  Oops!

Thank you, Melissa, for a great starting point recipe!

Dad's Sicilian Summer Pasta, adapted from I Was Born to Cook
1 pound penne
2-3T extra virgin olive oil
5-10 kalamata olives, drained, pitted, and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5-10 basil leaves, chopped
1T Italian seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup pignoli nuts
1 cup raisins, soaked first in water or liquor (rum, vodka)
1/2 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

Cook pasta until al dente.  Drain and set aside.  

While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, cook the olives in the oil until fragrant, then add the onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent.  Add the tomatoes, pignoli nuts and raisins.

Cook all ingredients for a few minutes, then add crushed tomatoes, basil, and spices.  Stir until combined, and simmer for a few minutes, until desired consistency.  Add pasta to skillet, combine and cook for a few minutes on low.  Top with grated cheese and serve.

This dish can be served immediately or at room temperature.

Porrrk Chops and Appleshauce

For the latest recipe swap, the theme was grilling.  I got a whole meal plan from the lovely Kelly.  We've only had a grill for about a year, so I really didn't know how to grill the pork chops, and so went to the internet.  I found a website that gave great instructions, but my instant read thermometer is still lacking it's battery, so I sort of guessed.  Argggh, they weren't all cooked all the way.

At any rate, M's first comment was "this is a really interesting rub."  I thought it was really tasty, but was nervous The Boy wouldn't like it, claiming it was "too spicy."  He didn't like the pork at all, but didn't say why.

I thought this was an interesting take on pork chops; my husband typically doesn't like them, generally saying they are too dry.  While he wasn't over the moon about this preparation (but he's generally anti pork chop in the first place), he didn't say he didn't like them.

As I said, Kelly gave me a whole meal plan.  In addition to the grilled pork chops, she also gave the recipe for the big hit of the night, Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes.  Everyone (except for the Babe, who seems to have an anti mashed potato texture thing going on right now) enjoyed these. 

Finally, Kelly made roasted asparagus (which I LOVE, but hubby will not touch), so I chose to make Roasted Broccoli, using a recipe from Food Network Kitchens.  Well, the parts that weren't blackened were pretty tasty, but those that were were pretty bad.  I couldn't figure out how to peel the broccoli stalks, despite reading a few tutorials online, so so just used the florets.  Gotta learn how to do that so I don't feel so wasteful.

Also, like Kelly, I made applesauce to go along.  Another hit here; I used Baked Applesauce, but since it was my intent to feed it to both kiddos, I used four small apples and one T of brown sugar.  It was still devoured by all four of us, so I will continue to reduce the sugar.

 

Thank you, Kelly, for the inspiration to make a complete meal using fresh ingredients!  I probably never would have tried pork chops on the grill without the recommendation.

Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich

Another week, another swap.  This one happened to come the day after my husband said something along the lines of, "My favorite food is sandwiches," probably making some reference to Joey from Friends.  I received this from Gianna, who also submitted the eggplant parm I made a few weeks ago.

This came out so good looking.  We joked that it would have tasted so much better with tomato, because the recipe suggests it and I didn't realize we were out.  Otherwise, it was perfect, and planned so well with a spot of good weather this afternoon just seeming right to bust out the grill.

I loved the rolls I got for this, Wegman's whole wheat sandwich rolls.  If you have a Wegmans, try these rolls cause they're yummy and really made the sandwich.

Instead of following the recipe, I used store bought honey mustard in place of the honey and the mustard, and added maybe 1t of more honey to make it sweeter.  This worked wonderfully.  I also brushed the honey mustard mixture on the chicken before grilling, then brushed it on the roll before serving.

I love that this recipe is so versatile.  Before we had a grill, I was often disappointed that I couldn't make grilling recipes.  This, however, could easily be made on a George Foreman, in a skillet, under a broiler, or even baked.

Thank you, Gianna, for a great, easy, dinner recipe!

Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwiches

½ cup Mayo

2 tbsp. deli-style mustard

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 Green onions (chopped)

Mix all ingredients in bowl. 

1- Grill 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

2- Brush chicken with 2/3 of mixture.

3- Serve on sandwiches (nice crusty bread) with lettuce, tomato and leftover honey mustard mixture!

Cheesey Chicken Shells

I've been participating in a recipe swap with some friends; it's been such a great experience, since I'm always looking to add to my repertoire but also because it forces me to make dishes I never would have considered otherwise.  This week's category was chicken.  I have to admit, I was really happy that this had chicken not quite as the star of the dish.

This comes from Pam's blog, My Healthy Indulgence, and she got it from Weight Watchers.  If this is in fact, a "diet" recipe, sign me up because it absolutely does not taste anything but decadent.  It could've been the sauce.

I found myself without marinara sauce, which NEVER happens around.  I always stock up on the Francesco Rinaldi when it's 99 cents, and failing that, have a batch of homemade in the freezer.  Not tonight, it seems!  When Classico goes on sale, I try to pick up a few jars of their Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo, because BAJ loves it for Chicken Alfredo.  I figured I'd give it a shot here, and wow, it was freakin fantastic.  Look for this.  Definitely not as figure friendly as marinara, but......

I used twelve jumbo pasta shells, but wish I'd made at least 15 of them.  I had filling left, and we could have eaten another one each and E could probably have eaten another three.

Cheesy Chicken Shells

http://myhealthyindulgence.blogspot.com/2011/01/cheesy-chicken-shells.html

12 jumbo uncooked manicotti shells (I use shells for regular stuffed shells, not manicotti)
1 1/2 c. favorite tomato sauce
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
4 oz. chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
15oz container part skim ricotta
1 tbsp. oregano
1T Italian seasoning
1t crushed red pepper flakes
3/4c. part skim shredded mozzerella
1/3 c. grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

Coat a 9x13 pan with spray. Spread 1/2 c. sauce over the bottom. 

For the filling, in a large bowl stir together egg whites, ricotta, chicken, garlic powder. Stir in 1/4 c. each of mozzerella & parmesan cheeses. 

Spoon mixture into shells & place in dish. Spread remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 30 minutes.

Eggplant Parm

Cheesy Goodness

I'm always looking for meat free recipes for health and financial reasons, but whenever the Lenten season comes around, I feel like looking for meat free recipes becomes a mission.  So, when a group of local ladies start swapping recipes of the vegetarian variety, I'm on board.

This came from Gianna, and it's her own recipe.  I made a few modifications, which I mentioned below.  I've made Eggplant Parm lots of times; here, here, and here.  Each version has its merits.  I think this one made the best (of the homemade, at least) eggplant cutlets and was also pretty easy; I seem to recall the other versions taking a LONG time.



I thought this was really delicious.  The eggplant was tender, its flavor was great, and I love anything that is so veggie full that I don't have to think about a side dish.  A REFUSED to touch his; I don't know why.  He typically loves eggplant parm, but wouldn't even try, not even to get a piece of coveted garlic bread.  E, however, dug in, eating almost as much as me:



Thanks, Gianna, for a delicious dinner!

Eggplant Parmesan  (this is my own recipe)
**I don’t have exact measurements, I usually wing it, and flavor to taste!

Olive oil

Garlic
1 large eggplant
2 eggs
Fresh breadcrumbs, mixed with Italian seasoning, black pepper, and garlic powder
Tomato Sauce (I used homemade, following Giada de Laurentiis's recipe) **Gianna's recipe below
Mozzarella cheese  (shredded)
Parmesan Cheese  (grated)

Preheat Oven to 350.

Peel eggplant, and slice it (into circles).....not too thin, but not too thick either.

Sprinkle eggplant with salt and place in colander (in sink) for 20 minutes.  Rinse, and squeeze water out of slices, and dry them with paper towels.

Dip eggplant in egg then breadcrumbs.  

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat until oil is shimmering.  Add garlic and heat until it "speaks."
Fry eggplant until the slices are tender and golden brown.  (if a fork goes in easily, they are done.)
Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Once you fry all your eggplant, layer in a baking dish!  Depending on how much eggplant you have you can use any size.
Sauce, eggplant, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese (use as much cheese and sauce as you’d like).

And Layer again...sauce, eggplant, parmesan and mozzarella.   Continue layering until you use all of your eggplant.

Cover with Foil and Cook at 350 until cheese gets bubbly..approx. 20-30 minutes!   I usually take my foil off with about 5-10 minutes left to go!   Baking times may vary! 
Enjoy!

MY SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE RECIPE  (I always end up with extra)
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
4 TBSP olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
basil
onion powder (or some chopped vidalia onion)
oregano
parmesan cheese
Sauté oil and garlic in a sauce pan (if using real onion throw that in too) for about 5 minutes.  Add cans of crushed tomato, basil, oregano, onion powder and cheese.  Bring to boil and then lower to simmer for at least 30 minutes.    Stir often.

Slow Cooker Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie

I got this from a recipe group on a message board I use. I wasn't really too optimistic that my husband would like this, since he doesn't like chicken pot pie, but he DID comment that he REALLY liked this one.

This was so easy to prepare, and so great for my first day of work. I used a smaller jar (I think 12 oz) of turkey gravy, and that just wasn't enough... definitely need to make it with more liquid.

I love that this was an all in one pot meal, with the chicken, the veggies, and the biscuit!

Picture coming soon!
Slow Cooker Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie (linda98ny)
From Betty Crocker

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 dried bay leaf
1/4tsp pepper
1 jar (18 oz) chicken gravy
2 medium celery stalks, cut into thin slices (I use alittle less)
1 bag (1lb) frozen mixed veggies
instant biscuits (I use the ones in the tube)

1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with onion, bayleaf, pepper, and gravy. Place celery on gravy.

2. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours

3. About 30 min before serving, bake biscuits.

4. Meanwhile, gently stir frozen veggies into chickenmixture. Cover and cook 15 min. Remove bay leaf.

5. For each serving, split biscuit and place one half on the bottom of a bowl. Spoon chicken into bowl then top with other half of biscuit. Enjoy!