mmmm.

so things around here have calmed down. put away the guest bed, did (most) of the laundry, picked up the approximiately 1,239 tissues littering the  house, car, my desk at work....and the three, yes three empty tissue boxes from last week. it's been a long journey, filled with freezer burned bagel bites, cereal, and boxed macaroni (with hot dogs, obviously). not that i'm complaining, i do love me some mac and dogs, ask anyone.

so after this verryy long stretch of getting myself together and making my dwelling fit for others (because really, if you're house is so gross you wouldn't want a close friend or relative taking too close a stock of the situation, it's time to clean. you deserve the same cleanliness as your guests, or cat or whatever..) i finally cooked a meal! it was different. i used many more dishes than i would have done say, a week ago.

i will compare it to something akin to missing your workouts for almost two weeks (because hey! i did that too, and this morning's dive back into fitness was not pretty, nor very coordinated. i'll pretend it was because it was 6 am) when you work out fairly regularly for a month or so then stop completely for half that time...getting going again is hard. like, i did half of my normal workout and let's just say i didn't give it my all, or even my half? i was dying, gulping water, stopming around and bending over, hands on knees WAY more than is necesary. i think it's harder to get back into a workout routine if you've only slacked a little than it would be if you started from scratch with nothing under your belt. it's like your body knows what it SHOULD be doing, what it is capable of and is so confused by your inability to get yourself to that previous peak that you just kind of stumble around in a twisty haze.

this was similar to my last two nights of cooking. while both meals turned out fine, i did dumb things that made no sense. i got out some but not all the ingredients, or i didn't chop the right thing or couldn't remember what directions i read long enough to complete them and used 4 different spoons in my attempts to get the food from pot to oven. mannny dishes here, and i don't have a dish rack (really need to get one!) so my dishes sit in a weird, very precarious pyramid on my drying mat. that stays full of dry dishes until i have already washed the next batch and have no where to put them.


so anyway, i made cashew chicken salad last night, and tonight made this pot of deliciousness:

baked spaghetti

i found the recipe at How Sweet Eats. and it was awesome.


(please ignore the fact that her pictures are amazing and mine is...well. substantially less melty, which is what makes it look so divine. i added parsley!)

serves 4-6

you will need:


    3/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti
    1/2 onion, chopped
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 1/4 pounds ground beef (I used 93% lean)
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon pepper
    10-12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
    2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
    1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

as usual, i decreased the quantity of everything, and measured like...nothing. but it was still great!


preheat your oven to 350.

boil spaghetti about 3 or so minutes LESS than the box says, because it will be cooking the rest of the way in the oven. drain it and set it aside.

heat your olive oil up in a pan on medium high heat, add onions (i also added chopped fresh mushrooms here because i needed to use them--very good) and saute for several minutes, until softened. i also just realized i did not use any garlic, i just plain forgot. see what i mean about not cooking for a while?! madness.

anyhow, you would add the garlic to the pan and saute for a minute at this point, then add the ground beef and the salt and pepper. the let meat brown up and then drain the fat off, because if you don't, well that's just gross. trust me, i've been there. some people don't drain the fat off, and it is not a desirable situation to be in people.

take that bowl of cooked spag (i always find it fun/funny to say this instead of spaghetti.) and add the meat and 1 cup of whatever tomato sauce you chose. also the basil. i did not have basil, and therefore stirred in a dollop of pesto. because i am a master chef who is cool under pressure and limited supplies. (ignore the fact that i did not add the garlic, which in fact i did have. irrelevant)

find a baking dish, i used "the green bean dish" which, obviously, is the dish my grandmother made green beans in every year at thanksgiving and christmas for forever. it is a round dish that is 3-4" deep and 7-8" in diameter. spread a layer of the spaghetti mixture in the bottom, top with some sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheese (i had fresh, so i froze it for 20 minutes while i prepped everything else and sliced it very thin, and i recommend this. because fresh mozzarella is the most amazing cheese ever.) the freezing is to harden it enough to get those thin slices, because it is a very soft cheese. in case you don't use it or didn't know you could do that.

add another layer of spaghetti and repeat the above process. pop the dish in the oven for 20 minutes (you could also broil for a few minutes at the end to make your cheese brown and bubbly) and then dig in and make sure your elastic pants are close by. also a napkin and some garlicky garlic bread, which sadly i did not have. but it would be yumyumyum!

who knew an electric stove could catch fire?!

Caramelized Chicken and Pappardelle with Spinach, Herbs and Ricotta

things are gettin' fancy round here now that momma's here to help! we discussed many meal options and for tonight decided on the two dishes above. i had never had pappardelle (wide egg noodles) but they were really good, and while the pasta has ricotta and parmesean its very light.

the chicken recipe comes from Tasty Kitchen via How Sweet Eats--it tasted delicious but i think i may have slightly overcooked the mushrooms and my sauce didn't really thicken--i had to sprinkle in some Wondra flour.

the pappardelle was from the april issue of cooking light--as a note you probably want to make the pasta first, then make the chicken if you are making them together.

chicken

you will need:  (this says it serves two, but....it doesnt)

• 4 whole Thinly Sliced, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ⅓ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ¼ whole Onion, Chopped
• 2 cups Sliced Mushrooms
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• ⅓ cups White Wine

first sprinkle the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides, then lightly coat with flour. (this should be a thin layer, not a breading)
heat the olive oil in your skillet and cook chicken for a few minutes on each side, until brown.

place cooked chicken on a plate, add 1 TB butter to pan and cook onions for a minute or so. add the rest of the butter and saute mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until soft. pour wine in the pan and scrape (deglaze) the brown bits off the bottom, and add the chicken back into the sauce.

serve hot!


pappardelle

you will need: (serves 4, 1 3/4 c serving size!) obviously this is if you eat it by itself...

    8 oz uncooked pappardelle
    1 TB kosher salt
    1/3 c ricotta cheese
    3 cups baby spinach
    1/4 c chopped fresh chives (we used green onions because thats what i had)
    1/4 c chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
    1/4 c chopped fresh dill (we omitted this--i dont like dill)
    3 TB fresh grated parmesan cheese
    2 TB olive oil
    1/2 t fresh ground pepper

cook pasta with 1 TB salt, dont add oil if the package says to--the sauce won't stick. and never rinse pasta either, just in general. don't do it!

drain and reserve 1 c of the cooking liquid, combine 1/2 c hot liquid with ricotta in a blender until mixed. toss hot pasta with the ricotta mixture and the remaining ingredients, adding extra cooking liquid if it's too dry.



by the way, while heating the pot of pasta water, the burner underneath exploded into flames, several times. it was horrifying and mysterious.


now it's dessert time! yumyumyum.

tonight

korean-style chicken noodle bowl

tonight's dinner is courtesy of 4littlefergusons on tasty kitchen.

it was pretty delish, although i tweaked it slightly...


you will need:

• 1 package (13.25 Oz. Package) Whole Wheat Spaghetti Noodles
• 1 piece Fresh Ginger, 1-inch Piece  (i used ground ginger from the bottle)
• 4 whole Garlic Cloves, Pressed
• ½ cups Tamari Or Soy Sauce
• 6 Tablespoons Honey
• 4 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 4 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil (this Makes The Dish!)
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha Hot Sauce, More If You Like It Hot  (didnt have it, used crushed red pepper)
• 2 cups Sliced Mushrooms
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Oil
• 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut Into Cubes
• ½ packages (16 Oz. Package) Cole Slaw Mix  (omitted)
• ½ cups Chopped Carrots
• ½ whole Red Pepper
• 5 whole Large Green Onions, Thinly Sliced (tops And Bottoms)
• Toasted Sesame Seeds, For Garnish   (omitted)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and place in a large serving bowl.

In a small pot, combine a splash of water, chopped ginger, garlic, tamari/soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, sesame oil and hot sauce, whisking until smooth and heated. Pour sauce over noodles and keep warm.

Get all of the remaining ingredients ready for a quick stir-fry.

In an oversized skillet, sautee mushrooms in the butter; remove from the pan, leaving juices behind.

Add the oil and heat over high heat. Add the chicken cubes and stir-fry until browned, about 3 minutes.

Add the cabbage, carrots and bell pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the scallions and toss for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms back in, stir and empty the skillet contents over the noodles. Top with sesame seeds.

note: these directions are hers, i didn't feel like re-typing them. you can probably tell since she used real punctuation and capitalization...


this was pretty quick and easy and had lots of flavor! i'll probably be omitting chicken next time, and using larger, more coarsely chopped vegetables instead. i haven't been eating very much meat lately,  for no particular reason, but as you can see in earlier posts, this week was meat free.

i don't care for large chunks of red meat and really hardly ever eat red meat, unless ground. (or unless i am home and my wonderful momma is making what we like to call "beef tits"  or, for civilized people, beef tips (which you MUST consume with egg noodles.) the only other non-ground red meat i ever eat is pot roast, which must be consumed with white rice. so, you learned something new today--you probably have been eating these dishes wrong your whole life.

you're welcome.

in a nutshell, you will most likely only ever come across chicken or turkey based meat dishes, maybe ground beef or ground sausage occasionally (like in delicious quiche or stuffed peppers!!) and never, ever will you spy a crustacean, arthropod, or other sea dweller, seeing as these creatures are just plain weird and gross.

3.10.11

stuffed shells

for tonight's quick dinner, i used the left over pizza sauce from my margherita pizzas and the ricotta mixture is basically the same from the ricotta toasts--i'll explain:

you will need:

    about 2 cups leftover pizza sauce, or tomato sauce of your choice
    1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of its juices (use paper towels to squeeze it out)
    10 jumbo pasta shells (roughly...i just threw some in, enough for dinner and lunch tomorrow. i have extra)
    1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese (none of these measurements are precise, just eyeball it)
    1 bunch fresh basil, julienned
    1 egg (you don't need this, i threw it in because many recipes call for it)
    1/2 tsp kosher salt
    1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
    1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (this allowed me to use my mircoplane grater for the first time, and i must say its the beginning of a lusty affair)


preheat that oven to 350.

boil your shells for about 11 minutes, whatever the box says really. mine said 11.

 drain them and set them aside.

 heat up your sauce of choice in a saucepan (just to warm through, you aren't cooking it) and stir in about half the spinach, give or take. or omit it if you aren't a spinach person...i won't judge.

mix up the ricotta, parmesan, egg, basil, salt, pepper, and about 1/2 the spinach in a bowl.

now find an oven safe dish large enough for all those shells, and spread a little sauce in the bottom to keep the pasta from sticking. one at a time, cup the shells in your hand and spoon the ricotta mix inside, and gently lay in the dish. don't get crazy and over stuff them, you dont want it all oozing out in the oven. i had one extra shell, so i threw it out. you just have to kind of guess the noodle-to-filling ratio. (i'm a pattern maker not a mathematician, and although i realize repeat pattern is very complex and mathematical at times....i don't care. just go for it! no one is watching, channel julia child)

anyway, once the stuffing and placing is done, spoon the rest of the sauce over the shells and put the pan in the oven. (if you're feeling really crazy you could top it with some fresh mozz before you bake, why i didnt do this i dont know, it sounds delicious in retrospect.)

bake about 25 minutes or so and eat!


this is strictly an opinion, but i think a good double chocolate milano appetizer and (yes, and) dessert couple beautifully with the delicate and subtle fruit notes of this dish....or some fancy talk like that.

3.5.11-3.8.11

margherita pizza

saturday

you will need:

    one pizza crust/ingredients for pizza dough
    one 28 oz can whole tomatoes, crushed with your fingers (or hey, use crushed or diced
    tomatoes instead)
    2 tb olive oil
    5 cloves of garlic, more or less according to your taste
    1/2 tsp kosher salt
    1/2 tsp oregano
    8 oz ball fresh mozzarella
    fresh torn basil


preheat oven to 500 degrees. you absolutely want to use a pizza brick/baking stone for this. throw it in and let it heat up with the oven. let the oven preheat for a good 30 minutes to ensure it is hot enough

prepare your favorite pizza dough in advance or just get out your ready made crust.

(note: if you are using fresh dough, place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel/cookie sheet. cornmeal slides more easily than flour)

add olive oil to a pan, heat to medium and saute garlic for 1 minute or so.

add tomatoes, salt and oregano, bring to a boil for a minute and then allow the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes.

evenly spread tomato sauce on to dough/crust. cover pizza with slices of delicious fresh mozzarella, and go ahead and snag a bite or two for yourself.

gently jiggle pizza dough onto super hot stone. (or just slide the crust on, the dough requires more finesse)

bake for 12 ish minutes, keep an eye on it. i like my cheese to be a little brown--use your judgement. unless you use dough you can't really underbake it, if using fresh dough just make sure the edges are golden and crispy looking.

allow it to cool for a good 5 minutes or so to let the juices in the sauce settle, or it will leak everywhere making your crust soggy (unless you inhale your pizza in seconds, which is feasible.) throw some fresh torn basil on top and cut, enjoy!

note 2: the sauce recipe makes enough for 2-4 pizzas, depending on size. alter other ingredients accordingly, or use left over sauce on pasta, or potentially the recipe below.

ricotta toasts with sauteed vegetables

monday

you will need:

    some type of delicious, bakery bread. you don't want to skimp. thick slices of an italian loaf work    well, i used half a mini ciabatta loaf, which was delicious
    1 zucchini, diced
    1/2 carton button mushrooms, chopped
    1 clove garlic, pressed
    1 tb olive oil
    4 plum tomatoes, chopped
    handful fresh basil, julienned (roll the leaves up tightly and slice thinly)
    1 c part skim ricotta cheese
    1/4 c freshly grated parmesan (again, you don't want to skimp, use the good stuff, or the not bottled stuff anyway)
    half a ball (4 oz) fresh mozzarella, sliced


preheat oven to 450

pour olive oil in pan and heat to medium, add garlic and saute 1 minute or so. throw in zucchini and mushrooms, saute until softened, a few minutes. you'll be able to tell. add tomatoes and sprinkle in a 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper. saute until tomatoes are warmed through--2 or 3 minutes.

add the grated parmesan, sliced basil, dash of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper with ricotta and stir to combine.

spread a thick layer of the ricotta mixture on to slices of bread (note: i used mini ciabatta loaves, about 6 inches long. i sliced one in half and had this for dinner twice. all the ingredients keep well and reheat beautifully for the next day, so just make as many as you will eat. basically...i always have leftovers.)

use a slotted spoon (to reduce juices) to spoon veggie mixture ontop of ricotta, and then top with mozzarella cheese. bake for about 10-12 minutes. keep an eye on it. i like my cheese a little browned and bubbly, my bread crispy and toasty.

this is such a simple dish that you really want to have wonderful ingredients, from experience i know skimping turns out badly.


   

macaroni and cheese with pureed squash

tuesday


you will need:

    8 oz macaroni (i like cavatappi, the corkscrew pasta)
    2 tb butter
    2 tb flour (i like Wondra, for gravies, sauces--it won't clump)
    2 cups milk
    2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
    1/2 tsp kosher salt
    1/2 tsp black pepper
    1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your tastes)
    one 10-12 oz package frozen pureed squash, thawed.


preheat to 400 degrees.

bring water to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions. drain and set aside--do not rinse.

melt butter in saucepan on medium low heat, sprinkle in flour and whisk to thicken roux. let this mixture do its thing for a bit, allowing it to turn a beigey color.

gradually stir in milk, whisking to combine. let the sauce thicken between pours, and once all combined allow to simmer (whisking constantly) until thick. for me this usually takes anywhere from 10-15 minutes on medium high heat.

once milk mixture is thickened, add seasonings (salt, pepper, cayenne) and stir in squash. fold in thoroughly, and sprinkle the cheese in, stirring until melted.

pour sauce over cooked pasta, evenly coating all noodles. transfer the macaroni to an oven-safe dish, and bake for 15 minutes until bubbly. (at this stage you can sprinkle the top with extra cheese and breadcrumbs)