Summer Balsamic Pasta

I've been so in the mood for fresh and fast since summer hit. This week especially! This dish hit the spot the other day and it was fast, easy and healthy.

So, without further delay - enjoy! Go work in the yard, go running, spend the day at the pool and then throw dinner on and feel great!

Cook about 1/3 cup dry pasta according to package directions. Sautee peppers and onion and steam broccoli. Combine pasta and veggies in bowl, sprinkle with feta cheese, salt and pepper and toss in a few shakes of balsamic vinegar. Serve with fresh fruit. That's it! Easy right?! And it's equally as delicious. Trust me!

{Ingredients}
1/3 C pasta
1/2 Red Pepper, chopped
2 Green Onions, diced
1 C fresh Broccoli, roughly chopped
Feta cheese, to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Happy summer!

Vegetable Carbonara

Today's to-do list included about 7x what I was actually able to get done. So -- when Mr. Chef called to say he was on his way home, I was elated as usual but also realized what time it was and that I hadn't even THOUGHT about dinner. I usually try and time it so that I'm putting it on the table as he walks in. Was it going to happen? Mmm, maybe not today. 

Sometimes you just need a quick throw together meal that is healthy, in budget and fast. This, my friends, is it! This saved me tonight, was delicious and fit the bill for fast.

Vegetable Carbonara

{Ingredients}
2-3 strips of bacon, diced and cooked (add less or more here, to your liking)
1 1/2 C fresh Broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1 C chopped carrots
1 C mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 C dry pasta, any shape
3/4 C freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 eggs
salt
freshly ground pepper

Cook pasta according to package. DO NOT LET THIS COOL!!! Carbonara is a pasta that needs to be finished immediately following draining the pasta. So, if you would prefer to prep everything else before the pasta so you are ready, great! Do what works for you but just be prepared that the pasta can not sit and wait for any amount of time. The egg won't cook if it does. 

Cook bacon, on low heat to enrich the flavor. Set aside -- LEAVE THE GREASE WITH THE BACON! (Which goes against every natural thing in me!)

Chop and saute peppers and mushrooms, add to bacon. Steam broccoli and carrots until tender, add to other ingredients. Grate Parmesan and add to these ingredients as well.
beat eggs lightly in small bowl. Drain pasta and quickly combine everything, including the egg. Stir constantly until egg is cooked (you can't really see that it's cooked, you can just see that it's not runny anymore), cheese is melted and pasta is thoroughly mixed. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately, Bon Apetite !

*This was a huge success with everyone around this house including the 3 year old and 10 month old! Hopefully it will be with yours too :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Tortellini Salad

My sisters and I went to lunch with my cute Mom for her birthday earlier this week and they all ordered the smoked turkey tortellini salad. It looked absolutely AMAZING!!! So -- this recipe began as a copycat from Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City but ended very differently and now I can only claim their lunch as my inspiration rather than my base.

This is one recipe that throws together impressively fast and still looks like you spent time cooking. Prove it you say? Challenge accepted.

Mr. Chef always calls when he leaves work. It is a phone call I look forward to every day. 5:00 came and went, 5:15 came and went, 5:30 came and went and still no call. I was busy so I wasn't worried but I hadn't started dinner because I knew it would be fast. I was poking around- prepping veggies etc. when suddenly I heard the garage door going up. He was home. Apparently my phone had gone straight to voicemail. Odd. I threw all my veggies in a bowl, boiled the tortellini, tossed with a tiny bit of mayo, sprinkled with some cheese and ten minutes later we were sitting around the table eating dinner and chatting about the day.

Voila! Fast, easy, healthy and delicious.

Behold...

{Ingredients}

• 1 package cheese Tortellini. (I use the 2 pack from Costco and freeze one. Total this pack could make 3-4 meals, they are big. I cook the whole pack and then take about 1/4 out for my 9 month old before I toss it and we still had leftovers)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Cup ham, turkey or meat of choice, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 C mushrooms, chopped
• handful of baby spinach
• 1 Roma Tomato, diced 
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
• 1/2 C peas
• 1/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/8 C mayo or dressing of choice
• salt
• Black pepper

{Directions}
Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain well
Combine all ingredients and toss lightly.
Serve

*One of my favorite parts of this new recipe is that you can make this once a week and never repeat. Switch the meat, experiment with different veggies, dressings, etc. Make this your own.

Substitute ideas --
Dressing: Creamy basil, Poppy seed, balsamic vinaigrette
Meats: grilled chicken, smoked turkey, bacon, leave it off and have a vegetarian dinner
Vegetables/Fruit: Avocado, strawberries, apples, oranges, celery, broccoli, shittake mushroom, green beans...

Beef Bourguignon

This recipe blew my mind! Both my husband and I kind of went crazy when we tasted this, it was so yummy and tasted like it was a lot more difficult to make than it was (which is always a plus). You can use stew beef or Venison (who regularly has venison? not us). Mr. chef and I LOVE LOVE LOVE steak and this was a really fun new recipe for using the frozen stew meat that we buy in bulk from Costco. Somehow, when we are there things like giant packages of meat always end up in our cart. MMM, why fight something that delicious?  We don't.

Anyway, make sure you give yourself enough time to prep it and then a few hours for cooking but the actual "hands-on" time was pretty simple.

MEAT MIXTURE:

1/2 to 1 lb. bacon, cut into strips 1/4 x 1 1/2 inch long
1 tbsp. olive oil
3-5 lbs. lean stewing beef or venison steak, cut in 2-inch cubes
2-3 sliced carrots
2 sm. onions, cut into ringlets
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. flour

Cook bacon until crispy, then add olive oil to saute bacon. Remove bacon. Saute beef or venison in "hot, smoking" oil. (Use dried beef and venison as it will brown nicer.) Remove meat. Saute carrot, onions in same fat. Add vegetables to beef mixture. Throw out remaining fat. Sprinkle meat mixture with flour and seasonings. Toss lightly in uncovered casserole dish in oven at 450 degrees for 4 minutes, mix. Return to oven for 4 minutes, mix again. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees.

WINE MIXTURE:

3 c. red wine (inexpensive)
2-3 c. beef stock or bouillon
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 tsp. thyme
Bay leaf, crumbled
1 lg. onion, chopped and sauteed
1 lb. mushrooms, quartered and sauteed (when we made this last week we left off the mushrooms because I was too lazy to go to the store ad it was still yummy)

Prepare 1/2 cup wine with remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour over meat. Combine remaining wine with bouillon. Mix into meat mixture so that it is covered. Cook slowly at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until meat is tender.When ready to serve, saute mushrooms and onions. Distribute evenly over meat. Serve with mashed potatoes, noodles or rice (we used egg noodles and they were great). Decorate with parsley.

DIVINE.

Homemade noodles

These are easy peasy! Just plan ahead.


Homemade Noodles:

• 1 beaten Egg
• 2 Tablespoons Milk
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Flour (approximately)

Combine egg, milk, and salt. Add enough Flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out very thin on a floured surface. Let stand 20 minutes.
Roll up loosely and slice ¼” wide. Unroll and spread out to dry for at least 2 hours.
Drop into boiling soup or boiling, salted water and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.
Notes: Makes about 3 cups cooked noodles. Can be stored in a container until needed. 

Delicious in chicken noodle soup!

Chicken Noodle Soup over Mashed Potatoes

Your life is about to change in ways you never could have imagined. 

You have been warned.

Imagine with me if you will. It is spring in Salt Lake City, Utah. The flowers are out, the sun isn't warm yet but it's warmish and things are starting to thaw out and live again. Now, enter me in my wedding dress. It was the perfect day, the man of my dreams was there (thank goodness because that could have been awkward and terrible), we both said yes, I looked awesome :), everything was just as it was supossed to be...enter the weather. IT WAS FREEZING!!!!!! annnnnnnnnnd, it was the windiest day i've ever seen! (Everyone's hair looks awesome in the pictures!)

Ok, so it was maybe not the windiest day ever, but exaggerate with me because every story is a little better if there is drama. 

So 3.5 years ago I married into the most amazing family and I have learned so much and tried so many new things since that freezing day in March. One of those new things is my mother-in-law's chicken noodle soup. 

Like I said at the beginning, this will change your life. period. 

We took this to my sister the night they brought their baby girl home from the hospital and they still talk about it, 3 yrs. later. Oh yeah, it's that good.

So, are you curious enough? ha ha i'll get on with it.

2 words of caution.

1. Making your own noodles is EASY peasy if you plan ahead - don't be intimidated (i was my first time, i think I purposely didn't mention that I was going to make it to anyone the first time so that if it was a disaster, no one would ask how it went)
2. Come HUNGRY because you won't want just a "taste."

 Now, The recipe. Drumroll please...........



{Ingredients}

• 1 cooked Chicken
• 1 ½ quarts Water & Broth in equal parts
• 3 Chicken Bouillon cubes
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 small Onions, chopped
• 1 cup diced Carrots
• 1 cup diced Celery
• Celery Leaves, chopped
• 2 cups Noodles
• 2 Tablespoons chopped Parsley
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
   

Put all ingredients except Cream of Chicken Soup and parsley in a pot and simmer until vegetables are done.Just before serving, add parsley and the can of soup. Stir until well mixed and serve.

*Tips:
You can use the salted water the chicken was cooked in as the broth.

This soup is delicious with homemade noodles and/or served over homemade mashed potatoes. (Do both. trust me.)

Variation:Add 1 cup diced potatoes to recipe if not serving over mashed potatoes.

Homemade Noodles:

• 1 beaten Egg
• 2 Tablespoons Milk
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Flour (approximately)

Combine egg, milk, and salt. Add enough Flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out very thin on a floured surface. Let stand 20 minutes.
Roll up loosely and slice ¼” wide. Unroll and spread out to dry for at least 2 hours.
Drop into boiling soup or boiling, salted water and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.
Notes: Makes about 3 cups cooked noodles. Can be stored in a container until needed. 

Delicious in chicken noodle soup!

Fettucini Alfredo {Light!}

Sometimes I just need that rich heavy sauce that Alfredo is. Sometimes I just want to go out to Italian food and not worry that there are more calories in the appetizer than I should eat in a week, right? Tell me i'm not alone on this. 
Well ladies and gentlemen. Your day is here (well, my day is here I guess. I might be alone on this endeavor) This recipe is from Cooking Light and is a healthier version. And, it is without question, one of our favorites!!! hope you enjoy!
Now, splurge when you need the Italian food and really go crazy and have a breadstick with it! Don't worry, I will never tell.
{Ingredients)
1 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c 1% milk

1 1/4 C (5 oz.) grated fresh Parmeggiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

1 T 1/3 less-fat cream cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

4 C hot cooked fettuccini (8 oz. uncooked pasta)

2 tsp. chopped fresh leaf parsley

cracked black pepper

{Directions}

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, cook one minute stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup cheese, cream cheese and salt stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt. Toss sauce with hot pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and chopped parsley. Garnish with black pepper. serve immediately. Serves 4.

We always add some type of meat. Chicken is delicious in it and 1 chicken breast is usually plenty!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

This one is new tonight, no transfers from the old blog.
I've been craving baked pasta all day today, but didn't want the calories of the cream and butter. I searched the internet and all the healthier versions of pasta called for weird things that I didn't have in my kitchen. Just as I was about to call it quits and begin experimenting...I found, this! It still ahs cheese so I don't think I can go super healthy but it's WAY better than most.

Dinner was inspired by a recipe I found on Food Network tonight. It has been heavily modified but I'll still give them the credit for the idea :)

{Ingredients}

• 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into large strips

• 1/2 C Broccoli Florets, broken into bite sized pieces
  

• 1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes
  

• 1 C Pearl Onions

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil(or enough to coat vegetables)
  

• 1 teaspoon salt, divided

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence(I didn't have these specific spices so I mixed basil, cilantro, garlic powder and seasoning salt together and made my own "herbs de Provence")
  

• 1/2 pound penne pasta

• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)

• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella (smoked mozzarella would be great)

• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping

{Directions}

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the vegetables with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 20 minutes.

*my amounts are guesstimated as close as I could. My favorite part about this recipe is how easy it is to modify to your situation. Substitute whatever veggies you want/have; squash, zucchini, yellow onions, mushrooms, etc. and add fancy cheeses if you want. The amount of spices needs to coordinate with the amount of veggies, sauce and pasta but everything can be changed to your liking very easily.

This was delicious and very easy. It's definitely a repeat menu item, and that's saying something!!!