Summertime BowTie Pasta

This was light and yummy. A good summertime (no pun intended) dish. In the future (tomorrow night leftovers) I will add even more to it.

First I cooked some tricolore bow ties. You can obviously use the plain kind or get a box of just one type (like spinach), but I like the three colors, especially since there is not too much to this recipe.

While the pasta was cooking, in a wok we sauteed a sausage (leftover), chopped yellow pepper and small diced tomatoes. Once the pasta is cooked we tossed it into the wok with these ingredients and mixed it with some olive oil, some parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Keeping in mind we got into the boursin cheese while we were cooking, this was definitely filling enough. We had some leftover so we are going to finish it tomorrow night. I'm going to buy some feta cheese to serve with it... and I was thinking of even adding some nuts (almonds probably) and some pineapple.. just to get creative. I'll let you know how it goes.

Baked Chicken, Rice, Asparagus and Almonds Recipe

(pictures below)

This was a fun one. First, I got my wild rice in a pot with some water and oil (use box directions) and got that cooking while I worked with the skillet. Just keep an eye on the rice/stir every few minutes so it doesn't burn when it's done... not that I have ever done that... ;-)

In a skillet, saute some chopped asparagus and almonds in olive oil. I sprinkled on salt, pepper and some Parmesan cheese onto my asparagus.

Remove these just before the almonds get too dark. Place them in the bottom of a glass casserole dish. Rinse some boneless chicken breast and sprinkle with oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees. I sauteed the chicken on the same skillet just until the outsides were beginning to brown. The inside will not be cooked through. Probably about 5 minutes is good. At this point the rice will be done.

Pour the rice on top of the asparagus and almonds. On top of this you can choose to put a few scoops of condensed cream of chicken soup. I only used about 1/3 of a Campbell's can and it was plenty. Place your not fully cooked chicken on top. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and more cheese.

Cook in the oven about 20 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken, Rice, Asparagus and Almonds Pics

American Chop Suey

Um... delicious?! This is one of my dad's favorite dishes. What unbelievable slop! haha. But seriously, it sure is comforting.. and easy to make!

This recipe is for ~6 adults (we wanted leftovers)

First I got the pasta water boiling and used up some opened pasta boxes I had - orecchiette and elbows (~1 lb). I think most chop suey is made with elbows but I was just using what we had. Once that started I got some beef (~1 lb) going on a skillet. I kept breaking it up so it wouldn't get chunky. Once there was no more pink I poured out the fat and then added chopped vegetables. I used two stalks of celery, 1 tomato, 1/2 bell pepper, and 6 chopped hot cherry pepper slices (not whole peppers!). Within a few minutes I also added tomato sauce and some tomato paste (just eyeball it - like a true chef!). Once the pasta was cooked I mixed it, sprinkled some cheese - and voila!

Steak and Asparagus

Well, I have been going to the gym a lot so I feel great, but I also know I am a bit of a bread/pasta and hence carb fanatic (meaning I eat them a lot, not that I count them - hah!). So this meal made me feel like a lean, mean, fighting machine. My mom told what she does with the asparagus... and it was delicious! Sometimes I can be a reluctant vegetable eater but this was so good.

Dan manned the steak. He drizzled on olive oil, and then added sea salt, pepper, garlic pepper and thyme. Probably a lot healthier for us than steak sauce. He cooked it on the grill. The asparagus was my project. First I washed them and then I snapped off the ends. I just bend each one so it naturally breaks. I learned it from a cooking show. They said it was better than cutting it because you naturally remove the woody part of the stalk. Makes sense to me! I leave the top on because I figure it's just as healthy. I'm not really sure why some people cut it off. Then I put these into a bowl and I add olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. I just mix it all together with my hands. Then I lay them out on parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet and bake them at about 400-450 for about 15 minutes. They were so delicious. I sprinkled some more cheese on just before they went in the oven. yumm

Hot Vodka Penne with Ham and Veggies

We made this two nights ago when we were especially starved. We had ham leftover from the panini so I came up with this little concoction. It was really, really yummy and filling. Definitely a winner. We had it last night too - just as good.

First I turned on the heat for the pasta water. On a frying pan I sauteed some peppers, onions and the chopped ham in olive oil.
After about five minutes I added vodka sauce from the jar, fresh spinach leaves, and two hot cherry pepper slices (we have a bunch  leftover from the arrabbiata last week!). I just kept stirring that on low heat while I cooked my penne. It thickens the longer you go (that's what she said). Add together and sprinkle on some cheese... so good! There is just that light bit of heat from the pepper, flavorful green pepper and ham, and that creamy goodness from the vodka sauce. This is one you will cook again!

Perfect Panini

Well... I think it is anyway. I guess not if you are a vegetarian. This is easssyyy. We made two panini and had left over cold cuts.

For 2, with leftovers:
1/8 lb ham
1/8 lb hot soppressata
1/8 lb provolone
1 tomato
pieces of fresh mozzarella
wheat bread
basil

We have a Cuisinart but you can make these with George Foreman Grills or Panini Makers. Butter the outsides of your bread. Inside place your meats, cheeses, basil, and tomato slices. Cook on medium-high heat until the cheese begins to melt. I like to leave mine in for a minute or two after this because it gets nice and crunchy. Enjoy!

Sunbeam Mixer

Well, this isn't a recipe - but it's still art that is related to food. My dad restored this old Sunbeam mixer. It was a piece of junk before he got his hands on it. Now - magic! I even have the original manual that came with it. Now that is classy. I also have the fixed up Junior mixmaster (handheld) in white, which I use a lot. Can't wait til we have a bigger kitchen and I can have this prominently displayed.

Beautiful Pizza on Focaccia Bread

Such an easy dinner - and an easy way to get some veggies. Preheat the oven to about 400 degrees. On focaccia bread spoon out some traditional spaghetti sauce, then cover this with the meats and veggies of your choice. Here we have hot soppressata, onion, peppers, and tomatoes. Toss on some chunks of fresh mozzarella, drizzle some light olive oil, and of course, put on some oregano. Cook until cheese is melted - obviously the longer the crunchier. mmmm.

French Toast - Easy

Can I quit my job and just cook and photograph food? Something to consider. Not that I don't love most of my 87 students, 'cause they are funny.

I think we have been in a breakfast mood lately. I made french toast for the first time tonight. It was easy! And yummy! I used good whole wheat bread.

I made 5 pieces using these measurements.

In a bowl mix three eggs (can just do egg whites if you're watching your cholesterol), a dash of cinnamon, a splash of vanilla extract and a pribble of milk. Ok, a pribble is a made up word, but I realized dash and splash weren't quite exact measurements. So.. I guess about a 1/2 cup of milk? Don't add sugar because if you use syrup that is your sugar.

Soak your bread on both sides for just about 5 seconds (so it doesn't get soggy) and cook on a skillet over a medium flame. Keep an eye on it, and presto~ You're done before you realize it.

Sprinkle a little confectioner's sugar on it and drizzle with some syrup. Blueberries or strawberries are great on top.

Penne Alfredo with Heat

Words cannot describe how delicious this meal was... especially after working all day and then having an hour and a half commute to and from the Bronx for grad school. We had Penne Arrabiata the night before and we had cooked penne leftover. So, of course, we have to conserve our food dollar. Rather than have our usual Tuesday night tuna, Dan made this! He followed my alfredo recipe which is earlier in the blog, but he also added some of the red hot cherry pepper from the night before and olive oil. Oh my. I think maybe it's because he had all of this in a skillet for awhile (literally everything, even the penne), but the flavor was unbelievable. It wasn't a creamy sauce, but instead it was like the cheese was starting to harden a bit... I don't know what it was, but it was so good. I could hardly talk. That's always when you know a good meal - no one talks. DO THIS.

Vino Art

Penne Arrabbiata

Mmm. I had this in Rome a few times, once with Valentina, and it's delicious - if you like food with a little heat (hence the arrabbiata). I got most of this recipe on a box - but some of the measurements weren't quite right. So I tweaked and stretched and created the following.

For 3 (or 2 if one love love has a big appetite)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Penne
1/2 cup diced bacon
1.5 tbsp butter
1 cup of pureed tomatoes
Grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic
3 basil leaves chopped
1 small hot pepper (a slice of a hot cherry pepper works well)

In a pan, saute the garlic clove in the butter and then remove. Add diced bacon and let it brown for a few minutes. Then add the tomato puree and mix together. Place the hot pepper in the middle of the skillet and then cover it. Keep it on very low and stir once in awhile. The directions I used (De Cecco) said to leave the pepper in the whole time, but I got nervous it would be too spicy for my Scottish lover so I removed it after about 10 minutes. You could probably leave it the whole time though. Anyway, while this is still over low heat, get the water boiling for the penne. You really do want to wait until now because the sauce needs about 20 minutes to really form to a good consistency (the picture below is when I just started - need 20 mins to thicken). Cook your penne and serve with your sauce (don't forget to remove the pepper - that could be an ugly surprise!). Garnish with the basil. Sprinkle some Parmesan or Romano on top. Yum! great flavor.

Danny Boy's Omelette

Dan made this the other night. It was delliiccious! We had never done omelettes (first time for everything) and I'm not usually a big egg person, but this was so good. I'm not going to put up the numbers.. I'll let the chef do that.

This is Frannie Farmer inspired.

4/28- Just made our second attempt at this... and it came out even better. Way more veggies, pieces of ham... mm.

For one:
2 or 3 eggs
salt
pepper
roughly four tbsp of filling (for us, chopped green peppers, onion, tomato and ham).
1 tbsp of butter
strips of american cheese


(read all before cooking)
On a small skillet saute the veggies before making the omelettes. In a bowl mix the eggs, pepper and salt. Heat up a large skillet with the butter. Once hot, pour in the egg mixture. Shake the skillet with a forward and backward motion. Use a fork or spatula to turn up the cooked edges. Tilt the pan to let the liquid egg run over. Keep shaking and fork around the edges. This should all happen in about 15 seconds. Spread the filling on the center of the eggs (and cheese). Don't let the eggs dry up. Use a spatula to fold up 1/3 of the omelette and get on a plate! Enjoy

A Typical Summer and Dan Plate

Well, I received a request from one of my followers to get some updates! I suppose I have been out of the loop because work/grad school has been kind of crazy. The big state exam for my kids (all 86 of them) is next week and I have a Shakespeare paper due this Saturday (oh dear...). This does seem like a nice distraction though for a few minutes.

This is a common meal in our little love shack. Rice on the stove and veggies and chicken in the wok (thanks Lauren!). I made this one. I got my rice started right away and then rinsed and cut my chicken breasts. I dribbled lemon on it with some thyme and salt and pepper. Into the wok they flew! After that was ready, which was pretty quickly, I got some zucchini, pepper and onion sauteed - served and bon appetit.