Skinny Zucchini and Red Pepper Pasta

 

I came up with this pasta on the fly, but it's now one of my family's favorites! It's fresh, flavorful, and filling.



 

 

 

Skinny Zucchini and Red Pepper Pasta
8 ounces lean ground turkey
8 ounces noodles (I used bowtie)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 large red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1 large tomato
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup canned grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the water for the noodles. Before adding the noodles to the water, place the tomato in the water for 30 seconds. Carefully remove the tomato and slice a small "x" shape in the top. Peel the skin off the tomato using the "x" as a starting point. Once the skin is removed, cut open the tomato, remove the seeds, and finely dice. Cook the pasta according to the package's directions.
Over medium heat, cook the turkey, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, onion, and one tablespoon of olive oil until the turkey is browned. Add in the tomato, zucchini, and red pepper, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini and red pepper are tender, but not mushy. Mix in the grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and noodles. Stir in 3 more tablespoons of olive oil so the pasta isn't dry. Enjoy!



Sweet and Savory Tofu with Savory Asian Noodles

 

 

I've always wanted to try tofu because it's so healthy. I finally purchased some at the store, and then scoured the internet for good tofu recipes. I'll admit, the only one that really appealed to me was a recipe for fried tofu.

Fried tofu.

Isn't that some sort of oxymoron?

So I came up with my own recipe. I have to admit, I love the caramelization of the marinade on the tofu. And I also came up with some Asian-inspired savory noodles. I wanted the tofu to be the shining star in the dish, so I made the flavors of the noodles pretty delicate.

Sweet and Savory Tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/4 cup oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12.3 ounce package of extra firm tofu

Combine all of the ingredients except for the tofu in a large bowl. Slice the tofu into 1-inch thick slices. Put the tofu into the marinade and make sure the tofu is coated in the marinade. Let the tofu marinate in the fridge for at least two hours to absorb the flavors. After marinating, place the tofu onto a roasting pan or cooling rack (that's oven-safe) and broil in the oven until the marinade caramelizes on one side, and then flip and caramelize the other side. Use the leftover marinade as a dipping sauce.

Savory Asian Noodles
6 ounces linguine or fetticine noodles
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 squirt sriracha sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 green onion, sliced

Boil the noodles according to the package's directions. While the noodles boil, mix the remaining ingredients, except for the green onion, in a small bowl. When the noodles are finished cooking, drain the water and return the noodles back to the pan. Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan and stir to combine. Serve with the sliced green onions on top.

St. Patrick's Day Frame

I have a frame that hangs in my kitchen that I use to switch out subway art for the different seasons. For St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to do something a little different. I had some cute shamrock cut outs, which became the inspiration for this frame.

This frame came together in a matter of minutes, and you can totally change it to match your style.

All you need is:
Frame with glass plate
Scrapbooking paper
St. Patrick's day (or any holiday) cut outs or decorations

Simply open up the back of the frame and lay down the decorations on the glass plate. I had to tape the rickrack to the edges of the frame so they would stay in place. I also put pieces of tape on the backside of the shamrocks, so when I layed the paper down on them, they would stay in place and not slide down. Then close up the frame, hang it up, and enjoy!

"Leftover Rotisserie" Chicken

I don't know about you, but I feel like I find so many "quick and healthy" dinner recipes that call for "leftover rotisserie chicken." I want to laugh every time I read "leftover rotisserie chicken." It seems like some recipes assume we eat rotisserie chicken every other day so we will always have leftovers. And since I do not eat rotisserie chicken every other day, I would have to cook the chicken for the recipe that night, making that recipe a lot less "quick."

Until.

Until I realized that I was spending waaaaay too much time every night handling yucky raw chicken. Now I cook the chicken all at once, and then freeze it. So now I have "leftover rotisserie" chicken whenever I need it!

Not only is this recipe so simple and easy, but it saves so much time during the week. And the chicken is super tender!

"Leftover Rotisserie" Chicken
Any size package of fresh (not frozen) chicken breasts
Chicken broth (use a good quality kind)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Trim the excess fat from the chicken and place in a glass pan. Do not overcrowd the chicken. Pour enough chicken broth over the chicken so that it is 1/2 inch high in the pan.

 

Cover the pan tightly with foil. Cook for one hour. When finished cooking, remove the chicken from the oven, but don't remove the foil for 15 minutes. After 15 minues, remove the foil and let the chicken cool to room temperature. Place the chicken in freezer safe resealable bags and store in the freezer.

When you're ready to use the chicken, just place it on a plate and microwave for a minute or two, until it is thawed enough to be cut through.

Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder with a Kick

My little guy loves keys. Loves them. The first thing he does when Daddy comes home is to reach in his pockets and pull out his keys. He knows which keys go to Daddy's car, and which keys go to Mommy's car (he likes Daddy's car keys the most). And, of course, he knows where the panic button is on each set of keys.
Tonight as I was tucking him into his crib, he rolled over and I heard a clink. Puzzled, I felt around his blanket and pulled out....the keys to my car. I have no idea when he grabbed them, but he kept them hidden from me while I fed him his bottle and rocked him. Apparently he was hoping to snuggle with them tonight....or take the car for a midnight spin ;)

So for those of you who need some spice in their food like my son needs keys, then this soup is for you. It's a comfort food with a spicy kick!

 

 

Cream Chicken Corn Chowder with a Kick
1 onion, diced
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 cups diced potatoes
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, drained
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small can green chiles
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Several hearty dashes of hot sauce

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the flour, cook for one minute, stirring continuously. Add in the broth, milk, potatoes, creamed corn, corn, bacon, chiles and garlic powder. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Don't let the soup come to a full boil. Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the chicken. Season with the salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Don't be shy with the hot sauce!  Stir to incorporate the seasonings, and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buddies

 

 

Muddy Buddies + the flavors of chocolate chip cookie dough = Addictive!

When my husband eats more of these than I do, you know it must be good.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buddies

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablepsoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
6 ounces white chocolate
1 teaspoon oil
3 cups Chex cereal (I used Rice Chex)

Measure out the Chex cereal in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the sugars, flour, and salt. Mix well, making sure there are no lumps of brown sugar. Microwave the white chocolate in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Stir in the oil. Pour the chocolate over the Chex cereal and stir carefully until the cereal is well coated. Stir* in 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips until well distributed. Pour in the flour/sugar mixture and remaining chocolate chips until all the cereal is coated. Enjoy!

*Adding the chocolate chips at this stage ensures that the chips don't just sink to the bottom of the bowl if they were added with the flour/sugar mixture.

Hash Brown Crusted Quiche

This dish features all the favorite breakfast foods--sausage, eggs, and hashbrowns--in a beautiful, cheesy quiche! It's so easy to put together because hashbrowns form the crust!

Hash Brown Crusted Quiche
3 1/2 cups shredded frozen hash browns, thawed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk or 2% milk
8 ounces turkey sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the hash browns with the melted butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate to form a crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.
Meanwhile, cook the sausage and onion in a small pan over medium heat until the sausage is browned and the onions are tender.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and add the sausage mixture and remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is done, pour the egg mixture over it and put it back in the oven. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown and puffy.

Adapted from Food Network

Almond Joy Brownie Batter Cookies

 

It seems as if our family has been playing "musical colds." Have you played this game? One family member gets sick, passes it on to another family member, gets better, and picks up a different cold. We all just rotate between colds to the music of sneezing and coughing. And there are cough drops and Alka Seltzer as prizes. 

It's not a fun game. 

However, after weeks of playing this "game," I think we are finally (knock on wood) done!

In order to celebrate, I made cookies! Better yet, they are super easy cookies that start with a brownie mix! All the flavors of an Almond Joy in a chewy cookie!

See that delicious coconut filling? Yum.....

Almond Joy Brownie Batter Cookies

1 box brownie mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1/3 cup chopped almonds (or more if you prefer)

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips (or more if you prefer)

1/2 of a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the brownie mix, eggs, and oil until well combined. Stir in almonds and chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut and sweetened condensed milk.

Now, you can put these cookies together two different ways. You can scoop a large mound of cookie dough, flatten it in your hand, then scoop a smaller mound of the coconut mixture onto the cookie dough and wrap it up in the cookie dough. Or, you can scoop a mound of cookie dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, flatten it, then scoop some of the coconut mixture onto the dough, and place a smaller, flattened piece of cookie dough on top to cover it. Either way, these cookies will be on the larger side.

Cook on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 12 - 14 minutes, or until set. Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, and then enjoy! These are especially good when they are warm.

Adapted from bakerunlive.com

Italian Cheese Loaf

Whenever I try a new recipe for dinner, I always watch my husband's face as he takes his first bite. If he eats it without changing facial expressions, then I know that the recipe is just okay, nothing noteworthy. If he gets this look of deep concentration, then it's either really good, or really bad. When he bit into this Italian Cheese Loaf, he got that look of deep concentration....and then devoured it....I took that as a sign that we have a winner here.

 

It's a warm, crusty loaf with a hearty filling of Italian spices, refreshing tomatoes, and melted cheeses.  

Italian Cheese Loaf

1 loaf (1 pound) French or Italian bread
8 oz. ground turkey or Italian sausage or ground beef, browned and drained (if necessary)

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

3 green onions, chopped (I used the white part and most of the green part)

1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (I actually used the stuff in the can, and it worked great)

1/3 cup chopped olives

1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 

Cut off the top half of the loaf of bread. Set aside the top half. Hollow out the bottom half of the loaf, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. 

Mix the remaining ingredients together and spoon into the hollowed out bottom half of the loaf. Top with the top half of the loaf and wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (When I baked this, it was only warm inside after 25 minutes. So I removed the top half and broiled the bottom half for a minute or two to get the cheese all melted)

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Appetizers

White Chocolate Ginger Mousse in Lace Tuile Cookies

Sometimes my days get hectic and I find myself eating whatever my toddler is eating....Goldfish crackers....applesauce....stale graham crackers....and by the end of the day, I just want something grown-up and elegant....so I make this:

 

 

 

So elegant...so grown-up...and thankfully so easy! Apricots (fresh or dried) also pair very well with the mousse if you'd rather not make the tuile cookies. 

White Chocolate Ginger Mousee

1 pt. cream
1 tsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin, softened in 2 Tbl. cold water
½ pound of white chocolate, chopped

Bring half of the cream to a boil, and then remove from heat. Add the gelatin and stir until it has completely dissolved. Place the chocolate and powdered ginger in a large bowl and pour the hot liquid over it. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Cool the mixture until it begins to thicken. Whip the remaining cream to soft peaks and fold in. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Once chilled and firm, pipe into cooled tuile cookies and serve immediately.

From Wrigley Mansion

Lace Tuile Cookies

1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup light brown sugar 
1 cup light corn syrup 
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 cup crushed ginger snap cookies

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the salt, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Add the flour, butter, and vanilla extract, and mix well. Add the crushed ginger snaps and mix just to combine. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop large teaspoonfuls of batter onto the parchment paper, leaving plenty of room between them as the cookies will spread out as they bake to about 4-inches in diameter. Bake until the edges are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. When done, the cookies will be bubbly and flat. Once the tuiles are baked, and while still hot but cool enough to hold together, individually peel the cookies off the parchment paper, and drape them over a rolling pin covered with parchment paper and leave them to cool. Repeat until all the cookie batter is used up. When cool, store carefully in an airtight container.