Mushroom, Bacon, Chicken Pasta

I made this up last week with a bunch of leftovers from my fridge. I wanted to type it up before I forgot. I'm sorry again that the amounts are estimates. The combination of these flavors were pretty good. This is a little similar to the other spinach dish but this is a little lighter on the cream.

2 hand fulls of mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion
1 bunch of spinach (or 2 handfuls of bagged spinach)
4 slices of bacon, diced (I used turkey bacon from Trader Joe's)
1 cup of cubed chicken (I had some leftover from one I picked up from Whole Foods and this was the 3rd meal)
8-10 oz of pasta (like more ingredients than pasta)
1/4-1/2 Cup of wine
4-6 oz Mascarpone


In a big pan saute mushrooms and onions on low in olive oil until barely caramelized. When they're good and ready add the wine and let the mushrooms and onions soak up the liquid. Saute bacon in a separate pan and add to the mix along with the diced chicken. In the meantime, blanch the spinach in boiling water about 1-2 mins, remove with a finely mesh strainer and add to the big pan, and boil the pasta in the spinach water. When the pasta is cooked to your liking add to the mix (after draining) and then add the mascarpone and stir. Salt/Pepper to taste.

*sorry no photos.

Spinach Aritcoke Pasta

Ok, so yes this has lots of cream and cheese in it, but it's so so good and the kids loved it. I had all of this spinach leftover from my farm box and wanted to use it somewhere and happened to have cream cheese and sour cream which I rarely have in my fridge. I modified this recipe a bit by using fresh spinach, and swapping out the hot sauce for sundried tomatoes. My 1 yr old will eat anything with wine in it so I added a little extra of that.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
4 oz. neufchatel cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup white wine (or more)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 can (14 oz) quartered artichoke hearts
1 pkg (10 oz) chopped spinach, thawed (I used 2 bunches of fresh from my farm box)
1 Tbsp hot sauce 1 Jar of sun dried tomatoes, drained.
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
to taste
salt and pepper
12 oz. pasta (any shape)



STEP 1: Put a large pot of water on to boil with a lid. When it comes to a boil, blanch the spinach until bright green, about 1-2 mins. Remove from boiling water with a fine mesh hand held strainer. Cook the pasta in the spinach water.
STEP 2: While you are cooking the pasta, start making the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Mince the garlic and cook it in the oil until it is slightly tender (1-2 minutes).
STEP 3: Add the neufchatel (cream cheese), sour cream and white wine. Stir until everything is evenly incorporated. Reduce the heat to medium/low.
STEP 4: Add the milk and parmesan cheese. Stir it in until the parmesan has melted in and is evenly incorporated. Stir in the hot sauce and thawed/drained spinach. Add the sundrieded tomatoes.
STEP 5: Drain the can of artichoke hearts. Roughly chop them and add to the sauce. Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if desired.
STEP 6: Add the cooked and drained pasta and stir to coat. Serve warm.

Cajun Tilapia

Go to Whole Foods and get some Tilapia, but first ask them to smother it with their Cajun seasoning.

Bring home.
Coat saute pan with olive oil plus a little bit.
Cook in pan on medium heat about 5 mins on each side.

It's so tasty. Both my kids loved it. Have some milk or bread ready in case it's too spicy for your kids.

Serve with roasted asparagus. Never steam your asparagus, always roast with olive oil, salt and pepper. I do it in the toaster oven, so quick and easy.

Pumpkin/Butternut Squash Soup

Alice's Pumpkin/Butternut Squash Soup

1 can of pumpkin (didn't have time to roast one.)

2 small butternut squash (the smaller the better, more concentrated flavor.)

a whole bulb of garlic

2 onions (I used yellow)

2-3 apples (I used fuji)
chicken Broth ~3-4 cups
cream ~1/2-3/4 cup
a few dashes of cumin
a couple dashes of nutmeg
fresh ginger
salt/pepper to taste

Peel squash and cut into cubes.  Cut up onions (but not too small.)  Slice off the top of the garlic bulb.  Cute up apples into large chunks.  Splash some olive oil, put on large pan and roast in the oven on °350 for about 1-1 1/2 hrs or until everything is mushy, stirring occasionally.

In large pot combine roasted contents (squish garlic cloves out of the peel), some cream, chicken broth, a few dashes of cumen, salt/pepper and freshly grated nutmeg, grate in fresh ginger.  Just estimate the amounts.  I make mine pretty thick.  Then I blended everything with an emersion blender and simmered on super low heat for about 3 hrs stirring regularly.  Garnish however, I like to put some creme fraiche on top.  The roasting is key because it really adds flavor.

Sweet Potato Lasagna

In getting ready for the fall I will be making my sweet potato lasagna. I used the Cooks Illustrated hearty tomato meat sauce lasagna but I modify it with sweet potato/tomato puree and instead of the meat I add gourmet chicken sausage. The recipe to roast the sweet potatoes follows. It takes a while to make (I always roast the sweet potatoes on a separate day) but it's so worth it.  I usually double it and freeze half. You can also assemble everything during nap time and throw it in the fridge to bake later.

My modifications are in green.  Seriously it's so good with sweet potatoes.  I have another version of spinach lasagna that I add in butternut squash too and will post it some other time. I love this fall season. This recipe looks overwhelming but it's not.

Simple Lasagna with Hearty Tomato-Meat Sauce (modified with sweet potatoes)

Serves 6 to 8.   Published September 1, 2002.  
If you can’t find meatloaf mixture for the sauce, or if you choose not to eat veal, substitute 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, for the meatloaf mixture. The assembled, unbaked lasagna, if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. To bake, defrost it in the refrigerator for a day or two and bake as directed, extending the baking time by about 5 minutes. 
First  slice up (in 1 inch pieces) about 6-8 sweet potatoes (yams) and toss with a bit of s/p and olive oil.  Lay out on a baking sheet and roast on 350° for about 20-30 mins until they are soft...occasionally stirring.  Or you can follow the cooks illustrated version of roasting sweet potatoes but it takes longer, but is soooo good!  Recipe for that at the bottom.

Ingredients:

Tomato-Meat Sauce

1     tablespoon olive oil
1     medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
6     medium cloves garlic , pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1     pound meatloaf mix or 1/3 pound each ground beef chuck, ground veal, and ground pork  (instead of this mixture I use one package {5 sausages) of a gourmet sausage from Trader Joe's or whole foods, like a chicken apple sausage, slice and cut into quarters.  Then the meat won't overpower the sweet potato)
1/2     teaspoon table salt
1/2     teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4     cup heavy cream

    1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree (instead use a 14oz can of tomato puree or diced tomatoes to puree with the sweet potatoes)
    1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained

Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Pasta Layers

15     ounces ricotta cheese (whole milk or part skim), 1 3/4 cups) (I've found that the ricotta cheese in the states in mealy and not moist enough so I substitute this with COTTAGE CHEESE and believe me it's so much better)
2 1/2     ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)
1/2     cup chopped fresh basil
1     large egg , lightly beaten
1/2     teaspoon table salt
1/2     teaspoon ground black pepper
12     no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8- or 9-ounce package
16     ounces whole milk mozzarella , shredded (4 cups)

Instructions

      1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

      2. Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground meats, salt, and pepper; cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until meat loses its raw color but has not browned, about 4 minutes. Add cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and only fat remains, about 4 minutes. Add pureed and drained diced tomatoes (and the sweet potato/tomato mixture) and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and simmer slowly until flavors are blended, about 3 minutes; set sauce aside. (Sauce can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat before assembling lasagna.)

      3. Mix cottage cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in medium bowl with fork until well-combined and creamy; set aside.

      4. Assemble first lasagna layer according to illustrations below. Repeat layering of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce two more times. Place 3 remaining noodles on top of sauce, spread remaining sauce over noodles, sprinkle with remaining cup mozzarella, then with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake 15 minutes, then remove foil. Return lasagna to oven and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes longer. Cool lasagna about 10 minutes; cut into pieces and serve.


Here's the Roasted Sweet Potatoes recipe

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Serves 4 to 6.   Published November 1, 2008.   From Cook's Illustrated.
Note that this recipe calls for starting the potatoes in a cold oven. Choose potatoes that are as even in width as possible; trimming the small ends prevents them from burning. If you prefer not to peel the potatoes, just scrub them well before cutting.

Ingredients

3	pounds sweet potatoes (about 6 medium), ends trimmed, peeled, rinsed, and cut into 3/4-inch thick rounds (see note)
2	tablespoons vegetable oil
1	teaspoon table salt
	Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1. Toss potatoes in large bowl with oil, salt, and pepper to taste until evenly coated. Line 18- by 13-inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange potatoes in single layer on baking sheet and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Adjust oven rack to middle position and place potatoes in cold oven. Turn oven to 425 degrees and cook potatoes 30 minutes.
2. 2. Remove baking sheet from oven and carefully remove top layer of foil. Return potatoes to oven and cook until bottom edges of potatoes are golden brown, 15 to 25 minutes.
3. 3. Remove baking sheet from oven and, using thin metal spatula, flip slices over. Continue to roast until bottom edges of potatoes are golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes longer. Remove from oven; let potatoes cool 5 to 10 minutes; transfer to platter and serve.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

I LOVE MAC AND CHEESE!  I think this week everyone should post their favorite mac and cheese recipe.  This is so quick and delicious! I'm going to go make it right now.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Small Pasta (Shells, Elbow Or Piccolini)
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• ¾ cups Milk
• ½ cups Butternut Squash Puree
• 1-½ cup Monterey Jack Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons Pepper
• ⅛ teaspoons Paprika

Preparation Instructions

Peel and dice the squash and roast in the oven for 50 minutes at 400° cool place in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. 

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until pasta is tender (about 7 to 10 minutes). Strain and set aside.

Melt butter over medium low heat in a saucepan and add the flour. Whisk and cook for 2 minutes. It will resemble a paste.
Slowly add milk. Whisk until combined. Next add everything thing else. Stir until combined.
Add sauce to the pasta and stir!
Peel and dice the squash and roast in the oven for 50 minutes at 400° cool place in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth.

Leftover Mashed Potato Quesadilla

My mother is the master at making something incredible from random ingredients in the fridge. One time she made quesadilla's from leftover mashed Japanese sweet potatoes and goat cheese.  I had some leftover mashed garlic/spinach potatoes that I made last Saturday and wanted to do something with them, so I worked with what was in my fridge. You can use any cheese because people always have some sort of cheese in their fridge right?

-1 red pepper
-1 yellow onion
-some white stilton cheese w/ apricots from a shower I did a few days ago (can get it at Trader Joe's, run to your nearest one and get some it's so good!)
-whole wheat flatbread (also from TJ's, backup because the tortilla's ended up being moldy)

I sliced the onion and red pepper julienne style and caramelized them during the kids naps and set aside until later because I wanted to take them out to play before dinner. To caramelize you can do it a few ways, in the oven on low heat for a few hours occasionally stirring, or saute them for about 1 hr on low heat occasionally stirring, or a quicker delicious method I recently discovered, saute in a bit of olive oil, add some kosher salt (to bring out the liquids) for about 5 mins on medium heat until they're wilted, them cover for 20 mins and turn heat to low and stir about twice.

The rest is self explanatory, just layer the mashed potatoes, cheese and onions. I suggest using a panini grill if you have one, these are often tricky to flip in a pan (well you should see my kitchen after I do it, it needs a full wipe down.) Sorry no photo, they went straight to our mouths.

Roasted tomato pasta

This is quick and easy, the only thing it requires is hanging around the house to stir tomatoes every 30-40 mins, which can be made a day ahead, like on a rainy day when you can't go out.

Recipe:

2-3 baskets of small/cheery tomotoes (I love sun golds)

some olive oil

salt and pepper

a few cloves of garlic (minced)

handful of basil

1/2 pound of pasta

4-6 oz of mascapone (found at Trader Joe's, I use about 1/2 the container.)

Directions:

Heat oven to 200°. Meanwhile slice the tomatoes in half. Toss with some olive oil and kosher salt and pepper. Sprawl out the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 4-5 hrs stirring occasionally. When they're ready they'll be pretty shriveled. 

Boil pasta, I chose wagon wheels because I was hoping it would entice Finn out of his picky eating. Chop up basil. In a pot saute minced garlic, when that's down throw in the tomatoes, basil and pasta then add the mascapone and stir and coat. It's delicious! Enjoy.

Alice's Roasted Beet and Pepper Salad

I made this recipe up a few years ago. It's one of my favorites. Kids like it too because the beets and peppers are so sweet from being roasted, plus it's so colorful.

Alice's Roasted Beet and Pepper Salad:
3 large beets
1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange bell pepper
a bunch of green onions
cilantro
1/2 package of Harvest Grains Blend from Trader Joe's (consists of Israeli Style Couscous, Orzo, Baby Garbonzo Beans, and Red Quinoa)
regular olive oil
juice from 1 lime
"O" olive oil ruby grapefruit (or splash some olive oil with 1/2 squeezed orange.) Found at Whole Foods or Draegers, ~$15 a bottle but so worth it and good in many salads.
orange muscat champagne vinegar from Trader Joe's
salt and pepper

Set oven to 400° and cut the stems off of the beets and place them in heavy duty foil. Drizzle with regular olive oil until coated and salt and pepper them. Wrap the foil around but not tightly. Place in oven for about 1-1 1/2 hours, or until you can easily stick a fork through them (you don't want them to be mushy.) Take out and open the foil and set aside to cool a bit.
Set the oven to broil and cut the peppers in half and flatten out skin side up onto a baking sheet (with edges). Broil until they are mostly black. If you have a brown paper bag place them directly out of the oven into the brown paper bag and close and let them steam for a bit. OR, you can place them in a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Meanwhile, take the beets out and scrape off the skins with a knife, they should slide right off and chop into bite sized cubes and put in a bowl. Chop up the onions (including the greens) and add to the beet bowl. After the peppers have been steaming for at least 10-15 minutes take out of the bowl and continue to peel off the skin, if the skins are black and burnt then they will be easier to peel. Then just slice into little squares and add to the bowl. Chop up the cilantro (however much you like) and add to the bowl.
Cook the Harvest blend (or whatever grain you are using, this is also good with just plain Israeli Couscous) according to the package. Add to the bowl and immediately squeeze in lime juice, drizzle with the grapefruit olive oil and vinegar (you estimate the amount but not too much) and salt and pepper to taste. You don't want to saturate too much with the oil and vinegar so that it's dripping, just a few splashes or to taste, however do it while everything is still warm so they soak up the flavor.Mix around so that everything is evenly distributed. And voila. Best served at room temperature.