Hearty Sauce for a Chilly Week!

I've been very spoiled with some delicious garlic from the Mother Unit's garden. I'm already halfway through my stash! The rosemary is also from her garden and I grew the cayenne peppers in Syracuse. At this point the peppers are just decoration as they're a couple years old now.

 This week I sauteed up some garlic, onion, and a green pepper with some ground turkey and emptied out a couple cans of spaghetti sauce to make a very delicious meat sauce. It's been nice to have a huge pot of sauce in the fridge so I don't have to think about dinner. I whipped up the garlic-chive butter with the last of my fresh chive (I'm attempting to winter the plant) and it made very good garlic bread.

It's been perfect for this chilly weather!

I also made a batch of my Hootycreek cookies this weekend. They make an excellent breakfast when paired with a giant cup of coffee.

Baked Gnocchi

I could not get a pretty picture of this dish....not in the baking dish, not in the bowl, and not an action shot. I was also really hungry and impatient. The baked gnocchi was perfect for my snow day, it was warm and filling. It was like a nice warm hug for my tummy. The smoked paprika was a little strong so I decreased the amount to 1/2 teaspoon. This dish was definitely better the next day after the flavors had more time to mix together and mellow out.

Gross.

But seriously, how are you suppose to photograph gnocchi? You can also see my carpet and a piece of garlic bread that I threw on a coaster. I'm just keeping it classy these days.

Baked Gnocchi

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
1 package fresh store-bought gnocchi
3 strips of bacon, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 of onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 can (15 oz) tomatoes, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Shredded mozzarella, enough to top
Directions:

1. Fry bacon until crisp, pour off the fat. Saute the garlic and onion for 30 seconds and then add the tomatoes and smoked paprika.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook gnocchi according to directions. Drain and add to the tomato sauce pan, mix well.

3. Transfer the sauced gnocchi to an oven safe container and top with mozzarella. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted and golden. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Cast Iron Love

I'm not sure how I survived without a cast iron skillet for so long.

This dish doesn't look pretty but it was hearty and delicious. It made amazing leftovers too! The mushroom, onion, and garlic smelled divine when it was cooking up. This dish definitely took care of my mushroom craving.

Skillet Steak & Mushrooms with Gorgonzola Pasta

(Pinterest find! Adapted from thebeeroness.com)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound steak, sliced into thin strips
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh pepper

1/4 teaspoon minces rosemary
4 tablespoons butter, divided in half
4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, sliced
10 ounces mushrooms (white or baby bella)
1 cup white ale

1/4 cup half & half

Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
Pasta, cooked al dente and drained
Directions:
1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet until hot. Add steak and cook until just browned, removed from pan.
2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms get slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the white ale. Simmer until the liquid is reduced, about ten minutes.
4. Turn off heat, stir in the half & half. Return the steak to the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Simmer until slightly thickened and heated through, about 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with gorgonzola!

Sage is the name of the game!

I did not have a game plan for dinner tonight but inspiration struck as I was leafing through a Food Network magazine waiting for our staff meeting to start. I love it when dinner comes together (especially when you heavily edited a recipe!), you have all the ingredients at home, and you're using up leftover bits. In this case I was using up leftover pumpkin, cream, onion, and fresh sage. The added bonus being I got to open a bottle of wine! Who doesn't like that? Plus gemelli pasta makes me insanely happy for some odd reason.

Pumpkin Sage Alfredo Sauce

(from my kitchen!)

Ingredients:

1 box of fun shaped pasta (GEMELLI!!!)

2 tablespoons butter

10 sage leaves

1/4 cup red onion, minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup light cream

2 generous pinches of nutmeg

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to box.

2. Melt the butter and saute the onion and garlic for two minutes. Add the sage leaves and saute for two more minutes.

3. Whisk in the pumpkin, cream, and nutmeg.

4. Add in wine and parmesan. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Toss with pasta and serve with extra parmesan cheese.

Tablescape!

Meh.

I almost didn't post this recipe because I was so disappointed in it. However Mr. Lawyer liked it and ate it all week. I felt that it was lacking something, a little flavor, some pizzazz, just something! So if you have a boy in your life that likes a nice solid dish, nothing fancy, than this recipe is for you! On the plus side I didn't have to cook all week and could eat my steamed edamame so it was a win-win for us (Mr. Lawyer doesn't like it when I just cook veggies for dinner).

All of this! He ate all of it.

Even the peacock soup bowl couldn't make me feel better about it.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

(Pinterest find! from melskitchencafe.com)

Ingredients:

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water
1 - 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
12 oz pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 475 F.
2. Set an oven-safe 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

2. Add the diced tomatoes, the water, 1 cup of the chicken broth, and the pasta to the pan, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a vigorous simmer, then cover the pan and continue simmering until the pasta is tender, about 16-18 minutes. Stir the pasta frequently as it cooks.
3. Once tender, remove the cover and stir in 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the pepper, and the chicken. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary. If the mixture seems dry, mix in as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth as needed to loosen it up. Note: if you don't have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the mixture to a baking dish at this point.

4. Sprinkle the top evenly with the mozzarella cheese and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and bubbles around the edges. Garnish with the basil then serve.

Birthday Dinner!

Last week two weeks ago (I've been such a slacker with updates, I have 3 more recipes to type up!) was Mr. Lawyer's 29th birthday! Yikes! On his actual birthday we went our for drinks and then to a nice seafood place in Rittonhouse Square. We got a sidewalk table and were able to people watch while we ate dinner. They had Ommegang! *happy dance*

This inspired me to make a seafood birthday dinner at home on Friday. I went for a light seafood Fra Diavolo. I went with shrimp and scallops because why not? It was served with a side salad and some delicious pesto spiral bread. As for the color scheme....I went with "bright summer colors turning to the more muted colors of fall." Mr. Lawyer just laughed at me.

It was delicious and spicy, a big hit! It made a ton but the leftovers were gone in no time.

Shrimp and Scallop Fra Diavolo

(adapted from skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
6-7 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 pound raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1/2 pound bay scallops
1/4 cup celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
35 oz crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
8 fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced thin

Parmesan cheese
Desired amount of pasta
Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until golden. Add in the shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes until barely cooked. Transfer shrimp to a plate, leaving garlic in the pan, and repeat the process with the bay scallops.

3. Once all the seafood is removed from the pan add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil with the celery and onions, cook for 2 minutes and then add the crushed tomatoes and red pepper. Bring to a simmer.
4. Lower the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the seafood and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve over pasta, top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Beautiful Chard!

I wasn't wowed by this recipe. I had some technical issues with the rainbow chard and some flavor issues with the whole dish. But before we get into the breakdown lets admire this beautiful piece of produce. Isn't it just gorgeous?

When I added everything together the pieces of chard leaves gravitated towards each other and clumped up. It was impossible to evenly distribute it throughout the dish. Secondly the flavor was a little bland unless you got a hit of red pepper. A bite with the ricotta cheese helped the flavor so I added extra ricotta and mixed it up with the whole dish instead of just using it as a topping. When Mr. Lawyer  added some garlic powder to the leftovers that helped it out a little but overall it was very underwhelming. Sad story.

Orecchiette with Ricotta and Chard Pan Sauce

(from Better Homes & Garden)

Ingredients:

1 large bunch organic swiss or rainbow chard
3/4 pound dried orecchiette pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
crushed red pepper
2 ounces ricotta salata, asiago or pecorino cheese finely grated
1/4 cup fresh whole milk ricotta
sea salt and pepper
freshly grated Asiago
Directions:
1. Bring large pot of generously salted water to boiling. Separate chard stems from leaves; cut both into bite-sized pieces. Add orecchiette to boiling water. Set timer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for pan sauce, in large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chard stems, cook 3-5 minutes, until crisp tender.
3. After 10 minutes, add chard leaves to cooked pasta; cook 2 minutes more. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Return pasta and chard to pot; place over lowest heat setting. Add chard stems and any residual oil to pasta, along with butter, crushed red pepper, and reserved cooking liquid. Grate in Asiago; toss. Season with pepper and nutmeg. Divide among bowls. Top each with about 1 tbsp. ricotta. Add sea salt, pepper, and additional Asiago to taste.

Amazing Spicy Sausage Noodles

Let's rate this recipe: Mr. Lawyer had three servings and is planning on having it for breakfast. WINNER. It was simply and pretty quick. I liked that the sauce was light and not overpowering. Even though the sauce was just a slight coating the flavor was banging! The spicy sausage flavor permeates the sauce and the freshness of the peppers was so summery. I used all red peppers instead of red, orange, and yellow because that's what was on sale and it didn't take away from anything. There was a real depth to the flavor. I think it was the spicy sausage flavor and the wine. Delicious! 

Spicy Sausage & Pepper Noodles in Tomato-Wine Sauce

(Pinterest find! Adapted from thecozyapron.com)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed and crumbled
1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 peppers (red, yellow, orange), cored and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 box rigatoni noodles
Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, brown the sausage. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Saute the onions in sausage drippings, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the salt, pepper, and italian seasoning.  Then add in the sliced peppers, saute until tender (3 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

4. Add the wine and simmer until it's over half reduced. Add the can of undrained diced tomatoes and then return the sausage to the mix. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Cook noodles according to directions on box. Place the noodles in a large bowl and top with the sausage sauce, toss gently.

6. Serve with fresh basil, parsley, or parmesan. 

Tilapia Scampi

Mr. Lawyer made dinner tonight! He said he wouldn't make it again. It was decent but very mild, no real flavors. We served it up with some broccoli rabe from DiBruno Brothers which overpowered the dish. The gorgonzola cheese spread on bread was amazing!

Tilapia Scampi

(Adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine the butter, lemon juice, and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl; heat in microwave in 10-second increments until the butter is completely melted and the garlic has softened, stirring between each session, about 1 minute total.
3. Arrange the tilapia in the bottom of baking dish; pour the butter mixture over the fillets assuring they are all evenly covered. Sprinkle the parsley over the tilapia.
4. Bake in the preheated oven, turning the fillets every 10-15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve on top of pasta.

Desperate Pasta

I don't know what to call this dish....other than I really need to go grocery shopping. I was totally winging it, I did have a vague idea in my head from some recipes I had seen online but nothing solid. I tossed some spaghetti with a little olive oil and added this spicy garlicky cheesy breadcrumb mixture. Not bad. I had the leftovers for lunch and it definitely grew on me. It's a tad on the drier side but not really because of the olive oil. It's a weird sensation. It was a nice change up from sauce, especially when you don't have any in the house! It was totally slumming it though.

Spicy Garlicky Cheesy Breadcrumb Pasta

AKA: Someone needs to grocery shop.

Ingredients:

1/2 box spaghetti

A spot of olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 or more garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Make pasta according to directions, drain water and then mix with a spot of olive oil.

2. While pasta is cooking melt butter in a saucepan. Saute garlic and red pepper for a couple of minutes.

3. Add bread crumbs and cheese to garlic butter mixture. Mix well.

4. Combine pasta and breadcrumb mixture, toss well to coat.

Holy Cheese!

My life.

Did you know that it was National Mac and Cheese month?! I didn't know until the other day which was tragic. Luckily there was a one pot mac and cheese recipe making the rounds on pinterest. I was intrigued and reviews were split but I decided to give it a go. But first I had to set my table!

Yessssss, finally a two dish meal so I could mix and match. Just incase the mac and cheese was a bust a grabbed a ham hoagie from Wawa. Plus I knew the manly lawyer would not be okay with just mac and cheese for dinner, weird right? Well the recipe was not a bust! In fact it was creamily delicious in a "I'm going to explode your heart" kind of way. It reminded me of Stouffers mac and cheese, very thick and creamy. It seemed easier than a oven baked recipe but was very different from a boxed mac and cheese. You did have to keep an eye on it to make sure it didn't soak up all the milk or boil so I stirred every few minutes. After looking at the reviews I doubled the cheese which was a smart decision. Some reviews also said it did not reheat well and I'd believe it. It began to cool and clump up very quickly (so serve immediately) and I could see where the cheese would get grainy or separated upon reheating. Do not skip the dijon mustard, I actually added a little more and it resulted in a nice flavor/depth. It is SUPER RICH. After all it's basically just melted cheese. I would recommend using this as a side dish.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

(Pinterest find! Adapted from macarooniandcheesecake.com)

Ingredients:
2 cups dried pasta
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used two because I'm a cheese rebel!)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dijon mustard (do not skip, it was marvelous)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions:
1.  In a small saucepan, add pasta and milk. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook until pasta is soft, 15 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil.
2. Turn heat off, add cheese & salt & and stir to combine. Stir in the mustard & cayenne a little at a time, to taste. Cover and let stand for a couple of minutes, then stir again and serve.

Butternut Sauce

Need a change of pace from traditional tomato pasta sauce? Then this is your recipe! This butternut sauce was rich and delicious. It was definitely a heavier dish than I expected, it was very filling. I found several different versions of this recipe: some used onion or leeks, more or less butter, boil or saute squash, etc. One even sautéed the squash in half a cup of butter! Sounds amazing but I went with the more healthy recipe form skinnytaste.com.

Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leek Parmesan Sauce

(Pinterest find! Adapted from skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon butter
8 oz spaghetti
1 cup leek, white part only, sliced and diced (about 1 large leek)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
4 sage leaves, sliced thin (I only used two)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup pasta water, reserved
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.
2. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
3. In a large deep non-stick skillet, melt the butter, sauté the leeks and garlic over medium-low heat until soft and golden, about 5 - 6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and the reserved pasta water, little bits at a time, to thin out the sauce. Stir in parmesan cheese and sage and mix in pasta until well coated.

Garlic Breath!

This pasta was something. It was so soft and velvety. Amazing. Of course that's because it contains half a cup of olive oil and six tablespoons of butter but it was worth it. I'm sure you could get away with cutting back on some of the oil and butter. It was a nice change from sauce straight out of the jar: different taste, different texture, even better as left overs! I used a roasted veggie sauce and would definitely double the mushrooms next time. I loved the garlic flavor but it's not a date night recipe!

Garlic Mushroom Pasta

(Pinterest find! From Country Cleaver)

Ingredients:
9 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pound dried pasta
6 tablespoons butter
15 ounce jar of sauce
8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced (I would double this!)
Directions:
1. Combine olive oil and garlic in a medium pot. Bring to a boil then turn to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Cook pasta

3. Add a little bit of olive oil to a skillet and cook mushrooms.

4. Combine pasta and mushrooms in the same pot.

5. Add butter to garlic oil and stir to melt. Stir in pasta sauce and mix well.

6. Add garlic sauce to mushroom pasta and toss to coat!

Super Sauce

Tonight Miss Amanda came over and we had a super fancy meal of spaghetti and yummy sourdough! We pumped up our on sale jar of sauce with some sauteed turkey, onions, green peppers and a heaping of cayenne pepper. It's a quick and semi-healthy way to bulk up some sauce. One day I'll make some fancy homemade sauce....one day...

Veggie Pasta

This was on my list for cheap and healthy recipes. It delivered. Under ten bucks for the whole meal it fed the two of us and there are enough leftovers for tomorrow. Obviously there isn't any crazy in your face flavors like bacon or a cream sauce but it was still really good. The dish had nice, simple veggie flavors. It was a nice way to get a healthy does of veggies and you could you use whole grain pasta for an extra healthy punch. And quick! It was so quick and easy.

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Spinach

(from Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients:
6 ounces dried farfalle
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sliced portobello or other fresh mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups thinly sliced fresh spinach
1 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme
1/ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cook farfalle according to package directions. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until mushrooms are nearly tender. Stir in spinach, thyme, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until heated through and spinach is slightly wilted. Stir in cooked pasta; toss gently to mix. Sprinkle with cheese.

A Seafood Dilemma

I had a little bit of leftover fish from last night but not enough from a meal so I needed a side. In the freezer I found some leftover scallop pieces from the last time I made Bacon Wrapped Scallops, not enough for a meal but the perfect amount for a side! I found this recipe and used it as a guide. I decreased the amount of butter (reviews also suggested olive oil or a combination) and tossed the sauce with pasta. Then I served it up and topped it with scallops because we only had a handful, I didn't want them to become lost in the pasta. 

The result was delicious! The pasta had a light lemon flavor and the scallops added a little sweetness to each bite. The garlic wasn't overpowering. It was quick and easy (took longer to boil the pasta!) I would love to try this recipe with the original amount of scallops! Mmmmmm...

Garlic-Lemon Scallops

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter (I used half a stick)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 pounds large sea scallops
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, and cook for a few seconds until fragrant. Add scallops, and cook for several minutes on one side, then turn over, and continue cooking until firm and opaque.
2. Remove scallops to a platter, then whisk salt, pepper, and lemon juice into butter. Pour sauce over scallops to serve OR toss sauce with pasta and add scallops.

Italian Pasta

Mr. Lawyer's parents just went to Italy and brought us back some real Italian pasta! It was a little stressful deciding what to do with it because I wanted the pasta to shine and not be overpowered by a thick, chunky sauce. I decided on our No Cream Pasta Primavera and it was a hit. I am currently eating a bowl right now for breakfast and I think the pasta has actually gotten better with time!

Our Special Pasta

 No Cream Pasta Primavera (recipe HERE)

Tuscan Chicken

In honor of Mr. Lawyer's parents who are off galavanting around Italy and torturing us with amazing photographs I picked out this Tuscan inspired dish for Mr. Lawyer to make. He has mentioned that he misses cooking and after his chicken parm freak out I decided that he could cook this weekend. It came out great! I'm sure it can't compare to all the delicious grub that the parental units are indulging in but it was perfect for a cold rainy Sunday!

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup lowfat milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound fettuccine
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.
3. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through. Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.
4. While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sauteing for 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in one tablespoon flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
6. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

A Spicy Creation!

There are lots of things I miss about my New York home and one of those things is Pastabilities. Delicious pasta, bread and sauce. Clearly it's heaven. When one of the parental groups visited last month they brought me a container of Pastabilities Spicy Hot Tomato Oil and I was in heaven for about three days. In those three days I had that sauce every day as an after school snack and I did not share one single drop of it. Hey, it's not my fault the boy wasn't proactive enough to get some before it was gone!

Lately I've been hankering for some more but for obvious reasons their recipe is a closely guarded secret. I found two versions online that other people had made but I wasn't really thrilled about certain parts of each one. So I took what I liked from each one, smushed them together with very little measuring, and BAM! I have created a decent representation of my beloved Spicy Hot Tomato Oil. It's a bit chunkier than the original (I imagine that the restaurant strains or purees it but I am obviously too lazy for that), I was hesitant with adding bucket loads of oil, and I think I need to kick the spice up a tad more but overall it satisfied my craving! Plus it's Boy approved. I apologize for the lack of measuring with the spices but that's really something you should do to taste anyway!

My Attempt at Spicy Tomato Oil

(from my kitchen!)

Ingredients:

2 cans (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

2 cups olive oil (I would go back to one as a personal, a trying to be healthier preference)

1/2 cup garlic, sliced

2 ounces asian chili oil (contains pepper flakes)

1 teaspoon cayenne powder

1/3 cup honey

Directions:

1. Pour olive oil into a pot and heat to medium. Add garlic and cook until golden.

2. Add in tomatoes, chili oil, cayenne, and honey.

3. Let simmer for a bit.

4. At this point I blended half of it and then poured it back into the pot. This still leaves some whole garlic slices.

5. Try not to eat it all.

Not the most attractive picture but it's suppose to be oily, after all it's spicy tomato oil not sauce! The container I had from NY separated like this too so I'm taking that as a good sign. Having the slices of garlic is also authentic. Overall I think it's a great imitation of the Spicy Hot Tomato Oil Recipe!

For comparison here is a picture of the real deal, Spicy Hot Tomato Oil right from Syracuse.

Devil's Mac & Cheese

I think I will rename this recipe from "Spicy Macaroni and Cheese" to "Devi's Mac & Cheese" for two reasons. First, it's completely unhealthy. When I served it I told Mr. Lawyer that it was a "Don't ask" recipe. It did manage to put a little dent in my Cabot stash. Secondly, it's spicy! And delicious. It was a big hit but very rich so proceed with caution!

I made some very smart alterations to the original recipe. For starters, and most importantly, I added the jalapeno topping! It was fabulous. It gets nice and broiled and is kind of sweet/kinda spicy. It was my favorite part. The original recipe called for 8 ounces of colby cheese which I swapped out for the 1/2 cup parm. Sure the colby would have made it more creamy but another block of cheese?! I find colby to be a bit lacking in the flavor department so I went with the parmesan and do not regret it!

Devil's Mac & Cheese

(adapted from Sunny Anderson, Food Network)

Ingredients:
2 cups shell pasta, cooked until almost al dente
8 ounces Cabot Cheddar, shredded
8 ounces Cabot Pepper Jack, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup finely grated onions

1 jalapeno, minced
4 slices bread (or panko bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon butter
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg. Add the sour cream, egg, heavy cream, half-and-half and onions. Mix in all the cheese!

3. Pour over the pasta and mix well. Bake in a 2 quart (or 8x8) dish. Sprinkle the jalapeno and a little extra parmesan on the top. Bake uncovered until the top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-size squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the bread cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes (or panko crumbs) on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.