Pasta in Creamy Wine Sauce

This is another one of those pasta recipes that I improvised and somehow it turned out great!! Try it out!

You'll need:
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 onion, coarsely sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely sliced
1/8 cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (plus a little more for topping)
1/4 cup dry white wine (like Chardonnay)
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/3 pound pasta - I used medium shells.
*Serves 2 - Feel free to double or triple the proportions. :)

Sauté onion, pepper, and pine nuts in olive oil in a medium pan for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Chop up and add some olives, and sauté for another 5 minutes or so.

Drizzle on more olive oil as necessary.

When the veggies are tender and cooked the way you want them, set the pan aside (off the heat) while you make the sauce. I like to buy these mini bottles of Chardonnary because they're great for cooking. Just use what you want and store the rest in the fridge!

 Start melting 2 Tbsp. butter on medium-low heat.

Whisk in wine and half-and-half.

Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes as the butter melts and alcohol evaporates out, stirring occasionally.

Add your cooked pasta to the veggie mixture.

Pour on sauce, and toss. Top with more parmesan, obviously.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese & Cucumber Toast

This is so simple, I can hardly call it a recipe. But I doubt many of you have tried this combination, so I wanted to share!

You'll need:
Wheat bread, toasted
Cream Cheese
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Just spread cream cheese on some toast.

Top with cucumber slices, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

That's it! Enjoy!

Egg-in-a-Heart

This was my dinner a few weeks ago when I was in serious need of a trip to the grocery store. All I had in my fridge was bread, some blueberries, and this one lonely egg.

The final product was A. Maz. Ing.

I set out to make the traditional Egg-in-a-Hole. (I really hate that name, but it is what it is...) While searching for a circle in my container of cookie cutters, I found a heart first. Fun twist.

You'll need:
1 egg
1 slice of toast bread
1 Tablespoon Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

Use any shape cookie cutter you want!

Melt the tablespoon of butter on medium-low heat.

When the butter is all the way melted, place down the slice of bread and crack an egg in the center.

Don't move the bread for about a minute while the egg firms up.

Cook on each side as long as you want, depending on how well done you like your egg. I wasn't in the mood for a runny egg, so I gave it a few minutes on each side.

Throw in the toast cutout, too.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sending you (heart-shaped) love from my kitchen.

Berry Yogurt Parfait

This is my go-to breakfast when I'm running late. Quick, healthy, and sooooo delicious.

You'll need:
1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. strawberry jam
1/4 cup granola
Handful of blueberries

For yogurt, I use All-Natural Brown Cow, and for the granola, I use Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin FlaxPlus. I also use homemade strawberry jam that I canned a while ago using this recipe by Pioneer Woman.

Just throw all the ingredients in a bowl, and stir. It would be a lot prettier (and more like a parfait) if you layer the ingredients in a clear glass... but who has the time for that?

Sending you love from my kitchen!

Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

I've been M.I.A for a while, which is a really good way for a blogger to lose followers... but I'm hoping you'll try this pasta and forgive me! I adapted this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's blog, so you know it's good! Check out her site for some really great step-by-step photos of this pasta.

You'll need:

8-10 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. fettuccine 
1 stick butter
1 cup heavy cream
About 1 cup chicken broth
2 cups Parmesan, grated
Dash of Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1/8 tsp. dried basil

Sauté mushrooms about 8 minutes on medium heat until tender. Sometimes I'll just cook them with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, but you can also use about 1/4 cup dry white wine (shhh...) to give the mushrooms lots of flavor. Just be sure to sauté until all the liquid is gone so the alcohol evaporates out of there. :)

While those are wrapping up, begin cooking the fettuccine until al dente. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium-low heat. 

Once the butter is melted, whisk in the cream!

Add salt and pepper.

To create the pasta, add 1 cup of Parmesan to a large serving dish/bowl. Pour the warm cream mixture over the cheese. Resist the temptation to stir... and add the drained pasta to the top of the mixture. Now, add the rest of the cheese and stir it all together with tongs or a pasta server. The pasta will probably be a little goopy and sticky, so gradually add the chicken broth until the pasta reaches a creamy consistency that makes you happy. You may not need to entire cup of broth. (Pioneer Woman uses a cup of pasta-water reserved before draining the pot of fettuccine, so you could do that to make this a vegetarian dish. I prefer the flavor of the chicken broth!)

Kinda messy, but so delicious. Throw in the dried basil, and please, use fresh if you have some. I was out!

I served the mushrooms separately because I had a crowd over, and not everyone is a fan of mushrooms. Crazy, I know. But you could mix them in before serving as well. Or add other vegetables, chicken, or shrimp. The fettuccine alfredo is a great base for whatever meat/veggie you're craving.

Sending you (better late than never) love from my kitchen!

Almond Basil Asparagus

This is a quick and simple dish that I make very, very often. It goes well as a side with almost anything!

You'll need:
20-25 stalks of asparagus
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. sliced almonds (or as many as desired)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

After you rinse and pat-dry the asparagus, throw all the ingredients into a large bowl.  Use a rubber spatula or tongs to combine everything, making sure the asparagus are evenly coated in olive oil and basil.

Spread out on a baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Love this!  Sending you love from kitchen.

Portobello Veggie Sandwich

If you've spent any time reading this blog, you might have picked up on my obsession with mushrooms. I put them in just about any dish I can, and usually it works brilliantly... except one time I went too far and put them in chili... but that's another story. In this dish, the mushroom is the main event, and it's a beautiful thing. This recipe was inspired by a sandwich from Gratziano's, an Italian restaurant in Waco, but it was my great friend Anna who encouraged me to recreate it.  A couple of weeks ago, as we're both devouring these amazing sandwiches and talking about how delicious they are, Anna says, "You could totally make this." Well, here's my version, Anna - this one's for you!

You'll need:

1 portobello mushroom

2 tsp. French vinaigrette

Salt and Pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped

4 sun-dried tomatoes

Provolone cheese, one slice

1/2 Tbsp. butter

French bread

Handful of spinach

Ranch, optional

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees - this is just to toast your bread later.

At Gratziano's, the mushroom was marinated in balsamic, but I used French vinaigrette for mine. Also, the pros say to clean mushrooms by wiping them with a damp paper towel, but look how dirty this big guy is!  I couldn't resist scrubbing it under running water.

Pop out the stem, and make sure your portobello is nice and clean.  Then, spread about a teaspoon of vinaigrette on each side and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  If you have time, let this hang out in the fridge and marinate for a few hours.  I'm impatient, so my mushroom went straight to the sauté pan.

Sauté your mushroom with olive oil on medium heat until it's soft and tender - about 8 minutes on each side.

I waited until it was time to flip my mushroom before adding the the bell pepper and sun dried tomatoes to my sauté pan because those will brown much quicker. You can add a splash of olive oil if your pan starts to get dry. Once those start to soften, top the portobello with cheese.

While the cheese is melting, drop little bits of butter on your bread and toast it in the oven for a few minutes... careful not to burn!

Now it's time to assemble your sandwich!

This also reminds me of the life-changing Veggie Sandwich at Elite Grill in Waco, except their version is dripping in butter so the nutritional value of the veggies sort of goes out the window.  Using olive oil to cook the veggies helps a little with that issue.  You can spread some ranch on the sandwich or have some on the side for dipping... because you'll definitely need a knife and fork to eat this bad boy.

Sending you love (with plenty of mushrooms) from my kitchen.

Pizza Scrolls

I'm a huge pizza lover - especially when it's homemade because you can customize it exactly the way you want it.  Try experimenting with different ingredients.  You could use pesto instead of pizza sauce; chicken instead of pepperoni; load with veggies; or experiment with different types of cheese. I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite food bloggers - Multiply Delicious.  Click HERE for her version.

You'll need:
I can Pillsbury refrigerated thin pizza crust (11 oz.)
Pepperoni, about 20 slices
1/4 cup pizza sauce
1/2 lb. mozzarella, shredded
2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil cooking spray


*Scroll to the bottom of this post for a vegetarian option!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Unroll the pizza dough onto a cookie sheet or cutting board.  I sprinkled a little flour on my cookie sheet to make the dough easier to handle.  Spread the pizza sauce all over the crust, and layer with pepperoni, mozzarella (reserving 1/2 cup for later), basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Then, starting on the side that's shortest in length, roll the pizza tightly.  Using a serrated knife, cut the scrolls into slices about 2 inches thick.

Place the scrolls in a cupcake pan that was greased lightly with the olive oil spray.

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top of the scrolls.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

Serve with ranch or more pizza sauce.  These would also make great appetizers if you're expecting a crowd.  Enjoy!

Three-Cheese Veggie Pizza Scrolls

These scrolls have been such a huge hit that I wanted to post pictures from my second batch.  I prepared them basically the same way, except this time I used sliced red bell peppers, cremini mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and a dash of salt and pepper.  

Then, I sprinkled on shredded cheddar and Fontina. If you've never used Fontina, you've got to try it.  It's soft, buttery, and sweet, so it's great to melt on sandwiches, in pasta, and of course, on pizza.

When I rolled the pizza and cut the scrolls, they were too large to squeeze into a muffin pan, so I just laid them on a greased cookie sheet, and sprinkled on shredded mozzarella.

Bake for about 10 minutes, and enjoy!

Sending you love (all scrolled up) from my kitchen.