my old standby

i make this dish occasionally when i want to be somewhat impressive without actually doing too much work. :)

it's pasta with homemade pesto... it has lots of yummy stuff in it - chicken breast, chicken sausage, asparagus, mushrooms (sometimes), and zucchini. the chicken sausage that i like to use is this one from trader joe's that has spinach and fontina cheese in it. (i wouldn't recommend the sausage otherwise though - we tried bbqing it and it was nasty and the fontina cheese smelled awful!)

i slice the veggies and sausage, and cut the chicken into bite-size chunks and the sautee it all in a large pan. while it's cooking and the pasta is boiling i get the pesto going. pesto is pretty easy... i usually use a blender because it seems to make it more sauce-like than a food processor. i just dump in lots of basil with some olive oil and toasted pine nuts, and then i add some romano cheese. throw in a little salt and pepper and then add more of whichever ingredients are needed based on taste.

i like to throw all the pasta and pesto into the pan with the sauteed veggies and mix it all up with tongs and then serve it with a little of the romano shaved on top.

i kinda forgot to take pictures until it was already leftovers in a tupperware but here it is... looks yummy right??





i cooked this for a boy recently and i think he was impressed (or at least he pretended to be) :)

Caprese-esque

Working from home today, I decided to whip up a quick lunch what the ingredients that were on hand, and I ended up with this yummy salad.

Fresh mozzarella and cluster tomatoes on a bed of arugula, dash of dried basil, dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic, with butter garlic croutons to add some crunch. Light, tasty, and quick to prepare. Yum!

An eclectic concoction

Shaina and I met up to create a brilliant tex-mex concoction with corn bread, tortilla soup, and enchiladas. But by the time we finally got to the cooking, it was late, I didn't want to go shopping for missing ingredients, and we were both hungry. So we settled for something a bit simpler, and utilized the power of the George Foreman Grill (tm) to do it.
Starting from 12 0'clock, corn on the cob, awkwardly prepared with some spices and a buttered pan, pesto parmesan bread, breaded chicken tenders, grilled red peppers, and Grandma's famous mashed potatoes.

Alright, we didn't achieve any grand vision or theme, and we didn't push our limits, cooking wise, but we ended up with a decent late-night dinner and some leftovers for the next day. Next time, something more exotic.

Croutons

Easiest thing in the world.

Cube a baguette.  If it's a little stale, even better.  Lay it out on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and garlic powder.  Toss lightly so spices are even  Pop in the oven for about 10 minutes.  I did it at 350, but mine always come out a little soft.  425 might crisp them up some.

Homemade Pasta

I've always been envious of people who make their own pasta.  At a friend's house on Saturday night, I helped them roll and cut pasta dough and finally just asked them how it's done.  This is the magical ratio I received:

1 cup of flour

1 egg

1 pinch of salt

a little water

(while you knead it, if you need it)

Pretty dang simple!  Crack the egg into the flour and cut in.  Knead for 10-15 minutes.  Refrigerate for later, or roll right away and cut as thinly as possible.  I boiled it up for about 4 minutes, strained it, and mixed in a little butter, parmesan, and basil.

I feel like a real chef now!

Next time, spinach and sundried tomato pasta...

Cookies and Cream Truffles

The only picture I took is of the truffles chilling out in the fridge.

I use this recipe to make delicious Cookies and Cream Truffles that always mysteriously disappear in a day or two.  The first time I made them, I sprung them on my boyfriend and his friends during an intense session of Rock Band.  One of his friends grabbed one quickly between sweet guitar licks and appeared to gag on the truffle.  When he swallowed, he moaned and said, "It's like an orgasm in my mouth."  So take that for what you will...

The first time I made them, I used white (Uh-Oh?) Oreos, which gave the inside a nice cream color and enhanced the buttery flavor.  A lot.  I also made them in a Magic Bullet, which was tricky and small and took a long time, but actually left a nice grainy texture inside the truffles.  These days, I have my beautiful, gorgeous, incredible 11-Cup Cuisinart Food Processor (my Hanukkah present) which cut the prep time in half and left the truffles smooth and creamy inside, just like store-bought.

I coated the chilled truffles in a mixture of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and some cream melted together over a double boiler (or a small bowl on top of a pot, if you're me).  Alton Brown says, if you want the chocolate coating to have a nice snap, don't raise the temperature of the chocolate over 94 degrees F.  Without a candy thermometer, I didn't manage to achieve this, but it's good to know for next time.  I love the homemade feel and the richness of this dessert.  It makes a great gift in a nice little box, or just something to snack on, if you don't mind the calories!

Brunch: Fake Eggs Benedict & Mini Caprese

I've never poached an egg before so I attempted it today.  It looked strange in the water but tasted pretty good.  I didn't use any fancy tricks, or even add vinegar to the water (I didn't have any), I just set it at a low boil and cracked an egg into it.  I only let the egg boil for a few minutes because I didn't want the yolk to cook through.  I then placed in on an english muffin toasted with spreadable cheese (Kaukauna or WisPride) and melted some cheddar over that.  Certainly not healthy, but probably healthier than a real benedict, certainly easier, and most importantly, delicious!!

I also made this "Mini Caprese" ("mini" because of the size of the cheese and tomatoes) to flesh out the brunch aspect of my meal and help me move just slightly away from my two favorite food groups (breads and cheeses).  I halved cherry tomatoes and small balls of ciligiene mozarella, add a tiny dollop of pesto, a couple tablespoons of balsamic, as well as some salt and pepper.