Back in December, I had the opportunity to watch a cooking demonstration by the chef from a local Italian restaurant. He made all sorts of wonderful dishes, but the one that impressed me the most was a briny, saucy pasta dish. Looking back I can’t remember if his version actually had feta in it or not, but the idea of a soft, salty cheese with pasta has been in the back of my head ever since. If you follow me on twitter, you’ll know that last week I just did not feel like cooking. At all. I didn’t really feel like eating either. It was simple, delicious recipes like this one that got me through to week – this takes very little effort to make, but the result is impressive.(And don’t worry, I made an awesome grocery list for this week and am back to my normal self!)
While you could use your favorite jarred sauce for this to make it even easier, I find that it’s just as easy to make my own. Pasta sauce really is a snap to make and it taste so much better than store-bought! San Marzano tomatoes were on sale, so I used those and I recommend that you do too. I find them to be slightly sweeter and less acidic than other canned tomatoes, resulting in a sauce that tastes like you made it from ripe, summer tomatoes. If you can’t find San Marzano’s (they can be difficult to find and are pretty pricey if they aren’t on sale), feel free to use your favorite brand of peeled plum tomatoes.
I served my sauce on top of spinach linguini. No real reason for that. I don’t think it tastes any different than plain pasta and the nutritional differences are negligible. Honestly, I just like the way that it looks. Green pasta is so much more fun to eat than beige pasta! [....]
I recently received the December issue of Fine Cooking Magazine in the mail, and this dish jumped out at me. It combines some of my favorite things: pasta, brussels sprouts, blue cheese, and pecans. I couldn’t wait to make it! But when a quick flip to the back of the magazine showed me that their version had a whopping 670 calories, I knew I would have to put my own spin on it to lighten it up. With just a few simple substitutions, my version clocks in at around 266 calories – not too bad!!
I now that Brussels sprouts are one of those things that a lot of people just don’t like, but I think this dish might make anyone fall in love with them. The sprouts are shredded and then roastes, wich gives them a nutty flavor. Tossed with the pasta and covered in gorgonzola cream sauce, you’ll forget that they’r even there. If you REALLY hate Brussels sprouts though, you can probabaly get a similar flavor by substituting shredded green cabbage.
What I loved the most about this dish was the texture – some of the sprouts will begin to darken and become crispy as you roast them. When you combine that with the crunchy nuts, chewy pasta, and creamy sauce you end up with a dish that’s really a lot of fun to eat. [....]
Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed something: I NEVER want to cook on Monday’s. Monday’s are always long and busy, and when I get home I just want to relax. So I decided to plan quick, easy, and irresistible dinner for Monday nights. That way, I have no excuse to order in instead of cooking. This shrimp scampi was the perfect Monday night meal – the rich, buttery shrimp with a pop of citrus served over linguini and sauteed zucchini was on the table in under 20 minutes. And only dirtied two pots! With a meal this delicious and easy planned, there’s no justifying getting take-out.
I promised that Meat-Free Fridays would be back this week with a great new vegetarian dish, and I’m here to deliver! But first, did you see my super exciting news from yesterday? I won one of eight scholarships to the Foodbuzz Festival from Bertolli Sauces – my cioppino is officially on the menu! But in order to have the opportunity to demonstrate and serve it at the Festival, I need your vote! (I’ll update this post with more information on ho to vote as I receive it)
Ok, so back to the mac and cheese. Last Sunday was one of those cold, lazy days where I didn’t want to do much more than lay on the couch, watch football, and eat comfort food. So that’s what I did. This isn’t your 5 year-old’s mac and cheese: This mac is the ultimate adult comfort food. A rich and creamy cheese sauce blankets elbow noodles and chipotles peppers add smoke and spicy. Then, the whole thing is topped with a crispy layer of bread crumbs. What is like your kid’s mac and cheese though is that the chipotles tint the sauce orang and make it look almost like that old standard that comes in the blue box. This is great served on its own, but a half portion would also make a great side dish. [....]
Cannelloni is a traditional Italian dish that is similar to – and sometimes confused with – the more widely known manicotti. Cannelloni is a pasta sheet wrapped around a savory filling, while manicotti use a tube-shaped pasta. Sometimes – as I did here – the cannelloni shell is made in a way that is similar to a crepe. Since this type of wrapper is much thinner than pasta, it gives the dish a very delicate and refined feel. [....]
