chicken spinach pasta

Sep 21, 2011 by

chicken spinach pasta

while away from the blog, i discovered another site (huge time consumer) called pinterest.  don’t get me wrong, i LOVE pinterest and all of the ideas that it gives me, but it is very addictive.  i’m getting better with it, but for a while, it was pin pin pin pin pin pin pin pin. fellow pinners, you can relate.  🙂  if you’re reading this blog and are a fellow pinner, you can follow my pins here: http://pinterest.com/jshoe84/pins/. any hootenanny, this recipe was inspired by a pin from pinterest.  it’s very rich, but has lots of flavors going on.  the original recipe called for marscapone cheese, but i had a coupon for philadelphia italian cheese and herb cooking creme.  it was very good in this recipe.  next time, i may stick with the plain ol original flavor,...

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cajun jambalaya pasta

May 22, 2011 by

cajun jambalaya pasta

tom and i love going to the cheesecake factory.  forget about the endless search for a parking spot.  forget about the crazy wait. forget about the overpriced slices of cheesecake.  it’s entirely worth it.  the far away parking spaces help to burn the extra calories.  the wait is spent at the apple store.  the cheesecake is devoured bite by bite and lasts a few days in our fridge at home.  the food is out of this world! tom’s favorite is the cajun jambalaya pasta.  my favorite is adam’s peanut butter cup fudge ripple cheesecake.  i figured out how to make the pasta but am nervous to even begin to find a recipe for the cheesecake.  i think i’ll just stop at the pasta and opt out of turning into the michelin woman. slightly adapted...

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sausage pasta bake

Mar 26, 2011 by

sausage pasta bake

i wish that i could be italian… making meatballs, homemade pasta and cannolis filled with marscapone cheese.  but i’m not.  i was, however, elated when i received “the italian issue” of the food network magazine a few months back.  it was full of all things italian and made me a very happy italian wannabe. anyways, this is a really fun dish to throw together.  i thought that i was making it for two, by significantly cutting down the original amounts listed in the article.  let’s just say that moderation isn’t my strong suit when cooking.  i was going for a 8″ square dish, but it made enough for a 9×13″ pan and we had it for leftovers and lunch.  a few times.  it was still very delicious!  this dish is also very customizable, based on your...

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crab cake mac n’ cheese

Jan 25, 2011 by

crab cake mac n’ cheese

kicked up mac n’ cheese is just about as good as the plain ol’ mac n’ cheese.  this particular dish is not as cheesy as i would have liked for it to be, but it is probably for the best.  this does taste just like a crab cake and too much cheese would probably kill all of those delicious flavors.  i also understand why crab cakes are so expensive!  1/2 lb. of fresh crab meat put me back $10.99.  also, be prepared to use a lot of pans for this dish. with all that said, it’s still worth it to make this dish. adapted slightly from rachaelray.com 1/2 lb. cavatappi pasta 2 tbsp evoo 6 tbsp butter, divided 2 ribs celery, with leafy tops, finely chopped 3/4 medium onion, finely chopped 1/2 small red bell...

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ranch bacon pasta salad

Jun 10, 2010 by

ranch bacon pasta salad

pasta salad from the box is really good for hot summer months when you need something to go with dinner in a pinch.  i decided to kick it up a notch and make it from scratch.  it’s my first pasta salad (other than making mom’s pasta crab salad, which is something that i’ll have to add soon!) 1 12 oz. box whole wheat pasta 10 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped 1 c mayo 1 pkg. ranch dressing mix 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 c milk 1 pkg. cherry tomatoes 1 c shredded cheddar cheese bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta until al dente.  drain and rinse with cool water. in a large bowl, mix mayo, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder and pepper.  stir in...

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chicken carbonara ala bran

Feb 11, 2010 by

chicken carbonara ala bran

bran came over and made dinner last night!  she found this dandy of a recipe from publix and it was delicious… not very nutritious, but our healthy sides made up for it.  i sautéed  broccoli with red pepper flakes, minced garlic and evoo and we also made a spinach salad with mandarin oranges, pecans and ken’s fat free raspberry pecan dressing.  we also threw in some garlic breadsticks.  now onto the main course… 1/4 c roasted red peppers 1/4 c sun dried tomatoes 6 slices smoked bacon 1 lb. boneless chicken tenders 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 c pre-sliced green onions, divided 8 oz. linguine pasta (bran went for a whole wheat and linguine florentine combination) 1 1/2 jars of alfredo sauce (bran used classico sun dried tomato alfredo) bring water to a boil for...

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lasagne

Feb 4, 2010 by

lasagne

lasagne is one of my signature dishes, i don’t think that i’ve made it the same way twice.  it has changed and evolved over time, depending on how much prep time i have, what i’ve got in the kitchen and how many people i’m cooking for.  i like to make lasagne split up between two ez-foil pans.  i like the long loaf pans because they accommodate lasagne noodles so well and i can freeze one for later.   they’re also very easy to clean up!  you can find these pans at larger grocery stores, such as meijer’s and wal-mart. 2 boxes lasagne noodles 1 lb. ground beef 1 lb. italian sausage, removed from casings 2 tsp minced garlic 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped italian seasoning salt and pepper, as desired 2 jars spaghetti sauce,...

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ravioli

Jan 24, 2010 by

ravioli

i may have mentioned this before, but i think that italian food is my favorite type of food to consume and to make.  these suckers were time consuming to make, but definitely worth the effort. source also, as a side note, check the price of the cheese that you’re purchasing.  back in michigan, i used to purchase wedges of parmesan cheese.  i couldn’t find plain parmesan cheese at the store, so i went ahead and purchased the parmigiano-reggiano cheese that was called for.  it wasn’t until after i got back home and started cooking that i noticed the $11.89 price tag on the back of the cheese.  i just about fell over!  next time, i’ll have to shop around to find economical cheese.  it was really good cheese, though. 🙂 filling 1 1/4 c...

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sausage ala vodka

Dec 27, 2009 by

sausage ala vodka

coming down from the holiday sugar buzz… 🙂 here’s a dish that’s simple to make for dinner tonight! this is what you will need: one package sausage of your choice, sliced into bite size pieces.  tom likes cajun style andouille.  i like sweet mild italian sausage.  the choice is entirely up to you. 2 heaping cups of uncooked pasta.  i like to use penne pasta. 1 green bell pepper sliced in strips and cut in half vodka sauce: 1/2 c butter 1 onion, diced 1 c vodka 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes 1 tbsp italian seasoning 1 pint heavy cream in a large pan, saute onions in butter until soft and slightly brown.  pour in vodka and let cook for 10 minutes.   mix in crushed tomatoes and italian seasoning; cook for 30...

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