Skinny Zuppa Toscana

I know that really the "official" start of winter was only like a month ago but seriously, this winter is already dr...a....g..g....i...n...g!  It's been the coldest and snowiest we've had in Utah for a LONG time. Needless to say, I'm always looking for something to warm me up.  I walk around the house in warm fluffy socks, slippers and a jacket and always drinking some warm tea.  I'm also always looking for warm comfort food to get me through the nights.

 It's been a while since I've had Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. In fact I don't know if I've ever eaten it at the restaurant, my husband and I swore it off years ago.  I enjoy the soup but the original is not so calorie friendly, with all the potatoes, pork sausage and heavy cream.  I was so happy to find a recipe that is not only much more healthy but exploding with flavor.  This soup doesn't miss a beat and satisfies every warm comfort food craving I had. 

Skinny Zuppa Toscana
1 lb. Italian chicken sausage
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped in to bite-sized pieces
3 small russet potatoes, peeled and small-diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cashew milk
4 cups fresh kale, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Remove sausage from casings and add to frying pan along with onions. Cook until sausage is no longer raw and both sausage and onions are light golden brown.  Toss in the garlic the last 60 seconds.  Remove from pan and set aside. 

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a stock pot, then add cauliflower and potatoes.  Cook until tender; about 5-8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove half of the cauliflower and potatoes and puree in a blender with a little stock.  Return to pot. 

Add turkey, onions and garlic back to the pot as well the kale, parmesan, milk and red pepper flakes.  Heat through, until the cheese is melted, making sure not to boil.  Taste for seasoning then add salt and pepper, to taste.  Serve immediately.


SOURCE: Adapted from With Salt & Wit

Italian Meatball Sliders

So, I don't know where it came from, but I've had this mad craving for some Italian meatballs for months!! Unfortunately lately I haven't been able to knock off many new meals from my ever-growing list.  My kids are in this picky rut and I hate it!! I also refuse to feed them mac and cheese from a box every single day so I am rotating a few boring simple meals until they start eating more variety.  I'll often make something else for me and the hubbs, that we can eat off for a few days, but that never lasts long to photograph.

So, I finally put my foot down and made these Italian meatballs the other night...and then made everyone eat them.  And to my and their surprise, they all liked them!  Whaddya know ha!  I actually had my toddler help me make these.   Her favorite part was grinding the fennel in the mortar and pestle.  The meat mixture smelled AMAZING while we were getting it together. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth in.

I decided to make these meatballs slider size, using my muffin scoop to portion them out, and serve them on whole wheat dinner rolls because we have little mouths in this house and I knew they wouldn't eat more than that.  You can definitely make them bigger or smaller and serve them on larger rolls if desired.  Anyway you make them, they'll be a new favorite. They are nice and moist with just the right amount of seasoning.


Italian Meatball Sliders
for the meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
3/4-1 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fennel seed (if you have a mortar and pestle crush them a bit but don't pulverize them)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 egg

for the sauce:
1 recipe Easy No-Cook Pizza Sauce 

for the sliders:
shredded mozzarella
shredded parmesan
chopped fresh basil or parsley for garnish (optional)
12 whole wheat dinner rolls


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl add all meatball ingredients.  Use your hands to mix everything together until ingredients are well-incorporated.

Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat.  Using a muffin scoop, scoop out meat mixture and place onto cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly, if desired, so they will will not roll off your bun. Continue until all meat mixture us used up.  Makes about 12 meatballs.

Bake meatballs for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, make sauce.  Pour sauce into large skillet and heat over medium heat.  Once meatballs are cooked, remove from cookie sheet and place them in the skillet with the sauce.  Simmer, covered about 10 minutes.

To assemble sliders, cut buns in half and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes or until they just start to get golden.  Place a meatball on one half of each of the buns, a pinch of mozzarella and parmesan then put it back under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  Remove from oven garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve warm.  Use any extra sauce left in the pan to dip the sliders.

Cherry Tomato Pasta with Spinach and Lemon Pesto

So, this is one of those pasta dishes that is so easy and takes just minutes more than the time it takes to boil the pasta to make.  There's almost no prep either, unless you make your own pesto (which can be done ahead of time anyway).  No chopping, slicing or dicing, just pretty much dumping.  Just the kind of thing I'm loving lately.  I got the idea for this dish from The Simpler, The Better, a pasta cookbook I have and love.  And because tomatoes and spinach were just about the only veggies I had left lying around.

I seriously made this dish on the fly.  I was running out of time to get dinner on the table in a timely manner and I needed something  FAST! The result is a fabulous, colorful, healthy and tasty meal, perfect for a busy weeknight. 

I used to think I didn't like cooked tomatoes very much but I've been putting these little cherry tomatoes on pizza and pasta lately and I have to say they're tasty.  They're very lightly cooked, so they still lend that fresh garden tomato flavor that I love. Of course if you have different veggies lying around, you could easily substitute them.  Asparagus, red peppers, even eggplant would be delicious.

Cherry Tomato Pasta with Spinach and Lemon Pesto
1 lb. pasta (I used penne)
olive oil
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
1/4 cup basil pesto (homemade or store bought)
juice of 1 lemon
fresh shaved parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Set pasta aside.

Return pot to the stove over medium-high heat and add about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add tomatoes and cook just until they start to split; about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add pesto, lemon juice, spinach and pasta.  Toss to coat well. Add enough reserved pasta water to loosen the pesto and make a light sauce.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste. Allow pasta to sit a few minutes until the spinach is slightly wilted. 

Serve warm with freshly shaved cheese.

Pasta alla Norma

I think it's kind of hard to make cooked eggplant look good.  It's hard to improve on brown.  Thank goodness this dish has some colorful counterparts to help it live up to it's fantastic taste!

I don't usually buy eggplant but I found myself with not one but two a few weeks ago in my CSA basket.  My usual go-to dish for eggplant is this orzo, which is pretty phenomenal, but that only used up one of the eggplants.  So I went searching.  

I found a version of this pasta dish in a Cooking Light book of mine.  With a few tweaks, this turned out pretty amazing too.  Even if you don't think you like eggplant, when paired with it's flavorful friends, you might just change your mind. I even went out and bought another eggplant just to make it again!

Pasta alla Norma is a typical Sicilian dish and is served with ricotta salata, which is ricotta that has been aged, pressed, salted and dried.  Although it can be hard to come by, you can substitute a semi-firm, salty cheese, like feta or queso fresco.  In a pinch, you can also use fresh mozzarella as well, which is what I've done here.

 

Pasta alla Norma

3/4 lb. pasta (12 oz.)

olive oil

1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of red pepper flakes

splash of white cooking wine

1 can diced tomatoes

large handful of fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

1/2-1 cup ricotta salata, grated or cubed 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Drop pasta and cook until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, peel and chop eggplant.  In a large skillet, heat a couple drizzles of olive oil and add the eggplant.  Cook on medium heat until brown and tender.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook about 30 seconds, then add the splash of cooking wine and cook until almost evaporated.  Add tomatoes and simmer until pasta is finished cooking.  Add most of basil at the last minute.

Drain pasta and pour into a large serving dish.  Pour eggplant sauce over pasta and toss to combine.  Top with cheese and the rest of the fresh basil.  Serve warm.

SOURCE: Adapted from Better Recipes

Caprese Lasagna

Mmm, I was so excited to make this.  I haven't  made lasagna in FOREVER!!  This is just one of those comfort foods that you can't live without and have to make just once in a while.  I don't do a whole lot with dairy because of my hubby and kids and we just try not to eat much dairy in general.  But, I had whole milk (which I rarely buy) in the fridge needing to be used, so I made ricotta, and I had a whole 4 oz. package of fresh basil that had to be used as well and 4 little tomatoes sitting on my counter begging to be thrown in the mix. 

I made this super simple because, ya know, you just have those nights where you  need something quick and easy that doesn't taste like cardboard.  You can make both the ricotta and tomato sauce ahead of time, even a day or two before.  In fact, I just used my bottled Tomato-Basil Simmer Sauce, which I made at the end of summer.  Can't get any easier than popping off a lid and pouring it out.  And it's still homemade!

I LOVED the flavors of this lasagna.  It's light and fresh and tastes like it just came out of the garden. No heavy meat sauce needed here, you will be completely satisfied and I guarantee you'll be begging for more.

Easy Caprese Lasagna
8 no-boil lasagna noodles (I used Barilla brand)
1 cup Homemade Ricotta Cheese
10 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 egg
4 tomatoes, sliced (roma or vine-ripened)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
2 cups Tomato-Basil Simmer Sauce
2 oz. mozzarella chees

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta,  2 cups of mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and egg. 

In an 8 1/2 x 11-inch baking pan ( just smaller than a cake pan) spread about 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom.  Layer with 2 1/2 sheets of lasagna noodles, half of the ricotta mixture and about 9 slices of tomato.  Top with about another half cup of tomato sauce and a few ribbons of basil. Repeat with another layer.  Top with 2 1/2 sheets of noodles, another 1/2 cup of sauce and about 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Bake, covered with foil, until bubbly; about 50 minutes.  Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Garnish with ribbons of fresh basil.

Brown Butter Risotto with Lobster

We don't often buy lobster, in fact we may only have it once or twice a year. But, my husband loves lobster and I thought this would be the perfect addition to some risotto for a special date night at home. Using lobster tail, which I bought on sale, allowed us to feel a little indulgent without breaking the bank.

This turned out to be a beautiful dish and tasted amazing! It was also easier than you might think to put together. Instead of using chicken or fish stock to cook the rice, I decided to use the water I boiled the lobster in, with a dash of Old Bay to spice it up. Pair that with delicious brown butter, and I couldn't have been happier with the results.

Brown Butter Risotto with Lobster
1 pound (about 2 medium) frozen lobster tails, thawed
4 1/2 cups lobster stock
dash Old Bay seasoning (or more to taste)
4 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chives, for garnish, if desired


Bring a stockpot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the lobster tails and boil for 8 to 10 minutes until the shells curl and the lobster meat turns white. Remove tails, reserving 4 1/2 cups of the stock, drain and transfer to a cutting board; cool for 15 minutes. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut through the top shell lengthwise. Remove the meat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, keep the stock hot over low heat. Add Old Bay and stir to incorporate.

In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to foam and then turns brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the white wine and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of stock and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Continue adding the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of stock to absorb before adding the next. Cook until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and the remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the risotto to a large serving bowl. Arrange the lobster meat on top of the risotto and garnish with the remaining chives, if desired.


SOURCE: Giada De Laurentiis

Mini Lasagna Cups

Lasagna is comfort food at it's best! My mom made great lasagna growing up. I loved the thick layers of noodles, creamy cheese filling and the tasty meat sauce. I always had a hard time waiting for the pan of lasagna to cool down enough to dish up so that it wouldn't spread all over my plate!

Well, the only thing better than homemade lasagna is homemade MINI lasagnas! Food always tastes and looks better when in mini form, don't you agree? How cute are these? I had so much fun making them. This is some absolutely delicious lasagna and in perfect portions too.

Making mini lasagnas takes about the same amount of time as it does to make traditional lasagna. Although you don't have to precook noodles, you do have to scoop filling into each cup. But a small scoop, like ones you use for cookie dough, makes quick work of it and you'll be done before you know it.

This is a fun way to change up your typical lasagna. It's also great for large gatherings or small munchkin mouths.

Mini Lasagna Cups
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 1/2 - 2 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
24 square wonton wrappers
1/4 cup chiffonade of fresh basil

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into pan and saute until cooked through. Drain fat from pan and add marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, dried oregano and dried basil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and just over 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Set aside.

Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Line each cup with 1 wonton wrapper, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides. Using half of the cheese mixture, divide it evenly into each of the muffin cups. Do the same with the meat sauce. Gently press another wonton wrapper, in the opposite direction of the first wrapper. Repeat layers with remaining cheese mixture and meat sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and wonton wrappers are golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle fresh basil over the top of each one. Allow to cool in pan 5-10 minutes before serving.





SOURCE:Adapted from Kevin & Amanda and Sensible Shoppers

Panzanella

If you can't already tell (by the amount of salads I've posted lately), I love salads and I love to eat them in the summer when everything is so fresh. Last summer I discovered this Greek Panzanella which I absolutely love, but I recently re-discovered this more traditional panzanella (in my ever long list of bookmarked recipes) that is wonderful and just as delicious. If you are unfamiliar with the word panzanella, it's Italian, basically a leftover bread salad. Typically panzanellas don't sport lettuce but I like to throw it in because I'm all about getting your daily greens, and this seemed like a no-brainer to me.

This recipe comes from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, so you know it's gonna be good. I only expect the best from her and she ALWAYS delivers. I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.

Panzanella
For the salad:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 tsp. salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
1/2 - 1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

For the vinaigrette:
1 tsp. finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp.freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion and basil. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.


SOURCE: Ina Garten

Chicken Milano

With the first bite of this meal, my husband said, "this is way better than Olive Garden."....and that is why we don't go out to eat! Ok, well, not really but I'm pretty choosy about where we go when we do go out.

This dinner is a real treat. It is so packed with flavor, it practically bursts in your mouth with every bite. The sauce is absolutely amazing, and although the original called for heavy cream, I wanted to use coconut milk to avoid dairy issues with my hubby and kids. The depth of flavor it created was wonderful. I couldn't believe how good it tasted, I thought for sure it wouldn't be up to par with heavy cream, but in this instance, I really think it surpassed it. The fresh basil at the end is a wonderful addition, but if you don't have any on hand you can use dried.

Chicken Milano
olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into halves (4 pieces total)
Cajun seasoning, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 cup (about half a can) full-fat coconut milk (or you can use heavy cream)
5 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp.chopped fresh basil
1/4 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) Fettucine pasta


Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a bit of Cajun seasoning on both sides. In a large, deep skillet or grill pan, heat olive oil over medium and saute chicken until cooked through. (Alternately, you could grill the chicken on an outdoor grill.) Transfer cooked chicken to a cutting board and cover to keep warm. Drain the fat from the juices left in the pan.

Once water in stock pot is boiling, drop pasta and cook to al dente, according to package directions.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over low heat; add a drizzle of olive oil with it. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until dark in color and tender. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet (or more olive oil if you prefer), as well as the garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and white wine; increase to medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Add the coconut milk/heavy cream and mushrooms and bring to a boil, stirring often. Simmer over medium heat just another minute or so; sauce will be thin. Stir in basil, Parmesan cheese and more salt, pepper and/or Cajun seasoning, if desired.

Drain pasta and pour into large casserole dish. Pour sauce over pasta and let sit about 5 minutes.

Slice chicken and serve on top of the pasta and sauce. Garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese and more basil, if desired.


SOURCE: Tasty Kitchen

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Creamy Caprese Pasta

So, a couple of weeks ago I bought this nice basil plant to keep in my kitchen or window sill. Well, I left it outside a few days and all of a sudden I noticed it was being eaten alive!!! I brought it in to check it out and noticed that small beetles had taken residence in it. I wasn't too happy. Now my plant is dying. I covet my basil plants during the summer because they're so nice and convenient to have and a very inexpensive alternative to buying fresh herbs at the grocery store every time you need them. Luckily I was able to get some more fresh basil from my mom's garden that I kept in a plastic bag in the fridge. I guess I learned my lesson!

Now about this pasta. This is the perfect dish to showcase some of the wonderful fresh flavors of summer: fresh basil and tomatoes. Everything tastes better with fresh ingredients anyway. I love the tomato/basil/fresh mozzarella combo, just LOVE it. And there are so many ways to do it too; pizza, panini, salad...you get the picture. I like this way because my kids are pretty good pasta eaters and this dish in particular came together very quickly; always a plus in my book, especially after a long day. You'll love it too. It's nice and creamy and packed with flavor.

Creamy Caprese Pasta
1/2 pound whole wheat tube pasta, such as penne, rigatoni or ziti
1 cup of your favorite pasta/tomato sauce
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves; about 5-6 large leaves
Fresh grated parmesan cheese, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat tomato sauce over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream and grated parmesan. Fold in mozzarella cubes (reserving some of them to top the pasta with), tomatoes and about 3-4 of the chopped fresh basil leaves.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and pour into a large casserole dish. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Top with remaining fresh mozzarella, add more if you like. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Top with additional fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese.



SOURCE: How Sweet It Is

Chicken Parmesan

Back when my husband and I were first married, I used to make chicken parmesan often; well, my version of it anyway. It was also my favorite meal to take to my friends who had just had a baby. For some reason, over the years, I stopped making it. Then a while back I saw this version, bookmarked it and it still took me forever to try it! Call me crazy because this stuff is CRAZY good.

I'm not really a fan of fried foods, although chicken parmesan is traditionally fried. However, this version is baked, after sauteing the bread crumbs in olive oil, still giving it a crunchy texture and keeping the chicken moist and tender. For me, the flavors and seasonings are SPOT ON. There's a good balance without being overpowering. You're definitely going to want to make this soon. I will be keeping it in my monthly rotation for a while, if we ever get sick of it.

Chicken Parmesan
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 large eggs
cooking spray
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into halves (4 pieces total)
2 cups marinara sauce, warmed
about 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp. minced fresh basil
Hot cooked spaghetti noodles

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Combine the breadcrumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat until golden, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Spread the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and allow to cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.

In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper together. In a third shallow dish whisk together the eggs.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Lightly dredge each chicken piece in the flour to coat completely, shaking off the excess. Then dip into the eggs and finally coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Press on the breadcrumbs to make sure they adhere. Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until the chicken is no longer pink and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce over the top of each piece of chicken and top with 2 tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the fresh basil and serve as desired, with extra Parmesan and marinara sauce on a bed of hot cooked spaghetti.


SOURCE: Annie's Eats

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Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Homemade cheese? Who knew, right? I love how I can make just about anything I want from scratch. There's not only the satisfaction in doing it, you often times get a superior, more fresh product and there's not all those preservatives and additives you get from processed food products.

Let me tell you this stuff is heaven! It's rich and creamy, totally indulgent and super easy to boot! Ricotta, meaning "recooked" in Italian, is typically made from the whey from making cheese or yogurt. While that method is not difficult, this is just a few steps easier and just as delicious.

Ricotta is great in lasagna, cannoli, ravioli stuffing, stuffed shells and cheese cakes. I mostly enjoyed it plain, smeared on top of some crusty, toasted bread. I have been known to throw ricotta into pancakes as well; there's another great use!


Homemade Ricotta Cheese
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 190°F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

After an hour the ricotta will be tender and spreadable. If you like a softer spread, you'll stop straining at this point. Put it in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will also firm up a bit once it's chilled. After about two hours, the ricotta will be more like cream cheese, thick but still spreadable and still very smooth.

Discard the whey, or, save it and google the many ways you can use it. Even better yet, save it and make ricotta using the "recooked" method.

SOURCE: Smitten Kitchen

Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce

I love hoarding fresh garden tomatoes during the summer time. The last time we had a garden, I planted about 11 tomato plants. I love eating them fresh, but I like to plant so many so I can do some home canning. I love to do spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, salsa and just some stewed tomatoes as well.

It's been several months now that my supply of spaghetti sauce has ended and I can't wait to make more of it by summer's end. In the meantime, I have been trying other recipes but have not found something I like as much.

With that said, however, I did like this sauce. It is simple, easy and pretty tasty, especially if you are a fan of garlic. I like garlic to begin with but I absolutely love the taste that roasted garlic brings to a dish.

This sauce, along with a sprinkle of freshly shaved parmesan cheese, would compliment any pasta. It would also be great on homemade pizza as well.


Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce
1 large onion, chopped
3 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
1/4 c. tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp dried basil
2 (28 oz) cans whole Italian tomatoes, with juices
3 whole heads roasted garlic, cloves removed from peels

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel off the loose papery skins of each of the heads of garlic. Cut the top 1/4-1/2 off of each of the heads and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the garlic heads in foil and bake for about 45 minutes.

Allow garlic to cool enough to handle it without getting burned. Either squeeze the garlic cloves out with your hand, or use a small fork to pull them from their skins. Set garlic aside.

In a large saucepan saute onion in oil over med-high head until lightly golden, about 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute, stirring, for 1 min. Add tomato paste, salt, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, and basil, and cook for another minute longer. Add tomatoes, with their juices, crushing with your hands as you place them in the pan. Stir to combine well and bring to boil. Reduce heat to slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add roasted garlic cloves and stir to combine. Continue to simmer for 30-45 min. longer or until flavors have come together.

Serve over pasta or use as pizza sauce. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts of sauce.

SOURCE: Perry's Plate

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Cherry Pistachio Biscotti

Just about every month we have a family dinner and celebrate everyone's birthday that falls in that month. A while back it happened to be my mom's birthday and we decided to have an Italian-themed meal. I put it together with my sister and it was lots of fun and a big hit! We had spaghetti and meatballs, Zuppa Toscana, garlic bread, yummy salad and for dessert my sister got some spumoni ice cream and I made these biscotti.

Biscotti are fun to make and you can create so many flavor combinations, probably as endlessly as cookie combinations. For this biscotti, I really wanted it to just "scream" Italian and I thought pistachios and dried cherries were perfect, especially since they are two of the flavors in traditional spumoni. The biscotti turned out wonderfully! The saltiness of the pistachios worked great with the sweetness of the dried cherries. It was also a great dipper for our ice cream.


Cherry Pistachio Biscotti
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup dried cherries


In a small bowl, beat sugar and oil until blended. Beat in eggs, then almond and vanilla extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture and mix well (dough will be stiff). Stir in pistachios and cherries.

Divide dough in half. With floured hands, shape each half into a 12-in. x 2-in. rectangle on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until set.

Place pan on wire rack. When cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.

SOURCE: Adapted from Taste of Home

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Lasagna Rolls

I have had this recipe for so many years, I can't believe I'm just now getting around to posting it. The first time I made it was for some friends we had over for dinner and it was a huge hit!

I've had some serious cravings the past couple of months. Pregnancy will do that to you once in a while. I could not stop craving lasagna so I just had to make it again. Now, I don't usually make meals with so much dairy when my husband works (lactose-intolerant), but he had the week off so he said to bring it on.

I like that this lasagna uses a marinara rather than a meat sauce. I felt like the cheese and spinach mixture were definitely filling enough and more the star of the dish. However, we all loved the little crumbs of bacon here and there, which gave it a yummy kind of smoky taste.

Although these lasagna rolls may have an extra step or two compared to your typical lasagna, it's definitely worth it and not difficult. To save time when you're actually putting it together, you can do some of the steps ahead of time, like prepare your favorite marinara sauce, cook and crumble the bacon and even make the bechamel right before. You've gotta try these, you'll just love them!

Lasagna Rolls

For the Bechamel Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

For the Lasagna:
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
6 ounces bacon
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
14 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided


Turn oven to broil. Place bacon slices on a cookie sheet and broil about 4-5 minutes on one side. Flip bacon over and cook another 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Once cool, crumble bacon and reserve.

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, bacon crumbles, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. (I actually used my stick blender to blend the spinach, ricotta and egg together, before I added the rest, so my girls wouldn't pick out the spinach. And it worked too!)

Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Salt, if desired. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite; about 1-2 minutes shy of what the package says to cook them for. (Note: I always add 2-3 extra noodles in the pot in case I need more or they rip.) Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13x9 glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3-4 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at one end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down on top of the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon the marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes to firm up a bit.

SOURCE:Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

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Sweet Italian Sausage and Spaghetti Bolognese

Years ago I began making my spaghetti sauce with ground beef because, like most daughters, that's what my mother did and my cooking roots came from her. It wasn't until I got married that I explored other things in making my spaghetti sauce. For example, I threw in mushrooms and zucchini lots of times and per my husband's request started using Italian sausage. I found out that I really loved sausage in my spaghetti sauce and that I much preferred it over ground beef. One thing that I didn't like about sausage though, was that if you're not careful about what kind you buy, you can get some pretty gristly stuff that's not too appetizing. Finally, I got to the point where I didn't even want to buy pre-packaged sausage and started searching for a recipe that I could easily make at home with the knowledge of every single ingredient that went into it.

In my search, I found this breakfast sausage blend that we really love and enjoy but I didn't think the flavor combination was quite right for a big bowl of Italian-style spaghetti. Then I came across this Italian blend and as soon as I saw the list of ingredients, I knew I was going to love it! And love it we did. My girls, however, didn't like the big fennel seeds in it so next time, I might try grinding them a little bit before I add them. This is a very flavorful sausage, so whatever you pair it with, I would make sure it is very lightly seasoned.

Sweet Italian Sausage
5 lbs ground meat (chicken, beef or pork or a combination)
40 grams kosher salt
35 grams sugar
20 grams toasted fennel seeds
6 grams cracked black pepper
4 grams ground nutmeg
1 cup minced fresh parsley
1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup dry sherry (I used sherry cooking wine)

Mix all the spices together then add it to your meat. Using the paddle attachment to a stand mixer (or a stout wooden spoon, or your VERY clean hands), mix the sausage well. Add the sherry to the meat mixture. With a stand mixer set on level 1, let this go for 90 seconds. It might take a little longer with the spoon or hands. You want the mixture to get a little sticky and begin to bind to itself – it is a lot like what happens when you knead bread.

Now you have sausage. I like to portion mine out in to 1 lb. sections and freeze it. You could make 1 lb. blocks, links, patties, meatballs or whatever shape you want!

For the Bolognese sauce:
olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 quart crushed tomatoes (you could also use tomato sauce)
1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage

Drizzle olive oil into a large saucepan and add onion and sausage. Fry on medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink. Add crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot over cooked spaghetti and shave fresh parmesan over the top.

SOURCE:Sausage recipe Adapted from Simply Recipes

Portabello and Black Bean Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Sauce

I am increasingly enjoying many more meatless dishes and, to my surprise, I'm finding it pretty easy to find meatless main dishes that are really flavorful. When I saw these I couldn't wait to make them. Black beans are almost always my bean of choice and I love the flavor of roasted red peppers. Pair that with some mushrooms and this makes a tasty and "meaty" filling for these enchiladas. My husband wasn't so thrilled about the dish when I told him there wasn't any "meat" meat in it, so I put it off for about a week or so. However, he was pleasantly surprised when he actually tasted them and gave me the thumbs up.

I love the smokey, spicy flavor of roasted poblanos. It made really nice sauce to accompany the enchiladas. One tip though, the less time it's roasted, the more heat it will retain, so if you don't like too much heat, cook it a little longer, or use less of it. You could always add more tomatoes or tomato sauce too to tone it down.

These enchiladas do require a little more effort and time spent in the kitchen. Natalie, from Perry's Plate, suggests that you can make both the sauce and filling ahead of time so you won't spend too much time in the kitchen right before dinner. Or make them on the weekend when you have a little extra time, like I did.


Portabello and Black Bean Enchiladas
with Roasted Poblano Sauce
for the sauce:
1 poblano pepper
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. ground chipotle pepper (optional)
2 cups (1 can) tomatoes, crushed or chopped, undrained
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped + extra for garnish

for the filling:
2 roasted red peppers, diced (jarred or fresh)
*12 oz. portobellos (about 4-5 large), stemmed, gills scraped out, and diced
1/2 red onion, diced
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

12 corn or whole wheat flour tortillas
4 oz. queso fresco (or sub feta)
cheddar cheese
fresh tomatoes or pico de gallo, for serving

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Roast the poblano pepper (and red peppers if using fresh) directly over the flame of a gas burner, turning frequently with tongs, until evenly charred. (Alternatively, char under the broiler, turning once or twice, for 5 to 7 minutes total.) Transfer to a deep bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to steam for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika and ground chipotle (optional) and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Peel the pepper, discard the stem and seeds, and chop. Add to the saucepan along with the tomatoes, water, and chopped cilantro. Return to medium heat and cook, uncovered, at a steady simmer, until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 10 minutes. Puree using an immersion or stick blender (or very carefully transfer to a blender or food processor) until smooth.

While the sauce simmers, place the mushrooms and red onion in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and browned in spots, about 15 minutes total. Alternately you can saute them in a large frying pan with olive oil, until tender. Do not salt and pepper until mushrooms are finished cooking. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in beans and roasted red peppers (if you are using jarred peppers make sure to remove the excess moisture).

Reduce oven temperature to 375 F.

To assemble the enchiladas: Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place a skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of a tortilla with cooking spray. Heat in skillet for 5 to 10 seconds per side, adjusting the heat if the pan gets too hot. (You can also warm the tortillas in the microwave, wrapped in a tea towel, but make sure you spray them with a little water first so they are pliable without breaking.) Spread about 1/3 cup of the filling and 1 Tbsp. of the sauce down the middle of the tortilla and roll it up to enclose the filling. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, filling and sauce. Spread the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with crumbled queso fresco and cheddar cheese.

Bake, in preheated oven, uncovered (I covered mine the first half), until hot, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with fresh tomato or pico de gallo and garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4-6.

*Portabellos can be pretty expensive, but you can substitute crimini mushrooms here, especially since they get chopped up. Criminis are mini portabellos and a little more cost-effective to buy.

SOURCE: Perry's Plate


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Pesto Panini

Last month I went to this woman's conference down town and we had to eat lunch "on campus." There wasn't a whole lot to choose from and everything was way over-priced. One of the lines was a vendor that was making paninis and since that was the only thing that sounded remotely appetizing I stood in it, even though it was the longest.

Time passed and as the other lines were getting smaller, the line I was in didn't seem to be moving AT ALL! However, I was bound and determined to get my panini so I stayed. Finally, I think I was about the last person in line, everyone was clearing out of the eating area and the conference was about to start back up again, but, hey, I got my panini. It was small for the price I paid for it but at least it came with a bag of chips.

So, long story, well, long, I got to eat my panini and loved every bite of it. I have been dreaming of it ever since. I finally got to make my own version of it it the other day, using the leftover pesto I made for this pizza. I don't have a panini press but I do have a grill pan. I just set a frying pan on top, with two cans in it to weigh it down and it worked like a charm. If you need a break from all the sugar and holiday sweets, give this fresh and herby sandwich a bite.

Pesto Panini
1 loaf country-style bread, sliced about 1-inch thick (or ciabatta sliced lengthwise)
olive oil for brushing
2-3 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
8 slices mozzarella cheese
balsamic vinegar
Basil Pesto (about 1/2-1/3 cup)
salt and pepper

Preheat electric panini maker, grill pan or non-stick skillet. Brush one side of each slice of bread with olive oil. Lay slices, oiled side down on a clean work surface. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the pesto on every other slice of bread, followed by the tomato slices, a splash of balsamic and mozzarella. Place the remaining slices of bread on top of the sandwiches, oiled side up.

Depending on the size of your pan, place one sandwich at a time in the pan and cook until the bread is golden. If you're not using a panini pan, flip the sandwich and cook on the other side until bread is golden and cheese is melted. Remove to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve immediately.

Chicken Sausage

So, I was having a debate as to which picture to post for this recipe. Do I post the raw chicken with the spices mixed in, the cooked chicken or just the spices? I couldn't see posting a picture of raw chicken, and the cooked didn't do much for me, so the spice blend it is. It's a little more eye appealing than the others.

I got this recipe from my beloved Joy of Cooking book, it's kind of like the white bible of cooking, for me anyway. I don't know what caused me to search for a homemade sausage blend but I'm so glad I did. This is so much better than store bought and much better for you. Sausage can be like the mystery meat that you don't know exactly what's in it; that kind of grosses me out. This way you know exactly what goes into it so you can feel good about eating it.

You can buy already ground chicken but I like to grind, and when I say grind I mean put it in the food processor to chop up into tiny pieces, the chicken myself so I can trim the meat how I want. You can also use pork.

Make a bunch at a time and freeze some as patties for breakfast or portion out bits to brown up and throw into your favorite pasta dish. Either way, you'll find this sausage is very versatile.

Chicken Sausage
2 lbs. ground chicken
1 1/2 ounces dried apples (about 1/2 cup chopped up)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and squeeze the mixture with your hands until well blended. Mixture is very sticky.

There are several options for cooking and storing.  For cooking, you could crumble and brown it all up for immediate use.  You could cook it all up then divide it and freeze it.  You could make patties for cooking and/or freezing as well.  For freezing, you can divide uncooked meat mixture into half-pound or 1-pound portions and place each in a zip-loc freezer bag; then just thaw before use.
Freeze for up to 2 months!

SOURCE:The Joy of Cooking

Baked Manicotti

Oh, I'm behind again. I've got several things to post and want to share all of them with you! I'll start with this manicotti though since I've posted a lot of sweets lately. My sister gave me this recipe that she got from the America's Test Kitchens cook book. It's yummy and easy.

Stuffing manicotti can be kind of time consuming and a little messy. Using pre-soaked, no-boil noodles and rolling the filling up inside makes for a quick meal and easy clean up. Feel free to use whatever sauce you have on hand but I really liked the simplicity of this tomato sauce; simple ingredients but lots of flavor. I also added some zucchini in the cheese filling and decreased the amount of ricotta to make up for it. Shred up whatever veggies you like or add in some spinach, or if you'd prefer, stick that extra cup of ricotta back in and leave out the veg.

The recipe makes 16 manicotti. You can bake it all at once in a 9x13 pan or use 2 smaller pans and freeze half of it for another time.

Baked Manicotti
Tomato Sauce
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 t red pepper flakes, optional
1/2 t salt
2 t dried basil

Cheese Filling and Pasta
15 oz. conainter ricotta cheese
4 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
1 cup finely shredded zucchini, well-drained (or other veggie; some chopped spinach would be good too)
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tsp. chopped fresh basil

16 no-boil lasagna noodles (like Barilla)


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375°F.

Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs; set aside.

To assemble, pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.

Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using a soup spoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. (You should be able to fit 8 manicotti in each row, allowing all 16 to fit in the dish). Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

The manicotti can be prepared right up until the baking step then covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

SOURCE:America's Test Kitchen via Our Family Kitchen Table