One-Pot Pizza Pasta Bake

Posted in Italian, One-Pot Meal, turkey, vegetables by

I may not be a parent yet, but I am a teacher, so back-to-school in our house is a zero-to-sixty time of year with school days, school nights, and marching season! The concept of the one-pot meal is one that, as a busy teacher and lazy pan washer, I absolutely adore. They’re very user-friendly, especially for the multi-tasker. You fix the meal, cover the pot, and go do something else while dinner cooks…in my case, it’s usually laundry or a cleaning chore of some sort.

I came across a round-up of 15 Best Back-To-School Recipes over at Damn Delicious. If you haven’t come across this blog yet, click to it! It’s full of amazing recipes that are easy to cook and true to the blog title. This pasta bake caught my eye and I knew I had to try it. Including prep time it took about 30 minutes. I adapted it based upon the meat and vegetables that I had on hand.

One-Pot Pizza Pasta Bake

adapted from Damn Delicious

  •  1 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 oz ground turkey
  • 1 medium zucchini; peeled, sliced and quartered
  • 4 oz sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup pepperoni, divided – slice regular-sized pepperoni into quarters, or use the mini ones
  • 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp oregano, divided
  • 1 tsp dried basil, divided
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided
  • 8 oz dry rotini pasta
  • sat & pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the ground turkey and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes; break it up as you go so it gets nice and crumbly. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and half of the oregano, basil and garlic powder. Cook for two minutes until the zucchini starts to get some color. Add half of pepperoni and cook until heated through.
  3. Preheat the oven to broil.
  4. To the skillet add the tomato sauce, pasta, and the rest of the oregano, basil and garlic powder. Pour in 1 1/2 cups water and season with salt and pepper; stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil; then cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked, about 15 minutes.
  5. Remove the skillet from the heat. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, remaining pepperoni, and parsley on top. Place into the heated oven and cook until the cheese has melted and browns a little (about 2 minutes). Serve immediately!

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This was a hit in our house and my husband said it was ‘really good’, too – so I call that an absolute win. This may sound kind of weird – but this tasted a lot like Hamburger Helper but without all the weird additives in it. It look about as long to prepare, included vegetables and was, well, real food. This dish was good on it’s own, but can be served with a green salad if you want, too. You can also customize the vegetables you use,  especially if you like several toppings on your pizza. You can also adapt this to be meatless but omitting the pepperoni and turkey, and adding more veggies.

It’s a basic dish that’s packed with flavor – and only uses one pot. What’s not to love? Enjoy 🙂

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Fresh Fork Basket – 9/9/15

Posted in CSA, Locavore by

Its a good day when it’s CSA Day – or shall I say, Fresh Fork Day. Our CSA bundle arrives Wednesdays up at the church we occasionally go to; I’m slowly learning the ropes of how they do things. Apparently I can also order other local eats to supplement our basket such as meats, pastas, breads, eggs and more. I’m thinking bacon next week 🙂 Anyway, we have subscribed to the Omnivore basket – in addition to vegetables we will also receive fruit, as well as grains and occasional meat. I’ve also signed up for the Winter Share…which will bring us healthy, locally-sourced foods throughout the dreary Cleveland winter. You can imagine how excited I am!

Anyway, let’s get to our basket:

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  • green bell peppers
  • ‘longhorn’ peppers – my guess is that they are sweet?
  • leek
  • cherry tomatoes
  • Stanley plums (aka ‘Italian plums’)
  • a GIGANTIC purple carrot
  • two zucchini
  • acorn squash
  • butternut squash

I am in no way, shape or form ready to eat those squash yet. It’s a little too warm now – cooling off this weekend for a bit – so I figure these will be stored for a little while and put to use once the weather ‘officially’ turns. The peppers…I’m thinking either a pepper relish or fajitas next week. Tomatoes and zucchini are always easy to use up; if I don’t I will freeze them to use this winter. The leek should be pretty easy to use as well.

As far as the plums go, I am going to see how many my husband takes for lunch…if any are left I will bake something with them this weekend. The carrot…that huge, purple carrot…I’m thinking roasted, or chopped up for snacking.

It’s great to be blogging again, especially about a CSA share! And it’s good to be back into the swing of things again 🙂

Epic Return

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HI!!!!!!!!

Remember me? I am happy to report that I am back. Really, really back.

In June we sold our house and moved to Cleveland.

In July we bought our new house and I accepted a full-time teaching position.

In August we moved into our new house, celebrated 7 years of marriage and have unpacked most of our belongings.

In September, actually as of 9:30am this morning, we are members of a CSA again – with our first share available for pick up tomorrow. 🙂

So, as I said…I am back! New posts headed your way SOON!

Mushroom, Corn and Bacon Chowder

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My oh my…it’s been a very hectic six weeks. Exciting, but hectic…

My husband was offered and accepted a new position with a new company, back “home” in our old stomping grounds of northeast Ohio. He started his job last week and I’ve been batching it up here in northern Michigan. It’s very bittersweet; this place has become our home and we’ve made a lot of wonderful friends up here. My last day at the bakery is May 9; my last day of school is June 4. Things are moving very quickly and life has changed very quickly, but I know that the ending result will be absolutely fantastic and I may as well enjoy the ride while I am at it. I’ve begun the process of going through many of our worldly belongings and trying to determine what stays, what goes, and why do we still have this? It’s also time to put the house on the market – which means lots of cleaning, painting, fixing, hiring…I’m tired already. At least, I am enjoying having a cleaner house? 😉

Needless to say it’s been a challenge learning how to cook for one once again, as I haven’t needed to do that in seven years! At least I know I can pack up my slow cooker for the move and it can go ‘on vacation’ until we buy our new house. The KitchenAid is already in storage…which I miss already!

I first made this chowder about three weeks ago; I had one bowl and the Mister managed to eat all the leftovers in like, one day – which normally I wouldn’t mind, beacuse I’m not a fan of leftovers – but I was actually disappointed. So, once he moved down to CLE, this was the first meal I made for myself. It’s very satisfying, filling, and relatively nutritious. It’s definitely been a great meal to eat on the colder springs days that we’ve had (and are still having…thanks for that half inch of snow today, Mother Nature).

Mushroom, Corn and Bacon Chowder

adapted from Damn Delicious

  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 oz mushrooms – OP says shiitake, but I have used both cremini and white, and have been happy with the results
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried dill
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 lb potatoes, diced – I have used red and purple(!!!!!) potatoes!
  • 2 cups baby spinach OR kale leaves (trim off the stems)
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
  1. Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until it starts to get slightly crispy. Remove from pot; set aside in a bowl lined with a paper towel to drain the excess grease. Drain the excess grease from the pot and return to medium heat.
  2. Melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and onion; cook for two minutes, then add the garlic and stir occasionally until the veggies soften. Stir in the thyme and dill.
  3. Whisk in the flour, little by little, until everything begins to lightly brown. Add the broth and whisk it to combine as you go. The mixture will begin to thicken; keep stirring and add the bay leaf. After about five minutes, add the potatoes.
  4. Bring the soup to a boil; reduce the heat. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.
  5. Add the leafy greens and corn. Stir to combine.
  6. Once the greens are wilted, stir in the half-and-half and season with salt and pepper. Taste and seeif you need to add more. Garnish with bacon and parsley; serve hot with crusty bread.

This chowder is so good – damn delicious, in fact! – that I didn’t even get a picture of it. I thought I did…bummer!

I really liked how well the flavors of this chowder worked so well together; it also heated up really well. There is just the right amount of flavor and herbs, and there are plenty of vegetables. It’s very filling – a cup of it is the perfect lunch.

If you’re feeling a little chilled out by this spring weather, try this chowder! You will not be disappointed.

Harissa Ravioli

Posted in Main Dishes, One-Pot Meal, Pasta, Something New, vegetables, Vegetarian by

I have a fun one for you today!

We’re now combining the concept of ‘eating less meat’ and ‘Lent’. I’ve been searching high and low for a few new meatless meals that aren’t all about grains and dairy (which we all know hold the first several spots in my list of favorite foods) and may be relative nice on the waistline.

I came across this one in a cookbook that had been circulating around the bakery; lately we’ve been passing around a cookbook or two to get inspired in our own kitchens. I came across this recipe and was hooked because of its use of harissa.

Harissa is a spicy chili pepper paste that is THE condiment of Tunisia. It has a very rich, spicy flavor and is used for meats, vegetables, dips…you name it. There are several different variations of harissa; all of which vary based upon household preferences and regions. Our version that I found at Spice Merchants (I loooooove this store) includes caraway, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and dried chiles. It has such a neat flavor profile and after trying this recipe, I cannot wait to use it again (I’m thinking roasted veggies).

 

Harissa Ravioli

adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day

  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste/powder
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 12-oz cheese ravioli (fresh or frozen) (tortellini works too)
  • 8 oz broccoli florets, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces (broccolini/rapini works too)
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (almonds or pepitas work, too)
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 5 or 6 kalamata olives, sliced
  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. While it’s heating up, prepare the harissa mixture: Take the smashed garlic clove and sprinkle the salt over it. Then, chop into a paste. Transfer this to a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice, harissa, and olive oil. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  2. Once the water is boiling, add the ravioli. Cook until they float to the top of the water (usually 1-2 minutes is all it takes). About 30 seconds before the ravioli has finished cooking, add the broccoli to the pot. Boil for about 30 seconds to a minute, then remove from heat.
  3. Put the ravioli and broccoli in a large mixing bowl. Add the harissa mixutre, nuts, cheese and olives. Toss to combine and serve.

This meal from start to finish took approximately 20 minutes to make and was absolutely perfect for a weeknight meal and a Lenten Friday, at that. I used spinach & cheese ravioli; you can use whatever kind you wish, however. The leftovers heated up very well for my hubby and it really was a nice change from our usual meal line-up as of late. The harissa does have a kick, so if you are a bit wary of the heat, use less sauce when you mix up the ravioli for serving.  It’s simple, flavorful and relatively healthy, too.

If you see harissa at your local store, pick some up and give it a try. It’s a really neat condiment that adds depth, heat and flavor to what are otherwise ordinary ingredients. As I said before, I’m thinking that roasted veggies with harissa will be next 🙂

Crockpot Potato Soup

Posted in Main Dishes, soups, Vegetarian by

At this moment I’m texting my parents and siblings about the crazy weather back in Cleveland, and I’m gloating about the fact that northern Michigan is not receiving any snow. It is however, bitter cold out there with temperatures just above single digits (in comparison to last year, though, these temperatures are just fine; we’ll take ’em). It is perfect soup, stew and casserole weather.

Every time I make soup, I always remember how much I like to eat it and wonder why I do not make it more often. My husband is an even bigger fan of it, too. If made right, they’re satisfying, filling, and chock-full of all the stuff that’s really good for you. What’s not to love?

My February schedule is, for a lack of a better word, ridiculous. I do not have a lot of time during the week to really cook and have fun doing it, so I’ve got to think ahead and be practical these next few weeks – our Crockpot in particular is really going to have to pull its weight.

This soup is a crockpot recipe that really worked well yesterday. I spent my Saturday working in the bakery, so it was my husband’s job to finish up cooking and get dinner ready by the time I rolled in at 6:30. It’s delicious, filling and really hit the spot.

Crockpot Potato Soup

adapted from Cooking Classy

  • 3 lbs russet potatoes (or any potatoes that you have hanging around), peeled and diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 6 cups chicken/veggie broth
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • several dashes of salt and pepper
  • a dash of celery seed (if desired)
  • a dash of paprika (if desired)
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • your favorite potato toppings (cheese, bacon, green onions, etc.)
  1. In a 6 quart crockpot, add the potato, onion, broth, milk, and seasonings. Cover with the lid and cook – 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low.
  2. When you’re about ready to eat, measure out two cups of the liquid from the slow cooker. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, gradually add the flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the reserved liquid. Once this mixture is nice and thick, pour it all back into the crockpot.
  3. At this point, you can either a) use a potato masher or emulsion blender to break down or puree the potatoes, or b) leave it alone. Whatever you decide, afterwards turn up the heat on the crockpot to high and let the mixture thicken up (it takes about 10 minutes).
  4. Once the soup is nice and thick, turn the heat to warm and stir in the sour cream. Serve topped with loaded potato ingredients, or mix ’em in.

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This soup was very low-maintenance and tasted great! My husband ended up adding the bacon to the soup, and leaving the cheese and scallions for topping later. We did notice that after a day or two in the refrigerator, the soup did condense a little bit – but it wasn’t anything that a little heat and stirring couldn’t fix when we were ready to eat it.

What impressed me the most was using evaporated milk – I had never thought to use that for a soup before, but it makes so much sense! It adds depth and richness to a soup, without overloading it with a ton of fat like regular heavy cream or even half-n-half would. I’ve used it already in another creamy crockpot soup and it really works. Obviously this soup wouldn’t work as a vegan dish, but would be so for vegetarians or Meatless Mondays.

If you’re as busy as we are, and as cold as we are, I could not recommend this soup more! Enjoy!

 

Chicken with Artichoke Pan Sauce

Posted in Chicken, Main Dishes, stews by

You all know very well (or, maybe you don’t) how much I love to read cooking blogs, cookbooks, and other things of related nature. I’ve added so many to my feed that I often have trouble keeping up; I had saved so many recipes in 2014 that I got overwhelmed and deleted them all – so I’m starting fresh 🙂 I’ve had a subscription to Cooking Light for the past few years and figured that maybe it was time to save a little paper and cancel my subscription, too.

I found this recipe in the last issue that I received. It was so good that I may change my mind and keep my subscription after all…and maybe just do the digital subscription instead!

Chicken with Artichoke Pan Sauce

adapted from Cooking Light

  • 1 cup chicken stock/broth
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into halves
  • salt and pepper (eyeball it)
  • 1/2 cup shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp dried rosemary, chopped/crushed
  • 2 oz pancetta, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) artichoke hearts, drained
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  1. In a small bowl, whisk the stock and flour together. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 tbsp of the oil, the lemon juice, and garlic powder. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or in the refrigerator for a few hours).
  3. When you’re ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and add to pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook about 5 minutes on each side until the chicken is done cooking. When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan onto a plate or dish and set aside.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil; swirl pan to coat. Add the shallots, rosemary, and pancetta, cooking until the shallots are tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  5. Add the sherry to the pan and let the liquid reduce (about 4 minutes or so). As the liquid boils down, scrape the pan to loosen the browned bits. Add the stock/flour mixture and bring to a simmer.
  6. Add artichokes and cook until the sauce thickens just a bit. Add chicken and turn to coat. Sprinkle with parsley.

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    This photo is proof that I may be the worse plater ever.

Don’t let this *awful* picture fool you – looks can be deceiving as this dish was terrific! I realize after the fact that I let the mixture thicken a little too much after adding the stock/flour to the pan.

The chicken has a great lemon flavor to it that compliments the richness of rosemary-pancetta pan sauce. The artichokes only add to the depth of flavors. I served it atop some couscous I had in my pantry, but you can use rice or orzo if you’d prefer. I served this along with some braised kale – which paired really well with it. According to my husband, his portion reheated very well.

Not only was this dish tasty…it didn’t take very long to make! Make sure to marinate the chicken ahead of time – I did it several hours before and was able to complete the dish in a half an hour after coming home from work.

Now we have another 2 oz of pancetta left in our refrgerator…I’m seriously thinking about making this dish again next week. It was that good. 🙂

 

Chicken Cacciatore

Posted in Chicken, Italian, kitchen gadgets, One-Pot Meal, Pasta, stews, Uncategorized by

Okay – I feel better now 🙂 I made a dish that didn’t fail; granted it’s a tried and true recipe and the previous ones were ones that I hadn’t tried before. Even so, I feel like less of a failure and I feel that it’s relatively post-worthy.

red pot Look at one of my pretty Christmas gifts from my husband! A gorgeous red Le Creuset dutch oven. I’m so in love with it. I’ve been wanting one for quite a while and he remembered…I wasn’t picky about the color, but I do like red things for my kitchen so again, he remembered!

I’m not very well-versed in cookware like this, so I still have a lot to learn in terms of what I can and cannot cook in it. I figure “low and slow” is a good mantra for this pot – soups, stews, and dishes that need at least a good 30-45 minutes to meld together. I am proud of the fact, however, that I remembered that it’s a coated cast iron pot – meaning that you need to wear oven mitts whenever dealing with it or else you risk some major burns.  This is also a step in the right direction for me, as I’m that person that will carelessly forget when a pan has been in the oven, and will accidentally grab it with my bare hands when I’m ready to serve it (my husband will vouch for me on this one).

Anyways – it’s winter time. It’s pep band season. We’re working a lot, and to save a little bit of cash, we need dinners that are going to last us a while so we’re not stopping at the store for a quick meal or even *ugh* fast food. Dinners that are still delicious and (relatively) healthy, but still stick to the ribs to keep us warm. Know what I mean? I thought about something to cook this week with my new pot, and immediately thought of chicken cacciatore!

Chicken cacciatore is “hunter-style” chicken; chicken with mushrooms, onion, and tomatoes. It’s a hearty dish that fills you up, goes a long way and tastes amazing. The recipe that I based my dish off of, however, doesn’t include mushrooms! I think I’ll have to make a note in my cookbook for next time.

Chicken Cacciatore

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

  • 4 boneless chicken thighs, cut in half
  • 2 boneless chicken breasts, quartered (or 4-6 tenders, halved)
  • salt and pepper (just a sprinkle of each)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (based on your preference)
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth/stock
  • 3 tbsp drained capers
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  1. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. On a plate or in a shallow bowl, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat.
  2. In a large heavy saute pan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and saute just until they’re just brown (~5 minutes). Do not crowd the pan; feel free to brown the chicken in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium and wait two minutes. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute until the onion softens. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid reduced by half (~3-5 minutes). Add the entire can of diced tomatoes (including the juice), broth, capers and oregano. Stir to combine.
  5. Return the chicken to the pan and coat it in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until all the chicken is cooked through and the flavors have melded together.
  6. Serve hot, sprinkled with basil and with pasta if desired.

cacciatore

As I said in the recipe, you can serve with or without pasta. This makes a lot of sauce and leftovers reheat really well. I had mine with a piece of baguette from work on the side to pick up any last sauce that was leftover in the dish.

I cannot recommend this recipe enough this time of year – it really warms you up and sticks to your ribs!  Delicious Italian food in the dead of winter. How can you go wrong!? Enjoy 🙂

 

Out of Practice

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I am sad to admit that in slightly out of practice in the kitchen lately. I’ve had two dinner fails in a week – two! – and my husband is on a new shift, so I’m readjusting to the concept of “cooking for leftovers” once again. I feel as though its like a game of baseball…even my Christmas cookies didn’t turn out right (my cookie press broke midway through making spritz cookies 😦 )

On the flip side, though, Santa brought me a beautiful Le Crueset Dutch oven for Christmas! And Grandma bought us a new rice cooker, which is great, seeing as rice is the one food i just cannot seem to get right! Especially brown rice…

I promise that I haven’t forgotten about you all – I just seem to be in a slump of sorts. I’m also considering starting “fresh” in my blog reader to get some new inspiration. Thus, fear not! I’ll be simmering again shortly!