Italian Pasta Salad

Summer just screams pasta salad. I don't like the kind covered in mayonnaise though. I prefer a vinaigrette-type dressing - or bottled Italian dressing for that matter. This recipe is a delicious and fresh tasting option for all your summer parties. Did I mention it is incredibly easy to prepare?

No, I mean REALLY easy. If you can chop vegetables and cook pasta, you can make this dish. Trust me.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pasta of your choice, cooked and drained

3 cups assorted chopped vegetables of your choice (broccoli, green peppers, onions, corn, tomatoes, etc)

* I par cooked the broccoli in the pasta water for a few minutes

8 oz (small bottle) Italian dressing

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss well. Serve chilled or at room temperature. That's it.

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed more people. It can also be easily modified to assist you in emptying out your refrigerator. Because Shaun and I are the only two in our house, I frequently have half pounds of pasta lying around... this is a great way to use it up (along with veggies that are on their last leg). You can even add some cubed cheese to jazz up the dish. Like anything marinated, it is best to make this a day ahead of time and then serve it. Even if you only have a few hours, it's better than eating it right away. The dressing really gets absorbed by the cooked pasta so that it is bursting with flavor in every bite! I served this salad with garlic bread so I could soak up any last juices. It's better than licking the plate, don't you think?

Pack up your salad and take it with you to a friend's house.
They will love you for it.
Tutti Mangia!

Tomato, Onion & Avocado Salad

Nothing says summer like a fresh salad like this one. Take a trip to your local farmer's market right now and buy the ingredients for this dish.

Are you home yet?

Okay. Good. Now get ready to read the recipe for your new go-to side dish that will impress your friends over and over this summer. You must be sure to use the freshest tomatoes and avocados you can find. When there are so few ingredients in a salad like this, they have to be perfect. You really want their flavors to stand out. Here is the recipe I adapted from Simply Recipes, an amazing blog written by Elise Bauer. You have to take a moment to thumb through her index of recipes. I am positive you will find something you like, aside from this recipe of course.

Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 of a large red onion, sliced
2 avocados, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
Red wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place the sliced tomatoes on a serving platter. Arrange the slices of red onion and the chunks of avocado over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with parsley, garlic and oregano. Drizzle everything with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

I can guarantee you that I will be making this salad a few more times this summer. I am thinking about making it for lunch, all by itself, one day. Tonight I chose to make it as a side dish with a frozen pizza. What can I say? I didn't get home from work until 7:15pm - and on a Friday, that just sucks. Shaun was lucky he got this out of me.

It is so hard for me to find avocados at their peak but I did it when I bought the ingredients for this salad. I lucked out with the tomatoes also, although that is not so hard to do. The ones I ate in this salad were bursting with a sweetness that popped in your mouth. When you combine those tomatoes with the creaminess of the avocado and the tang of the red wine vinegar, your mouth just tingles with the flavors. It's like you can't stop eating it.

Let me know if you agree.

Tutti Mangia!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork with Sage and Capers

Do you need an easy weeknight dinner idea for this week? This recipe comes from Curtis Stone and one of his cookbooks that I own called Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone. He is a very handsome Australian chef whose accent I L-O-V-E. (sorry Shaun!) He had a show on TLC called "Take Home Chef" where he would approach women in the food store, go home with them, and make a complete meal to surprise someone in their life. I'm sure you've seen it at some point or another. Want to know another fun fact about Curtis? He was named one of People magazine's Sexiest Men Alive in 2006. Hmm... I wonder why?

A man who can cook? There is nothing sexier than that.

Ingredients:
6 1/2-inch-thick boneless center-cut pork chops (4 ounces each)
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

6 slices prosciutto
3 tbsp olive oil
18 sage leaves
2-3 tbsp drained capers
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Zest and juice
of 2 lemons
1 6-ounce bag
baby spinach

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Season pork with salt and pepper and wrap a slice of prosciutto around each chop's center.

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over high  heat. Add chops and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes on each side. Put on a plate to the side. Do not wipe out the skillet.

3. Add 1 tbsp oil and the sage leaves to the skillet and cook for 1 minute over medium-high heat; remove sage. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the capers, butter, lemon juice and zest. Add chops back to the pan to warm through and combine with the sauce.

4. At the same time, add spinach to another deep pan and cook until it has wilted, about 2 minutes. Combine spinach and sage in the same pan with the pork and sauce. Serves 4.
 
I served this dish with some roasted new potatoes dusted with salt and pepper. It was a great compliment to the pork and as a bonus you could dip them in the sauce! The capers and prosciutto added a tart saltiness to the pork chops. The lemon cut into that to mellow it out so it wasn't too overpowering. It was great to have the addition of spinach in this dinner - it really rounded out the whole meal. For something that came together so quickly in the kitchen, it really packs a ton of flavor! It's definitely a step-up from pork chops and applesauce.

Tutti Mangia!

Spanish Spaghetti with Olives

Need a fresh new take on spaghetti with meat sauce? Try this recipe with a Spanish twist! It's a great way to incorporate new and different flavors into an otherwise mundane weeknight dinner. It's very healthy for you as well - I found it on the Cooking Light website. I swapped out ground turkey for the ground beef because it's my preference and also decided to use canned tomatoes instead of jarred marinara sauce. First off, I was not raised to use jarred sauce, and second, it has no added sugar and all that junk in it - just tomatoes!

Shaun said this dish tasted like a kicked up version of American Chop Suey. For those of you who do not know what this is (I did not either until I met Shaun), it's a dish he grew up eating. In a nutshell, its ingredients consist of elbow macaroni and ground beef in tomato sauce. I understand his thought process. I personally think it is very similar to picadillo, a traditional dish in Latin American countries. Also delicious. The ingredients used in this dish are very different than what you might be used to, but they work great together.

Ingredients:
8 oz spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp crushed
red pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

8 oz ground turkey
2 cups marinara sauce OR canned tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives*
1/4 dry sherry
1 tbsp capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

*If someone that you are cooking this for does not like olives (*ahem* Shaun), feel free to omit them until the end. I did not miss their saltiness in the tomato sauce but it was definitely a nice addition to the final product.

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Stir in oregano, celery salt, red and black pepper. Crumble turkey into pan; cook 5-7 minutes or until turkey is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in marinara sauce, olives, sherry, capers and 3 tbsp parsley. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Add spaghetti to sauce mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp parsley. Serves 3 or 4.
*depending on how much you eat!

I served this dinner with some crusty garlic bread and a salad with simple balsamic dressing on the side. It came together very easy plus I cheated and prepped ahead! While making dinner the night before, I cut up the onions and garlic and cooked the spaghetti and then stored them in the fridge. It helped so that when I went to make this dinner it only took about 20 minutes. Even if you don't want to do that, it's still easy enough to make after work.

Tutti Mangia! 

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars

 

Looking for an easy but interesting dessert to wow friends or family members? Try this salty and sweet combination! Now that summer is upon us, I'm sure some of you need a dessert idea to bring to a pot-luck party or a BBQ, right? Well, this is it. I found this recipe on www.foodandwine.com, one of my favorite websites. The creator of this recipe is Grace Parisi, a writer for the website. She was born and raised on Long Island, just like yours truly, but that is not the only reason why I think she is awesome. I look up to her because she did NOT go to culinary school but has a kick-ass job as Senior Recipe Developer at Food and Wine. Grace, can't you hook me up? That's my dream too!

Honestly, I would not change anything from this recipe as printed below, except to add one ingredient. I think it needed more salt. Not just any salt though - fleur de sel (french sea salt). It would be great sprinkled on top right after it comes out of the oven and is still warm - yum! That is my only "complaint" if you will. That means - try this recipe!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups pretzels, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp chocolate sprinkles

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang on the 2 long ends.
2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat the butter with both sugars at medium speed until light, 1 minute. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients.

Stir in the chips and pretzels.

3. Spread the batter in the pan and top with the sprinkles. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden; the center will still be a little gooey. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely.

4. Run the tip of a knife around the side of the pan and lift the bar out using the parchment paper. Cut into 24 squares and serve.

For anyone interested in seeing 1,150 more recipes and 95 articles by Grace Parisi, check them out here: http://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/grace-parisi. I'm not kidding. She even has a cookbook, which I just realized while writing this blog post, called Get Saucy. Clearly she is amazing.

Tutti Mangia!

Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine & Pancetta Green Beans

Martha Stewart is kinda one of my idols. Despite her shortcomings (*ahem* jail time), she has some pretty darn good recipes. One of her recipes that I just tried out was this chicken dish. Of course, me being myself, I modified it, but it still turned out great! I just like to complicate things in the kitchen.

Martha's recipe had the base ingredients covered but I wanted more! I added extra veggies such as carrots, celery and onion. I love extra sauce on EVERYTHING (I mean who doesn't?) so I left most of the ingredients the same except cut the amount of chicken in half. It tasted like a cross between a spring coq au vin and a deconstructed chicken soup. Whatever you want to call it, I couldn't get enough! I hope you decide to make it for dinner one night.

Ingredients:
4 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
Salt / Freshly ground pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 lemon, cut into 8 thin slices, plus fresh
lemon juice
2 tbsp cold butter
3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Cooked rice, for serving (optional, but necessary in my opinion)

Directions:
1. In a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid, arrange thighs, bone side up; season with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Put chicken aside on a small plate. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the hot pan (add more oil if necessary). Saute vegetables for about 10 minutes until softened. Add chicken thighs back into pan along with the wine and fresh thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook, 30 minutes.

2. Turn chicken bone side down. Place a lemon slice on each piece; cover and continue simmering until tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add a few more splashes of wine if you'd like (personal touch HAHA). Add butter, parsley and lemon juice (to taste but I added the juice of one whole lemon); stir until butter has softened and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with sauce and, if desired, rice. Serves 2 with leftovers.

My leftovers consisted of vegetables and rice only -  which was so good the next day for lunch! I am a rice fanatic just like my mother. (Love you mama!) Because the lemon and wine flavors had the chance to soak into the rice overnight, it actually tasted better... For those of you who do not like chicken thighs (aka dark meat), you can certainly try this out with white meat chicken breasts. I happen to really like the flavor that the chicken thighs have, especially with the bone in. If you try it differently, please let me know the outcome - I love hearing cooking stories - good or bad!

When I made this dinner, I also made a lovely side dish of Pancetta Green Beans from my go-to girl Dorie Greenspan. This recipe came from her cookbook, Around My French Table, which I've made my case in previous posts on why to buy it. (i.e. Salted Butter Break-Ups, Savory Cheese and Chive Bread and Banana Bundt Cake) In staying true to my "French Friday's with Dorie" cooking club, I will not be posting that recipe but you can e-mail if you are interested in replicating it. Of course I own the book - that and 100+ others (womp womp).

Dorie Greenspan wrote, “This simple dish is made special with the addition of a little sauteed pancetta.  It adds a speck of saltiness, another texture, and elements of elegance and surprise.” I could not have said it better. Tutti Mangia!

Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms

Looking for a new pasta recipe for dinner this week? You should definitely try this one out... it takes about a half hour to both prep and cook this meal. I was lucky enough to have Shaun lend a helping hand in the kitchen for this one. I left him at the stove as I ran around chopping and dumping ingredients into the skillet. I have to admit, he is getting much better at helping me in the kitchen! That is as long as the Bruins, Patriots, Red Sox or now Celtics since they are in the Playoffs, oh and sometimes golf, are not on TV. I am happy nonetheless.

This recipe was adapted from Fine Cooking magazine, December 2008. Tony Rosenfeld, who happens to be the co-founder of b.good in Boston, created this recipe. b.good is a delicious and healthy fast food chain that I happen to like a lot. They have 7 locations in and around Boston now. If you have not tried it yet, go there - they have yummy baked fries and sweet potato fries - you won't miss the deep frying at all. Tony also has two cookbooks worth checking out - 150 Things to Make with Roast Chicken and 50 Ways to Roast It and Sear, Sauce and Serve. He is also featured in magazines and newspapers, which you can see on his website, tonyrosenfeld.com. Okay, okay, enough about Tony (I think I've made it clear that I think he's a pretty cool guy) - here is the recipe -->

Ingredients:
Kosher Salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2-3/4 lb sweet Italian sausage, crumbled
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 scallions (white and green parts), trimmed and thinly sliced
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 tsp dried rosemary (or 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary)
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
1 cup lower-salt chicken broth

8oz (1/2 box) tri-color ziti or pasta of your choice

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crumbled, about 5-8 minutes. Add the mushrooms, scallions, rosemary, red pepper flakes, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms soften and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the baby spinach, tomatoes and chicken broth, bring to a boil, and then cover and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until the sausage is heated through and the flavors are melded, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions until it's just al dente. Drain well and add to the sauce along with half the Parmesan. Cook over medium heat, tossing for 1 minute. Serve sprinkled with the remaining Parmesan and some black pepper. Serves 2 (well, Shaun and I).

This recipe is easily adapted to feed more than two people - make more pasta and add more veggies! You may or may not need a little more liquids for the "sauce" as well. It was a delightful dinner that was easy to make. There are not many spices involved but the sausage gives the meal a ton of flavor. When you make a dish that requires simple ingredients like this one, it is important to use quality ones. The sausage and Parmesan cheese are the most prominent flavors here so I did not skimp when buying them. Please don't use grated cheese sitting on a shelf. That's all I ask! Tutti Mangia!