Ricotta Pasta with Grape Tomatoes, Basil, and Sausage=DISAPPOINTMENT

So in the process of making this meal that I was not satisfied with, I lost a portion of my thumb skin while using the box grater.  This is something I had done repeatedly about a year ago, so much that the skin on the knuckles of my thumbs are dotted with battle wounds from losing to the box grater.  Eric has tried to replace my need to use a box grater.  One year he searched everywhere to find me an "Olive Garden" grater.  However, I turned it down and had him return it (the box grater has different sizes-the 'Olive Garden' grater does not).  He had me only buy preshredded cheese for a while.  But that's just not the same as freshly grated cheeses.  Then we found an electronic shredder at Target on clearance with a variety of sizes for blades.  There was a reason it was on clearance (it ran *only* on batteries and it was super slow... even for me).  So I got better at grating cheese.... till today.

Besides all of that, I started off with inspiration from a Rachael Ray recipe and ended up disappointed.  It needed more flavor and Ricotta cheese is a strange base to coat non baked pasta... in my opinion.  Eric looked at it and as I knew he would said, "Is red sauce going on this?"  Once he added red sauce, he was good to go.  I, on the other hand, was left disappointed and wounded and hungry :(  I share it only because maybe you will like it.

1/2 lb penne or rotini pasta
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 c ricotta cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 c parmesan cheese
2 tbsp EVOO
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp onion, chopped
10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 lb hot Italian sausage

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cook sausage for 20 minutes.  Slice into 1/4 inch pieces once cooked.  Prepare pasta as directed on packaged.  Cook to al dente.  In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and butter.  Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add EVOO.  Add onions, garlic, and slices of sausage.  Cook for 7-8 minutes.  Drain pasta and add to bowl of cheeses.  Toss to melt butter and be sure that pasta is evenly coated.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top the pasta with sausage, garlic, and onion mixture.  Add basil and grape tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.

And then... add red sauce as Eric did ;)

Chicken with Creamy Dijon Herb Sauce

I'm not a huge fan of condiments as some of my friends are ;) and I am also not a huge fan of mustard flavored foods.  I skimped on the sauce for my plate but Eric poured it on and loved it.

1/4 c chicken broth***
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
6 basil leaves, minced
EVOO cooking spray
2-6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine broth, mustard, cream cheese, and herbs until well blended.  Cook chicken in hot skillet coated in EVOO cooking spray until brownded on both sides.  Stir in mustard sauce and garlic. Simmer over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes until sauce thickens and flavors are well blended.  Serve with vegetables for a low carb meal for two.

***I use granules to make beef, chicken, vegetable broth or stock because I typically do not need a whole can of broth or stock and the carton goes bad before I use it all.  So in the case of this recipe, I microwaved 1/4 c of water till boiling and stirred in 1/4 tsp of chicken granules to make a 1/4 c of chicken broth.

Summer Pasta Salad

Everyone can make pasta salad, I know this, but we happen to love mine :)  My secret: Old Bay seasoning.

2-24 oz boxes of Ronzoni Garden Delight Rotini pasta
1-16oz Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing (possibly a little more if it gets too dry)
1 large broccoli crown, stems cut completely off and chopped into small pieces
1/2 to 3/4 c finely chopped carrots
1 medium cucumber, sliced and cut into quarters
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp black pepper

Cook pasta to al dente (this type of pasta calls for 8 minutes for al dente but I think 7 minutes is enough).  Rinse with cold water to stop cooking.  Combine pasta and vegetables.  Add dressing, mix well.  Add seasonings and cheese. Mix well.  Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Rich and Creamy Chicken Pasta

Nothing too spectacular but a new recipe for us nonetheless.  I liked it although I wouldn't be able to eat a lot of it since it was really rich.  Eric said he liked it but it lacked some flavor or seasoning.  So spice it up :)

1 c cooked, cubed chicken
1 box whole wheat pasta, cooked
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c flour
1 c milk
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 jar pasta sauce (26 oz jar)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
6 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in flour.  Slowly add milk.  Bring to a boil for 1 min.  Reduce heat to low medium.  Stir in cream cheese, pasta sauce, scallions, basil leaves, salt and pepper.  Stir well to combine.  Add chicken.  Cook over low medium heat until cream cheese melts about 10-15 minutes. 

Serve with salad for a meal for 4.

Cajun Raging Burgers

I've been a slacker in the kitchen lately but I do have an excuse..it was my birthday a week ago and Eric made a fabulous dinner (spicy crab imperial, crispy chicken, and veggies---I wanted to post the recipe for the crab imperial but he said he has to 'perfect' it... I laughed at that) and we had left overs for a day or two.  We also had some easy, uninteresting meals, which were not blog-worthy.  Being that it was Memorial Day weekend, we had to grill so we tried our luck at making burgers from scratch.  They were yum.

sauce:
1/4 c mayo
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp Creole seasoning
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated lime peel
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt
dash of hot pepper sauce
dash of Worcestershire sauce

burger:

1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c finely chopped carrots
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 lb lean ground beef
1 egg
1/8 c Italian bread crumbs
4 rolls
EVOO spray

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients.  Mix till well blended and and chill until burgers are ready to be served.  In a skillet, sautce carrot, garlic, onion flakes, and parsley in melted butter for 5 minutes.  Cool slightly.  In a large bowl, combine the vegetable mixture with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper sauce.  Crumble in beef.  Add egg and bread crumbs.  Mix well.  Shape into 4 patties.  Grill burgers over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side.  Spray inside of rolls with EVOO and toast on grill.  Serve burgers on toasted rolls with sauce and cheese of choice.  I used blue cheese crumbles and Eric used slices of Colby Jack cheese.

Garlic Enchiladas

The original recipe had called for 1 pound of ground beef but I had about a 1/2 lb of ground beef and 1/2 lb of chicken left over from other recipes.  Plus, both were cooked, which made this easier for me.  Eric was super excited for this recipe because he loved the 'look' of the sauce.  We both liked it but decided there was too much cumin and it was a little too saucey for me.... although Eric says there could never be enough sauce ;)

1 lb meat, cooked (ground beef, cubed chicken, etc-whatever you desire)
1 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sage
1-14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

Sauce:
3 large or 6 small cloves of garlic, minced
5 tbsp butter
1/2 c flour
2 c beef broth
2 c tomato sauce
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
6 whole wheat flour tortillas
2 1/2 c shredded Cloby-Monterey Jack cheese

In a sauce pan, heat EVOO over medium heat.  Add cooked meat and heat through for 2 minutes.  Stir in flour and seasonings.  Stir in tomatoes.  Let bubble for 1-2 minutes.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
In another saucepan, melt butter.  Add garlic and saute until tender.  Stir in flour until blended well.  Gradually stir in broth.  Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring until thickened.  Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings.  Reduce heat and heat through.
Pour about 1 1/2 c of sauce into bottom of a 13x9 greased pan.  Spread about 1/4 c of meat mixture down the center of each tortilla and top with 1-2 tbsp of shredded cheese.  Roll up and place in dish, seam side down.  Finish with the rest and top with rest of sauce.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove cover.  Top with remainder of cheese and bake additional 15 minutes.  Serve with optional sour cream.  About 4-6 servings.

Sweet 'n' Spicy Chicken

I did not think I would like this.  However, I had all of the ingredients for it and it seemed like something that Eric would like.  It also was a super fast recipe so that scored mucho points with me.  I was surprisingly pleased with the result.  Eric was happy as well especially since he said it reminded him of Chinese food.... wait... did I say I liked it?!

1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into small cubes
1 tbsp EVOO
1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
1 tbsp flour
1 c salsa (we used hot and loved it)
1/4 c peach preserves
1 c brown rice, cooked as directed
1/2 c broccoli, steamed

In a large resealable bag, combine flour and taco seasoning.  Add chicken and toss to combine.  In skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add chicken to hot pan.  Brown chicken.  Combine salsa and preserves, stir into skillet.  Bring to a slow boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 3 minutes.  Serve over the rice with broccoli.  Serves 2.