An Adventure in Baked Pasta

I found this post, created last March! I don't know why it was still a draft, but since I've been so lazy about posting new stuff I'll just post old stuff:

Last night for dinner I decided to make the Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon & Cheese recipe I found in my Cooking Light magazine. I have to say that, overall, I was disappointed. (Although both my mom and boyfriend ate enough to show no disappointment at all.)

I really didn't stray from the recipe... I mean, I "eyeballed" everything -- there were no measuring cups involved. This is the first dish I've tried from the magazine and I felt like it was really lacking something -- the "oomf" factor, if you will. It looked delicious, but it ended up being kind of bland. If I were to do it again, I would definitely add more black pepper and salt. (I probably didn't use enough anyway because my pepper grinder frustrates me too much.)

Changes for Next Time:

• More black pepper.
• Maybe sun-dried tomatoes mixed right in.
• Definitely more cheese, or an extra type would be nice too. Asiago would probably be great mixed in with the parmesan.
• Basil. Lemon & basil, right? (I did add some fresh chopped basil on top after it was all cooked.)
• More spinach -- at least a bag and a half, not just one. 
• Replacing the wine with chicken broth would probably be a good idea too. 
• Maybe whole wheat pasta, to give some more depth.

I think with some of those changes, or at least more cheese, this dish would be much better. I served it with thin chicken breasts breaded with panko bread crumbs (mixed with a little salt, garlic powder & grated cheese) and baked in the oven. They were good, but grilled chicken would have been even better... but... it is still winter and I don't have a grill.

Not a Lonely Heart in the Bunch

You'll never find yourself like Miss Lonely-Heart on Valentine's Day with these treats -- no one can resist them. And they're so easy, they make do for a perfect last minute Valentine... or... since it's past Valentine's Day, they serve just as well as an impressive any time treat.

This was my edition of "Nutella Pop-Tarts." Last weekend Rachael made some s'mores pastry desserts that were just puff pastry wrapped around a graham cracker and a piece of chocolate with Fluff on top. (Genius, right?) I kind of combined the two ideas; instead of going through making my own dough and all that, like the pop-tart recipe called for, I decided to go with ready-to-go dough as well and added a few extra flavor touches. :D

What You'll Need:

• 1 package of pie crusts
• Nutella
• Raspberry jam or preserves 
• Egg
• Fluff
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter

Put it All Together:

• Spread out one of the pie crusts and cut out lots of hearts. Repeat with second sheet. (You can roll out the extras and get some more hearts out of it if you need to... They just might be a little thicker.)
• Place hearts on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. 

• Blob some Nutella on a heart and then a blob of Raspberry. Take another heart and put it on top, pinch sides down with a fork. Repeat until all your hearts are full.

• Brush the tops of the hearts with an egg wash.
• Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until their browned nicely on top.

They might leak a little bit if you leave them in a smidgen too long, but don't worry about it. The time between looking perfect and looking delicious is minuscule, but there's no taste difference. They'll be just as delicious. Top them with some Fluff for a super quick frosting. (I thought about doing a nice raspberry glaze, but was feel pretty lazy.)

Go make them! They're fantastic!

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Mascarpone & Basil Tomato Sauce with Chicken Sausage

You really can't go wrong with these basic ingredients, no matter how you combine them. But here's how I go about it:

What You Need:

• An onion, diced.
• Olive oil, a... dollop?
• A few cloves of garlic, chopped.
• 1 big can of crushed tomatoes with basil.
• 1/2 small can of tomato paste.
• Lots of fresh basil, chopped.
• Sun-dried tomato & basil chicken sausage.
• Mascarpone cheese!!

Put it All Together:

• Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add onion to soften. Add half your garlic when onions are almost done. (If you add the garlic with onion right away it tends to get bitter.)
• Pour tomato sauce & paste in. Add salt & crushed red pepper to taste -- as well as a sprinkling of sugar. Simmer for a bit.
• Add chicken sausage, cut into chunks.

• Add the rest of the garlic and lots of freshly chopped basil, turn the heat down low, partially cover and let it "simmer" for about an hour. (More like stew together.) Mix every so often.

• Just before serving stir in a few tablespoons of Mascarpone cheese (don't be shy) until melted.

Would have been even better with some freshly grated Romano cheese on top, but, alas... I had none. Nonetheless, it was delicious and super easy. 

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Heeyyy Yoouuu Guyyysss!! It's Pizza Night!

Ah, yes... pizza. But don't pick up the phone for it -- or go to the freezer. It's so much more satisfying to do it yourself. Ideally, you should make it with a bag of fresh dough from a local bakery or pizzeria -- they usually have some at the grocery store. But, of course, dear Bravo (the grocery store around the corner from me) had none of these. My only option was Pillsbury dough in a can -- not bad, but not my first choice.

ANYWAY. Other than dough, you can pretty much do your own Pizza Night however you want. Whatever toppings you like.

Here's what I did -- after pre-baking the crusts for about 5 minutes, like the directions say. It's important -- you don't want to get stuck with soggy crust!! Spray your cookie sheet AND sprinkle a little flour over the top to prevent any sticking. (I used a regular crust for #1 and the thin crust for #2):

PIZZA #1: Barbecue Chicken.

• Pour about 1/3 of a bottle (depending on size) of barbecue (this one is amazing -- sweet, smoky and a little spicy) sauce onto your crust. Use a little less of this sauce than you would tomato sauce -- it tends to be pretty salty and very tasty.
• Add chicken strips on top. (Just cut up & brown chicken breast in a skillet with some olive oil, garlic, paprika & cumin... or whatever.)
• Dump more than half of a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
• Final touch: Thinly sliced rings of red onion.
• Bake in the oven around 400 until the cheese is melty and the crust is browned to your liking.

PIZZA #2: Classic with Onions and Pepperoni.

• In a small pot, soften about 1/3 of an onion (cut into rings) in olive oil with garlic (I just used powder because I had no cloves!). Once softened, add half a can of tomato paste and about 5 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes (the kind with basil). This ratio can change depending on the thickness you prefer, but I found extra tomato paste was better for the pizza. Add some salt and crushed red pepper. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes then spread over pizza crust when ready.
• Add shredded cheese on top -- four cheese Italian blend was perfect. (I also added some of the leftover chicken since there wasn't enough to save for later.)
• Slice up some good pepperoni and spread over the cheese -- You know, an actual stick of pepperoni. 
• Bake in the oven around 400 until the cheese is melty and the crust is browned to your liking.

Perfect accompaniment for pizzas? Well, salad -- definitely. (I went the super-easy lazy route and just used a bag.) But more important than salad? The movie... ⚡

Beef & Beer

What You Need:

• Butter. About half a stick.
• Beef (whatever cut you prefer… I get the cheap stuff) cut into chunks.
• 1 Onion. Sliced into wedges.
• A few cloves of garlic. Crushed.
• 1 small apple, or half a regular sized apple. Peeled and diced—small.
• Flour. About 3 tablespoons.
• 1 bottle of Guinness. (Or something dark, Guinness is just my preference.)
• Beef Broth. 3 cups.
• Bay leaves.
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes. Chopped into big chunks.
• 5 carrots. (Depending on size, though.) Chopped into chunks.
• And S&P, of course.

Now Put Them All Together:

• In a big soup pot, melt about a tablespoon of butter. Season the meat with S&P, brown in the pot on medium-high heat. Don’t worry if it sticks a little and the bottom of the pot gets coated — that’s good! Once the meat is browned, remove from the pot and put it aside. (I kept a second pot on the burner (it was off) next to me.)
• Turn the heat down to about medium and add some more butter to the pot (just under a tablespoon) and soften the onions. When they’re about halfway done, add garlic and apples. (The onions needn’t be overly-soft, they’ll simmer in the broth later.) Remove them from the pot as well.
• Add yet another pad of butter to the pot — a good sized tablespoon. Melt. Sprinkle the flour over the top and whisk together. Let this cook together for a few minutes (keep whisking). Whisk in about 3/4 of the beer and then the beef broth. Bring it to a boil. Drink the rest of the beer while waiting.
• When your broth is boiling, add bay leaves, the meat and onions you set aside, carrots and potatoes. Season with S&P. When it comes to a boil again, turn the heat down and let it simmer for at least an hour — or until the carrots and potatoes are softened and the meat is fork-tender. 

I served it with cornbread muffins. Delicious. I should have taken some photos, but my boyfriend didn’t get home until around 8 so we were both too hungry to wait. Plus, the lighting in my kitchen is atrocious.

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