Week 52: Loaded White Cheddar Garlic Pasta

I find recipes now and then that just scream "girl." I just don't think that food is gender neutral. I save up these recipes for when Brad takes a fishing or hunting or biking trip or goes to play cards or works late. Barb-only dinners.

Taken from Annie's Eats

Makes 4 servings
Cook time: less than 10 minutes

Note:
Prepare garlic paste, chicken, broccoli, and noodles ahead of time.


8 oz shaped pasta (penne, bowties, or your favorite), cooked to package directions
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/4 C roasted garlic paste (made from 2 heads of garlic)
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C dry white wine
1 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 C shredded white cheddar cheese
1 pound of broccoli, cut into florets and steamed until crisp-tender
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled and cut into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste

Ahead of time:
(Takes about 75 minutes to cook, cool, and mash.) Make roasted garlic paste. Peel outside papery skin off two heads of garlic, leaving the heads still intact. Slice about a quarter off of the top of each head so that all the cloves are party exposed. Wrap the heads in foil and bake at 350 F for one hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool enough to tough, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peels and smash with a fork to make roasted garlic paste.

Just before eating:
(All ingredients take less than 10 minutes to combine)


Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the roasted garlic paste and cook just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.  Whisk the flour into the mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to turn golden brown, 1-2 minutes.  Stir the white wine and broth into the pan.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and stir until melted.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix in the broccoli florets and chicken pieces, and cook just until heated through.  Mix in the cooked pasta until evenly coated with the sauce. Serve warm.

My Notes:
This was pretty good. The flavors were great; the garlic wasn't over-powering at all. It really did taste best immediately after cooking, though. It's not a great left-over.

Week 52: Spaghetti Bolognese

I adore pasta and am always searching for a new favorite sauce. I have several favorite bolognese recipes. They each require a mixture of different meats. I was drawn to this one because it only requires beef.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Makes 8 generous servings

1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C grated carrots
1 large red onion, diced
2 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried basil
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 C red wine
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
2 cans (28 oz each) whole tomatoes
1 C milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Favorite pasta noodles, for serving 

Heat oil and melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add grated carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.

Add oregano and basil. When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, add tomato paste and let it heat. Add garlic and stir to combine.

Add red wine. Stir together. Add Worcestershire and stir. Add canned tomatoes. Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 2 hours.

Serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

My Notes:
This was really greasy. The grease actually cooked to the top of the sauce after the two hours of simmering and was difficult to combine back into the actual finished product. Next time, I might use just the 1/4 C olive oil and skip the butter. Or, maybe I'll just use the butter and skip the olive oil. Skipping the butter sounds like insanity.

Week 51: Chocolate PB Whoopie Pies

I've been looking a a whoopie pie cookbook and pan on Wililams Sonoma and Crate and Barrel for awhile. I finally caved and bought the book. My first experiment was chocolate whoopie pies with peanut butter filling.

Taken from Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

Check out Bakerella for more information

Makes about 30 cakes (combine to make 15 finished whoopie pies)

Whoopie Pie Ingredients:

1 2/3 C all-purpose flour

2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 Tbsp vegetable shortening

1 C (packed) brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C milk

Peanut butter Filling Ingredients:

1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 C (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature)

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

Directions for Whoopie Pies:

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or Silpat mats.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat together butter, shortening, and brown sugar on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and 1/2 C milk and beat until combined.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 Tbsp of the batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing about 2" apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes, or until the pies spring back when pressed gently. 

Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Directions for Filling:

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat together peanut butter and butter on low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low to incorporate. Increase speed to medium and beat until the filling is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

 

Directions for Assembly:

Match up tops and bottoms based on size and shape. Spread filling on the flat side of one cak using a knife, spoon, or pastry bag. Top it with another cake, flat-side down.

My Notes:

These were fabulous! Brad and I each ate one (or maybe two!). Then, I sent them to work with Brad.

Week 51: Grilled Potatoes

This seemed like kind of a silly thing to need a recipe for - we make foil packets of potatoes on the grill all the time. The results are inconsistent, though. They are often raw or too salty or flavorless. I thought I'd experiment with someone else's proportions for a quick side dish.

Taken from Healthy Cooking, June / July 2010, p. 31
Prep: 15 minutes
Grill: 40 minutes
Makes 8 servings

8 medium potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
1 lrg onions, sliced
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
Sour cream, optional

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Divide mixture between two double thicknesses of heavy-duty foil (about 18" square). Fold foil around mixture and seal tightly.

Grill, covered, over medium heat for 40 - 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, turning once. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

Serve with sour cream, if desired.

3/4 C (without sour cream) =
230 calories, 3 g fat, 42 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein

My notes:
These were great! I wouldn't change a thing.

Week 51: Shrimp Stir Fry

I decided on this meal at 6:00 on a Wednesday night. I needed to purchase all the ingredients. They cost about $18. Even with the trip to the grocery store, this dinner was on the table by 7:00.

Can't beat that.

Taken from: Pioneer Woman Cooks
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: less than 10 minutes
4 servings

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 whole raw jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
Juice of 1 lemon
3 whole zucchini, sliced on a diagonal
2 ears corn, kernels sliced off
1/2 C grape tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh Basil, chopped (to taste)

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic. When oil/butter is hot, add shrimp and lemon juice; cook shrimp 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.

In the same skillet, add zucchini slices in a single layer and cook for several minutes, tossing once. Scoot the zucchini to the edges of the pan, then add corn kernels to the middle of the pan. Cook zucchini and corn mixture to desired doneness. Add grape tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and toss around, then add shrimp. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Serve on a big platter.

My Notes:
I struggled with what to serve this with. I decided on pita bread. It was sort of fun to just scoop up the stir fry. It could have actually been a fork-free dinner.


Also, I went with extra jumbo big shrimp (16 - 20 per pound). The size was a little overwhelming, and I actually needed to cut the shrimp before eating them. Next time, I think I'd use about 1/2 pound of smaller shrimp (maybe 31 - 35 per pound).

One last thought - I let this cool slightly before eating it, not cold - just cool.

Week 51: Crock-pot Beef Roast

I know. It's summer. This is totally not a summer meal. I wanted some comfort food, though, and this is a comfort food meal that did not require turning on the oven.

Taken from Natalie (Perrys' Plate) on Tasty Kitchen

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours

Servings: 6

1 whole beef roast (1 1/2 to 2 lb)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 C beef broth

1/4 C soy sauce

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place roast (thawed or frozen) in a 2.5 to 4 qt. slow cooker, and season with salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients (except the lemon juice) over the beef. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Sprinkle with lemon juice, shred into large chunks, and remove from the slow cooker. Serve beef and juices over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.

My Notes:
This turned out great. It was super-easy and very tasty.

Week 50: Berry-Marshmallow Trifle

I chose this because I needed a fun, quick, and easy summer dessert.

Taken from Healthy Cooking, August / September 2010 (p. 28)
Prep time: 25 minutes
Yield: 10 servings

 1 3/4 C cold skim milk
1 pkg (1 oz) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 carton (8 oz) frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
1 loaf (10 3/4 oz) frozen reduced fat pound cake, thawed, and cut into 1" cubes
3 C fresh strawberries, halved
2 C miniature marshmallows
3 Tbsp sliced almonds

Whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until softened. Fold in whipped topping; set aside.

Layer ingredients. Begin with cake cubes. Add pudding mixture followed by strawberries and marshmallows. Repeat until the dish is full. Top with sliced almonds. Chill until serving.

My Notes:
This would fill a 3-quarter trifle bowl. I do not have a trifle bowl. Instead, I used the adorable dishes you can see in the picture (from Fishs Eddy). I made them just a little too full, though. Not only were they over-flowing, but they had way too much dessert for one serving. They did keep really well in the fridge, though.

I would like to try this with my own pound cake - maybe something like a lemon pound cake.