pasta

Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe

The simplicity in this luxuriously creamy spaghetti pasta is thanks to just 4 ingredients and a hearty dose of black pepper.

“Here. Smell this. Does it smell like it’s gone bad to you?”

I HATE hearing those words in my kitchen. It means I’ve let good food go bad.

One of the things I struggle most with as a food blogger is food waste. Not of other people’s, but of my own.

Way too often than I want to admit, I find produce in the crisper that has turned into a science fair project. Or I make two or three dinner recipes in the middle of the day and with the best of intentions I save them to eat for dinner duriung the week.

And then I forget about them. Or my husband and daughter want something different for dinner. And by the beginning of the next week, those entire meals end up wasted.

I’m diligently working on getting better at that. It disgusts me how easy it is for me to disregard food in this way.

Why?

Because 1 in 7 Americans currently struggle with hunger. That’s 48.1 million people including 15.3 million children and 5.1 million seniors.

Those people don’t have the luxury of using 4 or 5 avocados to perfect their skills at making avocado roses. Or tossing the mega pack of chicken breasts in the garbage because they didn’t get around to cooking the whole package before the chicken started perfuming the fridge with that oh-too-familiar smell.

continue to the recipe… about Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe

Meatballs and Tomato Sauce With Andie Mitchell

These well-seasoned meatballs are incredibly tender, cooked directly in a thick tomato sauce. Serve with any tubular pasta for an easy dinner your whole family will love.

The first thing you notice when you meet author and food blogger Andie Mitchell is her 1,000-watt smile. The next thing you notice is her intense interest in you. YOU have all of her focus, all of her attention. It’s like the two of you are the only ones in the room.

That’s why Andie is a favorite among food bloggers, and, well, pretty much anyone who comes across her path.

Andie’s path isn’t your normal path. It’s been littered with strife, struggles and depression. But it’s also emerged as a path of victory, including her 130-pound weight loss story and her newly announced engagement to her life-long love. She’s the first to admit her path hasn’t been an easy one. But she’s determined. She’s authentic. And she’s she’s taking all of us along on her rocket ride of success.

We first featured Andie on FoodieCrush almost two years ago, sharing her incredible weight-loss journey as part of our “5 Food Bloggers’ Weight Loss Success Stories” piece.

Andie has a way with words. Whether it’s a personal anecdote, weight loss advice, a recipe written on her blog, (AndieMitchell.com formerly known as Can You Stay For Dinner) or while inspiring others online in her TED Talk, Andie is honest and relatable and a documenter of real life when she shares her own vulnerabilities and experiences.

Last year we devoured her moving memoir and New York Times Best Seller It Was Me All Along, so it’s only fitting that we would love her new cookbook, Eating in the Middle: A Mostly Wholesome Cookbook, beautifully photographed by the talented Aran Goyoaga, of Cannelle et Vanille.

Andie’s cookbook is chockfull of stunning photography and 80 healthy (but not too virtuous) recipes, all of which we want to stuff our faces with, including her family favorite PJ’s Meatballs and Sauce that you’ll find at the end of this interview. So, let’s dig in.

continue to the recipe… about Meatballs and Tomato Sauce With Andie Mitchell

Penne Pasta With Cauliflower and Pancetta

Roasted cauliflower becomes sweet as it caramelizes in olive oil with crispy pancetta and penne pasta for a delicious, easy dinner.

Can we seriously be in the midst of a cauliflower shortage?

I mean, when was the last time you heard of a cruciferous vegetable becoming so popular it became scarce to find?

Cauliflower. It’s the renaissance vegetable.

As a kid my mom served a lot of vegetables, with each and every dinner. Fresh or frozen, and sometimes even canned. Broccoli. Spinach. Corn. Beans. Carrots. But cauliflower was rarely on the dinner table.

It took a while for me to bother introducing it to my adult repertoire. But I’m so glad I have. Especially when it’s bronzed and caramelized and paired with salty bacon bits and bites of pasta done just right.

About the Recipe

The earthy bite of this recipe comes from the deepened, caramelized flavor the cauliflower gets after being cooked in olive oil. I trim most of the stalks and cut the broccoli into pieces just barely bigger than the pasta. If you can, choose a cauliflower that still has a few green leaves attached to it. They add a sweetness and color to the dish.

The cauliflower is cooked in batches and the garlic is added to the hot cauliflower and cooked for a mere 30 seconds or so, just until it becomes fragrant. If the garlic cooks too much and browns, it will become bitter, so be aware.

I used pre-packaged, already sliced pancetta, then cut it into small pieces before cooking it. If you want fatter chunks, ask your grocer’s deli counter to cut thicker pieces. You could also substitute bacon if you’d like for the salty bite.

Like one of my other favorite pasta dishes—this Crab Spaghetti—the pasta is topped with a crunchy bite of crispy croutons. It adds another texture I totally crave. Use a hardy country bread or sourdough for best results.

I used penne in this pasta but really any pasta you have in your pantry would work just swell.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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Penne Pasta With Cauliflower and Pancetta

Roasted cauliflower becomes sweet as it caramelizes in olive oil with pancetta and penne pasta.

Ingredients

3 slices sourdough bread cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
1 pound penne pasta
6 ounces deli sliced pancetta
1 head cauliflower stalks removed and florets cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Toss the bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toast in the oven until the bread is golden and let cool. Crumble the croutons into small pieces by pouring into a gallon bag and crushing with the bottom of a heavy bottomed pan or a rolling pin.
Boil the penne pasta in salted water according to package directions and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a dutch oven or large, high-sided skilled and cook the pancetta slices until cooked through. Transfer to a plate topped with paper towels and drain.
Heat 1/8 cup of the olive oil in a large dutch oven or high sided fry pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the cauliflower and cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add half of the garlic and cook for 30 seconds and season with kosher salt and transfer to a bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining cauliflower and garlic and add to the reserved cauliflower to the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the chili flakes and stir to coat. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the penne to the skillet along with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, Parmesan cheese, crushed bread crumbs and cooked pancetta and cook together for 1-2 more minutes. Season with additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with Italian parsley and serve.
Recipe adapted from Franny's Simple Seasonal Italian

#EatSeasonal February

As we have for the past few seasons, Becky of The Vintage Mixer has posted her list of what’s in season to eat now and from that list, has amassed a group of us who are posting #eatseasonal recipes today. Some are some are sweet, some are savory and they’re all in season now. They’re all good and they’re all seasonal and are listed below.

Please hop over to their sites, say hi and enjoy their seasonal inspiration.

Chorizo & Brussels Sprouts Pasta Carbonara by Suitcase Foodist

Citrus, Fennel, and Avocado Salad by Flavor the Moments

Savory Dutch Baby with Roasted Broccoli by Floating Kitchen

Roasted Red Potatoes with Zahatar and Lemon by Project Domestication

Parsnip Hash Browns by Vintage Mixer

Greens and Potato Soup with Hominy and Pinto Beans by Letty’s Kitchen

Rosemary Cheddar Cauliflower Cakes by Food for My Family

Tangerine Sorbet Champagne Floats by Completely Delicious

Mexican Molletes (avocado, bean & cheese melts) by Simple Bites

Honey Mustard Citrus Chicken with Mango Chutney by Kitchen Confidante

Creamed Brussel Sprout Tater Tot Casserole by Climbing Grier Mountain

We’d love to see what you’re eating seasonal now, too. Share your eats and follow the #eatseasonal hashtag on Instagram and Twitter to discover more seasonal eats.

As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

Are you following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest?

Thanks for reading and subscribe to FoodieCrush to have each post delivered straight to your e-mail box.

Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups with Table For Two

This easy, cheesy vegetarian pasta dish puts traditional lasagna on its side with a smaller portion that won’t leave you with a whole pan of leftovers.

There are some food blogs you come to rely on — your go-to blogs when you’re having chef’s block trying to figure out what to cook! Julie Wampler’s blog Table For Two is one of those blogs for us. Time and time again, we know we can visit Julie’s site for some sound and easy inspiration in the kitchen.

Her recipes are healthy, fast and pretty darn delicious, and while her blog offers several savory recipes, Julie’s penchant for sweets means that her dessert section is really something to behold. Hellooooo Peanut Butter Cheesecake and Cookie Dough Brownies! The D.C.-based blogger is also a seasoned traveler, and we love living vicariously through her adventures around the globe.

continue to the recipe… about Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups with Table For Two

One-Pot Skinny Pasta Primavera

Almond milk replaces cream and butter in this easy and healthy, spring-inspired version of the Italian classic, that’s loaded with fresh veggies and herbs.

This year I’m partnering with Almond Breeze to create and share recipes using almond milk. The previous recipe I created using almond milk was breakfast-centric. This month, we’re heading to the dinner hour for a savory way to end the day.

I was in my Weight Watchers meeting this week where the theme was rediscovering your kitchen. We were asked to bring in some of our favorite healthier recipes to share.

As is par for the course, I couldn’t choose just one. Hello, I’m a food blogger.

So instead, I took this cookbook and this list of 5 food bloggers weight loss success stories to share. Because inspiration breeds determination. Am I right? *btw, did I just make that up or is it a real saying?*

continue to the recipe… about One-Pot Skinny Pasta Primavera

Shrimp Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers and Artichokes

Mediterranean flavors of roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, capers and feta cheese mix with a hint of cream and garlic to make a light sauce in this easy pasta dish.

My husband will attest that I am a shrimp pusher.

I love ’em. My husband? Let’s just say he’s more of a meaty guy as evidenced by this mess of a steak that almost makes me want to be a carnivore 154% of the time.

There are a few ingredients that perpetually live in my recipe rotation when it’s my turn to cook and shrimp is one of them. Routine? Sure. Rut? No way.

But that steak. It could change a woman.

When Better Homes and Gardens asked me to contribute a recipe to last spring’s SIP Better Homes and Gardens Top-Rated Recipes (SIP = special interest publications for anyone not familiar with acronyms for publishing speak) I only had one question. “Can I make shrimp?”

To whence they replied, “You can make anything you want.”

Ah, the joys of creative freedom.continue to the recipe… about Shrimp Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers and Artichokes

Roasted Mushroom Beef Stroganoff

A slow beef braise and roasted mushrooms are the secret to the best beef stroganoff recipe, the most popular dish at Salt Lake City’s Copper Onion, and the only way I’ll ever make beef stroganoff again.

Salt Lake City is on a local food scene high and I’m one of the lucky locals to reap the benefits. This Beef Stroganoff recipe is just one meal of the many that locals call a favorite.

The first time I had it was while sitting at the counter of one of the most popular restaurants in Salt Lake City, Copper Onion, and I immediately started quizzing the chef cooking directly across from me for details about the recipe. I absorbed about half of the instructions in between forkfuls, but now, thanks to the new cookbook Salt Lake City Chef’s Table, I don’t have to rely on my fading memory.

Instead, it was the first thing I made from the cookbook’s pages authored by Becky and Josh Rosenthal of the food blog The Vintage Mixer. And I’m sharing the recipe and it’s secret as to why its my comfort food fave.

continue to the recipe… about Roasted Mushroom Beef Stroganoff

Carbonara Pasta With Charred Brussels Sprouts

Whole wheat orecchiette, crispy charred brussels sprouts, salty pancetta, and sautéed shiitake mushrooms get cloaked in a creamy carbonara sauce for an absolutely irresistible pasta.

This recipe has made it official.

I don’t even know if I can admit to this after complaining and kvetching and professing my dislike for the dastardly, bitter little clusters of Brussels sprouts for lo’ these many years.

And now, here I am. Posting a full-on recipe of my very own choosing. And worse, my cravings.

Excuse me? Did I just admit to craving Brussels sprouts? Hell hath frozen over. Or maybe that was Boston?continue to the recipe… about Carbonara Pasta With Charred Brussels Sprouts

Easy Lemon Orzo Faux Risotto

Say it ain’t faux! Yes it is! Faux ri-soh-tto to be exact.

I’m a big believer in real stuff. Real butter. Check. Real friends. They’re the only kind. Real flowers instead of fake? Always.

So why go faux with risotto?

1. In my humble cooking opinion, using orzo makes this recipe a whole lot less temperamental to cook. Traditional risotto takes a lot of hand holding—and constant stirring—to ensure success. Orzo is a bit more forgiving.

2. This orzo is organic AND whole wheat — healthy carbs rejoice!

3. I make it often because it cooks up in just 30 minutes and can be served as a main dish, or served as a side. It’s flexible like that. And one of my pantry staples.

Here’s why…

continue to the recipe… about Easy Lemon Orzo Faux Risotto

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Whole Wheat Pasta

“I like the chicken. And the broccoli is pretty good. But I like the pasta the best.” Music to this mama’s ears, especially given I was delivering whole wheat pasta for dinner.

I’m not going to paint a picture that’s all rosy and rah-rah that says my family agrees with me when I say, “Yes! Let’s eat more healthy whole foods!”

The truth is, my family is a little reluctant when it comes to downing a whole bowl of whole wheat pasta. Case in point when my husband walked into the kitchen and saw this dish on the stove, and said, “Oh. * sad face * Whole wheat pasta, huh?”

Ahhh, not to fear, I have my wiley ways. And things can change pretty quickly around here, including his mind, when I put my mind to it.

continue to the recipe… about Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Whole Wheat Pasta

Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe

If you’re like me, cooking is simply part of life’s continuing education. Just when I think, “I’ve got this down pat,” or “There’s no possible way this could taste any better,” I get schooled once again.

Take for example the basic, elemental pasta sauce. The one that is so simple it works as the foundation for so many tomato-based recipes where other ingredients do the glitzy red-carpet-look-at-me-I’m-the-star work and the tomato sauce simply shines in the background.

I thought I knew this recipe just by intuition and from following recipes handed down to me from family or ones I’d learned from my hoarder’s collection of magazines.

But I have just discovered, I was doing it all wrong.

continue to the recipe… about Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe

One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

You might have a secret desire to be Suzy homemaker. Or to be known as the Martha Stewart of your neighborhood. Or strive to be just like whoever that overachiever is on Pinterest who makes, creates and cooks every. single. thing. from scratch.

I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to let those dreams die.

It’s okay to take a short cut here and there.

You don’t have to do it all, every. single. time. Especially when it comes to weeknights in the kitchen when all you’re craving is some simple, easy comfort food.

Hey! Let’s jump on the short cut, one-pan-dinner train together.

continue to the recipe… about One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

Fresh Tomato and Ricotta Whole Wheat Pasta

I’m facing a seriously critical conundrum. One that will impact the entirety of my upcoming summer. And I’m not sure what to do.

Do I plant tomatoes or bag it?

To some of you this may seem like the most unsubstantial predicament to be in. You probably thinking, Heidi, it’s time to call off the search, you’ve found that molehill and made the mountain.

But it isn’t that easy.

I’ve grown tomatoes every year, for years. But the past few have seen a steady downward spiral of yield and just plain growth. My tomato crop at the end of summer has turned into a total bummer crop instead of my oh so wishful bumper crop.

Last year I swore that this would be the year I took some time off from my tomato planting endeavors. And then when I received a bounty of freshly grown tomatoes on the vine from a new company I’m working with, I realized it would be perfectly fine if my garden went tomatoe-less this year. I can get a #bumpercropinabox (Ha! #hashtagJimmyFallon) and still satisfy my summer ‘mater-eating obsession.

continue to the recipe… about Fresh Tomato and Ricotta Whole Wheat Pasta

Buffalo Chicken Fettuccine

Lazy, dazy comfort food days. That’s what weekends are made of. And that’s when my man takes charge in the kitchen.

I’ve told you before about how my guy (I call him G-Dawg, because we’re gangstas like that) makes appearances here on the blog as a pretty good hand model, a stellar dish washer and super cute sous chef who can dice an onion so precisely it puts Bobby Flay to shame.

But his real talent is in front of the stove creating crazy mash-ups of our favorite foods. And this Buffalo Chicken Fettuccine is sure to be one that will go down as one of his masterpieces.

The recipe is inspired by three of our favorite food groups: pasta, chicken and hot sauce. Yes, you heard it right, hot sauce IS a food group. I’m claiming it now.

continue to the recipe… about Buffalo Chicken Fettuccine

Crab Spaghetti with Lemon Gremolata

Simple yet elegant, this Crab Spaghetti is pure comfort food with a high brow touch—because who doesn’t find comfort in twirling pasta around the big old clumps of sweetly lush lump crab.

If there’s one thing you want to eat in it’s lumpiest form, it’s crab. Take my word for it.

Crab can sometimes feel a little intimidating to make. How do you cook it? How do you crack it? And doesn’t it take forever to get that meat out of those prickly sharp shells?

But in reality, whether it’s steamed in it’s long, lanky king crabby legs dripping with butter (this recipe is hands down the easiest way to fix it) or rolled into bite size appetizer bites like this, it’s incredibly easy to prepare.

Fear not, this Crab Spaghetti with Lemon Gremolata jumps from pan to plate in about a half an hour. And I have just the tip to make it as painless as possible to make cure your crabby cravings.

continue to the recipe… about Crab Spaghetti with Lemon Gremolata

Chocolate Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce and 10 Romantic Pasta Dishes

Most gals yearn for chocolate. Put me in the “yes” category on that one. Romantic dinner for two? The occasion definitely calls for pasta. Combine these two ingredients for a romantic Valentine’s Day and wha-la! Chocolate Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce.

Chocolate pasta? Say what? Did you do a double take?

Okay, I may have lost it this time. Chocolate with cheese? Why not? It certainly works on cheese boards, so why not in one hot bowl for me and my lover?

I’ve been harboring this package of chocolate pasta for a while now all in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. The moment I laid eyes on it while roaming the eyes of Home Goods (I find so many unexpected finds there!) my synapses snapped.

Chocolate. Spunky cheese. Cream. A few really good ingredients to make a really great dish. My head was in forward motion. My recipe practically wrote itself as I was standing in the gourmet foods aisle.

But then this recipe almost didn’t see the light of day.

continue to the recipe… about Chocolate Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce and 10 Romantic Pasta Dishes

Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni

I’m not embarrassed to admit it. In our first days of being married—yep, that was just a feeeewww years ago—Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper was totally a favorite of my husband and mine.

Maybe it’s because my mom rarely made dinner from the box that gave that dang Hamburger Helper version a secret appeal.

Or maybe it was just because it had the basic ingredients that make a comfort food dinner completely craveable: pasta, hamburger and cheese sauce.

We always doctored up the boxed version with sliced onion and mushrooms, it’s not like we could just eat it the cardboard cutout way.

But when I started reading labels and trying to pronounce words in the ingredient list that I needed to pull out the dictionary for, the boxed version went by the wayside.

But that didn’t mean my craving went away.

continue to the recipe… about Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni

Tortellini Soup with Artichokes

There are plenty of different places I find inspiration for tasty vittles that float my boat. A bite of a dish from a favorite restaurant, a mention from a cooking show I see on T.V and then there are these things on the internets called food blogs. Have you ever heard of ’em?

So when I’m searching for a specific recipe to fix for the fam, it’s usually my fingers that do the walking on my computer’s keyboard.

And while pundits have been plotting the demise of print ever since the internet wiggled it’s way into our information seeking hearts, I say au contraire mo-frair!

I’m still a die hard fan of the printed recipe—whether it’s listed in a favorite cookbook or magazine. And when I’m skimming their pages, that’s usually when inspiration strikes.

continue to the recipe… about Tortellini Soup with Artichokes

Easy Parmesan Buttered Noodles

We’re not yet two weeks into 2014, so I think that technically I can squeeze in one more ode to 2013, right?

2013 was a great year, a fabulous year in fact. It was filled with amazing opportunities and new relationships that came my way thanks to this sweet lil’ blog o’ mine. Sing that 3 times fast to the Axl’s Sweet Child O’ Mine and you’ll feel my vibe.

While I’ve already declared my word for 2014, with 365 days to cover there’s certainly room for one more. And most likely a few others too. That’s why I’m adding this one to the hat: Simplify.

One thing I heard over and over from friends and family in 2013 was this: “I was going to call you, but you’re SO BUSY,” or “I was going to ask you to go/stay/play but you’re SO BUSY.”

Was I really THAT busy? TOO busy for my family and friends?

continue to the recipe… about Easy Parmesan Buttered Noodles

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Pasta and a Virtual Baby Shower

This recipe for roasted red pepper pasta has been rattling around in my head for a while. It just needed an occasion to be born to the world. So why not deliver it in celebration of a virtual baby shower for one of my favorite food bloggers, the insanely funny and talented Bev of Bev Cooks.

If you’re a food blogger, you know Bev. She’s a regular voyeur on most blogs, commenting on bloggers’ recipes with announcements like, “GET IN MY FACE!” or “Where’s my diving board? I’m going in.” And with her blogging raves about Wilson Phillips and Phillip Phillips and probably other Phillips we don’t even know about, we all know she has her obsessions. Which is pretty much how we all feel about her recipes. Obsessed.

Whenever I think of Bev, I think of…well…sarcasm accompanied by juuuuuuust a litttttttle drama. Her burgeoning belly, thanks to being just one month away from delivering TWINS! Whoa, she’s a better woman than I. And some seriously delish comfort food. Pasta. Pizza. Crazy inspirations like Chicken Taco Twists and Buffalo Shrimp Tostadas.

I can only imagine what she dreams about at night. Okay, maybe I don’t want to do that.

But I do know one thing she’s been dreaming of. Make that two. Those little babes cooking in her belly. Will and Natalie. Soon to join the world. 20 baby toes to nuzzle. I’m a tad jealous of all of the baby love that will be going on.

continue to the recipe… about Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Sausage Pasta and a Virtual Baby Shower

Whole Wheat Greek Pasta Salad

If you’re like me, you love the traditional flavors of Whole Wheat Greek Pasta Salad, but when you give it a try with whole wheat noodles, you’ve just upped your healthy foodie factor in a big way.

There I was, sitting in front of my computer staring at the deliciousness that resonated from the final edit on the summer issue of FoodieCrush magazine when the sudden craving for a salty burst of balsamic/basil/tomato flavors hit me smack in the flavor senses.

Before I get too far into the thick of the tomato, I must say a big thank you and send virtual fist pumps, high fives and air kisses to everyone who has checked out, commented, tweeted and Facebooked about the new issue and the bloggers, recipes and interviews that are featured in it’s flippable online pages.

If you haven’t taken a look yet, please do, and definitely click over to the linked food blogger’s sites to see more of their delicious tastes.

Now, back to our pasta at hand.

continue to the recipe… about Whole Wheat Greek Pasta Salad

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil bring summertime flavors to a classic dinner of Shrimp Scampi Pasta.

Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Three ingredients that magically transform into very special recipes when a few simple additions are made.

Add toasted bread and you have Bruschetta. Add mozzarella and you’ve just made a classic caprese.

This recipe for Shrimp Scampi Pasta takes those simple, classic flavors and with a twirl of a fork wrapped around slinky angel hair pasta puts the fresh taste of summer smack dab on your dinner table.

continue to the recipe… about Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Spring Vegetable Gnocchi

Before I talk about today’s recipe, I want to send my heartfelt thoughts to those that were affected by the bombing yesterday at the Boston Marathon finish line. Thankfully my friend, and many of yours, Dara of Cookin’ Canuck and her family—in Boston to cheer on her husband Steve who crossed the finish line just 3 minutes before the bombing—have let us all know via Twitter that they are fine even with the blast happening just one block and three minutes away from them.

Timing. It’s a tenuous thing.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families and participants, volunteers and emergency care workers who were affected, especially those that could not walk away. Special prayers to the family of the 8 year old who was killed in this manic event. That hits way too close to home. I cannot imagine.

Why did this happen? Why do any of these deranged plots happen? What are people thinking? I just can’t wrap my head around why anyone, ANYONE, thinks this is a good way to prove a point, gain notoriety or to simply create chaos through terror.

The only way I know how to address this is to love my loves and look for beauty and unselfishness in this unstable world. I hope you can too.

I’m very much a creature of habit. Or more likely a creature of cravings. When it comes to going out to eat I can rarely motivate myself to deviate from my standard favorites, especially when it comes to any sort of ethnic food. Mexican food: I always gravitate to the Chile Rellenos. Sushi: I must have Spicy Tuna anything.

When it comes to Italian, its rarely a question of what to order once the waiter rolls around: Gnocchi please. The sad thing is, at most Italian eateries gnocchi isn’t always standard fare. That’s why Sea Salt in Salt Lake City is one of my favorite spots to eat, since they have at least 5 different gnocchi recipes on the menu.

While Gnocchi alla Norma is my favorite and will make the blog sometime in the future, I’m working on spreading my wings and rallying through the rest of the menu at Sea Salt. Yep, I’m going wild around here. At least in the gnocchi department.

How it has taken me this long to get these potato pillows on the blog is beyond me.continue to the recipe… about Spring Vegetable Gnocchi

Sausage and Marsala Pappardelle Pasta

We all have our favorite recipes. And we all have vices. This recipe combines the best (best?) of both of them in my little world.

I’ve been sitting on this recipe ever since I started blogging. It’s one of those recipes I make it at least once a month, a favorite staple in our house and one I break out when company shows up unexpectantly because I always have the ingredients on hand.

But because it’s such a favorite for dinner, it’s usually dark by the time I’m done cooking and we’re hungry and there’s no light to take a pretty picture or any pasta left anyway. Oh, the life of a food blogger, balancing hunger pains of the family for you my lovely readers.continue to the recipe… about Sausage and Marsala Pappardelle Pasta

Meyer Lemon Fettuccine and 10 Favorite Lemon Recipes

The sunny skies of California made me want to do it.

Before I moved to the big lights and bigger stars land of L.A., I was a Utah girl, born and bred. So when the opportunity to leave my home state appeared, sure, I had a couple of romantic thoughts about what it would be like to live in the golden state, where dreams are big and sometimes come true.

There I was, the classic wanna be L.A. cliché.

Let’s see if the sugarplums of your California dreaming jive with mine. continue to the recipe… about Meyer Lemon Fettuccine and 10 Favorite Lemon Recipes

Chicken Nicoise Pasta Salad

The New Years resolutions have rung themselves in. And some of them, for some of you, are already on their way out.

This year I’m not making New Years resolutions. Instead, I’m setting goals that aren’t beginning-of-the-year-dependent, the kind that once the shiny sparkle of the New Year has faded so with it go the good intentions of achieving those rock hard abs and closets that look like they were ripped from the Container Store catalog.

That’s just not where I am anymore, looking toward the unknown of what might or might not work, what might or might not make me happy. It’s not that I don’t want to be in good health or have a clean and organized home, its just that I know time is precious and flies by too quickly. Instead, I’m going to go retro this year. I’m going to remember the way I used to behave, the way I used to enjoy, because I know what I did then worked and made me happy. The essentials are there, and can easily be adapted to where I am now in my now, much happier life. So, here are my goals for this year.

continue to the recipe… about Chicken Nicoise Pasta Salad

Friday Faves and Pumpkin Manicotti

This week heralded a week of pumpkins featuring both a savory and a sweet recipe option. As it should! Eating local and in season gives a bump in stimulating the local farming economy and its also just being plain healthy. Keeping it simple and unprocessed as often as we can.

So to end out the punkin’ posts I’ll leave you with this tasty ditty of a recipe featuring my favorite orange orb all mashed up in my Pumpkin Manicotti. I know! Will I ever get tired of pumpkin and sage together? Bear with me friends because it’s highly doubtful.

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Pumpkin Manicotti

Ingredients

1 8 ounce package manicotti noodles
3 cups milk
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 tablespoons 1 stick butter, divided
1/8 cup fresh sage leaves thinly sliced
¼ cup flour
1 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoon salt divided
1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Preheat oven at 350°F. Bring a large stock pot of water to boil. Once water comes to boil, add oil and salt water well and cook noodles for 5-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse noodles and set aside.
In a saucepan, bring milk to a boil, lower to simmer and add garlic. Simmer for 15 minutes until garlic flavor infuses milk. Remove garlic from mixture and discard.
In a separate small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter, add sage leaves and cook until crisp. Remove sage leaves from butter pan to drain and set aside. Add 6 tablespoons butter to remaining sage butter in pan, and melt over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add reserved garlic-infused milk mixture and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes, whisking so sauce does not stick or burn. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, remove from heat and let cool.
Layer a 13 X 9 inch pan with 1/2 cup of sauce.
In a large bowl, mix Ricotta, pumpkin puree, egg, nutmeg and salt. Add ½ cup Mozzarella and mix. Fill a large Ziploc freezer bag with pumpkin mixture, clip one corner with a ¼” cut and pipe manicotti tubes with Ricotta cheese mixture so a little bit overflows on ends.
Place manicotti tubes side by side in pan, repeating until you run out of shells and filling. Spoon remaining sauce on top of shells, top with remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle sage leaves on top of cheese, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves and Pumpkin Manicotti

7 Great Zucchini Pastas Plus Zucchini and Chicken Sausage Penne Pasta Recipe

We all know the drill, the harvest mantra: “What am I going to do with all this zucchini?”

Well, here’s what you do with it. You cook with it, you bake with it, you think about tanning it for the newest trend in vegan alternative leather.

Hey, we may have something there.

I have to share this photo of what happened in my garden 3 years ago. It was stunning.

We had just moved into our latest house and it was my first time gardening in the plot the previous owner had prepared for his veggies. I’d heard from the neighbors that he was quite the gardener—resulting in us removing about 40 trees and countless shrubs. But the guy knew how to cae for his soil, and the spot he tilled for his veggies, was bar-none, top notch soil.

I was by no means prepared for the bounty of this harvest.continue to the recipe… about 7 Great Zucchini Pastas Plus Zucchini and Chicken Sausage Penne Pasta Recipe

Chicken Piccata Pasta and Friday Faves

Seriously people, where does the time go?

I recently marked 5 years at my day job, my one year anniversary of blogging, today is the last day of this year’s school year and tomorrow is my baby girl’s 8th birthday. Seriously how does time whiz so quickly by?

Each of these milestones reinforces my resolve to take more time to enjoy the most important people in my life and take control of my own destiny. And I couldn’t be more determined, felt more inspired and have been given more encouragement to do so.continue to the recipe… about Chicken Piccata Pasta and Friday Faves

Spring Greens Asparagus and Ricotta Pasta

Just like last spring, I nearly fell off the curb when I saw them poking their pointy little heads out of the yet to be toiled soil.

Given they had the fortitude to break through the thatch of leftover fall leaves with such superhero force was a sure sign these slender lovelies were destined for greatness. Greatness like in a great pasta.

Asparagus. In MY garden.

I discovered these perennial pretties the first spring we lived in our new home—a complete surprise. I learned later that asparagus are perennials which meant while I had been digging about my beds adding soil for my nine hundred and forty seven plus twenty two tomato plants, I had actually been unearthing their little crowns and tossing any chance of future heirs to join our pasta party.continue to the recipe… about Spring Greens Asparagus and Ricotta Pasta

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