Pesto Pasta with Mini Meatballs

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It's kind of funny...I couldn't wait to get to Italy and cook all these great dishes that I haven't been able to cook in Saudi, but I come to find that I can't get everything I want in Italy either!  I couldn't wait to eat kale...but couldn't find it anywhere, no matter how hard I searched.  Broccoli too...seems to have just disappeared from the Como area! 
And just a little note about Lake Como....I'm in love.  Just in love.  We stayed in a town called Menaggio...in my opinion, the best one on the lake...and it's just a short ferry ride to Bellagio and Varenna.  Menaggio (pronounced Men-A-jo) has a beautiful piazza and then you walk (uphill) all the way to our house.  We stayed where the old castle used to be in a 500 year old house.  It was so lovely and we made friends with the neighbors.  I was even lucky enough to be invited over for dinner!  It was great fun trying to talk Italian with them.  The food was wonderful.  (and yes, they even had the traditional Italian red and white table cloth)  :)

So, the next night I had to cook for myself and the girls.  No broccoli to be found, but at least they had cauliflower.  We'd already feasted on different tomato based sauces, so I wanted something different.  And keeping with the fact that I wanted to enjoy pork as much as possible, I figured some yummy meatballs would do the trick topped with a nice pesto sauce.  Had I been in my regular kitchen I would have made my own pesto, but with the serious lack of kitchen staples in my rented house, I went with the jarred kind.  Turned out wonderful and the girls really liked it as well.  Score one for mom!

Roasted Pasta Primavera

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Ciao!!!  Okay, so yes, I've been gone forever...well, 6 weeks.  It was Ramadan here in Saudi (their holy month where they fast from sunup to sundown) and that meant it was time for me and my girls to skip out of town.  We've been in Italy for the past 6 amazing weeks.  It was an incredible trip and I was able to spend time with my mom, stepdad and even my aunt and uncle.  I was apart from the dear hubby for 4 weeks until he met up with us.  We spent time in Lake Como (touring all the towns like Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio), Lucca, Pisa, Venice and ended in Positano on the Almalfi Coast.  
And now, here I am, back in Saudi.  (hoping that sounds more enthusiastic in words than it does in my head)  Ah, but if it weren't for living here, I wouldn't get to go on these amazing trips.  :)
While in Italy, I had rented a house and got to do quite a bit of cooking, so the next few posts will all be Italian style meals.  And it also means that I had very little choice (if any) of which plates to use for each dish....so, yeah, they all look the same.  ah well.    
First up....this super tasty pasta primavera.  Roasting the veggies brings out fantastic flavors and turns a simple dish into something spectacular.  This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis, I had to tweak it a little because I couldn't find all the ingredients she called for, still...it was a great meal.  :)  Leave out the cheese and you have yourself a fab Vegan dinner!

Ingredients

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
• 1 pound spinach flavored penne pasta
• 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Quinoa Pasta with Pomodoro Sauce

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Back from a lovely 4 weeks in Vegas with my family and friends.  It was so nice to be able to go out to eat at fun restaurants.  I devoured tons of sushi.  Did a bit of cooking, but not much.  But, I did buy some great items to bring back with me for cooking.  One big one was quinoa and quinoa pasta.  (I also brought back panko bread crumbs, some hot sauces, saffron, and wild rice)  So, now I'm back here in Saudi and my cooking cap is on and raring to go!
I couldn't wait to cook up the quinoa pasta and I wanted to find a nice sauce to go with it.  This was just perfect.  I amped up the protein even more by adding cannellini beans.
An incredibly simple sauce with monster flavor.  The hubby likened it a bit to vodka sauce...minus the vodka and cream.  
Leftovers were great too!  Happy cooking!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious


Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes, puréed in a food processor
Kosher salt
3 large fresh basil sprigs
12 ounces quinoa pasta
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino



Directions:
Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium, add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 5-quart pot. Season with salt; add spaghetti or bucatini and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.

Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat. Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce; bring to a boil. Add beans and toss to coat, next add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts. Transfer to warm bowls; serve with more cheese, if desired.

Pasta with Zucchini, Fennel & White Beans

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I've been meaning to try cooking with fennel for a long time now.  I'm not a huge black licorice fan (and that's what fennel smells like to me), but it's in so many recipes I figured it just has to be good, right?

Right.  Now, I'm not sure I'd like it full force and eat it raw, but cooked...it becomes much more mild in flavor.  This dish is super easy to make and is surprisingly packed with flavor (which you wouldn't think if you looked at the ingredients.)  Don't skimp out on the mint...really adds a nice touch.  Great weeknight meal!

Ingredients:

• 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed
• 2 medium zucchini
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat penne or similar short pasta, reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise and then slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Quarter zucchini lengthwise. Toss the fennel and zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until soft and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop. Add the vegetables, beans and 1/2 cup pasta liquid to the pan with the garlic and place over medium-low heat. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the pan. Toss thoroughly and add tomatoes; toss until just warm. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese and mint. Season with pepper.

recipe adapted from Eating Well

Bean Bolognese with Quinoa Pasta

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While we were in France, we went to a local farmers market where I picked up a package of quinoa pasta.  I've never even eaten quinoa before and you can't find it here in Saudi.  So, when I found this great veggie bolognese recipe, I thought it would be a great time to try the pasta too.
The bolognese was simple to make with lots of flavor.  The quinoa pasta actually had a bit of a sweet taste to it and went really well with the sauce.  All in all it was a great dish that the whole family enjoyed.  Another veggie dish on the rotation!

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans (or other white bean), rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup white wine (I had to use chicken broth which therefore nixed the vegetarian aspect)
• 1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 8 ounces Quinoa pasta
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

**Note: you are going to have more beans than you need.  Either go ahead and toss them in or set aside and have with eggs for breakfast!  :)

Directions:

1. After rinsing the beans, combine them together in a bowl.
2. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Scoop out 1/2 cup beans and mash in a small bowl with a fork.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil until most of the liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, 2 tablespoons parsley and the mashed beans. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add a cup of the whole beans (or add them all); cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water until just tender, according to package directions. Drain.
5. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Discard the bay leaf and top the pasta with the sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining parsley.

Fresh, Simple Homemade Tomato Sauce

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We've been blessed with a great abundance of tomatoes from our garden.  I was hoping we would end up with cherry tomatoes (my fave for their sweet flavor) but instead we have Roma tomatoes.  Not a bad thing of course, just not the ones I'd eat for a snack all by themselves. 
The other day I was chatting with my friend, who lived in Rome for 13 years, and she mentioned making a nice homemade sauce with all my tomatoes.  Hmmmm...haven't done that yet!  And, as a bonus, we got lucky and the local grocery store had some fresh pasta in stock.  Fresh sauce, fresh (well semi fresh) ravioli.  Perfect!
I Googled a bunch of recipe ideas for the sauce.  There are more ways to make tomato sauce than I would have guessed!  But, I wanted simple...pure.  I wanted the tomatoes to shine.  So, with a few ingredients and a bit of time...I ended up with a lovely sauce.  
Since then, I've made fresh sauce one other time...with the same wonderful results.  Keep the tomatoes coming! (side note:  if you ever pop into the store and find tomatoes on sale, but maybe they look like they're on their last leg...buy them!  yep you read right.  Those overripe beauties will make you a beautiful sauce!  And save keep some money in your pocketbook!)


*important tip:  take the time to peel and seed the tomatoes.  Otherwise your sauce won't be nearly as good.  It's not hard and just takes a few extra minutes of your prep time...it's worth it.  Trust me.

Super Quick Pasta with Green Veggies

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Yesterday I was getting a rare treat...a sushi dinner with friends.  NO kids!  I have only been out without my girls twice in the last 5 months.  Not for a lack of trying, it's just been beyond busy.  So, last night I was heading out for dinner and enjoy the company of grownups.  Of course, what did we end up talking about most of the night?  That's right, our kids.  Ah well, it was still a great time.
Before I left, I wanted to make sure my girls had something yummy for dinner.  I raided my mom's pantry and freezer for ideas.  (we're camping out at grandma's until we ship out to Saudi next week)
I spied a bag of pasta and some frozen veggies.  Perfect.  If it has noodles, my kids will eat it.  Period. 
This is such a simple dish with light flavors and a nice punch of veggie goodness.  Spike it with some red pepper flakes for a more grown up taste.  :)

Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs with Smokey Marinara

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I recently signed up for Pillsbury's daily newsletter.  I'm not a huge fan of their recipes mostly because they are not very healthy and they constantly use name brand items.  But, I did see this reicpe and thought it was a fun easy dish to make for me and my girls.
I wanted to add a bit more pizzazz, so I made my own smokey marinara (you can find the recipe here:  Smokey Marinara)  I really wanted to use bucatini noodles, but I couldn't find any at the store.  So, I settled for good ol' spaghetti.  I think next time I'll try a different cheese...the string cheese didn't melt very well.  But, all in all, it was a great dish.  :)

Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Bucatini

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I had such a great time cooking dinners for my family in Ohio.  I cooked up a few of my all time faves...Smokey Minestrone Tortellini Soup and Smokey Chicken Tortilla Soup, but I also wanted to try out a few new ones.
Since I am currently obsessed with cooking, I brought some of my fave cooking magazines with me.  Looking through Cuisine at Home, I found a really yummy sounding pasta dish.  (ok, so for me almost all pasta dishes are yummy, but anyway...)  It's light, easy and full of flavor.  Great for a weeknight meal.  And if you're really short on time, just use some canned tomatoes (though the flavor won't be as pronounced.)  Many stores are starting to carry bucatini now...it's a fat spaghetti noodle that is hollow on the inside.  Sort of like a really long macaroni.  If you can't find them, sub out regular spaghetti noodles.

I'm going to post the original recipe which states it serves 2 people.  I just doubled everything and had plenty for grandma, me and the girls.  Happy cooking!  :)

Friday: Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

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I was lazily sitting on the couch playing with my iPad (greatest invention on Earth as far as I'm concerned) and  using my Cooking Light app.  I found this recipe and it sounded really tasty.  One, my girls like cauliflower...two, my girls love pasta....three, I just love trying something new.  Check, check, check.  Recipe on the menu this week.
I wanted to make it a bit more substantial, so I'm going to brown up some sweet chicken Italian sausage to go with it.  Takes away from the vegetarian aspect, but hey, I already had one veggie only dish this week.  :)  Not to mention, roasted cauliflower is just downright delish.
After weeks of not really having a menu to go by, I'm happy to be up and cooking again this week.  Even better that mom will be here to cook with me.  Happy cooking!

Baked Mac & Cheese

Pin It Now! We recently celebrated my daughters 3rd birthday.  (it's not offical till the end of August, but we were with family)  When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner, she didn't hesitate "mac & cheese!"  Okay, see, here's the funny thing...I hardly ever make mac & cheese.  It's really once in a blue moon type of thing.  She is on a TOTAL "noodle" kick right now.  She'll eat anything if there are noodles in it.  She wanted noodles for breakfast three days in a row.  (not that she got them)  
But, of course I would indulge her for her birthday.  I decided to make a nice homemade baked mac & cheese.  Got the recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network.  I wanted something that wasn't insanely unhealthy and coated in heavy cream.  His recipe fit the bill.  Since my birthday girl and her big sis were going to be the only kids there, I also made a separate dish of mac & cheese with bacon and mushrooms added in.  Wicked good.  
I had a happy kid and happy family.  It was a wonderful little party.  Best of all, my little one got her noodles.  :)

Tuesday: Chicken and Egg Soup with Pastina

Pin It Now! I'm starting to feel the pressure of the move and upcoming craziness.  I want to make my hubby dishes that I know he won't make for himself while we are apart.  However, I also just want to make some nice, simple dishes too.  So, this is one of the later.  Simple, easy, delicious.  It's very similar to an Asian egg drop soup, but obviously with more sustenance.
Tuesday's are such busy days for me with 2 hours spent at gymnastics for the girls (boy, I'm sure going to miss taking them to gym...no gymnastics in Saudi) and then swim lessons right after.  Quick and easy is definitely what is on the menu for tonight.  Don't skip out on any of the ingredients, especially the dill...really gives a fab flavor!  Happy (quick) cooking!  :) 

Monday: Staci's Orecchiette with Fresh Tomatoes and Sausage

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To indulge my inner Italian, I'm declaring this week...ITALIAN WEEK!  (it makes me excited just to type that)  I've searched for some fun new dishes and I'm cooking up one of my personal faves.  

I know that Italian food sometimes gets a bad rap because of the high carb content.  However; I've been to Italy (yes, lucky me) and let me tell you, they aren't all obese!  The reason?  They don't eat a vat of pasta for each meal.  A typical Italian dinner will include at least three courses eaten over the span of a couple of hours (or more).  You'd start with an Antipasti (appetizer), followed by il primo (first dish that is usually pasta...about one cup worth), il secondo (usually meat or fish), and a contorno (a side dish of veggies).  Also there is bread and wine of course.  And usually espresso with dessert if ordered.

Now, as much as I'd like to sit for two hours and enjoy my dinner, my kids aren't going to go for that.  So, I'm forced to just enjoy the il primo course or il secondo.  I have prepared a true Italian meal once for a family party at my home, but that was pre-kiddos.

So, keep in mind, when preparing Italian food, keep your portions smaller and you won't have to worry so much about the carb count.  And best of all, just enjoy the deliciousness that makes Italian food so damn good.

For today, I'm making my fave pasta.  It started as a recipe I found in a cookbook and then I've tweaked it from there.  I love this dish.  Mostly because of the gorgeous and sweet tasting cherry tomatoes.  I don't bother seeding or removing skins...takes too much time and actually I like both.  Cherry tomatoes can be pricey, so I don't make this often.  Orecchiette is a pasta that gets it's name comes from its shape, which reminds one of a small ear. In Italian orecchio means ear, and the suffix 'etto' means 'small'.  It's a dome shaped pasta that is starting to show up more and more in regular grocery stores.  If you can't find any, use small shells instead.  

Hope you enjoy my fave pasta dish!  Happy cooking!

Friday: Spaghetti with Fresh Soppressata

Pin It Now! I swear I should have been born Italian.  I just LOVE pasta dishes.  Word of warning...this dish needs to be prepared a day ahead.  You need to marinate the sausages overnight.  

It only makes 6 servings, and I'm worried there won't be any leftovers... :/  This is another one of those dishes where I'll spend the extra money and get the San Marzano tomatoes.  (no, they aren't paying me to advertise for them...I just really love the taste of these compared to the other canned tomatoes...it's a HUGE difference)

Buona cucina!  (happy cooking!)

*Note:  I googled Ssppressata and found that it is supposed to be Italian cured dry salami.  So, not sure why Food & Wine called this "Fresh Soppressata"...none the less...it was AMAZING!!!

Tuesday: Slow Cooked Soup...Minestrone Style

Pin It Now! It's going to be one of those days when you know you just won't feel like cooking when you get home (from work, errands, whatever..).  So pull out the slow cooker and let dinner cook itself!  This delicious soup is packed with veggies and flavor.  You can save even more time by buying pre-chopped veggies.  Then all that's left for you to do when you get home is cook the noodles (unless you did the night before) and throw them into the pot with the zucchini and spinach!  Soup's on!    

Thursday: Baked Farfalle With Escarole and Zucchini

Pin It Now! It's vegetarian night!  (much to the hubby's dismay.)  This just sounded super tasty and I've never cooked with Escarole before.  It took me three stores to find it, but if you can't, you can just sub spinach.  I also splurged a bit and bought those delicious imported canned tomatoes, San Marzano.  It really does make a difference when you know the sauce is going to play a big role. (but of course, it makes the dish a little less budget friendly...worth it to me though!)  Make sure to keep an eye on the timer..some ovens will cook this faster than others.  Feel free to up the veggies too (extra zucchini, mushrooms, spinach)

Memorial Weekend Menu- Smoker Style

Pin It Now! There's nothing I love more than cooking up a feast for friends.  The best part is that my husband is a genius with the smoker.  It doesn't matter what he puts under the hood of that baby...it comes out smoked to perfection and full of flavor.  This coming weekend we're planning on smoking ribs, a tri-tip, red snapper and hubby is going to actually smoke some squid (that should be interesting). 
  
Since he'll be manning the meat it's up to me to dish out some wicked sides.  No BBQ is ever complete without a killer pasta salad, and this recipe for Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad should do the trick.  And of course, I can't pass up all this fabulous corn that's on sale!!  Found a great recipe for some Grilled Mexican Corn.  This is shaping up to be a great menu!  Can't wait to eat!  

Click Read More for all the recipes.  :)

Thursday: Spaghetti Pie

Pin It Now! I have been so excited to cook this dish!  So much so that I had to order the damn bundt pan in order to make it.  (remember...baking hates me)  Pan arrived last week!  This dish is on the menu baby!  
I got this from KayoticKitchen.com...and she stated to serve it lukewarm or cold.  So, this makes a great to dish to prepare in advance.  The ingredients make it super budget friendly.  Hoping this will be a big hit in this house!  (if nothing else, it'll be fun to cook.)  :D

Okay, this is NOT my picture...this is what my dish was supposed to look like.... (click read more to see mine....)

Menu for May 9-13: Monday: Smokey Tortellini Soup

Pin It Now! A bunch of new dishes again this week.  Love trying new things!  (and the plus is that 99% of the time, I find I really like all of them)  A friend of mine posted on Facebook that I HAD to try this soup.  (and tell her when I'm making it and what I think) So, while at the farmers market, the lovely Italian lady was selling her homemade pasta.  I snagged a package of tortellini's and put this soup first in the lineup for the week.  Already craving dinner tonight.  Bought some bread to use to dip into the savory broth.  Do you have a favorite tortellini recipe?

Friday: Pesto Pasta

Pin It Now! I've never been a big fan of pesto.  Maybe it's the odd green color.  Maybe it's the odd taste.  But, since I'm trying to get my girls to try new things, I figured I should give it another go.  Plus, I like the fact that this pesto is made with a variety of greens...adding to the bonus veggie factor.  It's a simple dish to make and I'll probably use some fun pasta to go with it.  I listed this as vegetarian, but I may toss in some pancetta for some crunch and smoky flavor.  Some nice buttery, garlicky crusty bread would round this all out nicely.