Weeknight Tomato Balsamic Spaghetti

I've been going through spurts with my cooking lately. Some weeks I'm full of energy and whipping up meals, bothering to set up my lighting so I can take a decent picture, and enjoying myself in the kitchen. Other weeks I'm exhausted from being (almost) halfway through my pregnancy, parenting a 3 year old, and teaching 5th graders. Those weeks I rely on meals that "cook themselves" and this is one of them. As you can see I didn't even bother to set up my lighting- hence the picture being pretty meh... I literally held my bowl in one hand, snapped a picture with the other, then sat on the couch and ate this. So.. yeah. Some weeks are rough.

This pasta is so amazingly easy to make. The end result is very flavorful but the effort going in is minimal. John and I both loved this. I loved it so much I'm making it again this week. The week may not have even begun, but I can already tell it's going to be a barely-cooking week.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 tsp olive oil
Garlic salt
Pepper
3 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup light cream
1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 400.
2- In a small oven safe baking dish toss the tomatoes with the oil. Season with garlic salt and pepper.
3- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes start to burst apart.
4- Carefully mash the tomatoes, breaking them apart and releasing their juices. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir well. Transfer the mixture to skillet.
5- Over low heat combine the tomato mixture with the cream. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
6- Add the cooked spaghetti, stir well. Allow to cook over low heat 2 minutes until the sauce coats the pasta.
7- Top with dried parsley and parmesan, if desired.

Baked Italian Chicken

Summer is over. I'm sorry. I know that for a lot of you summer is your favorite time of year. I am not one of you people. I am a fall girl. I loooove the fall. Bring on the sweaters, the pumpkins, the leaves... the cool weather, the hearty food... peace out summer!! However, if there's one thing I'll miss it's the delicious ripe tomatoes. They're like candy when they're perfectly ripe. I will miss that, but it's a fair trade!

I made this dinner to use up the last of a bunch of delicious summer tomatoes and boy was it good. Like, amazingly good. I had the leftovers for lunch at work the next day and it was just as good as the first go round, which I never find to be the case with leftovers. I think what I loved best of all is that it's so light, healthy, flavorful AND it can be prepared ahead of time! I made this the night before, then popped it in the oven when I got home from work and it was perfect. A totally winning recipe!

Source: Slightly adapted from Our Story

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts (not thin breasts)
3 large roma tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 small can artichoke hearts, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp sugar
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Sliced fresh basil

Directions:
1- Place the chicken in the bottom of a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.
2- Combine the tomatoes, artichokes, garlic, oil, salt and pepper (to taste), flour, and sugar in a bowl. Stir well. Pour over the chicken.
3- Bake at 350 until the chicken is almost cooked (depends on the thickness of the breast- for mine it was about 30 minutes), then top with mozzarella cheese and place under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil.

Grilled Summer Chicken

I feel like it's been so long since I shared a new recipe with you! I hope you enjoyed last week's series on "Making Weekdays Work." I had a lot of fun writing it! But, now back to the real reason you come here- food. Remember a few weeks ago when I shared my recipe for peach tomato sauce? Well, I have a lot of it leftover- a LOT. So I decided to use some to top a simply marinaded piece of grilled chicken, and ta-da! Delish. The sauce has a thicker consistency so it's more like a brushetta topping. If you don't want to make the sauce you can easily use my adaption below. Either way this is a great recipe for these last few days of summer. Enjoy.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Italian seasonings
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, smashed
3/4 cup vidalia onion peach tomato sauce or see adaption below

Directions:
1- Combine chicken, oil, vinegar, seasonings, salt/pepper, and garlic in a large zipper bag. Shake well. Allow to marinade at least 1 hour, more if desired.
2- Grill until cooked through. Topped with heated peach tomato sauce.

Adaptation:
If you don't want to make the tomato sauce, combine 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes with 1/4 diced peaches, 1/4 cup cooked vidalia onions, 1 tsp olive oil, and salt and pepper. This will make more of a brushetta topping but it will give the same flavors.

Vidalia Onion & Peach Tomato Sauce (& GIVEAWAY!)

Are you into canning? Quite honestly, I knew very little about canning until recently. Since I don't grow a garden I never really looked into canning, and if I'm being honest it intimidated me. When the people at Ball Canning contacted me I was thrilled. Personally I am a big fan of their jars (see below for a giveaway of their jars!) and have used them for so many purposes, none of which were canning (you know... stuff in the classroom, drinking water...etc.) When they offered to send me a kit to get me started with canning I thought it would be a great new challenge. Little did I know it's really not that challenging at all. In fact, if you're interested in canning check out their canning products here. Some of my favorite items I received are the freezer jars and dissolvable labels.

When I knew I'd be canning I assumed I'd make a jam. That's pretty standard, no? However, my friend Natalie at The Dinner Club had been raving about her peach tomato sauce and I decided I needed to try it. She guest posted on her friend's blog and the recipe sold me. Hands down this is one of my favorite recent recipes. It's sweet and delicious. I have so many meals planned around this sauce... the first of which was a pizza I'll be sharing soon. This is such a great way to feature summer produce and enjoy a healthy, interesting sauce.  Please try it- you owe it to yourself!

See below the recipe for giveaway details!

Source: Adapted from The Dinner Club as seen on LeMoine Family Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small/medium vidalia onion (or half a large), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
3 peaches, peeled and diced
4 tomatoes (2 beefsteak and 2 on the vine were used, but any 2 work), peeled and diced
15 basil leaves, sliced thin
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1- Heat the oil, add the onion. Season with salt and allow to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cooking another minute or so.
2- Deglaze the pan using either the wine or broth. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
3- Add the tomatoes and peaches. Season with salt. Cover. Cook about 30 minutes.
4- Remove the lid, using a potato masher mash the fruit mixture. Recover, add the basil, and cook over medium/low for an additional 30-40 minutes.
5- Season with salt and pepper to taste.


BUT NOW... for the part you're really interested in... the giveaway. Ball is kind enough to send the winner a set of jars to get you started on your own canning venture.

TO ENTER:
1- Leave a comment on this post telling me what you'd do with your jars if you were to win. 
2- ONE ENTRY PER PERSON- please be sure to leave your email so I have a way to contact you. 
3- Comments are moderated- they will not appear as soon as you post, please do not resend the comment.

Contest will end TUESDAY, JULY 17 at MIDNIGHT.

(Image in the picture may not be the same set you receive).

Bruschetta Pasta

John and I are big bruschetta people. My mother-in-law is the Queen of Brushetta (yes, it is an official title!) and she always makes it. I love her recipe for tomato bruschetta and have used it many times, like on chicken bruschetta, bruschetta pizza, and just plainly topping bread. Now and then I stray and make something wild like this hummus bruschetta, but my heart belongs to the original tomato version!

I had some tomatoes hanging around the other day so I made a batch of bruschetta and decided to just top some pesto pasta with it. This dish was excellent. I was a bit skeptical of how the vinegar would go with the creamy pesto pasta I made, but it worked beautifully! Best of all this is a dinner you can make in no time because the tomato mix can be made up to two days in advance, and then you just throw the pasta together! Excellent meal!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in fourths
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 pound pasta, any shape
1/3 cup pesto sauce
1/4 cup alfredo sauce

Directions:
1- Toss the tomatoes, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl, stir well. Allow to marinade at least an hour, up to two days, in the refrigerator. When ready to prepare the pasta allow tomato mix to come to room temperature since the oil mix will likely thicken in the fridge.
2- Prepare the pasta according to packaging directions. Drain, toss with the pesto and alfredo until the pasta is lightly coated and hot.
3- Top with the tomato mixture.

Roasted Vegetable Brushetta Chicken

I told you about the insanity that is dinner prep at my house these days. The fact that we eat a home cooked meal and I snap a halfway decent picture of it is quite an accomplishment now that Landon is getting active but not old enough to sit up/play independently. With that said I really love just throwing stuff in the oven and letting it do it's thing. Most of my cooking is done on the stove top in a skillet, but oven meals are becoming my favorite. This was one of those great meals because after chopping up all of the vegetables the meal just did it's own thing. Best of all it was super healthy and delicious. This is perfect for these spring days where you're craving healthy/light meals but it's still cool enough to turn on the oven. Winner winner!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 zucchini, cut into rounds and then sliced in half
1 cup mushrooms
2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 thin chicken breasts
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350.
2- Toss the zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, oil, garlic, and vinegar together in a large baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
3- Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. After removing the vegetables from the oven lay the chicken in the baking dish with the vegetables and return to the oven, cooking an additional 15 minutes or until your chicken is cooked through (greatly varies based on thickness of chicken).
4- To serve, place the chicken atop pasta/couscous/rice/etc. and divide the vegetable mixture over the chicken.

Tomato Chicken Noodle Soup

Here's a little peek at a text conversation John and I had this past week:

Me: I don't want to cook. Everything I like has dairy.
John: If you don't cook you're choices are Chinese or cheese free pizza. That's going to get old quickly.
Me: I know... but I still don't want to. Humph.

Yup... I was being a brat. I think it's that whole "you want what you can't have" thing. After a bit of time an all day battle of walking to my pantry and walking back to my couch I decided to just throw some stuff together and make a soup. Always a good option, right? This soup came out great. I had a little bit of chicken left in the fridge to use up so I decided to get crafty and came up with this. It was pretty tasty for a last minute idea if I do say so myself! John and I both enjoyed it, he even declared it a dairy-free success story.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

** I used a packet of Swanson Flavor Boost which adds a lot of sodium to the soup. It also adds a ton of flavor so I highly recommend it. If you do not use one you will need to add salt. 

Ingredients:
1 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 packet Swanson Flavor Boost (optional but recommended)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/3 cup dry broken angel hair pasta

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350.
2- Pour the can of tomatoes into a dutch oven or oven safe pot. Bake, covered, for about 35 minutes.
3- Mash the tomatoes with a spoon or potato masher. Pour the broth, Swanson Flavor Boost (if using), pepper, and parsley into the tomatoes and heat over medium heat. After about ten minutes add the chicken and angel hair. Cook until the pasta is cooked thoroughly.
4- Serve hot.

Tomato Basil Soup

Pinterest will be my demise. I spend way too much time looking at stuff on there- I even look at things that have no interest to me! Plus now that I exist in a sleep-deprived haze thanks to my baby I find Pinterest to be the perfect website- I can just look at pictures and not think. Without fail I pin several recipes a day that I feel I need to try. This soup was one of my most recent pins. I loved that it cooked mostly in the crockpot making it an easy weeknight meal. Yes, you do need to make a roux on the stovetop, but in total that took 5 minutes.

When all was said and done this soup was seriously to die for. Shockingly I forgot to add the parmesan cheese that the original called for (yes... I forgot cheese... I know...) and it was still so rich. So rich that I don't think you even need cheese (GASP!) and I wouldn't add it next time I made it. I'm leaving it out of the recipe below but if you want just add 1 cup of parmesan when you add the half and half! John and I both were obsessed with this and I'm thrilled that it made enough to freeze for another night.

Source: Adapted from 365 Days of Slow Cooking

Ingredients:
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juices (fire roasted if you can find them)
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
1- Combine the tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, oregano, basil, and broth in a crockpot. Cook on low for 7 hours.
2- In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour to create a roux. Once the paste is formed add 1 cup of the hot veggie mix, stirring well until incorporated. Add an additional 3 cups, stirring well, until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the crockpot, stir well.
3- Add in the half and half, salt, and pepper. Cook on low an additional hour.

Spicy Tomato Skillet Pasta

Sometimes the most simple meals are the best. I think that's why Italian food is so amazing. It's simple ingredients combined to form complex flavors. Since I make a lot of Italian food I tend to have many staples in my kitchen. When I don't feel like cooking I often throw some of this and some of that together in one skillet and just see how it goes. This was an example of such a meal. Best of all this came out truly awesome. I have been really enjoying spicy food lately so I loved this. John felt the heat was a bit intense, so definitely use less red pepper flakes if you aren't into spicy food. I think we can all also agree that the fact that this dish only uses one skillet (and the pot to cook the pasta) it's a nice, low-key meal.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 cup chicken broth

4 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, sliced and defrosted

1 zucchini, shredded

1 can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup marsala wine (can sub red or white wine)

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (less if you want it mild)

1/2 tsp. onion powder

Salt

Pepper

1/2 pound pasta, cooked

Directions:

1- In a skillet heat the oil. Add the garlic and stir well. After 2-3 minutes add the chicken broth, artichokes, and zucchini. Stir well and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

2- Add the can of diced tomatoes, marsala wine, red pepper flakes, and onion powder.

3- Raise the heat and cook over high heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta to the skillet and stir.

4- Keep the pasta and sauce cooking over high heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. 

5- Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired. 

Italian Macaroni and Cheese

Last week I was sitting on my couch debating what to do for dinner. I wanted the following things: roasted tomatoes, Kraft macaroni and cheese, or pasta with tons of parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil. I couldn't decide. I wanted all of them at once. And yet, that sounded disgusting... so I decided to figure out a way to combine all of my desired into one dish. Enter this Italian macaroni and cheese.

This was one of those meals where you throw it in the oven and think, "This is either going to be amazing... or we're ordering a pizza." I was really opposed to the heaviness of traditional macaroni and cheese that night so I kept it light. I was so beyond pleased. John and I both loved this and I even loved the leftovers the next day. I can see this being a meal I make for my family over and over again as the years go on. It's just so tasty! It has Italian flavors, resembles mac and cheese, yet isn't heavy. I could see kids absolutely loving this meal.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 large tomato
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

6 ounces small pasta (I used tiny shells meant for soup)
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup half and half
1 1/2-2 cups shredded pecorino romano cheese (not grated)
1/4 cup basil leaves, minced
1/4 cup panko
1/8 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tbsp. butter

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 375. Slice the tomato into thin slices and top with the balsamic. Season with salt and pepper. Place in an oven safe dish (large enough to hold the mac and cheese) and bake for 20 minutes. When done remove from the oven and set aside.
2- Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat the oil and garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant add the flour to form a paste. Stir in the stock and half and half, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.
3- At this point bring cook the pasta according to packaging directions. When it's done, set aside.
4- Stir the pecorino romano cheese into the sauce mix and add the basil. Leave heating over low heat.
5- Once the pasta is done pour it into the sauce, tossing to coat.
6- Using a knife cut the cooked tomatoes into small pieces (they'll be more or less falling apart at this point and very tender). Add the macaroni to the tomato pan, stirring well. Set aside.
7- In a bowl melt the butter. Stir in the panko and the breadcrumbs. Top the macaroni with the breading mixture. Bake 25 minutes, covered. If you want, turn the broiler on to make the breading golden at the end.
8- Serve hot.

Ranch Pasta with Bacon, Spinach, and Tomatoes

I made this so long ago- I can't believe I'm just getting around to sharing it with you now. Sometimes recipes get buried on my desktop and it takes me a bit, but believe me this one is worth the wait.

I had seen this recipe and it never did it for me. I kept thinking "Ew- who puts ranch salad dressing on pasta?! I'll pass!" Then finally one day I stopped being a brat and actually read the recipe- huh... no ranch salad dressing?! Ok... now I was more interested. You see, I love the flavor of ranch so I figured this should be a hit in our house. I love pasta with spinach and tomatoes, John loves bacon with everything, how could this fail?

Well... it didn't. We both loved it! I think next time I'd add a little more seasoning, the real "ranch" affect didn't come through for me, but the taste was subtle and delicious. However that could be my doing- I halved the recipe and I never really measure my seasonings (I tend to pinch and throw) so next time I might measure a bit more carefully. It was a great easy dinner, something I can definitely see myself making again.

Source: A Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
Olive oil
4 garlic cloves minced
2 cups light cream 
1 bag baby spinach
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained 
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 lb short cut pasta, cooked according to package directions
Grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese 


Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients (through dried thyme) in a bowl and mix together. This is your Ranch seasoning. You can also use a packet of pre-made dried seasoning. 

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet large enough to hold the pasta over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and add Ranch seasoning, spinach and tomatoes. Cook until the spinach wilts. Add pasta and cooked bacon and toss to combine. Add grated cheese and taste for seasoning.

Summer Risotto

Risotto isn't something I typically think of as a summer dish. It's cheesy rice, which to me says "heavy", which in turn screams winter or fall. Yet lately I've been dreaming of risotto. There's some therapeutic about making risotto, pouring the broth into the rice, watching it absorb, adding more broth, etc. It takes awhile but it's so easy that it's almost mindless.

This risotto recipe was really lovely. The tomatoes popped, releasing a lot of their juice into the risotto. This made it lighter and bit more summery. I used tomatoes and zucchini, but if you have a plentiful garden you could add whatever you have on hand. Also, I roasted my veggies because I'm a fan of the affect roasting has on vegetables, but if you don't want to heat up your kitchen you can easily just cook them in a pan. The flavor of this was excellent with a nice tomato/cheese harmony. I am excited about the leftover risotto, I will be turning it into risotto cakes for lunch tomorrow and I'm already psyched to do it!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half (about 1 cup)
1 zucchini, sliced in coins and cut in half
Olive oil
Salt/garlic powder

1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced dried onions
1 cup arborio rice
4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup pecorino romano cheese, freshly shaved
Salt/pepper

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350. In a small dish toss the tomatoes and zucchini together. Drizzle olive oil over the mixture, season with salt and garlic powder. Bake for 45 minutes or so.
2- Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer.
3- In a large skillet, heat the 1 tsp olive oil and add the onion. Once it's hot, add the rice and stir well. Once it begins to lightly toast, add 1 cup of broth and lower the heat to medium/low. Allow the rice to absorb the broth. Once it's absorbed, add another cup. Continue until all broth is added.
4- When the last cup of broth is cooking with the rice, remove the veggies from the oven and stir into the rice mixture. Add the cheese, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper.
5- Allow to continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve hot.

Pasta with Mascarpone and Roasted Grape Tomatoes

Look, I'm going to cut to the chase here- this is good. Not just good, but great. Like, "OH MAN! Give me more!" great. I kind of assumed it would be, I mean, the ingredients are all amazing and it's hard to combine amazing ingredients in a simple manner and get gross food so I had high hopes to begin with. It was creamy but not heavy which is really an amazing thing. I am not a fan of super heavy meals so when I tried this I was thrilled to see that it had all the flavor of a creamy cheesy dish without that feeling of food sitting like a rock in your stomach. Plus if you've read my blog you know my obsession with roasted tomatoes- they have such a deep flavor. If you are looking for an easy pasta dish try this, I assure you you'll be glad!

Source: Adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from Gourmet
Serves 3

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
1/2 pound pasta, such as shells
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chicken broth or white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Chives, diced small

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a small oven-safe dish with tin foil. Lay the tomatoes in the dish, drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
2- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water for the sauce.
3- In a mixing bowl, pour the roasted tomatoes and olive oil in, mashing the tomatoes with a fork or potato masher until broken up. Stir in the mascarpone cheese, broth (or wine) and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Stir well. Slowly add the pasta water, as needed, until smooth but not runny.
4- Toss in the pasta. Stir.
5- Pour the pasta into an oven safe dish, topping with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
6- Top with chives, serve hot.

Tomato Artichoke Ravioli

It's hot. Like, really hot. And I work in a classroom all day that doesn't have air conditioning. With 23 kids. So needless to say I'm sweaty and uncomfortable by the time I get home, completely uninterested in standing in front of a hot oven. I have become a big fan of meals that don't require me to stand in front of the oven... and even more so a fan of my local take out restaurants ::wink wink::

This dinner was super easy and light. It was exactly what I wanted, a meal where the flavors were subtle and light with just the right amount of taste. The sauce is light and truly doesn't have a ton of flavor, the flavor comes from the ravioli and the cheese. But on these hot days this is exactly what I was looking for!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 package ravioli
1 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic
1 cup chicken broth
Salt
Pepper
Onion powder
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
10 frozen artichoke hearts, diced small
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, additional for serving

Directions:
1- In a small saucepan melt the butter. Add the garlic, stirring until fragrant. Meanwhile, in a seperate pot cook the ravioli according to packaging directions.
2- Add the chicken broth to the garlic and bring the heat up to high, allowing it to come to a boil. Season with salt/pepper/onion powder.
3- Add the chopped tomato and artichoke hearts, stirring regularly.
4- Once the ravioli are done, add the parmesan cheese and stir well.
5- Toss the ravioli and sauce together, serve with additional cheese if desired.

Crockpot Rustic Chicken

I want to be a woman who uses a crockpot. I don't know, it just seems so homey to me. Coming home from work to a meal cooked, the house smelling like love, and a delicious meal waiting. And yet, I never use my crockpot. It collects dust in my closet until I eventually drag it down, choking from the months of dust that fill my lungs as I lug it to the kitchen. So I decided I am going to *try* to use it once a week. I make no guarantees people, but I really do want to try. Here's to hoping I do it!

This recipe was awesome. I had starred it in my google reader so long ago that I had to dig and dig to find it, but it was well worth the time I spent searching for it. The original calls for artichoke hearts, which I fully intended to use, until I forgot them. Doh. See, I'm not meant to use a crockpot! It's too early in the morning when I leave my house to be making dinner! I'm including them in the recipe though because I will without a doubt add them next time. Overall this dinner was delicious. We both loved it and I plan to make it soon.

 Oh, and if you have a good crockpot recipe, please leave a link to it in the comments! I'd love to try something new. And I trust you guys, so don't lead me wrong!

Source: Adapted from Sweet Tea in Texas

Ingredients:
1-1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
15 ounce can diced tomatoes
15 ounces artichoke hearts
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 packet dry chicken gravy mix
1/4 cup chicken broth
Salt/pepper

Directions:
1- Combine the chicken broth, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and gravy in the crockpot. Stir well.
2- Add the chicken and mushrooms. Stir until evenly covered in the tomato/mushroom sauce.
3- Season lightly with salt and pepper.
4- Cook 8 hours on low. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Shrimp Pesto Crostini

I had a culinary scare a few months ago where I thought I might be lactose intolerant. I was so horrified at the prospect of giving up dairy that I dealt with pain and agony, quietly eating my cheese, and ignoring the fact that my body was mad. I luckily realized it wasn't a dairy allergy, because truly the thought of a life without cheese was too much for me to handle! I have always had a thing for cheese, no cheese platter is safe if I'm in the room. Not to mention the fact that I seem to add cheese to every recipe I make.

When the people at Wisconsin Cheese asked me to create an original recipe for them, I was thrilled. I couldn't wait to get in the kitchen and get to work with a new cheese recipe. However, I was concerned... I mean, I live in New Jersey, how am I supposed to find Wisconsin Brand Cheese? After a quick search through their website I realized I use some of their cheese brands daily! And it certainly wasn't challenging to find at all.

I created a simple spring appetizer using my two favorite Italian cheeses- Parmesan and mozzarella. This came together very quickly and was extremely delicious. I was thrilled with the end results and I can't wait to make this again. This is great to make for company- it required minimal work but it looks delicious and impressive! 

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:

Italian bread, sliced into 3/4 inch slices

Olive oil

Wisconsin Brand Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Pesto sauce 

Tomato slices (1 per crustini)

Wisconsin Brand fresh mozzarella cheese (1 slice per crustini)

Large shrimp, peeled and deveined (2 per crustini)

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1- Preheat the oven to 350. 

2- Slice the Italian bread into as many slices as desired.

3- Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of olive oil over each crustini. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, about 1/2 tsp per crustini.

4- Bake until the bread is lightly golden, about 4-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

5- Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with pesto (about 1 tsp per 2 shrimp) and season with salt and pepper. Toss well. Grill on an indoor grill pan, outdoor grill, or simply sautee in a skillet until cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside, keeping hot.

6- Top each crustini with about 1 tpsb of pesto. Top with a tomato slice and a piece of mozzarella cheese. Place it back in the oven until the cheese softens, about 5-7 minutes.

7- Place two shrimp atop each crustini. Serve hot.

Slow Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

I remember a few years ago I was watching The Food Network when Rachel Ray introduced me to the amazing world of slow roasted tomatoes. I've slow roasted just about every type of tomato there is, but by far the tastiest are grape/cherry tomatoes. John, who really doesn't like tomatoes, eats them up as well. They really bring out the flavor and it has so much "juice." This pasta was awesome, the combo of pesto and tomato made for such a delicious dinner. Top it with parmesan cheese and it was an amazing meal. Even if you don't love tomatoes (like John!) slow roasting them takes them to another level. I'd be surprised if anyone didn't like slow roasted tomatoes, so give them a shot!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
5 ounces chicken
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 250.
2- Wash the tomatoes, slice them in half, and lay them in an even layer on a foil lined baking pan.
3- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
4- Bake until the tomatoes shrivel and "pop", about 20-25 minutes.
5- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the angel hair according to directions.
6- Cut the chicken into pieces, toss with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
7- Add some olive oil to a skillet, about 2 tbsp, and cook the chicken until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
8- Once the tomatoes are cooked, add them to a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or a fork, until they break apart and their juice comes loose. Pour the smashed tomatoes into the skillet.
9- Add the pesto, heat the tomato pesto mixture over medium/high heat. Add the angel hair and chicken, tossing until all is evenly coated.
10- Serve with parmesan cheese to taste.

Bruschetta Pizza

People often tell John how "lucky" he is to be married to someone who cooks so much and loves food so much. What these people don't see is the other side of the coin. The side where I'm obsessed with food, always know where I want to eat out, what I want to eat when we get there, etc. John tends to have little to no opinions when it comes to food- he's so easy going and will eat whatever I want. Have I mentioned I love him? 'Cause I do. Who else would put up with me?!


Recently John became obsessed, and I mean obsessed, with the bruschetta pizza at this local Italian place. We typically go there and split a pasta dish and an order of bruschetta, but nooooo, John had to throw me off and insist on their bruschetta pizza. Well, fine, I caved... and it was very tasty. So I decided I need to try my hand at this recipe that turned John into a pile of mush. I made a twist on my regular bruschetta recipe by adding some red onion to it like they do at the restaurant, and low and behold this was pretty close. I chose to add pesto because I like a sauce, and really it complimented this perfectly. This was an awesome dinner and I will definitely be making it again!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 batch of pizza dough
1/4 cup pesto sauce
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tbsp. chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1- In a small bowl combine the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Set the bowl in the fridge and allow it to marinade for at least an hour.
2- Preheat the oven to 450. Place your pizza stone in the oven while it preheats.
3- Prepare your dough (either on parchment paper or on a cookie sheet/pizza peel coated with corn meal).
4- Top the dough with the pesto sauce, spread evenly.
5- Top evenly with the bruschetta mix, careful to drain the tomatoes from the olive oil/vinegar to prevent the pizza from being too moist.
6- Sprinkle the mozzarella over the pie, until evenly covered (about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of cheese).
7- Transfer to the pizza stone and bake 10-12 minutes, until golden.

Shrimp Creole

I have a confession. Ok, maybe a few. And they all involve the fact that my husband works in NYC, has unpredictable hours, and often leaves me home alone at dinner time. Ok, here goes...

1- I don't cook for myself. I just don't.
2- If for some reason I do cook for myself I make pasta with jarred sauce. Because I'm cool like that.
3- I can eat pasta with jarred sauce 5 times a week. But I don't. Clearly.
4- I prefer to get take out for myself when John's working late.
5- I prefer to eat things that John snubs when he works late... and these things typically are fried. Because John is suddenly too good for anything fried. ::Sigh::

However, recently John found out at 5 he was working late. It followed the predictable pattern of him telling me he'd be out around 6. Come six he said maybe closer to 9. Hmm... so... what to do for dinner? I already had the shrimp defrosted to make this recipe so I decided to actually cook dinner for myself! A real meal! That didn't come from a jar! After I got over the initial shock and accepted that I was actually going to undertake this task I whipped this up. It was awesome. And extremely spicy. It could be the fact that I added wayyyyy more hot sauce than the recipe called for... yeah... that might be part of the reason. Regardless of the spice (which I loved) this recipe was a winner. The flavor was vibrant and really powerful.  John even enjoyed it the next day for lunch... but don't get any ideas... I don't plan to make cooking for myself a habit. ::wink wink::

Source: Adapted from Skinny Taste

(I cut this in half and it was perfect for two people!)

Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2-4 tsp. hot sauce
1 medium scallion, sliced
Salt to taste

Directions:
1- In a medium pan heat the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute until soft, about 5-10 minutes.
2- Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce the heat for 20 minutes.
3- Add the shrimp, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Stir well. Cook 5-6 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked though. Season with salt to taste.
4- Add chopped scallion and serve hot.

Garlic Spaghetti

My Sunday routine is pretty set. I tutor in the morning, I come home, I cook and bake all day, and I avoid doing laundry like it's the plague. That's just the way it is here in my little ol' house.

Well, the past few weeks my schedule has been completely thrown off! My father, who is the best EVER, has been redoing our kitchen and guess what day he comes? Yup, you guessed it... Sunday. So since he's been here sanding and grouting and laying tile I have been exiled to the living room. Since I can't actually cook and bake my Sundays away I've been watching others do it on the Food Network. The other day Melissa d'Arabian was making this simple spaghetti recipe and I just knew I needed to make it. I was immediately enticed when I saw that she slow cooked the garlic for 30 minutes before adding the tomatoes. I added it to our next weekly menu and made it.

 I am happy to report that this dinner was excellent! I halved both the oil and the butter because it called for an insane amount of each, and it was still unreal. The recipe below is what I did, but if you feel like playing fast and loose with the rules (and your hips) feel free to click on the original and make the original. I'm sure the extra oil and butter make it that much more rich and delicious. This is a great weeknight meal and perfect for when you want a simple meal.

Source: Adapted from Melissa d'Arabian

Ingredients:

9 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb.- 1 pound spaghetti, cooked (I used 1/2 lb. of perciatelli- it's long and thick with a hollow center)
1 tbsp. dried basil

Directions:

1- In a saucepan combine the garlic and oil. Heat over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2- Add the butter until melted. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, and season with salt and pepper.
3- Heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4- Toss in the cooked spaghetti. Serve hot.