Alligator Penne

Alligator on our Airboat Ride in the Everglades

Okay, I have had a very busy month this last month.  I have really been suffering.  First, I had to spend Christmas away from my family so instead I had to spend it in Miami with great friends.  They forced me to go to the pool on Christmas day:

Me, KT & Chad

This was followed by partying in South Beach until 2:30 in the morning (close your eyes mom).  I even had to cuddle with this animal:

My Buddy Axl

Then we had a two week work trip over New Years.  We went to Miami and the Florida Keys and it was beautiful every day.  Oh the torture!   I had to work on my birthday (thanks for the shout out Emily) but managed to eek out a celebration cocktail on Saturday night in Key West.  We got back to Fort Myers after working 16 days straight and I had this gorgeous guy come to see me:

My cousin Austin

I would have a picture of another gorgeous guy named Skyler but he was mysteriously missing during the sunset cocktail.   Next up, I was tortured by a visit from my sister.  We ended up kayaking and seeing the manatees up close and personal.  

Nancy & I having a great day on the water

I took the long way around but you get the idea.  I have had a crazy month and the idea of cooking for just myself just didn't appeal to me.  I was torn between two Pinterest recipes any way.  They both sound awesome so here you go!  I hope you have better luck getting them made.  In case you are feeling sorry for me, I have since made the roasted chicken several times.  I can see these on the menu sometime soon.

Copycat Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica

by Recipezaar

Gratinata sauce ( use 4 1/2 cups )

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon chopped garlic 
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
1/2 teaspoon dill 
1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary 
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
4 cups heavy cream 

Penne Rustica
1/2 ounce pancetta or bacon (I used an ounce which was 1 strip of bacon for me)
9 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 
6 ounces grilled chicken breasts, sliced (1 large breast or 2 small)
8-12 ounces penne pasta, cooked 
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped pimiento (optional)
3 Tablespoons butter 
1/2 teaspoon chopped shallot
 pinch salt and pepper 
1/2 cup parmesan cheese 
1/4 teaspoon paprika 
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (for garnish)

1. For Gratinata Sauce: Saute butter, garlic, and rosemary until garlic begins to brown.
2. Add Marsala wine and reduce by one-third.
3. Add remaining ingredients, reduce by half of the original volume.
4. Set aside.
5. For Penne Rustica: Saute pancetta or bacon until it begins to brown.
6. Add butter, shallots, and shrimp.
7. Cook until shrimp are evenly pink but still translucent.
8. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and mix thoroughly.
9. Add gratinata sauce and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
10. Simmer until sauce thickens.
11. In a large bowl, combine shrimp and chicken mixture with the cooked pasta.
12. Pour into a large casserole dish or roaster.
13. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup more parmesan cheese, pimientos and sprinkle with paprika.
14. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

15. Remove and garnish with fresh rosemary sprig

The second runner up is this one from Food & Wine:

Recipe: Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

1. 
   1 pound asparagus
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
3. 2 teaspoons salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
5. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6. 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
7. 1 pound penne
8. 1/4 pound butter, cut into pieces
9. 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt. Serve with additional Parmesan

Good luck and if you try either tell  me how the turn out!

Penne with Dijon Mustard Cream Sauce

Have I mentioned that CARBS are my new favorite thing? Well, to be honest, they have always been my favorite thing but especially now that I am growing a baby. So when Amber picked penne pasta for our secret ingredient, I couldn't have been happier :)

I made this recipe for a ladies get away last year. We spent the day snow shoeing near Mt Baker - it was snowing and gorgeous but very cold! We couldn't wait to get back to the house we were staying in and warm up with this dish. And it was super easy. JJ enjoyed it when I made it at home too because it uses mustard - his second favorite condiment next to Tabasco. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large clove garlic, peeled, minced (I use more)

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

1 cup half & half

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes (in oil)

8 ounces penne pasta

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup cooked sliced chicken breast

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water.

While you are waiting for the water, mix the garlic, mustard, half & half and sun dried tomatoes together in a large, deep saute pan. Warm over low heat - you just want to bring it up to temperature, no boiling!

Two minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli florets to the pasta and water. You want to barely cook these so the texture is firm and the color is retained (along with all the nutrients).

Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to the saute pan with the sauce. Add the chicken and the cheese, toss to coat and let warm for a couple minutes. Serve in bowls with extra cheese on top.

Baby likes pasta. YUM.

Roasted Portabella and Tomato Penne Pasta

Hello bloggers! I feel like I have been out of the loop lately. After going back to work this past year, I have been running in all directions. I am not a new mom and have done the working mom drill before. In fact, I put in more hours when I had just one. But this time I am juggling two children which means two different schools. That equals twice the guilt for lack of volunteering!

But with the New Year, comes a new attitude and new resolutions! Here they are in order: First, I WILL blog more. Second, I won’t feel overwhelmed by the little things. Third, I will spearhead this family to better health!

It helps that my husband is also tired of being tired, eating on the go, and feels the same lack of focus on our health. We read a book called, “Engine Two Diet”. (It’s written by a fireman and he is making money off of a ‘diet’ that is essentially eating Vegan.) It also puts the focus on eating more whole grains, which I know is not a new concept.

I am happy to report so far, so good! My husband and I report feeling more natural energy (he was up to several Red Bulls a day), weight loss, and enjoying the taste of some new foods.

However I am not here to push a new diet. I just wanted to give some background to my newest recipe.

Instead of doing a fancy new recipe from our diet book, Andre convinced me that I needed to use what we had in the fridge and not get overwhelmed by the little things! Here it is:

Portabella Mushrooms and Tomatos:

*In a zip lock bag toss the Tomatos and Mushrooms with very little olive oil and seasoning. (Our new healthy favorite: Bragg Liquid Aminos and then smoked paprika, salt, pepper, dry thyme and parsley.)
*Roast the Tomato’s and Portabella Mushrooms in the oven on 325 for 40 mins and 400 for 10 mins.
*Grill up some Feild Roast or other Sausage substitute. Add some tomato sauce or we used tomato paste with garlic and vegtable stock. Add the roasted Tomatos.
*Serve over whole wheat Penne Pasta.

The side dish? Steamed Carrots puréed with vegetable broth and added seasoning (threw in some fresh ginger to be funky.)


Is this dish Kid approved? Well it was a draw. My sensitive 6 year old praised it (possibly to make me feel good) and my teething, picky 1 year old didn't touch it. This picture is why we had our second child. They love each other and keep one another entertained while we are cooking.


Did you notice all of the vegetable broth? With all the veggies we have in the house now it was easy to throw them all into a pot of water and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. I personally had an onion, several garlic cloves, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and ginger. You get to utilize the old veggies and save on buying the stock! I thew one of my jars in the freezer.

If you've made it this far in the post, I hope you picked up some inspiration as I know this isn't the most innovative recipe. More to come next month!

Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

In my house opening a jar of Prego over penne is usually the way we go. If we want to get fancy, we stir in some pesto. If we want to blow your mind, we open a box of Cucina Fresca frozen penne mac and cheese, throw it in a Pyrex and take credit for it. No, probably not. But I'm tempted...if you haven't had Cucina Fresca macs, they are the bomb.com, plus they are local (to Sea-town) like Beechers, easily rival Beechers in flavor and claim to be handmade using natural ingredients. BAM! Why aren't I getting paid for this?

Since I couldn't open a box of frozen mac this time, I opted for this simple recipe from Food Network: Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese. The inspiration behind this choice is merely the fact that I had a package of pre-cubed fresh butternut squash (thank you QFC for helping me cheat) that I needed to use. So I searched "penne butternut squash" and this recipe is the first one I landed on. It had me at goat cheese.

The result: It was like I had ordered a dish at some fancy restaurant where you think the chef is really brilliant for combining these flavors that you, in a million years, wouldn't have considered. And it was EASY! My favorite. The only downside: my toddler gave it a thumbs down and I'm not surprised. It's a pretty sophisticated flavor with the goat cheese, besides, if it's not Prego, a banana or a Ritz cracker, he's not interested anyway.

Next time I'm going to add in some ground Italian sausage just to see if I'm as brilliant as a top chef. Thank you Amber, for making me think outside the (frozen mac and cheese) box this month!




Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drainand reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash andonion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnishwith Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note:
To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

Missy's Note:
When toasting walnuts in a toaster oven, watch them carefully...

My fav gf brand pasta so far.

"Dearly Beloved," we are gathered here to marry some yummy ingredients. I bought this cheap bottle of wine for Halloween and forgot about it! So I opened it up with dinner and we LOVED it. Nice, smooth red. Just fyi, in case you ever come across this funky bottle.

Just before the magic happens.

Trivia: What smells like burnt popcorn, but isn't? Burnt walnuts. (Luckily, most were salvageable.)

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Poblano Penne and Cheese

Posted by Emily

I was thrilled when Amber announced the secret ingredient for January is penne pasta. I know we’re all supposed to avoid or eat less carbs, but I will tell you, with pride, that I LOVE pasta and we eat it all the time!

I have a standard penne pasta recipe I make (quite often) that consists of Italian sausage, caramelized onions, mascarpone cheese, broccoli, bell peppers and lots and lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Fortunately, Curtis likes this dish as much as I do. But since this blog is about broadening our horizons, I decided to try a new recipe.

When Megan posted her recipe for Honeycrisp Apple Sangria, she introduced me to yet another food blog which I’m now following: Nutmeg Nanny. In Nutmeg Nanny’s 2011 round up she posted this poblano pepper macaroni and cheese recipe as one of her top 10 recipes of the year.

I love macaroni and cheese and from the moment I first tasted Beecher’s macaroni and cheese in Pike Place Market I realized “macaroni” and cheese should always be made with penne pasta, not macaroni. My two favorite homemade mac n’ cheese recipes are Beecher’s and a Leek and Manchego recipe from Food & Wine magazine, both of which I always make with penne.

Not only was this obviously a top recipe but I was intrigued by adding chilies, lime zest and cilantro to mac n’ cheese. I love the idea of putting a Southwest spin on one of the best dishes known to man (and woman). And I also loved that Nutmeg Nanny made her mac n’ cheese in a cast iron skillet vs. a square baking dish. Makes for a much better photo opp and presentation!

Next time Curtis has his smoker fired up, I’ll pop a couple of poblano chilies on to soak up a smoky flavor for smoked poblano penne and cheese. But this time, as I followed the recipe and broiled the poblano peppers I was instantly transformed back to freshman year of college. The two boys who lived across the hall from us (now lifelong friends) were from Santa Fe and they’d cook chili peppers and who knows what else in their dorm room and stink up our entire floor!

My favorite cheese to use for macaroni and cheese (and for everything else, really) is Coastal Cheddar. But when I was at Costco picking it up, I noticed they also had Beecher’s No Woman, so I grabbed a block of that too. Since this recipe kicks it up a notch, I figured spicy cheese would only add to it!


The verdict? Really good! Curtis named it as one of his top three macaroni and cheese recipes (although I think Beecher's and the leek recipes may fall into 1st and 2nd place). It had some spice and good flavor. I gave Curtis the option of salad or broccoli on the side and he picked broccoli (guess he thinks like Ansen) and for dessert – the most important part - we had Costco pistachio gelato with homemade Kahlua hot fudge sauce (what New Year’s Resolution???).


Poblano Penne and Cheese
Adapted from Nutmeg Nanny and The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off

3 Poblano chilies
16 oz. penne pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves of minced garlic (I used more!)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon mustard powder (I didn’t have any so I squired in some hot mustard)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or cayenne powder like the recipe called for)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon lime zest (I just zested the whole lime)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (couldn’t find fresh, so used a paste)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups grated white cheddar (I used ½ Coastal and ½ No Woman No Cry)
1/2 cup feta cheese

Roast the poblano chilies under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place the chilies in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tightly, and let sit for 20 minutes. Take the chilies out of the bag and rub off the skin – I wore gloves, and this step is kind of fun! Remove the stem and seeds and chop the chilies into 1-inch long pieces (make sure you get all the seeds out, I left a few in and they are H-O-T-hot!).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente (about 6 minutes); it will cook more in the cheese sauce in the oven. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a large baking dish or a large cast-iron skillet.
In a pot (you can use the pot the pasta cooked in or you can do this while the pasta boils), on low heat melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until a light brown, toasty paste is formed, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and stir until it’s thickened a bit but still fluid, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro, and chopped poblano chilies. Adjust seasonings and add salt and black pepper.

Slowly add half of the cheddar cheese and stir until it’s melted and well combined into the sauce. (If the sauce has cooled too much and the cheese won’t melt, return the pot to low heat on the stove seems a little thick return it to the stove until soft again. If however, the sauce gets too thick, like custard, you can thin it by stirring in milk, a teaspoon at a time.)

Mix the pasta in with the sauce and pour it into your baking dish or cast iron pan. Sprinkle the remaining half of the cheddar cheese over the top and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Sprinkle with feta cheese, broil for a minute or two, and serve immediately.