2011, Recipes 110-112: Casseroles and Such: Cabbage Casserole, Stuffed Shells and Stuffed Mexican Peppers

 Cabbage Casserole
*Combination of several recipes

• 1 small head cabbage, shredded
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced  
• 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes

Cook the cabbage in boiling salted water until crisp-tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK. It will continue to cook in the oven and you want your cabbage to be a little firm. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add ground beef and spices and brown. Drain. Drain cabbage and place half in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Top with half of the ground beef, add half of the tomatoes. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. 

Results: Quite yummy! Rashan is alternately scared of cabbage because of bad experiences as a kid but he liked this, too.

Stuffed Shells
Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

• 1 (16 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
• 4 cups large curd cottage cheese
• 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 pinch garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook shells according to package directions. Place in cold water to stop cooking. Drain.
2. Blend cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, mushrooms and garlic powder in a food processer. Rub the dried herbs in the palms of your hands to pulverize them, and stir into the cheese mixture. Stuff mixture into the shells using a ziploc bag with a corner snipped off.
3. Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 15 x 10 inch pan. Place shells open side up, and close together in pan. Spread remaining sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Results: I made this recipe because Rashan requested it and hated every minute. I found it overly time consuming for the result. Some of my shells broke so I ended up just mixing it all together like a casserole. I think this also needed another flavor. Maybe spinach or meat. 

Stuffed Mexican Shells
Recipe courtesy of Jasgirl at Allrecipes.com with a few modifications

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, divided
•  4 large poblano peppers
•  2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Brown ground beef over medium heat with spices, breaking it apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat. Stir in the cooked rice and 1/2 of the tomatoes; mix until thoroughly combined. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes. Mix in half of the cheese.
3. Meanwhile, cut the poblanos in half lengthwise. Remove stems, membranes, cores, and seeds. Place a steamer insert into a large saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Place the peppers into the steamer insert, cover the pan, and steam until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Place the steamed peppers into the prepared baking dish, and fill lightly with the meat filling. Spoon the remaining tomatoes over the peppers and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot, 25 to 30 minutes. 

Result: Delicious! I might make a casserole-type version of this one again tonight!

2011, Recipe 89: Tyler's Ultimate Spaghetti & Meatballs

Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

Results: The meatballs were definitely a success.  Rashan loved them and I thought they were delightful.  However... I didn't like the huge chunks of wet bread on the outside of the meatballs.  He didn't notice but I did.  I think I'll stick with bread crumbs, use smaller bread or less bread.  The pasta sauce also cooked waaay down so I would probably halve the pasta since there are only 2 of us and pasta lasts around here forever.

2011, Recipe 83: Baked Penne with Eggplant and Sausage

Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

• Kosher Salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 links fennel pork sausage (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Get yourself a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add a generous 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.

Add another 2 count of oil to the skillet, then your onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.
By this time your pasta water will be boiling. Add the rigatoni, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Results: Good.  Not my favorite ever but mixing GENTLY (because the container is overflowing) helped make it cheesy throughout which was delightful!  I had to use some dried basil because I didn't have enough fresh.  BUMMER, I KNOW!!  But still really good.  It could've used a bit more salt but Rashan really liked it.   Oh!  And this recipe says to put the water on at the beginning but only cook it for 6-7 minutes... Um... no.  You can really start it around the time you start your sauce.  I would use less pasta, too.

2011, Recipe 74: Tomato Basil & Feta Pasta

From the UK Allrecipes.com (So I put the conversions for you!)

• 1/2 lb. uncooked fusilli or penne pasta
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 12-oz can chopped tomatoes, (about 3 fresh Roma)
• 6 fresh basil leaves, torn
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Combine olive oil, garlic, onion, tomatoes and basil; let sit at room temperature.
Toss warm pasta with Parmesan and feta. Stir in tomato mixture and sprinkle on salt and pepper. You can add more Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.

Results: Super easy and super delicious.  I'm frightened of raw garlic and raw onion.  Left out the onion, decided to give the raw garlic a shot.  It was awesome in this recipe!  I think the sitting to the side made it happy.  I used crushed red pepper because we like things spicy! ;-) I will say room temp cooled everything way down so this wasn't exactly a hot dish.  That was a bit odd but not undelicious.

2011, Recipe 35: Alaskan Salmon Tetrazini

Recipe courtesy of Alaska Seafood

8 ounces spaghetti or thin spaghetti, uncooked
1 can (14.75 oz.) traditional pack Alaska salmon
1 Tablespoon margarine or butter
1 package (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
2 Tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons flour
2/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions or chives
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain salmon, reserving liquid. Break salmon into chunks; set aside. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sherry, if desired, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add milk and reserved salmon liquid; simmer 5 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Stir in salmon and green onions; heat through. Drain spaghetti; arrange on four serving plates. Top with salmon mixture and cheese.

Results: Yummmmmmmmm!!  I really enjoyed this.  Rashan needs to eat more fish to lower his cholesterol and I am extra excited about that!  I love fish!  This smelled and tasted great.  It was even better when I added sriracha!

2011, Recipes 24 & 25: Tuscan Lemon Chicken and Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper

Tuscan Lemon Chicken 
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

• 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, flattened
• Kosher salt
• 1/3 cup good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, halved

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small measuring cup. Place the chicken in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times while marinating.


When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on 1 side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the chicken on the cooler side, skin side up, and weigh it down with the dish you used for marinating. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish, and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

Results: Really yummy and I didn't even have a grill to cook this on! Loved it!  And grandma was over the moon about it!


Pasta with Pecorino & Pepper
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

• 1 tablespoon whole black Tellicherry peppercorns
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound dried Italian egg pasta, such as tagliarelle
• 1 cup freshly grated aged Pecorino cheese (4 ounces), plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Place the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and crush them until you have a mixture of coarse and fine bits. (You can also grind them in a small food mill or coffee grinder.) Set aside.
Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Ladle 1 cup of the pasta cooking water into a glass measuring cup and reserve it. Drain the pasta quickly in a colander and return the pasta to the pot with a lot of the pasta water still dripping.

Working quickly, with the heat on very low, toss the pasta with 1/2 cup of the grated Pecorino, the crushed peppercorns, cream, butter, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt, tossing constantly. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved cooking water. Off the heat, toss in the remaining 1/2 cup Pecorino. Serve immediately with a big bowl of extra grated Pecorino for sprinkling.

Results: I just used regular pepper... lol.  This was yummy!  I also served it with salad with lemon-garlic infused olive oil dressing.  Basically you sauté minced garlic in olive oil, let it cool, poor it over the greens, squeeze lemons over the greens, add salt & pepper.  Let it sit to wilt for about 5-7 minutes.  Enjoy.  Unnecessarily yummy!  Yes, the theme is yummy!

2011, Recipe 20: Fat Noodles with Crab, Buttered Artichokes, and Mint

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound pappardelle
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 can (about 16 ounces) artichokes, drained, rinsed and halved
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 pint (8 ounces) lump crabmeat
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pappardelle, stir to separate, and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain and dump the pasta into a serving bowl. (You'll need to use 1 cup of the pasta cooking water for the sauce.)

While the pasta is cooking, combine the butter and olive oil in a medium skillet and put it over medium heat. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, add it to the skillet, and reduce the whole thing for 5 minutes to thicken. Then add the artichoke halves, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, crabmeat, and salt and pepper and toss to warm everything through. Add that to the bowl with the cooked drained pasta. Add the mint and Parmigiano and season with salt and lots of black pepper. Toss and serve with extra Parmigiano.

Results: YUM with yum pasta!  I really liked this and so did Rashan!  The artichokes?  The BEST!  You should quarter them instead of halving them so they go throughout the pasta.  I served it with sourdough garlic bread!  Yummy!!  Also, the only reason I made this is because there was a great sale on crab.  I have enough leftover to make another Ty recipe.  Can't wait!

Manga! Manga!

Let me start by thanking Jameil a MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLION times for what may be my favorite Christmas gift, Claire Robi.nson's 5 Ingredi.ent Fix cookbook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! As i've told you before, too many ingredients make my eyes glaze over! I love the show, its premise, the host, everything! And what makes my book even more special is that it wasn't on my wishlist but my BFF knows me and my heart. *faux tear* Awwwwwwww!

So I started the 5 ingredient party with Claire's Carbonara. I've always wanted to try carbonara since I got Ty.Flo's* ultimate cookbook, but I just never got around to it. Last night was the perfect time!

salt for the pot
1/2 pound slab of bacon cut into 1/2 in. chunks
1 lbs of fresh or dried fettuccine
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese plus more for garnish
2 tsp freshly cracked pepper (or to taste)
2 cups spinach leaves

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously.

Put the bacon in a large high-sided skillet and cook over med-high heat until crisp, about 10 mins. Remove skillet from heat.

When bacon is halfway cooked, drop pasta into boiling water and cook according to package. Remove about a cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg, egg yolks, 1 cup of cheese, and pepper together in a small bowl.

Return the bacon skillet to medium heat and carefully pour in 1/2 cup of pasta water. When it is very hot, remove it from the heat and add the hot pasta, tossing with tongs to coat. While tossing continually, slowly drizzle the egg mixture over the pasta until it is completely coated. If the pasta is not still steaming hot, return the skillet to low heat while tossing. Add more pasta water if the pasta seems dry. Toss the pasta with the spinach leaves until evenly distributed. Serve immediately with more sprinkled cheese on top.

Note: the key to perfect carbonara is working while everything is piping hot; this assures the egg will cook and produce a silky, creamy sauce that sticks to the pasta.

Result:

It tasted AWESOME! I think EVERY dish should come with bacon as an ingredient cause you can never go wrong with bacon flavor! My one qualm was how dry the dish became as it cooled. It almost got pasty and that's never good. My recommendation is to use more pasta water than it calls for and perhaps add a splash of milk or heavy cream to the egg mixture before drizzling it into the pasta. Manga! manga!









*that's the nickname Tyler Flore.nce said I can call him. Yeah, I got it like that.

Cornish Hens with Macaroni n' Cheese with Peas & Bacon

Cornish Hens Roasted with Rosemary & Garlic

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

• 4 Cornish game hens
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 24 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.
4. Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve. 

Results: DELISH!  However... I thought about becoming a vegetarian for the first time when I was cleaning the cornish hens... Do you see them!?!?  They look like little babies!!  Why????  I felt like such a murderer m.olesting their soft.supple.skin.  As delicious as it was... I don't think I'll ever cook this again.

 

 

The Ultimate Mac N' Cheese with Peas & Bacon

Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups warm milk
5 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

extra virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
leaves from ¼ bunch fresh thyme
2 cups frozen peas, thawed in a colander under cool water

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps form forming.  Gradually whisk in the milk and, whisking vigorously, cook until the mixture is thick and smooth.

Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture.  Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 ½ cups cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

While thats going, heat a 2 count of olive oil in a sauté pan.  Add the bacon, onion, garlic and thyme and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion.  Fold in the peas and season with salt and pepper.
 To serve, scatter the pea and bacon mixture over the mac and cheese.  Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking pea mixture on each spoonful.

Results: Y'all.  If you're one of those mac & cheese purists, let it go one night.  You don't have to make this for the holidays or your family might kill you!  But do yourself a favor and make this!  So delicious!!

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  Sorry it's been so long!  The remix wore me out!!!

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

I was watching the Food Network and Cooking Channel at 1 in the morning and decided I wanted to cook. I found this recipe on cdkitchen. I originally started with a different recipe on the site but switched to this one when I realized I didn't have lemon. Bah. I was already past the anchovy step so I didn't use them this time.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 can (28 ounce size) Italian style crushed tomatoes
1 can (5-ounce size) whole clams
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
12 ounces uncooked linguine

Heat olive oil over low heat. Add the anchovy paste and garlic (I also added half of a diced/minced red onion). Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, tomatoes (I used a 15 oz. can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes), and broth from the clams, white wine, tomato paste, and parsley. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Bring a large kettle of water to a boil and cook the linguine until al dente. Drain well.
Add the linguine and clams to the sauce and reheat, Serve immediately.

Results: We all know I hate tomato paste so I definitely left that out.  I got some body in the sauce by using diced tomatoes.  This was soooooooooooo good.  Full of flavor.  I added salt and white pepper to the sauce.  I also definitely used more crushed red pepper than the recipe called for!

Max & Min

I like to think I'm opposite of Jameil when it comes to recipes. Where she will spend all day in a farmer's market and get every.single.ingredient for a dish, I will look at same recipe and skip it b/c of the "esoteric" qualities. Although I TOTALLY admire her for her no fear approach to cooking, I'm more on a "what will I ever need cardamom for? Pass". She has no fear, I just like to stick with what I know.

You can imagine my joy when Foo.dNetwork introduced a show called '5 Ingredient Fix'. Sooooo up my alley! If something calls for 18 steps and ingredients, my eyes glaze over and I order sushi. I really don't know where this lazy approach to cooking came from cause I used to be a cooking fool in college!!

I digress.

I found recipes that aren't even 5 ingredients. Try THREE! I'm sharing an app, a main, a side, and dessert!!

Goat Cheese Empanadas
Using a 3-in round cookie cutter, cut out 16 circles from 2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts. Divide 4 ounces fresh goat cheese among the circles. Lightly dot the edges of the dough with water, fold in half, and press with a fork to seal. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for 20-25 mins. Serve with 1 cup store bought corn salsa.

Creamy Pecorino Pasta

Cook 12 oz spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add 1 cup heavy cream to the pasta and bring to simmer. Add 1/2 cup grated pecorino, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and cook tossing until thickened and creamy, abt 2 mins.

Parchment-Baked Halibut with Orange

Place 4 6-oz pieces of skinless halibut on 4 12-in pieces of parchment, keeping the fish to one side; season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp blk pepper. Dividing evenly, top with 12 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 thinly sliced small orange. Fold the parchment over the fish, then seal each packet by making overlapping folds along the edges. Bake on 2 baking sheets at 400 degrees F for 12 mins. Cut packets open and serve.

Sauteed Spinach & Basil

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add 1 10 oz package spinach (abt 16 cups); 2 cups fresh basil, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt and black pepper and cook, until just wilted, 2-3 mins.

Raspberry Ice

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring; let cool. In a blender, puree 3 cups raspberries with the sugar syrup. Strain into a loaf pan or shallow dish and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Whip 1/2 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. Using a fork, scrape the surface of the raspberry ice to create icy flakes; divide among bowls. Serve with whipped cream and add'tl raspberries, if desired.

I'd like to think you can get maximum satisfaction with minimum effort/ingredients!

Week 22, Recipe 4: That's Shallotta Flavor Pasta

Recipe from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 10 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful)

1. In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 20 minutes.
2. While the shallots are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Pour 3 ladlefuls of the pasta cooking water into the cooked shallots and stir. Drain the pasta and add to the shallots. Add the cheese and parsley, season with pepper and toss.
   
   Results: I added peas to the pasta.  I also added a touch of cream and chicken stock to the shallots.  This was more bland than I wanted it to be despite how great it smelled.  :(  And isn't my plating getting great? :)  It'd probably be amazing with chicken & mushrooms.

Week 21, Recipe 1: Pasta with Blue Cheese Tomato Sauce

Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks

• 1-½ pound Pasta (angel Hair Or Thin Spaghetti)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole 28-ounce Can Diced Tomatoes, Drained
• Dash Of Sugar
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, To Taste
• ¾ cups Crumbled Blue Cheese
• ¾ cups Heavy Cream
• 4 cups Baby Spinach
• Half-and-Half, for thinning
• Extra Blue Cheese Crumbles, For Garnish

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add minced garlic and cook for a minute. Pour in drained tomatoes. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in crumbled blue cheese. Add cream and stir, then a little splash of half-and-half if sauce is too thick. Cook for a minute or two, tasting and adding more seasonings as needed.

At the very, very, very last minute. toss in spinach. Immediately toss in the cooked and drained pasta. Serve immediately!

Results: DELICIOUS!!  I made this with mushrooms which I added at the same time as the tomato (I used a mix of fresh & canned fire roasted).  Next time I'd add the shrooms right after the garlic, before the tomato.  Rashan and I loved this.  I didn't need the half and half.  I would've liked this a little thicker actually but still tasted AWESOME!!  Served it with toasted italian bread topped with butter and garlic pepper.