Pasta with Roasted Broccoli and Almond-Tomato Sauce

This was surprisingly delicious. It had a creaminess that I didn't expect (though I'm sure that had a little to do with the Parmesan that I added before serving). And the roasted broccoli gave it a great pop of freshness.

Pasta with Roasted Broccoli and Almond-Tomato Sauce
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine



Kosher salt
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 head broccoli, florets and some stems, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Freshly ground pepper
12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil
1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Put 2 pieces of foil side by side on a baking sheet. Put the almonds on one piece of foil and the broccoli on the other. Transfer to the oven; roast until the almonds are lightly toasted, about 7 minutes. Remove the foil with the almonds. Continue roasting the broccoli until tender, about 7 more minutes. Season the broccoli with salt and pepper and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. Meanwhile, pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped; with the motor running, add the garlic and process until finely chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil and process until blended. Add the basil and pulse until smooth; transfer to the bowl with the broccoli.

Put the tomatoes and half of their juice (about 1 cup) in the food processor and pulse until pureed. Add to the bowl with the broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.

Sweet Chicken Nuggets

These are a decent substitution for the fast food ones that I'm finding less and less appealing these days. They certainly take a lot more time and effort than visiting the drive-thru does, but they don't make me feel like crap afterward. Win.

Sweet Chicken Nuggets
Courtesy of My Name is Snickerdoodle



2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Peanut oil (is best) or canola oil

In a medium bowl whisk the egg and stir in the milk. Trim any fat away from chicken. Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken in milk mixture,and cover. Let it "marinate" for 2-4 hours in the fridge.

In a gallon size resealable baggie combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper. Seal and shake to combine.

Place about 2 inches of oil in a medium deep pot. Heat heat oil over medium-high. If using a thermometer let the temperature reach 375°F. If you don't have a fancy gadget, test the oil by dropping a few drops of water into it. You want it to sizzle and not pop too much. Adjust your heat if necessary.

Using a fork or tongs, remove cut chicken from milk mixture and place in the flour mixture. Seal and shake until nuggets are completely coated. Place about a 6-8 nuggets into hot oil and let them cook until golden brown, turning half way through once the edge of your chicken starts to turn white. About 1 minute each side. Always double check to see if any chicken you make is cooked through by making a tiny cut to see if it's pink. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all nuggets are cooked.

Primavera With Prosciutto, Asparagus and Carrots

A very lovely primavera.

Primavera With Prosciutto, Asparagus and Carrots
Courtesy of Ted Allen from In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks for Food Network Magazine

Kosher salt
1 pound penne or farfalle
1 pound asparagus spears, stems trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup snap peas
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sliced prosciutto, jamon iberico or other high-quality ham, diced
1 large shallot, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade or low-sodium store-bought
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it generously and cook the pasta for 8 minutes; add the asparagus, carrot and snap peas and cook for 3 minutes. Check the pasta and vegetables to make sure they're cooked through but still have texture, then drain.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan, add the ham and shallot and cook until lightly browned, 3 minutes or so. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the cream, stock and mustard and simmer for a minute or two, scraping up any brown bits.

Add the pasta and vegetables to the pan. Toss and cook for another 2 minutes, until cooked through and the pasta is coated. Taste for seasoning, add salt if necessary and serve immediately in warm bowls.

Nutella-Filled Sugar Cookies (and Cardamom Sugar Cookies)

When I saw this recipe, it reminded me of a fudge-filled sugar cookie that I loved when I was little (though I can't, for the life of me, remember what brand they were). And they far exceeded my expectations. I love Nutella.

Because of how warm it was today (heat index of 106°), I had to make sure to keep the Nutella blobs in the freezer the whole time. And I ended up running out of them before I ran out of the sugar cookie dough, so I created a cardamom sugar cookie too, which I did by adding a bit of cardamom to the sugar in which I rolled the cookies before putting them on the baking sheet. While the flavor was great, it was a little too subtle. So I'll know to add more cardamom next time. I may have found a new holiday cookie favorite...

Nutella-Filled Sugar Cookies
Courtesy of Buns in My Oven



1/2 cup Nutella
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
 
Using a 1 teaspoon measure, scoop out Nutella and place in small drops on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar on medium until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and add in the the vanilla.

Turn the mixer to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is well incorporated.

Place 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Use 2 tablespoons cookie dough for each cookie. Split the piece of dough in half and slightly flatten the bottom half by pressing it together with the palms of your hands.

Use a small metal spatula to lift the mounds of Nutella from the baking sheet and lay on the bottom half of cookie dough. If the Nutella starts to soften, place it back in the freezer for a few minutes.

Cover the Nutella with the other piece of cookie dough. Seal the edges with your fingers and roll the ball in the sugar to coat it. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining dough and Nutella mounds, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheets.

Bake the cookies, one sheet a time, rotating from front to back halfway through baking. The edges will start to turn brown when they are finished, about 10 to 13 minutes. The centers should still be soft and puffy.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool on a rack.

Taco Cupcakes

These would be great for a party. So tasty and not terribly difficult to make. Just a little prep and assembly. Worth the work.

Taco Cupcakes

A variation on this recipe from Just Us and the Many "Miles" Traveled

3 teaspoons olive oil

1 pound ground chicken

2 tablespoons taco seasoning 

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 

48 wonton wrappers 

1/2 cup salsa con queso 

1/2 cup chunky salsa 

1 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese 

Guacamole, for serving

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly mist a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.  

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground chicken and taco seasoning and brown, breaking it with a spoon. Add black beans and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until warm.

Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Spoon a teaspoon of

queso into each wonton wrapper and spread across the bottom.

Follow by spooning some of the meat/beans mixture into each cup (about two teaspoons) and then spooning a teaspoon or so of salsa on top of that. Sprinkle a pinch of the cheese evenly over the top of each cup.

Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.

Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Breakfast Cookies

I made these since I hadn't been to the grocery store for the week yet and had run out of most of our breakfast staples. They were pretty much like baked oatmeal bites. Not exactly my cup of tea, but they weren't bad.  

Breakfast Cookies 
Courtesy of Wise Bread



3 mashed bananas (ripe)
1/3 cup applesauce
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins (or any other dried fruit you want to add)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar or other sweetener

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl really well. Let this mixture stand for at least 5 minutes to let the oats become good and hydrated.

Heap the dough by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool.

Mushroom Stroganoff with Goat Cheese

This is a great twist on a classic. And it goes really well with Chardonnay.

Mushroom Stroganoff with Goat Cheese
Courtesy of Alton Brown



12 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 portabella mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bunch green onions, sliced and white bottoms and green tops separated
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
14 ounces beef broth
8 ounces sour cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, plus more for garnish

Add the noodles to 4 quarts of cold water in a 6-quart pot, cover and place over high heat. Cook to al dente, stirring occasionally. 

Melt the butter in a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan set over medium-high heat. Increase the heat to high, add the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Saute until they darken in color, soften and give off their liquid, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the white bottoms of the green onions and saute 2 to 3 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Cook until the flour disappears and the fond on the bottom of the pan turns dark brown, about 1 minute. Deglaze with the beef broth. Bring to a simmer and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, and then add the sour cream, goat cheese and black pepper. Stir to combine, and then partially cover and bring to a simmer to warm through, 2 to 4 minutes.

Drain the noodles, add to the pan and stir to combine. Garnish with the green onion tops and additional black pepper. Serve immediately.