Tortellini with Peas, Broccoli and Pancetta

I thought this was delicious.  I kept the vegetables separate from the tortellini so that I didn't have to hear my kids lament about having them mixed.  I also didn't use any meat, but I'm sure you could if you don't have a husband who dislikes ham!

Tortellini with Peas, Broccoli and Pancetta

1 T. olive oil
3 oz pancetta or ham, finely diced, optional
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
black pepper, to taste
1 pound cheese tortellini
1 c. frozen peas
1 1/2 c. broccoli, cut into small florets (not bigger than the tortellini)
1/4-1/2 c. pasta cooking water
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add pancetta; cook until beginning to turn crisp, about 10 minutes.  Add onion, garlic and broccoli, cook 2-3 minutes.  Add a tablespoon or two of water and cover the pan to steam the broccoli for a few minutes.  Uncover and cook until the water is absorbed.  Add salt and pepper. Add peas and toss together gently.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1/2 c. cooking water.  Add pasta to the broccoli mixture and toss together.  Add 1/4 cup or more of reserved cooking water ((just enough to keep it from being too dry).  Sprinkle with cheese.  Serves 6.

Recipe altered from relishmag.com

Tomatillo Salsa

Sorry I took so long to get this one up Mom!

We made this salsa when Mom and Dad came for a visit and everyone liked it. Ava loved it, but when we made it today she took one bite and spit it out. Story of my life right now! All she will eat is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese (as long as she doesn't get any onions in her bite) and sometimes spaghetti, although that ones seems to be on its way out. Anyway, back to the salsa....

Tomatillo Salsa

8 tomatillos, husks removed

1 medium tomato

1 small onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded

3 Tbsp cilantro leaves

5 garlic cloves, peeled

1 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin, heaping

1/8 tsp pepper

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add tomatillos and reduce heat. Simmer for 5 (not 15... ask Mom hehe) minutes. Drain.

Place all ingredients and drained tomatillos in blender and process until blended. Serve with tortilla chips.

Spinach Salad Wraps

These are very quick and so very tasty! I melted my cheese on the tortilla before adding everything else, but it's probably good without melting it as well.

Spinach Salad Wraps

2 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/8 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 5-oz. pkg. fresh baby spinach (about 5 cups)
8 medium flour tortillas (not burrito but not taquito sized)
8 slices mozzarella cheese
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
12 slices bacon, crisp cooked and drained
4-5 hard-cooked eggs, sliced


For dressing, in a small bowl whisk together vinegar, sour cream, sugar, parsley, salt, garlic, and dry mustard until combined. Whisk in the olive oil; set dressing aside.
Divide spinach among flour tortillas. Top with cheese, mushrooms, bacon, and sliced eggs. Drizzle with a good amount of dressing.
Roll up tortillas. If necessary, secure with toothpicks. If desired, wrap in waxed paper and cut in half to serve.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

There is a bit of prep work for this recipe, but you can make the filling (minus the strawberries) and even the batter the night before to speed things up a bit. Make sure you stir the batter every now and then or all your spices will sink to the bottom... I might know this from experience. :)


Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Filling:
5 ounces cream cheese, softened
1-2 tsps sugar
2 Tablespoons strawberry preserves or jam
1 1/4 cup diced strawberries
1 loaf French or Italian bread
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Egg Batter:
6 large eggs
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk

Breading:
2 cups crushed Cornflakes
1 cup sliced almonds

In a medium bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of butter and the cream cheese until combined. Add the strawberry preserves and mix until incorporated. Fold in the diced strawberries into the cream cheese mixture.

Cut bread into thick slices (about 1 inch thick). Make an incision on the crust side of the bread about 3/4 of the way through. You're creating a pocket to stuff the cream cheese mixture into. Gently spoon 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture (the small white spatuala that Mandy introduced us to works great for this!) into each of the 4 slices of bread and gently close the pocket. Refrigerate the stuffed slices while you prepare the batter and breading.

For the egg batter, add the eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, vanilla, and milk to a medium shallow bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Prepare the breading by adding the crushed cornflakes and almonds to a sheet pan or a shallow bowl. Dip the bread slices in the egg batter making sure to let each side soak for about 20 seconds. Next, dip them into the cereal mixture.

Heat a griddle to about 325 degrees. Cook each side of the french toast for about 2-3 minutes or until medium brown. Serve with maple syrup on top.

Pronto Pastitsio

This is from Avery's Southern Living Kids Cookbook.  Chad and I thought it was so good.  Avery said so-so, probably only because it was from her book.
I actually had the tomato and basil spaghetti sauce on hand, surprisingly, but I'm sure it would work with other flavors too.  I also just used mozzarella and Parmesan for the cheeses.  You can prepare it and refrigerate it ahead of time.

Pronto Pastitsio

6 oz uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 -1 lb ground lamb or beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 (10 oz) container Alfredo sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease an 11x7-inch pan.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook ground lamb, onion and salt in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain, and stir in pasta sauce and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon half the macaroni into baking pan; top with meat mixture.  Spoon remaining macaroni over meat mixture.  Spread or pour Alfredo sauce over macaroni, and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings.

Cinnamon Bread

This is such a yummy bread which shouldn't be a surprise since the recipe is from King Arthur Flour. :) We've been able to find cinnamon chips at Safeway at Christmas time so we stock up then. You can also order them from King Arthur if you can't find them anywhere right now (but they'll be more expensive...)

A word about the cinnamon, this calls for Vietnamese Cinnamon which I purchased at the Savory Spice Shop in downtown Littleton. It's stronger than regular cinnamon so if you use regular cinnamon in the recipe you'll want to increase it just a little.

Cinnamon Bread

3 C flour

1/2 C sugar

2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 C warm milk

1/4 C butter, melted

1 large egg

1 C (6 oz) cinnamon chips

Cinnamon sugar for topping

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating until smooth. Stir in the cinnamon chips. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour, covered.

Stir the batter down, then spoon into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until tests done (a cake tester inserted in center will come out clean). When done, let bread rest in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: Don't slice bread while it's hot! It'll slice much better and taste better when it's completely cool!

Recipe from King Arthur Flour catalog.

Twice Grilled Potatoes

We made these for our bbq yesterday and it was a nice change of pace. The original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of dijon mustard but we only had honey mustard or yellow mustard which would have given very different flavors so we left it out completely. You could certainly add in whatever you like though when you mix the filling.

Twice Grilled Potatoes

4 russet potatoes

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Filling:

1/2 C whole milk

1/2 C grated provolone cheese (we just cut up sliced provolone into small pieces)

1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

1/2 C cooked crumbled bacon

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 C sour cream to garnish

Wash the potatoes really well and cut in half lengthwise. Generously brush cut side with oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Prepare grill for direct grilling at low heat. Oil the grill well* and place potatoes cut side down. Close the lid and cook for 30 minutes, turning once until soft and flesh side is caramelized. Remove from grill and cool slightly.

Scoop out the insides leaving a 1/2-inch border all around the potato so that it won't fall apart on the grill. Place scooped potato in a bowl and add milk and cheese and mix until well blended. Add chives, bacon, salt, and pepper and stir until well combined but still chunky. You can sprinkle a little cheese on top if you'd like. (And who wouldn't like?)

Fill the potato shells with stuffing. Place back on grill at medium low heat. Cook until warmed through and cheese has melted and caramelized, about 7-10 minutes. Remove and top with sour cream.

Makes 8 potato halves.

*Grill oiling tip: (I originally learned this from Steve Raichlen's BBQ tips.) Fold a paper towel up, hold it in tongs and dip it in vegetable oil then brush the oil over the grill grates. Just do one section at a time and watch out for any flare ups. This works fabulously and I do it every time I grill now. Amazing how things don't stick to the grill if you oil it. haha!

Altered from More Grilled to Perfection by Chris Knight.

Whole Wheat Waffles with Maple and Pear

These are not super dense like you'd imagine they would be and but they are quite filling. The batter is thick so it doesn't make many waffles... I think we got 5 or 6, but, again, they're really filling.

Whole Wheat Waffles with Maple and Pear

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cups milk
1 (15 oz) can pear halves
maple syrup

In large bowl, whisk eggs until thick and light-colored. Whisk in melted butter and milk. In a seperate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Pour into egg mixture. Mix until batter is moistened and smooth. Pour 1/2 cup batter into center of waffle iron and bake until golden brown.
Meanwhile, drain pear halves and mash to near applesauce consistancy. Top waffles with pear and maple syrup.

Tropical BBQ Chicken

3-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or legs and thighs - what ever you like)
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons corn starch
1/4 cup water

Place chicken in a 4-qt crock pot. In a bowl, combine the ketchup, orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, oil, Worcestershire saude, garlic salt and pepper; pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove chicken to a serving plate; keep warm. Pour juices from the crock pot through a strainer into a saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into chicken juices in the pan. Bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve sauce with chicken over rice.

Dad liked this but he likes everything so the true test was Carrie. She liked it and hoped I would post it on the blog because she said "Everyone is always looking for new crock pot recipes."

Freshly Squeezed Strawberrry Limeades

These are soo delicious! We had them when we had a pool party/picnic out on our deck.



Fresh Strawberry Limeade

1 tall glass
Sprite, chilled
1 1/2 limes
3-4 tablespoons Strawberry Sauce, chilled

Squeeze the juice of one lime into the glass. Fill the glass halfway with Sprite. Add 3-4 tablespoons of strawberry sauce. Top the glass off with Sprite and add more strawberry sauce if desired. Stir the strawberry sauce with a straw to really get it mixed in before you drink it. Garnish with lime wedges (which you can also squeeze into the glass before drinking. Definitely best when served with a straw.



Strawberry Sauce
1 pint strawberries
1/3 c. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Combine berries, sugar, and extract in medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for five minutes, stirring/breaking strawberries up with a wooden spoon constantly.
After five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (if you have a glass blender jar) and a lot (if you have a plastic blender jar). When cool enough, transfer mixture to blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Recipe slightly altered from Our Best Bites