Egg- cellent Pasta

This recipe intrigued me. Never in a million years would I think to combine scrambled eggs and pasta, but when I saw this recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Pasta Sauces cookbook I knew I would be trying it. This recipe is delicious! It's rich and creamy, and as Joe pointed out very comforting with it's nice soft texture - both Joe and I really liked it. Plus it comes together in no time at all (about 15 minutes from start to finish) and you could substitute any cheese so it's a perfect last-minute meal. Yum!

Egg and Cheese Pasta

3 eggs
¼ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
6 tbsp milk
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup unsalted butter
Salt
Fussili, penne or farfalle pasta

In a bowl, beat the eggs until well blended. Add the cheese, milk, and plenty of pepper and mix together. Add your choice of pasta to boiling water. Meanwhile, in a large, wide frying pan over low heat, melt the butter. When the pasta is almost al dente, drain and add to the frying pan along with the egg mixture and salt to taste. Finish cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the eggs are firm but not dry, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and serve at once.

Small Batch Baking: Apple Nut Oatmeal Muffins

I've been in the mood for a muffin recently, so I decided to try another recipe from my Small Batch Baking cookbook. I chose the Apple Nut Oatmeal Muffins because I had all the ingredients on hand. I doubled the recipe to get 6 muffins so Joe could have a few for breakfast the rest of the week. I found that I had WAY too much streusel topping left at the end after adding it to the muffins. I can't imagine that the muffins needed more streusel, but perhaps I wasn't generous enough with it. Regardless, these muffins came out really well! They are dense and hearty and not too sweet, although I do think they could benefit from a little more spice - I'll be adding cinnamon next time around. Joe and I each enjoyed one last night after dinner, then Joe heated two in the microwave this morning for breakfast and said they were even more delicious than last night. A keeper!

Apple Nut Oatmeal Muffins

Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the muffin cups

For the Streusel Topping:
2 tbsp quick or old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 tbsp chopped pecans (I used walnuts as that was what I had)

For the Muffins:
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ cup quick or old-fashioned rolled oats
3 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp raisins
¼ applesauce (I used chunky)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Yolk of 1 medium egg
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease only the bottoms of three muffin cups, then rub a little butter around the rim of each cup (this will help them form a more rounded top).

Make the streusel topping: combine the 2 tablespoons oats, 2 tablespoons flour and brown sugar in a small bowl. Mix in the butter using a fork or your fingertips, until the mixture is crumbly. Then mix in the pecans. Set the topping aside.

Make the muffins: combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl and stir to mix well. Add the raisins and toss to mix.

Place the applesauce, oil, egg yolk and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add the applesauce mixture to the flour mixture all at once and stir until just moistened. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans – they should be about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the muffins, then gently pat into the batter with your fingers. Fill the empty muffin cups with water to prevent them from scorching.

Bake 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Cool muffins in pan 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 3 standard muffins

The bread machine lives!

Several years ago, Joe bought me a bread machine as a birthday gift. I became slightly obsessed with my new toy and was baking fresh loaves of bread almost every day, until my family begged me to stop because no one could eat anymore bread. Since then, I haven't used my bread machine much - in fact it's probably been a few years since I put it to work. But yesterday I woke up craving warm, fresh-baked bread to go with our dinner. I looked up some recipes online and decided that unfortunately I am not the type of person with the patience to knead bread, let it rise, knead it again, let it rise...nuts to that. So I decided to resurrect my once-beloved bread machine and let it do it's thing. I found this recipe for Light Oat Bread on All Recipes and thought it sounded great. I followed the recipe exactly, except I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. The house smelled amazing all afternoon as the bread baked, and it came out great - thick and hearty with a nice whole-grain taste and texture. The bread machine will ride again soon - most likely next weekend! Mmmmm....carbs.

Light Oat Bread

1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons margarine
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine pan in order recommended by your manufacturer. Use regular light setting.

Shepherd's Pie

I've seen several shepherd's pie recipes popping up on blogs recently and why not - it's the perfect winter meal. Meat and veggies and potatoes all in one delicious serving. I thought Joe would really enjoy this, and with the temperatures only climbing into the low 20's this past Sunday I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make shepherd's pie. Since I had just gotten my new Kraft Food and Family magazine I decided to make their version of the meal. It was extremely easy, but I felt like something was missing. Joe said "more cheese" (after all, doesn't cheese make everything better?) but I think the meat could have used some more seasoning or something. I will make shepherd's pie again for sure, but next time I may use a slightly more complex recipe to get better flavor. But this one is good in a pinch!

Easy Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups hot mashed potatoes
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup beef gravy

PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Brown meat in large skillet. Meanwhile, mix potatoes, cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and the garlic until well blended.

DRAIN meat. Return to skillet; stir in vegetables and gravy. Spoon into 9-inch square baking dish; cover with potato mixture and remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

BAKE 20 min. or until heated through.

Shrimp Pasta for Two

I just love when a recipe turns out better than I expect. I had the remainder of a bag of frozen shrimp that I wanted to use up this weekend, so I selected the Easy Shrimp Pasta for Two from the new Kraft Food and Family magazine for our dinner Saturday night. For some reason though, I had low expectations of the dish. I was prepared to be disappointed, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised! It was delicious! I did, however, make several changes to the original recipe to accommodate our tastes and the ingredients I had on hand. I'm linking the original version above and posting my version below. I will definitely make this again!

Easy Shrimp Pasta for Two

1/4 cup Ken's Steakhouse Light Northern Italian dressing
1/2 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
8 oz. (1/2 of 1-lb. pkg.) linguine, uncooked
1 cup diced tomatoes, undrained
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1 tbsp. dried basil

1 tbsp. garlic powder

pinch of red pepper flakes
grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling

POUR dressing over shrimp in small bowl; cover. Refrigerate 20 min. to marinate. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat large skillet on medium heat; add shrimp mixture. Cook 3 min. or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp from skillet, using slotted spoon; cover to keep warm. Set aside.

ADD tomatoes, cream cheese, basil, garlic powder and red pepper to same skillet; cook and stir 3 min. or until well blended. Add shrimp; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta. Place on large serving platter; top with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

A Gentleman's Pasta

The Sicilian Gentleman's Cookbook has been on our shelf for years. I'm not entirely sure where it came from, but I believe Joe's grandmother Lucy found it in her kitchen at some point and gave it to him. As I said, we've had it for years, but we've only ever made one recipe from it - Pasta with Peas. This meal is one of Joe's specialities, meaning that he's the one who always prepares it. It's quick and easy and very tasty. Of course, I love peas so that might have something to do with my enjoyment, but Joe is not a huge pea fan and he still loves this pasta. When Joe made this on Tuesday night I asked him to add in some turkey sausage for a little extra protein and it was great. As Joe stated, you really must use shell pasta for this as it "gives the peas somewhere to hide." Joe also substitutes the Romano cheese with whatever we have on hand and stirs in right into the finished pasta. And the cookbook was obviously written by a hearty Italian man, since the serving size for this recipe claims to be 3-4. For 1 lb of pasta! We got 5-6 servings easily - plenty of leftovers!

Pasta with Peas

1 lb shell pasta

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas

2 tbsp oregano

2 cups chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

handful of chopped parsley

grated Romano cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and saute the garlic and onion until onion is translucent. Add the frozen peas and stir until thawed and separated. Add the oregano, chicken broth and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes. Cook pasta to al dente. Mix cooked and drained pasta into the sauce and heat for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley and grated cheese.

Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables

After Saturday's indulgent dinner, I wanted to serve something light and healthy for our Sunday night meal. Plus, my friend Karen was joining us and she also likes to eat healthy so I wanted to offer something tasty and low-calorie. This recipe comes from Fitness Magazine - I tore it out of an issue several months ago. It is quick and easy to prepare and tastes great. You can substitute pretty much any vegetables you desire - last night I used broccoli, snow peas and the shredded carrots (Joe doesn't like asparagus, which is what the recipe originally calls for). I also double the sauce. I served this over brown rice and it was a great satisfying and healthy meal.

Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables

1/4 cup bottled Italian salad dressing (I used fat-free)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil (I used cooking spray)
12 ounces chicken breast tenderloins
10 ounces asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces, or 10-ounce package frozen cut asparagus, thawed and well drained (I used broccoli florets and snow peas instead)
1 cup shredded carrot (this is a LOT of carrot, I recommend using 1/2 cup)
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped (I omitted)

Stir together salad dressing, vinegar, honey, and crushed red pepper in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, or until tender and no longer pink, turning once. Remove chicken to serving dish; cover and keep warm.
Add asparagus and carrot to skillet. Cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender; transfer to dish.
Stir dressing mixture and add to skillet. Cook for 1 minute, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Drizzle dressing over chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with tomato.

Nutrition Facts
Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 271 calories, 22g protein, 12g carbohydrate, 15g fat (2g saturated), 2g fiber