Vegetarian

Recipe Redo: Simple Garlic Parmesan Pasta

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This little blog has a special place in my heart, what started as a way to simply catalog the millions of recipes that float around my head has turned into a wonderful platform to share my love of food, and bits of my life.

Recently we had our first birthday, as well as reached 10,000 views, and 200 followers (on several platforms). This is some big doin’s around these parts. Now if only I could get my parents to read regularly (they aren’t the super computer-savvy types).

Thinking about all this has gotten me to look back at a lot of my old posts, and I am in awe of how much my own writing style, and photography skills have changed. I feel like I am a whole different person than I was just a year ago.

Is it awful that I want to re-do some of my posts? Don’t worry I will still leave the ~~highly embarrassing~~, old posts up, but I think some of the recipes could use a revisit, since I now have a better understanding of how to write a readable, and usable recipe, I truly think it would benefit you, the readers, or bleaders should you prefer in so many ways.

To start with my Simple Garlic Parmesan Pasta recipe that I first shared in this post.

This is probably one of the simplest recipes one could ever make, but it is a staple in our house, because well 1) Chuck would eat a block of parmesan cheese if I let him 2) its great on hangover days 3) it goes with nearly everything.

It’s actually a recipe that I have stolen from my mom, who now can’t complain that I’ve taken a recipe from her, because I mentioned her right here.

I don’t know what it is about this dish, but for whatever the reason one helping is never enough. It has an addictive quality that will send most people back for thirds and fourths. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser.

Oh! And as a side note, don’t bother getting fancy with the fresh grated parmesan, that crumbly stuff that comes in a plastic container in the sauce isle is perfect for this.

Simple Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 lb pasta cooked aldente
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs butter
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
¼ – ½ cup grated or crumbled Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

In a thick bottomed sauce pan heat oil and butter over medium high heat.
Saute garlic for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to brown.
Remove from heat, and add pasta, tossing to coat.
Stir in parmesan cheese, to taste, and serve warm.

If you notice some differences in this recipe from the old one it’s because this time I actually wrote down what I did as I did it, so it’s actually accurate.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

Classic Scalloped Potatoes

Wild Rice Pilaf

Friends & Grilled Tapas!

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Over the holiday weekend I was lucky enough to have my good
friend Amanda over, whom I hadn’t seen in roughly 12 weeks since she decided to
run a half marathon, which you can read all about on her blog, Tales of a Married Runner Lady.

Since it had been so long I wanted to keep it casual, and
chatty, we had A LOT to catch up on so I wanted to prepare something that would
not get in the way of that. I decided to go with a kind of tapas menu, It
turned out pretty good, there are a few recipes that were fantastic so I have
to share them. The one thing I would have done different is had a bigger table
outside so I didn’t have to keep running in and out of the house. Oh well, next
time.

Let’s start with the drinks, since tapas, are traditionally
Spanish I figured I should probably make a sangria (those who know me know I
pretty much make sangria for everything and need no excuse).

This is an old standby that I use in impromptu sangria
making situations; the directions are for 1 drink, so just multiply for more.

Quick & Easy
Sangria

1 cup red wine
1 oz dry gin
2-3oz seltzer
2 tsp sugar
1 small handful
frozen mixed berries

Place in a shaker and
shake lightly, pour into a red wine glass and serve.

I started with the obvious cheese and crackers, we had this
wonderful cheese that I got from the farmers market in Ithaca the weekend
before. It’s so herby and fresh, I love it. Shortly after the cheese came out
the Grilled Marinated Olives were ready, I also warmed up a small loaf of
sprouted wheat bread on the grill to dip in the olive juices, and it was sooo
good.

Grilled Marinated
Olives

1 cup olive medley
2 tbs extra virgin
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
minced
1 tsp red pepper
flakes
Salt & pepper to
taste

Combine all
ingredients in a small bowl and toss to coat, transfer to a large sheet of tin
foil. Fold into a packet and place on a preheated grill for 5-10 minutes to
warm.

I made a quick Grilled Pear Salad with Shallot &
Vinaigrette Dressing to start us off. The soft red pear was really good and
soft grilled, and the shallot vinaigrette was amazing, so I think I will be
making this a few more times this summer.

Grilled Pear Salad w/
Shallot Vinaigrette

3 cups mixed greens
1 medium red pear cut
into wedges
1 small shallot,
minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon
1 tbsp Honey
3 tbsp Red wine vinegar

Preheat the gril to
medium high heat, and place the pear wedges directly onto the grill. Grill for
roughly 5 minutes per side, or until the pear begins to carmelize. Set aside to
cool for a few minutes, meanwhile in a small bowl whisk together shallot, Dijon,
honey, and red wine vinegar. Pour over mixed greens and toss to coat. Serve
greens topped with grilled pear. (Serves 3)

Is there anything more reminiscent of spring than fresh pea
soup? I made a very simple Minted fresh pea soup on the stove top that I kept
in the fridge until serving.

Minted Fresh Pea Soup

1 tbs chopped onion
1 tbs oil
1 cup peas fresh or
frozen
½ cup chicken or
vegetable broth
1 tbsp fresh mint
¼ cup cream
1 tbs chopped fresh
chives

In a small pan warm sauté
onion in oil for 3-4 minutes or until it begins to soften. Stir in peas and
broth and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mint, cream,
and chives. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more cream if necessary.
Place in the fridge to chill for 15-20 minutes. Serve chilled with mint sprig
for garnish (Serves 1)

For the protein portion of the meal I grilled up some shrimp
in a quick and easy scampi sauce. It was so quick and easy, I’m thinking that I
might make them up some time to pair with pasta, for a quick and easy week
night meal.

Grilled Lemon Thyme Shrimp
12 medium shrimp, peeled and diveined
1/2 – 1 tbs of oil
2 cloves of garlic
pinch of red pepper flakes
3-4 slices of lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
Combine all ingrediants in a small bowl and toss. Place in the refridgerator to marinate for 30 minutes. pour out the contents of the bowl onto a large piece of foil and create a pouch. Place on a preheated grill over medium high heat and grill, turning regularly for 8-10 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve warm. (Serves 3)

For the Finale I made a grilled bread pudding. Who would
have thought of such a thing? I stumbled on it somewhere or other and
remembered it when I was trying to think of what to make, so obviously I have
to make it, and I got quite a few compliments, so I think this is another thing
that will be showing up fairly often this summer.

Grilled Strawberry Bread Pudding
4 slices crusty bread
1 cup cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sliced strawberries
On a heated grill toast the bread for 2-3 minutes a side, and cut into 1-2 inch squares. In a small bowl whisk together cream, sugar, and vanilla and add bread. Toss the bread in the mixture and pour the entire contents onto a large piece of tin foil. Fold the foil into a packet and place on the grill for 15-20 minutes, turning several times. Remove from heat and toss with strawberries. (Serves 3-4)

Finish it up with some more sangria, and a few laughs and
what could possibly make for a better evening?

A Weekend in Wine Country & French Onion Casserole

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

So last weekend, I FINALLY made the trip out to visit one of my good friends from college in Ithaca NY. It was a blast! Brody and her 1 year old puppy Baxter are now pretty much best friends.

This is in the heart of NY Wine Country, so of course we drank a little wine, visited a few waterfalls, and went to farmers markets. It was great just being able to catch up and playing with our pups. They were so spoiled the whole time. They had all kinds of fun on nature trails at the dog park, and just in the back yard. Little Brody was so tired that he slept the whole way home, and then for the next 2 days as well. The little guy was barely playing at the end of it, but he would not take a nap no matter how hard I tried.

Now while I was gone I wanted to leave Chuck with a hearty dish that he could eat over the weekend, and thought a casserole would be perfect. I wanted something French Onion style but aside from green bean casserole, and minimalist French onion casserole there was really nothing, and definitely nothing hearty enough to keep Mr. Meat and Potatoes satisfied for an entire weekend.

So of course I improvised.

I still wanted something meatless (generally speaking) because of this whole quest thing that I have been on to make vegetables our main focus, but I added some pasta (surprise!), and a few vegetables that I thought would go well with the flavors. These made for a pretty hearty casserole in my opinion, and considering that Chuck now wants me to make it once a week I think it was a hit.

French Onion Casserole

3-4 large onions, sliced thin (I used white & yellow)
1 tbs oil
1 tbs butter
1 tsp salt & pepper each
1tsp thyme
2 tbs flour
1 large carrot, shredded
2 cups of beef (or vegetable)broth
(1 tbs soy sauce if using vegetable broth)
1 cup frozen peas
1 ½ cups frozen French cut green beans
1 lb pasta, cooked aldente
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup shredded gruyere cheese
Sprinkle parmesan cheese

In a large thick bottomed sauce pan heat oil and butter, and layer in the onions with salt & pepper. Sauté, onions for 1-2 minutes, until the edges begin to brown, and reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally until the onions have become caramelized. Bring the heat up to medium high and stir in the thyme, carrots and flour. Continue to stir for 1-2 minutes until well blended, and deglaze with broth. Allow the broth to simmer for 3-5 minutes, while stirring and scrapping browned bits from the bottom of the pan. As the sauce begins to thicken mix in peas and green beans and cook until they have softened. In a large baking dish toss together the vegetable mixture and cooked pasta. Top with both mozzarella and gruyere cheeses, and sprinkle parmesan on top. Place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve warm.

Irish Roasted Shallots – An Amazing Appetizer

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

To be honest this recipe and the herb dumpling recipe are
the main reason that I bought this book, and I am so happy that I did.

These roasted shallots may very well be the best thing ever!

It’s almost like eating onion rings, but better in my
opinion because there’s cheese! And who doesn’t love cheese? Besides they are
roasted, not fried, and not completely breaded so they are a little bit better
for you, and if you use whole wheat bread crumbs and low fat cheese its all the
better.

Can I take an aside to tell you about the dairy in Ireland.
It’s freakin’ fabulous! I swear I had some of the best cheese, and ice cream
imaginable there. Oh how I want to go back now!

Now back to this great little appetizer. I knew this would
be a good one for Chuck, but I was still a little surprised when he asked if I
could make them again tomorrow. They are really great, too bad shallots aren’t
cheap, or I totally would have, maybe I can get a whole bunch at the end of the
season.

Irish Roasted Shallots

8 shallots or small onions

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

½ tbs thyme

¼ tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

2/3 cups breadcrumbs

1 cup shredded Irish cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425. Peel the shallots, and slice in
half lengthwise. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, oil thyme, and pepper,
add shallots and toss. Transfer to a roasting pan in one single layer, add
salt, and bread crumbs. Roast in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until
shallots begin to blacken. Scatter with shredded cheddar cheese, and roast for
an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Remove
from heat, garnish with parsley and serve warm. (Serves 4-6)

Oh and check out this complete meal. The rest of the recipes are comeing soon!

Hello Fresh Herbs & An Easy Recipe

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Look!

My chives are starting to poke their little heads out of the
dirt after a long winter! Is that not the most exciting thing ever?

I am currently working on a plan for a garden at the new
place. The back yard is small, we like to entertain and play outside so it’s a
little tricky but I think I have a plan that will work that however is a post
for another day. Today my focus is on herbs in food.

Herbs are perhaps my absolute most Favorite ingredient that
I simply could not do without. I think we all know the power that herbs have
over the taste of any dish, but I particularly like them on their own. Though
Chuck may not agree with me, I think anything that has massive chunks of
parsley, or basil is pretty much the best thing ever, I even like basil in my
lemonade, and we aren’t talking lemon basil either.

I keep telling myself that someday I will have a beautiful garden
full of fresh perennial herbs, I will someday learn to grow annuals from seeds
and they will actually live past a couple weeks. I will learn how to properly
dry, and store these herbs to enjoy them year round and know that I grew them.
When people try my food they will sing praises from the roof tops and exclaim
wonders of the pure and abundant flavor that comes from my cooking and my herbs.

I totally just started day dreaming there a little bit, did
you catch that?

I digress, the spring time weather has quite obviously got
me daydreaming of fresh herbs, so I decided to make this easy fresh pasta salad
for lunch the other day. Its great both warm and cold, though if left in the
fridge overnight I have found that it allows more herbaceous flavor to sink in.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture idk whats up with blogger

Herb & Ricotta
Pasta

1 cup pasta, cooked aldente

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4-5 basil leaves, chopped

1 bunch parsley, chopped

1 tbs chopped fresh chives

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ cup low fat milk

¼ – ½ cup low fat ricotta cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

In a sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat and sauté
onions for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add all other herbs and
cook for an addition 2-3 minutes, they will start to become fragrant. Reduce
heat to low, and stir in milk. Add pasta and toss. Add ricotta cheese in
increments, thoroughly mixing until reaching desired cheesiness. Add salt &
pepper to taste, and serve warm, or refrigerate over night and serve cold.

Vegetarian

If you notice some differences in this recipe from the old one it’s because this time I actually wrote down what I did as I did it, so it’s actually accurate.

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