Summer Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini

I know, I know, I have been gone for a very long time. I am not sure if anyone even follows or looks up this blog anymore but I hope there are still some of you out there. I am sorry for the absence. There is no real excuse but I have missed blogging and hope to get back into it on a more regular basis. Joe has started a blog about his mixology called Drinks About Friends (check out the link on the right hand side) and helping him get his blog up and running has brought me back to mine so thanks Joe!

I took a look through my photos to see what items I had photographed but not blogged about yet and this macaroni salad caught my eye. I brought it to a friend's BBQ and it was a big hit. It is a Skinnytaste recipe so it is also much healthier than your traditional mayonnaise based macaroni salad. I really don't love mayonnaise so I tweaked the recipe a little bit to use more Greek yogurt and less mayo which is reflected in my version of the recipe below.

If you need a macaroni salad for an upcoming gathering, I recommend this one!

Summer Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini
From Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients
16 oz uncooked elbow macaroni
4 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups (1 small) zucchini, sliced and quartered
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
5 tbsp light mayonnaise (Hellman's)
2 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Cook pasta in generously salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a medium bowl, combine onions, mayonnaise, vinegar, yogurt mustard, oregano, garlic powder; mix well. Add tomatoes (and any juice from the tomatoes), zucchini, pasta, salt and pepper to taste, toss well and place in a large bowl.

Makes 16 cups

Spaghetti with Cauliflower Pesto

I think my family knows that I like to cook and that I really want to take this blog more seriously in 2012. Many of my birthday and Christmas gifts this year were centered around cooking and blogging. I got a bunch of different plates and bowls in all different patterns and sizes to use to photograph the food I make. I got 4 new cookbooks that are all wonderful in their own ways and I can't wait to use all of them starting today with this wonderful recipe. And my big present from Joe was a DSLR camera which has been really fun to use so far. I can't wait to learn all the things it can do and hopefully take better photos as the year progresses. I personally already see a difference between the photos taken with the new camera versus my old point and shoot and I don't even really know what I am doing with the new camera yet. Do you notice a difference?

One of the books that Joe got me is called Cooking for Friends and it is a really great book which not only gives you recipes but also ideas about plating and serving food and good cocktail pairings as well. A lot of the food is simple and fresh but prepared in ways that maybe you wouldn't think of. This recipe is a great example of that. We love cauliflower. Boiled, steamed, mashed, roasted, raw, plain, with cheese, you name it, we like it. I never in a million years considered making it into a pesto and serving it over pasta but it works. This was really light and flavorful and a perfect complement to the seared sea scallops that I made to go with it.

Be aware that this recipe makes a lot of pesto so it would be great for having a group of friends over, hence I guess the name of the cookbook. We had leftovers for quite awhile since I made this for just the two of us.

Spaghetti with Cauliflower Pesto
From Cooking for Friends

Ingredients
1 small head cauliflower, cored and cut into 1-inch florets
sea salt
ground pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup almonds, toasted (I used pine nuts since I didn't have any almonds)
2 tsp capers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb spaghetti
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved

Directions
Preheat a stove-top grill pan over high heat.

Season cauliflower florets with salt and pepper. Place on grill pan and cook, turning occasionally, until well charred on all sides, 6-8 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to a food processor and add olive oil, parsley, almonds, capers and garlic. Pulse until mixture is well combined but still coarse. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until pasta in al dente, according to package directions. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of cooking liquid, and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with cauliflower pesto and shaved Parmeson, adding some of the cooking liquid if necessary (you won't always have to do this. I wound up adding maybe a 1/4 cup of it). Serve at once.

Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon and Vegetables

I am sorry, I have been neglected my blog.  Between earthquakes, hurricanes and over all life at the end of the summer, life has been busy the last couple of weeks.  I have been cooking and baking just haven't found the time to write about it so stay tuned for some new recipes in the near future, starting today.

Thankfully, we are all safe and sound with no major damage from mother nature's wrath and fall is coming which is one of my favorite times of the year.  The NFL football season kicked off last night and as many of you know, I LOVE football and all of the cooking that comes with it.  I am also dreaming of all of the soups and stews that I want to make.  I love fall comfort food baking.

I started in on the comfort food a few weeks early this year with this macaroni and cheese that I made a couple of weeks ago.  It was just one of those days and I needed some comfort food.  I had a lot of ingredients to make macaroni and cheese at home so I stopped off and got a couple of other things and put this recipe together.  I tried to make it healthier by adding mushrooms and broccoli but then I went and added bacon to it so that threw healthy out the window.  It was really good though and very filling.  We ate it for dinner and then for lunch for quite a few days afterward.  If you don't like mushrooms and/or broccoli you could substitute whatever veggies you like in this.

Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon and Vegetables
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

Ingredients
16 oz. elbow macaroni
4 oz. bacon, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups broccoli florets
5 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
6 tbsp butter, divided
5 tbsp flour
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
8 oz cheddar jack cheese, shredded
4 oz fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large pot, cook elbow macaroni according to package directions being careful not to over cook.  In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to the pot with the macaroni to blanch.  Strain and set aside.

While the macaroni is cooking, cook bacon until crisp over a medium-high heat in a 3 quart saucepan.  Remove crisped bacon and set aside on a paper towel lined plate to drain.  Add onions to the bacon drippings and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft, about 3-4 minutes.  Add 4 tbsp butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne to the pot.  Once butter is melted, add flour and stir to incorporate.  Cook fat and flour mixture for 2-3 minutes till all of the raw flour is incorporated.  Whisk in the milk and stir mixture until all of the flour is incorporated into the milk.  Cook, stirring frequently until it just starts to come to a boil and the mixture has thickened.  Turn heat to low and add in the shredded cheese, stirring until all of the cheese is melted into the milk mixture.  Pour cheese sauce over macaroni and broccoli and mix until coated.  Pour into baking dish.

In a small bowl mix the panko bread crumbs and 2 tbsp of melted butter together.  Sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese.  Bake 25-30 minutes until panko is browned and cheese sauce is bubbly.  Serve hot.

Garlic and Herb Pasta

I may have been living under a rock all my life.  It was not until a few months ago that I ever tried those spreadable cheeses like Alouette and Rondele.  I served the garlic and herb flavor for our Mad Men dinner party earlier this year and it was so good.  I think I ate the leftovers all by myself.  So when I came across this recipe at Stephanie Cooks I knew it was something that I had to try.  I love pasta, I love the cheese, what more could I want?  I went to the grocery store to pick up the cheese and found that Alouette makes a light version which is half the fat and calories.  Score!  Now I liked the idea of using the cheese but I wanted to change it up a bit and also wanted to add some protein to the recipe.  I had some frozen shrimp in the house so I used them but I am sure this would taste great with chicken or another kind of seafood if you like.  Joe loved this too and was surprised when I told him that the base of the sauce was spreadable cheese.  I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Garlic and Herb Pasta
Adapted from Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta, cooked al dente
1  14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 6.5 oz container light garlic and her spreadable cheese (I used Alouette brand)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
3 cups broccoli florets
1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
8 oz cooked shrimp, tails removed
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil.  Spray foil with nonstick spray.  Combine grape tomatoes, onion and broccoli in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.  In empty pasta pot, over medium low heat combine chicken broth and garlic and herb cheese.  Whisk together until smooth and cook until warm, about 2-3 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook an additional 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add vegetables and pasta.  mix until well coated.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.  Serve hot.

Chicken Marsala Pasta

 It was finally a little bit cooler last night and it looked like it was going to rain so cooking dinner was a solely indoor affair.  I knew I had chicken breasts taken out but what to do with them?  I was on my friend Melissa's blog I Was Born to Cook looking at her awesome lobster when I remembered that she had a recipe for chicken marsala and pasta that I had wanted to try.  And I agree with Melissa, if you want to try this recipe, go to the liquor store and get a bottle of Marsala wine, don't use what they sell in the grocery store.

The recipe was fast and easy to follow.  I made just a few very minor changes and I think it turned out wonderful.  So good that I had some and then when Joe got home from work he finished the rest of it.  Too bad, since I was really looking forward to taking the leftovers for lunch today!

Chicken Marsala Pasta
Slightly adapted from I Was Born to Cook

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" chunks
1/4 cup flour
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, large dice
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup Marsala wine

1 teaspoon oregano
1 lb pasta
1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Grated Parmesan Cheese for topping

Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add butter and oil.  At the same time, place water in a pot to boil for pasta and cook according to package directions.

Season flour with salt and pepper.  Toss chicken into flour, shake off excess and add to skillet once butter has melted.  Saute until chicken is brown on one side.  At this point add onion and continue to saute until chicken is brown on all sides.  Add mushrooms, chicken broth, Marsala and oregano.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low.  Cook for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly.  If needed, add another tbsp. of butter to sauce to thicken texture at the end.  Season with salt and pepper if necessary to taste.  Remove from heat and toss with pasta.  Stir in parsley, reserving some for garnish.  Top with reserved parsley and Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.

Kitchen Sink Pasta

I am making a valiant effort this week to cook dinner only using the ingredients we currently have at home.  Every few weeks or so I try to do this to make sure I use up anything that is around that may go bad soon or is just taking up space and hasn't been used in awhile.  I almost always create a pasta dish of some kind during these weeks because it is a great way to combine a bunch of items that need to be used into a very tasty dinner with plenty left over for lunch!  Below is my recipe for what I created last night but you could use any mix of protein and vegetables that you had on hand and create your own version.  I love to eat it cold the next day for lunch.


Kitchen Sink Pasta
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" chunks
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
Olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small vidalia onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Handful fresh basil and flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb medium shell pasta

Directions:
In a large stockpot, bring water and 2 tsp. salt to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  Add chicken to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes until brown.  Add in the onion and cook for 5 minutes more until onion is soft.  Add in pepper and tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes.  Stir in chicken broth, corn and peas and cook until warm, 2-3 minutes more.  Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.  Add drained pasta, chopped fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese.  Mix well, adding some of the pasta liquid if the pasta is too dry.  Serve immediately, garnishing with more Parmesan cheese.