Dinner Date

For Christmas this year, we gave the kids pre-planned dates for the whole year.  They each get to go on a date once a month.  One month with Mom, the next with Dad, and so on.  This is by far their favorite gift.  And it's the gift that keeps on giving, right?  All year!  So, one of the dates with Mom is to choose a recipe, go to the store and purchase the ingredients, and then make it together.   This is what my son and I did this weekend.  He chose "Pasta with Arugula, White Beans and Walnuts" for dinner and "Raspberry Napoleons" for dessert.  If you're thinking, wow, her kids like healthy food, just know I was just as surprised that he chose this as you!  I mean, really, what 9 yr. old wants pasta with greens and beans???  I have a bunch of "Everyday Food" magazines, and he went through some of them and that is what he chose.  I will say I do have great eaters for kids.  They used to be more picky, but overall they like a lot of things.  My son especially, he's like my husband, he will try just about anything.  I am so grateful to have easy to please kids...well, at least in the food department.  :-)

So here's a look at our date:

 Toast the walnuts... oh the flavor!

 Learning to slice garlic

 Cooking the pasta

I love how he put so much effort into a pretty table.

All the kids liked this dish.  One of my girls wasn't so crazy about her wilted greens, but she still ate most of them.  

Pasta with Arugula, White Beans, and Walnuts

12 oz farfelle (bowtie pasta)
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 TBS butter
1 pound baby arugula
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

Toast walnut pieces in a 350 degree oven for about 7-9 minutes. Watch them so they don't burn. You don't have to toast them, but it brings out so much more flavor!

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.

Place pasta pot over medium heat. Add garlic and 1 tbs butter, cook, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes/

Add arugula to pot. Toss just until wilted. Add beans, pasta and remaining 3 tbs butter. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, adding enough reserved water to mixture to coat pasta. Garnish with toasted walnuts.

Needless to say, this dessert was a hit!  

Raspberry Napoleons:

All purpose flour for rolling pastry
1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
1/2 recipe cooled vanilla pudding (recipe follows) please don't use store bought, I promise you won't regret it!
1 container fresh raspberries
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 400. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pasty to a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Prick pastry all over with a fork. Cover completely with another sheet of parchment paper. Weight with another baking sheet to prevent pastry from puffing up unevenly. Bake, occasionally pressing top sheet down until pastry is golden. In my oven it only took 20 minutes, but it can take up to 40, so keep an eye on it. Remove the top sheet and parchment, and let cool

With a serrated knife, carefully trim and discard edges; cut into 12 equal pieces ( this is for 4 servings, I was able to stretch it to 6 servings by cutting into 18 pieces).

To assemble, put a large dollop of pudding on the pastry piece, top with a few raspberries and another dollop of pudding, layer a 2nd piece of pastry, repeat the pudding and raspberries, and top it with a 3rd piece of pastry. Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Vanilla Pudding:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.

Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low, still whisking (wow, there's a lot of whisking in this recipe), cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.

Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (this prevents skin from forming), chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk (again) pudding until smooth.

Ummm... Hello?  Where did everyone go?  Just keepin' it real here.  {sigh}

Pasta with Arugula, White Beans and Walnuts

This is a lovely healthy spring-y recipe.  And we all need a little (or alot) of spring in MI right now!
This comes from Everyday Food Magazine:

Pasta with Arugula, White Beans and Walnuts

12 oz farfelle (bowtie pasta)
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 TBS butter
1 pound baby arugula
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

Toast walnut pieces in a 350 degree oven for about 7-9 minutes.  Watch them so they don't burn.  You don't have to toast them, but it brings out so much more flavor!

Cook pasta i a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.

Place pasta pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and 1 tbs butter, cook, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes/

Add arugula to pot.  Toss just until wilted.  Add beans, pasta and remaining 3 tbs butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss, adding enough reserved water to mixture to coat pasta.  Garnish with toasted walnuts.

Mac and Cheese

Come join Mac and Cheese Mania at Rachel Cooks andNutmeg Nanny sponsored by Door to Door Organics and OXO – Win prizes!

Update!  Today I'm joining Mac and Cheese Mania!!  This is my favorite mac and cheese recipe.  It's a great traditional mac and cheese and I love the hint of nutmeg.  Oh so creamy and delicious!!

Go visit Rachel Cooks or Nutmeg Nanny to find out more about Mac and Cheese Mania and enter to win some fabulous prizes!!  


There is nothing quite like comfort food!  We were at a Christmas Party with the people my husband works with.  It was so fun to get to know the people my husband works with and their families.  Sarah put out an amazing spread.  I wish I would have brought my camera!  All the food was beautiful and delicious.  I had to inquire about her Macaroni and Cheese, it was just so good.  So she shared with me how she makes it.  This is a very loose recipe.  I didn't get measurements or anything, so this is my attempt at recreating her Mac and Cheese.

1 lb short pasta
4 tbs butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups Milk, half and half or cream.  I used skim milk.
salt
pepper
nutmeg
cinnamon
1 log goat cheese (herbed or plain)
1 8oz block of Cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook your pasta according to directions.

First, make a roux:  Melt the butter over medium - medium high heat.  When it starts to get a little frothy or foamy, add your flour and whisk together until a paste forms.  This only takes a minute or so.  The longer you cook it, the deeper in color it will be, so it's up to you if you want to add a little color to your sauce.  Congratulations, you've just made a roux!  (sounds so gourmet, don't you think?)

Next, add the milk (or cream if you want it richer).   Whisk constantly until everything is smooth, and thickens up.  Not totally thick like a paste, just thick enough to cover the spoon.  Add some nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Now you can add your log of goat cheese.  Stir constantly until all melted.  It's a good idea to be stirring constantly and not have your heat too high.  You don't want to burn the milk.  Once your goat cheese is melted, you can add your cheddar and again stir until melted.

Put your pasta in a baking dish, and cover with the cheese sauce, mixing well.  Bake, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes.  You just want it warmed through and bubbling on the sides.  Sprinkle a little cinnamon over the top and serve.

Mmmmm, comfort!  :-)

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Pastitsio

One of the kids gifts this Christmas was a kitchen apron and a kid's cookbook.  They love to help in the kitchen and were thrilled.  This dish came from one of those cookbooks.  I changed up a couple things, and it was a great dish!  Very easy too.  And it's pronounced pah-STEET-see-oh.  Enjoy!


1 box elbow macaroni
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp salt
1 jar tomato basil pasta sauce
a splash of red wine  ( I just go by taste)
a dash of sugar  (I go by taste here too)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 10 oz container fresh Alfredo sauce (I used Buitoni and liked it.  I don't like most jarred alfredo sauces)
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese


Preheat oven to 350.  Cook macaroni accordin to package directions; drain and set aside.


Meanwhile, cook ground beef, onion and salt over medium high heat, breaking up meat until it is no longer pink.  Drain well and return to skillet.  Stir in pasta sauce, wine, sugar and cinnamon.  Brig to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer uncovered about 5 minutes.


Spoon half of macaroni into a 9x13 lightly greased dish.  top with meat mixture.  Spoon remaining macaroni over meat mixture.  Spread Alfredo sauce over macaroni, and sprinkle with cheese.


Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Makes about 8 servings.

Becker's Pasta

I'm doing a bible study with a couple friends this summer.  It's called "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter.  It is really good!  I'm only 2 weeks in and loving it.  My good friend Cindy over at She Sparkles recommended it a long time ago, and I'm finally doing it.  Upon receiving her book, my friend Kelli said to me "Now I know why you picked this study... because of the recipes".  To which I replied,"there's recipes??"  Of course I was pleasantly surprised because I love new recipes and it gives me inspiration.  So, that is not why I chose the book, but it was pure bonus.  The next couple posts were adapted by my bible study book.  I don't know why this is called Beckers Pasta, but I didn't feel like re-naming it.  Of course I don't want to take credit for something I didn't create, and I did change things up a bit. 

1/2 of rotissere chicken (breast, leg and thigh)

1 box of bowtie pasta (for color you can go for the tri-color pasta)

10-15 chopped sundried tomatoes.  I prefer the ones packed in oil.  They'll come whole

3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced finely

1 package of feta cheese (6 oz)

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 can pitted black olives (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spread pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast 3-4 minutes.  They will continue to brown after being out of the oven.  Set aside to cool.

Boil water and add Pasta, cook according to instructions.

Meanwhile, slice chicken into bite size pieces.  Saute' the chicken with the sundried tomatoes and garlic until warmed through.

In a seperate bowl combine feta cheese, pine nuts and olives if using.  Add chicken mixture.  Drain pasta and add to the bowl. Toss to mix well. 

This dish goes FABULOUSwith Caprese Salad and Bread and dipping oil. 

This was a phenominal dish!  If you want to impress someone, serve this!  So many flavors.  It is meant to feed 4, but we could have easily fed 6.  It makes alot. You can use all chicken breasts that you cook yourself if you want to make it a bit more healthy.  If so, just saute' the chicken to cook it, then add your tomatoes and garlic.  I really like both dark and light meat in a dish like this, it just adds more flavor and the meat is very tender. 

No bake summer lasagna

Again, from Everyday food mag.  Yep, I've mentioned it before, I get so many recipes from it, definitely my favorite, and so seasonal. 

1/2 cup ricotta
3tbs grated parmesan cheese (a word about cheese here... you have GOT to use the REAL thing.  The package of Parmesean that you actually grate yourself.  It truly makes a difference in taste, trust me.  I will go without cheese rather than use that powdery stuff in the can.  Okay, off my soapbox...
coarse salt and ground pepper
8 lasagna noodles broken in half crosswise
1 small garlic clove minced
2 pints of grape tomatoes halved
2 zucchini (about 1 lb) halved if large and thinly sliced
1 tbs torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving  (today I didn't have any fresh basil, so I used dried)

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan and 2 tsp oil; season with salt and pepper.  IN a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles according to package instructions, drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tbs oil over medium-high.  Add garlic and tomatoes; season w/salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, until slightly broken down, about 3 minutes.  Transfer tomatoes to a bowl.  Add 1 tbs oil and zucchini to skillet; season w/salt and pepper, cook, stirring, until zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to another bowl and stir in basil.

Place some tomates on four plates; top with a noodle and small spoonfuls ricotta, zucchini, and more tomatoes.  Repeat layering twice, then top with remaining noodles and tomatoes.  Garnish wiht basil. 

Great with garlic bread.

Pasta Sauce

Pasta sauce:

10-12 tomatoes
basil, oregano, and/or any blend of Italian seasonings
4-6 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
grated carrots (3-4)
grated zucchini (1)
grated summer squash (1)
1 12 oz can of tomato paste
You can use vegetables of your choice. I happen to have alot of carrots, zucchini and squash from my garden this summer. The tomatoes also came from my garden.

Chop the onion and saute in evoo until tender, 5-6 min. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Blend the tomatoes in a food processor, and add to the pot. add the remaining ingredients and simmer. The longer you simmer, the more flavor will come out. cool completely and place in jars or containers and freeze. You can also add meat at the time of making the sauce or when you decide to serve it.  This is so easy to customize and always very flavorful. Plus it's good for you with all the extra veggies, and if you grate them, or throw them in your food processor as well, no one will even know they're in there! Great for picky eaters. :-)

This made about 2 1/2 quarts.

Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups

This recipe is from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking magazine. 

12 Lasagna Noodles

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzerella

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 jar meatless spaghetti sauce (or homemade)

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain.  In a bowl, combine the eggs, cheeses, spinach, salt, peepr, and nutmeg.  Spread 1/3 cup cheese mixture over each noodle; carefully roll up.

Pour 1 cup spaghetti sauce into an ungreased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Place roll-ups seam side down over sauce.  Top with remaining sauce.  Bake uncovered at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 6

Poppy Beef

Meal #7 from OAMC.  This is a fancy name for a spaghetti bake, but it has more of a white cheesy sauce instead of your traditional tomato sauce.

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
8 oz cottage cheese
1 tbs poppy seeds
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
8 oz light cream cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz linguine
1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese

Saute the beef with green pepper, salt, and onion in a large skillet on medium heat until the beef is no longer pink, about 15 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and set aside.  In a seperate bowl mix together cottage cheese, poppy seeds, yogurt, cream cheese and pepper.  Cook and drain the pasta.  Stir into cheese mixture until well blended.  Place it in a 9x13 baking dish.  Top with the meat mixture and parmesean cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Baked Rigatoni with 3 cheeses

Do any of you stay at home moms ever feel like you spend all your time in the kitchen? It seems like as soon as you prepare and clean up breakfast, the kids are asking for a snack, after that it's lunch, then snack, then dinner, and then even sometimes a bedtime snack. It's like our 'work' is never finished. I've been reading "Professionalizing Motherhood" by Jill Savage, and was encouraged to look at my kitchen duties in another way. I do love to cook and prepare meals, but the cleaning is definitely my least favorite part. Yesterday I made meals for my cooking group as well as someone from church, so I really was in the kitchen all day. Jill challenges us to look at our task with a long term goal in mind. She says to revise your to do list so it looks something like this:

Prepare breakfast to give my family a good start to the day
Clean up the kitchen to take care of the home I've been given
Prepare lunch to provide for the nutritional needs of my family
Clean up kitchen to model the value of taking care of what's been given
Prepare dinner to give our family time to sit and talk and be refreshed

We rethink what we do and why we do it.

Now on to the rigatoni...

12 oz rigatoni
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
2 TBS part skim ricotta
2 TBS crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1. Cook the asta according to the package directions; drain and keep warm
2. meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500. Spray baking dish w/non-stick spray or oil
3. combine the tomato sauce, half and half, and cheeses. Add the hot pasta and toss to coat. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish and bake until bubbly and browned on top, about 7 minutes.

If you use fat free half and half, and part skim mozzarella cheese, 1 cup is 5 points in WW.

hands on prep 15 min
cook 17 min
serves 6