Been busy!

Okay, so it's been a while since I posted.  Obviously my journey into broadening my culinary horizons (and recipe box) ends when I take a business trip.  Well, I'm back at it and I'm really happy with the results.

My inspiration for tonight's dinner came from my favorite foodie, Lynne Rosetto Kasper, host of The Splendid Table.  If you ever have an opportunity to listen to her show on NPR, by all means do so.  LOVE it!  I also receive her weekly email, which contains a recipe that is super easy to pull together, and typically does not contain ingredients that require a visit to a specialty grocer.  That brings me to today's recipe:  Rigatoni with Ricotta and Sausage. 

This recipe is so easy to pull together, it's simply unbelievable.  And as I discovered tonight, it can be finagled easily, based on whatever is in your pantry/fridge/freezer.  That means you can use penne instead of rigatoni, and you can throw in frozen vegetables, or you can leave them out.  Here goes:

Rigatoni with Ricotta, Sausage (and Vegetables)

1 pound pasta (penee, rigatoni, mostaccioli, etc..)
1 pound Italian Sausage
2 cloves garlic, chopped
16 oz. ricotta
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 bag frozen vegetables (I used California mix)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a fierce boil.  Please salt it, unless you want dinner to be tasteless.  While the water is coming to a boil, brown sausage in a large pan on medium high heat.  The pan should be large enough to hold the sausage, pasta and the vegetables.  And, in a separate serving bowl, add the ricotta and Parmesan.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste along with the cheeses, and stir to combine.

When the sausage is browned, add the frozen vegetables.  Cover and lower the heat to medium low.  You want to thaw the vegetables, but not turn them to mush.

Just before the pasta is cooked, remove about 2 cups of the pasta water (I use a glass measuring cup).  Pour about a 1/2 cup of the pasta water into the bowl with the cheeses, and mix.  Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sausage and vegetables.  Toss just enough to mix, then pour the mixture into the bowl with the cheese.  Pour in the remaining pasta water and stir thoroughly.  Serve with Parmesan cheese.  And bread.  And wine (Prosecco is nice).  And enjoy!

This recipe is definitely a keeper, and now holds a permanent place on my "go to" list.

Not to show off, but I served mine with homemade dinner rolls. Okay, the dough was made in my bread machine, but they were still delish!  But that's another post.  The journey continues.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Although I definitely need to up the ante when it comes to collecting meal-time recipes, there is no shortage of recipes for sweets.  I would be perfectly happy to bake cookies, all day, every day.  So when a friend asked me to post my recipe for Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, I gladly agreed.  These cookies are fantastic!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 /2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy; blend in the eggs and vanilla and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well.  Stir in the oats.  The dough will be incredibly stiff.  If you do this without a mixer, you can consider this your workout for the day.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.  I NEVER baked cookies without parchment paper, and if you haven't tried it, you should.  You'll never burn a cookie again.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes until set.  They will be slightly moist in the center.  This equates to chocolaty goodness, so resist the urge to leave them in the oven too long.  Cool on a wire rack.

These cookies taste even better after you've put the kids to bed and you're ready for a sweet snack.  Enjoy!

Reality

So much for trying new recipes.  Gotta work on that!

So much for good intentions...

Well, my first attempt at a new recipe was almost a complete failure.  However, my defeat only proved how much I need to organize my kitchen and my processes.

So, last Wednesday afternoon, with the high of writing my first blog still reeling in my head, I opened the freezer door in hopes of pulling out something that would lead to gourmet excellence.  Just so you know, we buy a half side of beef from family members every August, so beef is never on short supply around here.  As a matter of fact, we're all a little tired of red meat, so I pulled out a bag of chicken breasts.  Next stop, the pantry.  That's when I pulled out what I like to call "cheating in a box".  For those who don't know me very well, I typically cook from scratch, and rarely use boxed foods (Mac and cheese does NOT count).  But, I'm on a quest to use things that are already in my pantry, and a box mix for Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice was calling my name.  Inspiration hit me.  I could cook the chicken breasts slowly on the stove top in chicken broth and salsa, and when it's cooked, shred the meat.  Then cook the red beans and rice, and add the chicken.  The whole spicy mixture could be spooned into tortillas, and I would be crowned the Queen of Inventive Cooking.  We're on!

So, I mixed:

4 chicken breasts (still frozen)
1/2 jar of medium salsa
2 cups of chicken broth

All of this simmered on the stove for about 2 hours.  You could also put this in a crock pot and leave it on low all day.

I made the Red Beans and Rice, and decided to heat up a can of corn as well.  My girls love corn and I know that getting them to eat the chicken/beans/rice mixture would be a struggle.

The time has finally come to pull the tortillas out of the refrigerator to get them warmed for dinner.  That's when reality hit:  We had one stale tortilla in the house...ONE!!  My shoulders slumped, I said a few choice swear words under my breath (my 7 year old recently announce that my chocolate cookies are "damn" good - gotta work on my swearing) and admitted to defeat.

We ended up eating the chicken with the red beans and rice, just not wrapped in warm, soft tortillas as I had imagined.  I thought the meal was quite good, although my kids picked through everything but their corn.  And, my husband made the "I'm only eating this because there's no other option" face.  Nice.

I'm giving myself an A for creativity, and a D for execution.  And so it continues.....

My First Blog Post!

I admit, I am a blog-aholic!  I like nothing more than sitting down at my laptop with a cup of tea, catching up on my cooking blogs.  The geek in me also subscribes to the Search Engine Land blog, but that's another story.  Anyway, I've wanted to start a blog of my own for a while, but really didn't want to be just another cooking blog.  That's where a book, of all things, sparked my idea!

A few months ago I picked up a great book by Steve & Annette Economides, called "Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half - with America's Cheapest Family".   I don't know about anyone else, but as someone who works full-time, has two kids, a house, a husband, pets, etc., I RARELY have time to read.  So yes, it took me more than two months to finish this book.  Anyway, I digress.  I finished the book Sunday evening, and let's just say that it changed my entire outlook on grocery shopping, cooking, and organizing my life.  The premise of the book is simple:  with a little planning, you can cut your grocery bill significantly, and simplify your life in the process.  I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone!

One important aspect of the book is that Annette Economides has a repertoire of 100 "go to" recipes she uses.  She keeps her pantry stocked appropriately, so she's always prepared for dinner.  No more running to the grocery store, just for a can of cream of chicken soup.  After reading the book, I thought to myself, "I can do this".  Certainly, as someone who loves to cook and bake, I easily have hundreds if not thousands of great recipes standing by, just waiting to be whipped up in my god-awful kitchen (we'll get to that in a later post).  When I finally sat down to pull together this list of 100 recipes that would put smiles on the faces of my family each night, I realized I could only think of 15!!  Oh, this will just not do!

That's what lead me to my quest.  I need to pull together my "100 recipes", just like my new hero Annette Economides has, so dinner is not always a frantic 3-ring circus.  Suddenly...ta da...I have a subject to blog about!

Over the next few months, I'm going to find, and/or create, recipes that are easy to prepare, made with "normal ingredients" that I plan to keep in my pantry, and are easy on the budget.  I hope you'll join me on my journey.

And, if you're like-minded, go buy "Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half".  You won't regret it.  We'll talk soon!