Fresh Bruschetta

What do you make with an excess of tomatoes and basil? Bruschetta!  As an appetizer, it goes great with pretty much everything! It is such a fresh, delicious, healthy alternative to fried appetizers and, bonus, looks pretty when served!  This is dedicated to my husband, who got me hooked on bruschetta from Olive Garden, where we often frequented when we were first dating.

Ingredients:
- 2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
- 2-3 Tbs. minced garlic (to taste)
- 2-3 bunches basil, chopped (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. sugar

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Cover, and place in refrigerator for at least one hour (better if able to be made the day ahead).  I like to serve mine with toasted ciabatta bread with melted italian cheeses on top!  (I just sprinkle some shredded italian blend cheese onto sliced ciabatta, and toast under broiler for a minute or two).  

Quick and Easy Cajun Pasta

Somehow, this past week I have gone to the grocery store twice, spent over $80, but yet when I went to look to see what I could make for dinner, I realized I had pretty much no meat.  No chicken breast, no pork chops, no ground meat... Just a pot roast, and some steaks - both frozen, neither of which could be thrown together at 7:00 at night.  Oops - not sure what I spent all of that money on, but it left me with one choice for dinner - pasta!  While pasta, any way you serve it, is my favorite, it is not necessarily my husband's.favorite.  He's more of a meat guy.  So I decided I'd be nice, and at least let him pick what kind of pasta we would have tonight.  He picked cajun pasta.  Good choice if you ask me! It is SUPER quick and easy to throw together, and really yummy - you'd never know it was only five ingredients! That is right - FIVE! I'm telling you - when you are pressed for time, or tired from a busy day, this is the perfect go-to meal! 

Servings: 6
WW PPV: 12


Ingredients: 
- 16 oz. pasta (I used farfalle)
- 2 cups fat free half and half
- 2 cups reduced-fat shredded colby-jack cheese
- 1 Tbs. Mckormick cajun seasoning
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes with green chilis, well drained (you can use regular diced tomatoes if you want to omit the heat of the green chilis)
- Paprika, optional for browning when baking

Okay.  Are you ready for how easy this is?

Pre-heat oven to 375*.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, bring the fat-free half and half to almost boiling.  Important - don't let the half and half boil - it should just start to bubble around the edges, and look something like this:

Turn burner heat to low.  Whisk in the cheese until fully melted.  

Next, whisk in the cajun seasoning until fully incorporated.

Drain the pasta.  In a 9x13 dish, pour in the pasta, cheese sauce, and drained tomatoes.  Mix thoroughly.  Sprinkle with paprika if you like your baked pasta browned.  Bake at 375* for 15-20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Serve, and enjoy!

DIY Pencil Holder and Inbox

I've been on an organization kick.  Maybe it's because it has been feeling like spring here in Pittsburgh putting me into spring cleaning mode... I don't know.  But I do know that every room in my house has now been re-organized.  I even color coded my husband's closet and used all white hangers since we don't have a closet door up there right now... I know, useless tasks, but somehow, those white hangers just make me feel more... zen.  


I have also decided to re-do my office, piece by piece, to go a grey, black, white, and pink theme.  So far, I have only gotten to the re-organizing part.  (Noticing a theme?).   I made this really quick, really cute pencil holder.  My first black/white/pink accessory!  

I didn't do step-by-step pictures of this one, but if you're interested in making one, all I did was re-purpose a large tomato can.  After removing the label and washing the can, I simply cut cardstock to fit the lip and inside of the can, and used modge podge to adhere it to the can.  Next, I cut the black and white cardstock in a strip the exact size of the outside of the can, and again used modge podge to adhere it.  Ta-da.  Can to pencil holder for less than 50 cents!!!

 In this ongoing process of 're-doing' my process, I also decided to stream line what I keep in my office.  One of the things I decided no longer belonged in my office was our miscellaneous 'we need to address this' mail - you know the kind, something that isn't going to hang around long enough to file away, but something that needs to be addressed - maybe a bill, or a 'call us about...' letter... They were all just piling up on my desk and making me feel cluttered.  So, I decided I needed an inbox that I could put in a central location that we could both access, so we could both address these annoying pieces of mail! How about the fridge? After my dry-erase schedule/menu planner that I made and hung on the right side of our fridge, I decided I would re-purpose a cereal box to make an inbox to hand on the left side that coordinated with the planner.  Here is the fruit of those labors:


Step One: Cut the top flaps off of the cereal box.  Then, cut two inch slits from the top along the sides, and then straight across to look something like this:

Step Two: Choose your paper.  I used 12x12 scrap book paper.  Fold it so that it will fit across the front of the box and cover around the sides like this:

Step Three: Wrap it around the box, and tape it (I just used scotch tape) like a present, covering down an inch or so on the inside of the box like this:

Step Four: Next, fold and cut another sheet of paper so that it will sit down inside of the box, covering the inside part that you see.  This is kind of hard to describe, so hopefully this picture helps to show you how I folded and cut it:

 Step Five: Slide the paper inside, tape it up, and hang that baby up! Here is how mind turned out!

Thanks for checking out my crafts today! Hope they inspired you to get crafting with the things you have laying around!

Mozzarella chicken spinach roll-ups

Happy Valentine's Day! Yesterday, I received beautiful roses from my husband! He told me that the second part of my Valentine's gift was that he was going to cook dinner for me today.  Well, when he arrived home from work two hours early, carrying a box of tissues, I knew that his plan of cooking was probably no longer in place.  My poor husband was sick.  So, I decided that sickness or not, we were still going to have a special Valentine's day dinner! His plan was to make some sort of chicken breast, so it was all defrosted and ready to go.  I, however, am always left wondering what to do with chicken breast.  So, after searching some recently "pinned" recipes, I decided to give Chicken Rollatinis with Spinach a try! Though Hubby isn't a huge fan of spinach, he does enjoy chicken, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese! If I can sneak in a little vegetables, that is a bonus! Plus, they make a great presentation when trying to set up a pretty plate! Here is my adaptation of this recipe, adapted from skinnytaste.com.  I hope you enjoy it!


Servings: 6
WW PPV: 7 

Ingredients: 
- 6 thin chicken breasts (I used 3 thick breasts, sliced in half)
- 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup egg whites, divided
- 8 tbs. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
- marinara sauce
- olive oil cooking spray

Start by pounding chicken breasts flat.  (If you've never done this, a tip is to stick a few in a zipped gallon ziplock bag, and pound with flat side of mallet until thin and even). 

Next, mix together ricotta cheese, spinach, all but 2 Tbs. parmesan cheese, 

2 Tbs. mozzarella cheese, and 2 Tbs. egg whites.

Spread the ricotta mixture across the center of each flattened chicken breast, leaving border along all edges.

Next, set up breading station by combing bread crumbs and remaining parmesan cheese

and pouring onto a large plate.  Pour egg whites into bowl.

Roll up each chicken breast from narrowest end, loosely.  Dip in egg whites, followed by bread crumb mixture covering all sides of chicken.  Place seam side down into greased 9x13 pan (no need to use toothpicks).  Spray tops with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake at 450* for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Cover with 1-2 Tbs. marinara sauce, followed by 1-2 Tbs. shredded mozzarella cheese.  Replace in oven from 3-5 minutes, until sauce is heated and cheese is fully melted.

Remove from oven.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

As you can see in the picture, I served this with roasted rosemary potatoes, sea-salt green beans, and yes, good ole' stove top stuffing (the hubby's favorite side dish...).  Happy Valentine's day to each of you, and here's hoping that you were able to enjoy a yummy meal with your loved ones today!

-

Red Pepper Cream Pasta

This past Friday we went to Nemacolin Woodlands with my family for a weekend away for Winterfest - some skiing, a nice dinner, and enjoying the 14" of snow we got while we were up there! We got back really late Saturday night because of the condition of the roads, not giving me a whole lot of time for sleep.  After doing a Premier Designs Fashion Show today, I came home, set out a pound of ground meat, and was all ready to throw together hamburger helper... I know, I know... Hamburger Helper? Really? Well, I was tired... and we have a box that has been sitting here for awhile that I was hoping the husband would use at some point.  When he asked what was for dinner, and I said Hamburger Helper, he said... "I was hoping for something a little ... better".  Well, now I felt guilty! So back to the freezer the ground meat went, and to the refrigerator I went to see what I had that I could use to make something "better".  When I saw that I had both fat free sour cream AND a red pepper, I knew that I should make red pepper cream pasta!  If you like red peppers and creamy pastas, this is the pasta for you!

Servings: 4

WW PPV per serving: 12

Ingredients: 

- 12 oz box pasta (I used farfalle)

- 1 tsp. olive oil (I used grapeseed oil)

- 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

- 3 heaping tsp. minced garlic

- slightly less than 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

- sprinkle of crushed red pepper (if you like spicy, if not, leave it out)

- 1/2 cup chicken broth

- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, room temperature

- 1 cup fat free sour cream

- a few shakes dried basil

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat in large skillet.  Add in peppers and garlic, and stir until coated with oil.  Sprinkle with cayenne pepper (and crushed red pepper, if using).  Saute until peppers are crisp-tender.  

Next, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium, and add in parmesan cheese.  Whisk constantly until melted.  If clumps form, increase heat and continue to whisk.  Once evenly melted, remove skillet from heat and mix in sour cream.  Mix until evenly combined.  Sprinkle with basil, and mix well.  Add in cooked pasta and combine.  Serve immediately.  ENJOY :-D

Spicy Chicken Pasta with Rose Sauce

Have you ever really wanted to go out to dinner instead of cook? Maybe its because you had a really busy day, and the last thing you feel like doing is standing in the kitchen for thirty minutes to throw something together.  Or maybe its because you have nothing defrosted (that is always my excuse)?  Well, today, I really wasn't that busy, and I had lots of fresh meats, so neither of those excuses were really cutting it.  I had this craving for Buca Di Beppo's, and decided we'd go out there for dinner so I could get their Spicy Chicken Rigatoni - its pretty delicious, I'm kind of obsessed.  So I went to text the hubby and see if that worked for him, only to hear his text noise upstairs... He left his phone at home.  Ugh.  So, I emailed AND facebooked him (yes, I *really* wanted this Spicy Chicken Rigatoni).  However, I guess most people actually work at work and not check their facebooks, so he never got my message.  I was bummed.  So I started checking out things I had pinned previously on Pinterest.  <Insert heavenly 'ahhhh' noise here>.  I had totally forgotten that I had pinned someone's knock of recipe of Spicy Chicken Rigatoni from Buca's!!! MY LUCKY DAY! Seriously... this made my week.  It was THAT good - and for the cost? Even better! This is my new favorite pasta recipe!  

(By the way, for you ladies that are busy and/or don't like making your own sauce, this is FANTASTIC! I typically prefer to make my own sauce, but honestly, with the combination of all of the flavors in this recipe, there really is no need to spend the time making your own marinara and alfredo!)

Here is my adaptation of Spicy Chicken Pasta with Rose Sauce (from Pinterest)

Ingredients: 

- 1 pound pasta (I used farfalle; original recipe uses rigatoni, obviously!)

- 1/4 cup olive oil (I always use grapeseed oil)

- 1/2 Tbs. crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like things... I used a full Tbs but my husband said it was a bit too spicy for him)

- 1 heaping Tbs. minced garlic

- 6 to 8 oz. of sliced/cubed chicken (your preference of shape - I like cubed)

- 3/4 to 1 cup marinara sauce (I used a six-cheese marinara from Prego)

- 1/2 to 3/4 cup alfredo sauce (I used Aldi brand)

- 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

- 2 Tbs. margarine

Directions:

Cook pasta according to box directions.  Set aside.  

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add crushed red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook until fragrant.  Don't allow garlic to burn!  Next, add in cubed chicken and toss until coated.  

Allow chicken to cook until almost fully cooked.  Next, add in the marinara sauce and alfredo sauce.  Bring to a boil, and allow to simmer until sauce is reduced by 1/4th, and chicken is not longer pink.  Remove the sauce and chicken from heat, and mix in the butter and peas until well incorporated.

Re-wet the pasta, allow to drain, and then add to sauce.  Toss until coated, and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

I recently received a request from a very dear friend for a recipe for a comfort food that is dairy-free.  (No cheese? ... Could be tough, but I like a challenge).  So I started thinking about what comfort food I could come up with that didn't include dairy.  For me, comfort food is definitely pasta.  I. LOVE. PASTA.  It makes me smile - I don't know why, it just does.  It makes my belly full and happy.  It is oh-so satisfying.  And it is the perfect one-pot meal.  Happy belly + one dish = Happy me! But boring pasta and tomato sauce just doesn't cut it.  That isn't comforting... That leaves me wanting something else - something more satisfying.  I remembered going to T.G.I. Friday's awhile back when I wasn't feeling well, and ordering their Bruschetta Chicken Pasta.  I remembered liking it... a lot! It must have done the trick, because I still remember how satisfying and delicious it was! So I figured I'd try to recreate this delightful dish for my friend's enjoyment (and mine, too, of course!).  I think this has become a new favorite! It is AH-MAZING! Enjoy it!


Servings: 4
Weight Watchers PPV: 10

Ingredients:
Bruschetta mixture:
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 2 Tbs. minced garlic, divided
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, slivered
- 4 tsp. olive oil, divided

Balsamic glaze:
- 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2/3 Tbs. sugar


- 1 chicken breast
- salt and pepper

- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 8 oz. dried pasta (I used cavatappi)

Two hours ahead of meal time, combine diced tomatoes, 1 Tbs. minced garlic, 2 tsp. olive oil, and basil.  Cover and refrigerate.

To make balsamic glaze, combine balsamic vinegar and sugar and heat in small sauce pan until boiling.  Simmer until reduced by 3/4, and until a thick syrup forms.  Remove from heat and reserve until ready to serve.

Cook pasta according to box directions until al dente.  Meanwhile, season chicken with salt and pepper.  Grill until no longer pink.  (I used the George Foreman).  Slice into desired size pieces, or shred.

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in large pan over medium heat.  Add garlic, and cook for one minute or until fragrant.  Do not burn.  Next, stir in bruschetta mixture made earlier and heat for several minutes.  Add tomato sauce, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to low.  Stir in cooked pasta and chicken and stir until heated through.  Serve with balsamic glaze drizzled over each serving.