Fresh Pasta With Shrimp in Creamy Tomato Sauce

It has been a little while since I made fresh pasta and I found myself craving it.  I also had oven-roasted tomatoes left in the freezer from last year’s crop of tomatoes and thought this would  be a perfect way to use them.  This recipe turned out awesome, one of my new favorites.  I’ll be making this again, especially when my tomatoes ripen on the vine this summer!  (I can hardly wait!!)  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 cup oven roasted tomatoes*
• 1/2 cup sliced pitted Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained
• 1/2-1 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1/4 Cup reserved pasta water
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 Pound fresh Fettuccine

*Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes – Ina Garten

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté until pink, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to medium bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to same pot. Add oven roasted tomatoes, olives, garlic, lemon peel, and crushed red pepper. Sauté about 4 minutes. Add canned tomatoes and some of the juice and simmer until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Mix in cream, Parmesan Cheese, and reserved pasta water.  Mix in basil. Return shrimp and any juices to sauce; stir to heat through, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until tender, but still firm to bite. Drain. Add pasta to sauce. Toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; top with additional cheese if desired.

Adapted from:  Epicurious.com

Sage, Bacon and Cheddar Biscuits

What herbs will you be growing this year?  I planted sage last summer, discovered a new love for sage, and will be planting it again.  You cannot even begin to compare fresh sage to dried.  In my opinion, they are worlds apart.  This biscuit recipe is delicious and incorporates fresh sage.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 5 bacon slices, cooked crisp and chopped
• 3/4 cup grated Cheddar
• 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F. and grease a large baking sheet.

Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in sage and with fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles meal. Stir in bacon and Cheddar. Add buttermilk and stir until mixture just forms a dough. Gather dough into a ball and on a lightly floured surface knead gently 8 times. Pat out dough into a 6- by 5-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 9 rectangles and arrange about 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake biscuits in middle of oven 15 minutes.
Source:  Epicurious.com

Tilapia with Pear Salsa

This is one of my favorite after work dinners.  It is quick (once you have canned the salsa and have it on hand) and really, really good.  Canning is not difficult at all, give it a try, you’ll be glad you did!  Enjoy!

Peppery Pear Salsa (Canning Recipe)

Makes six 8-ounce jars

This recipe is from “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving” by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 8 cups coarsely chopped, cored, peeled pears
• 3 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 3 green bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare canning pot, jars and lids.

In a large steel saucepan, combine vinegar and pears. Add red and green peppers, sugar, salt, mustard, turmeric, allspice and black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar.

Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight. Place jars in canning pot, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process 8-ounce and pint jars for 20 minutes. Remove canning pot lid. Wait 5 minutes to remove jars.

Cool and store the salsa.

Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops with Gorgonzola and Apple

I took a gamble making this because Tim tells me  ”the only way I like pork chops is  burned on the grill”.  Ewwww!  My gamble paid off.  Tim liked the chops and they were no where near burnt, but were moist and delicious with a sauce that says “more”!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon butter 1/2 tablespoon dried fresh thyme 1/2 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apples ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese at room temperature, crumbled 2 thick cut pork chops

1/2 teaspoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin 1/4 1/8 cup Gorgonzola cheese 3 tablespoons dry sherry 1/8 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup chicken broth apple cider salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	To make the apple stuffing: In a saute pan or skillet on medium heat, melt the butter and saute thyme, 1/2 cup chopped apples, salt and pepper together until the apples are completely softened; about 15 to 20 minutes.
2.	Place the apple mixture in a bowl and mix in 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese. The cheese should liquefy into the stuffing within a couple of minutes.
3.	To prepare the pork chops: Butterfly the pork chops by slicing them parallel to the plane of the chop from the fat side to the bone. Stuff each one with about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the apple mixture.
4.	Grill on pre-heated grill. approximately 8-10 minutes per side depending on thickness.
5.	To make the sauce: Heat the oil in a saute pan or skillet on medium heat, then saute the garlic until lightly browned and remove; saute 1/2 cup chopped apples for 10 minutes and add the cheese until slightly melting. Immediately add the sherry, let cook for a minute until combined, then add the cream and 1/4 cup of the apple cider,  and pepper. Stir until well blended. Stir occasionally and reduce the liquid on medium high heat until the sauce begins to toast/caramelize and turn darker brown. Add the remaining 1/4 cup apple cider, and continue reducing until there is just 1/4 to 1/2 cup of thick liquid remaining.

Adapted from: allrecipes.com

Pasta Princess’s Penne and Chicken in Pesto Cream Sauce

An almost empty zip lock bag of homemade pesto is staring at me in the freezer.  I’ve used a lot of pesto this year for my favorite pizza – chicken and pesto pizza with cherry tomatoes.  I’m loving this pizza so I thought why not incorporate these ingredients with pasta?  I came up with a winner that I will definitely be making again.  It is quick, easy and absolutely delicious.  Enjoy!

Pasta Princess’s Penne with Chicken and Pesto Sauce

 Ingredients:

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 1 red bell pepper
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• ¼ cup home-made pesto*
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup reserved pasta water
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 2 Grilled boneless chicken breasts

Directions:

Grill chicken

While chicken is grilling cook penne according to directions.  Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water (the starch from the pasta thickens the sauce).

Dice red bell peppers, slice mushrooms and cut grilled chicken into bite size pieces.

Spray a large sauté pan with olive oil and sauté red bell peppers, and tomatoes on medium heat until peppers are tender crisp – approximately 8 minutes.  Add sliced mushrooms and chicken.  Continue to cook another 5 minutes.

Add pesto, heavy cream, reserved pasta water and parmesan cheese.  Cook until heated through.

Serve and enjoy!

 *Pesto alla Genovese

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004

Pesto Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, salt, and pepper and process for a few seconds until the basil is chopped. Add the cheese, pine nuts, and garlic and, while the processor is running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream until a mostly smooth sauce is formed. Transfer pesto to a bowl and set aside. (Note: Pesto may be made 1 day in advance and kept, refrigerated, in an airtight container, until ready to use. If making in advance, be sure to cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the pesto from darkening. Pesto may also be frozen in the same manner in small quantities for use at a later date.)  Note:  I freeze pesto in an ice-cube tray and then pop them into a zip lock bag.  I had almost a full bag of frozen pesto cubes from my basil this past summer.  It thaws quickly for use!

If I Plant It, It Will Grow – Growing Tomatoes From Seed and Building More Square Foot Gardens!

“If I Plant it, it will grow”.

This year I am doing something I’ve never done before – start tomatoes from seeds inside!  I saved seeds from my heirloom tomatoes last year and I also purchased several different heirloom varieties from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (their catalog is breathtaking!).  I disinfected my containers with a solution of water and bleach, moistened my seed starting mix and planted 20 tomato plants.  All went well, except for one mistake!  It is always a good idea to read through all instructions first instead of going step by step.  I only wanted 20 tomato plants in my garden.  I followed the instructions to plant 2-3 seeds per container thinking I would just cut away the tomatoes that looked to be the weaker seedling.  Well, that is not what followed in the instructions … it told me that once the “true leaves” of the tomato appear to transplant each of the tomatoes into a 4 inch pot!  Yikes!!  That would mean I’d have 60+ tomato plants (all my seeds germinated)!  I will transplant more than 20 and give some away to friends and plant less next year.  

Tim built me shelves for my plants and I bought double light fluorescent light fixtures for my plants.  The tomatoes germinated in 7 days, with my seeds that I saved germinating first!  They are thriving under the light which I leave on approximately 16 hours per day. It is fun to watch them grow and now will be ready to transplant as the first true leaves have emerged.

Tomatoes transplanted after first true leaves

I’m hoping for tomatoes like I had last year!  Grow baby grow!

It has been almost 1 month since I planted the tomato seeds and they are thriving!

Tomatoes not quite a month old!

This weekend I purchased two more square foot cedar bed kits at Home Depot (they were on sale) and added them to the existing 4×4 bed and look what we came up with!  Now I will have plenty of gardening room to plant everything I love.

Spring is really taking its time here in NE Ohio.  I looked at pictures at the same time last year (check it out here and learn more about square foot gardening) and all the leaves on the bushes and trees were out fully  by now!  I can hardly wait to start planting outside … but I think I’ll have to patient and wait a few more weeks.

Happy gardening!

Pasta Princess’s Philly Cheese-steak Pizza

I had an idea to make this pizza and it took me almost a year to convince Tim to let me make it for him.  He doesn’t like to try “new or different” foods from what he is used to.  He loves Philly Cheese-steak sandwiches and I just knew he would love this pizza.

It didn’t take long to make and smelled fantastic.  As the timer went off I pulled it out of the oven, let it cool down a bit, and sliced it up.  I took some slices to Tim while he was watching sports. A few minutes later from another room I hear “You were right this is really good!”.   And who doesn’t love to be right?  :-)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of Steak-umm
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1/2 Medium sized Sweet Onion sliced thinly
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• 1 Bag of Pizza Cheese (16 oz.)
• Pizza Dough

Directions:

Cook Steak-umm over medium heat until the pink is gone and drain on paper towels.

Reserve a small amount of drippings in pan and add sliced red bell pepper, garlic and thinly sliced onions.  Cook over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes.

Prepare pizza dough by shaping and placing in pizza pan or pizza stone.  Cover pizza dough with cheese, add pieces of Steak-umm and pepper, garlic and onion mixture.

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

Greek Key Dresser – From Drab to Fab – Up-cycle a Dresser – You Can Do It Yourself

Okay, so this most definitely isn’t a recipe for food, but it is a recipe for up-cycling that I couldn’t resist posting. After all, my blog tag line does say “creating beautiful pasta and more“.

This dresser was part of my bedroom redecorating project.  I didn’t want to buy a new dresser as nothing was wrong with it other than I didn’t like the way it looked and it wouldn’t fit into the scheme of my newly designed bedroom.  If you read decorating blogs you will see that up-cycling is quite popular.  There are so many great reasons to up-cycle, a few of which are:

• You save a lot of money doing it yourself
• You are being environmentally responsible
• A sense of pride and accomplishment

In my on-line searches through decorating sites I came across a dresser with overlays and found the overlay company on-line.  While they had a great selection, I really didn’t want to spend $140+ for 8 overlays.  Tim offered to cut the overlays for me.  I designed a greek key pattern on Publisher, printed it out, and traced it on a thin sheet of plywood.  Cost for the overlays?  $8.00!!

Painting Furniture Without Sanding

Yes, furniture can be painted successfully without sanding!  Make sure the piece of furniture is clean and dust free.  In a well ventilated area (this stuff is strong!) use

Zinsser Cover Stain oil based primer.  It is important that the primer is oil based.  I use the foam brushes to apply the primer and just throw them away when I am finished.  Apply 2 coats of primer.

I used Behr latex semi-gloss paint for this dresser along with Floetrol mixed into the paint. Floetrol is added to latex paint to reduce and eliminate brush marks. (You can purchase this at Home Depot).  Allow the first coat of paint to dry thoroughly and apply a second coat.

Allow the paint to set up and dry then apply a coat of Polycrylic.  Be sure to use Polycrylic if you are painting your furniture white so that it does not yellow the paint!  Polyurethane will yellow white paint.

Allow to dry and to be on the safe side I didn’t put anything on the top of my dresser for 2 weeks.  Although paint will be dry to the touch it does not “hard set” for quite a while.

Before I painted I removed all the hardware and spray painted the handles.  For this dresser I simply used liquid nails to apply my overlays to the drawers.  I don’t like taking the time to measure, so I put them on by eye (not what I would advise) and fortunately they all lined up once the drawers were in the dresser – I got lucky!  Happy Up-cycling!!

Lemon Chicken Soup With Orzo

The Calendar says “Spring” the weather says winter as I’m looking outside at freshly fallen snow covering the ground and trees.  I’ve had enough of winter, although I confess it is quite beautiful with the snow clinging to the trees creating a beautiful winter wonderland canvas.  The weather has been crazy here in Northeast Ohio as in other parts of the country as well.  A few weeks back we had 68 degrees one day and then this past week it was only 17 degrees.  My tulips are up and have already been eaten by deer and my daffodils are up and anxiously awaiting to bloom.

I make soup mostly in the winter and was perusing the web for a new soup and saw this recipe which I though would be quite delicious.  Turns out I was right.  It is a refreshing take on chicken soup with lemon giving it a nice burst of taste.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tsp. Olive oil

1 med onion, chopped

3 – 4 med carrots, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

3 – 32 oz. boxes of fat free, low sodium chicken stock (I used home-made chicken stock)

8 oz. cooked and chopped chicken breast (I cooked a whole chicken, used the chicken for the soup and made stock)

8 oz. orzo pasta, parboiled in salted water for half the time called for on the package and drained (Just add this to the soup, it does not need to be pre-cooked)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice ( about 2 lemons)

zest from one lemon

salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz. organic baby spinach

lemon slices and Parmesan cheese for garnish ( optional )

1.  In a large stock pot or dutch oven heat oil on med heat.  Add the onion, carrots and celery.  Cook until vegetables begin to soften and onion starts to become translucent.  Add in the garlic and cook for another minute or so.  Add in the bay leaf, thyme, oregano and some salt and pepper.  ( as much as you like on the salt and pepper)  Cook for another 30 seconds or so, and add in all the broth.  Bring to a boil and then partially cover and turn down to a simmer.  Cook until the vegetables are just soft.

2.  Add in the parboiled orzo, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Stir.  Add in the cooked chicken.  Allow to heat through.  ( Pasta will continue to cook at this point)  Before serving, stir in baby spinach and allow to get wilted in hot broth.  Check for salt and pepper and add as needed and remove bay leaf.  Check pasta to see if it is soft enough.  Spoon into bowls and garnish with lemon slices and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Adapted slightly from:  My Kitchen Adventures

Sausage, Red Pepper, Mushroom and Cheese Pizza

I have posted non-traditional pizzas but for those of you who prefer a “standard pizza” you’ll love this pizza with Sausage, Red Bell Pepper, mushrooms and extra cheese (this was Tim’s pick).  Once you make pizza at home you’ll never want to order take out pizza again!  It is ridiculously easy to make, especially if you have a food processor.  It literally takes the food processor less than 5 minutes to “make” the pizza dough and then the dough “rests”.   What could be easier?  The following recipe is a recipe I use for pizza dough using a food processor.  I’m sure it can be made by hand as well for those of you who like the “experience” of kneading the dough.  I’ve heard so many talk about the love of working the dough with their hands and enjoying it so much.  I never found much enjoyment in kneading dough – only icky sticky doughy fingers and hands!

Pizza Dough (Makes 2 large pizzas)

Ingredients:

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1-1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
• 3-1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

In a 2-cup liquid measure, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let stand until foamy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Insert dough blade and add flour, salt and 2 teaspoons olive oil.

With machine running on dough speed, pour liquid through small feed tube as fast as flour will absorb it.  Process until dough cleans sides of work bowl and forms a ball.  Then process for 30 seconds to knead dough.  Dough may be slightly sticky.  Coat dough evenly with 2 teaspoons olive oil; transfer to a plastic food storage bag and seal the top.  Let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.  While dough is rising, prepare any pizza toppings.

Place dough on lightly floured surface and punch down (this is the fun part).  Roll into desired crust size and follow pizza recipe.

To Make the Pizza:

• Brown 1/2 lb sausage and drain fat
• I Red Bell Pepper – Chopped into small pieces
• Mushrooms, sliced thin
• 2 Cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Pizza Sauce (Homemade or store-bought will work)

Shape your dough, using a pizza pan, creating a small rim around the outside.  Spread a small amount of pizza sauce on your dough, followed by the cooked sausage, red bell pepper sliced mushrooms and finally top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

Enjoy!