Easy Pasta Dinner

At our house, we LOVE pasta!!  The problem is we "love" creamy (fatty) pasta sauces.  Pour a garlic cream sauce on any pasta and we will put it away!!

When I was living in Memphis I worked @ a Cajun restaurant on Beale Street.  I waited tables but I loved to get to work early and hang out in the kitchen w/ the Cajun lady that cooked the meals.  She was awesome and was always willing to share her incredible kitchen knowledge.  I learned so many great recipes but my favorite was a garlic cream sauce. She made a shrimp & andouille pasta that was so good!!   I'll share that later, maybe....

I came across an awesome pasta recipe in this month's (actually December) issue of Real Simple.  It has a great combo - cream & garlic! But it also has English peas and spinach - what every mother wants to get into her children's diet :)  Also, it's not too heavy (like Alfredo).   It is so easy and great for a busy family dinner.

 So I am going to share it here for you to try.  I hope that doesn't  break any rules.... I did alter their original recipe b/c we like to EAT and their recipe wouldn't have fed 2 of us.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

serves 4 (maybe)

1# of your favorite pasta (gemelli, penne or fusilli...)
1.5 cups frozen green peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1.5 cups heavy cream
3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
kosher salt (or sea salt) and black pepper
Grated Parmesan, (for serving)

*Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the peas during the last minute of cooking.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.  Drain the pasta and peas and reserve the pot.

*Melt the butter in the pasta pot over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 minutes.

*Add the cream, chicken, spinach and 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper to the pot and cook until the chicken is warmed through and the spinach in wilted. 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the pasta and peas and toss to combine (add 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry).  Serve with the Parmesan. 

 I used a basil, garlic & oregano rotisserie chicken and it was great!! 
This was even better on the 2nd night.  Parker didn't eat, so we had leftovers.  Oliver & Cooper ate it too.  Cooper picked out the peas but that's ok.

Hope ya'll will try this one.  I loved it!

Chicken w/ Wild Rice Casserole

Whew!! It's been a busy 2 weeks!!! Soccer is over, trophies are handed out and all-stars have been chosen.  Which means that 3 out of 5 nights we can have family dinner again. We still have football and it looks like we are headed to the playoffs!!  Fort Payne Wildcats are 10 - 0 and have one game left in the regular season.  Good news for the team, bad news for family dinner..... We've been surviving on Grilled cheese and canned soup lately, which beats fast food or ball park hot dogs any day.

 My mom makes a chicken & rice casserole that's a lot like this one and we love it.  This casserole is great for cold winter nights.  Hope you like it!!!


Recipe for Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole
adapted from the blog: The Secret Life of a Chef's Wife.



4 table­spoons butter
1 medium-large onion; chopped
6 stalks cel­ery; chopped
6 car­rots; peeled and chopped
4 (14.5oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth–or 7 1/2 cups home­made broth
1 (6oz.) box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice (with sea­son­ing packet)
2 1/2 cups whole milk (or equiv­a­lent mix­ture of milk and cream depend­ing on your desired fat content)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken (roast­ing in the oven is perfect!)
salt to taste
pep­per to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup sliv­ered almonds
1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon (optional)
In a large, heavy pot, melt but­ter and add the onions, cel­ery, and car­rots. Saute until slightly soft; 8 min­utes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat to a sim­mer and add the con­tents of the box of Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice. Cover and cook 15 minutes.
Mean­while, heat the 1/4 cup but­ter in a small saucepan. When just bub­bling, add the 1/4 cup all pur­pose flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat, con­tin­u­ing to whisk, for 3–5 min­utes. Don’t let this roux get overly brown, just slightly golden. Set aside.
When soup is done sim­mer­ing, add the milk or milk and cream mix­ture. Cook 10 more min­utes on low until rice has fin­ished cook­ing. Bring back to a low boil and add the roux (butter/flour mix­ture) and cook, stir­ring until soup thick­ens. Add cooked, cubed chicken. Add salt and pep­per to taste. Serve with fresh pars­ley and sliv­ered almonds sprin­kled on top. And another hold-over from my orig­i­nal recipe: toss a lit­tle cooked, chopped bacon on the top as well!
**Add other veg­eta­bles if desired: broc­coli, cau­li­flower, peas, corn.…

Repurposed Buffet

Because we have our booth @Myrtle Jane's, we are always on the look-out for big furniture w/ potential.  This particular buffet was a great bargain ($10.00) w/ a lot of potential! But it needed a lot of work too.  It had water damage on the sides and back.  The inside shelves were warped and falling apart.  The front looked fairly good considering what the rest of it looked like.  AND it was missing 10 knobs/handles.  David took the back off and replaced it and the interior shelves. I think I stared @ this piece of furniture for about 3 weeks. I couldn't bring myself to paint it. Finally,  I realized that I had to paint it b/c it has too much damage to sell "as is".  Next to decide on a color.  I thought white but once it was painted I didn't love it. Then I decided to paint it a light turquoise color, didn't love it either.  I distressed it and let the wood and white show back through the turquoise and then we were getting closer to what I wanted.  But it still needed a brown glaze to make it right. 

I had ordered pulls from Amazon and paid .78 each so that made me happy! I had to drill new holes for the new pulls and plates to cover the existing hole were ordered as well. They cost around $1.15 each.  So now the hardware costs more than the Buffet, but that's okay.

So here is how we found it....

 

 

This photo is of the side after the bubbled veneer was peeled off. The other side looks pretty much the same. Now you see why we had to paint.  This piece was very heavy.  By the end, I LOVED it and actually tried to find a place to fit it into my home.  But no more room and nothing that I am willing to part with right now to make room.   So below is the finished piece placed in the booth.  It stayed for about an hour and sold! It's gone and now I have another big hole in my booth.  But that's a good problem to have and we'll fill it soon w/ something else that has a story.  I often wondered how this piece got sooo much water damage.  I kept thinking about Katrina and all the water damaged furniture that came out, where did all of it go? The Landfill?? Oh I hope some of it got new lives like this one did.  I spent months thinking over this piece. I think David was thinking that I had decided to keep it and was waiting for me to tell him where we were going to make it fit.   It's a great piece of furniture and I hope the person who purchased it will know how special it is. 

http://www.myrtlejanes.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myrtlejanesantiques?rf=157141284320276

Food- Beer Cheese Soup!

   Many years ago I had a date and we went to the 101st Airborne restaurant in Nashville. It was a neat restaurant out by the Airport.  I was curious to know if it still existed and sadly, it does not.  According to what I read online, it closed in 2006.  Anyway,  I don't remember who the date was but I definitely remember the Beer Cheese Soup!!  Unlike my date, I have thought about that Soup for over 25 years.  I have searched for a recipe that would come close .  I think I have finally found it.  

    My "date" now is my husband, David (unforgettable. larger than life and a real Airborne Soldier).  He has been out of town since Sunday morning and came back today (Wednesday).  The first words out of his mouth were "What's for dinner?".  I should expect this, we've been married for 18 years.  Parker and I tease him that everything revolves around FOOD in David's world.  His Facebook posts are 90% about where he's eating :)  He likes his meals and appreciates the effort that goes into a good meal.     If I wanted to change to mood in my house I would say, "whatever you can find!". Talk about a game changer!  I also know that if I add Key Lime Pie, it makes everything better. Smoke & mirrors.

So back to dinner.....My brain says "Beer Cheese Soup" and my mouth repeats it.  I'm hoping my brain is also taking inventory of what's in the fridge and pantry.   I take a physical inventory and realize that I need more cheese and we'll have Beer Cheese Soup! I grab cheese @ the store when I pick Cooper up from school.   I stop and think about the fact that I have to get Cooper to church (Oliver is sick) @ 5:30, pick Parker up from Football practice @ 6;15 get him to Youth and pick them back up @ 7:00.  I  wonder if I'll have time to pull it all together.  I better start asap is my next thought.  That's one of the great things about this recipe is that it is quick!!

  Note: if you are worried about the word BEER, the alcohol evaporates out of the soup :)

    I found this recipe last year on www.allrecipes.com and it is delicious.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon margarine                                   
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion                                   
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic                            
2 cups half & half
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce                    
2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 (12 ounce) can or bottle light beer*

* www.backfortybeer.com  - as local as it gets!

Directions:
1. Melt the butter or margarine in a 4 1/2 quart soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic 
    and Worcestershire sauce and stir well.  Add the beer and raise the heat to high and boil for 3
    minutes to evaporate the alcohol.  Add the chicken broth and bring the soup back to a boil.  Lower 
    the heat to medium-low and simmer.

2. Combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water and stir until smooth. Set aside.

3. Add the half & half and shredded cheese to the soup.  Stir constantly until the cheese melts.  Then
    stir in the cornstarch mixture.  Stir constantly until the soup is thick, about 2 minutes.  Serve
    garnished w/ shredded cheese.  Optional: top w/ fresh bacon bits.

We made cornbread in our cast iron corn stick pan. The boys
eat the corn shaped cornbread better than pie shaped :)

My favorite beer. Honesty, the soup is better w/ a cheaper beer than it was with this one but it was what was in our fridge.
 
 

Food- Blueberry Banana Bread

  School mornings, no matter how much preparation I do the night before ,are hectic.  I make lunches, lay clothes out, pack backpacks, get the little boys in the tub and sometimes set up the coffee maker at night.  This leaves breakfast and everyone getting themselves dressed for the morning. 

  I firmly believe that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I try so hard to get breakfast into all the boys before leaving for school.  It's not too much of a problem to get the younger two boys to eat but getting a teenager to stop and eat a good breakfast is such a hassle.  And cold cereal gets old every morning.  So I've tried to come up w/ other things that the boys will eat for breakfast that is as easy as cereal.  Muffins fit in perfectly.  I have been freezing batches and thawing the amount we need for the next morning.  This is a great recipe.  I have been making these for years and they are always delicious.

This recipe is for bread but easily transfers over to muffins w/o any adjustments. 

 My kitchen taste tester! Hopefully he'll be this agreeable in the morning

 

Blueberry Banana Bread

 

2 lg bananas

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup buttermilk ( I have used regular milk too)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup regular uncooked oats (or 3 packets of instant oats)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup fresh blueberries ( I have used frozen)

variations: I have used 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 regular flour

Mash bananas in a large bowl. Add sugar and next 4 ingredients.  Let stand 5 minutes, until oats soften.  Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add to banana mixture alternately with oil, stirring just to incorporate.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour into a greased loaf pan or lined muffin cups.
Bake at 350  for 50 to 55 minutes. 
If you want to freeze, allow to cool completely before placing into a freezer container.  Remover muffins as needed and warm in the microwave before enjoying.    You can also add milled flax seed to the dry ingredients. 
 

I hope your family will enjoy the muffins as much as we do!

 

                                                                      We're also trying waffles and  pancakes for easy breakfast

                                                               Pray that this makes my mornings "friendlier".

 

This recipe adapted from Food For Thought, The Junior League of Birmingham, Alabama

Fall = Fair Week!!!

Fall has officially arrived! "Officially" it arrives in DeKalb Co Alabama when the County Fair comes to town.  My boys live for this time of year! It comes in close to the top of their favorite things lists, only coming in behind Christmas and their birthdays. They count the months until it's fair time.  Ironically, it also always falls the week of my birthday.  My big day can't hold a candle to the Fair!




So excited that they've forgot that I'm back here :)

Oliver riding the bull last year

David is almost as bad as the boys when it comes to Fair week.  We are in the middle of Soccer and Football season (last night we had soccer @ 5 and JV football @ 6- home @ 9:30) which is why I had deemed "fair night" to be Wednesday night.  Our church is not meeting and having family night @ the fair that night.    But Nooooo.   Last night, I had to be the bad guy and tell ALL of them (David included)  that we were not going to the fair after soccer/football @ 9:30!  

Now they have decided that we HAVE to go tonight (Tuesday).  The main reason they are so eager to go is to see if their Lego creations won Blue Ribbons. The little boys each entered several creations.  When Parker was little and we lived on a farm, he always entered Chickens in the Poultry show. He won Best in Show w/ his Rooster one year! For you city folk- That's a big deal in the Country!  We also entered my pickled okra, tomato basil jam, peach bellini jam and dill pickles.  So I have to admit I wonder if I even placed in the judging.   I know that we will end up w/ funnel cakes, riding rides and tears when it's time to leave. But then I remind myself, The Dekalb Co VFW Agriculture Fair only comes around once a year, like their birthdays and Christmas.  So it's okay to go several times and indulge.  They are only little for a time and the smiles on their little faces when they are riding the lil scrambler ride, that makes me dizzy just watching them, and is operated by someone I swear I saw on America's Most Wanted is oh, so worth it!!

That smile! So worth every funnel cake I can't turn down!

Cooper & Oliver trying their luck @ the shooting gallery
last year.

We got Parker to ride the bull last year.
He didn't know I got a pic....

FOOD - Roasted Corn Soup

I always love it when I open the mailbox and find the newest Williams-Sonoma catalog.  If there was a specific materialistic key to my heart, it would be cookware/kitchen tools.  Grill pans, Saute' pans, Roasters and the incredible specialty cookware section.....   Ok, I'm back.  Back to my reason for blogging.  

While looking @ the WS catalog I always end up trying at least one recipe that they feature.  This month I was drawn to the Roasted Corn Chowder w/ tomato.  If you've read my blog then you know that my garden has really produced tomatoes this summer.  So I liked the idea of being able to use my tomatoes and bell peppers. And my new grill to roast the vegetables! 
I haven't tasted corn soup and definitely haven't made any.

Some of my corn and tomatoes. My roasted peppers are in the brown bag.

The recipe looked easy enough, so I decided that I
was up to the challange.

There are a few things that I changed it up but nothing to change the final product.   I'll note that next to the official recipe.  

From Williams Sonoma

This recipe was created by the Sussman brothers, Max and Eli. The chefs started testing the recipe early one morning but Max had to go into work before it was done cooking. He texted Eli a few hours later—“how did the soup turn out?”—and Eli texted him back: “I now know what it feels like to open presents on Christmas morning.”

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe but firm tomatoes
• Kernels from 6 ears of fresh corn (about 3 cups)
• 2 red bell peppers
  
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• About 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Sliced avocado for garnish
• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Paprika for garnish

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. I used my grill to roast the tomatoes, peppers and corn. I didn't want to heat up the whole house and it was a great day for grilling.

Put the tomatoes in a lightly greased glass baking dish. Roast until the skins darken and the tomatoes are caramelized, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Keep the oven on.

Spread the corn in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until the edges begin to turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, when the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and discard. Set the flesh, with the juices, aside in the baking dish. Remove the corn from the oven and let cool.

Place 1 bell pepper on each of 2 gas burners. Turn the burners on high and sear the peppers directly over the flame, using tongs to turn as needed, until the skins are blackened all over, 10 to 15 minutes total. (Or place the peppers under the broiler and broil, turning as needed, until charred and blistered on all sides, about 15 minutes.) Transfer the peppers to a brown paper bag and close tightly. Let stand for 15 minutes, then remove the peppers from the bag. Remove and discard the skins, core and seeds.

In a soup pot, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, yellow and red onions, garlic and corn, reserving a handful of the roasted corn for garnish. Add just enough broth to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and the 1 tsp. salt.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. While blending, slowly drizzle in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Garnish each portion with a couple of avocado slices, a few drops of olive oil, a scattering of the reserved roasted corn and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve hot. Serves 4. I omitted the Avocado - I am the only one who eats it @ my house and I usually have an allergic reaction when I eat them. 

Adapted from This is a Cookbook, by Max Sussman and Eli Sussman (Olive Press, 2012).

IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! We will have this again as the weather cools off this Fall. David liked it, the boys were a little scared. They think corn is best served on the cob, smothered in butter and sea salt.
This was a great recipe. I always think of what else I would do to a new recipe.  I might add some kind of shredded hard cheese. It would also be delicious w/ crumbled bacon as a garnish.