Ronzoni Spinach Fettuccine

I haven't had spinach fettuccine since last summer when Steve picked some up from Villarina's where they make their own pasta. Well, last night, we didn't have any fresh pasta. So, I did what I could for the dried pasta. I had completely forgotten that I bought it til I went rummaging through our food closet. Yes, it's a closet that Steve threw shelves into. We store all of our canned goods, dry goods, etc...in there. We haven't gone grocery shopping in two weeks so I had to apply a little ingenuity to the meal. After brainstorming the possibilities I came up with this.

To the spinach fettuccine, I added quartered black olives, roasted red peppers with the liquid, white wine, olive oil, thyme, s & p. And then I added a little crumbled goat cheese. As I mentioned previously, I'm really starting to enjoy goat cheese after years of ambivalence. Steve's glad cause he loves goat cheese.

The verdict. Steve loved it. He was uncertain of the black olive and goat cheese combination so he sample a little of it together and he was all, yes. Yes. The goat cheese made it a little creamy. The olives were canned and mild. They're not salty at all. The roasted red pepper gave it a little sweetness and the thyme accented the combination. It tasted almost like something Mediterranean. Yeah, we weren't minding dinner at all. Quite pleased actually cause it was all made out of odds and ends I had in the food closet and the fridge. So get creative, even on a limited budget, and Eat Something Good!

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My Traditional Mac n Cheese

This is officially my traditional (as I'm calling it now though I've only made it twice) macaroni and cheese. I think I goofed last night and used sharp cheddar instead of extra sharp cheddar. It was missing a slight tang. Steve noticed and I had to agree with him. He is, by the way, a macaroni & cheese expert. The texture turned out nicely. The macaroni wasn't at all overcooked and the cheese (as you can see) formed a very nice crust. Thank goodness we have leftovers to feed the macaroni monster, my honey the expert. Yey! Mac n' Cheese!

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Basic Mac n' Cheese

Every Thanksgiving I make some form of macaroni & cheese. I'm never satisfied with how it turns out so I'm on the eternal search for a good recipe that doesn't necessarily use tons of different cheeses. That'll rack up the cost for sure. So I felt inspired. I felt inspired by asiago cheese. I like it lots but it's a little strong. I only used like 1/2 cup. The other two cheeses: extra sharp cheddar and monterey jack. I used regular elbow macaroni for this one trying to keep with the basic theme. I made a roux (butter & flour mixture) and added a quart of whole milk. Once it thickened a bit, I added the three cheeses that I had Steve grate. Yey! Then I poured the cheese sauce over the macaroni already in the baking dish. On top, I sprinkled more of the cheese mixture. Oh, I forgot. I grated some nutmeg into the cheese sauce and I did season, however, I should've gone stronger.

The verdict. Mmmm. Last night I thought to myself. Wow, I found a basic mac. And I was all happy. Steve loved it. I wanted to give a piece to his mom but he frowned and I quickly figured out why. He loved it so much that he wanted to save it all for himself. *giggle* The macaroni was cooked very well. Perhaps a tad overdone, I don't know. The top was nicely browned in places. And it needed a little salt. Once you hit it with salt, the dish opened up quite a bit and it was nice. Yey! Macaroni & cheese!

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Classico Traditional Basil Pesto

I once made quarts and quarts of fresh pesto from basil, pine nuts, olive oil, s&p. Everything gets thrown into a cuisinart and pureed. Then you can freeze it. I think it lasts a while. I forget how long. I think months. Anyway, I've seen variations of pestos combined with other ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes. I don't know. I kinda like my pesto straight up. But I like it with either pine nuts or walnuts. Pre-roasted. So, last night, I made a light pasta dish using Classico's traditional basil pesto.

I boiled up some Ronzoni Healthy Harvest whole wheat blend egg noodles. (Cholesterol-free; Yolk Free.) After I poured the cooked egg noodles into the colander, I put the same big pot back on the stove at high heat. To it, I added a little Progresso chicken stock and threw in a bag of frozen Bird's Eye Peas. Then the Classico Pesto gets thrown in and I let it come to a simmer and heat the peas through. When the peas were warmed and the liquid had reduced a bit, I threw in the drained egg noodles. I added some salt & pepper. Then I used a huge, metal spoon to toss around all that goodness. And voila! A light dinner was served. Freshly grated romano cheese accented this dish. And I have to add, it was a pretty dish. The two different greens (darker pesto & lighter peas) looked pretty together clinging to the wavy egg noodles.

The verdict. It was not bad, not bad at all. I've had Classico pesto many times and I like it. No complaints from me. So yeah, it was pretty good and it was a one-pot meal. Easy to make & easy to clean. (Though I haven't quite gotten around to cleaning it. My bad?) I worried about adding the chicken stock. Worried that the pesto sauce would get too thin. But I needed something to heat the peas in and I wanted to keep this a one-pot meal. Thankfully, there's enough olive oil in Classico's pesto to coat the pasta nicely. It was just the right amount of oil. Could've gone heavier but it was fine just the way it was. The peas played a beautiful role in this dish. Steve absolutely loves peas. The Ronzoni healthy harvest pasta was not bad at all. We've had this brand before - but we had it as a thin spaghetti. Steve & I were pleasantly surprised by it. So I took a chance and got a different shape and it worked out. So we were sorta healthy last night. Sorta. I had a normal sized portion too. For me anyway, it would still be at least two servings according to the RDA or whatever. Whether you're trying to eat right or eat light. This one keeps it easy. And you can Eat Something Good!

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Baked Ziti

I haven't made baked ziti in ages. Here's how I do it. I boil up some ziti (duh) and then toss it in sauce. We used our homemade sauce. Then for the cheese part. You take ricotta (whole milk), mozzarella (whole milk), chopped fresh parsley, one egg, s&p. I dislike part-skim cheeses. But for some reason, I like Cracker Barrel's 2% cheddar. Go figure. Ok, so ya throw down a layer of ziti mixed with sauce in a disposable lasagne pan, hit it with gobs of the cheese mixture, put another layer of ziti with sauce on top. Cover that all in some fresh mozzarella and bake for like 45 minutes. I rambled with that explanation. Ooopsies.

The ziti turned out alright. I was worried that the ziti would be too soft. And unfortunately, I think they may have been. No, they were. Steve really liked it though. He had two servings and freaked out when I said I'll just throw the rest out. I guess that's convincing enough but I'd still feel embarrassed to serve something as overcooked. It wasn't complete mush. Those frozen zitis are far mushier and I've had some seriously mushy ziti from the grocery store buffet. All in all, it fed us, made Steve happy and oh, it made Sid happy. I was trying to get rid of some and gave Sid a little more than just a taste. My bad. A toast to y'all (or ya'll) and Eat Something Good!

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Annie's Homegrown

Homegrown. Not kidding. That's what the box of macaroni & cheese says. Actually, it's shells & cheese. They say it's made with organic pasta and has "no artificial anything." Well, we certainly put enough butter in it last night to undo all the goodness the package had to offer. We were so beat last night for some reason. I couldn't bring myself to cook. So Steve started it and I helped. It was just as easy to make as Kraft mac n' cheese.

The verdict. I liked it. At first, I thought it was seasoned just right. But then, as I ate on, I realized it needed a pinch of salt. But the salt thing happens with me often. It's good then it's not as good then *pinch* and it's even better. Steve loved it. He's a long time eater of box mac n cheese. He suggested that we put the stuff on top of Tostitos tortilla chips. The big restaurant sized ones. It's the only kind we get. I scooped some up and it wasn't bad. The first few chips were good. Then it got...well, it stumbled into 'whatever' land. Not only did Steve suggest chips, but he decided (because we weren't up to it) - that we should just eat it straight out of the pot with one fork in the living/computer room. I was totally okay with that idea. Yeah, we slobbed out. Okay, kiddies...Eat Something Good!

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Tuna-Rosemary Pasta

Very mixed reviews for this one. Last night for dinner, I made tuna-rosemary pasta (thin linguine). To some, this dish may sound disgusting. To me, it doesn't sound so bad but it sounds better in Italian. Something al' tonnato (sp?). So the dish exists, I didn't make it up. Actually the person who taught me the basics of Hungarian goulash taught me how to make this dish as well. It's a very simple dish. All you need is dried rosemary, garlic, tomato sauce (we used our homemade sauce) and the main ingredient: tuna packed in olive oil. Heat oil. Sautee garlic and rosemary. Add sauce. Add tuna. Heat through.

I happen to like this dish. I haven't had it in like fifteen years but it crept up in my mind from time to time. Steve's verdict. I'd have to say that he hated it. He definitely doesn't want that one in the rotation. As for myself, I'll be having the leftovers for lunch. Oh, I served it with escarole sauteed in olive oil, red wine vinegar, white wine and nutmeg. I didn't cook it enough for Steve. He couldn't eat that either. I do agree that it needed to be cooked a little longer, but I enjoyed it. It reminded me of the texture of a good kimchi (korean pickled/fermented cabbage).

In my mind, last night was a dinner bomb because Steve didn't enjoy it. I feel responsible to cook him or anyone a good meal. I want to see and hear satisfaction and perhaps even delight. I feel good knowing that a good meal was had. (But ya know, dinner bombs will occur from time to time so I'm not too discouraged.) Be nice to yourself today and Eat Something Good!

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Campbell's Cream of Mushroom

We had some leftover egg noodles from goulash night. So Steve and I brainstormed about what we could possibly do with it. He requested dishes like turkey tetrazzini and chicken a la king. I don't recall having ever eaten either of them except that I do fantasize about turkey tetrazzini around Thanksgiving time. We decided to do something like chicken a la king. I read one very easy recipe that included cream of chicken soup. I've cooked with canned condensed soups before but I was never that fond of it. At best, it was edible and okay I guess. I came across more complicated versions of the dish but Steve poo pooed it and wanted the easy dish with the condensed soup.

So I went to CVS to pick up some stuff and I went to their food aisle. All I saw was cream of mushroom soup and decided to go with that. (I didn't feel like making a second trip to the grocery store.) Mushrooms were an ingredient in many of the recipes I looked at. So, with chicken a la king in mind I made something. In a medium sauce pan I added the soup with white wine, chicken stock and dried thyme. I sauteed chicken (small'ish pieces) in a heavy skillet (what we call our everyday pan) and added the sauce to it. Finally, I added some frozen peas.

I could taste the wine and chicken stock within the thick but not too thick sauce. And the egg noodles mixed in perfectly with the dish and that made me happy because it didn't go to waste. It went to my waist instead. Ha! Okay, so that wasn't very funny. To go with this meal, I made a simple spring mix salad with grape tomatoes and sliced red onion. I had it with fat free thousand island dressing. Steve passed on the salad and had a second serving of the chicken dish. Overall I was happy with the meal. Eat something good!

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Tomato Sauce

Ok, I have to start by saying that I goofed in my last blog regarding sauce making. I added two bulbs of garlic, not just two cloves. And I forgot to mention the most important ingredient. Anchovies. Yes, that's right. Steve introduced me to the idea. He obtained the idea from some old Italians who have clearly acknowledged that anchovies were the way to go. The little fillets melt away in the oil. And there's no fishy taste to the sauce, it just adds another layer of subtle depth. In a couple of hours, I'm starting on the second batch. I'll be chopping up 25lbs of plum tomatoes and then heating them up til they soften so that Steve can food mill it when he gets home. Tomorrow night, more canning. It's a labor of love. We've been up til 1a every night making sauce. It's worth it!

I was so psyched that we have our very own sauce that I made thin spaghetti and meat sauce. This time I got the meat from our local little store. They butcher their own meats there. And though, it's ground chuck, it's much leaner than you would find in the grocery store. So I sauteed some garlic and bay leaves and browned the meat. Next I add the completed sauce. Then I hit it with freshly ground nutmeg. That's key. S & P of course. To celebrate this monumental meal, I bought a nice loaf of seeded italian - also from our little store. We were loving dinner. I even put butter on my bread. I went all out. So guys, Eat something good!

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Tuna Pasta Salad Shells

Last night, we were all upset because we wanted to have spaghetti and meat sauce but the local store cleared away their meats 1/2 hour before closing. Steve stood there and waited and waited and finally he got pissed and left. He was so upset he didn't want to eat dinner. I had an idea. I formulated something out of leftovers and tuna. I made a tuna pasta salad. Mayonnaise based. I used albacore tuna, mayo, mustard, worchestire sauce, celery seed and s&p. I took leftover grape tomatoes and quartered them. Then I added sliced red onion from leftover salad. I mixed it all together with pasta shells (medium) and added a hint more mayo to coat the pasta.

I wasn't sure if Steve would like it because I think he once said that he likes his tuna fish cold. Confession. Mine was served warm. Okay, so the tuna pasta salad wasn't entirely my idea. I used to go to NYC & Washington, DC deli's with a major buffet selection and they often had something similar with peas. I would've added peas to my salad had we had some.

Steve really liked it loved the tuna pasta salad. I gave Steve two types of shells last night. The tuna one and a serving with just browned (hazelnut they call it - I think) butter and freshly grated romano cheese, s&p. His grandma used to make this dish for him when he was just a little thing. So it's a comfort food for him. Anyway, I'm happy that dinner was a success.

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White Clam Sauce

Last night I made linguini with white clam sauce. We went a few towns over to buy the baby clams. They call them vongole or something. Anyway, this is a total cheater's dish. I don't make most of it. Actually, it comes out of a can. Progresso white clam sauce. It's good on its own, but I like to saute shallots, deglaze with white wine, add the sauce and later on hit it with parsley. Right before I'm ready to serve, I add the baby clams and serve over linguini when they open up. Remember, don't try to eat the ones that don't open. We had a nice baguette with the meal. I can't remember the last time we had bread with a meal unless we were having sammies. The dinner was really good. Steve loved it. Thank goodness for pre-made products. Hehehe. Eat something good!

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Spinach Pasta with Swiss Chard

I just got through sweating in the kitchen for an hour and a half. Though we put in the air conditioner downstairs, it was not strong enough to cool all the way into the kitchen. And it didn't help that I had three burners going. One had pasta in it. Spinach linguini from a place called Villarina's. They make all their pastas from scratch. On another burner, I sauteed swiss chard with olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon juice, salt & pepper and beef stock. Yes, beef stock. Steve loved it alot. I actually meant to use chicken stock. I didn't look at the can before I put it in. The third burner was for the "sauce". Basically it's garlic and oil with grape tomatoes that'd been sliced in half, basil, salt & pepper. When the pasta was cooked, I tossed it in with the garlic & oil. It lightly coated the spinach linguini with olive oil. I could've gone a little heavier with the oil, but we're trying to be healthy'ish. Dinner was a success. Steve wants to throw this one into the regular rotation. The problem is, I don't know if I'll be able to replicate it. I don't write things down and I'm forgetful. Not a good combo. Anyway, I hope y'all ate something good today!

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Whole Wheat Pasta Primavera

Tonight, I made my healthy'ish version of pasta primavera. I used whole wheat pasta (Ronzoni Healthy Harvest.) I sauteed lotsa garlic, basil and onions in a good amount of olive oil. I seasoned a little with salt & pepper. After a few minutes, I added zucchini, yellow squash (both cut on an angle) and red bell pepper that'd been cut into strips. (I'd set aside these veggies from last night's dinner.) Meanwhile, I nuked the freshly cut broccoli before I added that and cherry tomatoes. Then I de-glazed a little with chicken stock and towards the end of cooking I added some white wine.

Even though I should have gone heavier with the wine, Steve lerved it! He was very skeptical of the whole wheat pasta (as was I - secretly) but it was not that bad. It was thin spaghetti and therefore you expected it to be lighter and it was. I'd envisioned mealy pasta with little grains and nugs as some, I know, are. Sid's dinner consisted of grilled chicken breast, grilled eggplant, a little zucchini and a little raw carrot added to his dry food. I added water and gave it a stir. And he woofed it down. Follow Sid and Eat Something Good!

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