I really love pasta dishes. I love them because I love pasta, I love them because they are comforting and most of all I love them because if you have a box of dried pasta and some meat or veggies, in this case fettuccine, broccoli and Italian sausage,  you’ve got yourself a meal. A meal that can usually be put together in about a half an hour. Which for me, at this point in my pregnancy has become more important than I ever thought.

I am currently 9 months pregnant. Yet I have about 4 more weeks to go. I feel like I’ve been lied to my whole life. Word to the wise you are actually pregnant for 10 months. Not that I am complaining, I’m just starting to get really uncomfortable. I have even noticed that these past few weeks I’m having trouble standing long enough to do any experimenting in the kitchen. As a result I have gravitated towards dishes like this pasta that are easy to make, sure to be crowd pleasers, limit the amount of time that I am standing and satisfy my pregnancy craving for anything creamy.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound Italian sausage links
• 1 pound dried fettuccine
• 2 crowns broccoli, chopped into florets
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage until cooked through. Slice and set aside.
2. While you are cooking the sausage, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets to the water. Cook until they are bright green and have softened. Drain.
3. Melt the butter in the pan, stir in the garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Return the sausage, pasta and broccoli to the pan. Add in cream cheese and heavy cream. Stir continuously until cream cheese melts. Stir in shredded Parmesan cheese. Toss until combined. Turn off heat and let pasta set for 5 minutes while sauce thickens. Toss once more. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

September is here. This means a number of things to me: one, fall is just around the corner. Two, my first child will be born in approximately 2 1/2 months. And three, tomato season is almost over. While the first two make me a very happy lady, the last one makes me quite sad since tomatoes have been a part of my daily menu for the last month. To get the most out of what is left of tomato season, I’m making just about every recipe I can with them, including this panzanella salad.

I believe traditional panzanella has a bit more stuff in it and I originally wanted to throw some capers and red onion in but alas I was out of both of those. However, the marinated artichokes and perfectly sweet ripe tomatoes worked wonders together. Not to mention the sweet basil. And don’t worry about the lack of dressing, the juice from the tomatoes and the marinade from the artichokes make their own dressing as the salad sets.

Serves 4 (as a side dish)

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups diced (1 inch cubes) day old bread
• 3 tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
• 1 cup chopped marinated artichokes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 5 basil leaves, chopped
• grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add bread and cook just until toasted, about 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine bread and remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover and let sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
3. Toss once more, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired and serve.

Enjoy!

When I posted on Facebook a couple of weeks ago that I love tomato season, I got quite a few responses from people who also adore these juicy beauties.  I’m not sure what it is about them that makes them so lovable but knowing that so many people love them I’m sure you will adore this dish just as much as I do. After all this pasta dish lets heirloom tomatoes shine and is summer plain and simple. Simple being the key word. There are only seven ingredients. And it can all be done in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

When I say simple I really do mean simple. You probably have most of the ingredients that you need on hand: garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, olive oil and pasta. The only thing you might not have are the heirloom tomatoes. If you are lucky enough to have them in your yard then I’m jealous. If you’re like me and you don’t have access to them by walking out your door, you can find them at farmer’s markets and I’ve even seen them in the organic section of my local big chain supermarket. Like those used in the Fried Green Tomato Grilled Cheese recipe, you’ll want pretty firm tomatoes. You are cooking them slightly so you want them to hold up well in the pasta without turning into a tomato sauce.

Serves 4 – 6

You will need:

• 3/4 pound dried linguine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 – 4 large heirloom tomatoes, diced
• juice from one lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. When pasta is just about done, begin heating olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients. Allow to cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until tomatoes release some of their juice but are still firm.
3. After you drain the pasta, place it in a large bowl and pour the tomatoes over the top. Toss well. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month? I had no idea such a thing existed but whomever decided to do that Thank you. Thank you because it gives us all a reason to celebrate the cheesy, gooey food comfort heaven that is the grilled cheese sandwich. Thank you because it gives me an excuse to enjoy all the ingredients of my favorite salad: mozzarella, basil, tomato and balsamic vinegar in sandwich form.

I will admit I took my time while making this sandwich. I didn’t want to just throw it together. The ingredients are so simple yet so amazingly delicious I wanted to make sure that each ingredient shined. I precisely sliced the tomatoes. I carefully tore the basil leaves so not to bruise them. I toasted the bread first and rubbed it with a little garlic before layering the ingredients together one by one. Then, I sat there and watched it cook. As the bread became more golden and the cheese began to melt. I knew it was time. I removed the sandwich from the pan, cut it in half and drizzled it with a little balsamic vinegar. Then I took a bite and said the following thing, “that is one heck of a grilled cheese sandwich”

Serves 2

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 slices rustic bread
• 1 clove garlic
• 6 tomato slices
• 8 slices fresh mozzarella
• 6 basil leaves
• balsamic vinegar

1. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bread until slightly toasted. Remove from the skillet and rub garlic clove over the toast.
2. Layer 3 tomato slices, 4 mozzarella slices and 3 basil leaves per sandwich. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
3. Add remaining oil to the skillet and cook sandwich until both sides are golden and cheese is melted. Remove from skillet, drizzle with a little more balsamic and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Talk about quick and easy. This pasta just screams busy weeknight dinner. Which is perfect because that is exactly what I needed last night. I just had a bunch of things to do. I was tired and the thought of spending an hour or two in the kitchen cooking dinner just seemed a little too much so I put the kabosh on an slow simmered pasta sauce I was thinking about and decided to go with this quick, lemon caper sauce. This pasta can be done in about 15 minutes. I kid you not.

It took me a bit to warm up to capers but now I love them. I even find myself craving the salty little devils and will reach for one or two as a snack while I’m cooking dinner. They come in a couple different varieties. I prefer the non pareil variety because they are smaller, more fragrant and not quite as strong as the larger varieties. You should be able to find them in the condiment aisle of the grocery stores.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 3/4 pound linguine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (3.5 ounce) jar non pareil  capers
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt liberally (about 1 – 2 tablespoons). Cook pasta according to pasta directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain pasta.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and capers in oil just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in lemon juice. Stir in pasta and toss to coat completely. Add reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time if pasta seems dry. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

I’m not a huge chicken on pizza fan but Ryan is. Every time we order pizza he tries to get me to order one with chicken on it but I can never seem to do it. However, last week when I wanted to make pizza at home, I decided to give it a try.  I must admit, it might have changed me. Then again, this pizza was bound to make me happy since it had a little bit of all of my favorite ingredients, garlic, rosemary, sun dried tomatoes and spinach.

I cheated a bit on this pizza. I didn’t make my own dough. I know, I know, this might be blasphemy in the eyes of some but I didn’t have the time to let it rise not to mention I was out of yeast and didn’t want to go to the store. I keep a frozen pizza dough on hand for an occasion just like this. It’s nice to have that back up plan in a pinch.

If you have the time to make your own by all means do. You might even want to try this one with this pizza.

Serves 2 -  4

You will need:

• 1/4 cup plus two tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 pound chicken breasts
• 1 pre-made pizza dough
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. In a bowl whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, rosemary, white wine vinegar and kosher salt. Place the chicken in the marinade and turn a couple times to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. After two hours, slice chicken into bite size pieces and cook over medium heat until cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. And lay your prepared pizza dough out onto a pizza pan.
4. In another pan heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Brush onto pizza dough.
5. Layer pizza dough with 1/2 cup mozzarella, spinach, chicken and sun dried tomatoes. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Bake 20 – 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

I might be getting a little bit a head of myself with this recipe. Asparagus risotto could probably be considered more of a spring dish but what can I say, I’m a little anxious for spring to get here. So last week when it was particularly rainy and cold, I decided to make us a little taste of spring with this creamy risotto with sauteed asparagus and mushrooms.

I haven’t made a risotto since this little teenybopper episode. I don’t know why. Seriously there is not much better than a perfectly cooked risotto. The way the rice absorbs the wine and the hot broth allows it to become scrumptiously creamy without a drop of cream. And if they keep turning out like this one, risotto will be at the top of my favorite meal list in no time.

Note: To make this vegetarian simply use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound asparagus, bottom inch discarded, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup white wine

1. In a pan heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and cook asparagus and mushrooms until softened. About 7 minutes. Stir in kosher salt and black pepper. Reduce heat to low and cover to keep warm.
2. In pot heat broth over medium heat and keep warm while preparing risotto.
3. In another pot, heat butter and remaining olive oil over medium heat. Once butter melts stir in shallots and cook just until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in arborio rice just until it is coated in the butter. Do not brown. Pour in wine and cook until wine absorbs. Pour one ladle of hot broth over the rice and stir consistently until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat process, one ladle at a time, until all liquid is absorbed by the rice.
4. Stir in asparagus and mushrooms. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Valentine’s day is less than a week away and if you are stuck on something to do with your sweetie, I’ve got an idea. Get in the kitchen together and make an authentic Italian dinner. And you can’t get more authentic then fresh homemade pasta.  I made pasta just yesterday. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to make pasta. It is shockingly easy. It’s really fun. And taking the first bite of a freshly made pasta, that you yourself made, well, that is pretty darn awesome.

I did a little bit of research before making this pasta. I read up on the history of pasta, basic pasta recipes, and what kinds of flour to use. Most recipes I came across called for regular all purpose flour but others called for semolina flour. Semolina flour is made from durum wheat and has the highest amount of gluten. Pasta made with semolina tends to be a bit firmer than pasta made with only all purpose flour. When I set out to make mine, I decided to do a mixture of both using half all purpose and half semolina flour. The result was a tender yet firm pasta that I know I will be making again and again.

Makes about 1 pound of fresh pasta

You will need:

• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 large eggs

1. In a mixing bowl make a mound of flour with a well in the middle of it. Place the eggs in the well. Using your hands gently mix the eggs into the flour. Continue to mix with your hands until the flour and eggs form a dough.
2. Transfer dough to a well floured surface and kneed for 8 – 10 minutes or until the dough is elastic. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. At this point you can also refrigerate the dough for an hour or so until you are ready to roll it out and cut it.
3. Cut the pasta dough into four equal pieces. If you are using a pasta machine feed it through the pasta roller according to directions until desired thickness. I used the 2 on the kitchen aid pasta attachment. Then use the pasta cutter attachment for whichever pasta shape you would like to make, in my case I chose fettuccine. If you are not using the pasta machine, roll the dough out on a well floured surface until desired thickness and then cut into pasta.
4. After you have rolled and cut your pasta, if it’s sticking together sprinkle with a little flour. Now you can dry it, freeze it or cook it immediately. When cooking, cook in salted boiling water for 3 – 4 minutes. Strain and serve with your favorite sauce.

Enjoy!

When I shared my recipe for macaroni and tomatoes a while back, I mentioned that Ryan wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of macaroni and tomatoes. And while he did enjoy my version with fresh tomatoes and basil, I have a feeling it’s still not one of his favorite meals. I attribute this feeling to the fact that when I offered to make it a couple weeks ago, I still got a big fat no. So this week, since I was craving it, I decided to kick the recipe up just a notch to see if I could make it a new member of our dinner rotation. So, in addition to the tomatoes and macaroni I added some spicy Italian sausage and some peppery mustard greens. Verdict: He ate two bowls and took it to work the next day for lunch.

Greens are a funny thing. Well not really funny I suppose. But anyways, you either love them or hate them. I personally love them. I love spinach, arugula and kale and eat them like there is no tomorrow. But it wasn’t until recently that I started experimenting with mustard greens. If you find kale a bit too bitter you might really like mustard greens. They are a bit peppery and aren’t quite as bitter as kale. You’ll find them in the produce section right next to collard greens, my next experiment.

Note: I used San Marzano tomatoes in this dish. My grocery store was having a sale on them so I stocked up. Usually they are a bit on the spendy side but If you can get your hands on them I would really recommend buying a couple cans. But any can of whole peeled tomatoes will do for this recipe.

Serves  4

You will need:

• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups dried elbow macaroni
• 1.5 pounds ground spicy Italian sausage
• 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch mustard greens, stems trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• salt as needed

1. Place the whole tomatoes in a bowl and gently crush them in your hand. This will create a somewhat chunky tomato sauce. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook macaroni according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown Italian sausage. Strain and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of pan drippings if possible.
4. In the same pan that you cooked the sausage in, add reserved pan drippings and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. If there were not enough pan drippings add another tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in garlic and let cook for 30 seconds. Stir in mustard greens. allow to cook just until wilted, about 2 minutes. Return sausage to the pan. Stir to combine.
5. By this time your pasta should be just about ready. Strain it and mix it with the sausage and greens. Pour the tomatoes over the top. Stir in black pepper. Adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Allow to cook for 5 – 7 more minutes or until the tomatoes are warmed through. Serve.

Enjoy!

You must make this pasta. Like today. Maybe you could wait until tomorrow but definately do not wait much longer than that. I’m tellin you it is comfort in a bowl. How could it not be with italian sausage, loads of crimini mushrooms, half and half, sour cream and cream cheese. Hey I said it was comfort in a bowl, not a diet in a bowl.

One of my many favorite things about fall is that it is mushroom season. I love anything and everything about mushrooms. Crimini are my favorite because they can be used in many different things like white button mushrooms, but they have an earthier flavor. For this reason, I chose them for this pasta.

Speaking of pasta, I chose to use some fusilli because it’s what I had in the pantry. But you could use any kind of short pasta that you like. I think it would be good with penne, ziti or even elbow macaroni. Or you could just eat the sauce with a spoon. I don’t judge.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1/2 pound dried pasta
• 13 ounces ground mild Italian sausage (about 4 links removed from casings)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/4 cup diced shallots
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup mushroom broth
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/4 cup light sour cream
• 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• salt and pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile while pasta is cooking, brown Italian sausage in a pan over medium heat. Once browned transfer to a plate.
3. In the same pan that you cooked the sausage in add two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Stir in mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are softened and brown.
4. Pour in wine and mushroom broth allow to cook for 5 minutes. Scrape any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return sausage to the pan.
5. Stir one tablespoon of the hot broth into the half and half to temper it.
6. Stir tempered half and half, sour cream and cream cheese into broth. Continue cooking until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened slightly, 5 -7 minutes.
7. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Stir to coat. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir once more and add chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve.

Enjoy!