Ah, yes, once again, a dish based on the leftovers in my fridge...tonight it's Tomato and Olive Penne! This recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food mini-magazine-thingy. I've been making it for AGES. It's a super easy pasta dish, and makes it's own sauce, how convenient! Oh, and yes, that's a Martha Stewart "glamour shot" of the pasta; my photo appears later in the post. I made a rather large individual serving of the recipe tonight, as my husband does not eat vegetables (don't feel bad for me, I've learned to work around his pickiness), but the following is the original Martha recipe.

Tomato and Olive Penne

salt and pepper

1 pound penne or other short pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I used dehydrated minced garlic)

2/3 pound cherry tomatoes (2 cups) halved or quartered (I used grape tomatoes, halved)

1 tsp. dried Oregano

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (a little goes a long way)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 cup fresh parsley (I used dried)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

In a large pot of boiling salted water (Nigella Lawson says to make it as salty as the Mediterranean), cook the penne according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes.  Drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until just golden, about one minute.  Add the cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, until tomato juices run, about 3 minutes.  Add the penne, olives, parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with more cheese if desired.  Um, more cheese is ALWAYS desired...:)

  

In my vast cooking history (ha ha) I know I've come across Pasta Puttanesca somewhere, and this particular pasta recipe  seems to come very close. I found a lovely passage in one of my Rachael Ray cookbooks describing Puttanesca..."Puttanesca is a sauce named after streetwalkers.  The ladies would make pots of a fishy-smelling mixture of tomatoes, anchovies, olives and garlic and leave the pots in brothel windows to attract fishermen in like stray cats.  After the business was done, the sauce was tossed with pasta and became their dinner, or breakfast.  This is a very unappetizing story for such a delicious dish, so when I am asked what "it" means, I tell a slightly less descriptive version, which you can pass along: Puttanesca is the sauce of the ladies of the night because it's spicy, fast and easy! (It still makes me blush, but at least I remain hungry.)" I read this out loud to my husband and said, "this is SO going on my food blog"! I'm thinkin' Martha would have never included this nugget of information along with her recipe. 

If you want Rachael Ray's recipe, here you go:

Spicy Shrimp and Penne with Puttanesca Sauce

1 pound penne pasta

coarse salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (that's EVOO, to those in the know)

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

8 to 10 anchovy fillets

1/2 cup cracked, pitted, good-quality black olives, like Kalamata

3 to 4 Tbl. capers, drained and coarsely chopped

1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 pound (24-count) peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed

2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

Place a large pot of water on to boil.  When it comes up, add the penne and salt.  While the pasta cooks, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat.  Add the EVOO, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and anchovies.  Break up the fish with the back of a wooden spoon until they melt into the oil.  The fish will develop a nutty, salty flavor; if you think you don't like anchovies, try this ONCE and you will!  Add the olives, capers and tomatoes.  Bring the sauce to a bubble and add the shrimp, scattering them in a single layer.  Cover the pan to cook the shrimp, 3 to 4 minutes.  They will turn pink, opaque and firm.  Uncover the pan and add the parsley.  Toss and adjust the seasonings to taste.  When the pasta is al dente, drain it and add it to the sauce.  Toss to combine and serve hot.

Enjoy your "whore pasta"! I've had a long day, trapped indoors with a toddler, and I'm going to bed!

I love "seasonal" cooking; fixing dishes that seem just made for a certain time of year! My previous posting of a recipe for Honey Apple Cake is a perfect example. The side dish I made for Girls Night last night is another, at least I think so.

      I've been following The Pioneer Woman's blog off and on, and recently checked out her cookbook from the library. Take a look at her website sometime; www.thepioneerwoman.com, she seems like a really cool chick. I like a lot of her recipes too, especially the Burgundy Mushrooms, which I am sharing with you today! They were a hit at Girls Night, even with my husband (who was supposed to stay downstairs and watch sports)! One note: I reduced the quantities to accommodate my group's size, but I'm posting the recipe as it appeared originally, in The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Burgundy Mushrooms

4 pounds white button mushrooms

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 litre Burgundy wine (other dry reds will work)

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 cups boiling water

4 chicken bouillon cubes

4 beef bouillon cubes

1 tsp. dill seed (which I omitted)

1 tsp. garlic powder

salt to taste

Thoroughly wash the mushrooms and throw them into a large stockpot.  Add all the remaining ingredients, except the salt. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 6 hours.  Remove the lid, then continue cooking, uncovered, for 3 hours. Add salt to taste at the end if desired. The mushrooms will be dark in color. They can sit in the pan until ready to serve. Serve straight from the pot or spoon the mushrooms and cooking liquid into a serving bowl. Have crusty bread nearby to soak up all the deliciousness! 

  

 Yes, they do become slightly purple! They do not taste as strongly as you would think, but the wine DOES NOT cook out all the way, so I would not recommend serving this to children...serve it to your girlfriends! I served them along with Mediterranean chicken with sundried tomatoes over angel hair pasta, and of course, some crusty bread and chilled white wine! Girls Night is always a culinary experience! And of course, we had Honey Apple cake for dessert...

It's apple-pickin' time! Actually, the weather recently has been less than cooperative, but my toddler and I are ready to head to our local orchard to pick basket-fuls, maybe at the beginning of next week. In the meantime, we did stop earlier this week and pick up a five-pound bag of McIntosh apples, and some apple cider, which we consumed in two days! I found a great apple cake recipe online via a blog I follow, and I've been antsy to try it. Today has been gloomy, gray and wet, so it was the perfect day to bake! And man, does my house smell GOOD! Here's the recipe, from Shiksa in the Kitchen (www.theshiksa.com):

Honey Apple Cake

3 eggs
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used slightly less)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. allspice (I didn't have any)
dash of ground cloves (I opted not to use cloves)
4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and shredded (I used 5 small McIntosh apples)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are frothy.  Whisk in the honey, white sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and spices.  Incorporate the flour mixture into the liquid  and stir to blend.  Fold in the shredded apples. 

      Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray, making sure to evenly coat the entire inner surface.  Pour the batter into the pan and smooth with a spatula so it is smooth and even all the way around the pan.  Bake for 75-90 minutes.  When the edges darken and pull away from the sides of the pan, and the cake browns all the way across the surface, it should be done. You should be able to insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the cake and come out clean. It's a very moist cake, do not undercook.  Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Allow cake to cool completely.

      Make a "drizzle icing" by combining 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp. vanilla and 1-2 TBL milk. Stir with a whisk or fork to blend.  Pour the icing into a Ziploc bag, guiding the icing towards one of the corners of the bag. Cut the very tip of that corner off the bag and drizzle the icing onto the cake in a zig-zag pattern. Allow icing to dry before serving.

My, what an impressive looking cake! My daughter and I gave it a big thumbs-up after tasting it; it was not too sweet and was definitely moist. And if that wasn't a big enough project for today, while stuck in the house with a very energetic toddler, this is what my dining room table still looks like (mid-creativity)! So much to do - so little energy!

Today I'm doing some foggy morning baking. It was so foggy, school was delayed for two hours! I was stuck in the house with a rambunctious toddler and some over-ripe bananas, so, banana muffins it was! But, banana muffins WITH BLUEBERRIES! Why make the same old boring thing?

If you've read prior posts, you know I am not a fan of bread/muffin recipes calling for vegetable oil, but these seem to be alright; on the greasiness scale. This is Nigella Lawson's version of banana muffins, and I've been using the recipe for about a year. I worship Nigella! I have almost all of her cookbooks and faithfully watch her cooking shows.  The original recipe is for chocolate banana muffins, which I sometimes make...when I'm not adding chocolate chips or blueberries or something!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use safflower)

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

3 TBL unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 and line a muffin pan with paper cups. Mash bananas by hand or with a mixer. While still mashing, add the oil, then the eggs and sugar. Mix the remaining ingredients together; beat gently into the banana mixture, then spoon into cups.  Bake 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly in pan before removing to wire rack.

I am still blessed/cursed with quite a lot of fresh produce; most of it from my own garden. I've had some vegetables setting on my kitchen counter for a week, so I came up with a way to use them up before I had to toss them: Ratatouille!  The following is a combination of several recipes. Feel free to add to or delete items to your liking (like I did)!

Ratatouille (my version)

"some" olive oil (2-3 TBL)

a medium onion, roughly chopped

1-2 TBL minced garlic (I was out of fresh garlic)

one medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes

half of a large zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes

two green peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces

2-3 cups stewed tomatoes (from my garden last year)

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup Kalamata olives

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (use more if you want it REALLY HOT)

garlic powder, to taste

a few dashes of parsley flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini and peppers; cook 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, olives, red pepper flakes, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

After eating two servings, I concluded that the Ratatouille needed red or yellow bell peppers instead of green peppers (which was all I had at the time) and lots of mushrooms! And more olives. I'm glad I didn't over-do it with the red pepper flakes, it was on the verge of being a little too hot. I'm also wondering what it would taste like over pasta of some sort, or maybe if canellini beans were added. Or shrimp.  This is how I cook, for the most part;try this, try that. I don't know the culinary history of Ratatouille, but maybe this is exactly how the recipe came about ! Try it and let me know how you "tweaked" the recipe.

Yes, I'm back! With a delicious solution for the overabundance of zucchini coming from my garden - still! Moist zucchini bars with cream cheese frosting. We had some for breakfast today...oh my!

This recipe is from www.bettycrocker.com. I found it while searching for zucchini bar recipes that DO NOT use vegetable oil. Every time I make bread or muffin recipes calling for a whopping one cup of oil, they feel and taste very greasy. So, yahoo for Betty Crocker! No greasiness with these bars; they taste wonderful! 

Zucchini Bars

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves (I decided to leave this out)

1 cup shredded zucchini, drained

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of a 9 or 8-inch square pan. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves.  Stir in zucchini and nuts. Spread in pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about one hour.

I frosted mine with a partial can of cream cheese frosting, but the recipe came with it's own spice frosting instructions, if you so desire:

Spice Frosting

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 TBL butter or margarine, softened

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

3 to 4 TBL milk

In a medium bowl, mix all frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable.

This was the third or fourth time I made this specific recipe, and I am now throwing out all previous recipes, as I only need this one! What an enjoyable way to get a serving of veggies!

Tonight was one of those gray, gloomy, stay indoors and eat a cheesy casserole kind of night. I rummaged through my fridge and used up a few leftover foods to make an impromptu cheesy chicken noodle casserole: two diced boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked in the microwave-it was the easiest way), a can of cream of mushroom soup, half of a small container of sour cream, a small can of diced mushrooms and half a bag of egg noodles, cooked. I topped it with a leftover chunk of co-jack cheese, shredded, and crushed olive oil and sea salt flatbread crackers. The aroma was amazing, as it baked (at 350 for half an hour) , and I believe it was due to the flatbread crackers. I should have used a lot more of them. My husband actually ventured out of our basement home theater (how he pried himself away from the first NFL game of the season is a mystery) to get some! My 2 1/2-year-old daughter declared it "nummy", but she is a sucker for noodles (and cheese). I had every intention of steaming some broccoli as a side dish (since my husband would not eat the casserole if there were vegetables in it), but by the time it was ready to take out of the oven, I was too tired to bother.  Now I'm tired AND full of cheesy pasta - bedtime is not far away!

Well, "girls night" was going to be Greek themed, but lemon risotto is Italian; so sue me!  I used to think that linguine carbonara was my "signature" dish. I was soooo proud of myself for totally memorizing my recipe so I could just throw it together whenever; and feel like an awesome chef at the same time. That was before the lemon risotto. It's right up there with creme brulee as being so sumptuous you want to bang your fist on the table and roll your eyes...okay, I may have actually done that the first time I made it. If you know me well, as my family does, I don't take disappointment well, and if a recipe doesn't turn out how I expect it to, have mercy! On the other hand, when a recipe turns out better than expected, I do a happy dance!

This recipe is from www.epicurious.com and  was originally published in Bon Appetit magazine in 2002. I can't believe I used to only search for recipes on Allrecipes.com...there's a whole world out there when you "Google"! Really, there's almost too much information...anyway, here's the fabulous recipe:

Lemon Risotto

6 cups chicken broth (I made mine from powdered concentrate)

3 1/2 TBL butter

1 1/2 TBL olive oil

2 large shallots, chopped

2 cups arborio rice

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 TBL chopped fresh parsley

2 TBL fresh lemon juice

4 tsp. grated lemon peel

Bring broth to simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm. Melt 1 1/2 TBL with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice; stir one minute. Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 30 seconds.  Add 1 1/2 cups hot broth; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently.  Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is creamy and tender, about a total of 35 minutes (this is by far the MOST IMPORTANT part of the process!) When all the broth has been incorporated, stir in cheese and remaining 2 TBL butter.  Stir in  parsley, lemon juice and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

The finished product is quite yellow and smells very lemon-ey! Oh my! I served it to my guests along with a very hearty Greek salad (Romaine lettuce, Kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, cucumbers from my garden, garbanzo beans, chunks of Feta cheese and a Greek Feta vinaigrette) and sundried tomato foccacia. And a few bottles of chilled Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Oh, and the chunky chocolate jam bars pictured in my last post. Girls night rocks!

Dessert first! Every Wednesday, two of my friends and I get together for "girls night" (we take turns hosting) and tomorrow is MY night. I decided to make the dessert tonight, to save time tomorrow; so, Dessert First! This recipe has been in my binder for a year or so, but this is the first time I've made it. I cut it out of a magazine, but cannot remember which magazine, so I can't give credit where credit is due. Plus, I "tweaked" it, of course, so now the recipe is MINE!

This is not what I would consider a "healthy" recipe by any means; it takes two sticks of butter for pete's sake! I sampled some while I was working on this post, and man, who cares? These are fabulous! Eat a few and then run around the block or jog in place for a while! Enjoy!

Chunky Chocolate Jam Bars

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup (two sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

5 squares semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I opted for sprinkling semi-sweet chocolate chips all over the top instead)

1 12-ounce jar raspberry jam (I used raspberry preserves, but I'm now thinking there are too many seeds in preserves...)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil; grease foil lining (I used the waxed paper the butter came in and just wiped it all over the foil).  Mix flour, brown sugar and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two butter knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add oats, coconut and pecans; mix well.  Press half of the crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of pan. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate. Spoon jam over top; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Lift from pan by holding onto edges of foil and cool completely on a wire rack.  Cut into bars.

I'm making a Greek-themed dinner tomorrow (not that these bars fit into the theme; they just sounded really good) and will post photos and recipes after I recover, as there is quite a bit of wine drinking done on "girls night".



Rainy/cloudy days mean baking...right? An overabundance of zucchini can mean baking too! Today's project is/was chocolate zucchini bread, although in the photo it looks more like meatloaf...at my house, zucchini finds its way into many concoctions over the summer growing season: zucchini bars, zucchini bread (sometimes with chocolate chips, of course), cheesy zucchini casserole, zucchini parmesan, zucchini fritters, etc. Right now, there are about two dozen quart bags of shredded zucchini in my freezer, so we can enjoy it all winter long! My husband does not share in my excitement, as he is a non-vegetable eater, but my daughter will eat anything/everything I make - good girl! One added note about this recipe: don't use more zucchini than called for, and make sure you squeeze all the "juice" out of it before adding to the mix, or your bread will be goooooooooooey (trust me on this; not everything I cook/bake turns out right...), oh, and the recipe makes two 9x5 loafs (I "half" it sometimes).

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

1-2 TBL cocoa powder (to your liking)

3 eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil (I use safflower)

2 cups grated zucchini (I remove the BIG seeds but leave the peel intact)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (they won't sink to the bottom much if you toss them in flour first)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease two 9x5 loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate; beat well.  Sift in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir to blend. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. Do not overbake.

There's a great zucchini bar recipe I found at www.bettycrocker.com that I've made at least twice this summer, but I frost it with canned cream cheese frosting, because, what doesn't taste good with cream cheese frosting? Just wait until fall; I have dozens of recipes using canned pumpkin (and some involve cream cheese frosting!)



So, this is what I "threw together" for supper tonight: one of my favorite summer pastas - penne with zucchini and pesto. I totally forgot to take an "artistic" shot of the entire pan of pasta, so, this is a shot of my actual bowl - sorry! This is a recipe I think I saw in Real Simple magazine a few years ago, but I could not find it in their archives, so now I'm making it my own! Tonight, of course, I "tweaked" the recipe and added shrimp, because it sounded good.

Penne with Zucchini and Pesto

2 medium zucchini or one large zucchini (about 3/4 lb total)

1/2 lb penne (half a box)

1 TBL extra virgin olive oil

1 large garlic glove, slivered

pinch of Kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

1 can (14-15 ounce) cannellini beans, rinsed

1/4 cup pesto

8 TBL grated Parmesan cheese

Cut zucchini into 1/2-inch-thick diagonals and then cut each slice into 1/2-inch strips. Set aside. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and saute until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.  Add zucchini, a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook over high heat, tossing occasionally until zucchini is tender, about 4 minutes. Add beans and cook until heated through, about a minute.  Add pesto, stir to combine and adjust seasoning.  Drain pasta, and add to frying pan, toss to coat evenly. Add cheese and serve.

Like I said, I added pre-cooked shrimp (tails on) for a "fun" twist. I also make my own pesto in my food processor and freeze it. Yum, yum, yum. If you feel so inclined, here is my recipe for pesto:

3 cups fresh basil leaves

3 TBL grated Parmesan

2 TBL pine nuts

3 small cloves garlic, minced

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. With the machine running, pour in a thin, steady stream of the oil, blending until the mixture is well combined and emulsified. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week, or it can be kept in the freezer for up to two months.

This pasta goes great with a very cold white wine...trust me, I know...enjoy, and good night!