Asparagus, Red Pepper, and Turkey Smoked Sausage Penne

This is one of our regulars... but for some reason I hadn't made it for probably 6 months until tonight. I'd say it's almost more similar to a pasta salad than to a traditional pasta dish. It's easy, delicious, and one of the few recipes that I created all on my own! As a result, I'm guestimating on some of the quantities of the ingredients here... but I think you'll get the idea. It's pretty hard to screw this one up!

You will need:

• 1 box (13-14 oz.) whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 red pepper
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 package turkey smoked sausage
• Olive oil
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oregano
• Garlic powder

Boil water and prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, chop red pepper, asparagus, and turkey sausage into bit sized pieces. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add peppers, asparagus, and sausage to skillet. Season with garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp tender.

Remove vegetables and sausage from heat, and add cooked pasta to the skillet. Add 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and more salt, pepper, oregano, and/or garlic powder to taste. Toss well to combine.

Serve with additional parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins

So, if you're a nerd like me, you may remember that there was a canned pumpkin shortage last year. After the tragic events of last year, I have become a pumpkin hoarder and buy multiple cans of the stuff every time I see it in the store. This week, I finally got around to my first pumpkin recipe of the season! These turned out fantastic. They are definitely not light, but I'm hoping to try a lighter recipe soon and will be sure to post that as well.

Pumpkin Muffins (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook)

You will need:

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
• Powdered sugar

Prepare muffin tins. I used paper cups, and then used cooking spray for good measure. I ran out of paper cups and just used cooking spray for the last few and they turned out fine too... so whatever floats your boat :) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil on medium speed. Add eggs and beat well. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and water to sugar mixture, beating on low after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin.

Spoon into muffin tins (I've found that a 1/4 cup measuring cup works well to get muffins of equal size.) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

The temperatures have been dropping, slowly but surely. The mornings and evenings have been chilly, and the days are getting shorter. I'm not one to choose favorites when it comes to seasons, because I truly love them all for different reasons... but fall is always up there near the top of my list.

One of my favorite things about fall and winter is making soups. I tried a new one this week that was super easy and Brett and I both loved it. This was a recipe that my friend Kristin tried first. She had modified the original recipe, and I modified it a little more... here's my version.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

You will need:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (I used leftover rotisserie chicken instead)
• 1 package quick cooking long grain and wild rice, with seasoning packet (I used Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice Fast Cook Recipe, 6.2 oz. box)
• 3/4 cup flour
• Salt and pepper
• 6 tbsp. butter
• 2 cups (or more) skim milk

In a large pot, combine chicken broth, water, and chicken. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then stir in rice (reserving seasoning packet). Cover and remove from heat.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then stir in seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then gradually stir in flour to form a roux. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth, cook until thickened (you may need to add in more milk to get it smooth if it seems too thick).

Stir milk mixture into broth and chicken. Cook on medium heat until heated through, 10-15 minutes.

That's it! Kristin added in sauteed onions, celery, and carrots to her version, which I'm sure would add some delicious flavor as well. This is a great recipe- we had it with a whole grain baguette and it was the perfect meal for a cool fall evening. We will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotation.

Happy Fall!

Chocolate Cobbler

Amazing. That's really all I can say about this recipe. I've made it twice, and it was even better than I remembered when I had it the second time. It's similar to a molten lava cake, with gooey chocolate goodness underneath, and a yummy crust on top. You must serve this warm, with vanilla ice cream.

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen blog, which is a Pioneer Woman project. I always assume that everyone knows who Pioneer Woman is, but I'm finding that not everyone does. Be sure you check out her blog when you get a chance- it's highly entertaining.

Anyway, I did not modify this recipe at all, nor do I ever intend to, so instead of recreating it here, I'm just going to direct you to the original source. Go check it out. You'll thank me later.

Chocolate Cobbler on Tasty Kitchen blog

Sausage and Pepper Penne

I found this recipe while browsing some cooking blogs. I thought it sounded delicious and wanted to try to make it a little lighter than the original recipe. By making some easy substitutions (whole wheat pasta, turkey sausage), I was able to make it a little healthier without losing any of the flavor. This is definitely a keeper. I will say that this made a ton of pasta, and we actually froze the rest of it and ate it a few weeks later.

Sausage and Pepper Penne (adapted from Kelly's Culinary Adventures blog)

You will need:

• 4 cups whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked
• 4 turkey italian sausages, uncooked
• 1 red pepper, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 green pepper, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped (optional- I did not include the onion because I knew the sauce I would use had plenty of onion, and we like our onion in moderation)
• 1 cup frozen spinach, drained (or 2 cups fresh spinach)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional- again, I knew the sauce had plenty of garlic)
• 3-3 1/2 cups marinara sauce (I used my homemade marinara)
• Parmesan cheese and oregano for garnish

Slice sausages into 1 inch pieces. Cook in a nonstick skillet (sprayed with cooking spray) over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Once the sausage is cooked, add spinach, peppers, onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Add pasta sauce and cook until warm, about 5 minutes.

Drain penne and add to skillet with sauce. Garnish with parmesan cheese and oregano.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I've recently starting making my own marinara sauce, and I'm not sure we will ever go back to the stuff from a jar. The flavors are just so much better, and I love that I know exactly what we are eating. The recipe below is for one batch, which makes about 3 1/2 cups of sauce. This is the equivalent of a regular sized jar of sauce. I have quadrupled the recipe each time I've made it, and then divided it into 4 freezer containers to freeze and use when we need it. This isn't a difficult recipe, but for me, it makes more sense to make several batches at a time.

This recipe is from "The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook". I've adapted it slightly to our tastes.

You will need:

• Olive oil spray
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp crused red pepper flakes
• Salt, to taste

Spray a nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray and place over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic and cook until they become tender but not brown (4-6 minutes).

Reduce heat to low, and stir in remaining ingredients.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

This is a favorite in our regular dinner rotation, and I realized tonight that I've never blogged it. It's pretty simple and to the point. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen blog)

You will need:

• 2-2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• juice from 2 small limes

Cut chicken into strips (I usually make mine about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick) and put into crockpot.

Slice red pepper, green pepper, and onion, and put in crockpot on top of chicken.

Squeeze lime juice over chicken and veggies.

Mix together chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Pour over ingredients in crockpot.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

There will be a lot of liquid in the crockpot, so drain chicken and veggies off using a slotted spoon. I serve with whole wheat tortillas, 2% shredded mexican cheese, and fat free sour cream.

Oatmeal Snack Bars

I was so excited to find this recipe earlier this week. I've been looking for a recipe for a low-sugar, whole grain snack bar that I could make... and with a few minor changes to the original recipe, this worked perfectly for us! The bars are delicious, low-sugar, whole grain, and have some good protein as an added bonus. By my rough calculation, each bar has approximately 150 calories (but don't quote me on that). And these are super easy to make!


Oatmeal Snack Bars (adapted from Kath Eats Real Food blog)

You will need:

• 3 cups rolled oats (mine were quick oats and worked just fine)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 bananas, mashed (this is what I had on hand, so this is what I used. You could sub any dried or fresh fruit here)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 1/2 cups skim milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (Optional- I added this because I thought it might need the sweetness. If you are using bananas, I don't think this is necessary due to the natural sweetness of the bananas. Next time I will probably decrease or eliminate the brown sugar completely.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all dry ingredients.
Mix all wet ingredients.
Mix wet and dry together.
Pour into a 13x9 baking dish lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan, then pop the whole thing out of the pan (this is where the parchment paper comes in handy!) Let cool completely, then cut into 18 bars. I used a pizza wheel to cut, which worked out beautifully!
I wrapped each bar individually in saran wrap, then packed them into a freezer bag and popped them into the freezer. To eat, I remove the saran wrap, wrap in a paper towel, and heat in the microwave until nice and warm (takes about 1 minute if completely frozen). You certainly don't need to freeze these, but I wanted something we could throw into our lunch to eat during the day, and the freezing option works well for us.
These smell, and taste, so delicious. Definitely a new favorite! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Pasta Carbonara

We had a low-key Valentine's evening here. We had been in Oklahoma for the weekend visiting our friends Wade and Bri, and didn't get back to KC until late afternoon. We had plans to go to comedy that night, but it started snowing, and it was cold, and we were tired, and the couch was much more appealing. So we decided to just stay in and cook.

I first got inspiration from this recipe from Pioneer Woman, and had every intention of following her recipe to the T, but I didn't have the list of ingredients quite right in my head when I went to the grocery store. (Gasp, I went to the store without a list! Very uncharacteristic of me.) So I had to change it up a bit based on what I had. I will try PW's version someday, because everything I try of hers is delicious. But my version didn't turn out too shabby either! Here it is...

Pasta Carbonara

You will need:

• 1 lb. fettucine noodles
• 
  1 pkg. of bacon (I used turkey bacon, which comes in 12 oz. packages)
• 5-6 cloves of garlic
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated parmesan (I used freshly grated- yum)
• 1/2 stick butter
• Fresh or dried parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper

Cook fettucine noodles as directed on the package.

Chop up into small pieces. Throw in a large skillet and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan. You want to keep the grease in there for the next step.

Chop the cloves of garlic, and throw them in the pan with the bacon grease. Saute the garlic for a minute or two... be careful not to overcook it. I turned it off once the garlic aroma really started coming out.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs and cream until well blended. Stir in grated parmesan.
By this point your noodles should be done. Drain them and return them to the pot. Throw in the egg/cream/cheese mixture, the bacon, butter, some parsley, and some freshly ground black pepper. Toss this for a good while until it's all melded together and delicious looking.

That's it! It's so simple and so delicious. Enjoy!

Breakfast Sandwiches

I wish I could say I thought of this brilliant idea on my own, but unfortunately, I can't take credit. I also can't remember where I saw the idea first, so I can't give credit either...

Anyway, these are a little time-consuming to make, but you can make a bunch at a time and then have an easy breakfast for weeks. Totally worth it! I made 18 sandwiches this last time, but you can make however many you want (or however many your freezer will hold!)

(Tip: If you can get your husband to help you with this process, you can get a nice little assembly line going and it will speed things right along!)

Step 1: Bread
Toast english muffins (I use the 100% whole wheat ones). I just split them open and put them under the broiler for a few minutes until they are toasty!

Step 2: Cheese
Put one slice (or half a slice) of cheese on the bottom half of each muffin (I use 2% american).

Step 3: Egg
Crack one egg into a nonstick pan, sprinkle some salt and pepper on it, and use a spatula to sort of scoot it towards the side of the pan in order to keep it in a small contained space, so that the final product will fit on the english muffin. Turn the egg over, break the yolk, and again, keep it a good size using the spatula. Once cooked, put the egg on top of the cheese.

Alternative Option for Egg (easier option): Spray a microwave-safe mug or cup with cooking spray (I use my 1-cup glass Pyrex measuring cup).  Crack one egg and scramble, or use Egg Beaters (or other egg substitute).  Microwave until done (usually about 1 minute in my microwave). 

Step 4: Meat
I've done this with turkey bacon and canadian bacon. Both are delicious. You could also use ham, or sausage, or no meat at all. Whatever floats your boat. Cook the meat as directed, put the meat on top of the egg, and put the "lid" of the english muffin on top.

Step 5: Package/Freeze
Wrap each sandwich individually in plastic wrap. Slide the sandwiches into a freezer bag, and freeze until ready to eat.

Step 6: Eat
Unwrap sandwich from the plastic, and heat in the microwave until heated through. In my microwave, I've found that wrapping it in a paper towel and microwaving for 1 1/2- 2 minutes is about right.

Delicious!!

First Attempt Chili

Today I made my first ever attempt at chili. I've never really eaten chili, mainly because of the beans that you find in most versions. I decided to give it a go. I used Pioneer Woman's recipe as my starting point, but modified several things based on what we like. Here's my version.

Basic, Simple Chili
In a large pot, brown 2 lbs lean ground beef (I use 93% lean) and 3 cloves of garlic, chopped.

Drain off the fat (there shouldn’t be much if you’re using lean beef).

Pour in one 8 oz. can tomato sauce, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tbsp. ground cumin, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp. chili powder, and 1 tsp. salt. Stir together well, cover, and simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup masa (corn flour) and ½ cup water. I couldn’t find masa at my grocery store, so I ground up some corn tortillas in the food processor, which seemed to work fine. Add the mixture into the chili and stir well.

This is the point at which I started throwing stuff in, tasting it, then throwing more stuff in. What you do here is going to depend on the spice level and consistency that you want your chili to have. I ended up adding in one can of Rotel one 15 oz can of tomato sauce (my chili was really thick and Brett wanted it to be a little “soupier”), about ¾ cup of tomato paste, and more chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and oregano. I let it simmer for about 10 more minutes to let those flavors meld together.

Here’s where it gets tricky, at my house at least. Brett loves beans; I’m scared of them and won’t touch them. So at this point, I divided the chili in half. In Brett’s half, I added in one can of pinto beans. My half just stayed plain and happy. I let them both simmer awhile longer in their separate pots. We weren’t ready to eat yet anyway, so I figured I’d just let it get delicious until we were ready. If you’re hungry, I’d say another 10 minutes or so to let the beans get mixed in would be sufficient.

The verdict: DELICIOUS! I didn’t even know I liked chili… this is definitely a new favorite! I served it with some 2% shredded cheddar, and Brett crunched up some whole grain taco shells into his. We also had a whole grain baguette from Panera. It was a perfect Sunday night meal!

Chicken Burrito Bake and Corn Casserole

One night last week, we had a friend of Brett's over for dinner and to watch some football. We took that opportunity to have a "cheat" meal. I made one of our favorites- Chicken Burrito Bake, and paired it with a new (to me) recipe from my sister in law- Corn Casserole. If you love corn, you will die for this Corn Casserole. I am obsessed. It's making my mouth water right now just thinking about it. Anyway, both recipes are easy, and I made them both earlier in the day and just popped them in the oven when it was closer to dinner time. Enjoy!



Chicken Burrito Bake (from "Dinner Doctor" cookbook)

You will need:

• 4 large chicken breasts
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups shredded taco cheese
• 8-10 8-inch flour tortillas
• 2 10-ounce containers refrigerated Alfredo sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil then shred chicken breasts.

In large bowl, combine chicken, salsa, and 1/2 cup cheese.

Spoon 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of a tortilla. Roll into a burrito shape and place, seam down, into a 13x9 baking dish.

Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. You will end up with 8-10 burritos.

Combine Alfredo sauce and remaining cheese in the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour this mixture over the burritos.

Bake until sauce bubbles, 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.


Corn Casserole (from my sis-in-law, Jessica)

You will need:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 can (15 oz.) creamed corn
• 1 can (15 oz.) kernel corn
• 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
• Salt and pepper

Combine butter, sour cream, creamed corn and kernel corn in large bowl.

Add in cornbread mix and mix together.
Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Pour into a 2-quart baking dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes (mine took a bit longer, probably closer to an hour. I took it out once it looked "set")


That's it! Super easy, right?

Whole Wheat Bread

I made my first attempt at homemade bread yesterday. I have a breadmaker (courtesy of my mom, who never used it so passed it along to me, and I consequently never use it either), but I don't think throwing a box of bread mix and turing the breadmaker on counts as making homemade bread. Anyway, it turned out pretty well! We've gobbled most of it up in the past 24 hours, so I don't know how long it would stay fresh, but it's delicious for now!



Whole Wheat Bread (adapted from http://www.tammysrecipes.com/)

You will need:

• 1 cup warm water (120 degrees F)
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 cups whole-wheat flour (I used Trader Joe's 100% white whole-wheat flour)
• 1 pkg. (2 tsp.) instant active dry yeast

Combine water, milk, oil, honey, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

Add flour and yeast. 

Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl; turn once to grease all of dough.

Cover with a clean towl and put in a warm place to rise until doubled, approximately 40 minutes.

Punch dough down, then knead for a few minutes until smooth.

Form into a loaf, then place in a greased loaf pan and cover. Let double in size, approximately 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. If it starts to get too dark, lay a piece of foil over the top.

It was a very cold day when I made this, so my dough took longer to rise. Just be patient and let it do its thing, and it should turn out okay!

Poppy Seed Chicken

I tried another new recipe on Sunday... (another) one of my New Year's Resolutions is to try at least one new recipe a week. Our dinner rotation is getting a little boring so I'm hoping to add some new winners! We're 2 for 2 on the week... after Saturday's Chicken Tortilla Soup (which, by the way, was even more delicious leftover the next day, just as I suspected...), the Poppy Seed Chicken we had on Sunday night was a hit too! It tastes much richer and much un-healthier than it actually is... which is always a good thing in my book! I served this with some fresh sauteed green beans. We discovered that when the green beans mixed together with the sauce from the chicken, it tasted a whole lot like Green Bean Casserole... it was delicious. Next time I might try mixing the green beans in from the get-go.

I snagged this recipe from the Cooking with LT blog... this lovely lady has definitely got it going on in the kitchen. Hop on over and check out some of her great recipes when you get a minute.


Enough talk... enjoy the recipe!

Poppy Seed Chicken (from Cooking with LT blog)

You will need:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 can reduced fat, low-sodium cream of chicken soup
• 40-50 Wheat Thins crackers, crushed
• 1 tbsp. melted butter
• 2 tbsp. poppy seeds
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Cover chicken breasts (with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and put in the bottom of a greased 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.

Mix sour cream and soup in a bowl. Pour mixture over chicken.

Mix cracker crumbs, melted butter, and poppy seeds together; sprinkle cracker mixture over chicken/soup.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Since I'm so far behind on blogging, I've got a lot of recipes I'm wanting to share, but I'm going to start with just the one today. I made this Chicken Tortilla Soup last night for the first time, and it is definitely a keeper! We're planning on having the leftovers for lunch, and I'm certain it will be just as good, if not better, than it was last night.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (adapted from foodnetwork.com)

You will need:

• 2 ancho chiles
• 1 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 6 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
• 3 large chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt

Boil the chiles for about 15 minutes to soften them.  Cut open and remove stems and seeds.

Puree chiles, onion, tomatoes, and garlic cloves.  Transfer mixture to a large saucepan and fry in olive oil for just a few minutes.

Add chicken broth, tortillas, cooked chicken, and cilantro.

Simmer until thick, about 30-40 minutes.  The tortillas will disolve and thicken the soup.

Add salt. Serve with mexican cheese, lime juice, sour cream, and crisp tortilla strips (I fried up a few tortillas and tore into strips).