day 42 = lazy day pasta

sarah:
we have been busy lately so ended up having a lazy day. at trader joe's last week we picked up some cans of tomatoes and mini-ravioli. i thought it was just ok, by charley liked it. here's what i did:

combine in a large soup pot & simmer for 3 hrs:
- 2 14oz cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1/2 jar fire roasted yellow and red peppers
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 7 cloves garlic, diced
- handful of fresh basil, chopped
- 1 1/2 jalapeno, chopped
- 2 chicken sausages, cases removed and crumbled
- 3 tbsp dried basil
- 3 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika

when sauce is ready, boil water and add mini-raviolis. cook for 16 mins.

plate pasta with sauce and sprinkle with feta cheese and fresh basil.

charley:
it had wonderful balance of tastes and i felt it had a good flavor.  a little spicy with good texture.  since pasta can be prepared in so many different ways it always comes down to personal preference.  for me this was a good meal!

enjoy!

day 29 = you asked for it greek pasta salad!

sarah:
i made this a few months ago for a bbq and it went over so well it was requested again for tomorrow's labor day party. nancy, this one's for you -- my secret is now yours!

i doubled the recipe and the total cost today (without the dressing ingredients because i had them on-hand) was $18.71.  

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 12 oz rotini pasta, cooked
• 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives
• 3/4 cup sliced pepperoni sausage, cut into strips
• 1/2 jar pepperoncini
• 1 head broccoli

in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. add remaining ingredients. toss until evenly coated. cover, and chill overnight.

(if you don't like a lot of dressing and want to see what it tastes like first, reserve 1/2 to 1/4 for later use. you can pour it over the pasta salad the next day or keep it for your dinner salad!)

don't be fooled. it won't taste very well the day you make it. it really needs to marinate overnight to get the full effect.

charley:

if you are looking for something lite and refreshing i would highly recommend this.  it is perfect for a bbq or picnic.

enjoy!

day 26 = why not combine pasta ponza and pasta primavera?

since we've been back from italy, i have been craving pasta. we have a lot of vegetables in the house today, but not really much else. i wanted to make something with an olive oil sauce, but it's surprisingly been hard to find a recipe among my collection. instead, i am combining two recipes from Giada de Laurentiis: pasta ponza (in the "giada at home" cookbook) and pasta primavera and giving it my little flare :)

enjoy watching the progress...

start by chopping a good amount of garlic

sprinkle salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, and breadcrumbs on halved cherry tomatoes.

bake in 375 degree oven for 30 mins, set aside. 

 

chop vegetables into thin slices. add some italian seasoning, hot pepper flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil (a good amount), bread crumbs, and remaining garlic.

bake in 450 degree oven for 20 mins, turning.

start making your pasta (i used spaghetti). pull vegetables out of oven when finished.

mine looked like this:

plate pasta with vegetables and tomatoes. add a sprinkle of parsley and feta cheese.

mix it all together and you are all set to eat!

enjoy!

day 23 = using up the fridge caprese salad and lasagna

we are trying to eat up what's in the fridge. when i made the meatballs on day 18, i forgot to put the mozzarella in the center of them. so, i needed to do something with them today to use them up. what's better than a lasagna?

i basically scrambled in the fridge and pulled out whatever i could find. here's what i put together...

caprese salad:
1 mozzarella ball
2 small tomatoes on the vine
olive oil
salt & pepper

slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into round slices. sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pat them dry with a paper towel. layer the tomatoes and mozzarella on a plate. drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle with salt.

lasagna:
1/2 pkg lasagna noodles

freezer "stoup" bag (today's was: canned tomatoes, chopped onions, chicken broth)
feta cheese
dried oregano
dried basil
parsley
red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

freezer "stoup" leftover (today's was: noodles, pasta sauce, chicken, pancetta, peppers)
feta cheese
1 mozzarella ball, sliced
parsley

put a pot of salted water to boil. add a little olive oil and boil lasagna noodles to al dente.

put a pot with the contents of your freezer stoup bag on the stove to boil. since there was more chicken broth than tomatoes, i added a little feta cheese to thicken the sauce. sprinkle with spices to get the correct italian sauce flavoring.

defrost any leftover stoup you may have in the freezer.

put a layer of sauce on the bottom of your lasagna pan. layer with 3 pasta noodles, sauce, leftover stoup (the solid parts), feta cheese, salt & pepper. repeat layering noodles and sauce / stoup until you are finish. place the mozzarella on the top and sprinkle with parsley.

tent the lasagna with foil and bake 45 mins in 375 degree oven. remove foil and bake another 5-10 mins uncovered. cool and serve!

**if you don't know what "stoup" is, check out day 6


charley:
initially i wasn't in the mood for lasagna as i was looking forward to eating hot wings.  in the end i tried the lasagna before making my wings and ended up going back for more lasagna.  it had a good amount of heat to it which, as you know, i enjoy.  i am already looking forward to eating more of it tomorrow.  now on to my ice cream for the national ice cream day!


enjoy!

day 18 = bucatini all'amatriciana with spicy smoked mozzarella meatballs

basically spaghetti and meatballs :)

sarah:

this was excellent. i used Giada De Laurentiis's "Giada at Home" cookbook to make this recipe. but, a combination of being too cheap to buy some of the ingredients, too lazy to ask the store where they would be located, and forgetting to use some of them (typical me), led me to make the recipe below. must have been good because charley really liked it! it was also surprisingly easy.

if you want the real recipe, go to foodnetwork.com

here's what i did:

all'amatriciana sauce (i will double next time): 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (i used over 1/2 a 28oz can)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan 

meatballs:

• 1 small onion, grated
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) cubes (i forgot to add this)
• 1/2 pkg spaghetti 

directions

for the sauce:

 - in a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.

 - add onion and cook for 5 minutes.

 - stir in garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

 - add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.

 - simmer, uncovered, over med-low heat until sauce thickens, 15 minutes.

 - stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
 - i let simmer for 1 1/2 hrs, but not necessary. 

for the meatballs:
 - line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 - in a large bowl, combine the onion through beef ingredients.
 - using your hands, combine all ingredients gently but thoroughly.
 - shape the meat mixture into 16 (1 1/2-in) meatballs and place on baking sheet.
 - make a hole in center of each meatball and place a cube of mozzarella (optional).
 - reform meatball so the mozzarella is completely covered with the meat mixture.
 - put in the refrigerator for 15 mins.

 - preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

 - bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until cooked through.

to finish:
 - bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
 - add the pasta and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
 - drain and place in a large serving bowl.
 - add the meatballs and sauce.
 - toss gently and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
 - sprinkle with parsley and parmesan.


i've made quite a few meatballs in my life and they never came out well. these were excellent! i'm sure it's better with pancetta, romano cheese, and mozzarella in the meatballs, so if you try it with any of those let me know how it goes!


charley:
i am sure some of you are wondering if i will ever find a dish i do not like and trust me it may happen some day, but this dish is not one of those.  i don't know what she did or how hard these were to make, but the meatballs were the best i have ever had.  if i wasn't worried about packing on weight i would sit down and eat them all in one sitting.  they were amazing, moist and full of flavor.  excellent meal!


enjoy!