Scrumdiddiliumptious Dinner

Some dear friends have decided they need to move, far, far away from us. We are so sad that they are leaving us. We had them over for one last dinner, and along with our neighbors we combined forces and make a scrumdiddiliumptious dinner.

I made a pasta dish, a variation of Giada De Laurentiis's Fusilli alla Caprese. I browned some chicken tenderloins and sprinkled them with a garlic and herb blend and diced the cooked pieces. I boiled spaghetti noodles. I made the tomato sauce from Giada's recipe and I sauteed up a bunch of fresh vegetables (summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and red peppers) in olive oil. I mixed all the cooked ingredients in a bowl and added the chopped up basil. I served it with a bowl of diced fresh mozzerella and let each person spoon in their own desired amount of cheese. We served it with foccacia bread.

The dessert was to die for. We made Strawberry Romanoff, using a recipe of a good friend and made Ghiradelli dark chocolate brownies. We topped the brownies with the strawberry romanoff. Oh. My. Goodness. It was to die for.

Last Minute Lasagna

Adapted from Real Simple

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 24- or 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
2 18-20-ounce refrigerated large cheese ravioli
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed dry

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 zucchini, quartered

1 red pepper, diced
1 8-ounce bag shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 F. Saute mushrooms, zucchini, and red pepper in a 1 tbsp of olive oil. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover with a single layer of ravioli. Top with half the spinach, half sauteed vegetables, half the mozzarella, and a third of the sauce. Repeat with another layer of ravioli and the remaining spinach, sauteed vegetables, mozzarella, and half the remaining sauce. Top with another layer of ravioli and the remaining sauce (not all the ravioli may be needed). Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Italian Chicken Pastina

From My Kitchen Cafe (photo courtesy as well)


Ingredients

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta - I used cellantani)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

Jamie
Kentucky

Pork Saltimbocca with White Wine Sauce

This is from Rachel Ray

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided
• 1 pork tenderloin (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
• 6 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half
• 12 sage leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 pound fresh fettuccine or linguine
• 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends and stalks removed
• 1/2 cup (about a handful) basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Serve it up by giving everyone some pasta and three pork cutlets per plate topped with a nice spoonful of your white wine sauce. Don't forget to tell them about the toothpick!

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring it to a boil for your pasta. Pour the heavy cream and lemon zest into a small pot and place it over medium heat. Bring the cream up to a bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer it until thickened, about 10 minutes.

While the cream is reducing, prepare the pork cutlets by cutting the tenderloin into 12 equal pieces. Place the pieces, one or two at a time, into a zipper lock plastic bag with a splash of water. Pound them out with a meat mallet or small cast iron skillet until they're about a quarter-inch thick (just eyeball it).

Once all of the pork is pounded out, assemble the saltimbocca by laying a half slice of prosciutto and one sage leaf onto each pork cutlet. Stick everything together with a toothpick by poking down through the top then back up from the bottom, like you’re putting a pin through fabric. Season both sides of each portion with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

With all of your pork assembled, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Cook the cutlets until lightly golden and cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Pour the white wine into the pan and continue cooking for about 2 minutes more.

While the pork cooks in the wine, combine the butter and flour in a small dish, stirring it together with a spoon. After cooking for a couple of minutes, remove the pork to a plate and add the butter-flour mixture to the pan, whisking to combine it. Cook the sauce until thickened up, 2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat.

Once you've added the butter-flour mixture to the pan, drop the fresh pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. When you've got about a minute of cooking time left on the pasta, drop the asparagus tips into the water as well so they get some time to cook up.

When the pasta's ready, drain it and the asparagus and combine them with the reduced cream and the lemon juice, basil, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano, giving it a nice turn to coat it.

Serve it up by giving everyone some pasta and three pork cutlets per plate topped with a nice spoonful of your white wine sauce. Don't forget to tell them about the toothpick!

Addie Colorado

Quinoa and Zucchini Salad

From 101 Cookbooks
Makes 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 large avocado, ripe
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 large eggs
1 large zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch thick coins
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
couple pinches of fine grain sea salt
2 cups quinoa, cooked, room temperature
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup goat cheese (or feta cheese), crumbled
a bit of chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Prepare the cilantro-avocado dressing by blending the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, yogurt, water, and salt in a blender (or us a hand blender). Set aside.

Hard boil the three eggs. Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking. Set aside.

While the eggs are cooling start preparing the zucchini by tossing it with olive oil and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Prepare your grill (medium-high heat). If you are worried about the zucchini coins falling through the grill you can thread them onto kabob skewers (stab through the green skin). Grill until zucchini are tender and cooked through, roughly 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and cut each zucchini coin into quarters. If you don't grill, you can saute the zucchini as well.

Crack and peel each egg, cut each egg into quarters lengthwise. Assemble the salad by tossing the quinoa with about 2/3 cups of the avocado vinaigrette. Top with the grilled zucchini, pine nuts, eggs, goat cheese, and a bit of chopped cilantro for garnish. I serve this family-style, but you could do individual platings.

***Benefits of quinoa: Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. (source)***

Jamie
Kentucky

Oven Ready Lasagna

From Creamette Brand
Serves 10-12 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
2 cups (about 28 oz jar) spaghetti sauce
1 cup (8 oz can) tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
12 pieces oven ready lasagna, uncooked and unsoaked
4 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Remove 12 pieces of past from package.
2. Heat oven to 375 degrees
3. In large skillet, cook meat until browned; remove from heat and drain. Stir in spaghetti and tomato sauces. In small bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, egg, basil and oregano.
4. In 13x9x2-inch baking dish, spread 3/4 cup meat sauce.
5. Place 2 pieces uncooked pasta crosswise over sauce. (Pieces should not overlap or touch side of pan since they will expand when baked.)
6. Spread about 2/3 cup ricotta mixture evenly over past. Spread 3/4 cup meat suace evenly over ricotta covering past completely. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 TWO more times.
8. Top with remaining three pasta pieces. Spread remaining meat sauce completely over pasta; sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
9. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with additional sauce, if desired.

Make Ahead Directions:
Prepare recipe as directed; DO NOT BAKE. Cover with plastic wrap, then foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours or freeze up to 2 months. Remove plastic wrap; replace foil. Bake refrigerated lasagna at 375 degrees about 40 minutes and frozen lasagna about 1 hour 30 minutes, removing foil during last 10 minutes of baking.

Jamie
Kentucky

Inside-Out Manicotti

Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 20-23 minutes

Ingredients:

½ pound dry ziti pasta
1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/3 cup chopped onion
1 lb ground beef (optional)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. In a large saucepan, heat oil over moderately high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until onion is translucent. (If you include ground beef and mushrooms, cook both and drain, before you cook the onion) Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to moderately low. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. (Add the ground beef/mushroom mix to the tomato mixture.) In a medium bowl, blend together ricotta, mozzarella, egg, black pepper, and nutmeg. Cover the bottom of a 2 ½ quart baking dish with about 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Layer with half the ziti, half of the cheese mixture, 2 more cups of the tomato sauce, and remaining ziti. Top with remaining cheese mixture and sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 23 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melt.

Jamie
Kentucky

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food
Recipe found at efnrecipes

Ingredients:
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands (or crushed tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
10 ounces baby spinach (I double the amount of spinach - fresh or frozen)
12 ounces smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 ounces fontina (or mozzarella) cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.

Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Drain, and return contents to pot.

Add tomato sauce, sausage, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between two shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dishes. Top with grated fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

Jamie
Kentucky

Athenian Orzo

From EatingWell.com

Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, makes a delightful base for an authentically Greek combination of chicken (or shrimp), tomatoes and feta. To serve as a side dish, omit the shrimp and drain the tomatoes before adding them.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided (or you can use a tbsp of dry parsley)
1 tablespoon drained capers (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes (or shrimp) (i used 2 chicken breasts and next time I'll add a little bit more)

1 cup orzo (It calls for 1 cup but I felt that was too much, so next time I'll try 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch (or other 3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.
2. Heat oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley, capers, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper; cook for 5 minutes. Drop in shrimp and cook, stirring, until barely pink, about 2 1/2 minutes.
3. Cook orzo in the boiling water until tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Toss with the tomato-shrimp sauce. Sprinkle with feta and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley.
4. Bake, uncovered, until the feta is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Jamie

Kentucky

Classic Baked Penne Casserole

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

8 ounces of Penne pasta, cooked and drained

1/2 pound ground beef, cooked and drained (add some spices while cooking if desired)

1 26-ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce (or about 3 cups of your homemade sauce)

2 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded (you can also add a little parmesan cheese if you have it on hand)

Parsley, dried or fresh and chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together cooked pasta, beef, sauce and 1 c. of the shredded cheese. Place pasta mixture into baking dish and cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Take dish out of the oven and remove cover, top with remaining 1 c. of shredded cheese and sprinkle with parsley. Bake for another 8-10 minutes. This recipe can be double easily and cooked in a 10x13 baking pan.

Jamie

Kentucky