pasta « eatingRD.com

September 4, 2009

nice and refreshing

Filed under: Blog,Dinner — Tags: broccoli, lemon, pasta, rotisserie chicken — Kristen :) @ 5:44 pm

ahhhh, Fridays, the love of my life, I look forward to you all week!

Overall the week was good! Progress has been made in my thesis in that I am meeting with my chair next week to get the ball rolling and hopefully I can come up with a topic that will be both interesting and doable. I’m really interested in the coconut water topic, but there are no studies out there that I can find as of yet. This would not be good for me in that I wouldn’t have any suggestions or methods to base my research off of. Any of you with an MS out there have any suggestions for me as I embark on this crazy journey that you wish you would have done differently? I’m still trying to learn the proper protocol for everything, and I can’t believe all the grammatical rules, yikes!

I am sooooorrre today! My muscles are not liking me at the moment, but I tried to win them over with some chia, flax, wheat germ oats love this morning 🙂 Workout week looked something like this . . .

tuesday – hip hop

wednesday – kick box (always makes me sore) I think my HR monitor is freaking out because it has told me twice now I maxed at 222, um cardiac arrest?!

thursday – first jazz class in a long time and I have definitely lost a lot of my technique and my hips were in shock.

friday – spin

I have to say though that since I’ve started cycling, my exercise classes have been feeling a lot easier and I don’t get very winded. Granted I am still sucking air like a girl on my rides trying to keep up with the pros, other things are now feeling easier, just for conditioning. I’ve got my clipless shoes, so now I just have to get the pedals. Why did I decide to start something so pricey, geez! I’m really nervous about this because you are practically locked into the bike and I can just imagine myself falling over while screaming ‘I can’t clip out!!!’ oh dear. positive thoughts.

Many of you around the blog world have been joyously praising the new fall weather coming your way and I’m jealous!!! Please send some out my way! It’s still freaking hot here and I look forward to the days when I can actually do activities outside in the afternoon without dying from heat stroke and bake lovely comforting warm casseroles without heating the house to oblivion. So because of that I have a nice refreshing pasta dish, adapted from my pasta idol Giada, that is great really at any temperature and very refreshing!

Lemony Roasted Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients

about 3 bunches broccoli, trimmed and chopped
1/2 box of your favorite long pasta (I usually make fresh fettuccine, but in a crunch we had spaghetti rigati)
1 (14-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups shredded roasted chicken (from about 1 roasted chicken)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and all-purpose seasoning

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until 4 minutes from al dente, then add broccoli and finish cooking together. Reserve 1/2 cup liquid; drain and rinse with cold water.

Meanwhile, bring the broth and lemon juice to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Boil until the broth reduces a bit. Add the garlic and chicken, simmer on low. Add broccoli and pasta to the chicken broth and stir to combine. Add 1/3-1/2 cup of Parmesan, pine nuts, oil, and lemon zest. Toss to coat, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten if needed* Season to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve.

*note this is a really light sauce so it will seem as if it’s not ‘coming together’ give it time and some good light stirring. The chicken and broccoli will absorb all that lovely juice.

It’s great as a cold salad for leftovers too!

If you couldn’t tell, I’m really looking forward to the extra day this weekend. We don’t have any specific plans, but I do hope to make some progress on my school projects, organization and sanity, along with other house stuff like cleaning and wash. Oh and hopefully a bike ride in there somewhere. Tonight I plan to get together with a good friend for a little bite to eat and some drinks 🙂

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

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August 22, 2009

a little bit of randomness

Filed under: Blog,Dinner — Tags: broccoli, pasta — Kristen :) @ 3:37 am

I don’t really have a specific topic for this post, and it probably won’t be my most stellar, but I just wanted to post and say hello!

Whew, today is Friday and boy am I a happy camper in the non-tent, non-outdoor form, of course! Fridays always make me happy even though the weekends always fly by way too fast.

Since my last post I went to the Farmer’s Market here in Las Vegas started by Molto Vegas. I actually found out about it from our Staff Meeting at work. Every meeting they highlight a specific program at UNCE, and this time it was the ‘Producer to Chef’ program with Bob Morris. Wow, this really got me excited! Doug Taylor, the executive pastry chef for Molto Vegas was also there because he was the man who started the great producer-to-chef relationship with all the local farms near the Vegas area (150 mile radius). When they told us about this farmer’s market, I literally wanted to jump out of my seat with delight! I’ve been to a few farmer’s markets here and just haven’t been that impressed. This one . . . oh my gosh, loss for words. It is located in a warehouse that is pretty cramped and there were a lot of people (word got out), but the product was just gorgeous! The chefs in town get first dibbs and then the public gets to look around. Connecting with the chefs is what really makes this farmer’s market work and helps the farmer’s to actually make money. Boy, I am so glad they opened it to the public too.

I got some really great things and oh let me tell you I could have bought it all! I got some pumpkin blossoms, leeks, yellow summer squash, figs, peaches, plums, lemon basil and purple basil. I cannot wait to try these out! I already had a bite of the lemon basil and it about knocked my socks off it was so good. It’s like basil with a refreshing lemon-y punch. You have to try this! I also had one of the plums which was juicy and so full of flavor. Usually at the store they taste like flavorless hockey pucks.

mmmm . . . I’m in heaven with this kind of stuff! And you know what I’ve finally come to the realization that I have to go to culinary school no matter what that looks like or how I get there. I’ve danced around the idea forever now. This truly makes me excited and happy! I’d like to go to Johnson and Wales because they actually have a culinary nutrition degree and I’ve taken a lot of the science-based classes already. But, I may have to settle for the community college here because it’s way too expensive. It is definitely on my must-do list 🙂 You have to hold me to it!!

This weekend we are planning on going to our friend’s double birthday/housewarming party which should be a lot of fun. They plan on having beer pong, hehe! Takes me back to the college days, although I wasn’t a big partier at all. I didn’t even have a drink till I was 21 I swear. But I do like to go dancing in da club! I’d also like to get a good bike ride in on Saturday, but we’ll see how it goes. I’ve been sorely sleep deprived this week and really just want to sleep in and catch up to be honest 🙂

Tonight for din din I went back on that chicken sausage broccoli pasta idea that I had in mind before my guy made us something special Wednesday 🙂 This is really a winner, and everyone I make it for really likes it. My mom always requests it when I come to visit. Oh and my mom is coming to visit me October 20th for a week! I’m sooo excited! Being that she is in North Carolina and I’m way over here in Vegas, it makes it really hard sometimes for me. I do call my mom every day on the phone though!

Sorry for the terrible lighting, it was getting dark and the precious sunlight was dwindling! Any camera pros know of a cheap light tent or some kind of light station to make great light?

I also added some of the farmer’s market leeks and TJ’s heirloom tomatoes. This recipe is great because you can vary the ingredients based on what you have on hand 🙂

I also made stuffed squash blossoms because, well, I’ve always wanted to try and make them! I stuffed them with a mixture of ricotta, parmesan, goat cheese, garlic, pine nuts and lemon basil. This is sooo good and would also be great stuffed in calzones, added to scrambled eggs, or as a bruschetta topping.

Then I made a tempura batter to plop them in before frying them to a crisp. Here’s the recipe I based mine off of and this one too. Wow! So good! I didn’t know how easy tempura batter is. The blossoms are very unique and I love the puffy tempura batter! Once we started frying Chris got a little fry happy, so we decided to try anything we could find 🙂 Broccoli, sweet potatoes(these are my favorite), whole wheat tortillas . . .

And even a string cheese!!!

Oooey, gooey cheese in the middle! Yum! I love tempura batter, and I haven’t fried anything ever in my own kitchen. Can you believe that? Of course I’ve had it at restaurants though. It was fun, a bit messy, but oh so good!

Another big question for you . . . I’ve been wanting to update my site for ages now, but it just hasn’t seemed to pan out mostly because I have no idea when it comes to website design. I’d like to ask if you guys know of any one that is good with this kind of thing? I’d be willing to pay, but I don’t have that big of a budget being that I just had to fork out my left kidney for grad school. (Speaking of which, I’m going to be taking sports nutrition and research methods in physical activity). I’d mostly just like to make it easier to navigate, with better graphics/background and add a few tabs, including a recipes tab with all my recipes I’ve posted. Thanks for your thoughts!

Have you guys seen the FoodBuzz Blogger Festival itinerary yet?? Wow! How freakin’ cool would that be?! I am still in the process of being a featured publisher, but I would love to go!

Well, if you’ve made it through this post and your head doesn’t hurt, I commend you!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Any fun plans??

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June 25, 2009

leftovers galore

Filed under: Blog,Breakfast,Dinner — Tags: pasta, yogurt — Kristen :) @ 12:14 am

Man, this week seems to be draaaging! Maybe because last weekend just got away from me with all the party planning and I’m really looking forward to the next one?? But, heck weekends always usually seem to just fly. Anyone else agree? I just want to say a big thank you to all of you who liked my photos. It’s still a work in progress, and I will certainly be eating A LOT of cold dinners in the future!

Speaking of cold dinners . . . it’s been so dang hot here that all I’ve been craving is cold things . . . smoothies, fruit, or a nice big bowl of yogurt, cereal and frozen fruit like this . . .

I love it when the fruit gets all melty and flavors the yogurt and the cereal gets slightly soggy, but still has a slight crunch! Yummy stuff. Plus Chris has been getting home at 10 during the week with summer school, so preparing this is really a cinch. I get so excited for Fridays now when we actually can cook and be together. I think it’s going to be calzones or pizza and some good ol’ vino this Friday.

Because we had a ton of leftovers from the housewarming party, I tried to plan this weeks meals around them (aside from the bowls of yogurt!), and decided to make a simple caprese mac and cheese. We also had lots of liquor left, including a giant thing of vodka, coconut rum, sweet tea vodka, cranberry and pineapple juice. I think we need to have another party just to use it all! Good thing that stuff never goes bad 🙂

This is a lightened up version of mac and cheese, so that the noodles aren’t drowning in it, but are nicely coated. I actually didn’t mind eating it cold either.

Caprese Mac and Cheese

Yield: 4

1/2 box of your favorite pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
2 tbsp flour
2 cups of milk (I used non-fat)
about 2 cups of your favorite cheeses (I think I added goat cheese, herbed brie, sharp cheddar, aged gouda, and parmesan
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
salt, pepper, all-purpose seasoning to taste
anything else you can find in your fridge to throw in!
I also topped it with some breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Start boiling the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, heat up the oil, add the shallot and sauté until golden. Add the flour and cook a few minutes. Slowly add the milk while whisking. Slowly simmer and whisk until the mixture thickens. Turn the heat to low or off and add all your cheeses, basil, tomato, seasonings and other stuff you can find. When everything is melty and yummy, place in a pan, top with crumbs and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Closer . . .

Closest! . . .

What do you like to eat in the summer time when it’s so dang hot?

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June 10, 2009

sprucing up annie

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Dinner,Recipes in a Flash — Tags: pasta — Kristen :) @ 1:58 am

I love annie’s mac and cheese, but I always like to add a little bit more to it and spruce it up. I like things with contrasting flavors, colors, textures, so just having a plain bowl of mac and cheese just doesn’t do it for me. I want more adventure! So I like to add just a few things to change it up a bit. When I make popcorn, I have to mix some cereal or chocolate chips in it because I can’t have just popcorn. When I eat cereal I have to have about 4 different kinds all mixed in, because I can’t just eat one kind. So weird!

Usually I make things from scratch and always despise making things out of a box or freezer bag. My dear mother used to love making those hamburger and tuna helpers, and I absolutely despised it as I got older! She always tried to fit in in there somewhere. Maybe that is where I get my culinary inspiration from? No one in my immediate family enjoys cooking that much, except my great grandmother (she passed away when I was 3, so sad we didn’t get to cook together) and grandmother on my mom’s side. Isn’t that funny?

But, oh when i was younger my grandma used to make me Velveeta brand mac and cheese, and oh how I loved the salty, creamy goodness of it! She probably put extra butter in it too, oh grandma and her butter. She would make me peaches and cream too with the real stuff, yes whole milk, chopped peaches and sugar! It was so good though. I used to also love those Little Debbie nutty bars. I think I’ve had a love affair with peanut butter from birth! It’s crazy the junk food kids love and are attracted to these days with great media tactics.

Here are some previous attempts at sprucing up Annie:

Tonight here’s what I came up with:

I added chopped shallot, garlic, a few mushrooms, leftover corn, 1 zucchini, 1/2 bell pepper, 1 small head broccoli and tofu and sautéed it until golden. I also like to add about 1/4 cup each of non-fat milk and greek yogurt to it for its tang and creaminess, along with herbed goat cheese, a little fontina (leftovers from the peppers), parmesan and all-purpose seasoning. It was delish! Next time I think I’m going to add some chipotle chilis in adobo and black beans for a Mexican twist? Or caprese mac and cheese? mmm . . . endless possibilities!

Mac and Cheese tower . . .

Brought me back to my childhood 🙂

What are some nostalgic childhood junk food memories you have that you wouldn’t think of eating today? I’d love to hear them!

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June 2, 2009

new additions

Filed under: Blog,Dinner — Tags: mushrooms, pasta, polenta — Kristen :) @ 4:44 pm

There have been many new things in my life recently from a new house, new furniture, new kitchen, new schedules, and now a new . . . dog! We picked up Buster the basset on Sunday morning and he is doing quite well for changing homes pretty regularly. He’s 6 years old and we adopted him from the Las Vegas Basset Rescue. This organization is so wonderful and they do so much for their doggies. We couldn’t be happier with the happy guy. Actually he’s your typical basset . . . doesn’t like to do much but lie around all day, have a good walk (all of about 20 minutes max), eat some grub and lie down again. Oh . . . the life of a basset. He’s the first dog I’ve seen that really sleeps hard, I mean really hard. We have to shake him for awhile before he’ll get up! So funny! We had to get him some ear rinse to keep his long ears clean and this tool to help with shedding, along with other typical doggie things. We hope he’s enjoying his new home too.

Blogging buddies meet Buster the basset . . .

He even knows how to roll over (haha)

In house news, we finally got a dining table to eat at, yay! I’m glad to sit at a table and not on the floor. We still have to spruce up the place with some pictures, and need to get the drapes on the walls. Our little housewarming party is approaching fast . . . eek!

This past weekend we made some fresh baked pasta (THE best) and a rhubarb crisp. We used half whole wheat and half AP flour. I love rhubarb in the summer, especially when it’s paired along with strawberries and topped with a crumbly, crisp topping. . . yum!

I also tried the crisp with TJ’s non-fat tart frozen yogurt. It was good, but I have to say it doesn’t quite compare to the soft serve we get at that yogurt place near our house of course, but it will do for now.

It doesn’t melt right to me, but is more like a smooth sorbet?

Last night I also tapped into the frugal cook and made a polenta mushroom casserole that was delish! I swear it tastes better than it looks. It’s flavor was very smoky and slightly spicy from the addition of a little canned chipotle chiles in adobo. If you haven’t experimented with these yet, they add quite a bit of flavor to many dishes. I usually buy a can and then freeze little portions in baggies to use later, since you can’t really use one whole can in one recipe unless you want to burn your whole mouth off. Next time I will make the polenta the night before so it will ‘set’ up better for the topping. I tried queso fresco for the first time, but I don’t know if I would use it again because I couldn’t really taste it on top, as it was masked by the smokiness of the chiles.

Polenta Mushroom Casserole

Yield: 8-10 servings

Polenta:

5 1/2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups dry polenta (fancy name for corn meal)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, all-purpose seasoning

Mushroom Topping:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
3/4 lb lean ground chicken (I had this leftover in the freezer)
2 – 8oz cartons sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fruity balsamic vinegar
1 tsp – 1tbsp chopped drained canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, drained and chopped
crumbled queso fresco cheese, or mozzarella, or goat cheese for topping

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare polenta, combine first 4 ingredients in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, stirring well. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until liquid is absorbed. This can be done the night before to help it ‘set’ better.

To prepare topping, while polenta bakes, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add chicken and mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar, chiles, oregano, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until liquid evaporates, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes, and cook over low heat 20-30 minutes or until the mixture thickens and reduces, stirring occasionally.

Spoon over polenta; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Increase oven temp and bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes or until cheese begins to melt and brown. Serve with a side salad. This is great for leftovers!

Look and the plate is on a table now, yay!

Any new additions in your life or in the past that made you happy? Hope your having a great week!

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May 20, 2009

just about done . . . well almost . . . and giveaways!

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Projects — Tags: pasta, salad — Kristen :) @ 1:21 am

Well we moved in two weeks ago on Friday and it’s just starting to feel like a home! This first time home ownership, do-it-yourself stuff is not for the faint of heart. It’s a lot of work! I truly admire those that do this kind of work for a living. We’ve been busy and yet it still seems like there is so much more to do. I am a list writer and I have lists and lists of things to buy, things to do, things to plan . . . Definitely won’t be bored anytime soon.

We haven’t made much more progress on the painting, but are having the professionals come back out this Saturday to finish our master bath, guest bath and powder room. After that we just have the guest room, laundry room and molding to paint and touch-up. We ended up having to buy a new fridge because the stink just wouldn’t come out of the other one, it was icky! The new one is amazing; I’ve never had a fridge like this before. A dining room table and a bedroom set for us is still on the list. We are going to go look at a couple furniture outlets this weekend and I also saw a nice table at Big Lots that we really liked. The budget is surely dwindling!

Warning: Installing your own laminate “easy floating lock-in” floor is NOT easy, I repeat is NOT easy! Making all the cuts was the hardest part. The hammering in the boards wasn’t too bad, but my knees and joints didn’t like all the floor action. Ouch! I felt like an old lady afterwards even with knee pads. But, it’s pretty much done, and after 500 sq ft. and 20 hours of hard work it looks really nice. Woo-hoo, we did it! We still have to put all the base boards back on and get all the thresholds to make the transitions from tile to laminate much smoother. 100_2865 Sometimes I wish I could afford to be a not do-it-yourself-er! But, Chris was on his high horse feeling like a manly man. I just wanted to get it over with. I may be smiling, but I’m really thinking . . this sucks! What did I get myself into? When is this going to be over? Get me out of here!

Here are some pictures!

Where did all the carpet go?

There it is! I see a couple loads to the dump in our future.

Swimming pool floor . . . this is the moisture barrier.

Chris made all the cuts, and re-cuts . . .

Lots and lots of measurements . . . carpenter squares are amazing and a must-have.

Lots of saw dust and dirt . . .

Finished product so far . . . Lots of decorating to do. Gotta love the 19” TV that my friend let us borrow. I have to wear my glasses to see it haha. A new TV will be way down the road.

Why hasn’t the dining table and drapery fairy visited yet?

Also need a couple large area rugs . . . those are so darn expensive!

I have made it to the grocery store finally. We’ve been eating out way too much. There is also this self-serve frozen yogurt shop somewhat near our house where you can put on all your toppings and then they weigh it . . . this is sooo dangerous and sooo good! I seriously have to hit myself to keep me from going there every day! It’s that good.

I made a really easy pasta salad the other day, and it was just the thing in this heat and with working our butts off.

Here’s what in it . . . sorry no specific measurements. These kind of things I just throw whatever sounds good, or whatever is in the fridge, into it and it’s different every time!

Dressing:

Orange and Lemon Juice + zest of both
olive oil
salt, pepper and all-purpose seasoning like Mrs. Dash
Dijon mustard
rice wine vinegar (sweet tang)

Salad:

1/2 box favorite pasta shape
shredded chicken breast
bell pepper
cucumber
grapes
artichoke hearts
green onions
toasty walnuts
goat cheese (it gets melty from the pasta and makes a creamy sauce by itself!)

So refreshing! I also like to put it atop a nice bed of romaine lettuce or spinach.

Here are the winning numbers randomly generated for the EatingRD survey giveaway (finally!) . . .

13 – Sweta
11 – skibum40
10 – sorensenjamie
12 – mdwyer1970
6 – willsmj

Please e-mail me at Kristen@eatingRD.com and let me know your contact information and whether you would like a 1GB flash drive or 5 iTunes downloads. Congrats!

I hope you all haven’t forgotten me and I really appreciate all your kind words and compliments with the house. Hopefully I’ll be getting back to regularly scheduled blogging pretty soon. I sure hope you are having a wonderful summer (if it’s summer where you’re at yet) and the sunshine is making you happy happy!

What’s your favorite part about summer?

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April 19, 2009

seeing green

Filed under: Blog,Dinner — Tags: lemon, pasta, pesto — Kristen :) @ 9:37 pm

We found out that we are going to close on Monday! Woo-hoo! Let the madness begin. While we haven’t progressed in our packing endeavors, we did make a trip to drop off a load of furniture to the new place. I also bought some quarts of paint to test the colors out and make sure they will work.

At the moment I’m fighting off a viral URI (found out it’s not strep thank goodness!), but it’s been about 5 days and I’m hoping I’m half way through. Plus that lovely time of the month has greeted me. I guess they say when it rains it pours right? 🙂 I’m just looking through to the end of packing, moving, painting, flooring, getting settled, finishing finals and being able to . . . . RELAX!! I see a little bit of light, but it’s in the distance. Many thanks for all your kind words, I really appreciate it!

On to a lovely dinner . . .

Lemony Tofu Pesto Pasta

Yield

4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)