Lemon Linguine w/ Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pine Nuts Plus Artichoke Appetizer

Wow. Been a while, huh?
This is a recipe that was inspired by a plethora of other linguine dishes with lemon. I didn't measure anything, but I will try my best to give you an idea at least. Yum.
The dish started off because my daughter and I were grocery shopping and she really wanted to get artichokes for me to steam....and we had a ton of lemons. So it evolved from there.
Here we go!

Steamed Artichokes

 (this can be made so many ways, this is just the way I have learned to love it-other than grilled)

2 Artichokes cut (there are a ton of places on the web so see how to do this)

Enough chicken broth/water to cover artichokes (I had one box of broth and used water for the rest)

Herbs (I use rosemary stems and basil stems from garden)

Two peeled cloves of garlic

1 sliced lemon

Bring broth/water to a boil with the lemon slices, garlic and herbs

Place artichokes in liquid and simmer for about 10 minutes

Place artichokes (along with lemon and herbs) in a steaming basket over simmering liquid and let them finish cooking by steaming.  When they are soft enough for the leaves to practically fall off is when I know they are ready. Save liquid in pan for the pasta.

At this point I called the family inside and we devoured the meat on the leaves in about 5 minutes. We usually dip them in a mayo mixture, but this time we dipped in melted butter. Next time I think I will get 3 artichokes...maybe more. It is embarrassing the way my family eats these things.

 Lemon Linguine w/ Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pine Nuts

I winged this meal....so I am not going to use exact measurements!

Box of wheat linguine

Handful of pine nuts (toasted)

Handful of baby spinach roughly chopped

2 Garlic clove minced

A half of a jar of sun-dried tomatoes chopped(about 2-3 T oil reserved)

Juice of a large lemon plus a teaspoon of lemon zest

Parmesan Cheese (I used asiago because I have it and love it)

2T Sour Cream

Olive Oil

Basil or Rosemary for garnish

Cook the pasta according to directions in the broth mixture left from the artichokes, then drain reserving about 1/3 of a cup to keep pasta from drying out

While pasta cooks, warm a pan and drizzle with olive oil. Saute garlic for about 2 minutes then add spinach. Once spinach is wilted, toss in the sun-dried tomatoes.

Combine drained pasta with spinach mixture, lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil, reserved sun dried tomato oil (awesome flavor), and reserved broth mixture if it seems too dry (white wine would be good here too). At the end add in sour cream, pine nuts, and asiago or Parmesan.

Garnish with lemon zest and fresh herbs. Add s&p (and red pepper flakes if you like...I do!).

That was wordy but the best I can do with describing my thrown together meal. :)

Enjoy!

xoxo

Kandice

P.S. Bacon would SOOOO rock this meal, but since yesterday I promised myself I wouldn't have any, I didn't. Haha.

Greek-Style Penne w/Chickpeas

I found this recipe in Eating Light Magazine. I thought it would be good for a healthy busy night meal. I cut the recipe in half because it would have been way too much food for our family of 4, plus I switched it up a little. It was a great, light meal with plenty of flavor. Chicken would be a nice addition to it, but I kept it a veggie meal.

Here is my version:

8oz penne pasta

1/2 can chickpeas drained

1/2 jar roasted peppers, drained and sliced

1/2 jar quartered marinated artichoke hearts, undrained

1 green onion chopped

a handful of sliced and pitted kalamata olives

sprinkling of feta cheese (I used low fat)

half a lemon

freshly ground pepper

1. Boil Penne as package directs, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water before draining

2. Meanwhile, toss chickpeas, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, green onions, and olives until hot

3. Toss with drained pasta, squeeze juice from lemon over the top, add feta cheese, pepper and cooking water as needed.

(if it needs more kick, Italian seasoning adds a touch)

A Sexy Dish

Taken from a sexy cookbook given to me by a great friend titled The New Inter-Courses an aphrodisiac cookbook

Sadly I don't have a picture. It was too dark and Chad and I were too anxious to try it. Haha.
I added one small addition that I felt it needed, that is in italics.


Pasta with asparagus, chicken and Gorgonzola
• 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 1/2 pound linguine
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 chicken breast, cut into thin strips
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, plus several whole sprigs for garnish
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
splash of white wine

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the asparagus into 1/2-inch lengths. Blanch the asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just crisp-tender. Remove the asparagus from the water, and add the linguine to the boiling water. Cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and drain the noodles.

Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken strips and season with salt and pepper. As the chicken begins to brown, add the shallot. Continue cooking just until the shallot begins to soften. Stir in the cream, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits.

Stir in the red pepper flakes. Add the Gorgonzola cheese, stirring to melt. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. (this is where I added in a splash or two of white wine...we then drank the rest)

Add the tarragon, cooked asparagus and linguine and toss to coat evenly with the sauce. If the sauce seems too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water and cook until reduced to the desired consistency. Place on a warmed platter and garnish with Parmesan and fresh tarragon.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

That Was Way Easy Tortellini...and some snickering

I am surprised by this so I decided to post it. Super easy and not original I am very sure. But when it is just the kids and me, it is easy to get stuck in that rut of easy kid food and me munching on whatever for the remainder of the night (not good for swimsuit season I might add). Tonight I asked the kids if they wanted Italian or Asian. My son screamed Italian as my just turned 4 daughter asked what Italian was. My son told her pasta. They were both happy. I told them it would be Tortellini, my son quickly said Turtle WHAT? That is just funny because secretly I called it turtle weenie. Ha.
I had picked up some spinach and cheese tortellini one day when I was a hungry shopper. I decided to put that to work (plus it was a long day and any excuse to have wine with Italian was what I was looking for).
So, after cooking the turtle weenie (how old am I?) per the instructions, I drained it and drizzled with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. I then (again with the olive oil) sauteed minced garlic (from the jar of course) and halved cherry tomatoes for a few minutes. Topped the tortellini with that, more Parmesan cheese with s&p, added a side salad and it was a meal. It also made for a pretty picture.

Now get this, the kids LOVED it. I gave each a good helping. They both wanted more. So I gave them 2nds. Then 3rds. This was a hit I tell ya. And here I thought I could have leftovers, HA! Not!

So, there you have it. The daddy is gone and momma gets fancy in the kitchen meal. Or at least it looked like it. Now the kids are happy watching Pippi Longstocking (again) and I am on my 2nd glass of wine. Cheers.

Chicken with Panko-Garlic-Parmesan Crust, Carrot Orzo, Peppery Parmesan Crisps and a Salad

Parmesan was the theme. Haha.

My 6 year old son helped with the parmesan crisps. For a version he could do, I pulled out a muffin pan and sprayed it with nonstick spray. I gave him grated parmesan and a spoon. A teaspoon went into each tin and then he used the peppergrinder to dust a little pepper on. He then used to other side of the pepper grinder to flatten the mixture. Those were baked at 350 for about 6-8 minutes. Done.

My carrot orzo I got from here. It was a huge hit. Thanks Joe!

The chicken recipe I got from here but subbed tenders for breasts and panko for breadcrumbs.

Then Chad mixed together a nice balsamic vinegar dressing and every was happy. :)