Spinach-Pasta Salad

Here's a quick and light side dish to make for your next picnic or outdoor gathering.  Healthy baby spinach, mini bow-tie pasta, red onion and a tasty vinaigrette are all the ingredients you need.


My monthly "meet-up" with the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is a menu for a Summerfest Beach Party or a summer picnic.  These Cooking Light recipes would be perfect to celebrate the season of summer.  


Click here for the Spinach-Pasta Salad recipe on Myrecipes.com 

Spinach-Pasta Salad
Recipe by Cooking Light 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mini farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

Preparation

• 1. Cook mini farfalle according to package directions. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.
• 2. Combine olive oil and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add garlic vinaigrette, spinach, and onion to pasta.

What else is on on the Summer Beach Party menu?  See the other recipes below and check out the details from the rest of the group.

Jerry (Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants) brought the appetizer - Grilled Pepper Poppers

Roz (La Bella Vita) came with a salad - Panzannella with Tomato, Bacon and Basil Salad

Val (More than Burnt Toast) provided the main dish - Oven Fried Chicken

Sandi (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking) did a side dish - Orange Flavored Couscous

Mary Ann (Meet Me in the Kitchen) brought the dessert - Lemonade Layer Cake

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Dress the salad just before serving to keep the spinach fresh and from getting wilted.  And if you are not a fan of red onion, leave it out.  It will still be a flavorful side dish.  

Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl

I can't believe it's already August.  I know time is flying by when it's another month of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  My four other Supper Club friends want to share another great menu with you this month.  The theme for August is, "A Visit to Chinatown".  

Making Asian-style food at home always tastes so good and flavorful.  Who needs take-out when you can make these dishes at home.  I made Cooking Light's Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl.  What a satisfying and comforting meal.  Really delicious.

Note:  I used more beef than the recipe called for, a little over a pound.  I also couldn't find udon noodles in my grocery store so I used dried lo mein noodles which I found in the Asian section of my store.  Spaghetti can be substituted as well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Click here for the Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl recipe on Myrecipe.com   

What did my other Cooking Light buddies bring to our Chinatown menu?

Sandi (Whistlestop Cafe Cooking) made Asian Turkey Cabbage Cups

Val (More than Burnt Toast) brought Salt-Baked Chicken

Shelby (The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch) made Ma Po Tofu

Patsy (Food, Family and Friends) made Pork & Stir Fried Veggies in Spicy Sauce

Jamie (me from Mom's Cooking Club) made Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl

Hope you enjoyed this month's menu.  I'll be back soon with more recipes and don't forget to check back in September for another meal with the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.   

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Udon Noodles are thick wheat flour noodles and are very popular in Japanese cuisine and used often in hot soup. 

The Ultimate Comfort Food....Macaroni and Cheese

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted anything.  This summer is flying by.  I just got back from a wonderful trip to South Carolina.  My husband's brother invites us to his lake house in the summer and what a wonderful time we always have there. 

I made this Macaroni and Cheese a few weeks ago but I also made 2 casserole dishes on our trip.  Perfect when feeding a crowd and it heats up well for leftovers.  You can't go wrong with homemade Mac & Cheese.  It is simply THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD! (for me anyway)

There are a trillion Macaroni and Cheese recipes.  This one comes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.  Really good, really yummy and really satisfying.  A family and crowd pleasing dish that can be eaten as the main meal or a side dish.

CLICK HERE FOR PIONEER WOMAN'S MACARONI & CHEESE RECIPE   

My way:  The recipe calls for a pound of cheese.  I use half mild cheddar and half extra sharp white cheddar.  I put aside around a 1/4 cup of each and sprinkle on top before baking.  I also add 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce when seasoning the mac and cheese mixture.  

 

Yellow Branch Falls

Walhalla, SC

After taking an hour long hike to this beautiful waterfall and.......

My husband and I tubing for the first time.......

It was time for some warm, comforting Macaroni and Cheese!

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club:  To change up this macaroni and cheese, try different cheeses.  You could add some pepper jack, swiss or use all extra sharp cheddar.  Use a combination of different cheeses for your own unique mac and cheese flavor.    

***We picked a winner from the July Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club Cookbook Giveaway.  Sorry it took awhile to announce it but we had to wait for confirmation from the winner.  Congratulations to Nicole from Seaside Smitten.  Thanks for all the readers that left comments.*** 

Dinner is served.....Chicken Milanese with Spring Greens and Parmesan-Browned Butter Orzo

If you read my blog, you know I like to make many recipes from Cooking Light magazine and their website.  There's a section in their magazine called Dinner Tonight which gives recipes for an entire meal.  The recipes usually take 30 or 40 minutes to make.  This meal plan is in their May 2010 magazine edition.

This is one of those family pleasing, family happy meals.  At least in my house it was.  The chicken was so flavorful and tender.  And it's pan seared in a little olive oil.  I did add a little extra olive oil when browning the other side of the chicken and for the 2nd batch.  The chicken went perfect with the orzo side dish.  And the light lemony salad dressing was the perfect complement to the whole meal.  This is a dinner that I know I will make again.

Note:  I did double the chicken recipe ingredients because the recipe listed is for 2 servings and I needed 4 servings.

Click here for the Chicken Milanese with Spring Greens recipe 

Click here for the Parmesan-Browned Butter Orzo recipe

Note:  The orzo recipe posted has a typo.  The recipe ingredient list has 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth but the instructions say to use 1 cup chicken broth.  You actually use 1 1/4 cup chicken broth.

Dinner is served!

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  You want the chicken breasts to be thin so to make it easier to pound thin, I butterfly (cut) the boneless chicken breasts in half, longways, but not all the way through. You open it up and you have a very large chicken breast. I pounded the butterflied chicken breast to about 1/2 inch thickness. It is much easier to pound it thin like this then starting with the whole thick chicken breast. You can buy the thin sliced chicken breasts but I find them to be too thin sometimes.

Spaghetti with Sausage and Simple Tomato Sauce

I have for you today a family pleasing dinner.  A very easy sauce to make that was so fresh and flavorful.  The addition of sliced sausage, fresh basil and parmesan cheese makes this a delicious spaghetti dish. 

This recipe is featured on the recent edition (April 2010) of Cooking Light's magazine cover.  I doubled the recipe and I had about 3 cups of sauce left over that I froze for another meal.  The leftover sauce will be perfect to use for a quick weeknight meal over some penne pasta, for example.  Or it would be a great sauce to use for a baked ziti.  I will definitely be making this spaghetti again. 

Click here for the recipe details on Myrecipe.com.

Note:  When I doubled the recipe, I also doubled the red pepper flakes to 1 tsp.  The sauce is on the spicy side which we like but if you don't like spicy food then I would reduce the amount of red pepper flakes you use.       

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  This recipe calls for Hot Italian Turkey sausage.  That is my first choice when I buy Italian sausage because it is a leaner choice.  Unfortunately, my grocery store didn't have Italian Turkey sausage in stock so I did make this recipe using Hot Italian Pork sausage.  Feel free to use whichever type of Italian sausage you prefer. 

Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic - February's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

It's February and time to share another meal from the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  This month's theme is Healthy Italian.  My sister-in-law, Aggie, chose this theme.  And for good reason, she's Italian.  Aggie and her family make incredible Italian food.  My husband is half Italian (on his mother's side) and my mother-in-law makes wonderful Italian food.  I'm still trying to copy and perfect her spaghetti and meatball recipe.  When I think of Italian food, I think of lasagna, pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, chicken and eggplant parmesan.  All of these are wonderful foods but they are also heavy on the calories and fat.  So, I was excited to find some "healthier" Italian dishes through Cooking Light recipes. 

I chose to make Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic.  A simple dish to put together with a few basic ingredients.  Don't be afraid of the 10 cloves of garlic that is used in the recipe.  It flavors the olive oil and the pasta.  When I was making this dish, I didn't think it would have much flavor.  But, boy, was I wrong.  It uses only 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a full pound of pasta. (I used thin spaghetti) But the red pepper flakes gives it some heat, the garlic infuses in the olive oil and the parmesan cheese just tops it off perfectly. I used Parmigiano Reggiano, since that's what I had on hand.  If you can splurge, I would recommend using the "good" stuff.  If not, any grated parmesan cheese will work.  This was a wonderful weeknight meal.  We all loved it.  I paired it with a salad and garlic bread.

Click here for the Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic on Myrecipes.com.

Check out these Healthy Italian dishes presented by the other members of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  Click on their links to read about their recipes and see their photos.

Helene (La Cuisine d'Helene) - Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Salad

Val (More Than Burnt Toast) - Italian Stuffed Summer Vegetables

Jamie (Mom's Cooking Club) - Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic

Aggie (Aggie's Kitchen) - Shrimp Arrabbiata

Shelby (The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch) - could not join us this month

Go to Cooking Light's blog, Test Kitchen Secrets, to read about the Virtual Supper Club.

Our March theme will be, "A Taste of Spring".  So come back then (or sooner) to see what menu we have planned.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  My dish with the simple garlic and olive oil sauce is known as Aglio e Olio and is a traditional Italian pasta dish.  Make it as a side dish or how I made it, as a main dish.

Three Cheese Pasta Bake

I had to take my computer to the "Tech Doctors" this past week.  Poor thing had a terrible virus.  But it's all well now and thank goodness so I can tell you all about this wonderful macaroni and cheese dish.  I make this pasta bake quite often because it is delicious, easy to prepare and the ultimate in comfort food.  I love the combination of the 3 cheeses:  White Cheddar, Gruyere & Parmesan.  We usually eat it as the main dish and have some vegetables or a salad to go with it.  It's also a great weeknight meal because it doesn't take long to make.  If you like macaroni and cheese, you must try this version.  I found this recipe in Southern Living magazine and you can print the recipe from the Myrecipe.com website.  Click here for the recipe.  

Speaking of cheese, we all love cheese in my house.  Do you know who else loves cheese?

Maximus and MJ, that's who!  My 2 Boston Terriers are under my feet every time I take my box grater out and start shredding cheese.  But, do you know what happens when you give a Boston Terrier cheese?  Let's just say it's a gassy situation! 

I'm sorry....I guess that was WAY too much information.  Well, I'll finish up by sharing some yummy photos of the Three Cheese Pasta Bake.

Cheesy and creamy!

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Gruyere cheese is a swiss cheese that is made from cow's milk.  It is a hard, yellow cheese and it was named after the town of Gruyeres in Switzerland.  It's a good melting cheese which makes it perfect in this Pasta Bake.

Fettuccine Alfredo and Caesar Salad

Wow, Wow, Wow!!! This is a triple wow meal! All the thanks goes to Pioneer Woman. Both of these recipes are featured on her incredible website. My entire family loved this meal. Yes, it has butter and cream and Parmesan cheese......just eat it in moderation please. But seriously, I highly, highly, highly recommend this meal. These are triple recommended recipes.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe by Pioneer Woman


Ingredients

1 pound fettuccine
1 stick butter
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used the good stuff - Parmigiano Reggiano, grated small using my box grater)
salt and pepper to taste
pasta water - put aside a little if needed to thin out sauce

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a saucepan or skillet, warm butter and cream. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Grate Parmesan cheese and place half of it into a large serving bowl. Pour warm butter/cream mixture over the top.
Drain pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl.
Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan cheese. Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary. (I didn't need to thin my sauce)
Serve immediately as a main course or accompaniment to meat or salad.

Click here for printable version of Fettuccine Alfredo on the Tasty Kitchen Website

A bowl of creamy, cheesy goodness!

Now on to the Caesar Salad recipe. For the first time, I made my own croutons and they were unbelievable. My daughters went nuts over these garlic croutons. It only takes 4 ingredients. Have you looked at the back of a crouton box lately? Let's just say I want to start making my own croutons on a regular basis.

This is the garlic used for the salad and the garlic oil used for the croutons.
Very easy to do in a small food processor.

Pioneer Woman keeps her romaine lettuce leaves whole. I cut mine in large pieces. I also used half of the lettuce, about 1 1/2 romaine hearts. It was perfect for a family of four. If you use less lettuce, just use less dressing or to your taste.

Click here for Simple, Scrumptious Caesar Salad with Quick Garlic Croutons

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: The Fettuccine Alfredo is very simple to make and comes together quickly. If you are making these 2 recipes together, I recommend making the croutons first, set them aside and let them cool. I would then put the salad ingredients together and put the dressing on just before serving.

Three Cheese Tortellini Soup with Summer Vegetables

Soup? I know what you're thinking. Why would I make soup when it's so blazing hot outside. Well, because soup is a great light, healthy and comforting dinner. I had a package of tortellini's in the refrigerator and came up with this wonderful, satisfying soup. Everyone and I mean everyone loved this soup. Even my daughters ate the zucchini and squash in the soup and they normally don't eat these vegetables. The base of the soup was inspired by Prudence Pennywise's Tuscan Vegetable Soup. This is another fantastic soup that you must try. So, even though you may break a slight sweat while eating this soup, it will be worth it.

Three Cheese Tortellini Soup with Summer Vegetables

Recipe by Jamie from Mom's Cooking Club

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped in bite size rounds

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 - 14 oz can of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes (Basil, Garlic & Oregano), pureed in blender

2 - 14 oz cans of low sodium & fat-free chicken broth

1 yellow summer squash, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

9 oz package of fresh 3 cheese tortellini (I used Buitoni brand)

Parmesan Cheese

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring often. Add basil, pepper flakes and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 30 seconds. Add pureed tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.


Add tortellini, squash and zucchini. Bring to a simmer and cook about 8-10 minutes until pasta and vegetables are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

This is the brand of pasta I used.




Enjoy!



Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: It was my sister-in-law, Pam, who turned me on to these fresh pastas. I never paid much attention to them in the grocery store. Well, they are great. I buy them when they are on sale and they last awhile in your refrigerator or you can freeze them. You don't even have to defrost them. You can use them frozen. They are convenient to have on hand when you want a quick dinner.

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine

Quick, simple to make and delicious. Now that's my recipe for a weeknight dinner. I loved the red pepper and mushrooms in this dish. Along with the shrimp, sauce and seasonings. It all tasted so good together. I made some broccoli to go with it (can't ever have too many vegetables) but it really is a full meal by itself.

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine

Recipe from Cooking Light

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces uncooked linguine (I used half a pound)
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 large red bell pepper, cut into (1/4-inch-thick) slices
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (see note at bottom regarding making your own blend)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation
Combine 1 cup water and broth in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Break pasta in half; add to pan. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes. Add shrimp to pan. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until shrimp are done; drain.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and pepper to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until moisture evaporates. Add flour, seasoning, and salt to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in half-and-half; cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add pasta mixture and parsley to pan; toss.

Making the sauce is simple and it only takes a few minutes



Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: For the Cajun seasoning, I used a blend I found on Prudence Pennywise's site. I keep it in a container and it's great on grilled chicken breasts, oven fries or anytime you want to spice up a dish. Here is the recipe for your own Cajun spice blend: combine 4 teaspoons each salt and paprika, 3 teaspoons each garlic powder, onion powder and pepper, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons each cayenne, thyme and oregano.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

A "Fully Loaded" Pasta Salad

This is a fantastic pasta salad with so many great flavors. It's a great side dish to take to a family gathering, a picnic or a neighborhood get-together. My family loves this pasta salad and it can be changed in many ways. If you don't want the salami or pepperoni in it, then omit it and add more veggies. You can change up your vegetables and cheese. That's what makes it such a great pasta salad. Add what you like. I used rotini pasta instead of seashell and cubed mozzarella cheese instead of Asiago. I had my deli cut about six thick slices of salami and just cut those into pieces. I think grape or cherry tomatoes are the best ones to use in this salad. The balsamic dressing is excellent as well. Adjust to your taste. I usually add a little more balsamic vinegar. I hope this pasta salad makes an appearance at some of your summer gatherings!

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Recipe by Danya on Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound seashell pasta
1/4 pound Genoa salami, chopped
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, chopped
1/2 pound Asiago cheese, diced
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, and cool under cold water.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, black olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: This is great to make the night before. You can put some dressing on it but save some to "re-dress" in the morning. Also, if you make it the night before, hold off on the tomatoes. Add those the next day so they won't get too soggy.

Enjoy!

An Italian Family Classic - Baked Ziti

Welcome to my blog and my first post! This is all new for me so bare with me as I attempt to understand and figure out all this blogging stuff. I was encouraged to start this blog by my sister-in-law, Aggie. She has her own amazing food blog! Check it out at http://aggieskitchen.blogspot.com/. She makes wonderful food and is very creative in the kitchen. Thanks for all your help Aggie!


Ready for the oven



Ready to eat!



I usually like to cook simple, easy and quick meals. Here is a very good meatless Baked Ziti with just a few ingredients. Pair it with garlic bread and a side salad and you've got a delicious weekday dinner.

Better Baked Ziti

Recipe by Art Ginsburg Mr. Food Cooks Pasta

1/2 pound ziti

15 oz ricotta cheese

3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided (I really like Gia Russo but use your favorite jarred sauce)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the ziti until just barely tender; drain and place in a large bowl. Mix the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese with the ziti. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan; cover the bottom of pan with half the spaghetti sauce. Spoon the ziti mixture into the pan; cover with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cheese melts and is lightly golden.

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: use part-skim ricotta & part-skim mozzarella cheese to lighten it up some

Enjoy!