Pasta Almost alla Marlboro Man

As I've probably said a billion times so far during this pregnancy, I could eat pasta every single night. As it is, I try to "limit" to no more than 3 or 4 times a week.

When I saw this recipe for Pasta alla Marlboro Man on The Pioneer Woman Cooks (anyone else dying to know what his name is?), I thought it had to be better. Sure, it was pasta, but the dude's a cowboy. A ranch guy. An outdoors, rugged manly man. So a skimpy pasta dish wouldn't do crap for him. There had to be tons of meat. And meat should be good for me and at least kinda sorta balance out the 3lbs of pasta I can pack away in a week.


I did make a couple of minor changes, so check in with Ree at the link above for the official version.


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 generous teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
• 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
  
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 pound rigatoni

Heat olive oil in large skillet or pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook a couple of minutes, until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and stir, cooking 1 minute, making sure not to brown the garlic.

Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of excess fat.

Add salt, pepper, and ground thyme. Stir to combine.

Dump in canned tomatoes with their juice. Stir, reduce heat to low, and cover pot. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Uncover the pot and cook an additional 30 minutes.

Cook rigatoni according to package directions—don’t overcook! Drain and place individual portions into bowls.

Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan into the sauce. Check and adjust seasonings. Ladle sauce over cooked pasta, sprinkle with more Parmesan, and serve.

Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream

From the moment I laid eyes on Annie's recipe for Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Brownie Bits, I was in love. I starred the recipe and added to the ingredients to my Peapod order. (Do you do Peapod? If not, you should. Grocery delivery is freaken fantastic.)

When it came time to make it however, I still had some brownies leftover from a box (Hey - don't judge. The box cost $1. You'd buy it too!) and couldn't really justify making even more. I thought about just throwing the box brownies into the recipe from Annie, but decided against it. I had visions of writing, "The ice cream was good, but the brownies were just ehh." I decided to save her complete version for next time.


I then remembered that Erin posted a Chocolate Ice Cream recipe on her blog, Dinner and Dessert (which she got from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop). I didn't star it initially because, well, in case you hadn't noticed, I like chunks of stuff in my ice cream, and plain ice cream has no chunks. But, in a rare lightbulb moment, I decided that I could throw my brownie chunks into Erin's recipe and I'd be very happy.

And "happy" does not begin to describe yours truly when eating this ice cream. Wowzers.


Here is Erin's recipe. I just also crumbled up the brownies and froze them for about a half hour; I added them to the machine for the last 2 minutes of churning.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used dark)
  
• 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk unto the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin out).

Makes about 1 quart

Saucy Baked Chicken

I starred this chicken dinner from Taste and See a few months ago and finally made it this week. I regret waiting so long - this was so ridiculously delicious. The chicken was so tender and juicy, and the sauce was incredible. I will most definitely be making this again!

(For some reason, the ingredients and directions won't show up. You should be able to highlight them to read it, or copy and paste into Word. No amount of editing and making sure the font is white is helping!)

Sorry for the weird pictures; I couldn't get one where just the chicken was in focus! But I couldn't NOT do a picture either, so this is the best I could do. :)


Ingredients

• 4-6 chicken cutlets
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 4 TBSP all purpose flour
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 450.

Pour oil into a casserole dish. Add chicken, onion and mushrooms, turning to coat with oil. Bake 5 minutes; turn chicken over and stir vegetables. Bake an additional 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk flour into chicken broth. Add vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, stirring well.

When chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, add broth mixture to casserole dish, cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; stir vegetables and bake, uncovered, until sauce bubbles and is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Heat broiler. Turn chicken over. Place dish 6 inches from heat and broil until chicken just starts to turn golden, about 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Layered Taco Casserole

This Taco Casserole dinner from Adventures in Marriage was really delicious! It was a little too dip-like for me, though, and I felt like I was cheating by eating chips instead of a real dinner, hee hee!

I also chose to bake my meat instead of microwaving it; I put it in for about 15 minutes on 350.


Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 package taco seasoning mix
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• tortilla chips

Brown meat, adding taco seasoning according to package directions.
Spread beans in bottom of casserole dish, cover with cooked and seasoned meat.
Pour soup over meat, and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Cook in microwave on high for 15 minutes on until cheese melts and mixture is bubbly.
Place sour cream over cheese, top with green onions and tomatoes.

Cheesy Chicken Skillet

I have always been a pasta-holic, but this pregnancy is really doing me in. I've been making pasta 3 to 4 times a week! Yikes!


This time, however, when I found this yummy dinner from Brooke, I was pleased that there was chicken in it. Chicken = protein, and protein automatically makes a dinner healthy. Right?

This was so delicious and creamy and wonderful. I was a bit skeptical about the cream of chicken soup, but it added a level of creaminess that was just divine.


Ingredients

• 2 cups of pasta
• 3/4 lbs chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Cook the pasta as directed. Heat 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken & cook thoroughly. Reduce heat to medium; stir in soup, tomatoes, milk and seasonings. Stir in cooked pasta. Cook about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until bubbly & heated through. Sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat, cover & let stand about 5 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies-in-a-Cookie

If you are my friend on Facebook, then you may have noticed that my status a few days ago claimed that Brooke is my hero. What you'll find below, folks, is why.



These are without a doubt the best cookies I have EVER made. I made a last-minute substitution that I think will remain the new norm; I realized I only had 2 cups of chocolate chips, not 3, so I used a cup of mini M&Ms. Whoa boy. There are simply no words to describe the deliciousness of these cookies. Make these ASAP!

(I also didn't make mine as large because to me, more is better. So I used my regular sized cookie scoop and probably got about 40 cookies total.)



Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or, like me, you can replace one cup with mini M&Ms!)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop 10 heaping tablespoons of dough 3 inches apart onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Set aside the remaining dough. Bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned but the centers are golden, about 13 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Break the cooked cookies into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces. Add the pieces to the reserved dough and mix on low speed to distribute them evenly, about 10 seconds.

Using an ice cream scoop or measuring 1/4 cup, scoop mounds of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake the cookies until they feel firm on top but are still soft in the center and the edges are beginning to brown slightly, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to four days. Brooke says she got 18-20 cookies, but like I said, I made mine smaller...

Crockpot Meatball Tortellini Soup

I have had this recipe for Meatball Tortellini Soup from Brooke starred for what seems like forever. Even though spring is in the air, we've had a few chilly days recently, and this soup really hit the spot.

I thought I was out of the beans, so I omitted them, but then about a half hour into cooking, I FOUND the beans, so I added them... but I kind of wish I hadn't. They added a texture that seemed a bit off with the meatballs and tortellini.

Oh well. Live and learn. This soup was still pretty yummy!


Ingredients

• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (14 oz.) cans vegetable broth
• 2 (14 oz.) cans Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 18 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• Half of a large bag of frozen mini meatballs
• 9 0z. package frozen cheese tortellini
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients except tortellini and Parmesan cheese in 3-4 quart slow cooker. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours until carrots are tender. Increase heat to high and stir in tortellini. Cover crockpot and cook for 15-20 minutes until tortellini are tender. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Annie's "Ben"-chiladas

I feel like it's Annie Week in my kitchen or something... and these "Ben"-chiladas, named for her husband who adores them, were just as delicious as everything else I've made from her blog.

(For the record, Pat loved them too - but I'm thinking "Pat"-chiladas doesn't quite have the same ring...)


I do wish I had used more cheese and chicken. I had 2 really fat chicken breasts, but I saved half of one to give to Ryan who was experiencing some tummy issues; I thought the cheese and salsa and cream and everything would just be too much for him. So I only really got about 6 enchiladas, which was kind of sad - I have none left for lunch. :(


Ingredients

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
• 8 oz. Ranch salad dressing
• flour tortillas (10-15)
• jar of salsa
• shredded Mexican cheese - Annie recommends about 4 cups, but I think I only used about 2
  

Cook chicken breasts by preferred cooking method until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.

While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the Ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed). Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Tuscan Casserole

Even though this pregnancy is not really allowing me to go completely meatless on Fridays during Lent, I try to at least avoid it during dinner. So it was pretty good timing when this Tuscan Casserole from Someone's in the Kitchen with Brina showed up in my reader!


I really enjoyed the flavors in this casserole and actually think I'd like to add to them next time. For example, I think some orzo in here would be awesome, or maybe some diced chicken or ground turkey.

I also added some mozzarella because really, everything is better with cheese! But stupid me put it under the layer of bread and I think it would have looked much more awesome on top. Oh well...


Ingredients

• 1 15-oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1.5 tsp salt (I would only use 1 tsp or less next time)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 3 slices of reduced calorie bread, torn into small pieces (I found it easier to cube the bread)
• 2 TBS shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine beans, spinach, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine. Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add oil, and saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms until the shrooms start to brown and soften, about 10 minutes. Try to let as much liquid as possible evaporate, otherwise you'll end up with a wet casserole!

Add the onion mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Spoon everything into the baking dish and evenly top with the bread pieces. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake until bread is toasted and spinach is warmed through, about 25 minutes. This serves 8 people, 2 points per serving.

Lasagna Casserole

I originally found this yummy dish on Brooke's blog but decided to change its name. I, too, subbed in mozzarella instead of cheddar, and that plus the ricotta, sauce, etc... it just seemed much less cheeseburger-ish and much more lasagna-ish.


This dinner was absolutely delish... although with all of that pasta goodness, I really wasn't expecting anything less.


Ingredients

• 5 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce - I used about 3 cups of homemade sauce
  
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
• 2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, sugar, salt and pepper; heat through. Drain noodles; stir into beef mixture. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, ricotta cheese and sour cream until blended. Stir in half of the onions. Spoon half of the noodle mixture into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese mixture and remaining noodle mixture. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining onions.