Recipe: Basil Pesto

Basil pesto...you see it in little glass jars at the grocery store, swirled into pasta at restaurants, and spread on sandwiches at lunch joints. It's a very simple mixture that can be whipped up in minutes using a food processor. It's so easy, in fact, you really should just make it yourself! Raw garlic, which has a spicy quality, and toasted pine nuts add a punch of flavor to the mix of fresh basil and parsley, while the olive oil and cheese help pull the mixture together into a delicious sauce and spread. Perfect in pasta, blended into butter or mayonnaise as a spread, spread on bread or a sandwich, or added to grilled chicken or fish—basil pesto is something everyone should know how to make.

Yields: Approx. 1/2 cup
Prep. time: 5 minutes
Assembly time (no cooking required): 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• Approx. 2-4 oz. fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted (toast in oven for 2 minutes at 350*F)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Add all of the ingredients to the food processor and pulse to thoroughly blend. Use the mixture as a sauce or spread. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

This sauce is packed with flavor: "spicy" garlic, fresh basil and parsley, nutty and salty Italian cheeses, and toasted pine nuts all create a strong flavor that works well in all sorts of dishes. 

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

My mom's request that I make something for dinner that my dad and I would like that she wouldn't mind missing (she was out with friends tonight) led me to bell peppers. My mom loathes just about any kind of pepper, particularly bell peppers—she picks around them when I cook dishes that include them and she can taste the slightest hint of them in a dish (though, strangely, she makes a roasted red pepper soup that she will actually eat). My dad and I, on the other hand, are pepper fans, so I wanted to create a pepper-centric dish for us to enjoy. This creamy bell pepper sauce, tossed with pasta and chicken, creates a quick and easy meal that's perfect for any season. Bell peppers, heavy cream, pine nuts, and a handful of other ingredients blend to create a light, spicy-sweet sauce that's creamy and delicious.

Yields: Approx. 2 cups
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• 2, 12 oz. jars roasted red bell peppers (or approx. 2-3 fresh red bell peppers, roasted)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted*
• 5-10 leaves fresh basil
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-4 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 pint heavy cream

*To toast the pine nuts: preheat the oven to 350*F and spread the pine nuts evenly over the sheet. Toast in the oven for 3-6 minutes, or until fragrant and light golden-brown. Pay attention!—These are easy to burn.

Directions

Add all of the ingredients, except the heavy cream and butter, to the food processor and pulse to blend. The finished mixture will be slightly textured and thoroughly blended. Pour the mixture into a medium pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk in all of the heavy cream, then add the butter and stir to blend. Adjust seasonings as desired (if anything, add more salt, pepper, and maybe a splash of lemon juice or dash of garlic powder). Serve hot over pasta, chicken, or food of your choice.

I tossed penne pasta and diced chicken with the sauce

This sauce is easy to put together and it's packed with flavor without being overwhelming. Bell peppers aren't very spicy, but that little bit of heat they do have, along with their sweetness, blends perfectly with pungent garlic and onion, toasty pine nuts, fresh basil, and nutty Parmesan. The heavy cream and butter give this sauce a light, creamy texture that makes this dish filling without feeling heavy or overly rich.

A variation on this sauce, using orange and green bell peppers instead of red bell pepper

Recipe: Fettuccine and Sweet Italian Sausage in a Parmesan-Leek Sauce

I saw a recipe for Winter Pasta with Chorizo while browsing through recipes on Tastespotting. Intrigued by the use of leeks and cabbage in a sort of pesto-cream sauce hybrid, I saved it to my "Recipes to Try" Pinterest board and decided yesterday, a drizzly, chilly Valentine's Day, would be the ideal day for this warm, wintry pasta dish. I made homemade fettuccine (with help from my pasta maker) and tweaked the ingredients just a bit to make it just right, and the result was a delicious, light but flavorful pasta dish, permeated with the delicate, onion-y taste of the leeks and the nutty, slightly tangy flavor of Parmesan cheese. Sweet Italian sausage is packed with flavor and just a touch of heat, and it paired well with the creamy sauce and medium-width pasta noodles.

Yields: 4 servings
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• 2 leeks, washed/soaked with the tops cut off, cut into big pieces (peel apart the layers of the leek and soak them in a large bowl—leeks are incredibly dirty, so they need to soak to get clean)
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 cabbage leaves, removed from stalk and washed or two small handfuls of pre-shredded cabbage (I found a bag of shredded cabbage for coleslaw, with no other veggies included)
• 3 tbsp. oregano leaves
• 1/2 tsp. dried grated lemon peel
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1-4 tbsp. heavy cream
• 2-3 links (casings removed) or approx. 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, pulled into small pieces 
• Olive oil and butter, for cooking the sausage
• 8-12 oz. fettuccine
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• White pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the leeks and garlic and cook them for 3-4 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes—everything will be tender when done. Use a slotted spoon to quickly remove the leeks, cabbage, and garlic when they're done cooking, and put them in a food processor. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, Parmesan, oregano leaves, and heavy cream to the food processor and pulse to blend. Add salt, pepper, and white pepper, to taste. Once blended (the mixture won't be completely smoothe—it'll have a little texture to it), transfer it to a medium saucepan and heat over low heat. While the sauce is cooking, heat a little olive oil and about a tbsp. of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat, then add the sausage and cook until browned and cooked through. While the sausage is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fettuccine according to package instructions, then drain and return to the pot. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to combine, then add the cooked sausage and toss to combine. Serve with a little Parmesan cheese and fresh oregano.

The sauce is the star of this dish—that soft onion-y flavor of the leeks, the fresh oregano, nutty Parmesan, and earthy cabbage create a unique flavor and texture that's sort of like a creamy, light pesto, or a textured cream sauce. Sweet Italian sausage adds texture and more flavor to the dish and fettuccine is the prefect pasta for this meal. The sauce can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge up to a few hours before use, and the meal reheats wonderfully.

Recipe: Mezze Penne with a Creamy Spinach-Ricotta Sauce

After a long morning in the bake shop for class, mixing and kneading basic white bread by hand and learning my way around a proofer and a rotating rack oven, I was absolutely exhausted...I got home, ate leftover mac&cheese, and then promptly fell asleep for about three hours. All my grand plans of going to the bank, shopping at Target, packing for my trip this weekend—it was all for naught. I woke up around 6:00, hungry and in no mood to go out, and I wanted to make something quick and easy for dinner. In an effort to clean out the fridge a bit, I decided to use up the baby spinach I used earlier in the week for my rice dish and the ricotta I'd used in my reginette pasta dish and work them into some sort of sauce. To be perfectly honest, I didn't measure anything—I was cooking just for myself, but I ended up with about 1 cup of sauce, which should serve 2-4 (really, it should be enough to serve 4) when mixed in with pasta. If you find you don't have enough, just add more spinach and ricotta, and adjust the seasonings accordingly (really, just add a little more salt and pepper).

Serves: 2-4
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• Approx. 1 cup baby spinach, packed (push down as many leaves into the cup as you can)
• Approx. 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-5 leaves basil, chiffonade cut (I didn't have fresh, so I added a sprinkling of dried basil)
• Approx. 1/4 cup grated/shredded Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese
• Approx. 2-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste (salt is important in this sauce, because it helps elevate the flavors, which will decrease slightly when the sauce is spread throughout the pasta)
• 8-12 oz. mezze penne or other pasta of your choice (this sauce would work with just about any type of pasta)

Directions

In a food processor, combine the spinach, ricotta, garlic, basil, Parmesan/Pecorino-Romano, olive oil, salt and pepper, and pulse to blend. The mixture will blend into a thick, creamy, pale green sauce. In the meantime, bring a medium-to-large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 8-11 minutes). Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and toss it with the sauce. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese.

This sauce is incredibly easy to make and takes just a few minutes to blend. It's got a light flavor and creamy texture that makes it perfect on just about any pasta, and it could even work as a spread or dip. This dish in particular would be a more filling meal with the addition of seared or grilled chicken or shrimp (but, since I was solo tonight, I didn't want to bother with a protein). If you want to experiment a bit, try adding a little lemon zest to the sauce to boost the flavor, or add a pinch of dried oregano or other Italian herb.

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Risotto with Seared Chicken

A good risotto is incredibly rich, incredibly creamy, and incredibly delicious. Like warm macaroni-and-cheese and buttery mashed potatoes, risotto is something of a comfort food, albeit a fancy comfort food that takes a lot of time and patience to make. It's up there with homemade pasta and the perfectly poached egg on the list of "things that are (supposedly) hard to make." Truthfully, it's not so much that risotto is hard to make, but that it takes a very long time to make and really requires your constant attention to make sure it cooks through properly—it's so worth making though, because, as I said in the first sentence, a good risotto is rich, creamy, and absolutely delicious. This recipe combines tangy sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil with a healthy handful of grated Parmesan cheese, some white wine, and a little garlic to create a colorful, flavorful dish that's incredibly filling and perfect served with chicken (or shrimp or scallops). Plan on making this on a night when you have time to spare and a big appetite.

Serves: 6
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: Approx. 45 min.-1 hour (give or take a little time—the rice takes a long time to cook)
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

• Approx. 6-8 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1-3 tbsp. whole butter
• 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine (cooking wine will do)
• 2 cups Arborio rice (this is key—you must use this type of rice)
• 1, 7 oz. jar (about 10 pieces) sun-dried tomatoes, diced (I buy Alessi brand, oil-packed)
• Approx. 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
• Approx. 1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 3 chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded out to about 1/2 inch thickness

Directions
In a medium pot, bring the chicken broth to a simmer (it should bubble slightly around the edges). In a large pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is slightly soft and translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the rice to the pot with the onion and garlic mixture and stir it around to coat it with the butter and olive oil. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes, until the rice is coated evenly and the pieces look a little white in the middle. Add in the white wine and cook until it's absorbed into the rice and there is little or no wine visible in the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in a ladle-full of chicken stock, stirring the rice as you pour. Keep stirring and watch as the rice absorbs the stock. When most of the stock is absorbed, add in another ladle-full, stirring as you go, and watching until the stock is absorbed. Repeat this process until the rice is tender and the mixture is creamy (it's really important to taste this as you go so you make sure you get the right texture). If your rice is crunchy, add more hot stock, but be sure that you always add it in small ladle-fulls—the rice needs to absorb the stock before more is added. Towards the end, when you're nearing the end of your pot of stock, the rice should look really creamy and the individual grains should look larger. At this point, feel free to reduce the heat to low and let it cook gently, undisturbed, to let it absorb any excess stock and to thicken a bit more. The result should be tender rice (they may be a little al dente, but this is okay) that is creamy and thick. Once the rice is done, toss in the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, plus a little butter (about 1 tbsp.), then stir to combine. The tricky part about this is figuring out when to start the chicken, and my timing was a little off when I made this. I'd recommend starting the chicken when you've only got only a few ladle-fulls of stock left—heat a little olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place them in the pan, cooking both sides until the chicken breasts are cooked through.
Plate the chicken atop the rice and garnish with a little fresh basil.

This dish takes time and it's not something you can start and then walk away from—you need to be constantly stirring the rice, adding more stock, and tasting it for texture and doneness the entire time—but the end results are worth the time it takes to make it (and if you're cooking for a smaller crowd like me, you'll have some delicious leftovers). The rice is decadent and creamy, with a rich, full flavor from the chicken stock and Parmesan cheese and brightness from sun-dried tomatoes and basil.

Parmesan-Panko-Crusted Chicken Breast with Herbed Spaghetti Squash

While I spent my Saturday morning in a warm kitchen with Hungry Jack pancakes and cartoons, and my afternoon and evening at work, my parents braved the very out-of-character October snow storm and drove up to State College for the PennState v. Illinois game. Every time any of us is out that way, we always make a stop at Wegmen's, one of my all-time favorite grocery stores. We pick up flaky pastries, fancy cheeses, interesting international foods, and fresh veggies. This trip was no different—when my parents walked into the kitchen after they got back, my dad excitedly showed off a large, creamy yellow spaghetti squash, something that looks like a round squash-pumpkin hybrid that, when cooked, can be scraped with a fork into long spaghetti-like strands. I was immediately intrigued, having just recently seen a recipe online that included the squash, so I was really excited to pull together a meal tonight and work with this type of squash for the first time. I found a simple, delicious recipe from Emeril Lagasse and decided to pair the veggie-spaghetti with a crispy panko-breaded chicken breast, and the result was a fresh, flavorful dish that was easy to feel good about eating, because, really, it's pretty damn healthy. I definitely didn't miss having a starchy side—a couple big spoonfuls of squash, plus the chicken, turned out to be incredibly filling. This dish takes a little time to pull together, but it's definitely worth it!

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: About 1 hour for the spaghetti squash, and 10-15 minutes for the chicken
Difficulty: Easy-to-moderate

Ingredients

For the spaghetti squash:

• 1 small spaghetti squash (about 2 lb., maybe a little larger), cut in half lengthwise
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2-4 tbsp. finely chopped fresh herbs (a mix of chervil, sage, basil, flat leaf parsley, and chives is perfect, so I highly recommend that for the best results)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the chicken:

• 2-4 chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/4 inch thickness (I serve each person a 1/2 chicken breast, and that's plenty for one person) 
• 2-4 tbsp. olive oil, or enough to evenly coat the bottom of a large pan
• Approx. 1/2 to 1 cup panko bread crumbs/flakes, or enough to bread the chicken breasts
• 1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or enough to flavor the panko
• 2 tbsp. dried basil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 egg, beaten
• Approx. 1/2 to 1 cup flour (enough to lightly flour both sides of each chicken breast)

Fresh herbs for the squash. Top, left to right: Basil, sage, Italian flat-leaf parsley. Bottom, left to right: Chives and chervil.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375*F. Place the spaghetti squash halves cut side down in one or two (depending on whether or not you can fit both in the same dish—I couldn't) oven-safe baking dish. Add enough water to come about 1/2 up the sides of the dish(s) and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, until the squash is easily pierced with a small, sharp knife. Turn the squash over, cover with foil again, and return to the oven to cook for another 15 minutes, or until tender (a fork should easily slip into the flesh of the squash and you should be able to run a fork along the flesh and scrape off strands of it). During that 15 minutes of cooking, prepare your ingredients for the chicken. Place the flour, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, in a shallow bowl. Put the beaten egg in another shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl or on a plate, toss together the panko, Parmesan, and basil.  Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Dredge the chicken breasts, one at a time, in the flour, lightly coating both sides, then dip both sides in the egg, then coat with the panko mixture, before adding it to the pan to cook. Cook the chicken breast until both sides are crispy and golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Place the chicken in an oven-safe dish and place in the oven to keep warm. When the squash is done cooking, turn off the oven, leaving the chicken in it to stay warm, and remove the squash, allowing it to cool for a minute or two. Scrape out the seeds and the stringy bits around them with a large spoon, then take a fork and gently scrape the flesh of the squash away from the peel and place the spaghetti strands in a small pot (keep a lid on the pot when you're working on this so you can keep the squash warm). Once both halves of the squash have been scraped clean, add the butter and herbs to the squash strands and gently toss to mix. Serve the chicken alongside or on top of the squash and sprinkle with Italian cheese if desired (its saltiness perfectly compliments the subtle sweetness of the squash).

This is a delicately flavored, filling dish with great texture and nice coloring. The creamy yellow-orange squash is slightly sweet and has an al dente crispness when cooked properly. The mix of fresh herbs adds color as well as delicate, complex flavor to the squash that is enhanced by a little Italian cheese. The chicken is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and the perfect accompaniment to the squash. It's the sort of dish that, due to its lightness, would be great during the summer months, but the buttery, warm squash makes it perfect for the fall too. Spaghetti squash can be served simply prepared as in this recipe, or served just like the pasta dish, with a variety of sauces and seasonings—try it out! It's really fun to work with.

Recipe: Chicken and Polenta with Arugula, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese

I chose tonight's recipe partly because I had leftover arugula that I needed to use and partly because I hadn't made it in a few years and wanted to try it again. I had a late night cooking session tonight because my mother is out of town and my dad has been working late for the past few nights, but despite my uncertainty about how long it was going to take to cook and whether it would still be hot (and not overcooked) when my dad got home, everything worked out and the dish was a success (and much better than I remember it being the first time I made it). This chicken dish combines parmesan-and-garlic-seasoned polenta, wilted arugula, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and tangy goat cheese, with a splash of balsamic vinegar to create a vibrant, flavorful dish.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: Approx. 1 hour to prepare and chill the polenta, and 20 minutes to do everything else
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy - Moderate

Ingredients

• Polenta, chilled and cut into cubes
• 2 cups chicken broth/stock
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup polenta (I use a quick-cooking boxed brand)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced (I cut the slices in half so the pieces are more bite-size)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil 
• 2 shallots, chopped (I used green onions, but shallots are preferable)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth/stock
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 lb. arugula (I use 3 or 4 big handfuls of baby arugula)
• 2 to 4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• Fresh or dried basil, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Crumbled goat cheese (soft and mild)

Directions
For the polenta: In a medium pot, combine 2 cups chicken stock and 3 minced garlic cloves, and bring the mixture to a boil. Slowly stir in the polenta and stir until the mixture is thick (follow package instructions; should take 3-5 minutes). Add the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Spread the mixture out in a greased, rimmed baking sheet or pan and set aside in the fridge to cool for about 1 hour. Once the polenta is chilled, cut it into 1-inch cubes and set aside.

To assemble the dish: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and, once hot, add the chicken slices and sear them on both sides until they are mostly cooked through. Add the shallots and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer to reduce (I reduced by about half—about 5 minutes—and spooned out some of the excess stock so the chicken mixture wasn't swimming in it. Make sure you keep it about 1/2-inch deep in the pan—it helps cook the chicken, while keeping it moist). Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook the mixture for about 2 minutes. Add the polenta cubes and toss the mixture, letting the polenta soften a bit in the remaining chicken stock for about 2-3 minutes. Reduce to medium-low heat and add the arugula, tossing to mix it with the rest of the ingredients (the chicken stock should be completely gone by now). Add balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper; toss the mixture again. Turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid for a few minutes, allowing the arugula to wilt a little more. Serve sprinkled with goat cheese and an extra drizzle of balsamic vinegar if desired.

This dish is tangy, sweet, and complex. The chicken broth helps soften the chilled polenta and keeps the chicken pieces moist as they cook. The sun-dried tomatoes add a sweet bite to the dish and they're complemented by the creamy, tangy goat cheese. Slightly wilted arugula adds color and a peppery taste that marries with the sharp, flavorful balsamic vinegar that so nicely soaks into the polenta and chicken. This dish is packed with strong flavors, but they balance each other and create a rich, yet still light, meal.

Recipe: Bruschetta Chicken and Pasta

This dish was inspired by a simple pasta dish I used to make for dinner during my junior and senior years of college. I'd saute a chopped tomato and chopped onion with a little olive oil and garlic, toss the mixture with some small pasta shells, and top the dish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. When I first made the dish I'm sharing here, I was picturing a chicken breast topped with an onion and tomato mixture, with the chicken acting like a slice of bread would in a bruschetta appetizer, but the end result ended up being so much better. With chicken, tomato sauce, and some good thick balsamic vinegar, that simple college meal that got me through many busy weeknights was elevated to a light, flavorful dinner that's perfect on a warm summer night.

Serves: 2-4
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: About 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. angel hair pasta
• 2 chicken breasts (pound the chicken so it is a little less than an inch thick; I serve half a chicken breast per person)
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (the thicker and darker, the better—we use Gia Russa brand balsamic glaze)
• Salt and pepper
• 7-8 oz. plain tomato sauce
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Parmesan cheese, to taste
• Basil, to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (about 9 minutes), then drain the water. In the meantime, brush both sides of the chicken breasts with 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar (use more if need be) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet and add the chicken, cooking until golden brown and no longer pink inside. In another skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add the garlic, tomatoes, and onion, cooking until they are slightly soft. Add the tomato sauce and add 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar to the tomato and onion mixture, stirring to combine. Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce mixture and serve alongside chicken, topping the pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and fresh or dried basil. If you want to make it even more like the bruschetta appetizer that I envisioned when I first made it, toss cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese in with the pasta or top the chicken breasts with a slice of mozzarella and pop in the oven at 350* F until cheese is bubbling and slightly golden brown (about 5 to 10 minutes—be careful not to overcook the chicken).

This dish is so simple, but it has a complex flavor that makes it better than plain old spaghetti with marinara. The onion adds sweetness to the fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce and the balsamic vinegar adds a rich flavor. This meal is absolutely delicious and even better if you have freshly grated Parmesan to sprinkle on top—it really adds to the flavor of the sauce.

Recipe: Rotini with Walnut Sauce

I started yesterday with a bowl of Kashi Heart-to-Heart cereal and a lemon bar and spent the afternoon up in the mountains with my best friend, lounging on a couch while watching The Patriot. At 4:00PM, still clad in pajamas, I headed home, my thoughts revolving around my rumbling tummy and the question of what to make for dinner. Since I had such a light breakfast and nothing else to eat that day, I felt I could get away with a more calorie-dense dinner, so I made a Giada De Laurentiis recipe (from her Everyday Pasta cookbook) that I'd pulled out to try earlier: Rotelli with Walnut Sauce. The meal was incredibly rich and creamy, so I paired it with a side salad of baby greens with a pomegranate vinaigrette and a glass of white wine. Perfect!

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes (for the pasta), no cooking necessary for the sauce
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 pound rotelli, fusilli, or rotini (corkscrew pasta)
• 1.5 cups toasted walnuts (see instructions for toasting nuts below)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
To toast the walnuts: Preheat oven to 350* F. Spread the walnuts out evenly on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Stir them a few times while toasting and watch closely to make sure they don't burn. 
Bring a large pot of slated water to a boil. Add the pasta until cooked al dente (about 8 to 10 minutes). Drain the pasta and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.
In the meantime, combine the toasted walnuts, butter, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients, then, with the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese, then the heavy cream.
When the pasta is done, stir in the walnut sauce and add a little bit of the reserved cooking water, then stir gently until the sauce completely coats the pasta. Sprinkle with parsley and a little Parmesan cheese and serve.

This dish is very decadent and incredibly filling, so you may want to halve the recipe or reserve some of the walnut sauce and use it later in the week. I recommend serving it with a salad or crisp vegetables to add some lightness to the meal.