Recipe: Jalapeno, Bacon, and Chicken Pasta with a White Cheddar Sauce

Last week, I planned out my meals for the week, buying all of my groceries in one go at the beginning of the week and assigning different meals to each day. My plan got a little kink in it at the end of the week when I didn't end up making the jalapeno-and-cream cheese stuffed chicken I had planned on making and instead used the cream cheese in my lemon and raspberry cheesecake. I also had green onions stashed in the veggie drawer that I had bought for a tuna dish I thought I would be making but couldn't (due to the fact that my crappy local grocery store never has tuna; I grabbed the green onions before making my way to the fish counter and finding out they hadn't gotten any tuna in for the day). So, I had jalapenos and green onions to use, plus the cheddar cheese that was called for in the jalapeno-and-cream cheese chicken recipe, plus half of a red onion from another dish I made, plus some heavy cream. I went through my quite common "What can I make with this assortment of ingredients?" routine and settled on making a spicy, cheesy pasta dish with chicken and a little bacon, for good measure. The resulting meal was quite tasty—tender chicken and pasta tossed with crispy bacon, lightly cooked green onion and red onion, jalapenos (minus the seeds, to help cut back on the spiciness), and a light and creamy white cheddar sauce.

Serves: 4

Prep. time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 8 oz. rotini, or other small/short pasta
• 4 slices bacon
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 jalapenos, seeds removed, finely chopped*
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2-1 cup heavy cream
• Approx. 4 oz. white cheddar cheese, shredded
• Butter, as needed
• Salt and pepper
• Cornstarch-and-water mixture, as needed

*When removing the seeds from the jalapenos, use gloves or whatever is available to cover your fingers so as to avoid getting the seeds and oil on your fingers. The oil in jalapenos is very spicy/hot and stays on your skin for quite some time, even with frequent hand-washing. I made the mistake of not using gloves and I could still feel and taste the jalapeno on my hands after two days. On a related note, if you want more spice in your dish, add in some of the seeds—they're where the real heat is. 

Directions

Heat water in a medium-sized pot over high heat. While waiting for the water to boil, heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, but not overcooked, and remove to a paper towel-covered plate to drain. Leave the bacon grease in the pan and add the chicken, cooking until golden brown and cooked almost all the way through. When the water in the pot is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (approx. 10-12 minutes). To the pan with the chicken, add the green onion, red onion, and jalapeno and cook over medium heat until they are tender. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper (and butter, if needed) and reduce the heat to low. Crumble the bacon and add the bits to the veggies and chicken. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add the heavy cream and heat slowly over medium high heat. Once simmering, slowly whisk in the cheddar cheese and some salt and pepper. Allow the cheese to melt into the cream. Add some cornstarch-and-water mixture if the sauce seems too thin. Cheddar doesn't always melt very well, so the sauce may not be as smooth as you want, but once mixed with the other ingredients, this isn't noticeable. When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot. Add the chicken and veggie mixture to the pasta and toss to combine. Pour the cheddar sauce over the pasta mixture and toss to combine. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

This dish is a perfect mix of spicy, salty, cheesy, and savory. The cheddar sauce pulls everything together and helps mellow and evenly distribute the heat from the jalapenos. Tender chicken and crispy bacon add a little dose of flavorful protein and the flavors of the green and red onions really kick the dish up a notch. 

Recipe: Sautéed Chicken and Pasta with a Leek and Onion Cream Sauce

So, I picked up leeks a little while ago with plans to make my Fettuccine and Sweet Italian Sausage in a Parmesan-Leek Sauce. When I left the house this morning, I set chicken out to thaw, having completely forgotten about the leeks (which have been languishing in the veggie drawer for over a week now), and planned to just wing it for dinner tonight. When I got home in the evening and starting getting prepped to make dinner, I found the leeks in the fridge and decided to just do a different take on that sauce from the original recipe, and the result was delicious. Leeks, onion, and garlic all have strong flavors, but blended together with heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, butter, and seasoning, they mellow out, creating a light, creamy sauce that pairs perfectly with chicken (and could work with a lot of other white meats).

iPhone 5 photo...not too shabby (I was too hungry and lazy to run upstairs and grab my camera)

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• 2 leeks, cleaned and cut in half (remove all of the green top part and the roots/bottom; soak in warm water for a few minutes to help remove any grit and grim)
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Approx. 1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2-4 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2-4 tbsp. white wine (cooking grade is fine)
• 2-4 tbsp. dried oregano
• 2-4 tbsp. lemon pepper (if you don't have this, just add some extra pepper and dry lemon peel, or skip it altogether) 
• Approx. 1/4 cup heavy cream (add more as needed)
• 2 chicken breasts, whole or cut into strips
• 1 package (approx. 16 oz.) spaghetti or linguine (you could also try a small pasta, like penne or rotini—they could work very well with the sauce)
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, then add the leeks and cook for 2-4 minutes, until tender. Drain the leeks and put them in the food processor. Heat a little butter and olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook until tender, then put it in the food processor. Add garlic, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, white wine, oregano, lemon pepper, salt, and pepper to the onion and leeks. Blend in the food processor until well-blended (the mixture likely won't be completely smooth, but this is fine—a little texture is good for this sauce). With the food processor running, slowly add the heavy cream. Sauce will be not too thin but not too thick. Pour it into a small pot and warm it over medium heat on the stove—add a little water or milk if you need to thin it out. In the same pan you used for the onion, add a little butter and olive oil, heat over medium-high heat, then add the chicken (season the chicken with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper). When partially cooked through, add the white wine (I just poured a splash in) and let it cook down. When the chicken is cooked through, it should be golden brown and no wine should be left in the pan. Reduce the heat when the chicken is cooked through to prevent overcooking. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, lightly salt it, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 5 minutes). Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the sauce (I reserved a few big spoonfuls to pour over the chicken) and stir/toss to coat. Serve the chicken atop the pasta and top with sauce, if desired. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

This dish is flavorful and creamy, but not overly rich. The strong flavors of the onion, leek, and garlic blend well together and the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese help even out the flavor. Cooking the chicken with butter and white wine helps brown it beautifully, while adding flavor and helping to keep it tender as it cooks. My parents only had one suggestions for this dish: add bacon. I agree—a little cooked, crumbled bacon sprinkled on the dish would heighten the saltiness and bring out the flavors in the sauce. But, even without that delicious pig meat, this dish is tasty.

Recipe: Pecan-Panko Chicken with Maple Mashed Potatoes and Maple Honey Mustard Sauce

Each time my parents head up to State College, they stop by Wegman's and come home with bags and bags of groceries, and one of those bags always has some interesting new fruit or veggie for me to cook with. They spent part of this past weekend up there and, as usual, brought me a unique food to try: name (pronounced "nah-may"), a root vegetable very much like a potato. I struggled to find any information about this tuber online, but eventually stumbled upon a recipe that involved baking and mashing it. I carefully followed the directions (400*F for 1 hour), but the result was a still-fairly-hard root that ended up getting popped in the microwave until it eventually softened up. I mashed it, I added the maple cream mixture, and we prepared ourselves for our first taste of this new-to-us tuber...and, it tasted a lot like a bland potato. So, for this recipe, I'm just going to substitute in potatoes for the name, because really, the name isn't worth it and making mashed potatoes is super easy.
This dish as a whole is absolutely delicious: nutty, crunchy pecan chicken pairs beautifully with the slight maple flavor in the buttery cream mixture that's blended into the potatoes and a sweet-and-savory maple honey mustard sauce pulls the whole dish together.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25-35 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2-4 chicken breasts, pounded out to 1/2 inch thickness 
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped (a food processor is best for this)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 to 1 cup flour

For the potatoes

• 4-8 Idaho or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into similarly sized chunks (you can use red/new potatoes or Yukon gold if desired)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 stick (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. pure/real maple syrup
• Salt and pepper

Sauce

• 2 tbsp. pure/real maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Place the potato chunks in a large pot and add just enough water to cover them, then set aside. Pour the panko and finely chopped pecans into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Put the egg and flour into separate bowls. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, then the egg, and then the pecan-panko mixture—be sure to completely coat the chicken in each thing (there should be no raw chicken visible through the coating). Set the chicken breasts on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through, but tender. Once the chicken is in the oven, bring the pot of water and potatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through and tender. While the chicken and potatoes are cooking, add all of the ingredients for the sauce, except the heavy cream, together in a small saucepan and bring briefly to a boil. Reduce the heat, gradually whisk in the heavy cream, and reduce the heat all the way to low. In a different sauce pan, melt the butter for the potatoes and set aside. When the potatoes are done, drain them in a colander, return them to the pot, and mash them. Add the melted butter, heavy cream, maple syrup, and salt and pepper (add more cream or butter, as needed—some people like really buttery potatoes, others like them less wet) and mash to combine the ingredients—don't over-mash them, because they will get gluey. When the chicken is done, plate each piece along side a big dollop of mashed potatoes and serve with the maple honey mustard sauce. For some added health, add roasted vegetables (I roasted broccoli with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 10 minutes in the oven, alongside the chicken).

This dish is the perfect meeting of savory and sweet. The pecans, heavy cream, and copious amounts of butter make this dish decadent and comforting all at once, while the flavors of the maple syrup and honey add sweetness to the dish. The sauce could easily work as a dip for chicken tenders, but for this dish, it's perfect as a sort of gravy for the potatoes and chicken breast.

Recipe: Sweet Italian Sausage and Farfalle in a Creamy Fennel and Onion Sauce

On my way back from the airport on Tuesday, I stopped by Trader Joe's (a rare treat for me, as I live 45 minutes away) and enjoyed the joy that is really cheap, really good food. While browsing through the fresh produce section, a container of fresh fennel bulbs caught my eye. Both its thin, green fronds and pale, white bulb-like stem base have a soft, anise-like taste that works in both savory and sweet dishes, and I wanted to try it out for dinner tonight. While I normally wouldn't make two dishes with heavy cream back to back (last night's blue cheese sauce was so tasty though!), this fennel was just begging to be cooked down and blended into cream. Paired with tender pasta and sweet Italian sausage, which typically contains fennel seeds in it, this sauce is perfect and pulls the whole dish together. Oh, and on an unrelated note, for once in my life, I actually took a few pictures along the way, so enjoy.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: Approx. 45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor or blender

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. butter
• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a medium pan (you'll need to do this twice)
• 2-3 sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed, pulled/crumbled into small pieces
• 1 bulb fennel, quartered, cored, and roughly chopped (remove the top but keep the green fronds for garnish)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. dry white wine
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• A pinch of dried sage
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• Cornstarch-and-water mixture, as needed
• 8 oz. small pasta (farfalle, medium shells, rotini, etc.)

Directions

Heat 1 tbsp. butter and a splash of olive oil in a medium pan over medium high heat, then add the crumbled sausage and cook until lightly browned on the outside and cooked through (approx. 10 minutes). Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate (leave the leftover oil and butter in the pan). 

Return the pan to the stove over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp. butter and a little olive oil, then add the onion, fennel, and garlic. Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, tender, and fragrant, then add the white wine and let it reduce a bit. 

Fennel: The top left corner is the core, below that is a quarter of the bulb, and the right is the sliced up bulb

Onions, fennel, and garlic early in the cooking process

The onions, fennel, and garlic, now soft, golden-brown, and ready for the food processor

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the pasta, then cook according to package instructions (approx. 11-13 min.). While the pasta is cooking, pour the onion and fennel mixture into the "bowl" of a food processor and pulse to blend. Add heavy cream and blend until fairly smooth. Pour the mixture into a small pot and heat over medium heat. Add the listed spices and herbs and the milk. Thicken with cornstarch-and-water as needed, then reduce to medium low heat. Reheat the sausage in the microwave for 30 seconds. Drain the finished pasta and return to the pot, then add the sausage and sauce and toss to combine. Serve with a garnish of the thin fronds from the fennel bulb. 

Fennel fronds

This sauce is really something different—the fennel taste is sweet and subtle and, combined with onions, the resulting flavor is a blend of sweet and savory; there's a buttery quality to it, with a richness that creates depth. The fennel flavor in the sauce mirrors the fennel seeds that help to flavor the sausage, and pasta creates the perfect base for the two. 

Recipe: Chicken and Broccoli Pasta with a Blue Cheese Cream Sauce

I spent this past weekend with John in Memphis, a place I enjoy more and more each time I visit. The city has a great food scene and there are so many restaurants to try. Memphis is about more than just BBQ and Southern cooking—there are restaurants offering up fantastic pizzas, tantalizing ethnic foods, delectable desserts, and more. We stocked up on cupcakes from Muddy's (their mint icing is absolutely amazing), ate a homemade hot dog and pizza with Benton bacon at Hogs & Hominy, enjoyed cheesy bread at Houston's, and got to taste an assortment of dishes from a variety of restaurants at The Dixon's Art on Fire event. On Sunday night, we went to Boscos and I had a very tasty pasta dish with grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and a gorgonzola sauce. Tonight, I was thinking back on that dish when I peered in the fridge and saw a container of blue cheese crumbles left over from some salads I'd been making last week. I'm a big blue cheese lover—I love the salad dressing, I love it crumbled on a steak or burger, and I really wanted to use that box of cheese to make a blue cheese cream sauce. That sauce, tossed with chicken, broccoli, and pasta, created a flavorful, filling dish that was perfect for this rainy day that Sandy sent our way today.

Serves: 4

Prep. time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes total (approx. 2 min. for broccoli, 5-10 min. for sauce and chicken, 11-13 min. for pasta)

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1-2 heads broccoli, cut into florets (or approx. 2-4 cups broccoli florets)
• 8 oz. farfalle, or other small pasta (penne, medium shells, etc.)
• A pat of butter
• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a large pan
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 1/2-1 cup blue cheese (more or less, as desired)
• 1-2 tbsp. dried chives, or more as desired
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cornstarch and water mixture, as needed

Directions
In a medium pot, bring salted water to a boil, then blanch the broccoli florets (i.e. cook them for about 2-3 minutes in the boiling water). Drain them, then return them to the pot with cold water and some ice cubes (this will help stop them from cooking any further—the last thing you want is mushy broccoli). Add salted water to another medium to large pot, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 11-13 minutes). While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter and olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat and add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and cook gently until tender and no longer pink in the middle (about 5-10 min.)—toss the garlic in near the end of cooking. While the chicken is cooking, heat the heavy cream over medium high heat in a small pot. Once bubbling, add blue cheese crumbles and stir to combine. If desired, add a little cornstarch-and-water to thicken the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium low. Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and return it to the pot, then drain the broccoli and add it to the pasta. Add the chicken and sauce to the mixture, season with salt and pepper, add chives, and toss in an extra handful or two of blue cheese crumbles. Serve hot, with added blue cheese crumbles, as desired.

This dish, though packed with blue cheese, is not overpowering, but rather quite light and flavorful. Broccoli is always delicious in a creamy sauce, especially one with cheese, and chicken adds some much-needed protein. A dash of chives and an extra spoonful of blue cheese crumbles completes the dish. 

Recipe: Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice in an Apricot Brandy Cream Sauce

Yes, yes, I know...I owe you all some more posts about my month in Scotland (because, well, it's a nice change from a slew of recipe posts, and I really do have some fun stories and pictures from my trip), but after battling jet lag, spending hours labeling and organizing over a thousand photos, and telling everyone I know and meet about it, I need a few days off before I fill up the blog with Edinburgh posts. So, for tonight, I'm just gonna post a lovely, light chicken recipe that's perfect any time of year. This chicken dish is served with a brandy cream sauce, and though I used a very old, very delicious apricot brandy for my dish, any ol' brandy will do.

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

Ingredients

• Approx. 2-3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 pat butter
• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a large pan
• 1&1/2 to 2 cups rice
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 to 1 inch thick slices
• 1 small bunch (about 4 stalks) green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup (apricot) brandy
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Corn starch, as needed
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook the broccoli for 4 minutes, until still a little crispy. Drain and return to the pot with cold water and ice, then set aside. Cook the rice according to package instructions (the brand I use calls for water, salt, and butter and takes 20 minutes to cook). While the rice is cooking, heat a little butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Drain the broccoli and return to the pot it was in. Add the chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cook until mostly cooked through, then add the garlic, broccoli, and green onions. After about a minute, add the brandy. Cook until the brandy has reduced by at least half, then add the heavy cream and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add a little cornstarch-and-water, as needed, to thicken the sauce (I added just a little bit, just enough to slightly thicken the sauce). Season with a little salt and pepper and serve atop the rice.

This dish has very soft flavors and a light creaminess that's lovely. Tender chicken, crisp broccoli, and fluffy rice are the perfect base for this slightly sweet, creamy sauce. I highly recommend making a double batch of the sauce (1/2 cup brandy, 1 cup heavy cream), because, as is, the amount of sauce is a little on the "not quite enough" side, but either way, it's delicious and such a nice change from thicker, richer cream sauces.

Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Pasta with a Lemon Butter Sauce

First things first: If you don't like lemons, you will not like this dish, so turn away now. Now, for those of you still with me, I'll tell you why you will like it: it's creamy, buttery, and oh-so-lemony. Rich, roasted vegetables and pasta come together in a bright, summery sauce that's perfect for you lemon-lovers. Toss in some chicken or shrimp for protein or add a side salad with a lemony vinaigrette to add a little oomph to this dish.

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

Ingredients

• 8 oz. pasta of your choice (farfalle, penne, or medium shells would be a good choice—I used farfalle)
• 2-3 cups cauliflower florets
• 2-3 cups broccoli florets
• Approx. 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (just enough to lightly coat the broccoli and cauliflower)
• Zest and juice from 1 lemon
• Approx. 1/2 stick butter
• 2 tbsp. chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. garlic powder, or more to taste
• 1 tsp. thyme, or more to taste
• 1 tsp. white pepper, or more to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Spread the cauliflower and broccoli florets on an ungreased baking sheet, toss with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for at least 15 minutes. In the meantime, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 8-11 minutes). While the pasta is cooking and the veggies are roasting, heat the butter and garlic in a small pot over medium heat. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, chicken broth, and seasonings to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Slowly add the heavy cream, whisking it in. Add more heavy cream, butter, or seasonings as desired and reduce to a simmer. If you'd like to thicken the sauce, add a mixture of 1 tsp. cornstarch and 1/4 cup water to it. The sauce, as is, will taste very lemony, but once it's tossed with the pasta and veggies, it will get toned down. When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot. Add the roasted veggies and toss with the lemon butter sauce. Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano cheese as desired.

This dish is very light, with a clean, bright flavor that's perfect combined with the rich taste of the roasted broccoli and cauliflower. This is the sort of meal that you should enjoy while sitting out on the porch on a warm summer evening.

Recipe: Pecorino-Romano Cheese Sauce

The other night, we had thawed chicken breasts, leftover grilled veggies, and three cups of heavy cream crowded together in the fridge, and for me this was just another night of "how can I pull these things together to create a dinner that tastes good AND helps clear out the fridge." The answer was simple: Make a sauce with the cream and toss it with the chicken, veggies, and maybe some pasta (which, of course, we always have on hand in the pantry). So, sauce. Cheese sauce made the most sense. But what kind of cheese? Well, I had an assortment to choose from— Gouda, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Jarlsberg—and I chose Pecorino-Romano, craving its distinct salty flavor. A little garlic, some onion and seasonings, and a splash of chicken broth added to the cream and cheese mix created a velvety, salty sauce that brightened up lightly-seasoned chicken and previously-grilled veggies.

Yields: About 1-1.5 cups
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Approx. 1/4 cup chicken stock/broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2-3/4 cup shredded/grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1 tbsp. dried basil (or more, to taste)
• 1 tsp. dried oregano (or more, to taste)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cornstarch (mixed with water; as needed)

Directions

In a medium pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter, then add the garlic and onion and cook for approx. 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is fragrant and slightly soft. Add the chicken stock, then slowly whisk in the heavy cream and increase the heat to medium. When the mixture starts to bubble slightly around the edges, slowly add in the cheese, whisking constantly. Increase the heat slightly and continue to whisk until the cheese is almost completely melted. Whisk in a little regular milk if the mixture seems a little thick or lumpy. Add the white pepper, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Let the mixture cook over medium to medium-high heat until thickened. If it seems a little thin, add a little bit of cornstarch (mix about 1 tsp. cornstarch with about 2 tbsp. cold water, then add it to the sauce). Serve over chicken, pasta, rice, vegetables, potatoes, etc. 

This sauce is creamy, salty, cheesy, and surprisingly light despite the heavy cream. It may seem quite salty and strong when tasted straight from the pot, but once tossed with warm pasta or poured over roasted red potatoes or a grilled chicken breast, it's absolutely perfect—bright and flavorful. We had it as a pasta sauce, tossed with pieces of sauteed chicken, whole wheat farfalle pasta, and grilled vegetables (squash, zucchini, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and onion) and it was ridiculously tasty. We had some sauce leftover, so we ate it over breaded chicken breasts and roasted new potatoes the next night, and it worked so well. Despite being a cream sauce, its bright, cheesy flavor works well in warm weather dishes.

Recipe: Pasta and Prosciutto in a Creamy Leek Sauce

It's been pretty rainy and dreary so far this week, and the grey skies and cool temperatures definitely make me crave comfort foods—mac&cheese, pancakes, hot tea—and this rich and creamy pasta dish certainly fits the bill. With sweet and oniony leeks and shallots, fresh garlic, salty prosciutto, and buttery cream, this pasta dish has it all—it's rich, flavorful, and definitely the perfect comfort food.

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

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
• Olive oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of a large pan)
• 4 oz. prosciutto, roughly chopped (about 1-2 inch pieces)
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced (leeks are notorious for being sandy and dirty, so be sure to soak and clean them thoroughly, and only use the white part for the dish)
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1&1/2 to 2 cups heavy cream
• Milk (preferably 2%), as needed
• 8 oz. angel hair pasta, or other long pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc.)
• 4-6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut
• Dried thyme, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Grated Italian cheese, as desired

Directions

Heat the 4 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pieces of prosciutto and cook until just starting to brown and crisp, then add the leeks and shallots. Once the leeks and shallots have started to soften (about 5 minutes), add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the chicken stock and slowly stir in the heavy cream, then add salt, pepper, and thyme. Let the sauce bubble and thicken over medium-low heat—add milk if needed to add a little volume to the sauce, and be sure to taste test to make sure the flavor is good. While the sauce is bubbling away, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions (about 4-5 minutes). Drain the pasta and return it to the pot, then pour the thickened sauce over it, add fresh basil, and toss to combine. Serve topped with Italian cheese.

This sauce is incredibly flavorful—it's sweet, salty, oniony, buttery—and the heavy cream and splash of milk make it so creamy and rich. Fresh basil helps cut through the richness and a sprinkling of Italian cheese blends perfectly into the dish. Prosciutto is a nice change from chicken or no meat at all, and its salty flavor works well with the other flavors in the sauce. It's perfect for a cool evening, yet easily made into a warm weather dish with the addition of a garden salad and a glass of white wine.

Recipe: Chicken and Broccoli Pasta in a Brown Butter Cream Sauce

So, despite the lack of recipe posts lately, I have, in fact, been cooking—I've just been making a lot of repeat meals (stir fry, pasta dishes, etc.) that have already shown up on the blog. The other night, we decided that the lovely warm weather warranted dining out on the back porch and I wanted to make something new; something that would be light yet flavorful, and work well with the nice weather. This creamy pasta dish does it all, combining seasoned chicken, fresh broccoli, tender pasta, and a delicious brown butter sauce swirled with heavy cream. The sauce is rich and creamy, but incredibly light and it blends perfectly with the other ingredients in the dish.

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

Ingredients

• 8 oz. penne pasta, or other small pasta (ziti, farfalle, gemelli, etc.)
• 1 whole head/bunch broccoli (approx. 2-4 cups), cut into florets
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• Salt, pepper, and paprika to season the chicken (about 1 tsp. of each)
• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a large pan
• 1-2 small onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 7 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• Basil, chiffonade, if desired
• Italian cheese (Parmesan or Romano), if desired

Directions
Heat a little olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the seasoned chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink in the middle, then remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate or in a dish (be sure to cover it to keep the heat in). Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 10-13 minutes). When you have 4-5 minutes left, add the broccoli to the pot and cook it along with the pasta. While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, heat a little olive oil over medium heat in the same pan used for the chicken, then add the onion and cook until slightly soft and lightly browned (about 5-10 minutes). Add the garlic and 1 tbsp. unsalted butter and cook for a minute or two, until fragrant. Add the white wine and the cooked chicken to the pan and cook until the wine has reduced a little bit (about 5 minutes). When the pasta and broccoli are done, drain and return to the pot, then add the chicken mixture in and cover the pot. In a small pot, heat the remaining 6 tbsp. unsalted butter over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until it's melted and starts to brown lightly (there will be some specks of brown in the bottom—this is normal) and smells fragrant and nutty. Immediately remove from heat (if you cook it too long, it will burn and taste terrible). Slowly whisk the heavy cream into the melted butter until completely incorporated. Pour the brown butter cream sauce over the pasta mixture and toss to combine.. Serve with grated Italian cheese and basil.

This dish is light, creamy, and buttery—perfect for a warm summer night. Fresh broccoli adds color and freshness to this dish and lightly seasoned chicken pairs perfectly with the sauce and pasta. The brown butter cream sauce has a nutty, buttery flavor that's absolutely delicious—you may just want to start putting it on everything you eat. 

Recipe: Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Pasta with a Creamy Goat Cheese Sauce

Yes, yes, I know...this sounds a whole lot like a recipe I shared just a little while ago, and really, it's kind of like that recipe, version 2.0. While that recipe was chicken-less and could be pulled together in less than 20 minutes, last night's meal had a little more going on: an actual sauce (as opposed to just straight, melted goat cheese with some seasoning), marinated chicken, and a little extra flavor.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 15 minutes (plus at least 2 hours for the chicken to marinate)
Cooking time: 10-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch wide, 2 inch long slices
• 8 oz. rotini, or other short pasta (penne, farfalle, or gemelli would work well)
• 1/2 or a whole bunch of asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon-based marinade or dressing to use to marinate the chicken (I had a lemon-thyme dressing from a favorite restaurant in North Carolina, but you can use something from your local grocery store)* 
• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a pan

For the sauce

• 3/4 cup chicken broth or stock
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp. white wine (cooking wine is fine)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. chives, finely chopped
• Dried sage, to taste
• Dried thyme, to taste
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4-6 oz. soft goat cheese (buy a log of cheese rather than crumbles, because the log, when pulled apart, will melt better and faster)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Cornstarch and water mixture to thicken, as needed

*If you don't have a marinade or dressing, whisk a teaspoon each of thyme, sage, salt, and pepper together with a few tablespoons each of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and white wine to create a quick marinade from scratch.


Directions
Place sliced chicken into a medium bowl with store bought or homemade marinade/dressing and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours (any less, and it just won't have a lot of flavor).
In a small pot over medium heat, whisk together the olive oil, chicken broth, and white wine and cook until reduced by about 1/2. Add in the garlic (if you want, you can lightly saute it first, then add it in), chives, lemon zest, and seasonings (thyme, sage, etc.). Crumble the goat cheese into the mixture and whisk it in until it's melted and combined. Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly as you add it in. Season more as needed, then reduce heat to low. If the sauce seems thin, add a little cornstarch-and-water mixture to thicken it. In the meantime, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. When the pasta has about 5 minutes left, add the asparagus to the pot and cook the two together until the timer runs down. While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, heat a little olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the chicken slices and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Season as needed. When the pasta and asparagus are done, drain and return to the pot, then toss the mixture with the finished goat cheese sauce. Add in the chicken, and toss to combine. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh basil or chives if desired.

This dish is light, fresh, and flavorful—perfect for a warm day or a quick weeknight meal. Lemon and goat cheese are a match made in heaven, and the addition of herbs and white wine help accentuate the flavors. Tender chicken and crisp asparagus add texture and flavor to the dish and help round it out.

Recipe: Lobster Ravioli in a Vodka Cream Sauce

I got the chance to spend this past week with Sara, my best friend from college—she found a reasonably-priced flight and flew up to my home in Pennsylvania for a visit. We spent time in Pittsburgh, visiting museums and eating some fantastic meals, and we also spent time at home, watching movies (including a guilty pleasure, You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) and even doing a little cooking. I showed her some basics, like mincing garlic and cutting basil in chiffonade, and hopefully didn't drive her nuts by hovering over her while she performed said basics. One thing she said she really wanted to try was making homemade pasta with my pasta rolling machine, so I got the bright idea to make ravioli, because that's the one attachment (for raviolini, actually) on the pasta machine that I hadn't tried out yet. That idea turned into Lobster Ravioli in a Vodka Cream Sauce (with a little inspiration from here and here) that took at least three hours to make and resulted in some not-so-attractive but oh-so-tasty raviolini (basically, miniature ravioli). Now, if you want to go the easy route, buy pre-made lobster ravioli and skip ahead to the vodka cream sauce part of the recipe. If you want to go for the glory and make the ravioli by hand, I recommend looking up methods for cutting them by hand, because I've tried that way before and I'm betting it's a lot faster and less messy than the machine (though, keep in mind, this was our first time using this attachment, so it was bound to take a little longer than if I'd tried to do it before).

By the time we finally finished cooking, I was too hungry to go find my "plating" plate, so the "Poppies in Blue" will have to do

Serves: 4-6 (depends on the size and amount of ravioli/raviolini)
Prep. time: 10 minutes for the sauce; anywhere from 1-3 hours to make the ravioli (dough comes together in 10 minutes, and 30 minutes to rest, then the ravioli will take at least an hour to roll out and form)
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes for the sauce; 5 minutes for each batch of ravioli
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients
For the sauce

• Extra virgin olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a pan
• Approx. 1 tbsp. butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka (you don't need to use the good stuff, since you're cooking it)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (28-32 oz.)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Fresh basil, chiffonade cut, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Italian seasoning, to taste

For the ravioli

• 1/2 stick (2 oz.) unsalted butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. shallots, minced
• Approx. 16 oz. pre-cooked lobster meat (I used frozen, pre-cooked langostino lobster)
• 4 oz. cooked crab meat (I used the crab meat you can find on the same shelf as canned tuna)
• 2 oz. Cognac 
• 1/2-1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tbsp. chives, chopped
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Pasta dough, double batch, rested for 30 minutes (see recipe here; double the recipe)

Directions
Heat the butter for the ravioli in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the lobster, crab meat, and chives and cook for a few minutes, then add the Cognac and cook until it's been reduced by about 1/2 to 3/4 (you only want a little liquid in the pan). Pour the mixture into a food processor and pulse to chop the mixture (only pulse a few times—you just want to break up the pieces of lobster, but you don't want to turn the mixture into a puree). Pour the mixture back into the bowl and set aside to cool. Once cool, add in the desired amount of ricotta and season with salt and pepper. Now, the tricky part...if you're using a pasta machine with a ravioli attachment, follow the instructions for use (it'll likely involve threading dough into the attachment, adding filling, rolling out sheets of ravioli, then pulling apart the ravioli sheets into squares). If you're cutting them by hand, look up instructions (they'll likely say to lay out rolled-out dough on a flat surface, place a dollop of filling a few inches apart in straight lines down the dough, then lay a sheet of dough on top, press around each filling mound, and cut into ravioli shapes). Either way, you will need to make sure you have large, rolled out pieces of dough before you start forming and cutting. (I apologize for not offering more information, but I was using a machine and followed its instructions to make my ravioli). Once the ravioli are formed and cut, spread them out on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with a clean towel to keep them from getting dried out.
In a large, deep pan, heat the olive oil and butter for the vodka sauce over medium heat. Add in garlic and shallots and cook for a few minutes, until lightly fragrant. Add the vodka and cook until it's been reduced by half, then add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Turn up the heat and cook until it just starts to boil, then reduce heat to low. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream, and continue to keep the sauce warm.
Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Cook the ravioli in batches, for 5 minutes each. Rather than drain the pot, refill, and wait for it to boil all over again, just pull the ravioli out with a slotted spoon and continue to use the same batch of boiling water. Transfer the cooked ravioli from the spoon into the sauce. Once all of the ravioli is cooked and added to the sauce, it's finished. Serve with grated Italian cheese and a sprinkling of fresh basil.

Despite being labor-intensive (if you make the ravioli from scratch), this really is a delicious and surprisingly light dish. The ravioli are flavorful little pouches of meaty lobster and creamy ricotta and the vodka sauce, with the fresh taste of tomatoes and just a hint of the vodka, is the perfect choice for the pasta.

Recipe: Food Network's "Cocoa-Rubbed Steak with Bacon-Whiskey Gravy"

This month's Food Network magazine was all about chocolate: how to cook and bake with it, how to temper it, where to buy the best, news about it, and more. All of the recipes in this issue incorporated chocolate in some sort of way, big or small, and a twist on the traditional "steak and potatoes" caught my eye. I don't cook red meat often, nor do I try to juggle too many things at once while I cook (in this case, steak, gravy, baked potatoes, and broccoli), so rather than play around with this recipe and make it my own the first time out, I decided to basically stick with it as is, tweaking just a few ingredients and whatnot, and it came out wonderfully. The rub on the steak has just a touch of heat and a subtle chocolate flavor that is savory rather than sweet. The gravy, a bacon-y, salty, creamy affair, goes well with the steak, and is even better on the baked potato and broccoli sides. So, kudos to you, Food Network, for a delicious, chocolate-themed steak-and-potato dinner!

(Bacon-Whiskey Gravy not pictured)

Yields: 2-4 servings (gravy serves about 6)
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 min.-1 hour
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Special equipment: Broiler pan

Ingredients

• 1 baking potato per person (I bought the "just pop in the microwave for 7-8 minutes" baking/russet potato to save time)
• About 2 heads of fresh broccoli, cut into florets (you can just cook half a bag of frozen broccoli to save time)
• Butter and sour cream for the baked potatoes, if desired

For the steak

• 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. packed brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 1 steak, preferably NY strip, per person (I bought two large Delmonico steaks and split one with my mom)

*The rub is enough to cover 3, 1 lb. NY strip steaks, so if you do smaller or fewer steaks, use less of the rub

For the gravy

• 3-4 strips bacon
• 1 leek, finely chopped (clean thoroughly, because they're very dirty; do not use the dark green part at the top of the leek)
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whiskey
• 3 cups chicken broth/stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. dried parsley
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Mix together the ingredients for the rub and lightly rub the mixture into both sides of each steak. Set the steaks aside on a broiler pan and turn on the broiler setting in your oven in preparation for the steaks. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil in preparation for cooking the broccoli. In a large pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, then remove the bacon and place on paper towels to soak up excess grease. In the pan with the bacon grease, add the diced leek and cook until tender (about 3-5 minutes). Add the flour, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute. Add a little butter if desired. Remove the pan from the heat and add the whiskey. Return the pan to medium high heat and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is slightly thickened (about 3 minutes). Add the bay leaves and chicken stock, bring to a boil over medium high heat, and cook until the mixture is reduced by about one quarter (about 8 minutes). Slowly whisk in the heavy cream, then allow the gravy to simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. While it's cooking, put the steaks in the oven and broil for 8-15 minutes (less time will yield medium rare steak, more time will yield medium to medium well), turning occasionally. Returning to the gravy, crumble the cooked bacon and add it to the gravy, along with the butter and parsley, then stir to combine. The gravy should be just thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon (add a little cornstarch-and-water to make it thicker, if desired) and will be a cream color when it's done. Reduce the heat to keep it warm. Cook the broccoli florets for approx. 5 minutes in boiling water and heat the baking potatoes in the microwave for 7-8 minutes. If you've timed this right, everything should finish up at about the same time. The steak, once removed from the oven, should be allowed to rest for a few minutes on a cutting board before being plated and cut. Serve the meal with a gravy boat full of the gravy.

This is a delicious little twist on a classic and is quite a filling meal. Fresh broccoli and fluffy baked potatoes are the perfect compliment to the steak, coated in this lightly sweet-spicy rub. The gravy, a salty, creamy, buttery mixture, goes perfectly with every part of this dish.

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: Chicken with Spinach-Parsley Rice and a Lemon Cream Sauce

This dish is bursting with fresh, clean flavors—tart lemon, fresh baby spinach and flat-leaf parsley, creamy fontina cheese, and velvety cream. After days of cold weather, rain, and snow, we finally got a bit of a break today, and this dish, which I'd consider more of a spring or summer meal, was the perfect thing to highlight the little bit of warm weather we got today. Simple white rice gets a kick with the addition of a pesto-like mixture of baby spinach, Italian flat-leaf parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and a handful of fontina cheese, and it pairs nicely with lightly seasoned chicken breasts and a delicate lemon cream sauce. Crisp, clean lemon flavor, from both the juice and zest of the fruit, is the highlighted flavor in the dish and really gives it a great pop of flavor—use the real thing, not the bottled stuff, because it'll taste so much nicer.

The sauce was served on the side

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking time: Approx. 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut in half, and pounded out to about 1/2-1 inch thickness
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Dried lemon peel, to taste (not necessary, but it's great on the chicken)
• Olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a pan)
• Butter or margarine (just a pat to add to the pan with the chicken)

For the rice

• Approx. 1 cup long grain white rice (makes about 3 cups cooked)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from one lemon (about 3 tbsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup baby spinach (be sure to pack it down to fit in more)
• 1 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley (be sure to pack it down to fit in more)
• Approx. 5 oz. fontina cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the lemon cream sauce

• 2 tbsp. dry white wine (cooking wine)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup (1/2 pint) heavy cream
• White pepper and salt, to taste (the white pepper will ensure the sauce stays a nice, solid white color)

Directions
Cook the rice according to package instructions (for me, it's cooking rice in 1&3/4 cup salted water with a tbsp. butter)—this should take about 20 minutes. In the meantime, add the ingredients for the rice "pesto" (olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, spinach, and parsley) to a food processor and pulse to blend. After it's well-blended, add the grated cheese and pulse to blend, then set aside. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper (I sprinkled mine with dried lemon peel too) on both sides. In a large pan, heat a little olive oil and butter over medium heat, then add the chicken and cook until done, turning occasionally to evenly brown it. While the chicken is cooking, heat the lemon juice, zest, and white wine for the sauce in a small pot over medium heat. After about 2 minutes over heat, gradually whisk the heavy cream into the mixture (do this very slowly). Season with salt and white pepper and reduce to low heat. The mixture will thicken to a certain degree, but it is naturally a thinner, more delicate sauce. When the rice is done, fluff it gently and pour the spinach and parsley mixture into it, then gently toss the rice to evenly coat it. Serve the rice alongside the chicken and drizzle the sauce over both. A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese works well with the dish.

This dish is full of lemony flavor, which really brightens it up and wakes up your senses. The light sauce adds flavor to the simply-seasoned chicken and it pairs well with the rice. A small baby spinach salad with a light dressing (and oil-and-vinegar dressing would be perfect) would go well with this, along with any sort of white wine.

Recipe: Vanilla Crème Brûlée

One of my many kitchen-oriented Christmas gifts this year was a set of oval ramekins and a crème brûlée
torch from my grandma, and I've been eager to test them out. Vanilla is the classic flavor for crème brûlée and, lucky for me, one of my other gifts was a bottle of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract from my cousins, so I was all set to make my first set of crème brûlée custards. The process is surprisingly easy and, while having a crème brûlée torch helps, you can caramelize the sugar for that delicious crunchy topping by using the broiler in your oven. These little desserts turned out silky and creamy, with a heavenly vanilla flavor, and perfect, golden-brown sugar tops. 

Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5-10 minutes, plus 30-35 in the oven
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Oven-safe dishes for the custard (porcelain ramekins are best; they should be about 6-7 oz.), clean kitchen towel, crème brûlée torch or oven broiler

Ingredients 

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (I used Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract and highly recommend it)
• Approx. 8-12 tsp. fine raw sugar or granulated sugar for caramelizing on top

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300*F and bring a small pot of water to a boil (I filled an electric tea kettle and boiled water that way). In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the heavy cream and 1/4 cup sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is steaming hot (but not simmering or boiling; about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and vanilla until well-blended. Once the cream and sugar mixture is heated through, gradually pour it into the egg yolk and vanilla, stirring or whisking the mixture constantly. Strain the custard mixture through a fine-mesh strainer/sieve, or a strainer lined with cheesecloth (I actually used a loose tea strainer, because I didn't have anything else that would work, and it worked out well). Divide the custard mixture between four ramekins. Line a large, shallow, oven-safe dish with a clean kitchen towel, place the ramekins in the dish, and carefully pour the water you heated up earlier into the pan (avoid splashing the custard) until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the dish loosely with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the custard is cooked through and gently wiggles when the ramekins are shaken. Allow the pan to sit out and cool, then remove the ramekins and allow them to cool to room temperature, then place them in the fridge and cool for at least 3 hours. Before serving, sprinkle the tops with 2-3 tsp. sugar and caramelize the topping with a crème brûlée torch or place the ramekins in the oven under the broiler (3-5 inches from the heat source) for 3-5 minutes until the top is golden brown (watch carefully so it doesn't burn). The sugar will harden within seconds and then they're read to serve. 
The custard can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for 2 or 3 days, but always caramelize sugar on top immediately before serving. If you caramelize the sugar and then place the whole thing back in the fridge, the sugar will soften and get slimy, which is no good.

Beautiful golden-brown top

 These dishes of crème brûlée turned out beautifully! The custard was rich, creamy, and oh-so-soft—really and truly heavenly. There's nothing quite like tapping that hardened golden-brown sugar with a spoon and hearing that delicate crack as you break into the silky custard beneath. Crème brûlée is a delicious, elegant dessert, perfect for a dinner party or date night, but as something so easy to make, it works well as a regular weeknight dessert as well. You can easily play around with flavors, making anything from chocolate to mint to raspberry flavored custard—the possibilities are endless!


Update (5/31/12): Tried out lavender crème brûlée the other day and it was absolutely delicious! Here's how to make it (short and sweet version): When you're heating the heavy cream, add 1-2 tbsp. dried lavender to it and let it cook. Once the creme starts to bubble, turn off the heat and let the lavender steep in it for at least an hour. Reheat the creme mixture before adding it to the eggs, then strain the completed mixture to remove the lavender. (The recipe I followed for this version made 8 servings and had you add the vanilla to the heavy cream and whisk the sugar into the egg, which is the opposite of the above recipe, but I think either way would work. If only making 4 servings, 1 tbsp. of dried lavender should be enough).

Lavender, steeping in the heavy cream and vanilla mixture

Recipe: Chicken and Fettuccine in a Garlicky White Wine Sauce

In my last post, I shared my recipe for basic pasta dough and some basic instructions for using a pasta maker, and this post features the recipe I chose to highlight that delicious fresh pasta. Homemade fettuccine pasta form the base for salt-and-pepper-seasoned chicken breasts, sauteed and then cooked in a sauce of white wine, garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil, with just a splash of cream. The sauce is creamy, yet light, and so rich and flavorful, and it clings beautifully to the pasta and chicken. More than likely, you already have all of the ingredients you need at home, and this is a really easy dish to pull together (of course, I made homemade pasta, which made it take a little longer, but regular boxed pasta obviously works just fine).

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 20-30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2-inch thickness and cut in half (creating 4 servings)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus a little more for cooking the chicken
• Butter or margarine, as needed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 medium onion (about 3/4 cup), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup dry white wine (cooking wine is fine)
• 1, 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• Approx. 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream or half&half, or as needed (I didn't really measure this—I just added a few splashes of half&half to create a thicker, creamier sauce)
• Corn starch, as needed (this must be mixed with a liquid first, then added)
• Approx. 8-12 oz. fettuccine or other long, flat noodle

Directions
In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan) over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan (I also sprinkled a little garlic powder on them for added flavor). Cook until they are almost completely cooked through (about 10-15 minutes), then remove from the pan, place on a plate, and cover with foil to keep them warm.

Cooked through and golden brown

Add the dried herbs (including the bay leaf), onion, garlic, water, and 1/2 cup of olive oil, plus a little butter (just a pat or two) to the pan and cook over medium heat, until the mixture is fragrant and the onions are slightly soft. Add the tomatoes and white wine and stir to combine. Add a splash or two of half&half or heavy cream to the sauce and whisk it into the sauce to help it blend. Because the sauce has so much olive oil, it does not necessarily blend completely, so you may notice that it looks a little "unmixed"—this is alright; just whisk it a bit every so often to help keep it blended. Add in cornstarch (mixed first with a little water or cream) if desired (this helps thicken the sauce a bit). Let the completed sauce cook for a minute, then add the chicken back into to the pan, stir to coat, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Before serving, remove the bay leaf from the sauce (these should not be eaten). In the meantime, bring a medium-to-large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, then ladle large spoonfuls of the completed sauce into the pot and toss to combine. Plate the chicken on top of the sauced pasta and serve with an extra spoonful of sauce and a sprinkling of Italian cheese (Pecorino-Romano is perfect!).

The sauce is what makes this dish so good—it's rich, lightly creamy, and so smooth, and it coats the pasta and chicken perfectly. The dried herbs, onion, and wine blend beautifully with the tangy bite of the tomatoes and the garlic, and the olive oil and cream create an amazing texture to the sauce. This was the perfect dish to make with my fresh fettuccine!

Recipe: Potato Soup

Words that describe today: Cold. Rainy. Grey. Dreary. Autumn. Cold (did I already say that?). I spent my morning in a warm kitchen for my Foods 1 class, learning how to make Espagnole (one of the five mother sauces; a brown sauce), variations on that sauce, and tomato sauce. When I got home, I changed into pajamas, curled up in bed under a mound of blankets with the space heater on, and basically went into a brief hibernation mode, napping for two hours. When 5:00PM rolled around, all I wanted was a warm, hearty dinner, which is lucky for me, because I picked up the ingredients for my cousin's fabulous potato soup late last week and it's the perfect meal for a chilly day in the North. This is yet another meal I tried at my cousin's place over the Labor Day weekend, and it's an original "Katie" recipe—a recipe that I'm glad she shared with me. The soup has small chunks of soft, warm potato in a thick, creamy base. Topped with crispy bacon, fresh green onions, and grated cheddar cheese, it's the perfect meal for a cold and damp autumn evening.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 4-6 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch cubes/strips
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium leeks, diced (be sure to clean these thoroughly by letting them soak in water and by cutting off the tops—they are incredibly sandy and dirty and you don't want that grime getting into your soup)
• 1/4 cup flour
• Approx. 3 lbs. potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes or 8 small potatoes), diced (smaller pieces will cook faster)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 & 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper (and white pepper), to taste
• Corn starch, if necessary (a small—no more than 1/4 cup, and likely less than that—mixture of cornstarch and water can be added to the soup to help thicken it if it's too thin)
• Shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, and diced green onions, for garnish and taste (I set out about a 1/2 cup of each)

Directions
In a large pot over medium high heat, cook the bacon until crispy, but not overly brown or burnt. Remove from pot, set it aside on paper towels to soak up some of the grease, then use that as your bacon garnish at the end (if I remember correctly, my cousin cooked two small batches of bacon and actually included some of that bacon in the soup, but I chose not to do that). Drain all but 2 tbsp. of the bacon grease into a small bowl and set aside (you may want to add a little more to the soup later—that's what I did, to add a little more flavor). Add the butter to the pot, then add the garlic and leeks, cooking them until they are slightly soft. Add the flour and stir around, making a sort of roux (this helps thicken the soup a bit). Cook until the butter and grease mixture is incorporated into the flour and there is no longer any flour smell. Turn the heat up to high, add the chicken stock to the pot and deglaze it (use a spoon or spatula to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot). Add the water and heavy cream and stir to combine. Add the potato chunks and cook until they are cooked through (15-20 minutes). If the soup seems too thin, add a little of the cornstarch-and-water mixture and continue to cook, adding more as needed, until the soup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If your soup is too thick, add a little water to thin it out. Add salt and pepper (and white pepper), to taste. Serve topped with bacon crumbles, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced green onions.

This soup is creamy, hearty, and rich without being overwhelmingly rich. The cheddar cheese, green onions, and bacon add a punch of flavor to the dish, as well as some crunch and texture. It's the perfect dish for a cool autumn evening or a cold winter day and it reheats wonderfully.

Recipe: BLT Pasta

As soon as I saw the bacon in the fridge, I knew I had to make something with it besides the stereotypical bacon-and-eggs breakfast. Fortunately for me, this month's Food Network magazine had a little recipe booklet nestled inside called "50 Things to Make with Bacon." Number 18 on the list was BLT Pasta—something that I'm sure the newest winner of The Next Food Network Star, Jeff Mauro, host of The Sandwich King, would appreciate—and I thought it sounded like the perfect use for that salty bacon staring back at me from the fridge. Juicy grape tomatoes, crisp red onion, wilted arugula, and of course bacon, all tossed with pasta makes for a summery, but filling dish. Oh, and did I mention the tomatoes and red onion are cooked in bacon fat? As some of my sorority sisters are fond of saying (quoting a famous Wife Swap moment), "Bacon is good for you!"—okay, so maybe it's not, but it's definitely delicious.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon, cooked then chopped
• 1 red onion,chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (don't be heavy-handed, unless you want a spicy dish)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 5 cups grape tomatoes
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 12 oz. penne pasta (I used mostaccioli, which looks like penne without ridges)
• 4 cups arugula
• Basil leaves

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the penne. Follow the package for cooking times (about 11 minutes), then drain. In the meantime, cook the bacon slices in a large skillet. Remove once crispy and lay out on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease. Save 3 tbsp. of the bacon fat/drippings in the skillet. Add the red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until slightly tender. Add the grape tomatoes and cook for 12 minutes. In the skillet with the tomatoes and onion, add the heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Toss the mixture with the penne, arugula, and basil. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
(Side note: I used about 10 oz. pasta, 3 pints grape tomatoes, and 3-5 oz. arugula, since I'm only feeding three people, and it worked out just as well)

This dish is both light and rich—the plump grape tomatoes and bitter arugula add brightness while the bacon fat blended with cream creates a rich creaminess in the dish. The freshly cooked crispy bacon is so much better than any imitation salad bar bacon-in-a-jar could be and adds a nice crunch. To be completely honest, I don't even like BLT sandwiches, because I'm not a big fan of raw tomatoes, but this dish reinvents the sandwich and makes it worth the few pounds you'll gain eating the bacon fat.