Recipe: Linguine with a Creamy Avocado-and-Spinach Sauce

I'm one of those people who just randomly gets hooked on certain foods. A month ago, it was Eggo waffles. A few weeks ago, it was hard boiled eggs (but only if they were freshly boiled and still warm). The past week, it's been almonds and those little tiny chocolate liquor bottles with real liquor inside (random, I know). Another thing I've been eating a lot of lately is avocado—avocados are rich and creamy with a delicate flavor and I've been eating them like it's my job. So, when I found a pasta recipe that involved using avocados to make a creamy sauce, I was all over it.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• 1 box (16 oz.) linguine or other long pasta 
• 1/2 reserved pasta water, as needed (to thin the sauce)
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted
• Juice of 1 lime
• Zest of 1 lime
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 jalapeno 
• 1/4 cup packed basil (approx. 2 packages of pre-packed basil)
• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Grated Italian cheeses, to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (approx. 9-11 minutes; remember to save some of the pasta water after the pasta has cooked). While the pasta is cooking, add the avocado, lime juice and zest, garlic, jalapeno, basil, spinach, olive oil, and salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse to blend, until smooth. Add a little pasta water, if needed, to slightly thin out the sauce. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and return it to the pot, then add the sauce and toss to combine. Serve topped with grated Italian cheese, as desired.

When my dad tasted this sauce, his response was "Ooo! It's like guacamole. Kinda." Yeah. It kind of is, Dad. This sauce is creamy and fresh-tasting, with a little kick of heat from the jalapeno, and you could probably just as easily pour it on a taco or blend it into salsa to create an all new dish. And, really, besides being delicious, it's pretty healthy too. Avocados are fatty, but they're a good fat, and you get a solid serving of veggies with the spinach and basil added in too. Add chicken, shrimp, or even bacon to add a little more protein to this dish. 

Recipe: Balsamic-Red Wine Sirloin and Vegetables with Halved Fettuccine

Leftover sirloin steak, three bell pepper halves, an aging onion and tomato, and a handful of shiitake mushrooms meant dinner last night was going to be a "throw it in a pan and see what happens" affair. Slicing sirloin into thin pieces and searing it is a great way to cook it, and it's a great way to cook veggies as well. I didn't want stir fry again, so I opted for an Italian-style dish with the flavors of balsamic vinegar, red wine, Italian dressing base, and olive oil. Simple, flavorful, and colorful (and a great way to use up some leftover ingredients!), this dish is easy to make and a great way to get your vegetables and protein for the day.

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

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• Approx. 1-2 tsp. Italian dressing base (I used a loose form from Penzey's, but you can use the prepared packets)
• Approx. 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. red wine (cooking wine is fine)
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Meat and veggies

• Approx. 1/2-3/4 lb. sirloin steak, thinly sliced into 2-3 inch-long/1-2 inch-wide pieces (to be honest, I used half of a sirloin roast, but any steak appropriate for searing, like a strip steak, could work—I would use at least two steaks for four people, but you may want to do one steak per person if you want a lot of meat) 
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. red wine
• Approx. 1 cup chopped bell peppers (I used 1/2 orange, 1/2 yellow, and 1/2 green, but any combo will work)
• 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced (I had shiitakes left over, but any small mushroom would work)
• 1-2 tomatoes, center removed (unless you like all the seeds and goo), chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3-4 tbsp. fresh basil, chiffonade cut
• 16 oz. (1 box) fettuccini, broken in half (when the noodles are halved, it makes them easier to manage; you could also use penne or a similar shaped pasta in this dish)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• Butter

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix the ingredients for the marinade, add the slices of meat, and toss to coat. Set aside (if possible, let the meat marinate for an hour). 

Fill a medium to large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the fettuccini and cook until done (approx. 12-14 minutes). 

While the pasta is cooking, heat a little olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers, as well as the balsamic vinegar and red wine (a sprinkle of the Italian dressing base, along with salt and pepper, will add a little flavor). Cook until slightly tender, then push to the side of the pan and add the meat, laying the pieces out in an even layer. After a minute or two, turn each of the pieces of meat over and continue to cook. Reduce the heat to medium, add the mushrooms and tomato, and toss to mix the ingredients. Add the garlic and basil, toss to combine, and reduce the heat to low. 

When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a little butter, then add the meat and vegetable mixture to the pasta (I used a wok-like pan to cook my veggies and meat and it was easier to toss the pasta in with the veggies and meat rather than vice versa). Serve with Italian cheese, as desired.

This dish is simple, with clean flavors and a good mix of textures. You could sub in different vegetables if desired, but the bell peppers, mushrooms, tomato, and onion blend well in this dish. Adding steak to pasta is a little different and definitely a nice change from the usual chicken, meatballs, or sausage that are often included in pasta dishes. Sweet red wine and tangy balsamic vinegar are great flavors that balance each other out while adding a kick to the vegetables and the meat. 

Recipe: Pasta and Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts

A long day working in the basement, organizing ungodly amounts of Christmas ornaments and assorted knickknacks, left me looking for something lovely and light for dinner last night—something that could be enjoyed on the back porch with a glass of wine and a few hungry cats. Enter lemony artichoke hearts, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, and tender chicken, tossed with pasta and a light butter and olive oil sauce. 

Serves: 4

Prep. time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of medium pan
• 2-3 tbsp. butter
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• 1, 7 oz. jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (I used Alessi brand), drained (reserve the oil in the jar or in a small bowl) and diced
• 1, 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (cut each into four pieces)
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-3 tbsp. dried Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper, to taste (I used a rainbow peppercorn blend, which packs some great flavor!)
• 8 oz. spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine (for a different style, use a small/short pasta, like farfalle or penne)
• Italian cheese, as desired

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper (garlic powder is also a good addition). Heat a little regular olive oil, olive oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, and butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat, then add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is a little more than halfway cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and cook for another 1-2 minutes, then add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and a little more sun-dried tomato olive oil from the jar. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring the mixture occasionally. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. While the mixture is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the packaging (about 4-5 minutes for long, thin pastas). Drain the pasta, then add a little butter and a splash of sun-dried tomato olive oil to it—toss to combine. Add the chicken, artichoke, and sun-dried tomato mixture to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve topped with Italian seasoning and/or Italian cheese, as desired.

This dish offers light, bright flavors that make it perfect as a summertime dinner. Artichoke hearts have a slightly lemony taste that blends well with the tangy, sweet flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes. A "sauce" of butter and olive oil is all you need to pull the dish together, and a sprinkling of Italian cheese is a perfect way to top it off.

Recipe: Chicken and Penne Pasta with Wilted Spinach and Grape Tomatoes

To be honest, there's really not much of a story behind tonight's meal. Haha. I wanted to make something quick and easy, and I was craving that delicious pop of a hot grape tomato, so I paired chicken and pasta with fresh grape tomatoes and baby spinach to create a simple, summery dish.

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

Ingredients

• 8 oz. penne pasta, or other small pasta (farfalle, medium shells, rigatoni, etc.)
• Olive oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of a large pan)
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into 2 inch long pieces
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1-2 cups grape/cherry tomatoes
• 4-6 oz. baby spinach (remove any big stems from leaves)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5-6 basil leaves, chiffonade cut
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (at least 1 tsp.)
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• Italian cheese, as desired

Directions

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, then add pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 11-15 minutes). In the meantime, heat a little olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter in a large pan over medium heat. Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper, then add it to the pan. Cook until no longer pink on the outside, then add the onion and continue to cook until the onion pieces soften slightly. Add the remaining butter along with the white wine, tomatoes, spinach, and garlic and cook over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning as the mixture cooks. When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot with a splash of olive oil and a little butter. Add the chicken mixture to it, along with the fresh basil, and toss to combine. Serve with grated Italian cheese and additional crushed red pepper flakes, as desired.

Simple, fresh, flavorful. What more can I say? The hot grape tomatoes pop when you bite into them, and their juices blend perfectly into the garlicky, buttery flavors in the dish. Wilted spinach adds color and flavor and tender chicken and pasta are always the perfect combination.

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: Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Baby Broccoli Florets

This is one of the first Giada De Laurentiis recipes that I tried (from her Everyday Italian cookbook; I've made a few changes to it) and my boyfriend, John, and I quickly put it on our favorites list, frequently making it on weeknights when we were in college. John would peel the casings off of the sausage while I minced garlic and brought water to a boil for the pasta and broccoli, then he and I would work to pull the sausages apart into bite size pieces and toss them into a saute pan of hot olive oil. The whole meal pulls together in about 20 or 30 minutes and it reheats really well, which was always good for John and I, because that meant we always had lunch the next day. :)

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1, 36 oz. (or close to that amount) bag frozen baby broccoli florets, slightly thawed
• 1 lb. orecchiette ("little hats") pasta, or medium conchiglie/shells
• A few tbsp. olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a saute pan and then a little more to drizzle over the finished pasta)
• 1 package (about 5 links) hot Italian sausage, casings removed, with the meat pulled into bite-sized pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• A few tbsp. butter or margarine (to mix in with the finished pasta)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Italian cheese, to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 12 minutes). When the timer for the pasta gets down to 4 or 5 minutes, add in the broccoli and cook it with the pasta. When done, drain the pasta and broccoli mixture, then return it to the pot. Add butter and olive oil to taste—enough to coat everything and create a very light "sauce."

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large saute pan, then add the pieces of sausage and cook, stirring them around occasionally to make sure they cook evenly on all sides. Add the garlic in after a few minutes, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook the sausage until it is all cooked through and slightly browned (about 10-15 minutes). Toss the sausage and all of the juices from the pan in with the pasta and broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Serve topped with Italian cheese.


This meal is so easy to make and it's packed with flavor. The hot Italian sausage adds spiciness and texture to the dish, and the broccoli adds color and a fresh flavor. Shell-shaped pasta like orecchiette or conchiglie are the perfect shape pasta for this dish—they're about the same size as the sausage pieces and broccoli, so you can easily get all three in a single mouthful. As I said in the intro, this dish reheats wonderfully, so it's great to make on a busy weeknight and even better to take to work or school the next day for lunch.

Recipe: Angel Hair Pasta with Steak, Basil, and Almonds

My cousin, Jess, got me a Barnes & Noble gift card for my birthday and gave me the great idea to get a new cookbook with it, and that's just what I did. As many of you could probably guess, I got a recently published Giada De Laurentiis cookbook, Giada at Home (I promise I looked at cookbooks by other chefs, but there were just too many good recipes in this one that I couldn't pass up). I've already marked a handful of recipes I want to try, and tonight was my first try at one of them, a pasta dish with a fresh salsa-style sauce, crunchy almonds, and perfectly-seasoned steak. Just a word of caution...be sure you get beef tenderloin steaks and not some other cut. I accidentally picked up the wrong cut, seeing "tenderloin" written on the package, but not noticing the "chuck" also written on it, a.k.a. I got a much less tender and much cheaper piece of meat that was not nearly as tender as the real deal would have been. The dish was still good, but to get it right, you really need the proper beef tenderloin steaks.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• 1 lb. beef tender loin steaks
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning
• 2 tsp. herbes de Provence
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling on the steaks
• 8-16 oz. angel hair, spaghetti, or other long, thin pasta
• 1, 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes and their juice
• Approx. 2 cups (I used two, 2 oz. packs of prepackaged) basil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup smoked almonds (if you're like me and you can't find smoked almonds in your local grocery store, buy regular sliced or slivered almonds and toast them in the oven for just a few minutes at 350*F)
• Italian cheese, like Parmiggiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano, to taste

Directions
Move an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450*F. Place the steaks on a rimmed baking sheet and season both sides with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence, then drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 10-12 minutes to get steaks to medium doneness (less time for medium rare, more for medium well). Remove the steaks from the oven and let them rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. In the meantime, bring a medium to large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to package instructions (about 4-5 minutes). Drain and return to pot, drizzle with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking, then place the lid on the pot to keep the pasta warm. In a food processor, combine the dice tomatoes and their juice, garlic, lemon zest and juice, basil, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Blend until coarsely chopped. Pour the sauce over the warm pasta and toss to combine. Add the almonds (be sure they are either sliced, slivered, or crunched up into pieces) and toss to combine. Either serve the steaks whole, alongside the pasta, or slice the steaks into 1/4-inch pieces and toss with the pasta, then serve. Serve topped with Italian cheese if desired.

This dish is the sort of dish that can easily transition from a summer meal to a winter meal. The fresh, uncooked sauce (warmed through by the hot pasta), packed with crisp basil and bright tomatoes, adds a summery feel to the dish, but the smoked or toasted almonds add a warmth and nuttiness that makes it perfect for colder weather. The steak is the perfect compliment to this pasta, but chicken breasts, seasoned the same way, would work just as well in the dish.

Recipe: Five Herb Pesto

I was left with mostly full packages of fresh chervil, basil, chives, sage, and Italian flat-leaf parsley after making my herbed spaghetti squash side on Sunday night and I was a little concerned about how I was going to use them all before they started wilting and melting into slimy brown puddles in the fridge. It's not often that I make a dish that requires that variety of fresh herbs, so I decided the easiest way to use them up would be to make a pesto. A few handfuls of toasted pine nuts, some shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino-Romano, extra virgin olive oil, and a clove or two of garlic, plus the mix of herbs creates a complexly flavored pesto, all at once bitter, spicy, nutty, salty, and "green." While I wouldn't recommend eating it straight from a spoon—its light scent may trick you into believing its flavor is also light—it's delicious spread on a crusty piece of Italian bread, smeared on a sandwich, or even tossed with pasta, and it's especially good after it's had a day or two to sit in the fridge. I really just kind of winged it when it came to measuring out the herbs—I had used a bit of each for my spaghetti squash, so I used just about all of the remaining herbs in the pesto (each container held about 2/3 oz. fresh herbs)—so I encourage you to play around with the amounts of each herb that you use. The more basil, the better. The less sage, also probably the better (it has a very distinct smell and taste). The chives will add a slightly salty, onion-y flavor, while the parsley will add its distinct "green" flavor. Chervil has a very very slight smell of fennel or anise, but you can use a pretty good amount of it because the flavor is fairly delicate. Do not go overboard on the garlic cloves—because they are not cooked, they have a spicy quality to them that stands out in the pesto and can easily overwhelm it. Add one to start, and add just one more after you've tasted it and if you've decided the pesto can handle it.

Yields: 1 to 2 cups
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: Just a few minutes to toast the pine nuts
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• A few tbsp. fresh chervil, coarsely chopped
• A few tbsp. fresh basil, chiffonade cut (roll up the leaves then cut the roll, creating skinny, long slices of leaf)
• A few tbsp. fresh chives, coarsely chopped
• A few tbsp. fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• A few tbsp. fresh sage, coarsely chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 - 1 cup shredded Italian cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano are the best)
• A little over 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (preheat the oven to 350*F and toast the nuts on a small pan for just a few minutes, checking frequently. Toast until they are fragrant and just barely golden-brown, but not burnt. Really, it only takes about 3-5 minutes.)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Combine the five herbs, garlic, cheese, pine nuts, and some of the olive oil, plus a little salt and pepper, in the food processor and blend until well-combined. Add in the rest of the olive oil and blend until the mixture is well-blended, with no chunks of garlic or pine nuts and no large pieces of herbs mixed in. The mixture will be thick—it should be more like a spread than a liquid sauce.

This pesto is incredibly flavorful and definitely gets better with age. The blend of herbs adds bitter, salty, spicy, "green," and nutty tastes to the mixture and it's absolutely perfect spread on a slice of Italian bread. It could easily be used as a pasta sauce or a condiment for a sandwich, and I'm betting it would be great as a substitute for tomato sauce on a pizza or you could mix it with mozzarella cheese and use the mixture to stuff chicken breasts. Versatile, flavorful, and a great way to use up some leftover herbs.

Recipe: Hot Sausage and Plum Tomato Pasta

I've had a rare few days off—no classes, no work, and just a few errands to run—which has left me three full evenings to cook to my heart's content. Sunday night's chicken and spaghetti squash meal was fun and different—the kind of meal that called for some solid recipes to build off of—but this past night's meal was one of those that sort of came from a recipe, but mostly just consisted of me tossing random things in a pan and seasoning them willy-nilly with a variety of dried herbs to achieve what tasted like a well-thought out and recipe-driven meal (i.e. it was a delicious success): a pasta dish with hot Italian sausage, canned plum tomatoes and their juice, and splashes of dry red wine and half-and-half for a little depth of flavor. My dad is a fan of hearty tomato sauce-based pastas and he loves a little heat in his dinner dishes—my mother, not so much, but she's game to try anything I make, as long as I forewarn her about the spice level or the presence of bell peppers (she absolutely hates them). Because you cook the sausage in the pan before adding tomatoes and seasonings to that same pan, the spicy juices from the cooked sausage blend with the tomato juice, creating a subtle heat that coats your entire mouth from the very first bite. A generous sprinkling of dried basil, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper add a deeper flavor to the dish, while a half cup of half-and-half adds a very light creaminess to the sauce formed from the cooked tomatoes and sausage. It's an incredibly simple, easy dish—in fact, some of my past recipes featured on the blog are vaguely reminiscent of this recipe (the meat+sauce+pasta combo. is definitely a winner)—and it's the kind of warm, hearty dish that really fills you up on a cold day.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 8-10 oz. (a little over half a box) medium pasta shells
• 1 pkg. (about 5 links) hot Italian sausage, casings removed, meat pulled/crumbled into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 2 tbsp. olive oil (or enough to evenly coat the bottom of a pan)
• 1 & 1/2, 28 oz. cans whole, peeled plum tomatoes, with their juice; coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup dry red wine (I use cooking wine), or to taste
• Dried basil, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper, to taste
• Italian cheese, if desired

Directions
In a large pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until done (about 11-13 minutes). Drain, return to the pot, and put the lid on to keep it warm. In the meantime, heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan (I used a deep pan, similar to a wok, but a large skillet/pan would work or even a large, low pot). Add the crumbled sausage pieces to the pan and cook until they are browned and cooked through. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and red wine, cooking until the mixture is heated through and a thin sauce forms. Add the half-and-half and stir to blend, then continue to cook. Add desired dried herbs and seasonings and cook until the mixture is fragrant and well-mixed (total cooking time is about 15-20 minutes). Toss the tomato and sausage mixture with the pasta and serve, topped with Italian cheese and herbs if desired. For those with mouths sensitive to heat, I recommend serving a few slices of good Italian bread on the side to help soak up that heat. We sliced up some fresh ciabatta bread and served it with an herb pesto spread.

This dish is incredibly quick and easy to pull together and it's so delicious! The spice from the sausage blends with the tomatoes and their juice to add a kick of heat to the whole mixture, but the half-and-half smooths out the heat and adds a delicate and very subtle creaminess to the sauce. A mixture of dried herbs and Italian cheese add a punch of flavor to the dish and the pasta shells are the perfect medium to hold it all together.

Recipe: Penne and Spicy Chorizo with Tomato Sauce

I spent my morning learning how to fillet round fish (much more difficult and time-consuming than filleting flat fish) and prepping ingredients for the "a la carte" classes (they run a small restaurant on campus), so I was pretty exhausted when I got home and had no intention of going out for groceries. I wanted to make something quick, simple, and delicious, which in my life usually means cooking up pasta and some mixture of ingredients in a saute pan. I had leftover chorizo (spicy Spanish-style sausage) in the freezer, waiting to be used up, and some good-looking tomatoes and onions, so I decided to toss penne pasta with a mixture of cooked chorizo, tomato, onion, and garlic in a lightly seasoned tomato sauce. The sauce is unthickened, which makes the dish feel a little lighter, and the spicy sausage and a splash of red wine in the sauce make the dish flavorful, with some subtle heat to wake up your tastebuds after a tiring day.

Serves: 4-6 
Prep. time: 10 minutes 
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes 
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) penne pasta (rigatoni or some other medium-to-large tubular pasta would work just as well)
• 3 links chorizo sausage, casings removed, crumbled/pulled apart into small pieces (most brands usually have 5-6 links per package; hot Italian sausage is a good substitute if you can't find chorizo)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tomatoes, diced
• 1-2 onions, diced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil (or enough to lightly coat the bottom of a saute pan)
• 7.5-8 oz. tomato sauce (canned is fine—I used a plain, canned Hunt's tomato sauce; don't get a seasoned sauce)
• 3-5 tbsp. dry red wine, or to taste
• 4-6 tbsp. fresh basil, chiffonade (there's a good tutorial for this type of cut here)
• 4-6 tbsp. fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
• Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Italian cheese, if desired

Directions
Bring salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions (usually 9-12 minutes). In the meantime, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crumbled chorizo and cook until just cooked through (about 5-8 minutes). Add the tomato, onion, and garlic and cook until the onion pieces are slightly soft (about 5-7 minutes). Add the tomato sauce and red wine, along with a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and reduce to medium-low heat so that the mixture is slightly bubbling. Drain the cooked pasta and toss the chorizo and tomato sauce mixture with it. Toss in the freshly cut basil and parsley and stir to mix. Serve topped with Italian cheese and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, if desired.

This dish is quick and easy—perfect for weeknights! The chorizo is spicy, but not overwhelmingly hot, and the tomato sauce flavored lightly with dry red wine helps balance the heat. I highly recommend that you use fresh herbs rather than dry, because they are absolutely delicious in this dish—not only do they add color, but they add their natural bright and clean flavor, which helps lighten the dish and make the dish taste fresher. As I said in comments in the ingredient list, you can easily use hot Italian sausage instead of chorizo and try out different kinds of tubular pastas. You could even put this pasta mixture in an oven-safe dish, layer fresh mozzarella on top, and bake it to create a hearty, cheesy pasta dish that would be perfect with a side salad or a slice of crusty Italian bread.

Pasta Shells with Mixed Greens and Italian Cheese

After eating hotdogs and french fries at the PennState game on Saturday, and spending Sunday evening lounging at a restaurant in the mountains, eating lightly fried goat cheese, filet migon with tomato beurre blanc, and decadent triple chocolate mousse, I wanted a light meal for dinner tonight. Now, while some might not consider any pasta dish a light meal, I think a pasta dish with little or no sauce, lots of veggies, and just a sprinkling of cheese is filling, without making you feel heavy and lethargic later. This is a variation on a Giada De Laurentiis recipe, and it's quite possibly the quickest, easiest meal you'll ever make—it's so light and delicious too!

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 11-14 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) medium pasta shells
• Approx. 4 oz. mixed baby greens, washed and left whole (I used 2-3 big handfuls)
• 8-10 basil leaves, washed and left whole
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil), chopped
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese (I used a mix of Pecorino-Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Approx. 1/4 cup olive oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes (it's infused with the flavor of the tomatoes and it adds a delicious flavor to the dish)

Directions
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (approx. 13 minutes). Drain the pasta, but reserve about 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Place the salad greens on the bottom of the pot that you used to cook the pasta in, then put the drained pasta back on top. Toss to combine, pour the reserved cooking liquid over the mixture, then place the lid on the pot and let the heat from the pasta help wilt the greens. After a minute or two, toss in the sun-dried tomatoes and cheese, and add some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drizzle the sun-dried tomato olive oil over the mixture and toss to completely combine. Serve topped with more cheese if desired.

This dish is so simple and light, but the sweet, tangy sun-dried tomatoes and nutty, salty Italian cheeses add a ton of flavor to the dish without adding a ton of calories. The wilted greens add color and a fresh taste, while the sun-dried tomato oil lightly coats all of the tender pasta shells and creates a delicate sauce. We ate dinner out on the back porch, enjoying the cool evening air and some white wine from a favorite vineyard in North Carolina and it was perfect.

Recipe: Ziti with Prosciutto, Asparagus, and Mozzarella

My parents are driving over to State College tonight and spending most of Saturday there, so I was left to fend for myself for dinner tonight. I'd thought about just tossing together a salad or heating up a Smart Ones meal (hey, even cooks are entitled to a few "off" nights), but I hadn't had much to eat today and I was craving one of my all time favorite dishes (and the dish my boyfriend most often asks me to make): Giada De Laurentiis' Ziti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella, and Prosciutto (from her Everday Italian cookbook). Now, I have a habit of tweaking almost every dish I make (sometimes even on the first try making them, which is typically a no-no in the cooking world), and this one is no exception. I use regular mozzarella instead of smoked and I saute the prosciutto to give it a little crunch in the pasta. I'm also at that stage in my cooking where I only loosely follow measurements and timers, and once I've made something once, I can usually do it again and again without the recipe by my side. So, I'll share her recipe, but share the way I make it and do my best with the technical stuff, like measurements and timing.

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

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper
• Butter or margarine
• Dried basil
• 8 oz. dried ziti or other tubular pasta (about 1/2 a box of pasta)
• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (they're sold in bundles, and I usually use the whole thing)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 oz. (about 1/2 cup) mozzarella cheese, diced (I just buy an 8 oz. Bel Gioioso brand mozzarella ball...and use all of it...what can I say?—I like cheese!)
• 3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into small squares
• 3 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil
• Italian cheese (to sprinkle on top of the finished product)

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ziti and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the asparagus and cook until the pasta is al dente and the asparagus is bright green and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid (I typically don't reserve any liquid, but if you want a wetter pasta, or more of a sauce, keep it).
In the meantime, while the ziti and asparagus are cooking together, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over a medium flame. Add the minced garlic and prosciutto and cook the prosciutto until it turns to a darker brown/pink and is slightly crispy. Toss the cooked prosciutto, cubes of mozzarella, and fresh basil with the pasta and add in butter (about 1 tbsp.), olive oil (about 4 tbsp.), dried basil, salt, and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Italian cheese of your choice and serve.

This dish is very filling and reheats wonderfully. The prosciutto gives it a bit of a salty flavor, while the butter and olive oil create a light, almost-creamy sauce (trust me, you don't need cheesy or tomato-packed sauces to make pasta delicious). Be forewarned: The mozzarella will melt quickly and it can make the dish a little tricky to eat (you may even need a butter knife to cut through the melty, stringy cheese), but I personally love getting globs of the cheese in my bites of pasta.  All in all, a delicious and easy dish to make, and perfect for lunch the next day.