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: Three Cheese Tortellini and Sweet Italian Sausage in a Simple Tomato Sauce

So, I decided to keep dinner simple last night (plus, I wanted to make a fool-proof dish for my dad, to make up for the strange, sweet pasta dish from the other night). Three cheese tortellini, which can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store (either near the deli, or sometimes over near dairy, with the random selections of packaged lunch meats and cheeses), makes this meal a little more exciting that just a simple sausage-and-tomato pasta dish, and they're easy to prepare (you cook them just like you would regular pasta).

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 lb. three-cheese tortellini (other varieties can be substituted)
• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a medium pan
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3 links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, meat pulled apart into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1, 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 1, 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Dried Italian seasoning, to taste
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Add olive oil and butter to a medium pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage bits and cook until just cooked through and lightly browned on the outside. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for one minute, then add the diced tomatoes, sauce, paste, and seasonings. Cook over low heat. While the sausage and tomato sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions (approx. 7-10 minutes). Drain the finished pasta and return to the pot. Add the sausage and tomato mixture to the pasta and gently toss to combine. Serve with grated Italian cheese (Pecorino-Romano's saltiness is a nice touch in this dish), as desired.

This dish is simple, can be made quickly, and is quite filling. Adding sausage to the tortellini and sauce mixture adds a little texture and extra flavor, and crushed red pepper flakes add a little spiciness that kicks the dish up a bit. If you want a little more heat, use hot Italian sausage instead of the sweet Italian sausage. This is the perfect dish to serve with a glass of spicy, woody red wine, and it's great the next day.

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: Italian Chicken Strips

While trying out new recipes is a ton of fun and making complex dishes is exciting, it's always good to have a few easy weeknight recipes in your back pocket, so on those nights (like tonight, in my case) when you don't have the time or the ingredients to make a fancy dish, you can still make something delicious. I love this chicken strip dish because you more than likely have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already, and you can cheat and use jarred tomato sauce or marinara if you don't have the time or supplies to make your own. I plate my version with pasta topped with the chicken strips and a splash of marinara. Another great way to serve the chicken strips is to plate them like chicken fingers, using the marinara in place of ketchup or your usual condiment of choice, and serve potato wedges seasoned with Italian herbs (essentially, a play on french fries) as a side. These chicken strips would even be good between two slices of crusty Italian bread, topped with marinara and melted provolone (like a variation on a meatball sub).

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 2-4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips (I used two to serve 3 people and we had some left over)
• 1/2 cup seasoned, dry bread crumbs (Italian seasoning)
• 2 tsp. dry basil
• 1 tsp. dry parsley
• 1 tsp. dry Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• Margarine or butter (at least 2 tbsp.)
• Tomato or marinara sauce of your choice (I use Bertolli brand)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200*F. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, basil, parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Whisk together with a fork until well blended. Put the beaten egg in a slightly smaller bowl. Dip the chicken strips into the egg, then dip them in the bowl with the crumb mixture, coating them completely. Set the strips aside on a plate to prepare for cooking. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat and add a little butter. Cook the chicken strips in batches, being sure to flip them over in the pan so they get golden brown on eat side (add more butter to the pan as you go along). Put cooked chicken strips in an oven-safe dish and put them in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining strips. In a small microwaveable pot with a lid, add the desired amount of tomato or marinara sauce and heat in the microwave until hot, about 2-4 minutes. Once the last batch of chicken is cooked and added to the dish with the other chicken, remove from the oven and serve the strips with the warm sauce.

This dish is incredibly easy and quick to make, and you probably won't have to go grocery shopping to make it because the ingredients should be readily available in your kitchen. Whether served atop pasta, alongside herb-crusted potato wedges, or in another way, these flavorful Italian-style chicken strips are sure to please.

Recipe: Chicken Penne Pasta

From my early childhood until sometime in middle school or the early years of high school, I would spend a week (or sometimes two) of my summer with my cousins, Kate and Jess, at their childhood home in Maryland. Those visits were filled with games of dress-up, Parcheesi with Kate's hand-crafted Sailor Moon playing pieces, Nintendo parties early in the morning, and trips to D.C. and the mall. We always got dinner at this local Mexican place and a great Italian restaurant, and I definitely remember getting take out from a fast food chicken-and-biscuit place, but we enjoyed meals at the house as well. As we got older, Kate was often given the duty of making dinner at home, so I'd get to try her cooking while I visited. The recipe I'm sharing in this post is one that Kate made during one of my visits when I was in middle school. I loved this dish (and the fact that she let me help her make it) and I'm particularly attached to it because it's the first dish I made by myself for my family, way back in 8th or 9th grade. It's incredibly easy to make (though, as a teen, I definitely remember overcooking the chicken) and it's really tasty.

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

Ingredients

•  2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of a large pot)
• 1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (fresh or from a jar; not dried)
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 4 tbsp. dry/cooking red wine
• 2 cups penne or ziti pasta
• Salt and pepper
• Dried basil and dried Italian Seasoning, to taste

Directions
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring as needed, until the vegetable pieces have softened (about 5 minutes). Season the chicken with salt and pepper (I also sprinkle on a little garlic powder for added flavoe), and add the pieces to the pot, cooking until no longer pink inside but still tender (about 5-7 minutes). Reduce to medium heat and add the crushed tomatoes, dry red wine, and the dried basil and Italian Seasoning (at least 1 tbsp. of each) to the pot and stir to blend. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes.
Drain the pasta, then add it to the chicken mixture in the large, deep pot. Remove from heat. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

This dish is simple, filling, and healthy. The red wine blended into the crushed tomatoes adds a deeper flavor to this dish and the addition of dried basil and Italian seasoning give it a little kick. It's a perfect little Italian dish for a quick weeknight dinner.