Ma What's For Dinner?

This is a take off on a salad that I once saw Rachael Ray make and thought, that is the strangest looking salad I’ve ever heard of, but I made hers and loved it!  I ate it every day for a month.  Then I started to give it a bit of a makeover and ended up with this little delight.  My kids eat around the mushrooms but gobble up the rest of it…

1 bunch washed baby arugula

8 oz package of baby bella mushrooms sliced

3 stalks celery sliced thin

10 basil leaves julienned

handful of italian parsley chopped

parmesan cheese

1 lemon

1 T olive oil

S&P

In a large bowl toss in your arugula, mushrooms, celery, basil, and parsley.  Grate long slices of parmesan cheese on top.  Sprinkle with S&P.  Squeeze the juice of one half of your lemon on top of your salad.  Toss gently.  Season again with S&P if necessary.  Sprinkle with olive oil and toss again.  Serve it up with some crusty bread or alongside your dinner.  SOOOOO GOOD!!!

*Disclaimer I put ranch dressing on the boys version of this.  They just love their ranch!  But if they’re eating salad, who cares?  A lot of you out there have said that you can’t get your kids to eat salad.  My youngest two boys have always loved salad, Keegan, the oldest, not so much.  You know how I got him to eat it????  It’s so easy!!!  You’re not going to believe it!!!  CROUTONS!!!  That’s all it took, croutons!!!  Now the kid eats salad?!?  Go figure.

Continue Reading

We love love love our potatoes in this house.  We like ‘em baked, roasted, grilled and especially mashed!  I threw a bunch of stuff from the fridge together for these babies and all anyone could say was MMMMMMM.  So here they are, MMMMMMahsed Potatoes!

Serves 6  Prep Time: 5 minutes  Cook time: 20 minutes

1 1/2 lbs baby red potatoes

3 cloves garlic, peeled

S&P

splash of cream

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 T butter

Cut your potatoes into quarters and toss them in a medium sized pot with the garlic cloves.  Fill with cold water.  Set over high heat and bring to a boil.  Once the water is boiling season the water with salt.  Cook until fork tender about 8-10 minutes.  Drain well and transfer to a bowl.  Toss in remaining ingredients and mix with hand mixer or smash with a potato smasher.  Serve with a bit of sauce from chicken marsala.

Oh oh oh, guess what? I’m guest posting today over at my girl Katie’s at Sassy Silly Spunky Momma She is just awesome and you should go on over and check her out.

Continue Reading

Welcome to our kitchen! If you’re here from Follow Me Back Tuesday please come in, take a look around, leave us a comment so we know you were here! Ok, now back to our show…

I don’t know why I equate italian sausages with summer but, well, I do.  It makes me think of firing up the grill, or going to a ball game, or hitting the food stands at the town fair.  I love me some sausage, so does the fam, but sometimes I need to find a different way of making it then the good ol’ grilled standby.

Enter the Summertime Pasta.  It’s a one dish meal and it’s so so good.  I just threw a whole bunch of stuff in the fridge into the pan and viola, a delicious dinner is on the table.  Enjoy.

1 lb penne pasta

1 T olive oil

1 lb bulk italian turkey sausage (hot or mild)

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion sliced thin

8 0z mushrooms, sliced

1/2 T red pepper flakes

1 t dried oregano

2-3 T dry vermouth (or you could use white wine)

1 cup chicken stock

S&P

parmesan cheese

1 bunch baby arugula

Set a large pot of water on to boil for your pasta.  When it’s hot season the water with salt, add pasta and cook until al dente.

In a large pot heat your olive oil over medium high heat.  Crumble in your sausage and cook until well browned.  Once browned (about 8 minutes or so) add in your onions, mushrooms, and zucchini.  Allow veggies to soften a bit, about 5 minutes then add in your garlic and cook for an additional minutes.  Season with red pepper flakes, oregano, and S&P.  Deglaze with vermouth and allow to cook out for a minute or so.  Add in your chicken stock and bring down the heat and allow to simmer while your pasta finishes cooking.

Drain your pasta and add to the sausage sauce.  Mix well and then serve on a small plate.  Top with arugula and shaved parmesan cheese then sprinkle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.  Mmmm good!

Continue Reading

I can’t believe it!  What a great day!  I’ve been tickled!

Holly over there at 504 Main has chosen me for the amazing honor to kick off her awesome Tickled Pink!

I’m thrilled, I’m touched, I’m quite simply…

TICKLED PINK!

Thanks, Holly I love ya girl.

You’ve got to to check out her blog, she rocks!

So this is a recipe that tickles me, you’ve seen it before, but it’s a winner….

If you’ve been following along you know that I am a sucker for a good shepherd’s pie, or cottage pie as my mum (you know she’s a Brit right?) would insist as it’s only a shepherd’s pie if it’s ground lamb, yadda yadda yadda.  Anyway, I’m flipping through this magazine that someone left at my house, it had food on the cover so you know I’m gonna read it, and this guy had made an italian sausage version of one of my fave pies.  Well his was sort of boring so I took it on, embellished it a bit and came up with this all new amazing dish! You’re going to love it.

Serves: 8  Prep Time:  20 minutes  Bake time: 1 hour 20 minutes

1 unbaked store bought pie crust

1 lb bulk italian sausage

1/2 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 T worcestshire sauce

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup cream cheese

2 T melted butter

1/4 cup sour cream

1 T dried oregano, divided

1/2 t dried parsley

1/2 t dried basil

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 t garlic powder

S&P

1 cup shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese combined

cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh basil, shredded

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Lay the pie crust into a pie plate and cover with heavy duty tin foil.  Bake at 450 for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven, remove foil and set aside.  Reduce the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium skillet, brown the sausage and beef over medium high heat.  When browned, add in your onions, garlic, and 1/2 T oregano.  Allow the onions to soften, about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in worcestshire sauce, tomato sauce, and season with S&P.  Allow to simmer on low while you prepare the potatoes.

In a large bowl combine potato with egg, cream cheese, cottage cheese, melted butter, sour cream, oregano, parsley, basil, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese.  Season with S&P.

Transfer the sausage mixture into the bottom of the pie crust.  Top with potato mixture.  Bake at 375 for 50 minutes.  Remove and sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Arrange tomatoes around the sides of the pie and add basil to the middle.  Serve with salad.  It’s amazing.

I saw a version of this in a magazine and thought, what a great idea. I embellished it a bit and came up with this amazing dish! You’re going to love it!

Continue Reading

When you’re craving some good ol’ fashioned stick to your ribs creamy gooey goodness then throw this bad boy together.  You and the family will not be disappointed.

Serves 6 Prep Time:  20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

1/2 cup butter

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 garlic clove, diced

1 small onion, diced

S&P

1 can condensed cream of mushroom and garlic soup

1 8 oz package cream cheese, cubed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup chicken stock

1 T italian seasoning

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 cooked boneless chicken breasts, cubed

1 lb fettucine pasta

Topping:

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

3 T butter melted

2 T parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Heat a large pot of water over high heat and cook fettucine to al dente, about 12 minutes.  Drain.

While the pasta cooks, heat butter over medium high heat.  Add in mushrooms and onions and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Season well with S&P.  Stir in cream cheese, soup, cream, and italian seasoning.  Allow cream cheese to melt and add in chicken stock. Stir in remaining cheeses and turn the heat down to medium low.  Season to taste with S&P.  Fold in chicken and allow to heat through.  Pour in pasta and mix well.  Pour into a greased 13×9 baking dish.

Combine the ingredients for the topping and sprinkle over dish.  Cover and cook at 375 for 25 minutes.  Uncover and bake and additional 5 minutes until topping is golden brown.

This was inspired by a dish I saw in Taste of Home magazine by Rochelle Brownlee .  I thought her use of cream cheese was a stroke of genius!  Thanks Rochelle.

Continue Reading