Linguine with Broccoli

Can you tell I like broccoli? In preschool we did a coloring project about all our favorite things and the teacher wouldn't believe me that my favorite food was broccoli. I must really branch out to other vegetables before this blog becomes "Lots of Broccoli"!

Linguine with Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 pound broccoli cut into florets

1 pound linguine

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2- 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Steam broccoli until tender. Cook pasta until al dente then drain and return to the pot. I usually boil my pasta in the same pan that my steamer sits over so it saves me time and I cook the pasta and broccoli at the same time. Just be careful your water doesn't boil over.

In a frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the broccoli, garlic, and chilli flakes and stir for about five minutes or until broccoli is well coated and is coming apart. Add broccoli to the pasta. Gently, toss the broccoli and pasta while adding the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. I usually top each serving with a little more cheese for good measure.

Fried Rice

Everyone needs a good fried rice recipe to fall back on. This one is basic and I simply added whatever vegetables we had on hand. This wasn't my first attempt at this but it was my first adding all the vegetables. I lightly steamed my vegetables and added an extra tablespoon of soy sauce. Just be careful not to over cook your rice. This will not work with soggy rice!

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons oil

4 cups cold, cooked rice

1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

Various vegetables, if desired

Directions:

Cook rice and let cool. Place in a bowl and refrigerate until completely chilled. In a pan, cook eggs and set aside. Heat oil in a large pan on medium. Add garlic and onion, cook until onions are almost translucent. Add cold rice to pan and stir and break it up to coat rice in oil. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. When rice is nearly all warm, add the cooked egg (and vegetables if desired) stir until egg is incorporated. Serve promptly.

Creamy Dill Dip

Dill is such a great spice and I think it doesn't get enough use in most kitchens. I already use it in my Chicken Broccoli Braid and for my fridge pickles (watch out in the next month for a post on them!) and now in this dip. It's so fresh and perfect for summer. I served my dip on sourdough cocktail bread with cucumber slices. Such a great summer appetizer!

Creamy Dill Dip

Yield: 1 cup dip

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 sour cream

2 1/2 teaspoon dill weed or 4 teaspoons of fresh dill, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Chill for at least a half hour before use. If you can't get mascarpone cheese then use softened cream cheese and decrease salt slightly. For a healthy version use light sour cream and plain greek yogurt in place of cheese. It will be slightly runnier but tastes the same!

Source: Self

Pita Bread

I am a carb girl. I like breads of all type and this pita bread is no exception. There is a trick to yeast breads and you must let them rise for a certain amount of time to get the right texture. After making this recipe, I have refused to eat store bought pita bread.

Pita Bread

Yields: 8 pitas

Ingredients:

3 cups flour, an additional 1/4-1/2 if needed

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/4 cups water, room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Mix yeast, flour, honey, and salt in a stand mixer with dough hook. While mixing on low, add water and olive oil. Let mix for ten minutes and slowly add flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. If kneading by hand, knead for ten minutes and slowly add flour. Knead until dough is no longer sticky.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 90 minutes or until dough is double in size. When dough has doubled, punch down to deflate. Remove dough from bowl and divide into 8 equal pieces.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Dust work surface with flour. Working with one dough ball at a time, roll out dough with a rolling pin or with your hands to make the piece approximately 6 inches in diameter.

Preheat oven to 450*. Place the dough disks on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper and cover with a kitchen towel, let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Bake for 3-5 minutes in preheated oven. I know it seems like such a short baking period but believe me, they are done. I have baked them for as little as 3 minutes and as much as 8 minutes. They are done at and a little crispy on the tops at 8 minutes. It all boils down to a personal preference at this point. Let cool and serve with hummus and vegetables or make some hummus pies.

Source: Annie's Eats "Pita Bread" Originally from The Brown Eyed Baker

Crockpot Chicken

Let's face it, sometimes you don't have a ton of time to make dinner. I have a secret weapon to help me face this problem. Cockpot + chicken + 8 hours = easy chicken. I buy one 5-6 pound chicken and cook the sucker to make enough chicken and broth (2 cups of stock/broth) for Chicken Broccoli Braid, Chicken Pot Pie, Buffalo Ranch Chicken, Spicy Chicken tacos, and just chicken to eat. That means this one chicken makes enough food for one work week of dinners. Score. If I don't want to use all at once, I freeze half and use it the next week.

Crockpot Chicken

Ingredients:

1 5-6 pound chicken

1/2 a medium onion, sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, diced

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Slice onion and measure out garlic, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. Wash your chicken and remove all the giblets if there are any. Place chicken in a slow cooker. Put half the onion and garlic inside the chicken. This requires your hand to go where no hand should ever go. Just promise your hand that it's worth it. Place the rest of your onion around the chicken. Now it's time to massage your chicken all over with the salt, remaining garlic, and pepper.

At this point you can either start cooking your chicken or you can place your chicken in the fridge over night so that when you are on your way out the door you just pop the chicken in the slow cooker base and it cooks while you're at work. I don't think it makes the chicken taste any better if you leave it over night. Cooking times vary depending on high or low. If you set it on high then cooking time is four hours. If you want a slower cook time then put it on low for eight hours. I think that eight hours really makes for a more tender chicken.

When the chicken is finished, it will literally fall apart so you will have to separate bone, chicken meat, and broth. I find the easiest way is to place a strainer over a large bowl and pour the broth through it to strain out the fine bits and pieces. Next, I work on one area at a time to break down the chicken. I have a bowl for the chicken and a discard bowl or bag for the bones because whatever you take out of the crockpot, you don't want to put it back in because it makes the sorting more difficult than it has to be.

All in all, it is a more cost efficient to make this chicken than to buy chicken breasts just to cut them up to put into different foods. The only time I buy breasts is when I grill chicken or make Chicken Parmesan. Enjoy!

Source: Self

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

For our second wedding anniversary, my husband bought me an ice cream maker attachment! He knows me oh so well. I was beyond thrilled and had made this ice cream within 24 hours of receiving said gift. I thought I'd start out with an easy and basic ice cream.

My ice cream came out as soft serve and it tasted like glorified Cool Whip. I was quite depressed. I placed my ice cream in my freezer and the next morning it was perfect ice cream texture.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

one vanilla bean

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Pour one cup of cream in a medium sauce pan over medium heat with the sugar and salt. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds and place in the cream. Add vanilla pod. Whisk mixture until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm.

Remove from heat and add the rest of the cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Chill thoroughly before freezing in your ice cream maker. Always freeze accordingly to your ice cream manufacturer's instructions.

Source: Annie's Eats but originally from "The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz

Beef Stew

I need smell-o-vision for my blog. This is one of those things that is just down right home cooking. It's made in a slow cooker so the meat is super tender and the flavors meld together. It's getting to be summer so I prefer not to stand over a stove and cook for hours on end. I love you, Crockpot!

Beef Stew

Yields 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound stew meat

1 pound potatoes

5 ounces carrots

1 tablespoon onion, minced

2 tablespoons beef broth granules

1/2 teaspoon salt

a good dash of ground pepper

1 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Toss all ingredients in a slow cooker, stir to evenly disperse granules, and cook on high for four hours. I like to serve with some nice bread to soak up the broth.

Source: Self

Blueberry Muffins

I don't actually enjoy muffins that much but this is borderline cupcake. I especially enjoy this recipe when topped with a streusel but I had somehow run out of brown sugar so I simply topped it with a simple glaze of milk and powdered sugar.

Blueberry Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup fresh blueberries, slightly mushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*. In a large bowl beat together the egg, milk, and oil. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Do not over mix or you will get dense muffins. Stir in blueberries. I like to mash mine slightly with a fork so you get them spread out. Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove immediately to a wire rack to cool. Top with glaze (1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk) if desired.

Source: Betty Crocker "Blueberry Muffins"