Summer Sunshine Pasta

I went foraging in the gardens of my generous family members (ours was a wash this year with the whole kitchen project thing - we had no idea how much the house construction would tear up the yard), and found dozens of sweet, ripe, delicious orange and red cherry tomatoes.  The wheels in my brain immediately started turning as I plotted what to do with them.  Lots of possibilities.  I settled on a pasta dish that can be served warm or cold, and it was delicious.

While I prepared the other ingredients, I drizzled olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the bowl full of tomatoes along with chunks of soft fresh mozzarella.  The perlini size balls would have been perfect - I just couldn't find them when I went looking.  If you're not a fan of fresh mozzarella, freshly shredded parmesan would be great too.

I like to make a nice balance of flavors and textures.  Something salty, something sweet, something crunchy.  All really good stuff.  I've recently discovered grilling bacon, an idea born of sheer laziness a few weeks ago when I wanted to cook a few strips, already had the grill fired up, and wasn't in the mood to pan fry it.  I learned the hard way that it's not advisable to put it on the lower rack next to the flame because the first couple of strips turned out rather carbonacious and the resulting blazing inferno was quite impressive.  It does, however, work nicely on the top rack.  Just don't go too far - it cooks up quickly.  For this recipe, I put the chicken on the bottom rack and the bacon right above it so that the drippings would help flavor the chicken.  Absolutely delicious!

Tomatoes and basil pretty much have to go together.  I think there's a law about it somewhere.

The finished product.  A symphony of flavors, and nice and light for a summer evening.  My older daughter tried cherry tomatoes for the first time in her life while I was making this, discovered that she liked them, and tried to eat all of them before they made it into the bowl.  My theory that you just have to keep offering kids the same thing over and over and over again before deciding that they'll really never eat it holds true yet again.

Summer Sunshine Pasta

1/2 a box of farfalle pasta (I prefer Barilla Plus)
3 chicken breasts, thawed and butterflied
6 strips bacon
3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup cubed fresh mozzarella cheese
20 leaves fresh basil, sliced into thin strips
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Cook pasta according to al dente, then drain well.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the cheese and tomatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil, and stir gently to coat.  Then drizzle about 3 T. balsamic vinegar, and again stir gently to coat.  Preheat a BBQ grill, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and place them on the lower rack of the grill.  Place the bacon strips directly over the chicken on the upper rack.  Check the bacon after 5 minutes and turn if necessary.  Flip the chicken over at about 7 minutes, or when the bottom shows nice grill marks and the top is opaque.  Remove the bacon when it's cooked to your desired crispness.  Grill the chicken an additional 5 or so minutes or until the juices run clear when poked.  Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into thin strips.

In a large bowl, pour the drained pasta noodles in and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss lightly to coat.  Dump in the tomatoes and cheese, along with the oil and vinegar in the bottom of the bowl, the chicken strips, basil and crumble the bacon over the top.  Stir everything gently to coat and correct seasoning as desired with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

This amount will serve about 6 people.

Sun Dried Tomato Penne Bake

This is one of those random creations that I put together that turned out well enough that it warrants duplicating.  I have a problem with creativity in the kitchen.  Stuff turns out tasty, and then I can't remember what I put in it when I want to make it again.  That's half the reason I started food blogging!  Anyway, back to this recipe.  This is a concept that is very adaptable and I think would be totally amazing with some grilled zucchini, fresh basil or roasted tomatoes in the height of summer.  I meant to put asparagus in it but totally spaced it...I'll have to make it that way next time.  You can also easily prepare it in advance and pop it into the oven right before dinner.  I made two pans full of it, one so that I could feed my family at the usual time, and a second for a batch of visitors that were later in coming, and it worked out just fine.

Sun Dried Tomato Penne Bake

1/2 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente and drained (I prefer Barilla Plus pasta)

2 chicken breasts

kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

3 T. each lemon juice and honey

1 cup sun dried tomato strips packed in oil

10 mushrooms

2 T. butter

1/2 cup shredded real bacon

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup cream

1/4 cup pine nuts

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and grill over medium high heat for about 7 minutes on each side.  Before you turn them over for the first time, baste them with a mixture of lemon juice and honey, then baste again right after turning and one last time a minute or so before you take them off the heat.  Set aside on a plate covered with foil to rest for a few minutes before slicing.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mist a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and pour the drained penne into the pan.  Meanwhile, heat up a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter and let it melt, then add the mushrooms and saute until just starting to turn golden.  Season with salt and pepper, toss in the bacon bits just to heat them up, then pull the pan off the heat. 

Pulse the sun dried tomatoes in a food processor until loosely pureed.  Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips.  Stir the chicken breast strips, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon gently into the pasta until everything is well combined.  Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of it all, then drizzle the cream evenly over the top of the cheese.  Sprinkle the pine nuts on top and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until heated through and the cheese is melted, then turn the broiler on high and broil for 3-5 minutes until the cheese and pine nuts are nicely golden and toasted.  Serve immediately.  (If you put it in the fridge for a while before cooking, you may need to add an extra 5-10 minutes of cook time.)

Pizza "casserole"

Not a big fan of casseroles here. I can hardly bring myself to call this a casserole, but it is what it is. I can guarantee that you'll NEVER get a recipe from me on this blog that starts with canned cream of crud soup. Their resemblence to unfortunate bodily discharge is too strong. But every now and then I do need to resort to something that's quick to put together and doesn't require last minute fuss, and this totally fit the bill. Best of all, every person at the table cleaned their plate and pronounced it tasty. Victory!

8 ounces small pasta - shells, elbows or similar
1 jar any flavor spaghetti sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Kosher salt
Coarse pepper
1 cup mini pepperonis or regular size cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the pasta in salted water to al dente according to package directions. Drain thoroughly and dump into a 9x13 baking pan that has been misted with cooking spray. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the pasta and stir until well coated.

In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon globs of it evenly dispersed over the pasta mixture, and lightly stir. Sprinkle the pepperonis in an even layer, then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of it all.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden on top. Serve immediately.

Creamy loaded penne

This is the sort of thing that I whip up on a regular basis. The beauty of it is versatility. You can swap the veggies around to suit your taste, add more meat and different kinds of it. It's just a good, basic, and very filling meal. Everyone in my family eats it without complaint which is a big deal. It's easily expandable and very flexible. I'm going to give you the principles, and allow you the freedom to make it the way you like it.

First, bring a big pot of water to a boil. Dump in half a box of penne pasta (roughly half a pound), a generous dash of salt and a splash of olive oil.

Next, place two chicken breasts in a large, lidded, nonstick skillet. If I were to choose just one pot or pan out of my kitchen, it would definitely be my deep 12" lidded skillet. Season them with a few grinds of coarse pepper, a dash of kosher salt, a generous sprinkling of garlic powder and thyme or rosemary. Add 1/4 cup of water, put the lid on and let them cook unbothered for about 15 minutes over medium heat. If you're cooking them from frozen, they'll take 20-25 minutes to cook through. If they're thawed, more like 15. Once the water has evaporated and they have shrunken to about 3/4 their original size, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over them and flip them over. Put the lid back on and let them brown lightly on the other side for a few minutes, flip them back for a couple more minutes, then remove from heat and allow them to stand for 5 or so minutes before slicing into thin strips.

While the chicken and pasta are cooking, cut up your veggies of choice into bite size slices and chunks. I like to use a variety of colors and textures. Pictured above I simply used half of a red bell pepper and a couple of cups of small broccoli florets. Zucchini, yellow summer squash, other bell peppers, minced garlic, fresh basil, fresh spinach, purple onions, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, capers, roma tomatoes and peas are all possibilities (though not all at once - that might be overwhelming ;)...). Once the chicken is done cooking, I remove it from the pan, drizzle in a little more olive oil and toss the veggies in. Sprinkle kosher salt and fresh pepper over them and put the lid on to allow them to steam in their own juices for about 3 minutes. Take the lid back off and toss in a handful of real bacon bits, and saute for a minute or two.

By now, the pasta should be done. Drain it well, then add it into the skillet with the veggies, and add the chicken as well. Pour 2/3 of a cup of cream over it all and stir well to coat. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese (NOT the nasty pebbles found in the green can - I'm talking real shreds) over it and stir briefly to distribute it. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup over the top and serve immediately. This will serve 4-6 adults, depending on appetite size.

I've done versions of this in which I've heated the cream up, then melted the cheese into it, then stirred it into the food, and that works ok though sometimes the cheese doesn't homogenize well into the cream. I find that I prefer the method in this recipe because it gives you a light creamy glaze over all of it with little pockets of lightly melted cheese. I'm not a fan of thick, heavy classic Alfredo sauce. This pasta satisfies my desire for creamy sauce without totally busting the calorie bank, plus it reheats well without that nasty separation problem you get with Alfredo.

Tuscan Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

I've been mulling over exactly how to make this dish for several days, eyeing my now suddenly prolific roma tomato bushes. The basil didn't do so hot this year in our yard, but a neighbor has an abundance, so I took advantage of her generosity this week and picked a bag full, anticipating a wonderful batch of homemade pesto. This is a dinner that requires planning ahead, though none of the steps are difficult. Roasted tomatoes are worth the effort. The sweetness of the roasted tomatoes is balanced perfectly by the bold flavors of the pesto and the salty bacon. I would classify this dinner in the "deeply satisfying" category, and the fact that my two year old begged for fourths should tell you something. Make it for company and they'll think you're a culinary genius all while you're laughing behind your hand because it's really quite simple.

Pesto is one of those things that I just eyeball. First, I would highly recommend doing this in a food processor, not a blender. I, unfortunately, do not own a food processor, so I was forced to wrangle and mash and grit my teeth through a 45 minute mess in the blender. Irritating, because it would really only take 5minutes start to finish in a food processor.

3 cups of packed basil leaves (washed and stems removed)

2/3 cup pine nuts

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

olive oil - enough to allow it to blend freely, but not be soupy

Place all of these ingredients in a food processor and drizzle a generous amount of oil on top. Pulse several times until it is coarsely chopped, adding more oil as necessary. Pulse a few more times until it is finely chopped. Scoop into containers to freeze or refrigerate, covering with a very thin layer of oil to preserve the fresh green color, or use immediately.

Voila! Pesto!

Next up are the roasted tomatoes. I started these in the early afternoon, because they take 2 1/2 to 3 hours to roast properly. You can crank up the heat to speed them up, but I've found that results in burned bottoms and not as awesome of flavor.

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Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

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Slice 1 dozen roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seedy pulp, leaving the core intact. Drizzle lightly in olive oil and toss to coat, then face them cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle kosher salt, a few grinds of pepper and 1 T. raw sugar evenly over the top.

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Bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, or until the bottoms are beginning to brown, the tops are soft and shriveled, and the aroma causes you to snitch one right off the pan. (For that matter, fill the whole pan, because you'll be sorely tempted to eat more than one. I used a dozen for the dinner recipe, but made double that.) Roasted tomatoes will keep for a few days tightly covered in the refrigerator, and make an absolutely amazing grilled cheese on sourdough.

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Now for the dinner. Start a pot of water boiling and fire up the grill.

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1/2 pound penne pasta, cooked to al dente

2 chicken breasts

kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic powder

3 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. honey

3 strips bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled (optional)

12 roasted roma tomatoes (24 halves), sliced into wide strips

1/2 cup fresh pesto (store bought or homemade)

1/4 parmesan cheese

fresh basil leaves for garnish

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Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Butterfly the chicken breasts and sprinkle the salt, pepper and garlic on the cut sides. Grill on each side for about 8 minutes until cooked through, basting with a mixture of vinegar and honey. Set aside to let the juices rest for a few minutes, then slice into thin strips.

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Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the pesto and toss until the pasta is evenly coated. Add the tomatoes, crumbled bacon and chicken, and carefully toss again until evenly distributed. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, add basil leaves for garnish and serve immediately.

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Edited to add that apparently Sara and Kate were on the same wavelength as me this week! Check out their post here about fresh pesto, including a similar, but quicker version of this dinner.

Meatball "boats" - kid friendly and freezable

Four ingredients for this one. I got the idea from an old Taste of Home. I was on the lookout for something that kids could help make AND would like to eat, and this one got a definite thumbs up from the peanut gallery. I know it's out of character for me to use so much pre-fab food...but you gotta do easy some times!

Cook a package of large shell pasta according to the package directions. Rinse them in cold water as soon as you pull them out of the pot so that you can actually handle them, then spread out on a large plate misted with PAM so that they don't stick. In the mean time, thaw a package of 32 meatballs. Pour a half cup of sauce from a quart jar into the bottom of a 9x13 pan and spread it around. Have your helpers help you stuff a meatball inside each shell, and nestle them all into the pan. Next time I make this, I will toss the meatballs with some of the sauce before doing this. Messier, yes, but I think it'll really improve the flavor of the end product.

Drizzle the remaining sauce over the top of all the shells, then have your helpers spread cheese on top. I used about 2 cups. You could use less, but would you want to?

Mmmmm, cheese.... Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, covered with foil, then remove the foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.

And there you have it. A simple, kid friendly dinner solution with less than 5 ingredients.

Rustic Penne with rosemary grilled tomatoes, peppers, sausage and chicken

This is a Sunday afternoon invention that came out very well. Hearty, filling and satisfying without being too heavy. The quantities listed will feed 4-6 adults, depending on appetites. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it really came together pretty quickly and with little fuss. The rosemary was far less prominent in the finished dish than I thought it would be, so in the future I'll add a bit of fresh stuff at the very end.

1/2 pound of penne pasta, cooked according to package directions (I prefer Barilla Plus)
3 mild italian sausages or bratwurst
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt, pepper
3 T. minced fresh rosemary, divided
5 T. good quality balsamic vinegar, divided
1 lemon, juiced and zested
3-4 T. olive oil, divided
2 sweet bell peppers, seeds removed and quartered (I used a red and a yellow)
3 roma tomatoes, seeds and core removed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 shallots, minced
15 ounce can of tomato sauce
parmesan cheese for garnish

Fire up the grill to preheat and start a large pot of water to cook the pasta. Sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary generously over the chicken breasts and put them on the grill along with the sausages. In a small bowl, mix together 2 T. balsamic vinegar, the lemon juice and zest and a tablespoon of olive oil. Once the chicken is opaque and has nice grill marks on the bottom, brush the vinegar mixture over the top and flip over, then brush it on the bottom as well.

Add the pasta to the pot as soon as the water boils, then work on preparing the vegetables as directed. Drizzle the peppers and tomatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary, and add them to the grill. They will cook much more quickly than the meat, so watch them closely. You want them to have a little bit of char, but to still be firm enough to hold their form. Once the meat and veggies are cooked, pull them off to a plate and cover for a few minutes to let the meat juices settle.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then add the garlic and shallots. Saute for a couple minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then put the lid on and allow them to sweat for another 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and stir it in, then pour in the tomato sauce. If the sauce is on the flat and bland side like mine was, add another splash of balsamic vinegar. Simmer with the lid partially cocked to the side to allow it to reduce by half without making a complete mess of your kitchen.

Dice the tomatoes, and add them into the sauce. Slice the peppers into 1/4" x 1" strips. Slice the sausages lengthwise, then into "rainbow" slices. Slice the chicken into thin strips. Dump the drained noodles into a large serving bowl, add the peppers and meat, then pour in the sauce and toss until everything is well coated. If it's too thick, add a spoonfull of pasta water and a splash of olive oil until it's how you like it. Sprinkle with a generous handful of grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Freezer meals - Lasagna rolls

I helped my sister out yesterday with making a bunch of freezer meals that she can pull out in the next few months on tired days. She's beginning her family practice medical residency. I personally prefer to do lasagna rolled up because it's a nice way to portion things out, plus you don't have to let them stand for 10 minutes before serving like you do with regular lasagna to avoid severe lurpage.

Like so many recipes, this is one that can be endlessly customized to suit your own tastes. We made 8 pans with 4 rolls in each out of the quantities listed. We used foil loaf pans with heavy duty freezer foil on top.

32 lasagna noodles, boiled in salted water

4 pounds ricotta cheese

4 eggs

1 T garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

4 pounds ground meat (we used a combination of mild pork italian sausage, ground turkey and ground beef)

2 medium onions, minced

3 bell peppers, chopped

3 cups chopped broccoli

4 T. italian seasoning (or make your own with rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme and parsley)

Salt and pepper to taste

3 quarts spaghetti sauce, any type

4-5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

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Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Once they are done, mist a cookie sheet with cooking spray, lay the noodles down side by side, mist them again, lay another layer down, etc. If you don't mist them, they'll dry out and stick together in a bad way. Trust me on this one.

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Meanwhile, saute the meat in a large skillet until cooked through. Drain off any excess grease if necessary, then add in the peppers and onions. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until softened. Stir in the seasonings and broccoli, then pull off the heat and set aside.

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In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well combined.

Pour a thin layer of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of each pan. Then, working a few at a time, spread a layer of ricotta about 3/4 of the way down each noodle. Spoon and spread about 1/4 cup of meat on top, then roll up snail style and put the seam side down in the pan. Once you have four in a pan, spread sauce over the top, making sure that all the exposed noodle is covered, and separate them slightly to let it run down in between. Sprinkle a generous handful of cheese on top.

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If you are making this for dinner tonight rather than freezing it, cover it with foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly and golden. If you are freezing these for later, cover with heavy duty foil, making sure that all of the edges are securely crimped down, and once it is all cooled down to room temperature, put them in the deep freeze. These are best used within 3-4 months. You can either pull it out the night before and let it thaw in the fridge and then bake as above, or if you have a 9x13 size pan, you can bake it at 300 for 3 hours (see, this works great on a Sunday!)

My version of Chicken Paprika

This is NOT diet food in any way shape or form. But it's very comforting and tasty, and Ethan was a very enthusiastic eater last night. I served him up, set to the task of coaxing the baby into eating something and when I turned around a couple minutes later, his plate was licked clean including the broccoli! It comes together quickly, under 30 minutes, which is a definite bonus.

First, thaw a couple of large chicken breasts. Then butterfly them, and cut each piece in half or thirds depending on the size of them. You could pound them to achieve this same effect, but that's messy and takes time that I didn't have yesterday.

Next, mix up the flour mixture to dredge them in while you heat up 3-4 T. olive oil in a large skillet. This is a good time to start up your pasta water too. I used 2/3 cup flour, several grinds of pepper and salt, 1 t. garlic powder, and then added a dash of smoked paprika after I took the picture. Stir it up on the plate you'll be using to dredge (the fewer the dishes the better), and roll each piece of chicken through it until evenly coated.

Throw as many egg noodles as your family will eat into the pasta pot, then fry the chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side until it's golden brown and crispy and cooked through. Remove to a plate.

Melt 2 T. butter in the same skillet, and add 10 sliced mushrooms. Saute until just beginning to soften, then sprinkle 1 T. smoked paprika (regular is ok too, I just like the flavor of smoked) over the mushrooms.

Pour in 3/4 cup cream, then add the chicken pieces back in and give everything a good (but gentle) stir. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened and takes on the lovely orange hue that you see in the finished product picture at the top. Serve immediately over a bed of hot noodles. If you really want to crash you diet, butter the noodles first. This serves 3-4 adults, or in our case, 2 adults, 2 kids and a little leftover for Alan to take for lunch.

Broccoli is a great side for this. I followed the path of least resistence and simply dumped the florets into the pasta pot for the last 4 or 5 minutes of cook time, then sprinkled a little salt on them. Voila! Dinner is served!

Hearty Sausage and Tortellini Soup

I'm on a roll! Three recipes in three days. This was another invention out of what was in the fridge/freezer, and the results were great. I shared some with my neighbor, and she called me a few minutes later to tell me that this is the "best soup ever" and that she needed the recipe. So here you go.

The ingredients are simple and so is the prep. I love that it has so many vegetables. The sausage satisfies my husband, the cheese tortellini my kids, and the veggies are all for me.

2 sweet/mild italian sausages
2 T. olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 t. each basil and oregano
1 T. sugar (this cuts the acidity of the tomatoes)
1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini
3-4 cups additional water

Grill or saute the sausages in a large soup pot until browned and cooked through. Remove and cut in have lengthwise, then cut into slices. Return to the pot along with the olive oil and all of the fresh veggies. Saute the veggies for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, then put the lid on and let them steam for another 5 minutes. Then add the canned tomatoes, sauce, broth, and spices and simmer for another 10 minutes until the veggies are beginning to soften. Bring the soup to a low boil and add the tortellini. Stir in enough water to float the tortellini easily and keep it at a low boil for 10 minutes, or until the tortellini are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired, and serve with freshly grated parmesan and breadsticks if desired.

Night-before-a-long-run Pasta

This is the sort of thing that I whip up frequently as a desperation dinner. It's a whatever's-in-the-fridge sort of a dish that comes out differently each time. So I am going to give you the basic principles and let you create your own masterpiece.

First, you ask your sous chef to get out everything that she can reach. This is very helpful when you are walking back and forth between the stove and the fridge and makes for some really fun times.

Next, get a batch of Lemon Rosemary Chicken going on the grill. Or if it's not a grilling sort of a day, and you plan ahead, grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred the meat from it.

Get a large pot of salted water boiling and dump in half a box of penne pasta. I cannot say enough good about this particular kind of pasta, Barilla Plus. The nutritional profile is definitely superior to plain jane pasta, and it's much more palatable than the straight up whole wheat stuff. My kids don't even notice the difference and I feel all victorious for getting a bit more protein, fiber and Omega 3s in them.

Now it's time to open your fridge and see what your options are for veggies. Pick three cups of a variety. I like broccoli, frozen peas, zucchini, red peppers (either fresh or roasted), roma tomatoes (fresh or roasted), shallots, fresh garlic, and mushrooms (though not necessarily all at once). Divide them into two categories - the kind you should boil/steam like peas and broccoli - and the kind you should saute, like peppers, shallots, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini and tomatoes. Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet when the pasta is about half cooked and toss all of the saute vegetables in there with the exception of tomatoes, which will be stirred in right before serving. Throw your broccoli and/or peas into the pasta pot and let them simmer along with the noodles.

Saute your veggies over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are to the desired doneness and then turn the heat down to medium low. I like them tender but not mushy. Grind a bit of kosher salt and pepper over them, and then add in 1/4 cup of real bacon bits at the very end. Everything is better with bacon. I buy a large bag at Sam's and keep it in the freezer so I can add a bit to recipes without the mess and hassle of cooking regular strips.

Drain the pasta and veggies, then dump them into the skillet. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips, and dump them into the skillet as well. If you're adding tomatoes, now's the time to put them into the mix. Drizzle 3-4 T. olive oil over it all and toss gently until everything is lightly coated. Sprinkle a generous 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese over everything. Put a lid over the skillet for a minute until the cheese gets melty and gooey, then serve immediately. This is excellent for leftovers and is very flexible. I can get my kids to eat veggies because I point out that it's got noodles, cheese and bacon in it.

Simple Red Pepper Cream Sauce

I made this for dinner tonight. It got very enthusiastic thumbs up from the peanut gallery. I've tried a few different variations over the years, but this was the simplest so far and pulled together in a matter of a couple of minutes.

1 roasted red pepper**
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese + additional for garnish
1 cup cream

optional ingredients:
coarsely ground pepper
minced garlic
bacon bits

In a small food processor, puree the red pepper and cheese. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until it is just barely simmering. Stir in the pepper and cheese mixture and simmer for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is silky. If you are going to use garlic in your sauce, you should saute it in a table spoon of butter first, then add the cream, then add the pepper and cheese mixture. The pepper and bacon bits can be added just before serving.

Tonight I poured this sauce over cheese tortellini, shredded chicken, peas and broccoli. I simply added the broccoli and peas to the pasta for the last 5 minutes of cook time, then sprinkled a little bit more cheese on top. I did the bacon bit variation, but skipped the garlic and pepper (my kids freak out over pepper). It was very tasty, and a perfect 20 minute meal.

**I used bottled roasted red peppers tonight. I prefer to roast my own peppers, but when time is of the essence, go for the easy fix.

"Really good noodles and chicken"

That's what my kids call it. This is another one that I just made up that came out very tasty. Alan told me that at least three times, so I know it's true. Thank you to Leigh Anne for the photo, since when I first made this, my baby had stashed my camera underneath a bed and I was unable to get a picture of my own.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T. fresh rosemary, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 T. honey
8 ounces thin spaghetti (I prefer Barilla Plus)
2 T. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3 roma tomatoes, seeds and core removed, diced
2 T. capers (optional)

Start a pot of water boiling to cook the pasta. Spray your BBQ grill rack with nonstick spray and fire it up. Sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary on each chicken breast and grill for 7-8 minutes on the first side. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the honey together, then brush it on the tops of the chicken breasts before flipping them over. Brush the underside as well, and grill for a few more minutes until they are cooked through (actual cooking time will depend on how thick the breast is, and you could certainly pound them thinner to start with to make it go faster). Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Toss your noodles into the boiling salted water if you haven't already. Once they are nearly done cooking, begin making the sauce. It comes together quickly. In a large skillet, melt 2 T. butter then add the garlic. Saute and stir for 2-3 minutes, then add the bacon bits and cook for another minute. Stir in the remaining lemon juice and all of the zest, then the cream. Stir in the cooked and drained noodles, adding a tablespoon or two of the pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Slice the chicken breasts thinly. Stir in the roma tomatoes and parmesan cheese (and capers if you so desire - I'm the only one that likes them around here, so I tossed a few on my own plate), and serve immediately with a portion of chicken breast strips on top of the pile of pasta.