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Fire Roasted Corn Pasta
I spent a good portion of my childhood and youth living in the Midwest. I was born in Nebraska and my dad was stationed at Offutt AFB twice before I was old enough to attend high school. Like the University of Nebraska’s Mascot the Cornhusker implies…the Midwest is filled with corn fields as far as the eye can see. But, it wasn’t until I moved to the Southwest where i discovered the tastiness of fire roasted corn. And how well it pairs in a variety of dishes. A few nights ago, my third oldest, YoYo, exclaimed that he only liked his corn fixed certain ways…creamy pasta dishes were not one…
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Apple Cider Pulled Pork
Pulled pork is easily one of my most favorite ways to prepare meat. It is versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes, and if you have the time for it to cook, it is a super easy hands off way to cook a roast or tenderloin. It takes very little prep time. Sometimes I make a big batch of pulled pork and then use it in a variety of ways. Pulled pork tacos are especially a favorite of my kiddos. However, this recipe topped them all in their books. I made sliders out of the pulled pork, but it is just as tasty by itself with some…
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Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
Right now I am spending time in Western Idaho with my parents. Autumn is in full force here, the leaves are changing from greens to beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds. The temperature has fallen and we have the heater on. It has been a decade since I spent quality time in an area where Autumn is a real season. Las Vegas Autumn pretty much just means that you have to begin wearing a sweater in the mornings and swim season is over. I have been enjoying this cooler weather and took full advantage of it with this recipe. My parents’ garden was super productive this year and dad ended up…
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Spicy Tomato Soup
Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are the quintessential cold, rainy day foods. While heating a can of tomato soup or Spaghetti-os is quick and easy, sometimes something a little more elegant is necessary. While this soup can easily be made from scratch with oven roasted tomatoes, garlic, and onion; on busy weeknights, shortcuts are a must. Using canned fire roasted tomatoes, or marinara can give you very similar flavors and quality and a fraction of the time. Additionally, if you need a vegetarian or vegan version omit the sausage and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. I’ve made this with diced portobello mushrooms instead of sausage as a…
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Pumpkin Alfredo-One Pot Pasta
I know, I know…it is not the time of year for all things pumpkin. I was cleaning out my pantry and noticed I had a can of pumpkin puree that would expire next month. That’s when this pasta recipe began to percolate deep in my brain. Channeling my inner autumn season, I decided I wanted to do more than many a sweet treat or dessert with this particular can of pumpkin puree. I thought…well, pumpkins are a squash food…and nearly everything tastes better with cheese…so Pumpkin Alfredo was born. Then I wanted to attempt to make it in one single pot. There isn’t anything much more satisfying when dinner is…
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Caribbean Jerk Risotto
Risotto has been a food I’ve wanted to master for years, ever since watching Giada religiously before my third child was born. Even though Giada made risotto look super easy, I have been intimated for a while now. Finally, I just decided to go for it last year. Turns out it is just as easy as Giada made it look. Risotto is typically made with white rice, but can also be made with short length pasta such as orzo or couscous pasta. My family likes risotto made with orzo pasta more than with rice. Also, when I make risotto with pasta instead of rice, the creaminess of the consistency tends…
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Baked Ziti
Throughout the years, I have both provided many meals for families and friends and received many meals from family and friends in times of need. While it is always nice to help another, if you are anything like me you tell someone you are going to bring them dinner and then forget until the day of, you suddenly remember and your kitchen doesn’t have anything that when combined would even be remotely edible. This is where baked ziti comes in. I almost always have the ingredients for baked ziti. Not only is it the perfect dish to provide a family a meal for, but it is one of my kids’…
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Meatloaf Zucchini Melts
As much as I love to create healthy, yet tasty foods, zucchini is definitely not one of my favorite vegetables. Just like Brussels sprouts, I have to force myself to create food with zucchini. While I do love the flavor of zucchini, it is the texture I have a hard time with. However I prepare it, it must always have a crisp bite to it. If it is mushy in any way, I cannot eat it. That being said, I have snuck zucchini in many recipes, grated into the ground meat or into the sauce. For this recipe though, I thought it would be fun to add one of my…
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Coconut Chicken Curry Kabobs
Cooking with curry is still a somewhat new experience for me. It has always intimidated me until recently, but when my kiddos asked if we could have kabobs for dinner one night last week, I knew exactly what flavors I wanted to have in the marinade. Cooking kabobs has been a long process for me. Burning the kabob sticks was a regular occurrence in the beginning. Then I saw a tip on Food Network that if you have wooden kabobs, to soak them in water for an hour or so before the assembling of the kabobs. The wood soaks up just enough water to keep from catching on fire, and…
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Beef Stroganoff
I have always loved homemade noodles, but I have never loved the prep to making them. When I found Reames homemade egg noodles in the freezer section several years ago, my life was forever changed. Now these noodles are a staple in my deep freezer. I always have a few bags of them so I can whip up a quick batch of homemade chicken noodle soup. Or I can use them in brown noodles or beef stroganoff. Have you tried Reames homemade egg noodles yet? When I did my bi-yearly inventory of my freezers, I saw I had a couple of pounds of beef round chunks that needed to be…
