Creamy Avocado Pasta

Makes 2 servings

• 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and skin removed
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (reserve lemon zest for garnish)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2  small shallot, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 cup fresh Basil
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 6 oz pasta, your choice as to shape
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Bring water to a boil in a medium sized pot.  Add pasta and cook according to manufacturer’s directions.

While you’re waiting for the water to boil, combine garlic cloves, shallot, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth.  Add in avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and place in a large bowl.  Add avocado sauce and toss to combine.  Garnish with lemon zest, pine nuts, and black pepper.

Serve immediately (this does not reheat well).

Recipe slightly adapted from Oh She Glows

Since most people have more bartending knowledge than I do, let me know if you have any suggestions…it should be significantly more white/clear than mine was.

I believe it contains Tanqueray No. 10, Alize, torn sage leaves, and a simple syrup and lime juice mix.

* Update: I forgot to mention I had this delicious beverage at Palomino’s Restaurant.

Pastor Ryan’s Bolognese Sauce

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 ½ cups grated carrots
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 Tablespoons dried Oregano
• 2 Tablespoons dried Basil flakes (or substitute fresh if you have it)
• 1 can (6 Ounce) tomato paste
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup (to 2 Cups) red wine
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
• 2 cans (28 Ounce) whole tomatoes
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add grated carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture and then add in the ground beef to well. Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.

Add oregano and basil. Once the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat up. Add garlic and stir to combine.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine. Stir together. Add Worcestershire and canned tomatoes and stir. Add milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Serve over pasta with Parmesan.

Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks

The one benefit of not having posted regularly is that I have developed a nice little library of recipes we’ve tried and not yet posted.  In fact, I made these cinnamon streusel pancakes when my brother visited us in our old house back in March.  Yowzers.  Although, if you think that’s bad, I still need to post a completely delicious German Chocolate Cake from my dad’s birthday 1 1/2 years ago. HA.

I don’t think I ever order plain pancakes anymore, and these were no exception.  Plus, I love streusel topping, so I was pretty much set!  The only thing I changed was that I did flip the pancake onto the streusel side for just a few seconds to melt the butter which make them not quite as pretty but just as delicious.

Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

Yields 6 large pancakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Streusel:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Cinnamon Streusel: In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands or a fork, until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Do not over mix, batter will be slightly lumpy.

Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray. Drop 1 cup of batter onto heated skillet.  Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon streusel. Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip pancake over and cover very generously with cinnamon streusel.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

Serve warm with maple syrup.

Recipe found at Two Peas and Their Pod

It’s been a while, huh? Truth is, Corrie has been doing a large chunk of our dinner cooking lately.  I have a 40 minute commute home, and he generally at least starts if not completely finishes dinner by the time I get  here.  It is both insanely wonderful and very much appreciated.  Right now, my only contributions seem to come through making a menu for the week and any meals we might make on the weekend.  So, I think perhaps a few guest posts might be in order especially given that he’s has mad writing skills.  While I’m obviously biased, he occasionally writes for a sports website, etc. so I’m pretty confident it’s true.

Taco Pasta Salad

Serves 8-12

• 1 pound bow tie or wagon wheel pasta
• Salt
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn
• 1½ cups salsa
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 ounces (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 large (or 2 small) avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta. Cook according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and then stir the frozen corn into the pasta to cool the pasta and defrost the corn. Stir the salsa into the pasta and corn, then add the beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese.

Combine lime juice and avocado in a small bowl, and stir to coat avocado. Remove the avocado from the lime juice and add to the pasta (if you’re serving that day otherwise keep it separate until ready to serve), reserving the lime juice.

Heat a small stick pan (not non-stick) over medium heat for a few minutes , add the spices and stir just until they start to smoke, no longer than a minute to toast them. Add the spices, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt to the lime juice, then slowly whisk in the oil.

Mix dressing into salad. Serve immediately or chill for up to one day.

Recipe found at The Way the Cookie Crumbles, adapted slightly from Cara’s Cravings

The only change I made here was I’m realizing I’m not an enormous fan of hoisin sauce, so I had decreased the quantity and replaced it with additional soy sauce, brown sugar, and a little additional sesame oil.  If you like hoisin, leave the recipe as is.

Initially I wasn’t sure about the pineapple even though pork and pineapple go well together, but it made the dish so don’t leave it out!

Makes 4 servings

• 2 boneless center cut pork chops (about 1 pound), cut into ½-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 6 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into ½-inch pieces
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• 1 8-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained and chopped, 3 tablespoons juice reserved
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 (8.8-ounce) packages Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice (see note below)

Combine pork, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and chili-garlic sauce in bowl.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add pork mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to bowl.

Add remaining oil to pan and cook scallion whites until just softened, about one minute.  Add eggs and cook, stirring vigorously, until scrambled, about one minute.  Transfer to bowl with pork.

Add hoisin sauce, pineapple chunks, reserved pineapple juice, sesame oil, remaining soy sauce, and rice to empty pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Stir in scallion greens and pork and egg mixture and toss until heated through, about 1 minute.  Serve.

Test Kitchen Note: Two cups of leftover white or brown rice can be substituted for the Uncle Ben’s.

Recipe source: America’s Test Kitchen The Best Simple Recipes

Lemon Ricotta Blackberry Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup ricotta cheese (whole or low-fat is fine)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• Turbinado sugar-for sprinkling on muffin tops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a small bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingers. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar and lemon zest mixture together until light and fluffy, about two minutes.  Add the ricotta cheese and beat until smooth. Then, beat in the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill each muffin cup half way with batter. Add three blackberries to each muffin cup. Top the muffins with remaining batter so blackberries are covered. Generously sprinkle turbinado sugar over each muffin top.

Bake muffins for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown. Let muffins cool for at least five minutes before serving.

Yields 12 muffins

Recipe Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

That was a long stretch.  We obviously agreed to the move, but they, of course, never go as planned.  And although I think we’ve been relatively up-beat about it, I do actually mean NOTHING went as planned on tries one, two, or three.  I’ve been told multiple times that I should write a book (not a good sign), and people who see me daily and therefore know when various things are going on refer to it “the move from hell” (probably a worse sign .

I now have a moving hashtag, #thejoysofmoving, but I’m not on Twitter. Cest la vie.  We’re healthy, happy, and ready to enjoy the heck of out our new home!

So let’s get back to what’s important…FOOD.

I do have lots of recipes/half-finished posts/random pictures, but now I don’t know what goes with what so that may still take a little time to sort through.  I also need to quickly segway into some healthy eating recipes, because 5-ish months of relocation/temporary housing/#thejoysofmoving does not equate to me liking the way my pants fit!

However, this pizza I still remember eating despite it being all these months later.  It’s also a great vegetarian option, and I’ve mentioned once or twice fifty times that I’m always storing away for new ideas of things to make for my fantastic brother, George.

Mexican Pizza

• Pizza dough
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ tsp. cumin
• ¼ tsp. paprika
• ¼ tsp. cayenne
• 3 tbsp. chicken broth, veggie broth or water
• 3 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/3 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• 3-4 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven (with the pizza stone inside) at 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes.  Roll out pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round.  Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil.

Combine the black beans, cumin, paprika and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor.  Puree until ground into a paste.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  With the processor running, add the broth through the feed tube until a smooth mixture is formed.  Smooth the bean puree onto the shaped pizza crust in an even layer(like Annie, I also used about ¾ of the puree).  Then spread the cheddar and monterey jack cheese over the bean puree in an even layer.  Evenly distributethe jalapeño, red onion, tomato, corn and cilantro on top.  Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pizza to the pre-heated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing.

Source:  Annie’s Eats

I made these Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars, and they really do taste just like Reese’s Cups like Michelle says!

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

• 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 cups prepared salsa
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese, divided
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa. Stir in 1/2 cup of each type of cheese.

In a second bowl toss together the chicken, corn, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and half of the scallions. Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Spread about 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom of a baking dish. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling on a tortilla, roll up and put in dish seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas.

Pour remaining salsa over enchiladas, spreading to coat all of them. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Transfer to preheated oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve warm.

Source: slightly adapted from On My Menu; found at Cassie Craves