It is still winter. I am still cold. Therefore, I will eat and eat pasta and no one can make me feel bad about it.

A few weeks ago for Ladies’ Night I made this (sorta) pasta carbonara with chicken, prosciutto, and peas. I love peas. I say “sorta” because, unlike Giada de Laurentiis, I don’t really feel like 6 egg yolks is the way to go. So I mashed her sauce with this one, and came up with an easy, delicious, creamy white sauce.

The prosciutto really made this pasta.

Or maybe it’s the peas…yes, the peas!

Okay, it’s probably not the peas. And it is very likely the cream. Don’t hate me.

Just go ahead and make this. It’s good for your emotional health.

Pasta Carbonara..ish.. with Peas and Prosciutto

• 1 pound whole wheat pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• half a large sweet onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 ounces prosciutto, cut into little squares
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup frozen sweet peas
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup grated paremesan
• chopped fresh parsley leaves if you’ve got ‘em!

Directions:

While you cook your pasta, set a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Melt together the oil and butter. Add the chicken and cook until white all the way through. Or don’t even add chicken – I probably won’t next time! The pasta is definitely substantial enough without it.

Remove the chicken to a bowl. Add the onions to the pan and saute for a few minutes. Add the garlic and prosciutto and saute until the prosciutto is brown and starting to get a little crispy. Smell it and be happy.

Mix the egg yolk and the cream together – beat it well. Deglaze the pan with wine, breaking up the browning on the pan, and cook until for about a minute, or until the wine is mostly gone. Reduce the heat to low.

Add the cream/egg mixture, peas, salt, and pepper to the pan, stirring constantly. Add the chicken back in. The cream will reduce and thicken things up.

If the pasta is still going, turn off the heat until the pasta is done. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and sprinkle with the cheese and the parsley.  Eat and eat.

Have a scrumptious Thursday!

{Mom, if you’re reading this, you know I’m totally kidding…..you know all kinds of things….and you generally promote healthy eating……can you even hear me from way down in this hole?….}

Anyway. Doesn’t this look delicious?

Whenever I take them to a function I am bombarded with requests for the recipe. I gladly hand it out, but it’s almost embarrassing how easy they are to make. I’m sharing it as an extra special Valentine because I love you oh so much, Homage. I hope the feeling is mutual

K’s {Cream Cheese Bars}

• 2 packages crescent rolls {generic brand works just as well}
• 2 8-oz packages of plain cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 350. Spray the bottom of a 9×11 pan. Combine the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla and whip until fluffy {this is where the stand mixer comes in handy……or, you know, upper body strength}. Spread one package of crescent rolls in the pan, keeping the dough in one piece. {This is tricky. Start with the edge that is perforated all the way across. If it tears, just smush it back together.} Spread cream cheese mixture over dough. Spread other package of dough over the top, keeping it one piece as well. Whip the egg white and brush over the top. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar liberally over the egg. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.

Yum.

Please note the festive heart-shaped chocolate garnish. I suggested to J that we add it for the photo {she hosted a fabulous Super Bowl party this weekend, these were my contribution}. You know, since it’s Valentine’s week and all. Her response: “Will that…….make sense?” And then she said something derogatory about trailer parks. Whatever, J. I think it’s cute. Now get going, this single-wide is getting crowded.

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Now that I’ve started talking about desserts I can’t stop. The same holds true for consuming them…….

Check out this fabulous recipe I found! {Notice the crescent roll theme. No, they aren’t paying me…..}

Doesn’t this look fabulous?!?

I’m going to find something to eat now. Hopefully it involves dough. And sugar.

Come up with a name for my recipe, won’t you please? Hurry, before you crash from the sugar high.

Love,

Last week I was hungry but I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to make for dinner. I know I should plan a weekly menu in advance, but I usually blow that off and am left wondering what I am craving.  I wanted something healthy, sort of light, but flavorful.

The answer? Chicken pitas! But, I really wanted that delicious creamy Greek cucumber sauce – you know the one I’m talking about. It’s called tzatziki sauce, and it is surprisingly easy to make!

Most recipes for it are basically the same, so I took a few and melded them.  I couldn’t find fresh mint that looked any good, so I didn’t use any – but I think it would be a nice touch!

Tzatziki Sauce

1-2 cups plain yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 lemon, juiced and zested (is that word? zested?)
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1-1/2 cloves garlic, peeled
salt and pepper to taste
a few mint leaves, chopped finely (optional)

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients. Process until well-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour – the longer the better, as the flavors will deepen.

Now, people who make the “real” tzatziki sauce will tell you that you need to strain your yogurt to a yogurt-cheese consistency and leech the water out of your cucumbers with salt to get true tzatziki sauce.

But…I was hungry, people, and didn’t have time. And also, something about “yogurt-cheese consistency” sounds a little gross, so I was okay with a thinner sauce. But, you go for it! And go ahead and like, stick that seasoned lamb hunk on the shaving thing and make a gyro. Or whatever.

Anyway, my chicken pita was tasty, and the sauce was cool and creamy. Perfect.

Have an uncomplicated Tuesday,

I have been desperately needing to post this recipe from Ladies’ Night from a few weeks ago. It has suddenly been balmy outside (umm..well….30 degrees…I’ll take it!), so I need to share this before soup season has ended. Please don’t tell me that we’ve got a long way to go. I like denial.

Anyway.

This French Onion Cider Soup (featured on Simmer Till Done) is so yummy. It’s different. I didn’t know what to expect with the chicken stock and apple cider combo, but the flavors are at once light and deep, and the good, golden cheese on top is a perfect finish. Here are the directions, from Simmer Till Done.

French Onion Cider Soup

• 2 small onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Golden Delicious apple – peeled, cored and diced fine
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 16 oz apple cider
• 1 quart (32 oz) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• salt & white pepper
• nutmeg
• crusty bread
• sliced Gruyere (or other Swiss cheese)

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the onions and diced apples.  Stir briefly to combine, then cover to let ingredients steam, about 5-7 minutes, checking and stirring occasionally.  Remove cover and stir mixture frequently, until onions are deep golden brown and apples soften completely, almost disappearing.

When mixture is a deep golden brown (bottom of pan will also have browning) turn heat to low, then add flour and 1/2 cup of the apple cider, stirring constantly to form a sticky, combined mixture.

Add chicken broth, white wine and remaining apple cider to the pot, deglazing browned pan and stirring onion-apple mixture into broth.  When onions have broken up into the broth, partially cover soup and simmer on low for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown, slightly reduced and thickened.  Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste.

To serve:

Preheat broiler. Place oven-safe soup bowls (2-4, depending on portion size) on a rimmed sheet pan.

Place thick chunks of crusty bread (toasted is even better) in bottom of oven-safe soup bowls.  Ladle warm soup over bread to almost, but not quite, fill the bowl.  Top with slices of Gruyere cheese, allowing a slight overhang.  Slide pan with soup bowls under hot broiler to melt cheese.  Watch carefully – cheese will frequently melt, brown and bubble in less than a minute.  Remove carefully from oven, and serve.

Soup (minus bread and cheese) serves 2-4 and keeps, refrigerated, for several days.*

* this is a good soup to make ahead, as flavor only deepens the next day.  Re-warm soup before assembling the bread and cheese bowls, then ladle and serve as directed.

Abbie brought this Upside-Down Tomato Basil Bread (also from Simmer!). Mmm.

Speaking of Abbie, the honorary Homage  breadmaker – she just started her own food blog with an adorable name: Simple Kneads. Check it out for great step-by-step tutorials on breadmaking, essays on healthy living, and other fun tidbits

Here are Abbie’s buns. Hehe.

Have a delicious Thursday!

Today is dedicated to a fabulous little cookie with a sweet crunch.

With a small list of simple ingredients, these cookies are easy to make and perfect to gobble up – just watch out for the inevitable powdered-sugar fingerprints all over your clothes.

Lindsay’s Coconut Cookies

• 1/2 C butter
• 5 T sugar
• 1/2 C oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 C flour
• 1/2 C coconut
• powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla together. Add the flour and coconut; mix well. Form the dough into balls (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter). Flatten the cookies with a fork and bake for 18 to 20 minutes – do not brown. Let the cookies cool and then sprinkle them with powdered sugar.

If your cookies turn out a lot less golden brown than mine – don’t worry. I was feeling healthy and replaced half of the regular flour with whole wheat flour. Okay. That’s a lie. I realized half-way through the recipe that I didn’t have enough white flour, and thus the whole wheat. But! They still turned out amazing, and the texture was not changed at all!

I think the whole wheat really does something to counteract all the butter and oil. Yes…

I should probably be making some obvious resolutions right now instead of blogging.

With powdered sugar on my face,

Maybe I should have started with this photo:

That’s better

A. and I made it to my hometown for our family Christmas – and just in the nick of time. Ice and upwards of 17 inches of snow are predicted! Thankfully, all my siblings and their spouses made it too, so we are cozy and having a great time.

Which means, of course, we are constantly eating.

Yesterday one of my brothers made fudge – No-Fail Fudge, to be exact, a treasured recipe. The recipe is kind of shocking (including such things as Velveeta, an entire block of butter, and 4 pounds of powdered sugar…..wow…). And, to top it all off, you have to mix it with your hands!

We’ll just focus on the end result again before you lose your nerve:

No-Fail Fudge

• 1 lb Velveeta cheese
• 1 lb butter
• 4 lb powdered sugar
• 1 C cocoa
• 1 tabelspoon vanilla

Melt the cheese and butter. Mix dry ingredients and add the vanilla. Add to the melted mixture. It will take a big bowl to mix and you should use your hands for the best results! Press the fudge into a 10×15-inch pan. You can add nuts if you want.

According to the recipe card, this fudge “feeds an army,” so this is great for parties or large gatherings…or…just my immediate family.

Have a beautiful Christmas Eve!

This recipe, given to me by a sweet former coworker who shared my love of baking and chocolate, is an instant classic.

Though it is appropriate ALL year round (if mounds of chocolate can be appropriate), I love baking it around the holidays because my whole house inevitably smells like cinnamon

For this particular coffee cake, I didn’t have chocolate chips on hand, so I chopped up a bunch of nice chocolate (dark and milk). Oh, dear.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 C sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
• 2 large eggs, at room temp
• 1 C sour cream *I use fat free
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 C chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and 1/4 C sugar.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and 1 C sugar until fluffy (about 5 min). Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture in two parts, until just combined. Pour half the batter into the cake pan and sprinkle with half the cinn/sug mix and half the chocolate chips. Spoon the remaining batter as evenly as possible over the top and sprinkle the remaining cinn/sug and chocolate chips over the top.

3. Bake until golden and toothpick comes out clean (30-35 min). *I typically go at LEAST 35 min and then some, and my middle is still usually a little bit soggy….the middle of the cake, that is…stop thinking mean thoughts….

Happy baking and have a great Monday!

Tonight A. wanted some sugar cookies. We were watching Elf and feeling festive, and he wanted to decorate and get his fill of frosting. Only…I am the baker in this marriage, and when it comes to sugar cookies, I’m not a frosting kind of gal.

I only love my grandma Sadie’s sugar cookies. She always keeps them in a big glass cookie jar, and they are delightfully crunchy, sweet, and tart. When I asked for the recipe, she sent me an index card covered in her beloved, sprawling hand:

Sadie’s Sugar Cookies

• 1 stick oleo (shortening) or butter
• 1/2 C oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cream the first five ingredients in a mixer. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Roll the dough into small balls. Flatten them with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes (don’t let them brown).

I like them even better the second day!

Unfortunately, A. wasn’t satisfied with my less-than-exciting approach to Christmas sugar cookies. So he took matters into his own hands. A series of mistakes followed.

First, he chose to be irritated with me for meddling with his baking and forcing suggestions on him. Then he chose a recipe for drop cookies instead of roll-outs. Things went downhill from there.

A few swears and some unused frosting later, I apologized for nagging, and he forgave me. And then this happened:

Ho Ho(listentoyourwifesheknowswhatshe’stalkingabout) Ho,

Unfortunately, I have no beautifully plated photos of the dinner I made tonight. But, believe you me, it was delicious. Just ask Murray.

I had weird ingredients on hand, so I sort of combined this recipe with this recipe and made some magic.

Pear and Sage Pork Chops

• some flour
• a few dashes paprika
• some dried sage
• salt and pepper
• 2 center-cut pork chops, not too thick
• a few tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• chopped sweet onions
• peeled, thickly sliced ripe pears
• a splash of dry white wine

1. Dash seasonings onto pork chops. Rub flour on top. Flip over and do it again!
2. Heat a little bit of butter in a big skillet. Add chopped sweet onions and begin to caramelize. Add the pears and let it all brown a bit. Yum. Splash in some (a few tablespoons) dry white wine and let it simmer down. Move onions and pears to a bowl and set aside.
3. Melt a little bit more butter and a small glug of olive oil in the skillet on med-high heat. Place the pork chops in the buttery goodness and brown them nicely on one side. Flip them over, pour some chicken broth into the pan, and cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes. Add back in the pears/onions and juices, and heat through.
4. Serve with whipped potatoes, green beans, and some white wine.
5. Move your dirty dishes away from the edge of the sink.
6. Or, alternately, just take pictures while your dog gets pork chop juice in his beard.

I can’t blame him. It really was that good.

Avoiding the dishes,

Winter has flung itself upon us and, as my husband snowblows the driveway and I stay toasty inside, I keep thinking about the amazing meal we enjoyed during this week’s Ladies’ Night.

Abbie riffed on a Cooking Light recipe and created an amazing beef stew, K made a sweet salad with bleu cheese and honey, and I supplied some girly beer, because who drinks wine with stew? It didn’t seem right.

The stew was delicious – and we all marveled at the potato-like parsnips that would surely go unnoticed by certain men who don’t regularly eat their veggies.

Abbie’s Beef Stew

• 3 center-cut bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2-2.5 lbs stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 C chopped onions (about 2 medium)
• 5 C sliced button mushrooms (10-12 oz)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 1 (12 oz) bottle dark beer
• 2 C (1/2-inch thick) sliced carrots
• 2 C (1/2-inch hick) sliced parsnips or potatoes
• 1 1/4 C beef broth, divided
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1/4 C ketchup
• 2 T Worcestershire
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves

1.  Cook bacon in a large skillet over med-high heat until crisp.
Remove bacon from pan, reserve drippings; set aside. Add half
of beef to drippings in pan; cook 5 min, browning meat on all sides.
Remove beef from pan and repeat with remaining beef.

2. Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, garlic,
and 1/4 C beef broth; saute 4 minutes or until half of liquid is evaporated. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Transfer beef/mushroom mixture to separate large bowl and add
remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Set meat mix aside to prepare
vegetables. Cut up carrots and parsnips, place in large crockpot. Pour
meat mixture over vegetables. Cook on low setting for 8 hours or high
for 4 hours, stir occasionally during the last hour. Serve hot with good buns!

For dessert we had chocolate chip coffee cake, right out of the oven.

That recipe will make an appearance soon!

Snuggle up,