Simple Marinara Sauce

Adam's favorite meal, hands down, is spaghetti and meatballs. It was his first dinner request when I got my immersion blender back from my sister, and it's always the meal asked for on his birthday. The whole "spaghetti on my birthday" thing is strange to me, but hey, it's whatever he wants, right? Not to mention it's a super easy no-frills meal to put together.

Since it's been my job to take over making the spaghetti birthday meals, I've been on the search for a solid marinara recipe. I made my first attempt a few years ago, and while it was good, it wasn't "wow". Since then I've tried a few more, but none have really blown me away. (Although it is marinara, so I'm not exactly sure what I'm expecting here...)

I found this recipe through a recommendation of a friend. It's fairly simple and straight forward, the hardest part, if you can even call it that, is dicing up the veggies. Then, as with most marinaras, you just let it sit and bubble away for a while, which is when all the "flavor magic" happens and it all melds together.

Simple Marinara

Adapted from: Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
64 ounces crushed tomatoes (2 28-ounce cans and 1 8-ounce can)
2 dried bay leaves

In a dutch oven (or large pot), warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the next four ingredients (through pepper) and cook until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer, uncovered, over low heat 1 hour, or until the sauce thickens. Discard the bay leaves. Using an immersion blender (or transfer to a regular blender), puree the sauce until the consistency desired is achieved.

Yields: about 2 quarts

Since this marinara is lacking basil, oregano, and other strong herbal notes, it's very versatile. We've used it on spaghetti to pizza, and it works beautifully each time. The sauce didn't exactly "wow" me with flavor, but, as I said, it's missing many of those herbs we're so used to in the jarred varieties. As a base though, it's a great start (not to mention it freezes exceptionally well).

Nutrition Facts - per 1/4 cup
Amount per serving
Calories 58	Calories from fat 31
% Daily Value
Total Fat 3.4g	5%
Saturated Fat 0.0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 150mg	6%
Total Carbs 5.9g	2%
Dietary Fiber 2.1g	9%
Sugars 3.7g
Protein 1.6g
Vitamin A 24%	Vitamin C 9%
Calcium 3%	Iron 5%

Pulled Pork Tacos

Tuesday nights around here have become pierogie night. No, I'm not crazy enough to make those things week in and week out, but we have found a place that makes them homemade for $0.25 a pierogie. Seriously. You really can't beat that, especially when everything is made in-house (not some store-bought Mrs. T's -- that's right, I'm looking at you McFadden's). And they have an awesome beer selection, which keeps Adam happy (eh, who am I kidding, he's the reason we go in the first place).

Every once in a while we venture away from the pierogies and order something else. Sometimes it's the brisket, but other times we go for the pulled pork tacos. So, no surprise when Adam suggested a few weeks ago that I try replicating those tacos at home. I was a bit leery as I actually haven't had them in a while, so I was struggling with what flavors exactly I was dealing with. So I stopped trying. Instead of trying to duplicate a dish I hadn't had in a while, I decided to just go for some regular ol' pulled pork tacos, nothing fancy.

Pulled Pork Tacos

Adapted from: Real Simple, February 2009

2 cups salsa
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder (pork butt), trimmed
10 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream

In a medium bowl, mix together salsa, chili powder, oregano, and cocoa powder. Pour into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Slice the pork in half, then place in the slow cooker, turning to coat.

Cook, without raising the lid, for 7-8 hours on low (or 4-5 hours on high), or until pork is tender and pulls apart easily. Shred the pork with two forks and stir into the cooking liquid.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel for 30 seconds. Serve tacos topped with the cilantro and sour cream.

Serves: 5

Maybe I should have gone for fancy. While these weren't bad, they just left a lot to be desired. I'm not sure if I just had too much sour cream on mine, but I was struggling to find the flavor in the pulled pork. It just wasn't doing it for me. The sauce needs a little something-something to wake it up a bit, because the salsa/oregano/cocoa powder combo just wasn't cutting it. Maybe some jalapeños? A little cayenne pepper? I'm not sure, but I know I will not be making this exact recipe again, which is too bad considering this took all of maybe 5 minutes to throw together and smelled delicious while cooking.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 665	Calories from fat 224
% Daily Value
Total Fat 24.9g	38%
Saturated Fat 10.1g	50%
Cholesterol 224mg	75%
Sodium 823mg	34%
Total Carbs 33.4g	11%
Dietary Fiber 7.2g	29%
Sugars 4.0g
Protein 77.0g
Vitamin A 33%	Vitamin C 11%
Calcium 19%	Iron 30%

Pad Thai

I love most Asian food. Okay, minus things involving seafood and coconut, which, I know, makes up a large portion. But as for the rest, delicious. There's just something about the way that all the flavors are so well balanced -- the sour with the sweet, the bitter with the salty, and let's not forget about umami.

I was a little leery about the authenticity of a Pad Thai recipe coming out of a Cooking Light magazine, but figured I would give it a shot anyways. While I am positive that there are one or two key "authentic" ingredients missing from the line up, their replacements do a fine job of getting this version close.

I did have to stop by the Asian grocery store to pick up a few of the items on the list -- the flat rice noodles and the bean sprouts, and was lucky enough that the lady working there suggested I buy basil. I was about to say no as I had picked some up the other day until I realized that it was most likely Asian basil rather than regular basil. Score! I've been on the search for sweet basil for a while now, and I knew it would make this dish even better.

Pad Thai

Adapted from: Cooking Light, March 2011

8 ounces uncooked flat rice noodles
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon garlic chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup peanuts, unsalted & dry-roasted, chopped
3 tablespoons sweet Asian basil (regular basil will also work)

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and garlic chile paste. Set aside.

Add the oil to a large skillet (or wok), and warm over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add noodles, tossing to combine. Pour sauce over top and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve topped with 1/4 cup bean sprouts, 1 tablespoon peanuts, and 2 teaspoons basil.

Serves: 4

Turns out, Adam ended up liking this dish even better than the one served at a local Thai place. Apparently it's not quite as sweet as theirs. But I wasn't really listening to him, I was far too busy eating as much of this as I could. It's one of those dishes that you really just want to keep eating and eating, no matter how full you get. There's just something about the crisp from the bean sprouts with the crunch from the peanuts all mixing in with the chewy noodles and spicy sauce that's irresistible to me. I am very sad I was snookered out of the leftover for lunch today.

I had actually done the prep work before dinner (as we had a dinnertime soccer game, so didn't get home until much later), so the actual cooking of this meal was a breeze -- not to say that you couldn't easily do all the prep work in the time it takes the water to boil. With this recipe being so quick and easy, it's is definitely sticking around.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 259	Calories from fat 139
% Daily Value
Total Fat 15.4g	24%
Saturated Fat 1.4g	7%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1018mg	42%
Total Carbs 26.5g	9%
Dietary Fiber 2.2g	9%
Sugars 5.9g
Protein 6.5g
Vitamin A 7%	Vitamin C 45%
Calcium 6%	Iron 9%

Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies

Somebody help. The cookies are eating each other again.

On second thought... nevermind. I think I can handle it.

Don't get me wrong now, I thought the Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies were amazing. Fantastic. But despite all their ridiculous awesomeness, it got me thinking. What if we did this with one of the best flavor combinations out there? Peanut butter and chocolate of course! And this has nothing to do with the fact I might be slightly obsessed addicted in love with Peanut Butter Oreos. Okay, maybe a little.

It's a good thing I made these when I did. I was out of stuff to eat for breakfast. Well, unless you count things such as cereal, or oatmeal, or fruit. You know, the food you should be eating instead. Eh, I'll get to those after I take care of these first. Which will take me all of one day. Maybe.

Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com & Picky Palate

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar , packed
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
28 Peanut Butter Oreos (1 package)

In the large work bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully mixed in.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Slowly stir in flour mixture, 1/3 at a time until completely incorporated. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place 1 tablespoon of cooking dough on top of an Oreo cookie. Place a second tablespoon underneath. Gently press the dough down around the Oreo, sealing the cookie dough edges together so that no Oreo shows through. Transfer the cookie to a prepared baking sheet and repeat, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies have just started to brown around the edges. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Serves: 28 Peanut Butter Oreo cookies + 6 peanut butter cookies

These might be even more ridiculous than the previous ones, if that's possible. Although they are definitely for the die-hard peanut butter chocolate fans. You really shouldn't waste these on people who are on the fence or fair-weather friends of peanut butter. It's just not right. (That means you hubby). Excuse me while I go off to hide these now.

I highly recommend tossing them in the microwave for about 5 seconds or so, just enough to give them that fresh out of the oven taste again. Unless you already ate them all when they came out of the oven -- I wouldn't blame you.

Nutrition Facts - PB Oreo Cookies
Amount per serving
Calories 335	Calories from fat 149
% Daily Value
Total Fat 16.6g	26%
Saturated Fat 6.3g	32%
Cholesterol 25mg	8%
Sodium 358mg	15%
Total Carbs 45.0g	15%
Dietary Fiber 1.8g	7%
Sugars 24.8g
Protein 5.4g
Vitamin A 4%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%	Iron 14%

Three-Cheese Chicken Florentine

I keep thinking sometime last fall was when my "a-ha!" moment came about mushrooms. But the more I think about it, it may have been over the summer -- or at least the thought that I could actually like mushrooms occurred to me. We were out to dinner at a winery-owned restaurant down in Cincinnati one weekend, and I was having a hard time deciding what to order. That is until they listed out the specials; one of which included a rather delicious sounding smothered and covered Florentine ravioli dish. I knew there were mushrooms in the dish but I figured they'd either be so small I wouldn't notice, or big enough I could pick them out.

Lucky for me they were so small and mixed in that I totally forgot they were there. Not to mention I was far too busy trying to eat as much of that fabulous ravioli as possible, as there would be no doggie-bags since we were out of town. There had to be something wrong with me, obviously, because I just couldn't get enough of something full of spinach and mushrooms. I blame the sauce, and the cheese. They get me every time.

Needless to say, when I ran across a recipe for a cheesy chicken Florentine, I jumped at the chance to try it, hoping it would taste oh-so-close to that dish I had months ago.

Three-Cheese Chicken Florentine

Adapted from: Cooking Light, March 2006

8 ounces penne (or other medium-sized pasta)
2 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
8 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup diced onion
3 cups chopped fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (16 ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 (10.75 ounce) can reduced-sodium, reduced-fat cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

In a large non-stick skillet, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink, and the juices run clear, about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add mushrooms and onion to skillet, sautéing 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper and sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach starts to wilt.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. In a large bowl, toss the spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup. Pour mixture into the baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves: 8

Well, while this dish was good, it definitely didn't live up to my expectations. It was creamy and noodle-y and full of spinach, but there was just that one certain thing missing which I just can't put my finger on. Maybe more cheese?

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 322	Calories from fat 108
% Daily Value
Total Fat 12.0g	18%
Saturated Fat 5.9g	30%
Cholesterol 75mg	25%
Sodium 602mg	25%
Total Carbs 25.2g	8%
Dietary Fiber 1.2g	5%
Sugars 2.9g
Protein 27.6g
Vitamin A 30%	Vitamin C 8%
Calcium 26%	Iron 12%

Pasta with Feta, Tomatoes, & White Beans

So continuing on with my easy-peasy dinner week...

Right now I am in love with goat cheese and feta. Mix it with tomatoes, red peppers, basil and/or spinach, and it sounds golden to me. Pair it with some pasta (because, well, pasta is awesome) and add in some beans for that extra filling power and you've got yourself a solid meal. Not to mention fast. And low in dishes. A pot, a skillet, and a cutting board, that's it. About twenty dishes less than I normal use, which makes for a very happy dishwasher -- aka Adam.

It's meals like this that are so simple and so fast that really make me wonder why people go out to eat all the time. (Side note: I am totally not against eating out, there are certain days it's a necessity. I'm referring to never setting foot inside the kitchen because going out to eat is just "so much faster" and they "don't have time" to cook.) Really? This meal takes maybe 20 minutes, tops -- which includes the time it takes to bring the water to a boil. Which is pretty much twice as fast as it takes us to figure out where we're going, get our shoes on, drive to the restaurant, order... you get the idea. And I know what just went into my meal, no substitutions and finger crossing to hope they didn't forget to leave the *insert ingredient I don't like here* off. Alright, and off the soapbox now...

Pasta with Feta, Tomatoes, and White Beans

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com

8 ounces penne (or other medium-sized pasta)
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon crumbled ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach and pasta, tossing for about 2 minutes until spinach starts to wilt. Serve sprinkled with 2 tablespoons feta and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Serves: 4

Adam and I both really enjoyed this dish. The only thing I might add in the next go-around is some hot Italian sausage, but it's really still a great dish without it. I'm kind of sad I've already eaten my leftovers.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 363	Calories from fat 49
% Daily Value
Total Fat 5.4g	8%
Saturated Fat 3.0g	15%
Cholesterol 58mg	19%
Sodium 1010mg	42%
Total Carbs 62.4g	21%
Dietary Fiber 7.4g	30%
Sugars 11.4g
Protein 17.5g
Vitamin A 66%	Vitamin C 48%
Calcium 26%	Iron 35%

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Peas & Ricotta

I think I finally calmed my sweet tooth down. For now anyways. Do you see all this lovely green? Green = veggies and lovely herbs.

Whenever I think of pasta (or gnocchi), pesto isn't usually the first sauce that jumps to mind. Instead, it's usually some variation of a red or white sauce. Yet every time I have pesto, I can't believe I don't eat it more often. It's so good. (Although it might have to do with the fact that it's close to $6 for a container of pre-made pesto, or $3 for maybe 1/2 a cup of basil. Kind of pricey.)

This week I was going for quick and easy in the kitchen. For some reason I just wasn't in the mood to spend lots of time in the kitchen loving on some dinner. This meal was just the ticket. It pretty much involves boiling water, cooking the gnocchi, then stirring in the remaining ingredients. Pretty dang simple. It easily took me less than 10 minutes to get this on the table after the water came to a boil. That's a win-win recipe for me. Delicious and fast.

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Peas and Ricotta

Adapted from: Real Simple, September 2008

16 ounces frozen gnocchi
1/2 pound frozen peas
8 ounces (1 cup) pesto
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup low-fat ricotta
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the frozen peas in a small bowl with two tablespoons water. Microwave on high 3-4 minutes or until completely thawed and warm.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over hight heat. Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. Drain. Return to pot. Lower heat to medium, and add the pesto and cream and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in peas. Serve topped with 1 tablespoon ricotta and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Makes: 4

Seeing as this dish had pesto and gnocchi, I was one happy camper. The trick with the peas for this dish (when heating them from frozen) is to simply thaw them, then cook until warm. I'm pretty sure the packaging mentioned cooking for 4 minutes, stirring, then cooking for another 3. Um, no. A quick 3 or so minutes on high leaves the peas still crisp and fresh. Not some soggy old looking things. I'm not a huge fan of mushy overcooked peas -- or any veggie for that matter, really. But maybe that's just me. :)

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 527	Calories from fat 341
% Daily Value
Total Fat 37.9g	58%
Saturated Fat 12.1g	61%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 56mg	19%
Sodium 876mg	37%
Total Carbs 34.4g	11%
Dietary Fiber 6.2g	26%
Sugars 8.2g
Protein 13.6g
Vitamin A 54%	Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 20%	Iron 15%