Dinner Deconstructed: Basil Cream Cheese Penne

Hello lovely readers. It seems that this has been a week of recipe posts.  Today, I'm introducing a new post series that I plan to do on a regular basis, 30does, dinner. 

I'm hopeful that over the next few months you will come along with me as I make some changes to my blog, the post quality, variety of post topics, and hopefully design.  I have lofty goals for this blog, but it's an evolving process. 

This recipe comes from my collection of vintage Better Homes and Gardens Cookbooks.  Collecting vintage cookbooks and home keeping manuals are a little hobby of mine; this little collection is from my mother-in-law and from a local library purchased for $.25.

What I love about vintage cookbooks is the dated vocabulary, ingredients (such as lard, MSG, and many pre-made "name-brand" goods), and interesting descriptions.  It's really a little piece of cultural history.  Often many of the recipes are not my thing, but every once in while, I come across a real goodie.

This "Green Sauce" is so quick, easy, and tasty that it has become a staple in my house when I'm "fresh out of dinner ideas".

Note: You can use fresh herbs; although the recipe calls for dried.  Also, I usually use whole wheat penne and add sauteed seasonal vegetables and crumpled, crispy pancetta. 

So, you seriously just mix everything together until cream cheese is melted and toss the cheese sauce with freshly drained, warm pasta.

For this version, I added farm-fresh zucchini sauteed with shallot in olive oil, a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes from our backyard, and of course the crispy pancetta. 

Delicious.

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Farmer's Market Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

Along with the 1/2 peck of peaches we picked up at the Farmer's Market, we also gathered some fresh tomatillos, poblano peppers and sweet onions, which, by the way, are so sweet and tasty you can eat them raw. 

What did I do with these fresh ingredients? 

I threw them into the food processor with 2 cloves of garlic, pureed them and basically drank the resulting salsa with a few corn chips in tow.  

If you would like to replicate this fresh salsa, 

take 5-6 tomatillos

2 poblano peppers (stems cut off, but seeds included)

1 medium-sized sweet onion

2 cloves garlic

pinch salt

place all items in a food processor and pulse until just pureed. Enjoy!

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Farmer's Market Peach Crisp

This past Saturday we visited the Wildwood, MO farmer's market.  While it is a smaller-scale farmer's market, it has just the right number of local farmers/gardeners selling just the right amount of fresh produce, herbs, eggs, and flowers.  Even better, a local BBQ joint serves up freshly smoked sandwiches for hungry husbands in tow and "take home" size containers for dinner.  There was even a nice Irishman crooning old Van Morrison songs and a friendly Hawaiian Ice peddler.  Overall, it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning. 

My loot was small, but purposeful; it included 1/2 peck of fresh Calhoun County, IL peaches, which has led to this tasty post. 

Farmer's Market Peach Crisp

1. Peel, pit and chop 7-9 peaches into hearty slices and/or chunks. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

(a quick way to peel peaches is to place them in boiling water for 30 seconds, let them cool, and peel away)

2. Mix peaches with 1/4 sugar, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1-2 tsp freshly grated lemon rind, dash cloves and a pinch of cinnamon.  Place mixture into pie plate.

3. Mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking), 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Cut in 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle over top of peaches.  Bake about 25-35 minutes until topping is a crisp, golden layer.

(this recipe is for crisp lovers. we love the crisp as much as the peaches.)

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perfecting granola

 

Recently, I've been mad about making homemade granola.  It's so delicious, good for you, kid-friendly, and cheaper than buying a pre-made box.  I've been working with this recipe from epicurious.com.  What I like about this recipe is that it is a manageable portion that you can eat in a few days without having to freeze it.  Plus, it's so simple that I don't mind making it every few days.  

The30Girl's Modified, Melissa Hotek's Granola

What you need...

1/2 cup veggie or canola oil

1/2 real maple syrup

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup wheat germ

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup medium shred unsweetened coconut

What you do...

1. Mix the oil, syrup, honey, wheat germ, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  

2. Add the oats, almonds and coconut.  Stir until all dry ingredients are wet.

3. Spread on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  

4. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees on the middle rack.  

5. Stir, then back approximately 10 minutes more, stirring frequently.  Granola should be completely dry, but not burnt.  

6. Cool to room temperature.  Add chocolate chips, dried fruit or whatever suits your fancy. 

I do not add anything until I'm ready to eat it.  Often, I add a few chocolate chips and eat it with milk.  Or I serve it with fresh berries, greek yogurt and honey. 

 

This is definitely a heart healthy snack. Enjoy!

Choco-Cheesecake Muffins from a Box.

 

I made these little ditties this weekend.  They were easy and a hit.  My goal was to combine my favorite (chocolate) with my hubby's favorite (cheesecake) to make a dessert that we would both enjoy.  Plus, I gave a few away as early V-day gifts. 

What you need...

1 box chocolate chip muffin mix or brownie mix

1 8oz package neufchatel cheese, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

What you do...

1. Make the muffin box/brownie mix according to package instructions.  I used Duncan Hines Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix.  Instead of the oil, I always use applesauce to cut down the fat--it makes me feel a little better about indulging in all of the sugar. 

2. Line a muffin tin with parchment paper squares or muffin liners or cooking spray.  Fill the muffins 3/4's full with the chocolate mix.  

 3. Using a hand mixer, cream the neufchatel cheese and sugar.  Then, add the egg and vanilla; mix until well-combined.  

4. Place a dollop of the creamy cheese mixtures into each muffin tin. 

5. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is set and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes. 

 

Enjoy!

Zip-loc Bag Chocolate Lollipops

 

If you are looking for a great Valentine's Day activity to do you with your kiddos that is fun, easy, and incorporates healthy ingredients, look no further, these zip-loc bag chocolate lollipops are your solution. 

I wanted to come up with something that I could, in good conscience, give my kiddo and any other kiddo too.  I also wanted to make something that was easy, required few gadgets and is fun to do make. 

What you need...

1. 1 bag of chocolate-I used Ghirardelli’s 60% cacao, but use whatever you and your family like

2. 1 zip-loc quart or gallon bag

3. Toppings of your choice....

To make these lollipops a bit "healthier", I avoid things like sprinkles that are full of artificial colors and void of any and all nutrition.  What I've noticed is that kids just want to sprinkle something, they will use whatever you've set out.  

My toppings of choice...

-Crushed raw almonds, more nutritious than their roasted counterparts, for nutrition info click here
-Crushed raw pumpkin seeds, for nutrition info click here
-Ground dried fruits such as cranberries, as seen in above photo
-Dried Orange Zest (zest of one orange, baked in 175 degree oven until dry)

But seriously, use what you have that you and your family like to top your chocolate.  Any nut, dried fruit, raw sugar would work.

What you do...
1. First, prepare your cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a light coat of cooking spray.  Wipe the spray across the foil with a napkin or paper towel.
2. Then, place all your toppings and lollipop sticks in small bowls or ramekins...so they are ready for tiny hands.
3. Next, using a double boiler or a sauce pan with a glass bowl, melt your chocolate to a smooth, not runny, consistency.

 

4. Spoon chocolate into your zip-loc bag....cut a very tiny piece off a corner of the bag so that you have to squeeze to get the chocolate to come out.

At this point, you have a couple of options.  If your kiddos are big, they can squeeze heart shapes and circles onto the foil.  If your kiddos are small, you can squeeze the shapes and they can place the lollipop sticks and sprinkle the toppings.

Making the shapes-First, make the heart outline.  Then, "color" in the lines with your chocolate.  Place your lollipop stick at the bottom and be sure to layer a little extra chocolate around the stick to add extra strength to the base.

5. Sprinkle your toppings.
6. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate is firm.
7. Enjoy a tasty treat!!!

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well, I've convinced myself that oatmeal cookies are healthy. They are, right? The following is an oatmeal cookie recipe with semi-sweet chocolate chips added because everything is better with chocolate. That's a fact in my house at least. I baked up these cookies and made a couple of recycled can containers to tote them to a play date today with a couple of good friends and their kiddos.

What you need...
1 cup flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips, about half a bag

What you do...
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed, mix until the butter/sugar combo is like a nice creamy spread. Then, add the egg and vanilla. Mix again on medium speed for 30 seconds or until well-combined.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamy mixture while mixing on low speed. Mix until all dry ingredients are well-combined and a nice dough is formed.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Place on a lined cookie sheet (with a silpat or parchment paper) and make for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container with slice of bread to prevent drying.

7. Enjoy some sweet deliciousness and a little healthy oats!