Hay Hay Hay

Another fantastic Donna Hay recipe was cooked at our house last night. I am in love with her recipes - so simple and so good!

Thursdays are our late night to eat so I am always looking for something simple to cook, that is not a left over, from a frozen box or can; something fresh, easy and delicious. The Asparagus and Mint Pasta was just perfect.

This dish SCREAMS Spring and Easter. A light cream sauce made of minced garlic, lemon juice, asparagus, mint and sweet peas (okay they were frozen, but I imagine fresh ones would be pretty fantastic as well). I was afraid that the sauce may be a bit heavy with all the cream that is added; but, it was exceptionally light, very refreshing with the Meyer lemon and mint undertones. We use whole wheat pasta which is not as pretty, but I like to think it is "healthier" as well it added a nutty flavor which blended very well with the sauce and salty pancetta chips that garnished the dish.

This is a great dish to add to your Spring menus - flavorful and easy, dinner in under 30 minutes!

Flat Leaf Parsley and Pasta

Cookthink is hosting a monthly challenge and this month it just happened to be Flat Leaf Parsley. I was not even planning on entering this challenge because this is basically just a staple dish in our house and then I realized after finishing the meal, that it may be perfect!

We keep three fresh herbs in the kitchen, in a vase on the counter at all times - Basil, Cilantro and Flat Leaf Parsley. Whenever you are in a pinch for some extra added flavor or maybe a little bit of garnish to your dish. A favorite standby in our house when we are either tired or pinched for time is a simple dish of sauted garlic and olive oil with the added bonus of Flat Leaf Parsley - to give that nice clean and fresh taste, kind of like early spring, as well as a dash of color!

Pasta ..... Terrible Pasta

Okay, the bad thing about using everything you have in the kitchen is that you eventually run out of the good stuff and are left with the stuff you really do not like - chicken basil sausage that was a terrible hit last month, some left over broccoli and a tiny bit of cheese. Now, I did think it would all come together but the sausage was SOOOO bland, I added a ton of salt and Portuguese peppers, shallots, garlic, pepper - nothing worked! Then I cooked up some whole wheat pasta thinking that would at least add that nice nutty flavor - NOT! I think this was terrible. L. said it is okay - OKAY, he ate about 4 servings - that goes to prove the man will eat anything!

Whole Wheat Pasta ...

The lovely Andrea is hosting "Grow Your Own" this month, was not sure we could partake as the weather is killing our garden but we found a few survivors out there, so here we go .....

I wanted to go for a sort of "Thai" or "Asian" taste, on the spicy side for tonights dinner. I browned some garlic and Portuguese chili peppers (the only thing still living in our garden) in olive oil until they were lightly crisp and very fragrant. I used whole wheat pasta because I like the nutty flavor, the texture and it is suppose to be better for us. After cooking the pasta (and draining it) I tossed some left over homemade butter into the pot of noodles, threw in some spinach for color and added the browned garlic mixture, sprinkled some Parmesan on top and we were ready! Very delicious for a dish that came from a near empty fridge and pantry!

Applewood Bacon

Okay, I said we were back and I was ready to tackle the kitchen by my apron strings; but, then I got ubber busy with company, work, life! I finally had time to make a meal and boy did it feel good! Did not have much around the house as the other task I need to do is some "real" grocery shopping; but, I did not have shallots, garlic, broccoli, applewood bacon, Roquefort and pasta. So, I caramelized the shallots and garlic, added the bacon and broccoli. Then tossed it all together with the Roquefort and pasta. Pop open a nice red wine and Voila, dinner was served! Dessert was some French Vanilla Ice Cream (ashamed to say, not homemade this time around) topped off with some of our new favorite ice cream sauce .... Salted Caramel, recipe courtesy of Helen over at Tartelette .

Pancetta

I love the salty and smoky taste on pancetta! Nothing like it when you saute it with some olive oil and then throw in some caramelized onions and garlic and some sweet broccoli! Easy meal when you toss it with some pasta! YUM!

SpaghettiOs with Meatballs

Not the kid kind though! This was the adult version! My friend E. found these cute little O's at Trader Joe's. As soon as I saw them, I knew I must have them. I made a sauce with slow roasted yellow onions, garlic and pancetta. Then I added some nice thick Pomi Tomato sauce as well as some left over red wine from the night before. I then created my famous meatballs and made them into minis, browned them and tossed into the sauce. After a couple hours .... Voila! Served with a very hearty Italian Red wine, can't beat it!

Super Sexy ...

We had a long day at the office yesterday, a long night at the gym and were starving! What to do! Why Mambo!! We opened up a GREAT bottle of bistro style wine - the only way to describe this find "Sexy"! Smoky on the nose and smooth on the palate. I had a feeling when I saw the label that they may be the guys behind another favorite of mine, Plungerhead Zin, which is fantastic - super spicy and loaded with nice jammy flavors, a must for your b-b-q! Anyhow, Mambo is about to become a staple in our house & we are hoping we can grab a case later today! Now, we could not live on wine alone, so we tossed together some cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, sliced garlic, Spanish olive oil and pasta to chow on. For dessert, homemade Fig ice cream from "The Perfect Scoop"! By the way, the ice cream gave the wine a soft vanilla taste ... long flavorful finish! Can not wait to get home tonight and drink more!

Sunday Night ...

Back from a wonderful weekend & HUNGRY, what to make with an eggplant, some pasta and a few staples? Why, Spaghettini with Eggplant and Fried Capers served with a nice hunk (bread, not only L.) ;) ~ We also had some of that wonderful homemade butter left, which was unsalted so I gave it a twist by adding some of this Divine smoky salt I picked up a couple of weeks ago.

Quick, Easy & Super Good

Summer Garden Tortelloni~ I was suspect about white corn with pasta, but, it was fantastic!

Need to shop ...

Have not had time to hit the grocery store - we are living on what is left in the house from last week! Tonight: Pasta with ricotta, pesto and some tomatoes that I wilted on the stove top for awhile until they burst! Served a mixed herb salad with a sprinkling of our favorite black salt flakes. Simple but satisfying.

Saturday Night ....... We are home

at least for a couple days! While we love being in Tahoe with our friends, E. & W., it was nice to come home. I was itching to get into the kitchen and L. was dying for a home-cooked meal! Did not have much in the cupboards so I had to be creative with what we had.... mozzarella cheese, whole wheat pasta, some white wine .... Did pick up some Heirlooms on the way home so we were set in the salad department. Threw together a pasta dish with some Roasted Red Peppers & Fresh chickpeas (kind of .. they had been frozen before leaving). Opened a bottle of Rose that we were saving to taste - terrible, well, not terrible but not what we were craving!

Summer Vegetable Pasta

My mom use to make this zucchini dish when I was a child. I just remember how great the gooey goodness of vegetables with cheese was! This is an updated & lighter version. I tossed it with some pasta ..... light and easy for a hot summer night.

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

One of my favorite stand-by tomato sauces served with an assortment of pasta that I have left over and I tossed some little pearl size mozzarellas over it - I LOVED how they found their way into some of the orrichette pasta! Next we had a butter-leaf lettuce salad served with a simple vinaigrette and sprinkled with a black flake salt I found at Whole Foods and a loaf of bread. Dessert was a plum and apricot clafouti - I used this pear clafouti recipe but I substituted 1/2 of the cream for half and half and instead of brandy I used some Portuguese Passion Fruit Liquor.

Thursday's Dinner

I did say it was the week of cleaning out the fridge............................. Orecchiette Pasta with a sauce of fresh peas, edamame, sauteed yellow onions, applewood bacon and mascarpone cheese - I love how the little peas and edamame sat in the pasta, all cozy. Dessert was slightly broiled apricots filled with the wonderful leftover Caramel Salted ice cream!!!