Citrus Herb Tilapia

We're trying to eat more fish. Omega3 and all that. Plus I'm just over over-drugged and over-hormoned beef. But, I'm not a big fish eater or maker. So, that leaves me to searching online for recipes. (I also like the Wegmans Menu magazine, and have done so many of those, so I had to pass on their more recent fish one.) I also need something dairy and egg free. I found a recipe for Herb Citrus something Tilapia. But, it had eggs and flour and all this other stuff. So, I do what I do best, interpreted and revised and devised and adjusted and changed it up. It was delicious! Karter and Kian ate a whole piece each! I loved how the citrus took away from the "fishy" taste--and yes, I know that tilapia doesn't have as much of a 'fishy' taste as some others.

Without further ado--

Zest from 1-2 Oranges (or mix of lemons and oranges-I only had oranges)
*I only used zest from one, but 2 would have coated both sides better, still tasty.
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2-1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic salt (if u use granulated, use a bit more)

*I didn't really measure, only by eye, since I was shaking the herbs out, not into a spoon. If you add more zest or more fillets, then definitely double up on the spices.

I started by salt and peppering the fillets (4) on both sides.
Then, I mixed the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl and just spread them on the tops of the fillets. Here's where I noticed, probably zest from 2 oranges would mean you could cover the backs as well.
I placed them in a pan with some olive oil on the bottom.
Broil for about 15 mins. Voila! Dinner is served! (With roasted asparagus too!)

And laughing that blogger spellcheck doesn't know what tilapia is...

And this would probably be just as delicious on chicken too!

My recipe/creations

I had chicken breast. I had asparagus. I wanted them both in one dish. I didn't care for the recipes I saw online--casserole, chicken asparagus pie, souffles, etc. etc. etc. I knew what I wanted, so just went with it. Results--amazing. Not sure what to call it--Chicken breast & asparagus with lemon pepper sauce? Something like that.

I started with salt and pepper(ing?) the chicken. Then I browned it in some hot olive oil. I set those in a baking dish. All this time I was parboiling/steaming asparagus chunks. In the chicken frying pan I added a tablespoon of margarine, couple teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, and about 1/4 cup of flour, give or take, I used my hand (palmful). Whisk that together with lemon pepper seasoning, one clove mashed garlic, some salt (I really wanted some white wine but didn't have any open, only red and I wasn't about to open an entire bottle, even if I found one).

Then I slowly whisked in the water from the asparagus (it was about 1-2 cups when said and done) and about 1/4 cup of asparagus chunks I mashed. It was a bit thick, but when the chicken cooks it releases more juices, so I didn't want the end sauce to be too thin. I poured it over the top of the chicken breasts and asparagus chunks. Baked until breasts were done. Mmm, delicious. This probably would have worked very well with some white wine and actual lemon juice had I had it. Also, could have been made using cream/milk instead of asparagus water.

So good!

My pancake "recipe"

Most people that know me, know that me and recipes don't go together. I rarely follow a recipe and if I do, it's never to a T. I'll read it a few times to familiarize myself with some things and then go jump in and change it a bit anyways. So, I make my own pancakes. They're not just your white flour fluff pancakes. Oh no, can't be. That's just not "healthy" or hearty enough =)

So...I finally made myself sorta measure what I actually put in the other day. I know most of you will be like, "whaaaat? ew!"

1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat (I use graham flour)
1 cup oats (quick is better, old-fashioned can be used but increases cooking time by a lot!)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2
1 tsp powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cream tartar

2 tbsp flax oil
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup almond or rice (or cow) milk
1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients, then mix and add wet ingredients. Then we add strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples/cinnamon, strawberries-rhubarb, mix of berries, bananas & walnuts, whatever mix of fruits that sounds good at the moment. These are hefty. That makes about 2 dozen good sized pancakes. They fill you up pretty good, full of fiber, omega-3, Vitamin E, protein, etc. I think I'd like to try it with grated potatoes and onions, latkes or something and have them for dinner or lunch with some plain yogurt or sour cream. Speaking of, before I would have substituted the 1 cup of almond or rice milk for a cup of yogurt, but we're going slow with the introduction of dairy for Karter.

Italian snowball cookies

My great grandmother used to make these heart-attack inducing cookies.  So easy, so delicious, but watch out if you don't want a gallbladder attack, don't eat too many =)

4 cups flour

2 cups butter (I used margarine just fine)

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 cups chopped walnuts

Mix first 5 ingredients, and add walnuts last.  Roll into balls (we used ice cream scoop sized balls) bake 10 mins at 350, or until just beginning to turn golden on the bottom.  (It's very easy to over-bake these and then they get very hard and you can't eat them!) Immediately toss them into a bowl of powdered sugar to coat.  Then let cool.  Sometimes you need two or three separate tosses in the sugar.  It's a delicious blend of buttery, nutty, just-right sized cookie with a hint of sweet on the outside.  I seriously could eat them all in one sitting, but would probably need some new arteries after that... enjoy!

Turkey Talk III

Today I will be spending the entire day with my grandmother, sisters, cousin and we will be biiiizzzaaay! I'm talking busy. There will be lots of chopping, dicing, slicing, stirring, mixing, mashing, stuffing, dressing, and whatever else-ing you can think of, we'll be doing it. My hands will smell like garlic for 4 weeks and it will pour from my pores for days and I will love it. I will create 6 amazing pumpkin pies, 2 apple, 6 chocolate and 1 mince meat. I will chop enough celery and onions for 6 pans of stuffing. I will be in love.

I have to share the most delish recipe today and it's so easy. It's the Italian part of our American Thanksgiving: Bracciole. (Say brah-zjole) It's my job to make it and it's easy and it's the best thing ever. Start with some thin steaks, we're talking thin! Salt and pepper them. Spread chopped garlic all over (we like lots!) then layer a lot of parsley on top. Roll from the short end to the other side and tie on both sides. Simmer in sauce for about 6 hours. Untie and slice. Heavenly.

And with that folks... I'm off to probably have a salad or a sub before the best eating day ever tomorrow!

Turkey Talk II

So, in continuing on with our feast, let's talk turkey. And stuffing. And gravy. Now, to feed the 30+ people who will be swarming the house on Thursday my grandma gets 3 turkeys, about 22 lbs each. Yes, people you read that right, 66 stinking pounds of turkey. Oh my, oh my!

Honestly, we don't do much to the turkey at all. My grandma gets them fresh on Wed and Thursday morning puts a little olive oil or butter on them and perhaps some salt and pepper and lets them go all day in the ovens. (Yes, ovens. She, a few years ago, purchased another oven for her basement, solely for the Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. Crazy!) We don't stuff it. Just baste it every so often, cooking it at a lower temp for a little longer to keep it moist and tender.

Gravy, is fairly simple and I have yet to figure out why more people don't make their own. I have two ways of doing it. Most often I take juices from the meat, put them in a saucepan to boil. I will add some seasoning, usually just a bit of salt and pepper, sometimes herbs. With gravy, I like it to stay true to the flavor of the meat and complement it, rather than add a new flavor in, but to each his own. I then mix some cornstarch and water together, about a tablespoon and slowly whisk that in. Testing the taste and adjusting as needed. Usually you can just boil that until preferred thickness and you're good to go.

Another way is to start a roux by melting a little butter, adding flour then slowly adding the meat juices, whisking the entire time. If it's too thick, add more meat juices, or broth/stock. If it's too thin you adjust with cornstarch or flour very slowly, checking the taste each time. Always whisking!

Stuffing...that's an interesting one. It's tricky to get the texture right. We used to use seasoned stuffing bread, torn up; but that became very doughy and sticky more often than not. So, now we use the stuffing bread croutons. (Don't judge--us Italians add in cooked ground sausage, and chopped chicken gizzards. It's a secret, only a few in the family really know what's in it. We just call it "grandma martino's recipe". It adds an oomph and is delish, just chew and don't ask questions!!) Chopped celery and onion cook until soft in a pan with gobs of butter. They are added to the stuffing with parsley--lots! Garlic, salt, pepper, sage and I am trying to remember what else. The tricky part is adding the hot broth/stock to the croutons, constantly stirring, so that it's just wet, not drowned. If it's too wet, it becomes like glue and no one wants to eat it. If it's too dry, you're just eating salad croutons then! But if it is too wet, throw it on a baking sheet and bake or broil it for a few minutes to dry it out.

I realize I didn't type this stuff out with exact measurements, and now I realize why. My grandma doesn't use them either! I never measure what I cook, i use my eyes and my tongue and that's exactly how she cooks. So does my mother, but she also turns off her sense of smell and lets it burn ha! So, I can be more specific if someone wants me too. The other thing is that we cook so much food for a large number of people that it takes too long to quadruple a recipe three times!

Turkey Talk

So, you want some Thanksgiving ideas? Or not... Well, too bad! I love my darn food and this is the best eating Holiday ever. No summer picnic can hold a candle to Thanksgiving in this family. No other meal is as delicious and heartwarming and belly-filling as this. Just a few more days!!

We eat at my grandma's house (mom's mom) and there's usually over 30 people there to feed. We have as much fun making the food as we do eating it. And making the food takes all day on Wednesday with myself, my grandma, my cousin, my sisters Kourtney and Kiara. Many hands make light the work eh?! Yet still takes about 6 hours!

A lot of times we make the customary green bean casserole. Just as Campbell's says here.

We've made sweet potato casserole like this. But we're opting out of that as it is a pain to make and no one really wants it that sweet.

We always have squash, typically hubbard, but I love butternut. Add in a little nutmeg, bet you won't even want the butter!

Sometimes a red jello fruit salad, but more often than not is this green jello mess. It may look and sound gross, but it is so good!

Pumpkin pies-made as directed on the can of pumpkin and then a whole lot more spices added in! We don't do bland around here!

Your typical relish tray and rolls are always on the sidelines. Cranberries, both jellied and whole. Mashed potatoes, lots of milk and butter. Do you see why I won't be able to eat a thing this year? My child will projectile vomit with a spinning head if I do! Oy vey. Dairy free in a dairy dependent world ain't easy!

Tomorrow I'll touch on the real standouts in this holiday--turkey, stuffing and gravy!

Pumpkin pie cheesecake thingy

Oh I'm so creative aren't I, with my titles? I have been craving pumpkin. Kian and I even ate spoonfuls of it right out of the can. Mmm. I wanted cheesecake, but didn't have enough cream cheese. So, I improvised with this No-bake Pumpkin cheesecake pudding pie type of deal. It's oh so good. So, here's what I did:

First, I crushed one package of graham crackers in my food processor.
Added about 1/2 stick (give or take) of melted butter to that.
Pressed into a spring form pan (but any pan will do, square, round, pie, etc.)
Baked for about 10 mins at 350 (I don't like my crusts to get mushy)

I then used two packages of vanilla pudding (instant) and beat with only 2 cups per milk mixed in, following the rest of the directions on the box. The box calls for 2 cups each box, but adding in 4 cups of milk plus the other ingredients would have only made it too runny.

In a separate bowl I beat a softened box of cream cheese, then added 1 can of pumpkin to that.
Folded in about 1 cup and then a little more of cool whip (hey it's all I had left in the freezer).
Then mixed all those ingredients together with some pumpkin pie spices (for me it's ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) and then with the pudding.

Then poured onto the crust, and refrigerated until firm(er). I also threw this in the freezer for an hour to see how it would be that way. I preferred the creamy one in the fridge as opposed to the ice cream tasting freezer one.

Then Kian and I have proceeded to eat it every night. Yum. That's all I can say.

Paninis!

If you haven't had a panini you're missing something incredibly awesome (totally not correct grammar). If you don't have a panini griller at home, that's really too bad! We all love that griller to death in this house and love making paninis-any day, any time.

Some history: Panini-grilled sandwich in Italian. Meaning, two slices of bread with anything you want in between. Panera bread is famous for these sandwiches. But, you can pretty much find them anywhere nowadays.

The best part is you can put whatever you want to in them. I just wanted to share some of our favorite combinations.

Bread: we use store-bought, sandwich wheat bread, bakery sourdough, bakery Italian or foccacia, it really doesn't matter. The best is the panini ciabatta rolls Wegmans makes (rectangle) and just the right size for one sandwich! We also do regular grilled cheese and quesadillas in the griller.

Meat: typically we use turkey or chicken. but, that's just our faves. My mom makes a great veggie/cheese panini (squash, mushrooms, peppers, onions, all sauteed before grilling). Any type of cheese will do.

Today I made turkey on wheat with avocado slices, tomato slices, a slight spread of ranch dressing and sharp cheese. delish! (ps ranch and avocado are awesome together! Even Ruby Tuesday's knows that and makes a special avocado ranch dressing.) After thanksgiving I used leftover turkey and Swiss cheese with cranberry (jelly and whole) spread on the bread. Exquisite. Grilled wraps are great too. We've done refried bean and cheese burritos. Quesadillas with or without chicken. Chicken breast with mozzarella, pesto and tomato or skip the pesto and go for fresh basil. Sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers go great with everything, on any panini.

Wegmans sells their fresh-made cheese spreads in varieties like pesto, herb & cheese, artichoke & cheese (they use various sharp, cheddar, asiago cheeses from day to day). Those melt best-and-fastest-on bread. Mayonnaise doesn't taste so well on there, but any salad dressing, cheese spread, sliced cheeses, pestos, jams, whatever you can think of to spice it up a bit, is like magic.

Kevin does the grilled cheese with pepperoni. Ham and cheese (with mustards, with tomatoes, with onions, you name it). Tuna melts. There's no end to what can go between those 2 slices of bread. It's really up to your imagination and no matter what, it's always delicious. I'm feeling kind of hungry again...

Cookie & weekend Plans

This weekend I am going to take Kian to Garden Factory for the Christmas festivities. There is a Santa there (the guy from work calls him Satan Clause hehe makes me laugh. He's like me and doesn't care about Santa.) Where was I? Oh, Santa there, there's also a big train set up, mini carousel rides for kids, big slides, crafts, and who knows what else. Duh, I know what else. There will be animals! Humane Society comes and the Alpaca farms bring...alpacas, like llama things right? And animal Christmas presents will be sold.

We wrapped all the presents on Sunday, so we only have 2 small things left to buy and wrap. I guess I need to redecorate my tree...Again! Thanks Kian. Let's see, presents bought, wrapped, cookies to be made, what else? Cards! I need to get on that, buying stamps and cards and getting pictures of Kian in them, or made of them. I want to have Kian maybe do some art for a card, or is that too much?

Then, soon, the fam and I are having a cookie fest. Savannah, Patrick, Kourt & the kids, maybe my mom will come up and we're going to bake our butts off. On my list is: Cranberry Chocolate chip cookies, sugar roll out cookies, gingerbread men, gingerbread house (?) and chex mix. Savannah requested fudge. And I know mom will want the Italian walnut/wedding (something?) cookies. I also have cinnamon rolls a la Pioneer Woman on my list. Can you smell it? Can you taste it yet? Feel the heat of the oven, burn a finger or 3. There will be frosting and food coloring from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. Oh it will be great.

Just wanted you to share in my exhilarating and exhausting plans. But, really it looks like I am way ahead of myself already. I still have 2 weekends left before Christmas and not that much to do. That will be awesome, I can actually just R E L A X! But, before relaxation comes.......wretched work week. Wish me luck...

Floor Cookies

The other day Kian and I made "Floor Cookies". We've made "floor cookies" a few times now. Is that some new flavor you ask? Not exactly. When making floor cookies, this comes in very handy:It's the Tupperware "Thatsa Mega Bowl", a 42 cup, massive bowl. See how tiny the eggs are next to it? This picture doesn't quite show the sheer enormity of the bowl. (He he I used big words.)

So, what are "floor cookies" you wanted to know? Simply, they are cookies made on the floor. I plop that huge bowl on the floor and we make cookies, or bread, or muffins, or anything. Kian loves to help us do anything around the house. I've tried to have him stand on a chair, but he can't reach still, so he ends up sitting down and getting upset. With this gigantic bowl, I can put it on the floor and he can help to his little heart's desire. I give him a big plastic spoon to stir the dry ingredients, and with the tall sides of the bowl nothing spills out--much. It's a big thrill for him.

Our floor cookie of the week this week was Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies-with cranberries and walnuts! Oh. My. Gosh. Can we just say delicious? Totally. The best fall cookie I've ever had. Of course, I found a plain pumpkin oatmeal cookie and tweaked it to my liking. I almost added chocolate chips but went for the cranberries instead. Either or both would be great in there!

Cream:
1/2 cup butter with 1 cup brown sugar on medium speed

Add:
1 egg
2 cups pumpkin (or 1 can pumpkin puree-I used my own cooked/pureed pumpkin)

In a separate bowl mix:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice (or combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. spices to your liking)

Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, stir until just mixed. Add in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2-1 cup dried (or fresh) cranberries.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. I also made some into muffins and baked for 20 or so minutes.

So entirely, amazingly delish! And, I like to tell myself, healthy. Because we all know pumpkin and cranberries are healthy for you!

And that, my friends, is the story of floor cookies.

Breakfast Hash

I've been cooking and baking up a storm lately and feel the need to put a few on the blog. I, of course, keeping in my style have tweaked, twisted, added, subtracted and otherwise changed the recipes I find printed.

Today I made breakfast "hash". I wish it had a better name, but that's what it's called I guess. It's more like a breakfast garbage plate.

Ingredients:
8 eggs with a splash of milk
1/2-1 cup cheese
1/2 cup green/red/yellow pepper-diced
1/3 cup onion-diced
3-4 medium potatoes (chopped in bite size pieces)
1/2-1 lb bacon (chopped in bite size pieces)
salt/pepper to taste

other optional ingredients: sausage along with, or instead of bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc.

I microwaved the potatoes for a few minutes to soften them and cut down on cooking time. I chopped the bacon raw, threw it in a large saute pan with the potatoes, onions and peppers. Once they were soft I added (beaten) eggs with milk. Once that cooked up some, but not fully, I added the cheddar cheese. If you so desire, you can throw the saute pan into the oven for a few minutes, but it's good as is. I love a little ketchup on top, as does Kian. This is a great breakfast for a crowd.

Fall food ramblings

I love fall. The foods. The colors. The smells. The sights. The feel, the crisp coolness. The sounds, the crunchy leaves, the wind. And the foods, did I mention the foods?

So far we've picked apples and pumpkins. We grew a pumpkin and some butternut squash. I've made an apple pie and applesauce will be next, followed by apple crisp. We've had squash a few times for dinner. I've made pumpkin muffins, pancakes and bread. Mmmm.

Pot roasts and roast chicken are another fall fave, followed by Sunday Football Chili!

I could go on and on...or I could post some of my recipes for some of these soon... But, you know my problem, I don't follow recipes and I estimate everything.

Apple pie is the easiest. I use PW's perfect pie crust. I use 9 inch deep dish, because I like a deep, thick pie. About 6-8 apples, depending on size. I hate overly sweet apple pies, like the prepared/canned filling. It's just sugar, no apples. So, I cut my apples in thick slices, add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp cloves. I love spices, so the more the merrier. I throw in about a tsp of cornstarch and mix that all together. Top the pie dish with another crust, bake at 375 for an hour, and voila, the bestest apple pie ever. Well, unless you make one with a crumble top....ooh now that is good.

Another thing I love is to sprinkle nutmeg on squash before serving. Gives it a slightly refreshing but mild zing.

Sometimes if I need a quick apple pie fix I'll core an apple, fill the cored out part with cinnamon and brown sugar and microwave it for a few minutes until soft. Now, that's easy.

For the pumpkin pancakes I made a "pumpkin cream syrup" of sorts by mixing equal parts pumpkin puree and plain yogurt and (real) maple syrup. It was really good! Kian ate it by the spoonful.

And for easy fall meals you cannot beat a crock pot! Those things do wonders. Throw in a beef shoulder cut with potatoes, carrots, celery and onions. Add 1-2 cups water, seasoned salt, pepper, some Worcestershire sauce, leave it for 4 hours and you have an amazing meal. (Sometimes I take the "juice" boil it with a tiny bit of cornstarch and make a nice gravy for it too!)

Well, my pie has now run over, onto the bottom of the oven. That means for the next 2 weeks every time i turn the oven on my house will smell like apple pie-not such a bad thing! Guess I'd better take it out now!

Breakfast Egg "Muffins"

I think this recipe was passed along from my mom's friend, but I've modified it. Because, well, I don't do recipes. I just cook. Therefore, I don't measure; I guess, I eyeball it, I add and taste and add some more.

The original calls for cooked breakfast sausage. However, I find that too fattening, so I use Al Freso All Natural Chicken Breakfast sausage. The nice thing about this sausage is that it's already cooked, so it takes less time to put this together. I also add in whatever vegetables I have handy.

3 sausage links, chopped into bite-sized pieces
(or bacon, or no meat, whichever)
1/2 of a medium green pepper, dicedjust under 1/4 cup onion, diced



Then, I added 12 eggs
1 cup milk
about 1 cup shredded cheese


Mix all together. Spoon into greased muffin pan. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. This makes roughly 20 'muffins'.



I put a few in the fridge, and freeze the rest. You can take them out one at a time and microwave them for 30 seconds and they're good to go. Or split them in half in between an English muffin for a breakfast sandwich. I just like that they're always ready.

A new recipe

I whipped this up tonight after a long, busy weekend of camping, laundry, unpacking, you know the drill. So, in lieu of my Saturday Morning Posts and my camping pictures, which are yet to be uploaded, I give you this:

It doesn't have a name. If it did I'd call it Delicious Chicken & Spinach w/beans...or something.

1 pkg wheat wide noodles
1 can cannelini beans
1/2 pkg frozen spinach leaves
3 chicken breasts
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves-crushed
pinch of salt

I used my awesome stainless steel skillet (with high sides too!)
Cut up chicken breast, cook in skillet with olive oil, add in garlic after 5 mins. I did add a bit of water while chicken cooked also. Throw in a pinch of salt.
Boil water and cook noodles while chicken is cooking.
Add frozen spinach, when that is about cooked, add in beans, (half drained) and cook until warm through.
I did need to add a bit more olive oil, and then added the noodles into the chicken/spinach/beans, and topped it all off with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

I also threw in some artichoke hearts halfway through the meal because I remembered I had them.

Kevin liked it and Kian loved it! And it made enough for 2 meals for the 3 of us. Score.

Let them eat cake

Baby shower cake that is! Here's the cake I made for Elissa's shower. Turned out better than I expected. My mother in law said "this is what I want it to look like" and that was it, so I figured the rest out. Pictured it in my head and voila. No recipes, patterns, step by steps. So it was do or die...well really it was do or go to Wegmans! The top is an overfilled round 9 inch chocolate with vanilla marble cake. The bottom is a 9x13 yellow cake with chocolate marble. I cut the corners off the bottom, stuffed half of them up by the "neck" area. Tinted my own frosting, used whatever tips I thought would look good. Flesh color obtained by using pink and yellow coloring. Lips and eyes are black and red licorice strings from the bulk section. I don't have smooth spreader thingies so there were some "line" things in the frosting. To finish it off, the final touch was the rosy cheeks. I put a drop of pink coloring on a paper towel and then just dabbed it gently on the frosted face. Stars were bought in a jar of sugar stars. I'm awfully pleased with myself!

Roasted potatoes

I posted a recipe for Red Roasted potatoes Here. So delicious!

Wordless Wednesday (peas & potatoes)

The ultimate secret to amazing sugar cookies

I don't care what recipe you use, they're all pretty similar, but the one and only thing that will make your cookies better than anyone else's and soft too?

2 tbsp of orange juice and a few scrapes of the peel.

Seriously. Always add in 2 tbsp of OJ and grate a little orange or lemon zest into the bowl. Can be store OJ or straight from the orange.

After testing a billion sugar cookie/cut-out recipes the last few years, the one we always go back to, that tastes better and is better texture-wise is the one with the OJ in it. I have no idea why this works, maybe the acid breaks down some of the somethings? haha. This Christmas we made 3 different recipes and everyone preferred the ones with OJ in them. You can't taste it, it just somehow makes it better. That and taking them out about 2 minutes before you think they're done.

Now you know my secret.

A pasta dish---or why I love pasta

There is NOTHING you cannot do with pasta. It's endless. It's wonderful. Kevin requested lasagna for Valentine's so that's what I made. A few days ago I made another dish, off the top of my head, cuz I like that. I combine random parts of other recipes to make my own.

This one I called "Garlic Chicken Penne Pasta with peas & tomatoes in a basil parmesan sauce" Yeah I"ll have to think of something shorter. Like, good pasta.

Here's my recipe:
1 box penne
1 clove garlic mashed/minced
about 2 tbsp chopped onion
1 lb - 1.25 lbs of boneless chicken breast
about 1/2 cup peas
about 1/3- 1/2 cup tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes cut in half)
Olive oil

Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1tsp -or more- basil
close to 1/2 cup parmesan
3 deli slices provolone
dash ground black pepper
*I eyeball everything, I really don't use measuring cups*

While pasta was boiling, I cut the chicken into bite size pieces (about an inch or so?) sauteed them in some olive oil with the garlic and onion. Then I began my sauce. In a saucepan, on medium, I melted the butter, added a bit of salt, the basil, then the flour (a wire whisk works great here--basically making a rue to begin with). Then slowly add the milk, a little at a time, whisking it smooth and giving it time to thicken each time. When that is done, I added the provolone and parmesan (you can use any cheese instead of provolone, mozzarella is okay but tends to get very stringy, provolone melts without being too stringy). I then threw the peas and tomatoes in the sauce, but you can also put them in the chicken pan. I wanted the tomatoes warm and soft but not totally mushy. Then add the drained pasta and the chicken together. Voila!
I wish I had a picture because the pasta with the greens of the peas and reds of the tomatoes looked darn good! And it was yummy! And Kevin liked it, so that means it's good.