Pasta Salad with Tuna

This is one of my mom's recipes that always shows up at our family barbecues. I don't know why I love it so, but I do and I haven't had it in a while (Tuna + Chris = divorce). So when the craving for it hit on Sunday I threw together a batch. And, of course, that afternoon Chris is sticking his head in and out of the fridge rummaging for something to eat and he pulls out the pasta salad. I should have just let him have at it but having purposefully tricked him into eating shrimp once before I have made a solemn promise never to do it again. So when I hear the saran wrap being drawn back away from the bowl I sing out a small warning:

theeeeres tunaaaaa in iiiiiiit...

I'm pretty sure he cursed.

Hey, its not my fault he's so picky.

Anyway, I made a few changes to the recipe to make it a little more "healthy".

Here is what you will need:

2 cups dry pasta, cooked (I used piccolini farfalle)

1 can albacore chunk white tuna (in water)
3 heaping Tbsp. onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp light mayo
1 Tbsp fat free sour cream
4-5 whole green olives, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
a few slices of hard boiled egg to garnish-- optional.

So the rest is pretty self explanatory: Drain the tuna, I also rinse mine and drain again. Use a fork to shred the tuna in a large mixing bowl. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix together.

As you can see mine is sans egg. I like it with the hard boiled egg I was just saving my eggs for a savory crostata that turned into "The tomato and feta crostata fiasco." But more on that later...

Add a few healthy dashes of Texas Pete and sweet Georgia Brown, that's good!

Hope you like! Enjoy!

Skinny Skins.

This appetizer is awesome. I got the idea for my stuffed skinny skins from these really incredible stuffed portobella mushrooms my brother in law used to make. But again, Chris wont eat mushrooms so when I was trying to come up with guiltless munchies for the Superbowl this recipe was born.

Here is what you will need:
10 small russet potatoes
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
two green onions, sliced
half a jalapeno,minced
1 cup fresh grated mozzarella
3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
salt, & Cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 and place scrubbed potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes. until soft.

While the spuds are cooking prepare the veggie filling.

Turn this...

...into this. Add salt and Cayenne, mix together and set aside

Next, turn this...


...into this. Set aside.


To prepare the cooked potatoes slice in half and allow to cool.

Remove the pulp. I like to take out most of the pulp and save for mashed potatoes for my boys. Plus you'll have a lot of filling, Less pulp equals more filling.


Place the skins on a foil lined baking dish.


Eagerly awaiting their destiny.

I had a bit of leftover grated cheddar that I threw into the filling to help bind everything together.


Now stuff the skins.

I like my food to be pretty.


Sprinkle on the mozzarella...


...and, if you so choose, the bacon as well. I do two-thirds of the skins with bacon because, in all honesty, bacon makes em better.

Bake at 375for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

See what I mean about the bacon?


But the bacon-less ones are pretty kick-ass too. I served mine with a spicy sour cream (light sour cream dosed with Sriracha hot sauce)

Not feeling the zucchini- squash combo? Try them with a layer of guacamole, pico de gallo and top with cheese. Or how about mushrooms, peppers and onions? Endless possibilities!


Whatever your flavor I'm sure you'll love them as much as this guy.

Pasta Primavera

In the past few weeks I've had a few friends ask me when I'm going to update my food blog which is so flattering even if it is just for curiosity's sake. Between job hunting, interviewing, play-dates and all the other daily household blah blah blah before I know it its dinner time and I'm throwing something together last minute. Most of the time its nothing particularly exciting or, for that matter, blog-worthy. And when it is I'm half way through the preparation before I think I should post this recipe! That being said the next few posts will likely be sparse in the picture department. Because I've resigned myself to adding recipes to all the half-assed pictures I've taken.

consider yourself forewarned.

Anyway, last night we got home from our afternoon walking through town and playing at the park and everyone is starving. I'm eye balling the bag of Frito's that have been sitting in the chip basket since Superbowl Sunday like a man damned to hell would a glass of ice water. Seriously Chris finish the bag of chips already before I throw them out. A girl's will is only so strong, ask Eve.
I knew I had to come up with something quick or my whole day might be undone by that bag of Frito's. Pasta Primavera to the rescue!

Here is what you will need.

2 cups dry pasta, cooked.
2 TBSP evoo
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, sliced
4 spears Asparagus chopped
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/4 cup pine nuts, raw
2 TBSP Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Scallion to garnish.



Now, being famished I just jumped right in pulling stuff from the fridge and pantry, chopping and whatnot. I wasn't thinking about the blog until the aroma of the sauce wafted up from the pan and I thought "this is going to be sooo good"


To get to this point: warm the evoo in a saute pan and brown the garlic and the pine nuts. Add the zucchini and asparagus and saute over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes then add the diced tomatoes and salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until sauce reduces down and thickens.

Add the Parmesan which with help to thicken it up even more..



Then serve it up over pasta and garnish with scallions and more parm... that is if you're not desperately trying to get back into shape... We had our pasta with warm tandoori naan and a green salad.
And that bag of Frito's, still sitting half full in the chip basket.

Chris's Birthday Dinner!

This is one of my favorite meals ever. EVER.


To my luck, Chris enjoys it too so I figured it would be nice to have it for his "home-cooked" birthday dinner. We'll be going to a steak house for dinner on Saturday with friends and I'm sure we'll get our fill of red meat and potatoes then.

So tonight:
Tequila-lime chicken with grilled pineapple and spicy black beans finished with citrus sour cream and pico de gallo.

Phew, that's a mouthful!

A delicious, mouthwatering mouthful.

Here is what you will need:
2 chicken breasts, well trimmed
1 lime, divided
1/4 cup tequila
pico de gallo
a few slices fresh pineapple
black beans
shoe peg corn
green onion
fresh avocado (not too soft now!)
sour cream
fresh cilantro
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Start by marinating your chicken breasts in the tequila and lime juice from half a lime. Allow a few hours to marinate before cooking.

I used a can of Bush's seasoned black beans and a can of chipotle shoe peg corn.

Toss in a saute pan and add some chopped green onion and cayenne pepper to taste. Allow to simmer until the liquid reduces down. keep warm.

Drop your pineapple slices in a HOT, lighted oiled grill pan. About 30 seconds on each side then remove from heat and set aside.

Add chicken to the grill pan.

Once the chicken in finished you can prepare the last few ingredients.



Give the cilantro a rough chop and add it to the black beans.
Now take the juice from the other half of the lime and add it to a 1/4 cup sour cream. mix well.

If you got a ripe (and not over-ripe and bruised) avocado slice that up now too.

This is so disappointing. Mostly because I think the avocado is an important player in the dish but also because I was totally deceived by this avocado's mostly firm with just a bit of give exterior.

oh well. So today we go sans avocado.

Lets plate it! Here's the order I like it best: Layer the bottom of your plate with the black beans, next a slice of pineapple, then grilled chicken, avocado, pico de gallo, and a dollop of sour cream. If you have extra chopped cilantro left over toss then on there too. I subscribe to the "you can never have too much cilantro" school of thought. As opposed to my sister who is a card carrying member of the "get that nasty green shit off my plate" club.

I don't get it, but I still love her.

Viola. I ate this in two bites.



And then I ate a big slice of birthday cake! Happy Birthday Honey!

The easiest, lightest pasta with meat(less)balls!

I GOT A NEW CAMERA. Ok its not technically new, but its new to me. I got it from some lady on Craigslist. Its a Canon Powershot S3 IS that she received as a gift from her son. According to her its got more bells and whistles than she cares to learn how to use, so she sold it. To me! For 40 dollars! I was perfectly fine scoring this camera off of someone my own age or even younger. But when I showed up at our designated meeting place to find a gray haired little old lady I felt like I was trying to pull one over on her. So with a heavy heart I told her I didn't feel right with her asking price when these models go for around ten times that. She smiled at me and said "Dearie, I didn't pay a dime for it and my son tosses money around like its a reliable constant. I just want to make enough off of this monster to cover the point and shoot bugger I bought. Besides, you're going to need a good camera to capture every moment of that precious little boy's life. It will go by too fast and the memories, well you will want them in pictures when you're an old lady like me." I smiled and with a gratitude I cannot explain I handed over two crisp twenties. I think she probably knew what her kind gesture meant to me; I think she knew that I wouldn't have been able to afford much more than forty or fifty bucks on a luxury item like a camera. Maybe if I had shown up driving a better car or didn't have Liam in mismatched shoes (I was in a hurry and couldn't find a full set!!) she would have considered asking for more once she knew the value of the camera. Either way we both walked away from the transaction happy. Well, she was happy, I was over the moon.
Now I just need to learn how to use the thing. Marion was right, it does have a lot of bells and whistles and I'm going to need all the help I can get figuring out the proper settings for the best quality pictures. You're patience and advice are welcome!

I'm probably not going back to the step by step blogging unless I come across a recipe wherein every step is a crucial one. That being said, I present to you 20 minute spaghetti and meatballs.
This is what we had for dinner the night I came home with the camera. I had spent all afternoon playing with it that when I finally looked at the clock it was 6:00 and I hadn't stepped foot in the kitchen! whoops.

The quickest spaghetti and meatballs when you don't have any food in the house:

What I did have in the house allowed me to throw together this yummy dinner.

whole wheat spaghetti
1 large can of seasoned diced tomatoes
a few cherry tomatoes
a few tablespoons of evoo
2 garlic cloves
fresh basil
Veggie Patch meatless meatballs
Parmesan cheese

I didn't even have a jar of tomato sauce in the house but quite honestly the diced tomatoes with the garlic and basil was really nice. It was 'fresh and light' and I'm not sure I'll stock up in tomato sauce ever again. We get a pint of cherry tomatoes weekly so I always have a few on hand to toss into what ever I am cooking. I HAD a basil plant that was growing wonderfully hydroponically on my kitchen sill for weeks so basil was in no short supply throw in the tiny corner left from my brick of Parmesan and the meal really prepared itself. And I found a new love. Meatless meatballs. They're not my mothers meatballs, to be sure, but now that I know all about factory farmed beef my mothers meatballs are guilt ridden. So I found these yummy little suckers... and best of all they are made from non-gmo soy - a rare commodity these days.

I sauteed the garlic in the evoo. Then I added the diced tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and the meatballs. I probably added water or veggie stock when the sauce reduced down. I simmered the sauce until the meatballs were cooked through, probably ten minutes or so- just enough time for the pasta to cook. Add your fresh basil to the sauce right at the end you don't want it cooking in the sauce for long it looses its luster, I think. Then pull a heaping pile of noodles onto your plate, top with sauce, shredded cheese and more fresh basil. YUM!

Are you craving this pasta now? because I am, and I just had it.

Even Liam approves, and that's really saying something!

Strawberry Bread Pudding

A new twist on an old favorite! I found a recipe for strawberry bread pudding on one of the blogs I frequent and I made it for the fourth of July celebration my family and I were attending. If I'm being totally honest the result was unremarkable, at best. the marriage of fresh summer strawberries and bread pudding is, in my opinion is a brilliant idea so what went wrong? It was the recipe. it was boring, bland. So I'm deffering to my bread pudding recipe and adorning it with strawberries.

Here is what you will need for the pudding:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 to 5 cups sourdough bread, cubed
1 to 2 cups of cut, fresh strawberries


Several hours in advance cut your bread into cubes

Spread them out evenly on a cookie sheet and set aside until they are relatively dry.

Cut up your strawberries and toss them in with your dried bread cubes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, butter, vanilla, and milk. Add sugar and spices and mix until sugar is dissoved. Arrange bread cubes tightly in a nine-inch baking dish. Pour liquid over the bread and bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until crust is golden brown all over the top.
Fresh out of the oven all warm and bubbly. We couldnt wait...

A la mode!

Huevos Rancheros

Dear Breakfast for Dinner,

I love you.

Lara.

Now that summer is here and we are, in the lovely state of North Carolina, reaching temperatures of 95 and higher, light dinners are in order. This is, by far, my most favorite egg dish... right now.

Ask me tomorrow and I might say my heart belongs to Eggs Benedict. But since I'm feeling the black bean, cilantro, salsa thing today, I love you, Huevos Rancheros.

You'll love it too, I'm confident!

Here is what you will need:

1 can Black Beans, drained & rinsed
1 green onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
eggs
tsp. evoo
shredded pepper jack cheese
salsa
sour cream
cilantro chopped
flour tortillas
a pinch or two of cumin and/or coriander
salt pepper-- to taste
a few dashes of hot sauce

We'll start by preparing our tortilla bowl. Pop a flour tortilla in the microwave for just a few seconds to get it warm and pliable.

Now, take your tortilla and shape it to the inside of an oven safe bowl. Be careful not to tear the tortilla.

Place the tortillas in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tortilla holds the "bowl" shape on its own.

In a sauce pan warm the black beans, green onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, cilantro, salt and pepper. This is where you add your hot sauce, texas pete for me. hold warm.

In a frying pan fry the eggs. I like mine over easy, runny yolk makes me a very happy girl.

Now to assemble:

A large spoonful of beans into the tortilla bowl
Top beans with shredded cheese

Top beans and cheese with yummy fried egg

Top fried egg with salsa, sour cream and cilantro!
(This makes my mouth water)

Since we've been boycotting factory farmed foods we've been eating significantly less meat. However, I wouldn't be opposed to picking up some sausage at our local co-op to cook with the beans. That would be lovely, too.