Brie with Cranberries and Walnuts

We celebrated our first night with our new kitchen completed by drinking champagne and having a yummy appetizer. Since I was a little afraid my cooking skills had gotten rusty, I wanted something easy but still delicious and a little bit impressive--this fit the bill perfectly!

Brie
Walnuts
Dried Cranberries
Rosemary
Thyme

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the top rind off the brie and place in an oven safe dish. Sprinkle with walnuts, cranberries, rosemary and thyme (preferably fresh). Bake for about 15 minutes or until brie is starting to melt. Serve with whole wheat crackers.

Source: Cooking Light

And I'm back in business!

Ok, I know it's been a million years since I've made a new post, but I had a really good reason--I had no kitchen! After dreaming about remodeling our kitchen for a year and a half, we finally started the project at the end of August and were without a fully functioning kitchen until just before Thanksgiving. Of course it took longer/was more expensive/caused more stress than we had anticipated, but now that's it's all over with, I can say with 100% certainty that it was all worth it! Many, many, many thanks to my wonderful husband who put his blood, sweat and tears into making my dream kitchen a reality! I'm LOVING my new kitchen and am so glad to be able to get back to cooking!

Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad

We didn't take a major vacation this summer because we were planning on starting our kitchen renovations (updates to come soon!) in August, so we were in major saving money mode. We wanted to get away for at least a few days though, so we rented a cute little house near Lake Travis in Austin. In another cost-saving measure, we decided to take advantage of our house's kitchen and make most of our meals ourselves instead of going out to restaurants. Since this was our vacation, I wanted to keep it simple, but yummy, and this definitely fit the bill. The only problem is it makes enough to feed an army, and we ended up with more leftovers than we could eat! Here's the full recipe, but unless you're planning on feeding a crowd, I would cut this way down.

1 pound wagon wheel pasta (I'm sure other kinds of pasta would work just fine, but the recipe called for this and it's such a cute shape!)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 10 oz. package frozen corn (I used canned)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 oz. shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon cumin
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Cook pasta to al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa and cheese. Add pasta and mix well. In another bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over pasta salad, add cilantro and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving stir in diced avocados.

Source: carascravings.blogspot.com

Chicken Ceasar Salad

Sometimes it seems like the simplest meals are the best ones. I had been craving a chicken Ceasar salad for some random reason, so I decide to make an easy version of one for dinner. I used the recipe for

my salad with romaine ribbons, then added bite-sized pieces of chicken that I had just cooked with olive oil, salt and pepper. I made some croutons by tearing bread into small pieces, drizzling with olive oil, sprinkling with pepper and garlic salt and then broiling until they were browned and crispy. I added the warm croutons, tossed everything together, poured a glass of wine and had a delicious Ceasar salad that totally satisfied my craving!

Simple Salad with Sunny Vinaigrette

This is the perfect light, delicious summery salad.

For Salad:
6 cups Spring Mix salad greens
1/2 cup slice cucumber
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
2 small carrots, sliced
3 pink radishes, sliced

For dressing:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place salad greens in a large bowl, top with other veggies. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, salt and pepper, oregano and garlic. Whisking constantly, slowly add olive oil in a thin stream. Add more lemon juice, salt or pepper as necessary to adjust flavor to your liking. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.

Source: goodthingscatered.blogspot.com

Yummy Summer Treat

This is my new favorite summer dessert. It is so good and so easy--it doesn't get better than that! All you need is sherbert (I used berry flavor) and a fruity soda (I used lemon) to make a summery float. Just like a coke float, somehow mixing the ingredients together totally changes the flavor of both of them. So good--you must try it!!

Black Bean Dip

I love, love, love this dip! I don't even know exactly why I love it so much, because all of the ingredients are pretty basic, but seriously, it's so yummy!

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans corn, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small purple onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
4-6 limes, juiced (I like mine very lime-y!)
olive oil, to taste
1-2 avocados, diced when ready to serve

Mix all ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips.

Source: my mom and Rosanne

Beach Shrimp

This was so good! Even though the recipe is pretty basic, the shrimp had a ton of flavor--delish! This is the original recipe, but I cut it way down and used a little less than a pound of shrimp and there was still plenty for just the 2 of us.

3 lbs. peeled, large raw shrimp
1 16 oz. bottle Italian dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 lemons, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces (I'm sure you could get away with way less butter than this--I used about 1 tablespoon and that was plenty!)

Place first 4 ingredients ina 9x13 baking dish, tossing to coat. Squeeze juice from lemons over shrimp mixture and stir. Add lemon halves to pan. Sprinkle evenly with parsley. Dot with butter. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Serve in pan.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This is one of those perfect easy, light and summery foods that I love to make when it's literally 105 degrees outside. Yum!

1 cucumber, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces (I halved cherry tomatoes)
1/4 to 1/2 small red onion, cut into 1 inch strips
2 tablespoons crumbled feta

Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over chopped veggies and feta, refrigerate for several hours for the flavors to blend.

Key Lime Cheesecake

Once I got my beautiful Kitchen Aid mixer for my birthday, I was on the hunt for the perfect recipe to try it out with. When I came across this one, I immediately wanted to try it since I love Key Lime pie almost as much as I love cheesecake--perfect! I loved using my mixer and this turned out delicious!

1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened (I used light)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes worth)
3 eggs
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350. Combine crumbs, butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl. Stir well to coat all crumbs. Keep it crumbly. When the crumb mixture is ready, press the crumbs into the bottom and halfway up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Place pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Don't turn off oven. In the mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Use electric mixer and mix until smooth. Add lime juice and eggs and continue to beat until smooth and creamy. Pour filling into crust. Place the pie in the oven and bake 60-70 minutes. Pie is done when the top begins to brown slightly. Remove from oven and cool until room temperature. Put in the fridge to chill. Serve with whipped cream.

I can be a real baker now!

I definitely feel pretty confident in my cooking skills these days, but baking is still a little daunting to me. One of the problems is that so many recipes say to use a stand mixer and unfortunately, the Kitchen Aid mixer I had my heart set on was one of the few things that we registered for and didn't end up getting for a wedding present. Luckily, my wonderful husband surprised me with the beautiful pink and white Kitchen Aid mixer for my birthday, so now I can work on improving my baking skills too! Love it!

Honey Grilled Shrimp

These shrimp were sooooo yummy! I was a little worried because I had planned to cook this on a night when Colin ended up having to work later than usual and by the time he made it home I was way too hungry to spend the time marinating the shrimp for an hour. We just tossed them in the marinade for maybe 10 minutes and they still had plenty of flavor. Yum!

For marinade:
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce (I don't love this flavor, so I subbed in soy sauce and it worked out perfectly)
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons Italian dressing

For basting sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted (I halved this amount)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (again, I subbed in soy sauce)

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails attached

In a large bowl, mix together all marinade ingredients; add shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat grill to high heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near tail and once near head. Discard marinade. In a small bowl, stir together basting ingredients. Lightly oil grill grate. Grill shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side, or until opaque. Baste occasionally while grilling.

Source: allrecipes.com

Easy Monkey Bread

When I told Colin I was making monkey bread, he went on and on about how good his mom's is and that I really should get her recipe. I'm sure Midge's recipe is great, but Colin did end up pretty satisfied with this version too. I thought it was delish, and it was super easy too, which definitely doesn't hurt!

4 small cans or 1 1/2 big cans of biscuits
1 stick of butter (yikes--that's an awful lot of butter!!)
brown sugar
white sugar
cinnamon

Quarter the biscuits. Melt the butter. Combine the sugars and cinnamon and add the mixture plus the melted butter to a large zip lock bag. Add the biscuit pieces to the bag and toss to coat, then pour into a well-greased bundt pan. Bake at whatever temperature the biscuit package says for about 10 minutes (it ended up taking me closer to 15 or 20 minutes for the biscuit pieces to all be fully cooked and get that yummy crispy outside).

Source: my friend Amanda Herron

"Sangria"

This is kind of the cheaters version of sangria, but it's so good and was definitely a hit with our guests!

In a large pitcher, combine 1 bottle medium-bodied red wine (such as Malbec or Rioja--I used the cheapest bottle of Malbec I could find at World Market and it worked perfectly!), 3 cups apple juice, and 2 thinly sliced peaches. Serve over ice.

Source: Real Simple Magazine

Rice, Black Bean and Feta Salad

This was really good when we had it as a side dish with Colin's famous grilled salmon, and it was even better as leftovers the next day.

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cup cooked rice (I used orzo because, as I've previously mentioned, I have a slight obsession with orzo!)
1 (3.5 oz) package crumbled feta (I used reduced fat)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup green onions
1/2 cup Italian dressing (I don't love Italian dressing, so I subbed in balsamic vinaigrette and it worked perfectly!)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley (I went with parsley)

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate.

Source: Feta cheese package

Spicy Golden Corn Soup with Quesadillas

The recipe was super easy, so I kept it simple and just made some cheese and veggie quesadillas to go along with it. Yum!

1 can creamed corn
1 can vegetable broth
Salsa verde
White wine vinegar
Cilantro
Sour cream

Simmer a can of creamed corn with the broth and a scoop of salsa verde (I added a few scoops because I like more spiciness and wanted to thicken it up a little bit). Once warmed through, sprinkle in a few drops of white wine vinegar and top with chopped cilantro and sour cream.

Source: Rachael Ray website

Orecchiette with Roasted Broccoli and Walnuts

This was super easy and so good--definitely recommend it!

12 oz. orecchiette or some other short pasta
1 bunch broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I only used 1)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 400. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and return to the pot. Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the broccoli, walnuts, oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until the broccoli is tender, 18-20 minutes. Toss the pasta with the broccoli mixture, butter, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. (Add more water if the pasta seems dry.) Sprinkle with the Parmesan before serving.

Source: Real Simple

Potato, Chicken, and Fresh Pea Salad

This was kind of a different mix of veggies. It was actually really easy to make and made good leftovers.

1 lb. fingerling potatoes, cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces
2 cups fresh sugar snap peas
2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (I just cooked 2 chicken breasts and chopped those up)
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon (I skipped this)
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until almost tender. Add peas; cook 2 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender. Drain; place vegetables in a large bowl. Add chicken, bell pepper, and onion. Combine oil and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over salad; toss gently to combine.

Source: Cooking Light

Chicken, Cashew and Red Pepper Stir Fry

This was SO GOOD! Colin and I both loved it and I swear it is as good as something you would get from Pei Wei!

3 3/4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 lb. chicken breast tenders, cut lengthwise into thin strips (I just used regular chicken breasts and cut them into bite-sized pieces)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped unsalted cashews
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups julienne-cut red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

Combine 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and next 4 ingredients (through hot pepper sauce) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and chicken in a medium bowl; toss well to coat. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cashews to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from pan. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add chicken mixture to pan; saute 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan; place in a bowl. Add bell pepper to pan; saute 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken and cornstarch mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick. Sprinkle with cashews and green onions.

Source: Cooking Light

Chocolate Ricotta Mousse

Super super easy and good! I served this with fresh strawberries and it was a nice, light, summery dessert.

1 (15 oz.) container ricotta
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted, plus more, shaved, for topping

In a food processor, blend the ricotta, sugar and melted chocolate until smooth. Divide among bowls and top with the shaved chocolate. (The mousse can be refrigerated until ready to serve, up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving).

Source: Real Simple magazine

Greek Salad

I LOVE Greek salad and this is a really good, easy version of it.

Serves 8

6 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed (Colin requested fewer chickpeas next time I make this)
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup pitted kalamata olives (I omitted these)
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts only
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
6 oz. feta, crumbled

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, scallions and dill, then toss. Top with feta.

Source: Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Oven "Fried" Chimichangas

2/3 cup salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
Additional cheese, salsa and green onions for serving

Mix chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions. Place about 1/4 of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Roll up from the bottom and place seam-side down (I ended up folding mine more like an envelope, instead of rolling). Brush with melted margarine. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.

Source: recipezaar.com

Corn and Avocado Salad

We ate this with tortilla chips as more of a dip and it was really good! Very summer-y and easy.

1 cup frozen corn, defrosted but cold
1 avocado, diced
1/4 red onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1/4 fresh jalapeno, minced (I've been on quite the spicy kick lately, so I definitely used more than 1/4)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper

Add all ingredients (except avocado) to a bowl. Mix well. Add avocados and gently fold in. Keep chilled until serving.

Spinach and Apple Salad with Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

I wanted something besides a basic salad to go with our brunch and this was perfect.

2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 apples, cored and chopped or sliced lengthwise
8 cups torn fresh spinach
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Optional: walnuts, pecans, almonds, feta, bleu cheese (I added walnuts)

In a small bowl, whisk together water, vinegar, olive oil, honey, mustard and pepper. In a large bowl, add the apples and 2 tablespoons vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add remaining dressing, spinach and onion and toss to coat.

Source: Sparkpeople.com

Roasted Asparagus

I LOVE asparagus and this really couldn't be easier--I'll definitely be making this again.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Cut ends off asparagus and place on the cookie sheet. Top with cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Mushroom and Spinach Quiche

I had to cook this for probably 10-15 minutes longer than the recipe said, but it was so good--definitely worth the wait!

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (I used Light)
1/3 cup skim milk
3 eggs
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Mushroom (the original recipe didn't call for mushrooms, but I love mushrooms and had some extra, so I just tossed all of those in)
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/4 cup grated parmesan
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1 9-inch prepared pie crust
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Beat cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in milk and eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Source: Bon Appetit

Vanilla Ice Cream with Warm Berry Topping

The simple dessert was so yummy and perfect for spring!

For the topping:
2 cups frozen mixed berries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Toss berries, sugar and cornstarch in large microwave safe bowl until combined. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave on high until slightly thickened and steaming, about 2 1/2 more minutes. Serve over vanilla ice cream.

Source: Eatingwell.com

Easter Brunch a.k.a. the perfect excuse to finally use my wedding china for the first time!

Our parents came over to our house for Easter brunch, so I decided that hosting our first "official" holiday was the best time to finally use our wedding china for the first time (over a year after the wedding--I can't believe how time flies!!). Brunch was delicious and the table looked great so I would call the day a success!

Menu
Spinach and Apple Salad
Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes
Mushroom and Spinach Quiche
Vanilla ice cream with Warm Berry Topping

Menu: April 19-April 25

Sunday:
Citrus Chicken Stir Fry

Monday:
Chicken Ceasar Salad

Tuesday:
Italian Club Sandwiches

Wednesday:
Margherita Pizza

Thursday:
Margaritas and Mexican food with the Congers!

Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

This was so easy and so, so good! This was similar to the roasted broccoli side dish that Colin is in love with and I'll definitely be making this one again.

2 lbs. broccoli, cut into florets (with some stem still attached)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined (fresh or frozen)

Lemon zest from one lemon

White rice

Preheat oven to 425. In a medium bowl, toss together broccoli, 2 tablespoons olive oil, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder. In another bowl, toss together shrimp with 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest, and a dash of salt and pepper. Place the shrimp and broccoli in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast 10-15 minutes or until hot and sizzling. While roasting, prepare some white rice. When shrimp and broccoli are done, serve over cooked rice, sprinkle with lemon juice and top with lemon slices.

Source: Amateurgourmet.com

Grilled Romaine

This was a yummy and more exciting alternative to the usual salad. Colin wanted to break out the grill for the spring, so he fixed some delicious salmon and grilled corn on the cob and this was the perfect accompaniment.

1 Romaine heart (1 heart=2 servings)

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

Ground pepper
Grated Parmesan

Red wine vinegar

Cut each heart in half lengthwise so that the root keeps each piece together. Lightly brush the cut side with olive oil. Season with pepper, place the cheese in a shallow pan large enough to lay the romaine in. Press the cheese firmly on the cut side until it adheres. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium-high heat. Place the romaine in the pan and cook until the cheese turns golden, 1-2 minutes. Place the romaine, cheese side up, onto plates and sprinkle with the vinegar. Serve immediately.

Source: Alton Brown

Jalapeno-Potato Cheddar

This is a super-easy recipe from the Rachael Ray website--so easy that there aren't even measurements for the ingredients! Just do what works for your tastes and the consistency you want and it will turn out great!

Butter

Fresh jalapeno

Onion

Potato

Chicken broth

Sour cream

Cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a saucepan and cook thinly sliced jalapeno and finely chopped onion until softened. Add finely chopped, peeled potato and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Puree half of the cooked potatoes with sour cream. Stir the puree into the soup and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and thinly sliced jalapeno rounds before serving.

I served this with black bean tostadas (basically just the black bean tacos laid flat) and it was a delicious, easy, flavorful meal.

Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons

This was my first time ever cooking with gnocchi and it was suprisingly quick and easy. I'll definitely be tyring other recipes using gnocchi.

1 lb. fresh or frozen gnocchi

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium shallots, chopped

3 small zucchinis, very thinly sliced lengthwise

1 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Pepper, to taste

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Cook gnocchi until they float, about 3-5 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until butter is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add shallots and zucchini, and cook, stirring often, 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to break down, 1-2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Basil Shrimp Orzo

8 oz. orzo

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with garlic and basil

20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
Parmesan

Cook orzo, drain and set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil, about 5 minutes. After about 3 minutes, add in shrimp. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper and tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium and cover skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add orzo, sprinkle in Parmeasan and mix.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta-Lime Slaw

YUM! These were so good and ended up definitely being worth the effort make the taco shells myself. The feta-lime slaw added a really light, flavorful, fresh taste. I've already used it as a topper for tostadas and shrimp tacos and it was perfect for those as well.

15 oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 lime, juiced
2 cups premade coleslaw mix
2 green onions, green part only
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
8 corn tortillas
1/2 cup feta

Place beans, cumin and garlic powder in a bowl and partially mash. In a separate bowl, combine coleslaw mix, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, feta and 2 teaspoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas and heat for 1 minute. Top half with the bean mixture and fold over. Heat 1 minute on each side until crispy and browned. Remove from pan and stuff with coleslaw mixture. Serve immediately.

Source: Bon Appetit magazine

Garlic Fries

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 large baking potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 450. Heat the garlic and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil with a small mesh strainer. Set both garlic and oil aside. Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick sticks. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, oil and salt. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the potatoes onto it in a single layer. Bake until golden and crisp, about 35 minutes. Remove potatoes from the tray with a metal spatula. Toss with parsley, reserved garlic and additional salt, to taste. Serve immediately.

Southwestern Mushroom Casserole

Ok, clearly this is not the most photogenic food ever, but if you are someone who likes mushrooms you must try this! It's soooo good! So much flavor and just the right amount of spiciness.

2 8 oz. packages sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces (I only used 1 T and it worked just fine)

Preheat oven to 350. Place the mushrooms in a 2-quart pie pan. In a medium bowl, combine the beef broth and flour; microwave at low power until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and cayenne; season with salt. Immediately pour the sauce over the mushrooms. In a medium bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and parmesan. Sprinkle on top of the mushrooms, top with the butter and bake until browned, about 45 minutes.

Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Simple Cornbread

Yep--this was simple! I love cornbread and this was another good, basic version.

Jiffy Cornbread Mix
Grated cheddar
Green onions
Dash of hot sauce

Combine all ingredients and cook according to box directions (See? I said it was simple!)

Baked Potato Soup

My attempt at this didn't really turn out all that "soupy", but it was delicious nonetheless.

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
3 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1/2 head cauliflower, cored and chopped
1 bunch scallions, white and green portions thinly sliced separately
4 slices bacon (I omitted the bacon)
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup sour cream (I used light)

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, 2 cups milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the cauliflower and scallion whites, cover and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes. Add the remaining one cup milk, then puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Microwave the bacon at high power until crisp, 3-4 minutes; crumble (I skipped this step, obviously). Divide the soup among 4 bowls and top with the shredded cheese, sour cream, crumble bacon and scallion greens.

Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Chili-Garlic Roasted Veggies

The original recipe from Rachael Ray only used broccoli, but I quickly discovered that this would be delicious with any combination of veggies. This time I used broccoli, mushrooms and onions--so good and Colin has already requested this again!

Here's the original recipe:
1/4 cup olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (I used Montreal Steak seasoning)
1 large head broccoli, cut into thin, long spears

Preheat oven to 425. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat evenly. Transfer broccoli to a large nonstick baking sheet. Roast the broccoli until the ends are crisp and brown, and stalks are tender, about 17-20 minutes.

Perfect Snickerdoodles

These seriously were the perfect little cookie. Snickerdoodles are so basic, but so freaking good--I couldn't stop eating them!!

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For topping:
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
3-4 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Mix together butter and sugar until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla. Then add in baking powder, salt and flour. Refrigerate dough for 1-2 hours, until it is easily rolled into balls. Once the dough is ready, roll into 2 inch balls. Mix together the topping and then roll each ball in the topping mixture. Place the balls on your greased cookie sheet and use a cup to press each ball down flat. Add a little more of the topping to each cookie. Bake at 400 for 8-9 minutes.

Black and White Bean Dip

This was super simple and very tasty! I actually warmed up some tortillas and used this as more of a burrito filling than dip--yum!

1 can black beans
1 can white beans
1 cup frozen corn kernels
7 oz. hot salsa
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
Garlic salt to taste
Cilantro to garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Rinse and drain both cans of beans. Squeeze the liquid out of tomatoes before chopping so the dip doesn't turn runny. Put all ingredients, except cilantro, in a bowl and mix together. Grease a shallow baking dish, spoon in bean mixture and sprinkle a little more cheese on top. Bake for 2o minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the dip is heated through. Remove from oven and top with cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

Tuscany Bread with Cream of Tomato Soup

I made this for lunch on our "snow" day when Colin and I were stuck inside all day. I'm so glad I happened to have all the ingredients on hand because this was soooo good and the perfect warm and cozy (but easy!) meal!

Tuscany Bread

1 small loaf French baguette
Pesto
Couple of handfuls of fresh spinach
4-8 mozzarella slices, just enough to cover the bread
1 small tomato, diced
A few lemon wedges

Heat oven to 375. Brown baguette until the outside is crusty (about 5-8 minutes). Halve bread lengthwise and spread pesto on the cut sides. Add spinach leaves, a few tomatoes and then the cheese. Sprinkle a few more tomatoes on top of the cheese. Place under a broiler until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Remove from oven and cut into pieces. Serve with lemon wedges.

"Cheater's" Cream of Tomato Soup

Fresh herbs of choice (I used basil)
Butter
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Pinch of nutmeg

Saute fresh herbs in butter. Add all other ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes and that's it--couldn't be easier!

Source: Food Network Magazine