Tortellini Salad with Asparagus and Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

This salad is so yummy! It makes a nice, light weekday meal. Both Paul and I found it hearty enough to stand alone as a meal, but it would also make a nice side dish for a bigger meal.

I love the flavor of the fresh basil and the shallot. And James really gets a kick out of the tortellini. :)

Tortellini Salad with Asparagus and Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients:

6 T. olive oil

1/2 c. fresh basil, finely chopped

3 T. lemon juice

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper

1 lb. asparagus, tough ends broken off and sliced on the bias (about 3/4 to 1 inch pieces)

2 packages (9 oz each) fresh cheese tortellini*

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 c.)

1/4 c. pine nuts**, toasted (optional)

*You can find fresh cheese tortellini with the fresh pastas in the same aisle as the cheese. It can be pricey, but since there is no meat in this dish, the cost is still comparable to other meals.

**OK, pine nuts are extremely expensive! Who knew? I have left these out both times we've had this salad, and it's still been delicious. I'm sure the pine nuts would add a nice texture and flavor to the dish, though, so if you're in the mood to splurge, go for it!

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil and season with 1 T. salt.

In a large bowl (big enough for the whole salad), whisk together the olive oil, chopped basil, lemon juice, minced shallot, minced garlic, 1/2 t. salt, and 1/2 t. pepper.

When water is boiling, add asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Scoop out asparagus with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander, do not discard the water. Return the pot of water to the stove and return to a boil. Rinse asparagus under cold water until cool. Toss asparagus in the bowl with the salad dressing.

When water returns to a boil, cook tortellini according to directions on the package. When pasta is tender, drain and toss with the asparagus and dressing while still hot. Refrigerate salad until chilled (at least 30 minutes).

Just before serving, toss salad with halved tomatoes and Parmesan cheese (and toasted pine nuts, if using). Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Enjoy! :)

Spicy Mac and Cheese

This recipe is one of my favorites that I've tried recently. I've made it twice now, and I liked it even more the second time. It comes from one of my favorite food blogs: Annie's Eats.

I'm a big fan of homemade mac and cheese, but Paul tends to find it a little bland for his tastes. He likes this recipe because it is packed with flavor. Definitely not bland at all! It's not too spicy, but it has a nice kick and a wonderful flavor. The combination of the different types of cheese and the spices and vegetables is just really yummy. :)

If you love cheese, you should definitely give it a try!

Spicy Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

4 c. pasta shapes (this time I used mini bowties, and it was fun)

1/3 c. onion, finely chopped

1/3 c. roasted red peppers*, finely chopped

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (If you want it to be spicier, you could leave in some seeds...I prefer the flavor of the jalapeno without the overwhelming spiciness, so I scrape the seeds and membranes all out with a spoon.)

6 1/2 T. butter, divided

2 1/2 c. milk, plus additional to thin out sauce if needed

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 t. onion powder

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

8 oz. colby jack cheese, shredded

4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded

4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 oz. baguette or crusty Italian bread (or about 1 1/2 c. bread crumbs)

*Roasted red peppers are sold in jars in the same aisle as the pickles and olives. They are a little on the expensive side, but one jar can make this recipe twice. You can also roast your own if you are talented that way. I am not. ;)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to directions on package. When the pasta is done, drain and return to pot. While waiting for water to boil, saute the onion, red peppers, and jalapenos in 1/2 T. butter for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Set aside until needed.

Then, while pasta cooks, melt 4 T. butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour and stir continuously for about two minutes. Be careful not to burn the mixture. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until mixture boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low. Whisk in spices, and then whisk in the cheeses until well incorporated. If the sauce seems too thick, add some milk to thin it out a bit. (I added 1/2 c. this time, and it was still thick and creamy, but not overly so.)

Combine pasta, vegetables, and cheese sauce. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan (or 2 quart casserole dish).

Cut baguette into chunks and pulse in a food processor until coarse crumbs are formed. Melt the last 2 T. butter in the microwave and pour over bread crumbs. Pulse a few times to distribute the melted butter. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over the pasta and cheese. Bake for 25 minutes (or until mixture is bubbly and topping is golden brown). Allow to sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Here's a link to the original recipe: Spicy Mac and Cheese.

This is definitely one that will be making repeat appearances in our household. :)

Creamy One Pot Pasta

I made this recipe recently when my family was in town and everyone went back for seconds. So yummy, but also very basic and healthy. The sauce is very light and flavorful and mixes great with the veggies. It's also nice to have another meatless meal (since most of the meals I make have meat in them and that gets expensive at times). I got this recipe from my sister-in-law and I believe she got it from the pampered chef website or something like that.

Ingredients:
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 jar of sun dried tomatoes*
3 cans (5 and 1/4 cups) chicken broth
1 lb. uncooked pasta (I used bow tie)*
1 head broccoli (2 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
grated parmesan

Directions:
Cook garlic in 1 tbsp. oil in stockpot for a couple minutes. Add broth, cover, and bring to boil. Stir in pasta, cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, chop broccoli and carrots and slice tomatoes. Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add veggies, cheese, salt and pepper to pot. and stir until cream cheese is melted (do not drain pasta). Reduce heat, cover and cook 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

* Sun dried tomatoes are pretty pricey ($6 a jar at my store)...so I substituted chopped red pepper and I loved how it turned out. I think you can use pretty much whatever veggies you feel like.
* The recipe actually calls for penne or ziti, but I used bow tie pasta because that's what my sister-in-law used the time she made it and I really liked it with that kind of pasta. So I altered the amount of time to cook the pasta (penne would take longer).
* If you like your pasta more on the firm side, I would put the veggies in a bit sooner so they have time to get tender before the pasta gets too soft.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've been really bad about taking pictures of the food I've been cooking lately! Tonight, the missionaries came over for dinner, and I just couldn't bring myself to say, "Could you hold off a second? I want to take a picture." Too embarrassed. Oh well! This picture comes from My Kitchen Cafe, and it's even served in a fancy schmancy bread bowl. I definitely didn't do that. Though I did serve it with homemade rolls (using this recipe Paula shared with us a while back).

The soup was delicious! The two types of cheese gave it a wonderful flavor. And I was very pleasantly surprised with how easily and quickly it came together. I know I'll be making this one often in the future. :)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

1 3/4 c. chicken broth (or 1 can)

fresh broccoli (to taste)

1/4 c. butter

1/3 c. flour

pepper, to taste (I'm always very generous with my pepper)

2 c. milk (I used James' whole milk for the creaminess, but you can use any variety)

1 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese

Directions:

Place onions and chicken broth in a medium saucepan, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, steam your broccoli. Heat milk in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and pepper, and cook for a minute or two. Gradually whisk in warmed milk. Stir mixture until it thickens. Pour in broth and onions, and stir to combine. Add cheese and broccoli and stir until cheese melts and soup is smooth. Serve immediately.

Note: This recipe doesn't make a whole lot of soup. I didn't have enough broccoli to double it, so I multiplied everything by 1 1/2 instead. Even then, with the two missionaries (so four adults and one toddler) we finished the whole pot of soup, and there are no leftovers.

It's so yummy! Even without meat, this soup is hearty and filling enough to stand on its own as a main dish. It filled me up faster than I expected...though that could have something to do with the pregnancy thing. ;)

Here's a link to the original recipe on My Kitchen Cafe: Broccoli Cheese Soup. Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

One of my favorite recipes so far. It came from this recipe on Allrecipes.com. I thought they were excellent, but if you'd like some meat you could add some lean ground beef (or ground turkey)! Just as a small note, I doubled the filling (except for the onions), used Veggie Shreds instead of the mozzarella, and skipped the parm. It was also super fast since it was all done in the microwave!

Ingredients:

• 2 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 (8 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
• 1/3 cup quick-cooking brown rice
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
• 1/2 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Arrange pepper halves in a 9 inch square glass baking dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap for vents, and heat 4 minutes in the microwave, or until tender.

In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes and their liquid, rice, and water. Cover with plastic, and cook in the microwave for 4 minutes, or until rice is cooked.

Stir green onions, corn, kidney beans, and red pepper flakes into the tomato mixture. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes, or until heated through.

Spoon hot tomato mixture evenly into pepper halves, and cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic to vent steam, and heat in the microwave 4 minutes.

Remove plastic, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese (or Veggie Shreds) and Parmesan cheese, and allow to stand 1 to 2 minutes before serving.

Chickpea Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Surprisingly good! Start the potatoes first and work on the burgers while they're cooking.

Burger Ingredients:

2 tsp oil
1/3 c. finely chopped raw onion
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/3c. finely chopped raw peppers (I used a little of green, yellow, and orange bells)
1 c. canned chickpeas (garbanzo)
3/4 c. cooked soya (soy) beans (I used canned black beans)
1/3 c. dry oatmeal
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Veggie Shreds - Mozzarella flavored (this is used as "cheese" and can be found at the health foods store)

Directions:

Heat 1 tsp oil on medium heat and cook onions and spices, stirring, for about 2 minutes.

Add peppers. Cook, stirring for about 3 minutes, until everything is tender and the mixture is dry.

In a food-processor (I used a blender), blend the chickpeas and beans. Add the oats, onion-pepper mixture and cilantro and blend again.

Squeeze together into burgers - I made 6. You might need to add a few more oats if it is too sticky. Heat remaining oil on medium and cook burgers for 4-5 mins on each side, until heated through. Place Veggie Shreds on top until melted.

Sweet Potato Fries Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled

1 tsp olive oil

kosher salt

ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.

Cut potatoes, "french fry" style. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Arrange potatoes on a nonstick baking sheet and bake for about 30 - 40 minutes, depending on the thickness of your potatoes. Even if you burn them a little (which I did), they're still good. They kind of taste like burnt marshmallows.

Mexican Bean & Corn Bowl

I got this from the 3 Fat Chicks Forum. I was a little skeptical at first because it looked kind of weird, but it was so good (sorry no picture)! Eli was thinking that this would make a good bean dip if you added a little of the Taco Bell restaurant sauce. You could also add some ground beef and plop it in a tortilla for a yummy burrito.

Ingredients:

1 can pinto beans

1/4 c. onion

1 tsp diced jalapeno pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 to 1 tsp cumin (to taste)

1 c. corn

1 tbsp green bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp red bell, pepper, diced

Directions:

In a skillet, with a dash of olive oil, saute the onion, garlic, and pepper (about 4 minutes).

Add cumin and the pinto beans. Take a spoon (I use a potato masher) and mash about half of the beans. Heat through and then remove from heat.

In a small pot filled with water, combine and cook the corn and peppers. Drain and remove.

In a bowl, combine the beans and corn mixture. Add salsa if you'd like!

Italian Spaghetti Squash

Delicious! I think I could eat this all day! I considered using a marinara sauce, but I'm glad I did it this way. It was perfect with a salad. It would be tasty with chicken.

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

1/2 medium zucchini, sliced & quartered

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1/4 c. reduced fat parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Place the squash halves, cut sides down, in a glass baking dish. Add 1/8 cup water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 8-10 minutes until tender; cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the zucchini and cook for 4-5 minutes until the zucchini begins to brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat; simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Using a fork, scrape the squash strands into a bowl. Toss with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Mound the squash in the center of 4 pasta bowls and spoon the vegetable mixture around the squash. Drizzle with more oil, if desired, and garnish with Parmesan cheese, if using.

Rice & Black Beans

Yummy and filling! Again, you could add chicken for a complete meal.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

2/3 c. water

1 1/2 c. instant brown rice

2 roma tomatoes, diced

garlic powder (to taste)

onion powder (to taste)

basil (to taste)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook and stir onion in oil until tender and translucent, but not brown. Add tomatoes, beans, and spices. Bring to boil. Stir in rice, return mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cover.

Let mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Squash Casserole

This is from Clean Eating Magazine. It's a fun magazine that's all about eating fresh foods and cutting out processed foods. They have some really good ideas.

Ingredients:

4 medium yellow and zucchini squash, cubed 1/2-inch pieces (6 cups)

1 medium onion, diced 1/2-inch pieces

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper

2 tbsp ground flax seed

3/4 cup steel-cut oatmeal

Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook all ingredients except oatmeal in enough water to cover the squash in a pot, about 1 cup, on the stove-top until soft (about 20 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in oatmeal. Adjust remaining water in the pot so there is just enough to moisten the oatmeal.

Transfer to 9 x 13-inch baking dish that has been prepared with olive oil spray. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

* I cut everything up the day before I made this and stored it in a freezer bag in the fridge. It was super easy to just dump in the pot and start from there. That cut back on the total amount of time it took to cook by like 15 minutes.

Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed

10 grape tomatoes, halved

1 red bell pepper, seeded & thinly sliced

1/2 c. diced green pepper

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (I used dried Italian seasonings)

Dressing:

1 tsp Dijon mustard (I used brown)

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

Wash green beans. Drop beans into a pot of boiling water. Cook until crisp, about 4 minutes.

Drain water and let beans cool. Add tomatoes, peppers, and parsley.

In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, oil, and lemon juice. Add pepper and salt. Stir well.

Pour the dressing over the salad, then toss. Cover and refrigerate for an hour until chilled.

*I didn't want to wait an hour. So we ate right after and it was yummy warm. If you wanted to, you could add shrimp. Or if you're not up for seafood, it would be good with grilled chicken as well.

Manicotti

I love this dish! I make it the night before so when I come home from school I can just put it in the oven. I usually have a salad and garlic bread on the sid

e. Hope you enjoy it!

1/2 (8oz) pkg manicotti pasta (7 tubes)

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp parsely flakes

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cups tomato sacue

Additional 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook manicotti pasta according to pkg directions. Drain. Place on foil or wax paper to cool.

In large bowl, stir together cheeses, parsely and pepper. For easier handling, refregerate at leaste 15 min.) Fill cooled pasta tubes with mixture using a small spoon or use large decorator cylinder or disposable pastry bag without a tip to fill the tubes.

Spread 1/2 cup tomato sacue in 7"x11" oblong baking dish. Arrange filled pasta in a single layer over sauce. Pour 1 cup tomato sauce over pasta and cover with foil. Bake 30 min.

Remove foil. Top with grated Mozzarella cheese. Bake additional 10 min or until cheese is melted.

Serves 4

Make ahead directions:

After assembling manicoti, do not bake.

Cover dish tightly with foil, then plastic wrap. Freeze up to two months.

Remove plastic wrap; leave tightly covered foil. Bake 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove foil. Add mozzarella cheese. Bake additional 10 min or until cheese is melted.

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Lasagna

Now, I've tried a few different recipes for vegetarian lasagna, and I like them all for different reasons. I knew I had to try this one when I read the ingredients and it had hard boiled eggs in it. Talk about interesting! It's another one from the Home Ec teacher's Italian cookbook. I loved it, and so did Paul. And Paul's not usually a big fan of eggs, so that's saying something. The eggs and spinach gave it a very distinctive flavor.

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Lasagna


Ingredients:
1 jar spaghetti sauce with vegetables
1 package lasagna noodles, cooked*
1 package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
8 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
2 (5 oz) packages mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

*I keep getting the lasagna noodles that you don't need to boil beforehand. They are way convenient; however, the top noodles always end up crunchy. I haven't figured out a way to make them soft. Let me know if you know of a way! Otherwise, if crunchy top noodles sound awful to you, you should probably use regular lasagna noodles.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of an 11x13 baking dish. Line with one row of noodles. Top with a layer of sauce, spinach, eggs, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers two more times (three layers total). Finish with a layer of noodles, sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Pasta Toss

If we had a category that was easier than easy I'd almost want to put this one there. It's a very basic recipe that I got from the Hatrack Cookbook...which doesn't seem to be available online anymore. It was a collection of recipes someone put together from the people who post on the Hatrack Forums. Oh well. Anyway. You can really put whatever you want in it, as far as vegetables go. And it's quite good for you, since there's not much to it aside from pasta and vegetables.

Pasta Toss
Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
2 yellow squash, chopped
2 c. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 t. oregano
1 lb. pasta of your choice (I used some whole grain fettuccine)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta according to directions given. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add veggies and spices. Cook and stir for about 7 minutes (veggies should be slightly tender). Toss with pasta and Parmesan cheese.

I actually halved the recipe for me and Paul. And I didn't measure the Parmesan cheese. I just sprinkled it on our bowls. It was fast, simple, and yummy!

Tomato and Pesto Pizza

So, Paul and I switched around our meals for the week because we needed something quick last night. And oh my goodness. This pizza was so yummy! It has so much flavor! The pesto combined with the tomatoes and cheese just works. It's simple and fast, and it's DEE-vine. Seriously.

Tomato and Pesto Pizza
Ingredients:
pizza dough (I used the Pillsbury kind in the tube...it was very yummy!)
1/4 c. pesto (I think I ended up using more than that...I just spread a thin layer over the whole crust...I didn't measure)
2-3 c. mozzarella cheese, grated
2-3 fresh tomatoes, sliced
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese
dried basil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (the original recipe says 400, but the pizza dough I used said 425). Roll out your pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Spread pesto evenly on top of the dough. Sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese. Place tomatoes on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next, sprinkle with additional mozzarella cheese (as you can see from my pictures we ran out of mozzarella, so I had to use cheddar), parmesan cheese, and finally, basil. Bake for 12-15 minutes, checking after 10. Ours was actually perfect after 10 minutes.


The only drawback I can think of about this pizza is that pesto is pretty expensive to buy. It seems that it would be cheaper to make your own, but that would make it ever so much more difficult. The recipes for pesto I looked at all take at least 45 minutes to prepare. I guess you just have to weigh your options...splurge on the store-bought pesto, or be adventurous and make your own!

Oh, and Mandy pointed out that you could add chicken to the pizza, and it would probably be delicious, too!

Thank you Favorite Family Recipes for this amazing pizza! Here's a link to the original recipe on their site: Tomato and Pesto Pizza.

Quesadillas

These were excellent! It was definitely more than your average cheese quesadilla. Eli and I both loved them. These came from Family Favorite Recipes. YUMMY stuff! My picture doesn't look as good as the one on FFR, but you can click here to see it and the original recipe. Her recipe includes zucchini, but I didn't put that in mine because we didn't have any available!

Ingredients:

1 c. frozen corn

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 Tbsp. diced jalapeno (or more if you like it hot...I used the canned pickled kind found in the mexican aisle)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1-2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

flour tortillas (if you want to be really healthy, use whole-wheat tortillas)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the cheese (and tortillas of course). Place mixture in a large skillet and fry until hot. In the meantime, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan. On half of the tortilla add a few large scoops of the corn/bean mixture and a little cheese. Fold tortilla over, then flip sides. When cheese is melted, cut in half and serve!

Potato Soup

I'm not sure where my parents got this recipe, but it's a delicious, creamy soup. I have always loved this soup. The recipe is actually a clam chowder recipe, but I don't really like clams (especially when I'm pregnant), and it's cheaper without them. But, this is a very versatile soup. You can add corn for a corn chowder and ham for a ham chowder. It's also good as just a potato soup.

Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 cup finely chopped potatoes
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 qt. half and half
1 tsp salt
pepper
1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:
Put chopped vegetables and onions in pot with enough water to barely cover. Simmer, covered over medium heat until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). In the meantime, in a medium pot, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook a minute or two. Add cream; cook and stir until smooth and thick, using a wire whisk to blend (it always takes longer to thicken then I think it's going to...it gets pretty thick). Add to undrained vegetables and heat.

* We usually serve it with what we call toasties. Butter bread on both sides, cut in four strips and bake on cookie sheet until brown (flip once).

Vegetable Quiche

Yes, I finally made my quiche! It's about time, right? Anyway, it turned out well. It was FULL of vegetables, which was surprising. The vegetables nearly filled up the crust! There was barely enough room for the eggs on top. Paul especially liked the fact that it had so many vegetables in it (he doesn't like eggs all by themselves).


Vegetable Quiche
Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell*
1 1/2 c. chopped onion (I just used one medium onion)
1 medium green pepper, chopped (I used half of a really big one)
1 c. chopped tomatoes (I didn't measure, I just chopped up three relatively small roma tomatoes)
1/2 c. chopped zucchini (again, I didn't measure, I just used one small-ish zucchini)
1/2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms (same as above, I used half a package)
2 T butter or margarine (I just used olive oil)
1/4 t. curry powder (Funny story, I was just going to leave this out when I originally planned to make this recipe because I didn't have any...but since it took me so long to make it, I actually bought some to use in a completely different recipe. I figured I'd use it! According to reviews on allrecipes.com, you can leave it out if you want to, but it tastes good!)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
pinch ground cinnamon
5 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

*I highly recommend buying a pre-made pie shell. I think that the fact that I had to make a crust was one of my main hang-ups with making this. However, if you want to make your own crust, I very much recommend Paul's mom's recipe. It's the easiest crust recipe I have come across. I'll write up that recipe at the end of this post.

Directions:
Line unpricked and unbaked shell with foil and bake at 450 degrees for five minutes. Remove foil and bake for five more minutes. (I have no idea why the crust didn't bubble because it wasn't pricked, but it didn't!) Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, sautee onions and bell pepper in butter (or, in my case, olive oil). Once they begin to soften, add mushrooms and zucchini. Finally, add tomatoes. (Okay, let's be honest, I just added the vegetables as I chopped them up. I just started with the ones I thought would need the most time to cook. I knew tomatoes break down quickly, so I did them last. It worked well, so there you go. The original recipe doesn't give an order (it just says sautee the vegetables), so I figure this is an improvement.) Stir and cook until zucchini is starting to get soft (with the order I added my vegetables, the zucchini was the last to finish cooking). Add curry powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Mix well. Spoon into crust.


In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and cheese, mix well. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables in the shell. This completely filled up my quiche pan. If you don't have a quiche pan, you can use a pie pan, but be careful you don't overflow the pan. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Mine was done right at 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.


Here's a link to the recipe on allrecipes.com: Vegetarian Quiche.

And for the encore! Here's the easiest crust recipe you'll ever find!

Grace's Pie Crust
Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter flavored Crisco
1/4 c. water
1/4 t. salt (Grace's recipe calls for two generous dashes, so this is an estimate)
2 T. milk
2 c. flour

Directions:
Put Crisco and water in a bowl. Melt in the microwave (it takes about 90 seconds). In a bowl, mix together melted Crisco/water, salt, milk, and flour. It's easiest to mix with your hands. Add a little extra flour if the dough is too wet to handle. Divide into two even balls (the recipe makes enough for a top and bottom crust, or two shells). Roll out one ball for one crust.

Helpful hint from my mom: When rolling out a pie crust place a piece of wax paper underneath the dough and another piece of wax paper on top. This makes it much easier to transport the crust once you've finished rolling it out, and you can make a much thinner crust successfully. When you finish rolling out the crust, peel off the top layer of wax paper and flip crust over on top of your pie pan (or quiche pan! :) ). Peel of the other layer of wax paper and press crust into pan.

Like I said, this is the easiest crust recipe I've come across. It's on the greasy side, but it turns out nice and flaky!

Oh, and by the way, I'm putting a dessert label on this post just so that the crust recipe will show up under that label as well. If I ever post the recipe for Paul's mom's Apple Pie, then I'll post the crust recipe there again and remove the dessert label from this one.

Wild Rice Casserole

I got this recipe from my mom back in April when Lisa (remember my vegetarian friend? ;) ) came to visit. It's delicious and quite hearty. It's one of those things I would never have liked when I was younger (mostly because of the mushrooms), but I find that I'm not as picky as I used to be, and I even like the mushrooms in this recipe.

Also, the recipe my mom gave me has no directions other than length of time cooking (covered and uncovered) and temperature of the oven. So, these directions are how I chose to put it together. I'm sure you can do it however you prefer.

Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
1 c. wild rice (Note: Wild Rice seems to come in 4 oz. boxes, so you need two. Also, the boxes have a spice packet inside which I just discarded.)
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, juice included
1 bell pepper, diced (any color works, we used green this time)
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 small can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 c. olive oil (this seemed a bit much, so I put a little bit less)
1 c. boiling water
1 t. salt
pepper to taste
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese (we only had medium cheddar, and it tasted good, too)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start boiling some water on the stove. Cut up your bell pepper and onion. Pour rice into a 9x13 pan in an even layer. Sprinkle onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and olives on top. Next, pour on tomatoes. Add the olive oil and boiling water, making sure all the rice is moistened. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and cheese on top. Cook, covered, for about 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 20-30 more minutes. Rice should be tender.

Pisto Manchego with Eggs

So, this week's dinners have gotten all switched around. I'm no longer even paying attention to what day I had planned on making something. I'm still on track for cooking them all, though! Last night I took a deep breath and decided to give this recipe a whirl. My vegetarian friend, Lisa (how do you like that title, Lisa? ;) ), linked to this recipe in a comment on my last menu when I asked for vegetarian suggestions. It's a recipe from the NY Times, and it can be found here.

I'm going to post it here as well with my own words tossed in for clarification and insights into my experience last night.

Pisto Manchego with Eggs
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds zucchini, or a combination of green and yellow summer squash, diced
2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1 (28-ounce) can, drained and chopped (see note below)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste (a generous amount, at least 1 teaspoon)
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs

Note: When you seed the tomatoes, set a strainer over a bowl. Squeeze the seeds into the strainer, then press the pulp and juice through the strainer into the bowl. Discard the seeds and use the juice as described below.

Jennie's additional Note: This whole tomato process seemed too complicated for me, so I just bought a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes and drained the juice. ;)

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy, nonstick skillet over medium heat, then add the onion. Stir often, until just about tender — about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or two until fragrant. Stir in the squash and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss together for five minutes, until the squash is coated with oil and beginning to soften.

Add the tomatoes and sugar, then salt to taste (3/4 to 1 teaspoon) and turn the heat to medium-high. Stir often for five to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have slightly cooked down.

Add the juice from the tomatoes plus 1/4 cup water, stir together, and turn the heat back down to medium-low. Cook uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and easy to mash. Stir often, and add water as necessary, every 10 minutes or so, until the mixture cooks down and begins to stick to the pan. (Note from Jennie: I didn't add water the entire time other than the first 1/4 cup. I think canned tomatoes have plenty of liquid. It probably would have even been fine without that first 1/4 cup as mine ended up a tad runny.) From time to time, press on the squash with the back of your spoon so that it breaks down. (My squash did break down a bit, but I think it would have been better if I had been patient and chopped my squash into smaller pieces.) Taste, adjust the salt, and add lots of pepper.

Using the back of your spoon, make six wells in the vegetable mixture and break an egg into each well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the pan, and cook until the eggs have set, about six to eight minutes (the whites should be set, but the yolks should still be runny). Serve, using a spatula to dish out portions of pisto topped with an egg (we ate ours in bowls).

Ok, my experience with the eggs was a little different. My vegetable mixture wasn't thick enough to form wells and have them stay that way. Instead, I made a well with my spoon and had Paul crack an egg into it, one at a time. Also, I was paranoid about the eggs being cooked all the way, so my yolks ended up being cooked through. I let it cook for the whole eight minutes and I had the heat between medium and medium-low. I think they would have been perfect after six minutes.

Despite not being much to look at, this dinner was very flavorful and delicious! I enjoyed it a lot. I must admit that I didn't expect to like it as much as I did (I usually don't like squash that much). I highly recommend it, and it's not as hard as it looks.

*I'm giving this one a medium difficulty level. However, if you ask me, it would move into the hard category if you seeded and juiced your own tomatoes. But maybe that's just me. ;)

**Also, the website says you can use this recipe as a side dish without the eggs. I don't know if I'd want to put that much effort into a side dish, but if I got it to the simmering point and then cooked a main dish, it might work out just fine.