Meyer's Lemony Broccoli and Chickpea Rigatoni

On the menu this weekend was a very tasty Rigatoni.

Meyer's Lemony Broccoli and Chickpea Rigatoni

-adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets
1 pound rigatoni
5 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1.In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

3.Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chickpea mixture and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.

4.Drain the rigatoni, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the broccoli and chickpeas along with the reserved cooking water and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the rigatoni is coated with sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Transfer the pasta to a bowl, sprinkle with the remaining cheese

Pasta With Basil, Gorgonzola and Garlic

On my way home from work I stopped at the Rocket market looking for something to make for dinner. The fresh basil looked great, so I figured I would try a pasta with Gorgonzola cheese. It turned out great; I will definately be making it again.

Pasta With Basil, Gorgonzola and Garlic

12 0z. fettucine
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
4 oz. gorgonzola, crumbled
2/3 C. half and half
3 T. fresh basil,chopped
salt & pepper


Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.

Add the pasta and boil for 10-12 minutes until al dente.

While the Pasta is cooking, melt the butter with olive oil in a pan.

Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.

Add half the gorgonzola cheese to the pan with the half and half and stir over low heat until the cheese has melted.

Add the basil and season with salt and pepper

Drain the pasta, divide between warmed serving plates, pour the sauce over the pasta and scatter the remaining Gorgonzola cheese evenly over each dish.

Cucumber With Feta Cheese and Mint Salad

Sunday night supper club’s theme was mint. I decided on this cucumber salad.




Cucumber With Feta Cheese and Mint

2 cucumbers
1 sweet onion
½ C. chopped kalamata olives
1 C. crumbled feta cheese with herbs
¼ C. chopped mint
5 T. olive oil
3 T. lemon juice
salt & pepper

Peel the cucumbers and cut them into very thin slices.
Slice onion into thin rings
Place cucumbers, onion, and olives in a bowl
Sprinkle the feta cheese on top, followed by the mint

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and pour over the salad, add salt and pepper, and mix together.

Crabby Tuesday

Tuesday’s menu-Crab Pasta and salad with homemade blue cheese dressing.

Crab Pasta

Ingredients
8 oz. Whole wheat pasta
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 sweet onion chopped
1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
6 oz. Fresh crab meat
Juice of 1 lemon plus lemon wedges to serve
Fresh chopped Italian parsley
Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Cook the pasta following the instructions on the pack and drain well, reserving a little cooking water in the bottom of the pan.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the garlic, onion and crushed chilies over a low heat, until the garlic and onion have softened slightly, but not browned.
Add the crabmeat, lemon juice and parsley, season well and heat through until piping hot.
Add the pasta to the crab mixture, along with the reserved cooking water; mix well. Serve with a lemon wedges and cheese
*Note*
I was going to add ½ cup heavy cream but I forgot. Oh well, I just saved a few calories!

Homemade Blue cheese dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce. Season with mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in blue cheese. Cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

Dog Days of Summer

Summer weekend. Saturday we went to some garage sales on our way to the store from Newman Lake. Basset Rescue just happened to be at one of the sales. This is a photo of Mike (my boxer). This is a photo of Floyd (possibly my new basset)!
Isn’t he cute? I took my dogs over to meet him on Sunday and wouldn’t you know they all got along!! I just may be the new proud owner of Floyd. Are 3 dogs to many?

Fresh Puttanesca

I think pasta is my favorite food. I could eat it every day. I came across a recipe for Multigrain Pasta with Olives & Grape Tomatoes on Ruth’s site “Once Upon a Feast” I added anchovies and more garlic (I like lots of garlic) to the recipe to make it into a fresh Puttanesca Sauce. It was quick, easy, and tasty.


Multigrain Pasta with Olives & Grape Tomatoes

Prep time: 15 minutes (or as long as it takes to boil the water for the pasta)
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Multigrain pasta – I used a half a box
Sauce:
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tbs chopped anchovies
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 tbsp capers, drained
½ cup fresh Italian (flat leafed) parsley, coarsely chopped
Pinch dried, crushed red chili peppers
Good Parmigiano Regaggio cheese, grated
Directions:
1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt, stir and add pasta. Cook as directed for al dente (usually 8-10 minutes)

2. In a large skillet, over medium high heat, sauté the garlic and olive oil just until you get the aroma of the garlic (2 minutes or so). Add the tomatoes, olives,anchovies and capers. Toss and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.

3. Drain the pasta well and add to the skillet. Toss and add the parsley. You can either add the chilis here or let everyone add their own at the table along with the cheese.

Happy 21st birthday Torin!

Last night we went out for my son's belated birthday dinner. His choice was the Spokane Wolf Lodge. We all chose the Lil’ Dude-a 12 oz Top Sirloin. It is served with a salad, the kids chose Caesar salads, and I chose the house salad with blue cheese dressing. I love their salad, it’s nothing fancy but the lettuce is nice and cool and the blue cheese dressing tangy with lots of chunks of blue cheese.
You can't go wrong with the Lil’ dude,it was flavorful and charbroiled to perfection. We all had our dude’s med. rare. I don’t think I have ever had a bad steak here and trust me I have eaten quite a few of them.
We all had baked potatoes with lots of butter, sour cream and chives. I sometimes forget how much I love a fat loaded baked potato.
We had a choise of mixed veges or baked beans. I went with the beans, kinda smoky sweet in a good way. My daughter chooses the sautéed zucchini, onions and green peppers. These veges are not my favorite. I think they're bland.
The atmosphere is kind of a 70’s dimmly lit ski lodge/ steak house.
If you’re looking for a good old steak and baked potato, check it out.

Enchilada Sunday

Sunday. On the menu, my son's favorite cheese enchiladas.


Cheese enchiladas


12 corn tortillas
3 Tbsp corn oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
4Tbsp of tomato paste
1Tbsp med chili powder
1Tbsp ancho chili powder
2Tbsp chipolte in adobo,chopped
2Tbsp Spanish paprika
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine

1 lb of mild cheddar or longhorn or any mild yellow cheese, grated
cilantro,chopped
sour cream
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large fry pan at high heat add 3 Tbsp of oil. Add a tortilla to the pan. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift again, both tortillas, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil if needed. . As the tortillas brown a little, remove from the pan one by one to rest on a paper towel, which absorbs any excess fat.
Sauté the chopped onion and garlic, then add tomato sauce, tomato paste ,wine, water, and seasonings to pan. Simmer for about 30 min.
Put some olive oil on the bottom of a large casserole pan. Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled. Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the casserole pan. Make sure all are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little water. Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese. Put the casserole in the oven for 20minutes or until the cheese melts.
Garnish with cilantro and sour cream.

Chicken Paprikash

I received my Penzey’s spice delivery a few days ago so I decided to make Chicken Paprikash served over egg noodles. I love the taste of fresh paprika.

Chicken Paprikash

1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips about 1/2 inch wide
salt and pepper
2 T Hungarian sweet paprika
2 tsp. Hungarian sharp paprika
2 T.olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 14 1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained
½ C. white wine
1 cup low fat sour cream

Season chicken with 1 tsp. sweet paprika, salt and pepper. Heat nonstick pan and add half the olive oil. Saute chicken until cooked through and barely browned. Use slotted spoon and transfer chicken to plate. Add rest of olive oil to pan and add onion and garlic. Saute until just starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Add all the rest of paprika, saute 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook about 2 minutes. Add wine and turn up heat to high and boil about 5 minutes. Mix in chicken and any juice from plate. Reduce heat to low again and stir in sour cream. Simmer until just heated through (do not boil).

Cabin Fever

Friends, family and fun.
A few lazy days of summer spent at Newman and Liberty lakes.
Chippin’,Dippin’, Sippin’.
What could be finer?