Gnocchi with Kale & Squash

I can't take any credit for this recipe, as I got it from the newest issue of Food Network Magazine.  But it was delicious and I had to share!  It was very quick and easy to make, full of flavor, and enough for dinner for 2 and some leftovers.  The only change I made was to add 1/2 an onion, diced, and I left out the sage, as it's not one of my favorite spices.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
• 1 17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

Directions

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and cook, stirring, until slightly soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.
2. Preheat the broiler. Add the chicken broth to the skillet. When it starts to simmer, stir in the kale and cook until it wilts slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the gnocchi, stirring to coat. Cover and cook until the gnocchi are just tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in 1/4 cup parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan; transfer to the broiler and cook until golden and bubbly, about 3 minutes.

Angel Chicken Pasta

This is a recipe that I've had in my book for what feels like forever now, and I've always been afraid to try it.  I even bought all the ingredients... and didn't make it for nearly three more weeks, until there was nothing else in the house to cook for dinner.  And boy do I regret that, because it was delicious!  We were a little disappointed that there weren't quite enough leftovers for a second dinner, but with a few alterations, you could change that easily enough.


Angel Chicken Pasta, adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
2 - 3 chicken breasts, halved (or more, if you need to serve more people)
¼ cup butter
1 pkg dry Italian-style salad dressing mix (.7 ounce)
½ cup white wine (I used chardonnay this time)
1 can condensed golden mushroom soup (10.75 ounce)
4 oz cream cheese with chives (I used cream cheese with chives and onions, since that's what our store had)
1 lb angel hair pasta, or any pasta of your choice (I think we only cooked 1/2 lb, and it was more than enough to go with the amount of sauce we had)
Directions:
Melt the butter in a fairly large saucepan, using low heat. Stir in the dressing mix. Once it's at a good consistency, add the wine and the soup. Break or scoop the cream cheese into small pieces and mix in, heating just until it's melted and the mixture is smooth. If you find that it's rather thick, try adding milk an ounce at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.
Put the chicken breast halves in a glass baking dish (9x13 or 2.5 qt), pour the sauce over them, and bake for an hour. While it's cooking (towards the end), boil your pasta and drain it.  Add a piece of chicken and some sauce to a plate of pasta, and enjoy!

This dish can taste a bit salty, so I'd recommend some fresh green veggies as a side, such as grilled zucchini or steamed broccoli, or a nice salad.

Spicy Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta

This a quick weeknight recipe that I got from Real Simple. The whole thing is done in 15 minutes. If you like a little more heat (like my husband does), feel free to up the red pepper flake, but I thought this was just right. I drank the same wine I used for the sauce with dinner.



Spicy Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta

12 oz angel hair pasta
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. peeled deveined shrimp
3/4 c. white wine
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flake
salt
2 T. butter

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute (do not let it brown).

Add the shrimp, wine, red pepper and 1/2 t. salt. Simmer until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the butter. Toss the pasta with the shrimp mixture.

Hubby's Favorite Meal

Broccoli-Sausage Pasta


Original recipe from Peace, Love and French Fries


DH begs for this meal every other week!  It's super yummy and fairly easy.  


Ingredients:
     1/4 C of Olive Oil
     3 cloves garlic, minced
     1 small red onion, sliced thin 
     1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
     1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes  (more or less depends on how spicy you want it!)
     1lb package of smoke sausage (beef or turkey), sliced and quartered
     8 oz of short cut pasta, such as penne or rigatoni
     Shredded or grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet with high sides on medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes.  Meanwhile, fill pot with water and start heating it up for the pasta.  Slice and quarter the sausage.  Add sausage to skillet and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut broccoli into florets.  Put pasta in water to cook.  Add the broccoli and red pepper flakes to the skillet and toss.  Continue cooking 8-10 minutes until pasta is ready.  Drain pasta, but reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.  Add cooked pasta and reserved water to skillet.  Heat 2-3 more minutes.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese. 


Hope some of you enjoy this!


~Chef Val

Penne Fume

Hello All! I'm Ardent Tart, a nickname that my husband picked out for me based on my...ahem...fiery disposition and my weird obsession with making pies and tarts. (Seriously...if I can put it in a pie shell, I will try it) I promise to regal you with the misadventures in baking soon, but I figured I would start with one of my regular old stand-byes.

My Mom has been making this pasta dish for years, and it is amazing. Guaranteed to make you heart ache from the richness, but so worth it. I recommend no more than once a month, and preferably as the end of a week so you don't have think about how many point you've already spent during the week. I've made a few modifications based on what I think is better and my personal preference for super spicy food.

Without further ado, I give you....Penne Fume

1 package of bacon, chopped into bite size pieces
1 8oz container of sour cream (low-fat is okay)
2 6oz cans of tomato paste
1 half-pint of heavy whipping cream
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp of cayenne (I usually put in 2 tablespoons, but again, I like my food really spicy, you can adjust the amount up or down based on your personal preference)
Penne Noodles

Cut the bacon up before you cook it. Fry in a heavy-bottom pot until it done the way you like it, but I've found that closer to crisp works best. Drain the bacon and return to low heat. Add the tomato paste and sour cream, stiring vigorously. Stir in the heavy whipping cream and mix well. Add in the spices (you can do this in steps to make sure it doesn't get too spicy for your liking) and allow the sauce to heat up. Be careful that you don't get it too hot as it can curdle the dairy. Serve over penne noodles, and enjoy!

Later gators!
--Ardent Tart

Turkey-Pasta Primavera

I have started to experiment with various crock pot recipes and this is one of the first I tested. It was quick to assemble as it has just five ingredients. The cook time is 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high. I'll definitely make this again as it tasted delicious. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and they were just as good reheated. I think I could've added more vegetables, but that is probably the only thing I would have changed.

I served with tostones (fried plantains)

Recipe courtesy of 5-ingredient slow cooking.
2 lb turkey breast tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 16-oz. package frozen sugar snap stir-fry vegetables
2 tsp. dried basil, oregano, or Italian seasoning, crushed
1 16-oz. jar Alfredo pasta sauce
12 oz. dried spaghetti or linguine, broken (I used whole wheat pasta)
Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cut turkey into 1-inch pieces. In a 4 1/2-6 quart slow cooker combine turkey and frozen vegetables. Sprinkle with dried herb. Stir in Alfredo pasta sauce.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir cooked pasta into turkey mixture in slow cooker. To serve, spoon pasta mixture onto dinner plates. If desired sprinkle with parmesan cheese.Per serving: 407 calories, 11g total fat, 103mg cholesterol, 447mg sodium, 39g carb, 2g fiber

Happy Cooking!
Yankee Doodle