Mr. Prof designer home

Every weekday morning the ladies on my cooking board post blog updates. One morning last week Coleen over at Does Not Cook Well With Others posted these Cheese Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce. It looked absolutely delicious and I immediately printed out the recipe.

Then I had second thoughts. Even though Coleen said the pumpkin flavor was very mild I couldn't imagine how it would taste. Sweet? Savory? I wasn't sure. Despite those misgiving I put it on the menu. I even bought fresh tortellini since our store had a coupon. I told myself I'd make the sauce, toss just one tortellini in it to see how it tasted and if it wasn't good I'd open a jar of sauce and call it dinner.

Thankfully the jar of sauce stayed in the pantry for another day. This was fantastic. The pumpkin flavor is very mild, just like Coleen said, and the cheese and onion help keep it savory. Even Baby Girl loved this. She's a pasta fiend so I wasn't worried, but she practically inhaled her serving and asked for more.

Cheese Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce
From Food Network, as seen on Does Not Cook Well with Others

2 (9-ounce) packages of fresh cheese tortellini
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small shallot, finely minced
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Pinch of nutmeg (ground or fresh)
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper

Bring a pot of generously-salted water to boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Reserve one cup of cooking water before draining. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and sauté, stirring often, until the shallot begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and the nutmeg, and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in the cream, and bring the mixture to a slow (not rolling) boil. Immediately reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese, and cook until the cheese melts and thickens the sauce, about another minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the tortellini to the skillet, and toss with the pumpkin alfredo sauce, adding some of the reserved cooking water to thin the sauce.

Divide among 4 plates and grate some Parmesan cheese over top.

These Pizza Quesadillas were an incredibly simple meal to put together. It's almost not worth writing up a recipe but I had to share it with you all. I made these quesadillas Saturday night, after a long day of swim lessons for Baby Girl, running errands and getting things done around the house. SP was lobbying for us to go out to eat but I really want to save money and knew eating at home would be better for us all. The most time-consuming part of this meal was cutting up the ingredients for the antipasto salad (sans meat and cheese) that I served alongside the quesadillas.


Full disclosure - the pizza sauce is store-bought. I wanted to keep these simple and since I don't have any pizza sauce in my freezer in the summer (I'm not keen on preheating my oven to 550 degrees when it's 90+ outside), I took the easy way out. SP has always wanted to try Don Pepino's pizza sauce so we bought a can. All I can say is wow. No artificial ingredients and less than 5 ingredients total, none of them unpronounceable. Nice.


These are a great, simple dinner or a quick throw-together lunch on a busy weekend. We will definitely be enjoying these again soon.

Pizza Quesadillas
As seen on The Girl Who Ate Everything

6 ounces sliced pepperoni
8 flour tortillas
16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small can sliced black olives
1 (16-ounce) jar of pizza sauce
Cooking spray

Place three sheets of paper towels on a plate. Add pepperoni, using a triple layer of paper towels in the middle if necessary. Top with 3 more sheets. Microwave for 1 minute. Check pepperoni and if not crisp, microwave another 30 seconds. Pat off any excess fat with more paper towels.

Brush each tortilla with a thin layer of pizza sauce. Sprinkle 1/8 of the cheese on top of the sauce on the bottom tortilla. Repeat for remaining 3 tortillas. Top with pepperoni and other toppings, if desired. Sprinkle with another 1/8 of the cheese and place the other tortilla on top (sauce side in).

Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Gently place quesadilla in the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy. Slice into quarters and serve with a little bowl of warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Melissa has had a photo of this Tilapia Francese as her signature picture on our cooking board for awhile now. Every time I see it I think, "why haven't I made that recipe yet?" When I had 3 filets of tilapia left after making the Tilapia Parmesan recently I knew exactly what I was going to make.


We recently went to a 1st birthday party at an Italian restaurant. One of the dishes they served was Tilapia Francese. I wish I'd known it was coming so I could have saved some room. It arrived at the table after the stuffed mushrooms, mozzarella sticks, salad, three different types of pasta, eggplant rollatini and chicken parmesan. Like I said, it was an Italian restaurant. Eating a small piece at the party made me even more excited for this dish.


I'm happy to report this was exactly like what was served at the party. Even SP agreed this was a restaurant-quality meal. I wanted some extra sauce to toss with the pasta so I increased the white wine and lemon juice but also added chicken broth to mellow out the flavors and add some body. It was perfect. Silky smooth from the flour on the fish and just tangy enough from the lemon juice.

Thanks for an awesome recipe, Melissa!

Tilapia Francese
Slightly adapted from I Was Born to Cook

3 pieces tilapia filets
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/2 lb spagetti or other pasta, cooked according to package directions

Place flour in a pie plate and season with salt and pepper. Beat the egg and water in a second pie plate. Gently coat each tilapia filet with flour on both sides, then place in the egg wash, coating on both side, then put back in the flour and coat on both side.

Heat butter and oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place tilapia in pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add lemon juice and wine and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Do not flip the fish over once the liquid has been added. Remove the tilapia from the pan. Add the chicken broth and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top the tilapia with some of the sauce and garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley. Toss the spaghetti or pasta with the rest of the sauce. Serve immediately.

I can't tell you the last time I made mac and cheese. I love the stuff, but pasta drenched in cheese sauce isn't exactly on the new diet plan. Recently I had some leftover salami and a basil plant that was getting out of control, so I turned to this Italian Mac and Cheese I saw on Cassie's blog.

I've been loving roasted tomatoes lately and I was happy to make my own pesto with fresh-from-the-garden basil. The sauce ended up being a bit too heavy for us, but I think a lot of that has to do with the way we've been eating lately. I've modified the recipe below to be a little lighter, upping the chicken broth and decreasing the milk. I also upped the amount of tomatoes to 2 pints because 1 pint was just not enough.

This was a great way to use up some odds and ends around the house, with nice bright summer flavors from the tomatoes and pesto.

Italian Macaroni and Cheese
Slightly Modified from Cassie Craves

12 ounces penne
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
4 ounces Genoa salami, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
1/4 cup pesto

Cook penne in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are bursting, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and remove the skins, if desired.

While tomatoes are roasting, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salami and cook until onion is softened. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add flour and stir until the ingredients are coated and the mixture is bubbling, about 1 additional minute.

Stir in wine and cook until reduced. Stir in chicken stock and milk. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Stir in cheese until melted, then add the pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine penne, roasted tomatoes, and cheese sauce. Serve immediately.

I'm particularly proud of this recipe for a number of reasons, the main one being SP absolutely loved it. Now, I did kind of stack the deck with a stuffed mushroom because the man loves, loves, loves mushrooms, but it's still a vegetarian meal. Despite needing to eat less meat/eat healthier he's not exactly thrilled by all these changes to his diet.

The other reason I'm so proud is because I had to modify this recipe, the original being Lasagna-Stuffed Portabellos. I had half a container of ricotta in the fridge that I assumed would be OK. When I opened it, however, I realized it had gone rancid. Not a good smell. I decided to forge ahead by wilting the spinach I'd planned to serve on the side and add it to the filling. I was worried these would be too dry but they were perfect. I didn't even miss the ricotta, whose absence made this a much healthier meal. Score!

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Portabellos
Inspired by Pink Parsley

4 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 portabello mushroom caps
1 bag baby spinach
1/4 cup Parmesan, plus 2-3 tablespoons for sprinkling over mushrooms
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
About 1 cup marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Use a butter knife to scrape the gills out of the mushroom caps.

In a small bowl, combine 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Brush the inside and outside of the caps with the mixture, and roast cap-side down for about 10 minutes. If the mushroom gives off water, blot it up with a paper towel.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and 2 cloves minced garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant, add the baby spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted. Allow to cool slightly, than drain off the liquid.

in a medium bowl stir together 1 clove minced garlic, Italian seasoning, Parmesan, 3 ounces of mozzarella, basil, breadcrumbs and wilted spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the marinara into each mushroom cap, then stuff with the spinach mixture. Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons of sauce over the ricotta, then sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella over the sauce.

Bake 10-15 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and the cheese has melted. Serve with additional marinara.

I have a confession to make.

When I swapped the recipes and ended up with Ashley's Pasta with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce I was worried. I've had my eye on this recipe for a long time but I didn't think SP would like it. I'd run it by him once before and he said, "Blue cheese in tomato sauce? No." I considered making this just for myself but this week was absolutely jam-packed due to the holiday and other commitments, so I bite the bullet and put it on the menu for Sunday dinner.


I knew this wouldn't take long to throw together, so about an hour before we were planning to eat I went looking for the blue cheese crumbles in the fridge. And couldn't find them. I asked SP where they were and he smacked his forehead and said, "Oh shoot, I forgot to go back for them." This started a lengthy conversation about whether blue cheese would go with the tomatoes in the sauce and finally SP decided that I should follow the recipe as it was written and worst case scenario we'd get take out. Off he went to the grocery store for the blue cheese while I got the rest of the ingredients together.


I'm happy to report that not only did this dish come together in the time it took to cook the pasta, we both loved it. SP even mentioned adding more red pepper flakes the next time I make it, implying that there will be a next time!

I decided to make a few modifications, mainly to lighten it up a bit. I subbed half-and-half for the heavy cream and used the reserved tomato juice from the diced tomatoes to thin the sauce. The blue cheese was a 4-ounce container and I started with about 2 ounces, then tasted the sauce. I didn't want the blue cheese to overwhelm the other flavors. That was just the right amount for us, with a few more crumbles added to my plate for the photo. I HIGHLY recommend adding a little and tasting, then adding more if you want it. Remember, you can always add more but you can't take it away. A dash of red pepper flakes added a slight heat to the dish, but you can always add more to suit individual tastes.

I'm so happy this was a success. Even Baby Girl loved her "pasketi" for dinner and ate her whole serving. I usually find myself with leftover blue cheese and this is a simple pantry dish I can throw together anytime. Thank you, Ashley, for getting us to try something new!

Pasta with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce
Slightly Modified from the Pioneer Woman, as seen on Cheesecurd in Paradise

1-1/2 pound angel hair or thin spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
Dash of sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 - 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, to taste
1 cup half-and-half
Reserved tomato juice, for thinning
4 cups baby spinach

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add minced garlic and cook for a minute. Pour in drained tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low. Add half-and-half and stir, then add in crumbled blue cheese, starting with 1/4 cup and tasting the sauce before adding more. Add some of the reserved tomato juice if sauce is too thick. Cook for a minute or two, tasting and adding more seasonings as needed.

At the last minute toss in spinach. Immediately toss in the cooked and drained pasta. Serve immediately.

I know the 4th of July has come and gone (I'll need to remember to do some kind of roundup before the holiday next year), but there are still plenty of cookout days left this summer. And if you aren't a big fan of creamy (read: mayo-based) pasta salads, this one has your name written all over it.


We invited our friends C & D over on July 4. They brought their two sons and all three kids had a blast running through the sprinkler and dunking themselves in the pool. Toddlers are the best, aren't they? While the kids played and tore apart our house, the adults gorged themselves on delicious food. Over time I've learned that D is a picky eater. He's an Italian who doesn't like raw tomatoes. Yeah. I know. But in the time I've known him I've come to learn what things he'll like and this Antipasti Pasta Salad was right up his alley.


As soon as they got to our house and I unveiled the pasta salad, D grabbed a plate and piled it high with big, heaping spoonfuls of this pasta salad. And then cleared his plate. I think he alone ate half the bowl. It always makes me smile when company likes my cooking.


This couldn't have been simpler to make. All the ingredients are ready to eat so the only cooking you're doing is making the pasta. I cut up all the add-ins the night before so all I had to do was cook the pasta and toss everything together to let it chill for a few hours. Simple and extremely delicious. We all gobbled this up but thankfully it makes a ton of food so there was plenty to send home with D in addition to serving as a side dish for the next night's meal.



Antipasti Pasta Salad
As seen in Everyday Food

Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 pound short twisted pasta, such as campanelle
4 ounces fresh mozzarella or bocconcini, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/2-inch strips
8 large pitted green olives, sliced crosswise
10 artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 ounces thinly sliced salami, slices quartered
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup lightly packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta. Return pasta to pot and stir in mozzarella, peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, onion, salami, vinegar, oil, and reserved pasta water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Try this pasta dish with other antipasti ingredients such as tuna, provolone, anchovies, artichoke hearts, capers, or marinated mushrooms.

I love baked ziti. What's not to love about creamy, cheesy pasta? But as I've said before, we are trying to eat healthier these days. That's easy to do in the summer when fresh vegetables are plentiful. This Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables was part of the recent Noodle Swap and as soon as I saw it I added it to my weekly menu.

I'll admit, SP was disappointed that (1) this wasn't traditional baked ziti and (2) that it didn't have a tomato-based sauce. Even so, he grudgingly admitted it wasn't half bad. He cracked a joke about how there was no meat in his portion and he'd have to take that up with management, but he cleaned his plate and went back for a small second helping so it couldn't have been too bad.

I, on the other hand, loved this. The bright, fresh veggies made me feel less guilty about eating creamy, cheesy pasta. Unfortunately my yellow squash had gone bad by the time I got around to making this, but the addition of some chopped mushrooms worked well. I opted for canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh because I can't stand loose skin on tomatoes. I also doubled the recipe so we'd have enough for leftovers. Even Baby Girl enjoyed this, although she picked around most of the veggies. Oh well. She loves peas and corn, so that's something. She did take a bite of raw zucchini as I was prepping this, so she'll get there eventually. The pasta, however, she downed by the handful. I added some grated pecorino cheese on top, which added a nice, salty kick.

This is a great way to showcase some of the summer produce that's available right now.

Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables
Slightly Modified from Cooking Light, as seen on Cooking for Fun

4 ounces uncooked ziti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large mushrooms, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1/2 chopped grated Pecorino cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, onion and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and pecorino.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

One of the only magazines I continue to subscribe to is Cook's Country. I love their recipes but the real reason is they don't make their content available on their website. That irks me quite a bit, but it's a good move on their part since it forces folks to buy their magazine. SP was looking through the most recent issue and came across this one for Weeknight Spaghetti and Meatballs. He's a big spaghetti and meatballs fan but he also thought it would be great because it's a one-pot meal. Score!


This couldn't have been easier to make. SP wished there had been more spaghetti and less meatballs, so I need to figure out how to make that work next time. I felt like the meatballs needed more seasoning than just the garlic, so I added salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. I had the meatballs rolled in about 10 minutes and put them in the fridge to stay cold until I was ready to cook. I think that was a good step because the meatballs held together perfectly while cooking, so I modified the recipe below.


Baby Girl absolutely loved this dish. She had thirds of the spaghetti (don't you love that toddlers call spaghetti "pasketti?") and we already know how much she loves meatballs and these were no exception. She was covered from head to toe in red sauce, which made for some adorable pictures.

I'll be making this often, especially in the fall and winter.

Weeknight Spaghetti and Meatballs
Slightly Modified from Cook's Country

1 pound meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork and veal)
1/3 cup panko
1 large egg, lightly beaten
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Grated cheese for serving

Combine meat, panko, egg, half the garlic, Italian seasoning and some salt and pepper in a bowl and knead gently until combined. Form meat into 48 meatballs, about 1-inch around. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm up the meat.

Heat oil in a large, 12-inch non-stick skillet with high sides over medium heat until just smoking. Cook meatballs until well browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain fat from the skillet.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, water, pasta, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until pasta begins to soften, about 7 minutes.

Return meatballs to the skillet and simmer, covered, until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil. Serve with grated cheese.

One of SP's favorite dishes is Chicken Marsala. You all know how much he loves mushrooms. I saw this recipe for Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta over on my friend Katie's blog and figured it would be a big hit. Plus it's practically a one-pot meal save for boiling the pasta.


This was really good but I've always found myself disappointed with chunks of chicken in pasta dishes. I usually end up eating around them or giving them to SP. I much prefer a piece of chicken I can cut up, especially because white meat can get dry and tough quickly. I feel I can control the doneness of the chicken better when it's in a big piece.

I've modified the directions below to make the pasta and sauce together and then the chicken on top. I also took some of the ingredients from my favorite version of Chicken Marsala and combined it with this recipe to create a whole new recipe, which I can't wait to try.

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta
Inspired by So Tasty, So Yummy

1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon oil
4 slices) bacon, diced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
4 tablespoons butter, divided
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Pat the chicken breasts dry. Place flour in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Coat both side of each piece of chicken with flour. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the floured chicken in a single layer in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and return the skillet to low heat and add the bacon. Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until the bacon is browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until the mushrooms and onions begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and cooked bacon and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste begins to brown. Off the heat, add the Marsala and chicken broth.

Return the pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from the pan bottom, until the sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, add the heavy cream. Whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Parmesan cheese and cook until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce, about 1 minute. Add the chicken back to the pan and coat with the sauce.

To serve, add pasta to a bowl and top with sauce and chicken. Sprinkle more parsley over the top.

By now you all now how much I love pasta. And cream sauces. And chicken. So when a dish combines all three, with the added bonus of mushrooms and bacon for SP, it's guaranteed to be a winner in our house. Cassie recently had this Rigatoni with Chicken, Bacon and Mushrooms on her weekly meal plan and I immediately added it to ours as well.


With the exception of our New Year's Eve dinner (which I'm sad I didn't photograph because SP said it was the best meal I've made in a very long time) this is one of the only meals I've cooked. After Christmas dinner I haven't spent much time in the kitchen between leftovers, takeout, and my birthday. It felt good to actually cook a proper meal. And bonus points for using only one skillet (and a pot to boil the pasta). Thanks for yet another winner, Cassie.

Rigatoni with Chicken, Bacon and Mushrooms
Slightly Adapted from Cassie Craves

1-lb rigatoni
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6-ounces mushrooms, cut into quarters
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup apple juice
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
15 fresh basil leaves, julienned
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
Parmesan cheese

Cook rigatoni in boiling salted water according to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a plate.

Using the same pan, cook the bacon just shy of crispy. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until onions are translucent. Increase heat to high and add chicken stock and apple juice. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and half of the basil; season with salt and pepper. Reduce to medium low heat and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about 15 minutes.

Stir cream and remaining basil into the sauce. Add chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Stir to combine. Add rigatoni to and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with additional cheese.

If you've read this blog for any length of time you know that I have a weakness for cream sauces, especially in pasta dishes. I've seen this recipe for Orecchiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone floating around the blogosphere for awhile and figured it was time to see what all the fuss was about.


After looking at the ingredient list I knew my first task would be finding a substitute for mascarpone. I'm sure the stuff is great but I'd rather use ingredients that I already keep on hand then spend extra money for a specialty item. A quick Google search led me to this recipe at food.com. I really appreciated the tool to increase or decrease the serving size to adjust for different recipes. The original recipe yielded 10 ounces and I only needed 4 ounces or 1/2 cup. Easy peasy.

I subbed nugget pasta for the orecchiette simply because I had a box at home and, again, didn't want to spend the money for a specialty item when I had something else at home already. Next time pasta is on sale at my supermarket I plan to stock up on mini shells, so next time I'll use those. As the original blogger said, the crevice in the orecchiette/shells is perfect for cradling the sausage and beans, although the nuggets were fine in a pinch.

My only complaint about this dish was that there wasn't more sauce. I'm thinking about upping the amount of mascarpone ingredients next time to see if that helps. Otherwise this was outstanding, if a little spicy from the red pepper flakes. I've made them optional in the recipe below but if you like spice use them. I prefer my cream sauces mild, thankfyouverymuch.

If 1/2 pound of sausage seems like too little for 1 pound of pasta never fear; the beans more than make up for it. I wish I'd taken my own advice, though. I thought the pan seemed a little empty so I used a full pound of sausage and it overwhelmed the finished dish once everything else had been added. Next time I'll stick with a 1/2 pound.

Orecchiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone
Modified from Stirring the Pot

1 pound orecchiette or shell pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup Marsala wine (you can also use brandy, sherry or Madeira)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ounces cream cheese
1/8 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.

In a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onions. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as it browns. Continue cooking until the sausage is golden and the onions are tender. Add the garlic and stir, cooking about 1 minute until you can smell the garlic. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup Marsala wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the beans, oregano, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and stir. Add the cream cheese, heavy cream and sour cream and stir until it dissolves into a light sauce. Add the salt, pepper, and hot pasta. Stir until coated and serve.

As soon as Maryanna posted her recipe for Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme in the recipe swap roundup I knew I had to make it ASAP. It sounded like a baked version of fettuccine alfredo and how could that be bad?


I apologize for the less than stellar photo (look at Maryanna's...it's much nicer).

This dish was exactly as I imagined it would be, except for my own stupidity. Instead of grating the cheeses using my microplane, which would have resulted in feathery-light cheese that would melt easily in the sauce, I grated my cheese on a box grater. I'm not sure what I was thinking. The result was clumps of unmelted cheese throughout the sauce. Not quite the silky, creamy concoction I'd planned. I've modified the recipe below to be more specific. As a friend told me, this just gives me an excuse to make it again, which I definitely will be doing soon.

Oh and for those wondering how the homemade creme fraiche turned out, it was perfect. I was really, really skeptical about leaving dairy out on the counter for 36 hours but it was fine. And I saved over $10 making my own. Score!

Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme
Taste and See

1 pound fettuccine pasta
2 cups grated Asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup (grated using a microplane)
2 (8-ounce) containers creme fraiche (or make your own, recipe below)
1 cup grated Parmesan (grated using a microplane)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375-degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups Asiago, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated.

Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, and serve.

Creme Fraiche
2 tablespoons buttermilk, room temp
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat heavy whipping cream over very low heat until it reaches body temperature (not to exceed 100-degrees F). Remove from heat and pour into a glass bowl or jar. Add buttermilk, and give it a couple of stirs. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap or jar with a lid, and let it sit in a warm place (about 70-degrees) for 12 to 36 hours until it thickens.

Stir the thickened creme fraiche and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Note - If using for the above recipe, double the amount of buttermilk and heavy cream.

Melissa recently shared this recipe for Cheese Ravioli with Broccoli Rabe and Pancetta as a fast, easy weeknight meal. I was looking for something simple to make the night before Thanksgiving and thought I'd give it a try.


I adapted the recipe to include sausage instead of pancetta since I had some in the freezer that needed to be used up. I also blanched the broccoli rabe before adding it to the skillet to remove some of the bitterness. I loved the simplicity of this meal but SP tends to like pasta dishes with sauce and this didn't really have one. Even so, I'll make this again and just tweak the amount of oil and cheese to make a sauce.

Ravioli with Broccoli Rabe & Sausage
Adapted from I Was Born to Cook

1 bag cheese ravioli
1 bunch broccoli rabe, ends trimmed
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicy)
1/2 lb Italian sausage, casing removed
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated pecorino romano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous sprinkling of salt. Cook ravioli according to package directions. Remove ravioli with a strainer to a bowl. Bring water back to a boil. Chop broccoli rabe into large pieces and add to boiling water. Cook 5 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook until no longer pink. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, stirring constantly. Add broccoli rabe and heat through. Turn heat down to low, then add ravioli to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together until ravioli are coated with all ingredients. Add cheese, toss quickly and serve.

I received quite a nice package of goodies from Newman's Own as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program - 2 jars of pasta sauce (Tomato & Basil and Roasted Garlic), 3 bottles of salad dressing (2 Family Recipe Italian and 1 Lighten Up Raspberry and Walnut), and my favorite item, a Flip Video Camera. SP has been bugging me to do some video how-to posts and now I have no excuse not to. Look for those, probably in the spring when I've got daylight on my side again.

I needed an easy weeknight meal recently so I went into the pantry for a jar of sauce and bottle of salad dressing. I had made garlic and parsley butter over the weekend so all I had to do was cook the pasta, heat up the sauce, toast the bread and cut up some veggies for a quick salad.


First, the salad since we ate those as an appetizer while we waited for the garlic bread to toast. In addition to the spring mix greens I grated some carrot, chopped mushrooms, cucumber and tomatoes and finished with croutons.


I absolutely LOVED this dressing. It was tangy and I could actually taste the oil, vinegar and seasonings. But my favorite part was the cheese. The ingredient list says Romano cheese is included, which was very exciting for me since I love grating cheese over my salads dressed with oil and vinegar.

Next up, the pasta. I topped my bowl with a dollop of ricotta cheese leftover from a lasagna SP and Baby Girl made as a welcome home dinner after my latest work conference.


Notice the basil leaf on the left side of the picture? The sauce was full of real pieces of basil, which was great to see but unfortunately made the sauce overly sweet. I don't put basil in my tomato sauce for this reason. Lots of extra grated pecorino helped tame the sweetness a bit, but this sauce wasn't our thing. Baby Girl, however, loved it. She slurped this one up, literally, and said "yummy" after each bite. I'm hoping the roasted garlic one has a more tangy flavor.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program I received a jar of Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Sauce. I decided to make Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo and asked my cooking board how to season the chicken. Elly from Elly Says Opa! recommended blackening seasoning, which sounded great.


(Photo from Classico since I forgot to take a photo of my own jar)



I was pleasantly surprised by how good the sauce was especially since it's a light sauce. The blackening spice on the chicken was perfect and went well with the broccoli and sauce. I cooked it over lower heat so it didn't burn/blacken. My only issue was the amount of sauce. I should have realized how small the jar was and used maybe half a box of pasta instead of the full pound. There wasn't enough sauce to go around, which was a real shame. If you're using a full pound of pasta buy two jars.

This was a great and easy meal.

Blackened Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Chicken recipe from Elly Says Opa!; the rest of it was my own

1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
1/2 lb pasta
1 jar Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup milk
Freshly cracked black pepper

Mix together the all of the herbs/spices. Rub 1 teaspoon of oil into each piece of chicken, and then press the spice mixture into both sides.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon of canola oil in a cast iron skillet or other non-stick skillet until it's smoking (this will take a few minutes).

Place the chicken breasts in the hot skillet. Cook about 5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes, then slice on a diagonal.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta. Cook according to package directions. Add the broccoli florets to the pot during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain and return pasta and broccoli to the pot. Add the jarred sauce and stir to coat. Put milk in the jar, replace the lid and shake to loosen any sauce stuck to the side. Add milk and sauce to the pasta. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Plate pasta and serve sliced chicken over the top.

I saw this recipe for Spaghetti with Shrimp, Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach in a recent issue of Parenting magazine, but for some reason it isn't showing up when I search their website. I had a pound of shrimp in the freezer and this seemed like an easy weeknight recipe.


I learned something very important while making this recipe - we do not like whole wheat pasta. The texture was gummy and the flavor totally overwhelmed the other flavors in this dish. Unfortunately it was all we had on hand and I thought it would be a good time to see if the healthier substitute would work. SP loved the shrimp but was trying to eat around the pasta. Next time I will go back to good old regular pasta, although I've been told to try Dreamfields before swearing off the healthier pasta options completely.

I made quite a few changes to the original recipe, mainly because I can't stand loose skin on tomatoes. The texture always makes me gag, so I subbed one can of drained diced tomatoes for the 1/2 pint of grape tomatoes in the original recipe. I also added white wine because I thought it would add better flavor then chicken broth, threw in two chopped leeks because I had some that needed to be used up, and coated the shrimp with flour to make them crispier. I can't wait to make this again with good pasta.

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach
As seen in Parenting magazine

1 can diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 leeks, sliced, soaked in cold water to remove grit and drained
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups baby spinach

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a baking dish, toss together the tomatoes, half the garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the Panko and roast for another 5 minutes.

Boil the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add two tablespoons olive oil, butter to the pan and heat until smoking. In a plastic food storage bag, toss the shrimp and flour together to coat. Add the shrimp and sauté until they're pink and cooked through, about four minutes. Remove to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the leeks. Cook until the leeks are soft, about 2 minutes, then add the wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for an additional two minutes, then add the pasta, roasted tomatoes and baby spinach and cook for another minute. Toss well and serve.

I love carbonara. This isn't a big secret if you've read this blog for any length of time. It's my absolute favorite pasta dish, so when I saw Jessy over at Gourmet Day to Day had a recipe for Linguine Carbonara with Blue Cheese and Artichokes I knew I had to try it. Just one problem - SP isn't a big fan of artichokes. Luckily my stepdad invited SP out for dinner recently, so I invited my mom over to share the pasta.


We both loved this. Loved it. We kept oohing and ahhing over the rich, creamy pasta, the crispy bacon, the freshness of the asparagus and the artichokes. Oh, the artichokes. So nice to see them on my plate again. I made a few slight modifications to the recipe, adding sliced onions and cutting down the blue cheese so it didn't overwhelm the other flavors, although you can add up to 1 cup if you want more blue cheese flavor. Thanks, Jessy, for a delicious spin-off to my beloved carbonara.

Kitchen Tip - Use kitchen scissors to easily cut bacon directly over the pan.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Blue Cheese, Asparagus and Artichokes
Slightly Modified from Gourmet Day to Day

1 pound spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
8 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 large onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 8-oz cans artichokes hearts (in brine), rinsed and quartered or 2 8-oz packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered
1/2 - 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a large pan or dutch oven, cook cut bacon until starting to get crispy over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and cook about 15 minutes, until tender and starting to caramelize. Add artichokes and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.

While artichokes are cooking, add pasta to boiling salted water. Add blue cheese, cream, black pepper and salt to the artichoke mixture and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

Add the asparagus to the pasta water 3 minutes before the pasta is done. Drain and add to the sauce and toss to coat. Remove from heat.

Beat the eggs and half and half together, along with the cheese and basil. Add to pasta and toss well with tongs. Serve immediately.

One of my friends posted this recipe for Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream on Facebook recently, touting it as a delicious, easy weeknight meal. I'm always struggling to put meals on the menu that don't include chicken, so I was excited to try this.


One word - delicious. I really can't say enough good things about this recipe. It couldn't have been easier to make but the flavors were perfect with the spicy sausage, tomatoes, and richness from the cream. SP practically inhaled his bowl and said he could keep going back for more. And Baby Girl was also a big fan, which is an automatic winner in my book. This is definitely going on my must-make-again-soon list. I served the pasta with side salads made with homemade red wine vinaigrette (recipe coming tomorrow!)

Kitchen Quick Tip - Avoid a messy cutting board by using kitchen scissors to cut the tomatoes while they're still inside the can.

Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream
Modified from Allrecipes.com

1-lb package bow tie pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional if you want more heat)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions; drain.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet (large enough to hold the sauce and pasta) over medium heat. Cook sausage and pepper flakes (if using) until sausage is evenly brown. Add onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

The theme for this recipe swap was Italian. When you think of Italian food what comes to mind? Mountains of pasta? Rich, flavorful sauces? Mouthwatering meats? Crispy pizza? No matter what images you conjure up the chances are good that you'll find something that fits that vision in the recipes below. There are so many delicious pictures and recipes below I was practically drooling putting this roundup together. Enjoy!



Brianna took a trip back in time with her recipe for Thin-Crust Pizza:





Mary Ellen loves risotto so she was thrilled with her recipe for Chicken Cacciatore Risotto:





Moviegirl03 and her husband worked together on her recipe for Caprese Pizza:





Jaida made Chicken Caprese, which is one of my favorite recipes from Mary Ellen:





Caitlin enjoyed her slow-cooked Marinara Magnifica:





Katie had my recipe for Caprese Pasta, one of my favorite light summer pasta dishes:





Heather had never put tuna in a pasta salad but found she really enjoyed her recipe for Tuna Pasta Salad:





Krystal just got back from a trip to Italy and loved her recipe for Saffron Risotto with Pancetta, Tomato and Sausage:





I made a simple but delicious What I Had in the House Pasta:





Melissa made a quick summery Hot Caprese Dip:





Christine satisfied her husband's craving for something meaty with Mushroom Bolognese:





Jey loved her Chicken Parmesan Burgers:





Dawn was a little nervous about making Homemade Manicotti, but it turned out to be easier than she thought:





Tyler loves Italian food and her recipe for Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs:





Italian food is one of Ellie's favorites and she enjoyed her recipe for Vegetable Lasagna with Red Sauce:





The Cookaholic Wife plans to make the Chicken and Orzo Frittata with a Mexican flair next time:





Melissa enjoyed her creamy, comforting Risotto:





Maryanna was excited to try something new - Braciole:





Melissa made a hearty Baked Ziti with Fire Roasted Tomatoes:





Lindsay had to adapt her recipe but still enjoyed the Pasta a la Vodka: