Cheesy Orzo Pasta with Basil

I love orzo pasta and I really don't make it often enough.  When on the search for side dishes at Allrecipes.com, I found a recipe for Orzo with Parmesan and Basil.  This is a quick and easy to throw together, and with the right ingredients mixed in, it is super flavorful!  When I told Grumpy I was making orzo his first assumption when he saw the package it came in was I was making rice.  About the only rice he cares to eat is fried rice!  I explained it was a type of pasta and that made things better :)

This was the perfect side dish for the sirloin I broiled for Grumpy, served with roasted asparagus and sauteed steak mushrooms with a couple shakes of mushroom soy sauce.  Perfect comfort dinner for a nasty weather day.

This dinner fits in with the "Meet MyPlate:  A Guide for Healthy Eating" produced by the USDA and based ont he 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  See more on this program at Allrecipes.com.

The next time you want a pasta side dish, instead of reaching for those pre-packaged, full of who knows what side dishes, think about this one.  It takes very little time and is so much tastier and better for you :)

Cheesy Orzo Pasta with Basil
adapted slightly from allrecipes.com
Printable Recipe

1 cup orzo pasta
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups vegetable broth (you can use whatever flavor broth you prefer)
1 cup shredded asiago cheese (I use a microplane zester and get a fine shred.  If you are doing a coarser shred you may want to use less cheese)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Melt butter in heavy skillet.  Once hot, add orzo and toast until pasta starts to brown.  Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat and simmer about 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and pasta is cooked.  Stir in cheese and basil.  Serve.

Blueberry Lime Coffeecake Surprise

Blueberries.  Lime.  Almond.  I saw Dawn's Blueberry Pie and she had two of those elements that I desire.  I'm still going to make a blueberry pie and make it soon.  Maybe today if we don't lose power.  After all, Grumpy is finishing up the last 2 pieces as I type this and I need more blueberry fix.

I was craving some good blueberry, lime, almond coffeecake.  After all, it was the weekend and we like to have our cake in some form,whether its coffeecake or pancakes!  After thinking about it for at least 2 hours and how I could make it, this is what I came up with.  It was delicious!  Grumpy had two big pieces in the morning and two more throughout the rest of the day (finishing up 2 more this morning....how many do you think I had!  Come on, you only get 9 good pieces out of a 9x9 pan.  lol)  If that's not a good endorsement, I don't know what is!

I decided that I wanted lime and almond flavor incorporated somehow.  So, I made soured milk by adding the juice of one lime to 1/2 cup of almond milk.  I also decided to top the cake with a lime infused sugar along with some slivered almonds.  The surprise part?  Well, thanks to Dawn, I had some Solo Almond Filling.  I knew I wouldn't use the whole can in my pie, so I decided to spread a layer of almond pie filling between cake layers.  Doesn't that sound delicious?  It was so moist and yummy.  My only complaint is the lime wasn't present enough for me.  I think next time it needs lime zest in the batter too.

Blueberry Lime Coffeecake Surprise


Printable Recipe
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup almond milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon almond filling (I use Solo)
1-3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup flour
slivered almonds
zest of one lime
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the zest of lime and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl and rub together with your fingers to infuse the lime into the sugar.  Set aside.

Place lime juice and almond milk in measuring cup and set aside.  With hand mixer in medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Add egg and almond extract and mix until egg is thoroughly incorporated.  In another bowl, blend 1-3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and salt.  Prep blueberries by tossing with 1/4 cup flour.  Set aside.

Add flour and milk to butter mixture, starting with flour and ending with flour, mixing well after each addition.  Drop in a good heaping tablespoon of almond filling and mix into batter.  Fold in blueberries.  Spray 9x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread 1/2 of batter mix in bottom of pan.  Spread remaining almond filling over bottom layer, top with remaining batter.  Note:  The batter does not spread easily.  Be patient and use the back of a large spoon.  I will work, I promise, just look at my cake.  lol

Sprinkle top of cake with infused sugar and slivered almonds.  Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes.  It will take this long (if not longer) since it is a thick cake.  Let cool at least 15 minutes, then dig in!

Presto Pasta Nights - Round up #228

This week I am the hostess for Presto Pasta Nights and we have quite a few yummy submissions this week!  At the end of this post will be instructions for PPN #229 and how to participate.  Please click the photo captions to be directed to each participants site where you will find their recipes. I hope you will enjoy!  

Grilled Eggplant and Mango Noodle Salad with a Sweet Chili Dressing

Our first recipe this week is Grilled Eggplant and Mango Noodle Salad with a Sweet Chili Dressing submitted by Janet of The Taste Space.  This salad would be a terrific way to end the summer....the grilled eggplant with sweet mango, chili dressing over fresh shredded zucchini and pasta sounds like a divine combination! 

Vegan Mac & Cheese with Spinach & Sausage

Next we have this great looking dish of Vegan Mac & Cheese with Spinach and Sausage submitted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.  Deb found a recipe for a great vegan sauce recipe that she tried with this dish along with her new favorite sausage substitute.  For someone like me who grew up with this type of food, it seems like pure comfort to me (and obviously was comfort for Deb too!)

Pasta with Tomato Peach Sauce

I was in vegetarian heaven this week with quite a few vegetarian submissions.  Here is yet another one submitted by Joanne of Eats Well With Others for her Pasta with Tomato Peach Sauce.  What a gorgeous photo and the peaches and chickpeas in this recipe just make me drool.  I cannot wait to try this one!

Spicy Pasta with Vegan "Chorizo"

But wait!  We have another vegan recipe!  See what I mean?  I love it! Shaheen of Allotment 2 Kitchen submitted this yummy Spicy Pasta with Vegan Chorizo.  What perfect timing!  I bought some vegan chorizo not too long ago and have been wondering what to do with it.  Well I have no need to wonder anymore.  This looks and sounds delicious!

Chicken Club Pasta Salad

We can't leave the meat eaters out.  That wouldn't make Grumpy very happy!  :)  Cindy of Hun...What's for Dinner submitted this delicious salad with chicken, pasta, and bacon.  Um, did someone say bacon?  I love the avocado in this too!

Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken

We can't talk noodles without talking some Asian can we?  Jules of Pictures of all my Princesses submitted this great sounding recipe for Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken.  This is originally a Cooking Light recipe, which, if you are an avid reader of my blog, then you know, this is right up my alley - Cooking Light and Asian!  Oh yeah!

Spaghetti in Tomato-Chili Pesto Sauce

Nupur of UK Rasoi..Day To Day submitted this flavor packed Spaghetti in Tomato-Chili Pesto Sauce.  I recently just made my own pesto sauce and remembered just how good it was!  Nupur found a different approach to her recipe when she made it and stated that "S never believed there were vegetables in that sauce"!  For those looking to get the vegetable nutrition and hide it from those who balk at it, here you go!

Fresh Pasta with Heirloom Tomatoes, slow cooked onions, and ricotta cheese

Another pasta dish full of flavor is this Fresh Pasta with Heirloom Tomatoes, slow cooked onions, and ricotta cheese that was submitted by Stash of The Spamwise Chronicles.  I don't know about you but the slow cooked onions added to this really makes my mouth water.  The tomatoes and cheese up the ante!

Risi e Bisi (an Italian style Orzo pasta with peas)

Tina of Life in the slow lane at Squirrel Head Manor submitted this wonderful side dish of Risi e Bisi.  I love orzo and this flavor packed side dish looks pretty darn delicious next to that chicken.  Bring me a plate, will you please?  

Doctored up Pasta Sauce with Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Lastly, I submitted this Doctored up Pasta Sauce with Whole Wheat Spaghetti.  We finished up the leftovers last night and darn it, I almost it was even better!  The sauce is thick and flavorful and was proclaimed the best pasta sauce I have made by Grumpy!  That's a pretty good endorsement folks from my picky eater! 

I hope you enjoyed this round up of pasta dishes.  Thank you to everyone who participated this week and I hope you will come back to join us next week.  Thank you to Ruth of Once Upon a Feast for keeping up with this great event and keeping it going.  If you would like to participate next week, make sure to check out the Presto Pasta Night's website for the instructions on how to participate.  Next week's hostess will be Ruth herself and she will be accepting submission until Thursday, September 1, 2011.  Hope to see you there!

Doctored up Pasta Sauce with Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Grumpy loves spaghetti.  He loves spaghetti with cottage cheese on the side.  Me, I never had it that way and as a kid I hated spaghetti.  So, as an adult, until about the last 3 years or so, I never wanted to eat pasta of any kind.  Then, something magical happened and I realized I LOVE pasta.  Now, I even will crave spaghetti!  However, I still don't eat it with cottage cheese but I make sure I have it (most of the time) when I am serving it to Grumpy.  You should have heard him tonight as he was serving up his pasta dish.  "Ohh, there's cottage cheese in the fridge."  LOL, you would have thought he had struck gold!  Isn't it funny the simple things that can please us?

My original plans were to make a homemade spaghetti sauce.  I came home and started it up, got as far as dumping the can of diced tomatoes in the pan with the meat and realized I may have been wrong about having tomato paste in my cupboard when I searched high and low and couldn't find any!  So, I ended up having to improvise, and let me tell you, that improvisation turned out to be really tasty and even Grumpy commented on how good it was!

This is my post for this week's Presto Pasta Nights where I am also the host for this week!  Presto Pasta Nights was founded by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and is an event that has run for quite a long time now.  That means it is a fabulous event!  You still have time to participate if you want as the deadline to send me your post and photo is not until the end of the day on Thursday, August 25, 2011.  If you would like to join in, check out the link above this post for the instructions on how to participate.  Come back Friday for the round up post to see what delicious pasta meals we have all been making this week!

Doctored up Pasta Sauce with Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Printable Recipe


1 slice prosciutto, about 1/4" thick, diced
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 lb lean ground beef
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
1-32 oz jar Prego Pasta Sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (according to your heat tolerance)
Whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions and tossed with a slight amount of olive oil after draining to prevent sticking.

Saute prosciutto until fat is rendered and meat begins to brown.  Add onion and red peppers and saute until onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes.  Add ground beef to pan and cook until no longer pink.

Add can of diced tomatoes and simmer about 5 minutes.  Add Prego sauce and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer.  Add salt, sugar and red pepper flakes.  Simmer, uncovered about 7-8 minutes to reduce liquid and thicken sauce.  Serve over pasta and enjoy!

Mexican Casserole

I have made several recipes from Bobby's site, BlogChef.net.  He has such a great blog with so many recipes that we love.  I look forward to every email I get telling me he has a new blog post up!  Other recipes of his that we loved were Black Pepper Chicken, Parmesan Fish, Coconut Shrimp (Chinese Buffet Style), and Fried Rice. (the links all take you to my posts with photos, then links directly to Bobby's recipes).  If you have not yet been to his blog, you really must go there.  He has something for everyone and I have to say, he is my most favorite resource for recipes that I know Grumpy will most likely love.

While looking for recipes to make for dinner this last week I came across a newer post of his for Mexican Casserole.  I looked at it longingly and then turned the laptop towards Grumpy and said, "I think this looks so good, but you probably wouldn't eat it because it's "Mexican"."  Well, surprise me, Grumpy said, "I would probably eat that."  I needed no more encouragement.  The recipe went on my menu for the week.  It was quick, easy so perfect for a work week when we can't really eat much sooner than 7 or 7:30 PM.   We got home from the gym on the night we were to make this, and because it was late, I got Grumpy to help me out by slicing olives and dicing the tomatoes while I made the beef and mixed the refried bean mixture.  It was so yummy and had flavors that I just can't resist!  We still have leftovers and I am thinking that they will be good to wrap in a tortilla and warm for lunches or even wrap in a tortilla burrito like, freeze, then bake for yummy crispy tortilla treats after work another evening.  One thing I did not have that I wish I had was sour cream and will make sure I have some next time!

Bobby used scallions to top his recipe off.  I didn't have any but what I did have was garden fresh cilantro that my mom and dad brought me.  Garden fresh herbs lasts MUCH longer than store bought once they have been cut.  I have had that cilantro almost 2 weeks now and its not even started to turn.  Of course, the cilantro is what added the boost for me with this dish because I love it so much.  :)

Mexican Casserole
adapted from BlogChef.net
Printable Recipe

1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning blend (or use your own homemade blend- recipe I use is on Eating Etc.)
1 -15oz can refried beans (I use fat free)
1 cup salsa (I use a thick and chunky salsa)
2 cups taco flavored shredded cheese (or your favorite cheese, most any cheese will work here)
Fritos - you must use Frito's Scoops (my fav), I never buy these unless I am making something like this casserole or Haystacks (which I believe I have never posted here....will have to do so sometime soon!)
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
chopped fresh cilantro - LOTS of it :)

Cook beef, drain, and add seasoning blend with water according to packet instructions (or according to linked recipe).  Set aside.

Heat refried beans until warm.  Stir in salsa and 1 cup of cheese.  Set aside.

Crush enough Fritos to cover the bottom of a 8x8 square baking dish.  Layer with bean mixture, next with meat mixture and then top with remaining 1 cup of cheese and sliced black olives.

Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.  (mixture will still be warm when you assemble, so it is likely you will have a hot casserole once the cheese is melted anyway!).

Remove from oven, top with chopped tomatoes and cilantro.  Serve with extra Frito Scoops.  Delicious!  Especially with lots and lots of cilantro!  ;-)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for Connor

Were you ever the child who was last to be picked to be on someone's team or worse yet, totally left out, leaving you feeling rejected and sad? I have been, both as a child and an adult and I'm going to say right now "We did not deserve it". We all are people with hearts that can be broken, spirits that can be crushed, and personally, it is cruel to do that to anyone. My heart goes out to the person who has been treated so badly and I want to do anything and everything I can to make that person feel better. That is just what the Secret Recipe Club did last evening. You see, it went like this.

There is a blogger named Connor who made these really yummy sounding pumpkin cupcakes with browned butter frosting, in secret, until the special reveal day. She was following the rules like all the rest of us, well, almost all the rest of us. The person who had Connor's blog ended up not posting so she was left out. It broke my heart and I among several others volunteered to make something from her blog to post. That is when Amanda, our fearless leader, came up with this fabulous idea. Why don't everyone who wants to make it up to Connor go ahead and bake something from her blog and post it. What can I say, the food blogging world is pretty darn amazing and supportive. I hope this makes Connor's day to see the all the posts about her blog today!

I was originally going to make her Southwest Casserole because it was really close to what I had already planned for dinner anyway. But, as luck would have it, I ended up not making dinner as planned because I was waiting for Grumpy to get home to go to the gym, then cook dinner afterward. By the time we were both home it was too late to cook a meal and bake cookies.  So, I made grilled cheese and Grumpy helped me pick out a recipe from Connor's blog. No surprise here, he picked her Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookie, but asked me to leave the chocolate out and to use raisins. ha ha, what he really wanted was an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie....and that was his way of getting me to make them! So, I used her recipe but I just omitted the cocoa and replaced it with flour. I omitted the cherries and used raisins. I made Grumpy happy.

I'm not exactly sure but I think my cookies came out flat because I did not have quick oats. I only had whole oats and I used them. They seemed pretty thin. They were tasty and chewy though and that is what matters most to Grumpy. He ate 3 of them while waiting for me to finish making the grilled cheese!

Pop on over to Connor's Cooking for her Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies recipe and leave her a comment to let her know you were there!

Scallop Carbonara with Asparagus

I was quite nervous when I made this dish for our dinner on Sunday evening.  I've said it several times:  I am not a big egg person.  Especially when it involves an egg yolk.  Hence, I cannot make my own Ceasar salad dressing because I get queasy when I eat it just knowing it had raw egg yolk in it.  I have shied away from Carbonara for as long as I have because of that very reason.  I don't care that the heat from the pasta (or in this case, the cream that is whisked into the egg) cooks the egg.  It still makes me queasy.  However, it was inevitable that I would be making it in my life because it was one dish that Grumpy consistently orders out.

When my parents were here last weekend, we took them over to the Fresh Market in Latham.  I knew that they would love the place and as long as mom felt up to going, we wanted to show it to them.  While browsing around I finally came across the buccatini pasta that I had been looking for.  I snatched the package right up.  It could have cost me $10 for all I cared, I wanted to try that pasta!  (it wasn't that much by the way).  I immediately started thinking what I was going to make with it.  I really wanted to try a BLT Spaghetti that Rachel Ray made on her show recently.  I loved how she dropped the pasta in the pesto and coated it.  Yum!  However, I knew Grumpy probably wouldn't be as happy with that meal as he would if I made a seafood pasta one.  So, I started looking for Carbonara recipes.  I found a recipe for Buccatini Carbonara with Zucchini on Epicurious.  I decided I would go with the basics of that recipe and fix it up the way Grumpy would like with bay scallops and asparagus in place of the zucchini.  While I think it tasted good, I still couldn't eat a lot of it because all I thought I could taste was egg yolk.  Yeah, its probably all in my head, but that is how it is.  Grumpy told me to "suck it up and eat it", but I just couldn't eat much because my tummy kept doing hurdles on me.  However, Grumpy said it had good flavor, that I cooked the scallops perfectly but that he thought it could have used more sauce.  I actually made 1-1/2 of the sauce recipe.  I guess if I made it again I would need to double it instead.  So, if your not afraid of egg yolks and loveCarbonara, I guess this is a good recipe for you.  Hope you will enjoy!

Oh, and by the way, I love the buccatini pasta!  I have half the package left and will definitely be making a dish for me with the remainder!

 

This post is a part of Presto Pasta Nights.  This week the round up will be hosted by Jennifer of For Such a Time as This.  Be sure to check out her blog on Friday for the round up of pasta dishes!  I also hope if you love pasta like I do that you will participate with us!  I will be the host next Friday and will be accepting submissions through Thursday (August 25, 2011).  You can email your submissions to me at grumpyshoneybunch (at) yahoo (dot) com.  Please copy Ruth at 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Please specify PPN #228 in your email. You will also need to include the following:

• Your Name
• Your Blog Name/URL
• Your Post URL
• Attach a photo (maximum width 400px)

You should receive a confirmation from me that I have received your post.  If you don't, then you may want to resend it.

Scallop Carbonara with Asparagus
adapted slightly from Epicurious
Printable Recipe
6 ounces bacon, cut into pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream (I know, I know....its almost gone)
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound asparagus, chopped 
1 pound bucatini 
3 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels; drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add cream, garlic, and crushed pepper to drippings in skillet; bring to boil. Set aside.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook until they just turn opague.  Remove from skillet.  Add asparagus and saute until tender, stirring occasionally, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to large plate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add sauce to pasta and toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta (do not boil).
Add bacon and asparagus and toss to heat through.   Serve with remaining cheese.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente according to package directions. Drain well and return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, place eggs in their shell in small bowl. Add enough hot water to cover. Let stand 5 minutes. Crack eggs into large bowl and whisk to blend. Bring cream mixture to boil in skillet. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into eggs. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Fruit Spring Rolls - Secret Recipe Club

I became a really huge fan of spring rolls last year.  I tried them for a first time in a Thai restaurant, then decided to try making my own and made the Butternut Squash Almond Rice Paper Rolls and those became my very favorite!

While browsing my assigned blog for this month's Secret Recipe Club reveal I came across Fruit Spring Rolls.  I knew then and there I would be trying a fruit spring roll in my near future!  This last month I dug into the blog called Sustainable Cooking for One written by Stephanie Bostic who also happens to have a cookbook out titled "One Bowl:  Simple Healthy Recipes for One".  Stephanie has several interesting recipes that are great to have on hand for those days when it is just me eating in the house!

I adapted the recipe some to add noodles to the picture.  I feel like I need these noodles in order to have a spring roll.  They just add that "sumthin' sumthin'" to the whole thing for me.  I also went with a citrus dipping sauce.  The original recipe for Stephanie's recipe can be found by clicking the link below.  I hope you will enjoy!  

You can read about the Secret Recipe Club by visiting the website and view past posts from members that are featured each day by Amanda (the creator of our fabulous group!).  Don't miss out on a post and subscribe to the feed, follow us on Twitter and on Facebook!  

Fruit Spring Rolls
recipe adapted from Sustainable Cooking for One
This recipe will make 3 spring rolls

Printable Recipe

Filling:
3/4 cup thin rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey (adjust to your taste for sweetness)
1/8 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 large strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup blueberries
1-1/2 tablespoons candied chopped walnuts

Dipping sauce:
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey (adjust to your taste for sweetness)
1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped

Directions:
Mix the noodles with the agave syrup and mint.  Set aside.  Lay a damp kitchen towel on a work surface.  Soak a rice paper round in very warm water for 20-30 seconds until softened.  Place the rice paper on the damp towel and add 1/4 cup of the noodle mixture in the center of the rice paper.  Form the noodles into a rectangle.

Arrange sliced strawberries, chopped candied walnuts and blueberries on top of noodles.  Fold bottom of rice paper circle over filling, fold in sides and turn paper circle to roll around the filling.

To make the dipping sauce, mix lime juice, sweetener and mint leaves.  Serve fruit spring rolls with sauce.

Check out all the other Secret Recipe Club reveals below!

Blueberry French Toast Souffle

Its been a while since I've made a breakfast on the weekend for Grumpy and me.  Most often for the weekend I will make pancakes, sometimes waffles, other times french toast.  Today though, I wanted to do something different; something I have not tried before.

Mom and Dad were here last weekend and when they came to visit they brought along with them a whole lot of garden goodies.  They also brought me a labor of love that didn't come from their garden, but had picked on their own:  Blueberries!  They know how much I love them and brought me several quarts!

This morning, while Grumpy was still sleeping, I did a lot of internet searching and finally came across a recipe on allrecipes.com that I finally used as a sort of "guide".  As the "souffle" was baking the house had that presence of being a young girl at home when my Momma was baking.  It took me back and made me feel real nostalgia and I began to miss the days of my youth when I had nothing to worry about unless I was misbehaving at home.  This recipe turned out great.  Not sweet - unless you poured a whole lot of maple syrup over top.  Custardy on the inside and crusty on top with the sprinkling of coarse sugar adding to the crunch.  It seems to me that I have found myself another comfort food!  I decided this needed a new name and since I made changes to it I felt that I could do just that.

Blueberry French Toast Souffle
Serves 4 (however Grumpy ate 2)
Baked in large oven safe cereal bowls - 1 bowl serves 2 people*

Printable Recipe

4 cups cubed Italian bread
2 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat), cubed
1/3 cup heavy cream (I have to get rid of it and I can't throw it away!)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup blueberries with a few extra for topping after done baking
coarse sugar crystals to sprinkle on top prior to baking


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray individual oven safe bowls with cooking spray.  Place 1/2 cup of bread crumbs in bottom of bowl.  Add 1/4 cup blueberries to each bowl and divide the cubed cream cheese between the bowls.


Whisk the eggs, cream, syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon together until well blended.  This should make 1 cup of liquid.  Pour 1/2 cup liquid over each bowl.  Bake covered in oven 30 minutes.  Remove cover and bake another 10 minutes to brown top.  Serve with extra blueberries and pure maple syrup.


Please note that you can also bake this all in one dish.  I opted for the smaller bowls just because I wanted the "visual".  :o)

Cheesy Penne Chicken Pasta

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Sometimes, when a person is sick, all they want is some comfort.  In our busy, busy world, comfort can be hard to find when you want it.  I've been sick most of the week.  I'm not sure if it is allergy or cold that got me down but it got me down.  I suffered through the afternoon on Wednesday at work and this morning when I was up at 3:30 and on the couch yet again I knew that I would go into work, do what had to be done, then go home.  That I did, and I ended up getting a good 4 more hours of much needed sleep.

I woke up around 4 in the afternoon and decided that I needed some food.  Some comfort food.  I actually felt good enough to dirty the dishes and eat the food, but when it come to clean up it was a little harder.  I garnered help from Grumpy, to do the clean up, and will be headed right straight back to bed soon!

The recipe I made for dinner was one that I came across while browsing one of the foodie sites one day.  The pasta looked so appetizing I had to visit the blog it came from.  Immediately I knew I found someone who knew just how I felt.  The title of her post was "Comforting".  I had never seen Tasty Trials before, but you can bet I will be going back to read more of her blog.

I had to do a slight spin on her recipe because of course, I was home and sick and was not about to go to the store.  Instead of sausage I used chicken I had thawed out.  Instead of feta I went with a mild cheddar.  I also used frozen mushroom and peas.  It was exactly what I needed.  Some good, old fashioned comfort.  Thanks Karen!

 

I am also submitting this post to Presto Pasta Nights.  

Cheesy Penne Chicken Pasta
adapted from Tasty Trials

Printable Recipe

8 oz whole wheat penne pasta, cooked until al dente
6 cooked chicken tenderloins (I cooked mine in a pam sprayed pan with some salt and pepper), chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 cup vegetable broth (I use better than boullion)
3/4 cup heavy cream (yes, I had this in my fridge!)
4 ounces guyere cheese, shredded
2 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon seasoned breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon butter, sliced very thin

Cook pasta according to package until al dente.  Set aside.  While pasta is cooking, cook chicken tenderloins, let cool slightly and then chop into pieces.  Set aside.

Cook shallot in olive oil until soft.  Add garlic and saute a few minutes more.  Add vegetable broth, bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and let broth reduce for about 5 minutes.  Add heavy cream, bring back to simmer and reduce for 5 minutes more.  Add cheese and stir until well blended.  Mix pasta, peas, chicken, and sauce and place in a baking dish.  Top with breadcrumbs and butter.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Sit back and enjoy your comfort.