Recipe Rewind: Rigatoni with Grilled Peppers and Onions

Memorial Day cook-outs are all about The Meat. We know this. BBQ chicken, brats, burgers, hot dogs...We load the grill up with all of it, and we go for it. 

But may I suggest that, this year, you leave a tiny bit of space open for some bell peppers and onions, and make this pasta dish to go alongside all of The Meat? I promise you won't be sorry.

I first made this pasta years ago, and it was long overdue for a reappearance here. This is one dish that's every bit as delicious as it is gorgeous. It's hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian main dish, but it's also a perfect side dish. The flavor of the grilled peppers and onions, especially in combination with the basil, is just fantastic. 

This is perfect summer food: It's healthy, simple, and oh-so-satisfying.

Rigatoni with Grilled Peppers and Onions
from Real Simple
  
2 medium red onions, sliced into rings
2 large sweet bell peppers, cut into quarters
Olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
12 ounces (4 to 5 cups) rigatoni
1 bunch spinach, stems trimmed, or one 5-ounce package
1 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan
3/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. In a large bowl, toss the onions, bell peppers, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces.

2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and return the pasta to the pot. Add the grilled vegetables, spinach, the reserved pasta water, and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan to the pasta and toss to combine. Top with the basil and the remaining Parmesan before serving.

Brown Sugar Ranch Carrots

My boys are both pretty good eaters and generally aren't very picky. However, like all kids, they definitely go through phases. Out of the blue, Will will turn up his nose at broccoli, insisting that he has never liked it, when he was gobbling it up the week before. Andrew will pick every single onion out of whatever he's eating with the most distasteful expression on his face, or inform me that he will no longer eat spaghetti because the sauce is made of tomatoes, and tomatoes are not yummy, Mommy. I know all of you moms out there understand exactly how this feels.

Thankfully, there is one vegetable they will eat at all times, in any way, shape, or form: carrots. They will eat them raw, steamed, roasted, or pureed. In fact, Andrew just walked in here at this very moment, looked at the photo on the computer screen, and said, "Oh, YUM." Carrots, man. They're a guaranteed hit around here.

This particular carrot dish couldn't be any simpler or more delicious. Carrots are steamed until tender, then tossed in a mixture of melted butter, ranch seasoning mix, and brown sugar. I think this is probably the best way to eat carrots, ever.

Brown Sugar Ranch Carrots
slightly adapted from Chef in Training

16 ounces baby carrots
5 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 packet of ranch seasoning mix

1. Steam the carrots until fork-tender. Place in a serving dish.

2. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and ranch seasoning. Pour the mixture over the carrots and stir to coat evenly. Serve warm.

Roasted Potatoes with Parmesan and Oregano

I always used to think side dishes were so hard. That is, until roasted potatoes came into my life. Season them with salt and pepper, bathe them in olive oil, stick them in the oven, and you're only 30 minutes to what is, in my mind, the best side dish on the planet. Oh roasted potatoes, how I love thee. The ways are too numerous to count.

When I was looking for a side for meatball sliders recently (you'll get that crave-worthy recipe on Friday), roasted potatoes were the first thing I thought of. But I wanted to do something a little different than just make my basic roasted potato recipe, which is where this parmesan-oregano version came in. And whoa. Just whoa. These potatoes were incredible. You know how if you arrange shredded parmesan cheese in a circle on a baking sheet and bake it, it gets all golden and crispy and nutty? Well, imagine that golden-crispy-nutty flavor running all through crisp-on-the-outside, pillowy-soft-on-the-inside roasted potatoes. (Sorry for all the hyphens; apparently I over-hyphenate when I'm really excited about food.) Add in a little bit of oregano for an herby flavor, and of course a little bit of garlic, and they're absolutely perfect. I could have (and really, really wanted to) eat that entire bowl. My family's lucky I love them enough to share.

Roasted Potatoes with Parmesan and Oregano

3 pounds baby red potatoes, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese 
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

2. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to spread the seasonings and oil evenly over the potatoes.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping occasionally, until browned and crispy.

Beer-Battered Zucchini Rings

It happens every year around this time, without fail. Someone pawns off on gifts me with a gigantic zucchini from their garden. It happened again this year, of course; Joe's grandma sent him home from a visit with a really big zuc that I'm almost positive was longer than both of the boys when they were born. 

As it does every year, the zucchini sat on my counter for nearly a week, mocking me, daring me to tackle it. Finally I just said to myself, you know what? I'mma fry this sucker. And that's exactly what I did. I dunked it in some beer and hot sauce, then gave it a bath in some hot oil. Sometimes you just have to go for it, you know?

The thing with these big zucchini is that they're full of seeds...seeds that aren't really digestible when they reach that size. So I sliced the zucchini into rings, then used a small knife to hollow out the seed area in the middle. Easy peasy! And holy cow, were these delicious. Zucchini has such a great flavor all on its own, but when paired with yeasty beer, spicy hot sauce, a perfectly crunchy exterior and some ranch for dipping? Ugh, they're perfect. Just perfect. If I could use an emoji in a blog post, I'd use the smiley face guy that has hearts where his eyes should be.

If you, too, have a gigantic zucchini languishing in your garden or on your counter, use it to make these rings. You'll be really glad you did, I promise.

Beer-Battered Zucchini Rings
adapted from Homegrown & Healthy

1 big zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rings and seeds removed
1 cup flour 
3/4 cup beer
1 teaspoon hot sauce (more to taste)
Coarse salt
Vegetable oil for frying
Ranch dressing for dipping, if desired

1. Heat vegetable oil in a high-sided skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the flour, beer, and hot sauce in a large bowl. 

3. Completely submerge the zucchini rings in the batter, coating them generously, then immediately place in hot oil. Cook until the first side is crispy, then flip and let the other side crisp up. Remove to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with coarse salt while still hot. Serve immediately with ranch dressing for dipping.

Corn Bacon Cheddar Bake

Since I have now made this dish three separate times, all three times to rave reviews and multiple requests for the recipe, I figured it's high time that I share it with you. This is one of those recipes that everyone needs in their lives.

Basically, it's corn, bacon, and cheddar cheese, all bubbling together in a creamy sour cream sauce. It's perfectly seasoned and incredibly flavorful, with the sweet corn balancing out the smoky-salty bacon perfectly. And it's so easy to prepare, and can be served warm or at room temperature, which makes it perfect for cook-outs this summer. In fact, I think it's replaced broccoli salad as my go-to dish for family get-togethers. And that's really saying a lot, because my family is nuts over that broccoli salad. They may be even more nuts over this corn.

Corn Bacon Cheddar Bake
adapted from Taste and Tell

8 slices bacon, chopped
1 small red or white onion, chopped (I've made it with both, and think I prefer it with red onion)
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups freshly-shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package frozen corn
Chopped chives or scallions for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy; using a slotted spoon, remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

3. Add the onion to the bacon drippings and cook until softened. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the flour until completely absorbed. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the sour cream and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese until melted. Stir in the corn and half of the bacon. 

5. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and the rest of the bacon. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with chopped chives or scallions before serving.


 
 
 

Cheddar-Fried Summer Squash

Can we talk about Pinterest for a minute? Can we? Because I'm kind of addicted to it here lately. I was doing so well there for a while; I wasn't checking it at all. But then, one afternoon a few weeks ago, I opened the app on my phone...and BAM. I was hooked all over again. Apparently, with me, Pinterest is an all-or-nothing sort of thing. I'm not one of those people who can log in and pin just two or three things. Oh no; I must PIN ALL THE THINGS! All The Food-Related Things, really, because I may actually make that stuff. I am not likely to turn a glove into a stuffed monkey or upcycle an old TV stand into a play kitchen. I know this about myself. So I mostly stick to the food.

I sure am glad I came back to Pinterest, because one of the first things I pinned in all my renewed pinning glory was this recipe for cheddar-fried squash. Are you kidding me?! Where has this recipe been all my life? And get this: The ingredients of the original recipe include the words, "Oil for frying, I used bacon grease." Yes. YESSS. Needless to say, when I made these, I also used bacon grease. (What? You don't have a tub of bacon grease in your freezer just waiting for recipes like this to come along? Really?)

Bacon grease aside, let's talk about the luscious squash itself. Summer squash is delicious on its own, but in this recipe, it gets a coating of panko breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese, creating this delicious, crispy-gooey sort of layer. It works perfectly with the tender squash. Talk about a perfect summer side dish -- these crispy golden discs of deliciousness are positively addictive.

Cheddar-Fried Summer Squash
adapted from Tasty Kitchen

3 medium summer squash
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Oil for frying (Bacon grease. DO IT.)

1. Slice the squash into 1/4-inch thick slices. 

2. Combine the panko, cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper in a shallow dish (I like to use a pie plate.) Place the eggs and flour in separate shallow dishes.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 

4. Dip the squash slices in the egg, then in the flour, then in the egg again, then in the panko-cheddar mixture. 

5. Gently place the breaded slices in the oil and fry until golden and crispy, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt. 
  

Jalapeno Popper Smashed Potatoes

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Ours was busy, but lovely. I took Andrew to a birthday party for one of his friends, which was held at a massive facility made entirely of trampolines. Not surprisingly, he had an awesome time. This place also offers exercise classes, which I am strongly considering trying. The flyer claims that you can burn up to 1000 calories in one hour, just by jumping on trampolines. If that is really true, it completely cancels out the calories in these decadent smashed potatoes, and makes me feel much less guilty for indulging in them.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I can turn just about any food into a jalapeno popper, and smashed potatoes were long overdue for their makeover. These potatoes are so rich, flavorful, and delicious -- not a shock, considering that they contain half a pound of bacon, a generous amount of cheddar, and a ton of butter and cream cheese. If you'd like to bake these, you could totally add a topping of panko breadcrumbs to give them even more of a jalapeno popper-y feel. Whether you bake them, though, or just serve them straight from the stovetop, I strongly, strongly encourage you to make these. And then go jump on a trampoline for an hour to cancel out the calories. :)

Jalapeno Popper Smashed Potatoes

3 to 4 pounds red potatoes, chopped

1/2 pound bacon, chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

5 tablespoons butter, softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add chopped potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove from skillet, reserving drippings, and set aside on paper towels to drain. Add the jalapenos to the bacon drippings and cook until softened and fragrant. Add the jalapenos to the reserved bacon.

3. Add butter and cream cheese to the potatoes and use a potato masher to mash. Stir in the cheddar cheese, bacon, and jalapenos until the cheese is melted. The potatoes shouldn't need any additional liquid, but if they do, add milk until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Mom's Carrot Casserole

There are lots of things I did when I was 19 that I'm not necessarily proud of, but one of the smartest things I've ever done in my life occurred at that age. I moved out of my mom's house -- which was not-so-smart, maybe, in retrospect -- but before I left I took the time to write down all of her recipes. It turned out, tragically, that I'd be yearning for those recipes to revive her memorty earlier than I ever thought I would, so I am so glad I had the foresight to do that. That foresight is why I have so many of her recipes, my childhood favorites, to share with you here.

Today's recipe is yet another of those forgotten favorites. I stumbled upon it while searching for a pie recipe (which I'll share on Friday), and I think I immediately started salivating. Neither my brother nor I liked carrots very much growing up, but when my mom made this casserole, carrots somehow turned into a magical vegetable and we couldn't get enough.

The carrots are baked in a sauce made of butter, cream cheese, and Velveeta, so this is oviously not very healthy, but as a once-in-a-while indulgence it just can't be beat. The sauce is delicious beyond words, and paired with the sweet carrots, the sharp bite of the green onions, and a buttery cracker topping, it's just perfect. My whole family loves this casserole so much, and I'm so glad I rediscovered it.

Mom's Carrot Casserole

2 pounds carrots, sliced

1/2 cup chicken broth

8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

5 tablespoons butter, divided

8 ounces cream cheese, cubed

4 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 sleeve buttery crackers, crushed

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the carrots and chicken broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 7 to 9 minutes until carrots are crisp-tender.

3. Meanwhile, in another large saucepan, combine Velveeta and 2 tablespoons butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Add the cream cheese, green onions, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cream cheese is uniformly melted into the sauce.

4. Drain the carrots; stir into the cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased shallow 2-quart baking dish.

5. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Stir the crackers into the butter, then sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the casserole. Cover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly.

Creamy Succotash with Bacon and Thyme

I think lima beans are one of those vegetables that just get a bad rap. Most people just don't like them, for either their texture or taste. Take my husband, for instance. When I told him we were having succotash for dinner, he definitely made a face. He denied it later (after he tasted how delicious this was), but I saw it. He definitely wrinkled his nose in distaste. I guess I never bought into the lima bean disdain, since I used to eat them all the time at my grandma's house, sauteed with onion, butter, and lots of salt and pepper. This was the first time I'd ever made succotash at home, though, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

It turned out amazing. Even the boys devoured it, and Joe completely forgot about his dislike of lima beans the minute he tried it. The thyme and bacon definitely add some delicious flavorful elements to the succotash, and I loved the addition of  the cream -- not too much, just enough to give the whole dish a silky texture. This will be a staple summer side in our house from now on.

Creamy Succotash with Bacon and Thyme

adapted from Allrecipes

4 strips bacon, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 10-ounce package frozen baby lima beans

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup water

1 10-ounce package frozen sweet corn

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease and discard the rest.

2. Melt the butter with the remaining bacon grease in the same skillet. Add onion and bell pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables are softened.

3. Stir in the lima beans and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 7 minutes. Add corn, heavy cream, and thyme leaves and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in reserved bacon and serve.

Greek Quinoa Salad

Earlier this week, glasses of wine in hand, my best friend and I watched The Bachelorette, just like we do every week (don't judge). In part of the episode, the bachelorette took two bachelors with her on a date. When they got their meals, both of the guys remarked on the “quinn-o-ah” on their plates. They talked about how much they liked “quinn-o-ah” and how healthy it was. They were, of course, talking about quinoa.

Maybe it was the wine, but I couldn’t stop giggling over their mispronunciation – even though I didn’t really know how to pronounce the word correctly myself until relatively recently, and to this day, when I say “quinoa” in my head, I still pronounce it exactly the way they did. I think it was the fact that both of these guys thought they were pretty awesome, so it was kind of fun to laugh at their mispronunciation when they were so obviously trying to impress a girl.

Regardless of how you pronounce it, quinoa is pretty amazing. In this recipe, it gets a Greek twist with the addition of spinach, chickpeas, feta, cucumbers, and lots of other yummy, healthy ingredients. It’s a feast for the eyes and for the body; it’s just as pretty to look at as it is healthy and delicious to eat, and I happily took this to work for lunch for more than a week. Even Andrew and Will loved this!

(P.S. Add kalamata olives if you’ve got ‘em. Joe hates them, so I left them out, but I missed them!)

Greek Quinoa Salad

adapted from Sweet Peas and Pumpkins

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, rolled into a chiffonade and thinly sliced

1 cucumber, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can chickpeas, drained

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, spinach, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, chickpeas, and feta. Toss to combine.

2. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir until combined.

3. Pour the dressing over the quinoa. Stir well to fully coat the quinoa and vegetables.

Pineapple Quinoa

I’ll admit that, when one of the girls in my cooking club proposed that we make vegan food for our next gathering, I was somewhat apprehensive. That’s just not the way my family eats, and it’s pretty far outside my cooking comfort zone. I have nothing against vegans, of course – in fact, I think they have an incredible amount of willpower and are nearly superhuman with their ability to resist cheese, something I could never give up – but I just don’t eat a lot of vegan food.

Although I was apprehensive, I was also excited and to expand my culinary horizons. And it turns out that our vegan meal was probably the best one we’ve had yet. We had falafel, vegan paella made with chickpeas and wheatberries, two kinds of hummus, salsa, vegan chocolate cake, vegan pineapple upside down cake, and – my contribution – this pineapple quinoa.

My cooking club just met on Saturday, so obviously I’m skipping way ahead in my list of recipes to post to share this with you today, because I seriously can’t stop thinking about how delicious it was, even days later. This is probably one of the best dishes I’ve made, ever. It was so flavorful and delicious and healthy, and I just can’t wait to make it again for my family. Even Joe, who is as meat-and-potatoes as they come, sampled some and raved about it.

The pineapple gives a delicious sweetness to the quinoa, and the serrano pepper counterbalances the sweetness with some heat. Cashews provide nuttiness and texture, the edamame provides color and flavor, and the soy sauce provides that salty quality. The basil and lime juice, stirred in at the end, just take the dish over the top into some new realm of taste. It’s seriously so delicious, you guys, I can’t even describe it. I’ll be making this again and again – and feel really good about eating it, too.

Pineapple Quinoa

from Annie’s Eats

1 cup quinoa

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup cold water

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, divided

1/3 cup raw cashew pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup cooked edamame

2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and grated

Half of a medium pineapple, cored, peeled and diced

1/2 cup loosely packed basil, finely chopped

Lime wedges, for serving

1. Combine the quinoa, pineapple juice, 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat, let stand covered for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff with a fork.

2. Toast the cashews in a large skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Return the pan to the stove and increase the heat to medium-high. Heat the vegetable oil. Stir in the bell pepper and edamame and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until the bell pepper is slightly softened. Stir in the scallions, garlic, ginger, and serrano and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Stir in the pineapple, quinoa and basil. Mix well to combine. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and continue to cook for a few minutes more until everything is well blended and heated through. Serve garnished with lime wedges.

Honey Teriyaki Chicken with Bacon Fried Rice

Growing up, I never ate fried rice. Eggs in rice always just sounded strange to me. I stuck with my plain old steamed white rice whenever we ordered Chinese food. Then I met Joe, and in the early days of our relationship we ate Chinese food a lot. And he always ordered fried rice. After much pestering from him, I finally consented to trying it, and realized that I’d been a fool for so long. Fried rice is delicious! In the years since, I’ve even developed my own at-home version that we enjoy frequently.

This recipe, my friends, takes fried rice to a completely new level with the addition of bacon. Yes, bacon! It’s also loaded with tons of fresh veggies to balance out all that bacon, and it’s this wonderful, savory, salty, delicious thing with all kinds of great textures: crisp bacon, soft eggs, peas that pop and bean sprouts that crunch. I served it with honey teriyaki chicken, which was a delicious sweet counterpoint to the rice, but this rice also would have been good on its own. It was definitely the star of this meal. This recipe makes a ton, so you’ll be eating it for days, but trust me: That is definitely not a bad thing.

Honey Teriyaki Chicken with Bacon Fried Rice
chicken adapted from Rachael Ray; rice adapted from Cooking with Cristine

For the chicken:

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

For the rice:

1 egg, beaten
1 pound bacon, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup soy sauce

1. For the chicken, heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until browned and cook through. In a separate bowl, combine chicken broth, ginger, honey and teriyaki sauce. Pour over chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until serving.

2. For the bacon, heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet. Pour egg into wok. As egg sets, lift edges letting uncooked portion flow underneath. When egg is done, move to plate and set aside.

3. In same wok, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings.

4. Saute mushrooms and onions in bacon drippings. Stir in rice, bean sprouts, peas, soy sauce, and bacon. Chop egg into small pieces; stir into wok and heat through.

5. Serve chicken over rice.

Zucchini Oven Chips

I'm sure a lot of you have resolved to eat better and healthier this year. I think it's something we should all strive for to a certain extent...I guess I just fall more into the "everything in moderation" category. This year, I plan to keep cooking the way I cook as far as dinner goes, but to eat healthier for breakfast and lunch. Too often I fall prey to the work cafeteria, and although they have plenty of healthy options there, I rarely choose them. That's what I want to change this year. That'll free me up for the occasional dinner indulgence!

That being said...I feel like I owe you a "healthy" recipe today. When I went through the list of recipes that I haven't shared yet, this one was just about the healthiest I could find. And not only are these zucchini oven chips healthy...they're delicious too. Even my kids thought so! Apparently the word "chips" has magical properties for them, and can turn even the most disdained of vegetables into something they enjoy. Who knew? Maybe next I'll try "cauliflower chips" for Andrew, and "green bean chips" for Will!

The thing with these is that they seem to get cold really quickly. And when they get cold, they get soggy and mushy. So just be sure you serve them right away. Served warm, they're flavorful and delicious -- and just like more traditional potato chips, I bet you can't eat just one!

Tomorrow I'll share the (not-so-healthy but incredibly yummy) sloppy joes I served these with.

Zucchini Oven Chips

slightly adapted from MyRecipes

1/4 cup dry Italian-style breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons 2% milk

2 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (2 small zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. 

3. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. 

4. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Homemade Egg Noodles

My grandma made from-scratch egg noodles often when I was growing up. In fact, I can’t remember very many Sunday dinners when we didn’t have them. I never was quite sure what made them so delicious, but I remember eating lots and lots of them. They were one of my very favorite things about after-church dinners at her house.

Grandma always served her egg noodles in a light, buttery sauce with parsley and seasonings. When I asked her recently what kind of spices she used in her egg noodles, she told me it was just poultry seasoning. I was dubious that mere poultry seasoning could produce all that flavor, but the first time I tried making egg noodles myself I made them her way, and what do you know. She was telling the truth. They tasted just as amazing as I remembered.

Now that I’ve made egg noodles from scratch, I can say without a doubt that I will never purchase them from the store again. Making them at home is so simple, and the amazing homemade taste is worth every bit of time they take to make. The chewy texture is incredible. I’ve made these several times now, and coming up on Monday, I’ll share my favorite thing to serve them with so far!

If you’d like the step-by-step instructions for making these, check out the link to Jonna’s blog below. She has some great photos to walk you through the process.

Homemade Egg Noodles
from Get Off Your Butt and Bake

2 cups all purpose flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

1. Make a well in center of flour. Add egg yolks, egg and salt; mix thoroughly. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is stiff, but easy to roll. Knead for about 5 minutes adding additional flour if necessary to make a dough that is not sticky.

2. Divide dough in 3 or 4 equal parts. Roll dough, one part at a time, into thin rectangle on well floured board, to less than 1/8 inch thick. Make sure that your dough is well floured.

3. Using a pizza cutter, cut piece of floured dough into 1/4-inch strips. Then cut those long strips into shorter strips, to the length you desire your noodles. Place cut noodles onto a clean towel to dry, for about 1 to 2 hours.

4. Cook in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes.

Bacon Rosemary Chicken with Maple-Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I read a book recently that I think every food-lover should read. It’s called The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, and it follows the lives of a group of students in a small cooking class and explores the relationships they create through food. The characters are wonderfully layered, but my favorite parts of the book are the descriptions of the food. Ingredients and dishes are described so gorgeously in such rich, evocative language. (Sorry; I think my English Major showed a little bit there.) It’s a beautiful book.

This meal is a lot like some of the food described in the book: simple ingredients, wonderful aroma, extraordinary flavor. The salty bacon pairs so perfectly with the earthy rosemary. Maple syrup and sweet potatoes are an ideal marriage of flavor and pair wonderfully with the savory chicken. I wish I could make this dish for Erica Bauermeister and have her write out a description of how wonderful it tastes, because she could do a much better job at describing it than I am!

Bacon Rosemary Chicken with Maple-Mashed Sweet Potatoes
adapted from Back to the Cutting Board

For the chicken:

2 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
5 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chicken broth

For the potatoes:

3 medium or 2 large sweet potatoes
4 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Fry bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, set aside. Spoon out excess bacon fat, but leave about 2 tablespoons in the pan.

2. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge chicken though it, shake to remove excess.

3. Add butter to the reserved fat in the pan and heat over high temperature, swirling to melt the butter. When the foam subsides, reduce heat to medium-high and add the chicken. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover lightly with foil.

4. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent. Add the garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes. Cook for half a minute or so. Try not to let the garlic brown. Add broth and simmer until slightly thick, about 4 minutes.

5. Return chicken and bacon to the pan, simmer, turning chicken at least once until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and glossy about 3 to 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, peel and cut up sweet potatoes in large chunks. Place in pot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes. Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup and stir. Heat to boiling and cook for 20 minutes or until tender.

7. While the potatoes are boiling, melt the butter, brown sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup, cream, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until it thickens a little. Set aside.

8. Once the potatoes are tender, drain all the liquid and return them to the pot. Mash with a potato masher.

9. Slowly pour in the sugar mixture, a little at a time and stir/mash after each addition. You may not need to use all of the sugar mixture, add enough until it gets to a consistency that you like.

10. Serve chicken with sweet potatoes.

Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese

Raise your hand if you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year. Those of you that are: WOW, is all I can say. Hosting Thanksgiving is something I’ve never done (at least not yet), and it is something that strikes fear into my heart at the same time that it makes the planner and cook in me extremely excited. So, if you’re hosting: Good luck, and also, I’m totally jealous of you.

Every year I make sweet potato casserole and cranberry butter for our Thanksgiving dinner with Joe’s family. For my family’s dinner (which we don’t get to until dessert), I make a couple of pies. (I think I’m doing pecan and maple cream this year, but I haven’t finalized that yet.) This year, I’ll be making a third contribution to our dinner with Joe’s family: this incredible macaroni and cheese.

Do you have a go-to mac and cheese recipe? Mine has always been Betty Crocker’s version (posted here; please ignore the photo), but this buttermilk-based version has officially replaced it. My whole family loved this mac and cheese so much that we all had seconds (and Joe had thirds). Thankfully, this recipe makes enough to feed an army, so there were plenty of leftovers to send for lunch with the boys (as Andrew requested: “Can I have this tomorrow for lunch? It’s DEWICIOUS!”). I loved the tang from the buttermilk, and the eggs in the recipe (there are six of them!) made it so rich and gave it such a wonderful, custard-like texture. If you like custardy mac and cheeses, this recipe is definitely for you. It’s creamy, cheesy, tangy perfection, and definitely worthy of gracing your Thanksgiving table – or ANY table!

Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Taste of Home

6 eggs
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded colby cheese
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the cheese, buttermilk, butter, salt and pepper. Add macaroni; toss to coat.

3. Pour into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean.

Pumpkin Seed-Crusted Chicken, Maple Cayenne Brussels Sprouts, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

You’re getting three recipes for the price of one today! I really loved this meal and the way the flavors all worked together, so I thought I’d post them all together.

I saw a random pin on Pinterest awhile ago for pumpkin seed-crusted vegetarian “chicken” patties, and it sounded like such an awesome idea. When I roasted the seeds from our pumpkins this year, I separated them into two batches: a sweet batch for snacking, and a savory batch for this chicken dish. The chicken turned out exactly as I hoped it would: crispy and salty, with a nutty, earthy flavor from the pumpkin seeds. To make this meal come together more quickly the night you want to serve it, roast and grind your pumpkin seeds a day or two in advance and store them in an airtight container.

I served the chicken with Brussels sprouts, which I absolutely love, but which the men in my life (specifically, my husband and sons) apparently do not love. I thought they were delicious, though. I loved the way the maple syrup and cayenne combined to make a sweet and spicy glaze for the Brussels sprouts, and I loved how the Brussels sprouts themselves were nutty and crispy from the roasting process.

Lastly, I made some simple mashed sweet potatoes with a little bit of butter, a little bit of half and half, a pinch of cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar. They rounded out the meal perfectly. This meal is autumn on a plate, plain and simple.

Pumpkin Seed-Crusted Chicken, Maple Cayenne Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes
chicken inspired by a Pinterest pin I can’t find now; Brussels sprouts adapted from Not Rachael Ray; sweet potatoes are my recipe

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
4 chicken breasts, pounded into thin cutlets
3 tablespoons butter

1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon butter
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup half and half or milk
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. To roast the pumpkin seeds (do this the day before): Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet; add vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange in a single layer and cook until browned and nutty-smelling, 10 to 15 minutes. Add to a food processor or blender and grind into fine crumbs. Store until ready to use.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss Brussels sprouts with butter and salt and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway. They should be tender and browned. Combine maple syrup and cayenne and pour over the sprouts. Toss to coat and return to oven for one more minute.

3. While the Brussels sprouts are roasting, prepare chicken and sweet potatoes. Bring sweet potatoes to a boil and cook until fork-tender. Add butter, brown sugar, half and half, cinnamon and salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm while you prepare the chicken.

4. Mix together roasted pumpkin seeds, Panko breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper on a large plate. Dip chicken in egg, then in pumpkin seed mixture. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook on both sides until breading is crispy and chicken is no longer pink. Finish cooking the chicken in the oven if the breading browns too quickly.

5. Serve chicken alongside Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.

Two-Packet Pork Chops and Ranch-Roasted Potatoes

I love having seasoning mixes on hand for cooking. I know it’s much healthier and cost-effective to make my own, but, honestly, that just doesn’t always happen in my house. What can I say – I like the convenience of just being able to rip open a packet.

I heard someone mention this technique somewhere online a few months ago. I can’t remember if it was on Twitter or if it was on Facebook, and I can’t remember who posted it, but the content of the message stuck with me. She said she coated pork chops in onion soup mix and ranch dressing mix and pan-fried them, and that her husband loved them. They sounded like something we would really love, too, so I finally decided to put them on our meal plan.

Joe sometimes gets (playfully) irritated with me for trying different pork chop recipes since he has a definite favorite version that I make, but he turned out to be happy that I made these. He really enjoyed them – we all did, in fact. The ranch dressing and onion soup mixes gave them great flavor, and a dredge in some flour made them crunchy and kept all the juices in.

I used a couple of tablespoons of ranch dressing mix for the pork chops, and the remaining tablespoon for some baby red potatoes. I used my normal method for roasting the potatoes, with the addition of the ranch mix, and I loved the flavor it gave them. Together, the pork chops and potatoes were a satisfying, flavorful, and delicious meal.

Two-Packet Pork Chops and Ranch-Roasted Potatoes

8 baby red potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless pork loin chops
1 packet onion soup mix
1 packet ranch dressing mix, divided
1/2 cup flour

1. For the potatoes, preheat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Melt butter and mix with olive oil. Add to potatoes, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of ranch dressing mix, and toss to combine. Roast in the oven, stirring frequently, for 20 to 30 minutes to desired crispiness.

2. Meanwhile, heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork chops on both sides with salt, pepper, onion soup mix, and remaining 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing mix. Coat each pork chop in flour, shake off the excess, and fry until browned and cooked through.

3. Serve pork chops alongside potatoes.

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

This is one of the first recipes I ever pinned on Pinterest. I’ve since gone on to pin (or re-pin) more than 500 food-related items, but I kept this one in the back of my mind, because it was one I knew that I definitely wanted to try. Roasted garlic, roasted cauliflower...Um, YUM. As soon as the weather cooled down enough that soup seemed like an appropriate dinner option, I put it on our menu.

The beauty of this soup is in its simplicity. It’s literally only four ingredients, not including oil and seasonings, and that allows its flavor to really shine through. It’s intensely flavorful, slightly sweet from the roasted garlic, slightly sharp from the leeks, and slightly earthy from the cauliflower. It’s creamy without containing a hint of cream. Underneath it all is the nutty flavor brought out by roasting the vegetables. I served it alongside a humble grilled cheese sandwich and topped each serving with croutons for some crunch. This was such a simple, delicious dinner.

Roasted Cauliflower, Leek and Garlic Soup
slightly adapted from Tartelette

1 small head of cauliflower
1 whole head of garlic
2 leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and position a rack in the middle.

2. Trim the outer leaves from the cauliflower head. Cut in quarters, remove the core, and cut the cauliflower into medium size florets. Place on a large baking sheet.

3. Peel each garlic clove and place the peeled cloves on the baking sheet with the cauliflower.

4. Trim the white part from the green stalk of the leeks. Keep the white part and cut into medium sized chunks. Wash well under water and place also on the baking sheet.

5. Drizzle with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes.

6. Let cool slightly. Place in a food processor, start running the machine and add enough stock to have a creamy soup. Re-season if necessary with salt and pepper. Serve.