Roasted Broccoli Alfredo

Remember my obsession with roasted broccoli? Well, it’s still going strong, so much so that we eat it once a week or so with lots of different meals. What can I say, I just love everything about it -- the nutty flavor, the rich aroma, the slight crunch of the browned bits.

I recently had one of my best ideas to date. I’ve always loved adding broccoli to fettuccine alfredo, and when I was planning our menu one week, I wondered what it would taste like if I roasted the broccoli instead of just steamed it. It was delicious! The nuttiness of the broccoli paired so well with the creamy, cheesy sauce, and it added a nice textural element to the overall dish. I think roasted vegetables of any kind would work really well in fettuccine alfredo (roasted tomatoes, hello?!) since their richness pairs so nicely with alfredo sauce. The alfredo sauce I used for this recipe is pretty basic, no bells and whistles: just a touch of butter, cream cheese, milk, tons of parmesan cheese, a little salt, and lots of black pepper. This meal was a huge hit with my whole family.

Roasted Broccoli Alfredo

1 pound fettuccine
2 heads broccoli, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain.

2. Meanwhile, toss broccoli with olive oil, butter, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes.

3. To make the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and milk, stirring frequently. Heat it until it’s almost boiling, then stir in cheese and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Combine broccoli, drained pasta, and sauce. Stir gently and serve.

Spinach-Artichoke Chicken Melts

This recipe is based on a sandwich I had at a restaurant during a business lunch a while ago. As soon as I read the description on the menu -- “chicken breast with spinach & artichoke dip on toasted sourdough” -- I knew I’d be ordering it, and probably also duplicating it at home. I think I had it on our menu the following week.

I don’t know why I never thought of using spinach-artichoke dip as a sandwich spread before. It’s the perfect consistency for spreading, and its flavors would work really well on lots of types of sandwiches. For this sandwich, I made a quick stovetop version of spinach-artichoke dip, spread it on toasted slices of wheat bread, and topped it with a seasoned chicken cutlet. It was so simple and so delicious. Depending on how many sandwiches you make and how much of the dip you use on each sandwich, you’ll probably have some dip left over. But I definitely encourage you to make the full amount. Having leftover spinach-artichoke dip on hand is never a bad thing.

Spinach-Artichoke Chicken Melts
inspired by The Claddaugh

2 chicken breast cutlets, pounded thin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 15-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Toasted bread

1. Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and sauté in olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic cloves; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in cream cheese, artichokes, and spinach; cook until cream cheese is completely melted. (If needed, add a small amount of milk to desired consistency.) Stir in cheeses.

3. To assemble sandwiches, spread dip on one slice of toasted bread. Top with a chicken cutlet and the other slice of bread. Enjoy!

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 12.6.10

I hope you're all having a great weekend so far! Ours has been really nice, and I'm hoping that continues this afternoon, because we're taking the boys to our local science center. I think Andrew especially is really going to have a blast!

It was nice getting back into the groove of cooking last week, and I'm enjoying this brief taste of normalcy before the insanity of cookie baking and holiday preparations begins. Only one meal this week is a carry-over from last week. Looking over the meal plan, it looks like the theme for the week is casseroles. Nothing wrong with that in my book!

Monday: The boys are spending the night with my mother-in-law, so Joe and I are getting take-out Chinese and watching Zombieland. Can't wait!

Tuesday: Chicken noodle casserole

Wednesday: Creamy potato leek soup, cheddar biscuits

Thursday: Southwestern sloppy joes with honey lime cole slaw, sweet potato fries

Friday: No cooking

Saturday: Chicken enchilada casserole, honey lime cole slaw

Sunday: Franks and beans casserole

Burger and Fries Friday: Salsa Ranch Burgers

It’s been a long time since I did a Burger and Fries Friday post, but I’m finally bringing the feature back with a really great burger recipe. I found this one on Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi. I knew these salsa ranch burgers would be good, but I was still surprised by just how much we all actually liked them. The addition of salsa to the meat mixture itself gives the burgers incredible flavor and makes them really moist. And then there are the little pockets of melty cheese running through the burgers. And then there’s the tangy, slightly spicy sauce, composed simply of salsa and ranch dressing (as you can see, I went a little crazy with the sauce on my burger -- can you blame me?!). These burgers are a beefy, chessy, spicy treat!

Salsa Ranch Burgers
adapted from Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi

1 pound ground chuck
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Shredded cheese, salsa and ranch dressing for topping

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chuck, 1/2 cup salsa, shredded colby-jack, cumin, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Mix with hands and form into 4 patties.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray it with cooking spray. Carefully lay the patties in the skillet and cook over medium heat for several minutes on each side, until done.

3. Combine equal parts salsa and ranch dressing. Place burger on bun and top with shredded cheese and the salsa/ranch dressing sauce.

BBQ Beef Shepherd's Pie

Wow, I really can’t believe it’s December already. This year has gone by so fast! I’m kicking off the month with a really awesome recipe -- and, unlike yesterday’s sesame chicken, it comes highly recommended by my entire family, especially my husband!

There are some dishes that I see and think, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Some examples that come to mind are bacon guacamole and spinach and artichoke mac and cheese, and now, this barbecue beef shepherd’s pie. This is truly something special. Ground beef is mixed with corn, chile peppers, and barbecue sauce, and topped with mashed potatoes that have been doctored up with cheese, ranch dressing, green onions, and bacon. And it’s made right in a skillet -- no oven baking required -- and comes together in less than half an hour. It’s a comforting, indulgent meal for the cold winter days that are about to be upon us!

BBQ Beef Shepherd’s Pie
adapted from Betty Crocker

1 pound lean ground beef
1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
1 cup barbecue sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, unpeeled
Butter and milk for mashing potatoes
1/4 cup sliced green onions (about 4)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon ranch dressing
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1. Cook ground beef in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain well. Stir in corn, chilies, and barbecue sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, cook potatoes to fork-tender in boiling water. Drain and mash to desired consistency with salt, pepper, butter and milk. Stir in green onions, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, and bacon.

3. Spoon beef mixture into bowls and top with mashed potatoes. Serve.