CRAB CAKES

This was the first time I ever made crab cakes!  Now that I know how easy it is, I think they are going to be a regular in the dinner rotation in this house.  It took no time to combine the ingredients, then form them into adorable little "cakes", then broil for 10 minutes.  Done!  I like pure crab cakes, meaning: mostly crab, no veggies, not a lot of breading.  I used a minimal amount of panko breadcrumbs just to hold them together.  Use what suits your taste!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons mayo
2 teaspoons Old Bay
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dry ground mustard (you can use actual mustard if you so desire)
1 egg, beaten
1 lb fresh lump crab meat
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs (more or less, depending on preference)

Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl, mixing well.  Gently fold in crab meat, using your hands or a big mixing spoon.  Gradually add in breadcrumbs until it feels like the crab meat is loosely held together.  Be gentle so you have big lumps of crab, not shredded little bits.

For crab cakes a bit bigger than a golfball, form 6 round patties.  If you want quarter pound monsters, make 4 patties.  I like mine tall and round, but you can always make them flatter, like a burger.  Sprinkle some extra Old Bay on top!

Broil on high for 10 minutes.  Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a side of remoulade.

SAUTEED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

This is an easy side you can add to almost any meal.  Hmm... or you could even just eat an entire bowl as a snack or small meal.  It pairs especially well with steak!

Have you ever roasted whole, or even halved, brussels sprouts?  You know the tiny little leaves that fall off and then just get absolutely crispy and delicious?  This is like eating all of those at once.  YUM.

You can use your mandolin to shred/shave some brussels sprouts, OR you can take the easier route and get them pre-shredded from the produce section.  The kind they shred IN the store, not the mass produced, bagged kind.  Those are not the best.

First, heat your nonstick skillet over medium-high and add in some olive oil.  Once it shimmers, throw in your sprouts.

Toss them around to coat them in the olive oil, then DO NOT TOUCH!  You want them to get nice and crispy and beautifully browned.  Maybe 5 minutes.

Then, give them about 10 turns of the pepper grinder, and two nice pinches of coarse kosher salt.  Toss.  Keep cooking and gently tossing until they're to your desired doneness.  I like them a little bit crisp, so I don't cook them too long for fear of mush.  Maybe 5 more minutes.  Follow your heart.  And your eyes!

Sometimes I add a squeeze of lemon or a few splashes of balsamic vinegar.  My favorite way to enjoy them is with BACON, but of course we can't eat bacon every day.

HUMMUS CRUSTED CHICKEN

Do you ever bookmark recipes, only to forget about them and then of course, never make them?  Yeah. Me neither.  So when my friend, Nicole, sent me this recipe for Hummus Crusted Chicken I had two thoughts.  1, this chicken looks AMAZING.  And 2, this chicken looks FAMILIAR.  So I searched my saved recipes, and sure enough, there it was!  That's when you know you have to make something.  Nicole has never led me astray when it comes to food, and she absolutely raved about this chicken.  Oh, and did I mention it cooks in one pan and requires minimal prep?

I didn't follow the recipe EXACTLY (shocking, I know) so here are my changes: I used my mandoline to slice the veggies in record time, forgot to use an onion, fileted the chicken breasts so they'd cook faster, and used sumac AND smoked paprika for flavor.  Pat the chicken as dry as you can get it so the hummus sticks on there really well. 

Delicious and healthy dinner in half an hour, what more could you ask for?

P.S.  Apologies for the not great pictures.  Lack of daylight and desire to dig in are to blame.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND PESTO PASTA VIA SIRIOUSLY DELICIOUS

I don't know about you guys, but I am feeling lazy.  September means school is back in session and ordering pizza/Chinese/both is becoming extremely tempting.  Measuring ingredients and reading a recipe seems like too daunting a task these days.  So when I saw this "recipe" I knew it had to happen in my kitchen.  We've had this pasta twice now, and the first time I found a bag of shaved brussels sprouts at Target.  The second time, I finally got to use the amazing mandoline my lovely friend, Andrea, gave me for my birthday!  It was fun.  The pieces were more substantial than the bagged kind and had fresher flavor.  You could also use a very sharp knife if you aren't lucky enough to have an Andrea in your life.

The amount of pesto, pasta, cheese and brussels sprouts really depends on your personal taste.  I used an entire pound of veggies, but you may not love brussels sprouts so you could use less, of course.  Mix and taste until you find the amount perfect for you!

P.S.  This is fabulous leftover and definitely makes lunch a happy occasion.

Yup, that's all you need!

I love you, mandoline.

Crispy and browned.

Don't forget to save some yummy pasta water!

Mix mix mix.

Dig in.  I dare you to resist!

Ingredients

1 lb pasta (any short shape will do)
1 lb Brussels sprouts, shaved
7-10 ounces refrigerated pesto basil
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
grated parmesan cheese (I used 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup reserved pasta water

Boil pasta in salted water in a large pot, according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute Brussels sprouts in olive oil until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  When pasta is al dente, scoop out about a cup of pasta water.  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add pesto, brussels sprouts and almost all the pasta water.  Stir to combine, then add cheese.  Give it a good stir, and decide if you need to add remaining pasta water to give it a saucy consistency.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve immediately. 

SPICY CHICKEN TACO PASTA

This meal was the result of cleaning out the pantry.  Half a box of pasta, a can of enchilada sauce, chicken broth, frozen chicken breasts, fajita seasoning, Ro-tel, sour cream, half a block of white cheddar and half a block of yellow.  We were craving both Mexican and comfort food.  This meal was the perfect combination of the two!  A co-worker gave me a packet of Lawry's Fajita Seasoning awhile back and I've been trying to think of a creative way to use it.  She swears by this stuff and orders it in bulk online, so I knew it would be delicious.

I seasoned the frozen chicken breasts with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper then baked them.  While they were cooking, I boiled the pasta in all the liquid ingredients.  When the chicken was done, I shredded it and tossed it in the pasta along with the cheese and sour cream.  We like beans in southwestern pasta, but didn't have any whole beans.  I heated up a can of refried beans and debated whether to mix it into the pasta, or just use it as a base under the pasta in our individual bowls.  I went with the latter and it was definitely a winner.  Next time I make this I may purchase a rotisserie chicken so I can skip cooking the chicken altogether!  Plus, I am kind of a rotisserie chicken skin addict.

The Ro-tel and enchilada sauce were both spicy, so adjust according to your own preference.

Ingredients

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (precooked would save a step!)
Chili powder
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
8 ounces any small shape pasta
2 cups chicken broth
1 can enchilada sauce, 10 oz
1 packet fajita or taco seasoning
1 can Ro-tel (or petite diced tomatoes)
1-2 cups shredded cheddar (I used extra sharp yellow and white)
1 cup sour cream
1 can refried beans

Season chicken with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes, or until fully cooked through, then shred.  If using cooked chicken, shred and set aside.  In large skillet with lid, combine broth, enchilada sauce, fajita seasoning and Rotel.  Stir until seasoning is completely dissolved, then stir in pasta.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 15 minutes, or until pasta is done.  Taste then season with salt and pepper as necessary.  Stir in cheese until melted, then stir in sour cream.  Serve over cooked refried beans. 

SKILLET PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND SPINACH

This simple pasta dish has such fresh flavor.  It came together in about half an hour and only used one skillet.  Perfect for a weeknight dinner, then packing the leftovers for lunch the next day.  This was one of the first ever meals I cooked for my man.  That was way back in the days when I thought putting bagel bites in the toaster oven rather than the microwave made me a true cooking connoisseur.  Seriously.  If this meal was easy enough for that girl, it's easy enough for anybody.

Saute mushrooms until beautiful!

Cook your pasta in delicious, meaty broth

Gorgeous.  Time to add some cheese!

Eat up, buttercup!

Ingredients

1 lb sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 1/2 cups rotini (or any short pasta)
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
6 oz baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan
crushed red pepper, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Add mushrooms to large skillet and cook over medium high heat.  Cook mushrooms until tender and cooked down a bit, 5-10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, then add 1 clove of garlic.  Stir until fragrant, about a minute.  Remove to plate.  Add sausage to skillet, crumble and brown until fully cooked.  Drain off fat.  Add remaining 2 cloves of garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.  Pour in pasta, broth and water.  Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes, until pasta is done and most liquid has evaporated.  Turn off heat.  Add spinach by handfuls, stirring until wilted.  Stir in mushrooms and parmesan.  Taste, then add necessary salt and pepper.

*Notes: feel free to use spicy sausage, chicken sausage, whatever floats your boat.  Sub sundried tomatoes or another veggie for the mushrooms if you'd like.  This meal can easily be suited to your tastes!

BBQ CHICKEN SALAD

Are you trying to eat healthier for the new year?  Are you choking down lots of boring, low calorie canned soups?  Frozen diet meals?  Munching on celery?!  Stop it.  Stop it now.  Eat this salad instead!

It is so simple.  Throw some fresh, boneless, skinless chicken tenders or breasts in your slow cooker.  Pour on a combination of BBQ sauce, Italian salad dressing, and Worcestershire on top.  Cook.  Shred right there in the crockpot, then stir so it soaks up that delicious sauce.  EAT.  See?  Told you it was easy.  Important note: USE GOOD BBQ SAUCE!  Use your favorite, if you have one.  If you use bargain sauce, you will be able to taste the difference.

For the chicken

When you take the lid off your crockpot, it may look super liquidy!  Have no fear.  Just grab a wooden spoon, tongs or two forks and break that chicken apart.  It'll soak up the sauce in no time.

For the salad

Ingredients

For the chicken:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders/breasts
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

For the salad:
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
BBQ sauce
Ranch
Tomatoes (my tomatoes were past their prime, had to omit)
Corn chips

Place chicken in crockpot.  In small bowl, mix together BBQ sauce, Italian dressing and Worcestershire.  Pour over chicken.  Set crockpot to low for 4 hours.  If chicken is frozen, increase time to at least 6 hours.  Shred chicken in crockpot and mix into sauce.  Serve immediately, or cook on low for another 30 minutes.  Place romaine in giant bowl.  After draining and rinsing corn and beans, toss with romaine.  Top with chicken, ranch and BBQ sauce then mix again.  Add chips last so they don't get soggy.

29 of these yummies only have 150 calories!

SPICY SMOKED SAUSAGE PASTA

Have I ever told you how much I love pasta?  How whenever I want a snack, and people suggest crackers, raw veggies, granola bars, fruit, chips, pretzels and other worthless calories, I'd like to have just a few bites of pasta to tide me over until my next meal?  How my pantry has an entire shelf dedicated to various shapes?  How finding a new or rare shape gives me a euphoric high?  How I had a love affair with the (sadly) short lived mac and cheese from Wendy's?

Now that my secret is out, let's talk about this pasta I made today.  It's a spin on a top recipe from Tim's favorite website, Kevin & Amanda.  I've made it a few times and have tweaked it a bit.  Whenever I cook with cream, sauces end up too watery.  According to myself and several comments on the recipe, this may happen.  I have two strategies I use to avoid a runny pasta sauce in this particular dish.  So you can use the original recipe, or stay here and follow along.

Reasons why this recipe rules: I get to use my cast iron skillet.  It's cheesy, meaty and pasta...y.  It only dirties one pan.  It takes about half an hour to make.  It tastes fab leftover.

Once out of oven, LEAVE POTHOLDER ON HANDLE so you don't grab it barehanded!

Ingredients

1 lb smoked sausage
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 ounces pasta, any medium or large short shape will work
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1-2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Heat oven proof skillet over medium high heat, then add sliced sausage.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes, until crispy and browned on both sides.  Add chopped onions, cook and stir for about 5 minutes until onions are tender and slightly browned.  Add garlic and stir for about a minute.  Pour in Rotel, broth, cream, pasta, salt and pepper.  Stir until mixed well.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for about 8 minutes.  Remove cover and simmer for another 8 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.  Remove from heat and stir in about 3/4 cup of cheese.  Sprinkle the remainder of cheese on top, making sure it's enough cheese to create a nice brown crust.  Turn your oven's broiler to high, then put skillet in oven.  WATCH CAREFULLY and let the cheese brown, about 5 minutes.  Remove skillet from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. 

Special notes:  Original recipe calls for 8 ounces of pasta, but that isn't enough to keep it from getting too liquidy.  You can add more pasta, like I did, or if you want to stick to 8 ounces, cut the chicken broth in half.  If you notice the sauce is a bit on the watery side, take off the lid earlier and let that liquid boil away and reduce.  I've used large shells, penne and campenelle pasta for this and they all work well.  I use Barilla pasta, which I've found takes the longest to cook.  Store brand pasta usually cooks faster, so you may want to reduce the liquid if you're using a quicker cooking pasta.

ROASTED BROCCOLI WITH MUSHROOMS

Do you ever buy those bags of frozen veggie steamers?  They're actually quite good.  The veggies are bright, crisp and full of flavor.  However, it turns out you can do that yourself and make them taste even better!  Can you tell I lack experience cooking vegetables?  My friend Aaron was making fun of my blog posts due to the lack of fresh produce.  I explained that I simply do not know how to make them.  He told me that his wife, Emily, the lovely and talented pasta maker, taught him to become a veggie lover.  "She just throws olive oil and salt on them and roasts the crap out of them in the oven!"  Simple explanations are all I really need, people.  Feel free to share with me.

Apparently, the produce section and I have struck up a friendship.

Ingredients

2 broccoli bunches (sold next to the broccoli heads!)
2 packages sliced baby bella mushrooms (or whatever kind you like)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
coarse kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450.  Wash broccoli and break into florets.  Place in large roasting or baking dish.  Add mushrooms.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on seasonings.  Using your hands, mix well until everything is evenly coated.  You don't need to use too much olive oil since the mushrooms will release enough liquid to cook both veggies without risk of drying out.  Bake for about 15 minutes, mixing veggies once halfway through.  When mushrooms look cooked down and broccoli starts to get a little color, take out of oven.  Serve immediately.

CRISPY BAKED SMASHED POTATOES

This is one of the first things I learned to cook when I became domesticated.  My other half has an obsession with potatoes: baked, fried, smashed, mashed, sauteed.  The only "recipe" I knew was chopping them up, shaking them in a bag with a packet of onion soup mix, and baking them.  Which is delicious, by the way!

Anyway, I had to learn new methods to make my man's favorite food.  I came across this recipe several times on different cooking blogs.  It's simple.  Cook potatoes until they're soft.  Place them on a baking sheet, smash them flat, drizzle on olive oil, season, bake.  The first step is up to you.  Do you have time to boil potatoes, or would you rather microwave them?  I've only done the microwave method, and they've been delicious each time.  Toppings are also up to you.  Salt and pepper, seasoned salt, cheese, bacon and mushrooms are all fine choices.  This is a recipe you can truly make your own.  Just make sure you salt the potatoes well, since salt is a potato's best friend.  You can also use whatever size potato you want.  The smaller ones allow you to eat several and be able to justify it since they're so teeny.  If you go big, you'll probably only be able to eat one or two without feeling shame.  

Ingredients

3-4 small potatoes or 1-2 medium potatoes per person
extra virgin olive oil
coarse kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
seasoned salt, shredded cheese, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, whatever you want to top these babies with!

Preheat oven to 450.  Wash and scrub potatoes well.  Poke holes in each potato with a fork.  Microwave potatoes on plate covered with a paper towel for about 8 minutes, or until fork tender.  Lightly drizzle a cookie sheet or the broiler pan from your oven with olive oil, so the potatoes don't stick during cooking.  Place potatoes on pan, then smash them flat with a fork or potato masher.  The skin will crack open so you'll have yummy soft potato, but also some crispy skin.  Drizzle each potato with about half a tablespoon of oil (enough so they won't dry out, but aren't soaked; use your judgement here) then generously sprinkle on salt and pepper.  Bake for about 25 minutes, or until potatoes are browned and crispy.  Serve immediately.

PIONEER WOMAN BOWTIE LASAGNA

MAKE THIS RECIPE.  Seriously, make this now.  Even if you've never cooked before in your life, you can make this pasta.  It is foolproof.  The Pioneer Woman has a section of 16 minute meals on her website, and I am so glad this is the one I chose to make.  It was easy, quick and so flavorful.  I'm making it again this week!  It would be the perfect "leftovers lunch" to bring to work.  Original recipe here, including the always fabulous PW step by step photos.

This recipe calls for "your favorite" jarred pasta sauce, so make sure you don't choose blindly.  If you make your own sauce, definitely use it.  Someone recommended Rao's pasta sauce, but it had an $8.99 price tag at Target.  It was surrounded by several other brands which were selling for between $1-3 a jar.  I really do think Prego is delicious; it's what I always purchase.  But this meal was already a bargain, so I decided to splurge.  OH. MY.  Let me tell you, it was beyond worth it.  I don't think I'll ever purchase any other brand.  This sauce was legit.  I could actually taste and smell the herbs and it was a perfect consistency.

The jar was too messy to take a pic of; my sister dropped it in the skillet!

I followed the recipe, except for a few tiny adjustments.  I added a full cup of mozzarella, a tad more sour cream and I used the entire 16 oz box of pasta.  It was the perfect amount to feed four hungry adults.

Ingredients

1 lb bowtie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground chuck
1 jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup sour cream

Boil pasta in large pot of salted water until al dente, drain.  In large skillet, brown and crumble ground chuck until fully cooked, drain fat and return to pan.  Pour cooked pasta on top of meat, then drizzle on olive oil.  Pour on jar of sauce, salt, garlic powder and Italian seasonings.  Stir.  Add cheese and sour cream.  Stir over low heat until cheese is melted and all ingredients are combined.  Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.  Serve with parmesan or additional mozzarella, if desired.

This pasta makes me so happy. 

CHEESY RANCH TURKEY BURGERS

Remember when I said I wanted to use this cheese in new recipes?  Well, I did it!  I'm also still sticking to my vow of not grocery shopping, and only using what I've currently got in the kitchen.  I used the remainder of the delicious pimento cheese, but I think next time I'll use even more for ultimate cheese flavor.

This is a simple recipe.  One pound extra lean ground turkey, one packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder seasoning, and of course, Spicy White Cheddar pimento cheese.  These burgers had so much flavor that while cooking the second batch, we ate the first batch without toppings or buns!  Yum.  There were some ripe avocados and romaine lettuce leftover from salad night earlier this week.  By the way, I just realized that I bought the romaine on Monday, washed and dried it in my new salad spinner, and it's still fresh today.  I am now officially a salad spinner convert.

Begin by combining turkey, ranch seasoning and cheese in a large bowl with your hands.  Form and flatten into patties.  Heat some oil or butter in a large nonstick skillet, then cook burgers over medium heat.  Flip them after about 7 minutes, when they've got a nice brown crust.  Cook on other side until cooked through.  We had ours on delicious, soft pretzel slider rolls.

Moisten the tops with a little water...

then, sprinkle on some coarse salt.

Ingredients

1 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder
Pimento cheese, anywhere from 1/3 cup to half the package*
Butter or oil for cooking
salt and pepper
toppings
buns

Using your hands, mix turkey, ranch powder, and cheese in large bowl.  Form into 4 patties for burgers, or 8 patties for sliders.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat, then heat up oil or butter.  Cook burgers 2 or 3 at a time, and cook sliders 4 at a time.  You don't want to crowd them in the skillet.  Cook for about 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through.  Serve on hamburger buns or slider rolls.  Top with additional cheese, lettuce, avocado, thousand island, etc.

*Note: I've made the burgers using the entire container of cheese and it was a DISASTER.  I could barely form patties, and when I finally did they just fell apart.  Don't use more than half the package, unless you want a bowl of turkey crumbles for dinner.  It was still delicious!