ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON

Raise your hand if you hate brussels sprouts!  Okay, now put it down because I'm about to convert you.  People either love them or hate them, and it takes a great recipe to turn the haters.  This is most definitely one of those recipes.  It is super simple and super delicious.  Did I mention the bacon???  These are the only ingredients you'll need:

Clean your brussels sprouts and cut off the hard bottoms.  Cut the bigger sprouts in half, unless you have a gigantic mouth.  In a baking dish or pan, toss them with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Mix mix mix.  Mentally prepare yourself for bacon time.  I read somewhere that if you rinse your bacon with water before you cook it, then it won't shrivel up!  This recipe sounded like it needed fat, soft bacon, so I rinsed four slices of thick cut bacon in cold water.  Then I cut them into inch sized pieces (get out those kitchen scissors!) and scattered them on top of the veggies.

Bake at 400 for half an hour, stirring once halfway through.  I put them under the broiler for a couple minutes at the end to give them a teeny bit more crisping.

Original recipe here

SHORT RIB LASAGNA

I tore another recipe from one of my mom's magazines.  Better Homes and Gardens had this amazing recipe in their February issue.  I was instantly sold because I love tender, shredded meat and I do NOT like ricotta cheese.  This is a ricotta-less lasagna!  Instead, it has a creamy Gruyere cheese sauce.  It was so comforting and delicious.  Short ribs simmered for a few hours with carrots, onions, mushrooms, beef broth and red wine. Layered with the cheese sauce and pasta, baked to perfection!  Yum.  MAKE THIS!

A few tweaks to make this lasagna as flavorful as possible: after shredding the meat, add a little salt and pepper to taste.  Don't completely drain the meat super dry, let it stay juicy; you want those flavors in your finished product.  Season the cheese sauce with salt and pepper before assembling the lasagna.  Taste it and make sure it's to your liking.  Also, my meat took about four and a half hours to finish cooking on the stove top, so don't bank on yours being done after the stated time in recipe.  My meat was thick!  Broil at the end if you want a golden crust on top.

Hello, meat.

Hello, lasagna.

FRESH AND LIGHT TORTELLONI PRIMAVERA

Say it with me, people: EASY MEALS ARE BEST!  WASHING DISHES IS THE WORST!  You'll love this fabulous pasta dinner because it only requires two pots.  Hooray!

This meal is also fab because it's super versatile.  If you want a meatless meal, use cheese filled pasta.  Substitute your favorite veggies, or add even more.  I was in a rush, so I used a frozen steamer bag of broccoli and canned tomatoes (sorry, Adam).  Surely, this would taste even more scrumptious with all fresh vegetables (just ask Adam).  Fresh mushrooms are a MUST, as is refrigerated tortelloni.  The dry kind is cheaper, but those little guys just don't cook up as plumply.  Another plus about this meal is the lack of a heavy sauce.  The simple combination of extra virgin olive oil and pasta water make it perfectly saucy.  Seasoning here is key: use the amount of salt, pepper and crushed red pepper that suits your palate.

The main lineup

The flavor (tomatoes in both pics, oops)

 
Harris Teeter brand is my favorite, especially this flavor.  But use the kind you love!

Begin by sauteing your mushrooms with salt and pepper.  When they look done, after about 10 minutes, stir in your garlic. 

Pour in the undrained tomatoes and add some crushed red pepper.  Toss in the cooked broccoli.  Boil the pasta.  The directions call for 5 minutes, but it always seems crunchy, so I let it go 10 minutes.

When pasta is done, drain it and add it to the veggie filled skillet.

Cheese time!

Mix it up!



Ingredients


2 packages fresh tortelloni (9 ounces each)
1 lb sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella)
1 can petite diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, oregano (undrained)
1 bag frozen broccoli, prepared according to package directions (or a fresh head of broccoli)
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup to 1 cup fresh, shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
crushed red pepper, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste


Begin boiling a large pot of water for the pasta.  Saute mushrooms in large nonstick skillet with salt and pepper.  When the water begins boiling, salt it and add the pasta.  Your mushrooms should be nicely sauteed by now, so add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about one minute.  Add the can of tomatoes, crushed red pepper and cooked broccoli.  Simmer while pasta cooks, about 10 minutes.  Before draining the pasta, scoop out 1-2 cups starchy pasta water and set aside.  Add drained pasta to skillet with the olive oil and give it a stir.  Add pasta water until it's easily stirrable.  Mix in the cheese, adding additional pasta water if necessary.  Serve immediately.

LENTIL SOUP WITH BEEF

 
Do you ever rip recipe pages from magazines that don't belong to you?  I do it all the time, especially with my mom's magazines.  She knows this and forbids me from tearing out any of her pages.  "Because, Katie, what if I want to make that recipe some day?!"  How dare she!  So I have to take tiny little pictures with my phone of the recipes I like.  Poor me.

Anyway, I saw this recipe in her Family Circle magazine and it sounded scrumptious!  I've always wanted to cook with dry beans, and this sounded like an easy introduction.  The recipe calls for sirloin steak, which is fairly affordable.  I couldn't find any at the store, so I ended up purchasing some other Angus boneless steak.  It's going to be cooked for 8 hours in a crockpot, so whichever cut you choose, it'll be cooked to tender perfection.

Cut your meat into equal sized pieces to ensure even cooking.  Brown in a skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper.  This will give your soup a richer flavor.  If you're short on time you can just throw raw meat in the crockpot.  The only change I made to the recipe was to add a can of petite diced tomatoes, dried oregano and salt.  I also upped the amount of all the veggies to boost the nutrition!  You can serve as a soup, or make it a filling meal and serve over cooked egg noodles.  I am addicted to pasta, so I chose the latter.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless sirloin steak
4 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained (1/2 a lb)
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Trim fat from meat and cut into equal sized pieces, about 3/4 an inch.  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in nonstick skillet.  Add meat, season with salt and pepper then cook until browned.  Add meat to crockpot.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours.  Taste and add additional salt as needed.  Serve over egg noodles or as a soup.  *Note: you may notice fresh parsley in the pictures and the original recipe, but I don't think it belonged in this soup.  It was an unwelcome surprise to bite into, and I will omit it next time.