Spicy Sesame Noodles

2/3 cup (150 g) peanut butter
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 lb. (225 g) linguine
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

• In a saucepan, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, and green onion and mix well.
• Add the sesame oil and cayenne pepper. Heat slowly, whisking until smooth.
• Meanwhile, cook the linguine according to the package directions. Drain.
• Place the linguine in a large bowl, add the peanut sauce, and toss to coat. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.
• Serve hot or cold.

Makes 4 servings

Read more: http://www.peta.org/recipes/spicy-sesame-noodles/#ixzz2xw3H5JKV

Mushroom Cream Pasta

This recipe was inspired by Macaroni Grill's Mushroom Ravioli. That was the best sauce I've ever had and I set about to recreating the flavor. I didn't measure anything, so I'll just go through the process. All measurements are eyeballed.

Mushroom Cream Pasta:

Start with:

6 oz. button mushrooms, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

In a little bit of olive oil, over medium-low heat, add the onions and saute until softened (5-7 minutes), add the mushrooms and cook until softened and then add the garlic and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often. Set mixture aside.

In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk together. Allow the flour to cook until golden brown, then slowly add in whole milk, whisking each 1/2 cup until the sauce has thickened. I add about 1/2 cup at a time until about 2 cups total have been added. I also added 1/2 cup chicken broth with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar mixed into it during the thickening process.

Once the sauce has been thickened, add, to taste, about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the cinnamon slowly, but it is the key to the awesome flavor. Once the sauce is a sweetly savory yumminess, add the vegetable mixture back into the sauce and heat through. Add about 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan to the sauce and stir until it melts.

I served this over whole wheat spiral pasta, but my husband and I agreed it would have been perfect over linguine. Sprinkle some fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top and enjoy!

Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Linguini

As I mentioned, Stu has been wanting us to eat healthier again, so this week I made my weekly menu with only vegetarian main courses. We will see if we stick to it or not, but last night's dinner was a HUGE hit! Kaden and Stu both had it for lunch today too.

Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Linguini:

6 ounces of Linguini
2 cups seeded and chopped cherry tomatoes
1 package of Organic frozen spinach (10 oz.) (thawed and squeezed)
1 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (you can use your favorite of the flavored variety if you'd like)

1) Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until done.
2) Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach, tomatoes and green onions and saute until soft.
3) Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder, stir in the feta cheese.
4) Heat, stirring until warmed and cheese is melting.
5) Toss with the pasta and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

S'getti and Meatballs

Last night we had spaghetti and meatballs. Usually I just make sauce with the meat in it, browned first, but I though I should try my hand at meatballs!

My Meat Balls:

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 pound of pork sausage
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I can't get those here so I pulled the croutons out of the cabinets and rolling-pinned them into breadcrumbs. Worked just fine)
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
If you want, add some fresh chopped basil and/or parsley for color and freshness in the flavor.

Preheat oven to 375 (f). In a large bowl, mix all ingredients with your hands and shape into 1-2 inch balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (this helps with clean up!). Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, turning them once during cooking to keep them from sticking.

Place balls in a saucepan and add your favorite spaghetti sauce (homemade or not, whatever), let them simmer together for about ten minutes.

In the meantime, you can make some awesome garlic bread!

Yummy Garlic Bread:
Melt half a stick of butter in a skillet over medium heat, add about 3 cloves of garlic that have been chopped roughly. Stir together and let the flavors combine for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and Dip your favorite crusty bread into the butter (sooo bad for you, I am sure, but you can also brush it on with a pastry brush if it makes you feel any better). Bake in the oven for a few minutes to toast the bread nicely. These were a huge hit!

Serve together with some boiled spaghetti noodles and a side salad. Yum!

Weekly Menus

I don’t know how many families out there prepare a weekly menu and shop with it in mind, but we sure do! To a bizarre degree actually. I keep watching these people on TV talk shows come on as guests with sure-fire ways to “cut spending” and “reduce your grocery bill by half”. Bull crap. I already DO all of their tips! So what are WE supposed to do?

First we plan out what we are going to eat for the week. This includes me opening up Food Network’s site and scrolling through my list of recipes saved on the computer. Inevitably I will choose MAYBE one recipe from these lists and we’ll settle on easier meals like “grilled chicken” instead of something from a recipe.

After the meals list is made we figure out what we have and what needs to go on the grocery list (you’ll notice I am using the “we” term here… Stu’s job is to watch TV on the couch while I make these lists and occasionally say “sure that sounds good”). We’re easy eaters for breakfast… cereal. Lunch for Kaden is either leftovers or a sandwich and grapes or watermelon. Stu takes leftovers and I eat soup or whatever I can create (this usually means either garlic paste with Arabic bread or a French baguette sliced and topped with some Gruyere cheese). But for dinner I try to cook something every week night. Our grocery list contains EXACTLY what we need. But, because of the inflated prices of food here, we still spend over a hundred bucks a week for two and a half people. We buy NO pre-made meals (mostly because they don’t sell them) and most of our cart is produce and baby stuff. Since we spend almost $20 on a pack of 70 diapers, and $16 for a can of formula, usually the bulk of our spending is on baby stuff. Even wipes run pretty expensive here. But every time one of the “experts” comes on TV I get all excited, hoping for new tips, usually to no avail (and I’m not freaking making my own bread when it’s less than 50 cents here).

Anyway, so here is our menu for the week, feel free to steal ideas. We don’t pick what day it will be on, we usually decide during the day which one we feel like having that evening.

Day 1: Grilled Steak, mashed potatoes, and frozen mixed vegetables.
Day 2: Three-Cheese chicken pasta bake (recipe follows), mini garlic toasts, and frozen corn.
Day 3: Hamburgers with cheese, tomato and lettuce, French fries.
Day 4: Rice, peas, and hamburger skillet meal.
Day 5: Chinese food meal (fried rice, steamed chicken wontons, sweet-and-sour chicken)

So, this I invented last night and it was pretty good. I call it 3-Cheese Chicken Pasta bake!

3-Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake:

1 lb. uncooked chicken, cut up into bite-sized cubes
3 cups uncooked spiral pasta noodles
½ cup chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
½ Jar of pasta sauce (I used traditional Ragu)
Basil seasoning
½ cup Sharp Cheddar cheese
¼ cup Mozzarella cheese
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Boil water for noodles, add noodles, cook until tender. Drain, set aside.
2) In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add to drained pasta. In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of olive oil and add chicken. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook until no longer pink, add to pasta mixture. Add a little sauce at a time to the pasta mixture until desired amount is achieved. Sprinkle with basil seasoning and mozzarella cheese, stir. Pour mixture into a glass baking dish and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and top with parmesan cheese.
3) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.