Penne Alla Vodka

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A few of my bridesmaids came over the other night to help me address, stamp, stuff and seal my save-the-dates. It was a very last minute decision since I had recently found out my shipment would be arriving that morning, and I wanted to get them in the mail as soon as possible. It was a Friday (and who really wants to be licking envelopes on a Friday night?), so I wanted to at least make them dinner and give them some wine as a thank you.  My first thought was to make this recipe and I'm so glad I did. It turned out delicious and they all really enjoyed it!

I love ordering Penne Alla Vodka at restaurants, so I was so glad that this sauce came out the way it did. It was amazing. The red pepper flakes infused in the vodka beforehand added a little heat, and the addition of cream really balanced out the flavors. I'm glad I stuck to my guns and added the prosciutto, because it was a pleasant surprise and added a lot of flavor. This is definitely in the running for my favorite Penne alla Vodka recipe of all time. Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz.) box penne pasta
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 lb. prosciutto, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (8 oz.) can of water
• 1 cup light cream
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine vodka and red pepper flakes. Set aside for one hour (longer or less time depending on how spicy you want it).

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute prosciutto, garlic, parsley, basil, salt and pepper until prosciutto is evenly brown, about 3 minutes.

Pour in vodka mixture and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in crushed tomatoes with 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 (8 oz.) can of water.  Simmer 15 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup light cream and cook two minutes.

Toss with cooked penne and serve. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Source: Adapted from All Recipes

Lemon Sorbet

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Sometimes I just need to make something. Anything. I consider cooking a hobby of mine, and when the mood strikes, I just need to get in the kitchen. This feeling can come at any time, but no matter when it is, I am always determined to make something. Anything. Even if it doesn't really involve cooking.

It struck me this past Sunday morning, when I was sitting around getting ready to go to lunch. I only had about 45 minutes to spare, but I needed to make something. I had the itch and it just would not go away. I even get a little grumpy if I'm in the mood to make something and I don't get the chance to. Ask Chris. It's not a pretty sight!

I flipped through my Betty Crocker cookbook and found a ton of recipes that I wanted to make. All of them took a lot of preparation and even more cooking time, but then I came across this Lemon Sorbet recipe. I know it's fall, and in fall you're technically not supposed to be making sorbet, but it was hot and humid outside so I figured I could let it slide. This took maybe ten minutes to make and turned out fantastic. If you love lemonade, you need to give this a try! I topped mine with frozen blueberries and it was the perfect accompaniment. Your kids will love it, too!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz.) can lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 3 tbsp. honey
• Blueberries, fresh or frozen, optional
• Lemon slices, optional

Combine the lemonade, water and honey in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture in to an 8-inch square glass pan. Put the pan in the freezer and allow to freeze for at least 4 hours. Stir the mixture every half hour or so to make sure you get the sorbet consistency you want.

Garnish with blueberries and lemon slices.

Source: Betty Crocker Bonus Edition Cookbook

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

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Oh my word. These chicken drumsticks are to die for.

The glaze on these are incredible, and it's not even that hard to make! You basically just brown the chicken, simmer it in the sauce, and then reduce the sauce to make a glaze. How easy is that? And you'll be thankful because these are some of the tastiest chicken legs I've had in a long time. I even had to make them two times in a span of four days because Chris enjoyed them that much. I served them with rice, and the glaze drizzled over it was perfect. Broccoli would be really good with this, too. Hope you enjoy these as much as Chris and I did!

Delicious!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed
• Olive oil spray
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp. hot sauce (optional)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 tsp. sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp. scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil.

Add water, hot sauce, balsamic, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and ginger and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes.

Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minutes, until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick).

Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives and sesame seeds and serve.

Source: Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Kicked-Up Baked Mac and Cheese with Chicken

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The temperature has been slowly dropping in DC, so I figured it was finally safe to turn on the oven. I try to avoid doing that at all costs during the summer because normally the sequence of events goes something like this:

Turn on the oven.

Start to sweat.

Turn on the fan.

Put the food in the oven.

Start to sweat more.

Grunt while walking up two flights of stairs to put on shorts and a tank top.

Walk back down two flights of stairs.

Sweat some more.

Remove food from the oven.

Sweat one last time.

Turn off the oven.

Start to freeze from the AC.

Grunt while walking back up two flights of stairs for a pair of sweats.

Yes, I try to avoid this at all costs.

Besides finally being able to turn on the oven, there are a bunch of other things I love about fall. Boot weather, warm soups, apple picking, and comfort foods are just a few of them. But the one thing I absolutely hate is waking up and driving to work when it's still dark out. When is Daylight Savings again? I guess I don't really mind as long as I can have the brisk mornings and the nice, cool temperatures throughout the day. Nothing beats this time of year. Oh, plus it's football season. Go BLUE!!!

One of my favorite types of comfort food to make in the fall is macaroni and cheese. Making it from scratch is so delicious and a lot easier than you would think. This baked mac and cheese recipe doesn't even require much attention or diligence. Normally you would have to constantly stir the sauce over the burner while it thickens, but for this one, all you have to do is cook the macaroni, combine the wet ingredients, and then pour it all over the top. Simple! Plus I spruced it up by adding some chicken and diced jalapenos. Yum! Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz.) box elbow macaroni
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 2 cups reduced-fat Cheddar and/or Mexican blend cheese, shredded (plus extra for top)
• 1/4 cup jarred jalapeno slices, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. 

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Season with seasoned salt, paprika and cayenne pepper. Heat a medium skillet and spray with cooking spray. Add chicken and cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Whisk two eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk and cheese and stir well. Add chicken and chopped jalapenos and stir until blended.

Put cooked macaroni in the bottom of the sprayed casserole dish. Pour milk mixture evenly over top. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set. Sprinkle reserved cheese over top during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Enjoy!

Source: SK Original

Baked Apple Oatmeal

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It's an annual tradition for my family to go apple picking. All twelve of us. I love my family to death, but I'll be the first to admit that we're all a bit screwy. Not the kind of screwy like we need to be locked up in a mental hospital. But the kind of screwy like we found a random string in between two apple trees, so we all started clapping and singing and doing the Limbo. And it's a sight for sore eyes when you're watching a group ranging in age from 3-39 doing the Limbo. Not your average family. But boy, do we have fun.

We always manage to get pounds and pounds of apples when we go apple picking...often more than we know what to do with. This year I told myself I would try out a few new recipes other than the standard apple pie and apple bread. This baked apple oatmeal was the first one I tried, and I automatically ruled it a success. Since the weather is getting a little chilly, it's nice to wake up in the morning and have a warm bowl of oatmeal with crunchy apples. Enjoy!

Oh, and just for giggles...here are some pictures of us doing the Limbo. We're not very talented:

 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients 

• 2 2/3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4 cups milk
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 medium apples, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired
• Additional milk, if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In 2-quart casserole, mix oats, raisins, 4 cups milk, the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt and apples.

Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed. Top with walnuts. Serve with additional milk.

Source: Betty Crocker