Smoked Salt & Pepper

This meal has been on repeat since the start of COVID-19 stay-safe-at-home orders.  It's easy to throw together and is easily adjustable for whatever you have on hand.  I've used fresh pre-made ravioli, and have tried it with frozen ravioli.  My husband, my 3-year-old, and I will actually all eat and enjoy it. It goes great with red wine, per my sister. Super Easy Ravioli Lasagna Ingredients 2 cups diced roasted vegetables (I like an onion, a root vegetable, and/or hearty greens like kale or tomatoes)  You can use your imagination/whatever is in your pantry or freezer One 12 oz. packages of refrigerated ravioli One 24 oz. jar of marinara pasta sauce or stewed tomatoes 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese salt and pepper optional: 1 tbs. grated parmesan cheese and 1 tsp. dried oregano Directions Roast vegetables-Preheat oven to 425*F.  Toss vegetables with 1 tbs. olive oil and salt and pepper.  Roast on a pan for 20-25 minutes, t...

When I read this recipe, it was so simple and genius it blew my mind.  I couldn't wait to try it.  Who doesn't love eggplant parmesan?  But the breading, and frying, and layering can all be a bit time consuming and laborious. This proved to be a great recipe with all the great flavors of eggplant parmesan, that really was unfussy.  And delicious.  And probably slightly healthier with no frying.   I made it even more 'unfussy' by using pre-made tomato sauce, but adding a few fresh tomatoes for a better taste.  The idea came from this Food52 recipe . Unfussy Eggplant Parmesan Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 large globe eggplants 1 24 oz. jar tomato sauce (or you can make your own like the Food52 recipe) 1 Roma tomato, cut in quarters 1/2 c. shredded low moisture mozzarella cheese 2 tbs. grated parmesan  1/2 c. roughly torn bread salt olive oil optional: Basil leaves for garnish, Parmesan curls Directions: Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut ...

Sometimes, you tire of heavy Holiday foods. I mean...not really a lot. But there's gotta be like, ONE, meal where I don't crave thick slices of ham and full-fat egg nog. Spiked with a bit of rum. ...anyway. I was NOT referring to my own holiday let-loose diet. But on the off chance you want some veggies. And if you can get your hands on some eggplants still good from fall harvest then this recipe is a winner. winner. Eggplant dinner. I wrote this post SO LONG AGO that I'm not sure where I sourced the original recipe or idea. Possibly Martha Stewart Living subscription circa 2011? 2012? I stay on top of my blog, as you can see ;) Quinoa-Stuffed Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce Serves: 2 Ingredients: 2 large Eggplants 1 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained 1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage 1 quart baby bella or white mushrooms, cleaned Italian parsley, stems removed and roughly chopped salt and pepper Directions: Cook quinoa according to package directio...

I was perusing Food & Wine or maybe it was Epicurious...or Food52...who knows.  Anyway, it was one of those foodie websites/e-mails that I torture myself with every day when I came across this ravioli lasagna idea.  I had seen something similar on Pinterest but sometimes I don't trust Pinterest.  Those beautiful pictures of food are sometimes very deceiving.  I've been burned before with what looks like awesome recipes on Pinterest turning out as complete flops. Has this ever happened to you? https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-pinterest-fails/ Well, this ravioli lasagna is NOT the case of the Pinterest fail. It was a recipe win! A weeknight, super easy, semi-homemade winner winner ravioli lasagna dinner. A kind of feel guilty posting the recipe here because it's not really a recipe... More like some instructions on layering store-bought stuff. Well, the roasted vegetables I made.  But I think the recipe I originally looked at also said you could ...

I was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It was a bit challenging for me to be OK with the news because there was just a lot of frustration. I was frustrated with my doctor for not really giving me any information, I was frustrated with the situation because I consider myself rather healthy, I was frustrated in general and didn't have my normal coping mechanisms available: food and wine.  I work out a lot and I eat pretty healthy but I freaking love carbs. I literally made a shirt once in high school that said "I love carbs".   I could eat bread or rice or pasta everyday.  So being diabetic where I have to be more careful with my carb choices was really depressing to me.  I'm in a lot better place right now. I am meeting with the perinatal specialist and nutritionist today where I will hopefully get a lot of my questions answered, I got to talk to several friends who went through it and calmed me down, and I've been reading every single thing th...

Sometimes you have so much basil growing in your herb garden that you make tubs and tubs of pesto. And then you freeze some of that pesto. And then you get home from work 2 hours late and your stomach is screaming and you make this dish with chicken you have in the freezer, that bag of dry pasta from Costco, more grated Parmesan cheese and frozen peas.  Chicken and Pesto Gemilli Ingredients  1 lb chicken breast, cut in 1" cubes 1 lb Gemilli pasta 2 cups pesto,  can sub store bought 1/2 c frozen peas Grated Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste Directions: Boil pasta according to directions in salted water.  Drain and set aside, reserving about 1/4 c. pasta water Heat 1 tbs olive oil to bottom of pot. Add chicken and cook through over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.   Add pesto, frozen peas, and pasta back to pot. Adjust consistency of sauce if needed with reserved pasta water.   Add parmesan and salt and pe...

Soup weather is the best.  I failed to post this back when I made it in December because we had an unusually mild winter.  Luckily, there's been a touch of cold weather in January and I've actually got a pot of soup on the stove right now (Chicken Tortilla  Pita, though.  Whoops, don't have any tortillas on hand).  Speaking of soups, you all should check out my fellow Austin Food Blogger Maggie's soup post  http://frommaggiesfarm.blogspot.com/2015/12/soup-weather-rabbit-sausage-soup-with.html?spref=tw Ingredients: 1 tbs. olive oil 1/2 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb. hot Italian sausage 6 c. chicken broth 1 lb. small red or white potatoes, washed and quartered 1 can white beans such as Cannellini, rinsed and drained 2 tsp. Italian seasoning or dried rosemary and thyme 1 bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped salt and pepper to taste shredded Parmesan and crusty bread (such as Rustic Rosemary Bread ) to serve ...

Although the weather has failed to reflect it here in Texas, fall is here!  That means I get to start hiding under layered clothes.  Bye bye, bikinis!  I'm already starting to crave the hearty meals; stews, pastas, casseroles, chilis; that accompany the change of seasons.  That being said, we recently came back from a trip out-of-town and I had to pull something together from the pantry/deep recesses of my freezer because my lazy butt didn't want to go grocery shopping after sitting on an airplane and at airports for the last 5 hours.  So here comes dinner's savior: Fettucine Carbonara! I almost always keep some bacon and shredded parmesan in the freezer, some eggs in the fridge, and some type of pasta in the pantry.  Picked off some of the last leaves of Italian parsley from my herb garden and, Voila! Dinner! This recipe comes courtesy from my friend Laura's parents.  In a bind, I replaced white wine with sherry and subbed fettuccine for rigato...

I have basil overload in my garden right now.  After making a bunch of pesto, we've been making caprese salad almost every other night.  This caprese pasta was a way to incorporate the basil, tomato, mozzarella and balsamic tastes of the salad into a dinner meal.  The sauce was a little sweet, so it is a bit different than what I would typically make.  This is great warm, or as a cold pasta salad (chop the mozzarella and toss with rest of cooled ingredients instead of melting). Caprese Pasta Ingredients: 1 lb. penne pasta 1 c. balsamic vinegar 1 tbs. brown sugar salt and pepper 1 tbs. olive oil 1 pint baby bella mushrooms, washed and sliced 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved 1/4  cup packed basil leaves 1 16 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced in 1/4" slices Directions: Boil pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, combine balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced about a half, about 6-...

We threw a New Year's Eve party this year and it was lots of fun with some good friends.  I love trying out new recipes when I've got plenty of people to give me opinions, so I tried a few that I'd been saving up.  I worked New Year's Eve, so I did want to make sure I could either semi-home-make some or prepare them ahead of time.  None of these recipes are season specific, so they would be great for any party. My menu fore New Year's.  Click on link for recipes Cheese from Antonelli's Cheese Shop (brie, gruyere, gouda, and blue cheese) with homemade wheat crackers : why let crackers be an after-thought? Meatballs in tangy sauce : Reid's grandma introduced me to this easy and delish meatball appetizer Furikake Chex Mix : sweet, salty, umami, addicting! Pop over to my friend's blog for the recipe Meyer's Elgin Pork Sausage on pretzel sticks with mustard: no link, you can figure this one out! Sweet Potato Pancakes : bite-sized sweet potato latke...

This is so good and soooo simple!  I watched Reid's grandma, Mimi, make it for Christmas and it is so good.  I probably ate way too many meatballs because of this sweet, sour, salty sauce.  And, it has 3 ingredients!  Little old Southern ladies know where it's at!  Thanks, Mimi! Ingredients: frozen, store-bought meatballs 1/2 jar of any tart jam (IE: cherry, strawberry, blackberry), I used blackberry 1/2 c. ketchup Directions: Defrost/cook meatballs according to directions.  Combine jam, ketchup and sauce in a small Crock pot.  Stir and serve!

You know that classic tomato basil soup from La Madeline, the casual French dining chain? Well, it's the perfect meal (with Rustic Rosemary Bread ) for when you're fighting the flu or cold, which Reid and I had the joy of doing all last week.  It was also a great way to use up some of by fresh basil, which I'm trying to trim down for the winter.  This a copy-cat recipe that I created by combing two tomato soup recipes I really enjoy.  One was found in a cook book my friend Laura's mom gave me in college, called Survival Cooking for Students.  It was a compilation of easy and tasty recipes that she and Laura's dad had printed.  The recipe for La Madeline's Tomato Basil Soup was from the Houston paper.  The second recipe that inspired this was the Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup from William Sonoma's Soup cookbook.  Both recipes have the option of buying fresh tomatoes, roasting or peeling, coring and chopping tomatoes or using canned.  I use canned beca...

Oh man, there is nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread wafting through your house.  So warm, comforting, and delicious!  I've been making a lot of soups lately, so needed to make a few loafs of bread to go with that.  This bread recipe is super simple and there's not much, as in no, kneading involved.  Hurrah!  Don't need a fancy bread machine, just an oven, roasting pan, and if you have one, a baking stone.  If you don't have a baking stone, you can easily just use an upside-down cookie sheet.  Make sure everything is pre-heated.   I generally add rosemary to one half, and bake the other half as regular white bread.  You can also substitute the bread flour with all purpose flour or whole wheat flour. Rustic Rosemary Bread Ingredients 6 1/2 c. bread flour 3 c. water 1 package instant yeast 1 tbs. salt 2 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary Directions In large bowl, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100...

Meatless Monday is here! Reid and I occasionally do a meatless Monday since I like to decrease the amount of meat we eat in a week.  It's kind of insane how much meat we eat as Americans, compared to many other countries.  Since my parents are vegetarian, I'm used to not eating meat when I'm home, but things are a little harder when I'm on my own.  I don't have my moms amazing vegetarian Bun Bo Hue to eat, or any of the other countless creative dishes she makes.  I wanted to do something other than just fried (although the Sirachi Honey Glazed Fried Tofu recipe I made the other week was ah-mah-zing!) or broiled/sauteed tofu, so I picked up some vegetarian Italian sausage.  Definitely does not taste like meat, but it is tasty! Pairs well with homemade garlic bread.  I made a loaf of the four-ingredient no knead bread yesterday and used some of that for the garlic bread, but any rustic type bread would work.  Just smeared it with some butter, Italian s...

There is something about the fall that makes me want to buy every vegetable I see in the grocery or farmer's market and stuff it with some kind of grain/meat/cheese combination.  Once that 70 degree cold-snap happens (yay! Texas!), I'm buying zucchinis, acorn squash, and bell peppers.  I've posted about my chorizo stuffed acorn squash   and my stuffed green peppers , but I keep forgetting to post this recipe I've been putting into rotation lately.  I came across it in Martha Stewart Living (thanks for the subscription, Amy!).  It's pretty tasty and easy for the week night. Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Ingredients 4 zucchinis, halved length-wise 1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed 1 c. chopped onion 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. red chili flakes 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese 1 egg, lightly beaten zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 c. coarse chopped fresh breadcrumbs (or 3/4 c. dried breadcrumbs) Directions Using a ...

I love potato gnocchi! It's kinda a miracle marriage between potatoes and pasta, two things I could eat all the time.  I'd tried to make a sweet potato gnocchi once and it went horribly.  The dough fell apart and it took forever and was inedible.  So it's been quite a few years since I wanted to attempt it again.  But this recipe, from Food Network , is awesome.  It's light and fluffy and delicious to pair with a sage butter sauce or tomato sauce.  I made the latter, with lots of fresh basil, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella.  Paired the dinner with a caprese salad. Potato Gnocchi Ingredients: 1 lb. russet potatoes, roasted and peeled 3 to 4 large egg yolks 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 tsp. sea salt 1/4 tsp. freshly grated pepper 1 c. all purpose flour Directions: Pass the potato through a ricer or food mill in a large bowl Make a mound of the potato with a well in the middle.  Add 3 of the egg...

This was a delicious discovery of a recipe I found in Martha Stewart Living magazine.   http://www.marthastewart.com/1033653/zucchini-rollatini   It was a great way to use the basil that's growing like weeds in my herb garden (also made pesto this week...so much basil!) You can even make the dish vegetarian by omitting the prosciutto.  It was very tasty, and pretty, and Reid even said the next morning, that was really tasty! Zucchini Rollatini 2 large zucchini (8-10 inches long), cut lengthwise into 1/8"-thick slices coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed 5-6 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto 1 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 24 large fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish (about 2 handfuls)-I think I used more like 3 handfuls 2 c tomato sauce Preheat oven to 425*.  Season zucchini slices on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook ...

A few weekends ago, Reid and I went to a techniques class at Williams-Sonoma.  Technique classes are basically free classes where they teach you...you guessed it...cooking or baking techniques.  You should check one out at your local store:  Williams-Sonoma technique classes .  The one Reid and I attended was on how to make homemade pasta.  The pasta dough recipes I'm posting here are from the handout they gave us.   Williams-Sonoma Classic Fesh Egg Pasta Recipe  and  Williams-Sonoma Fresh Spinach Pasta .  The Alfredo sauce recipe is from Food.com.  Better than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe .  Did you know that Alfredo was a chef who created Alfredo sauce for his picky pregnant wife by tripling the butter and cream in a traditional pasta sauce? Thanks, Dinner Party Download ! Dinner Party Download is an awesome Podcast, and I highly recommend it to everyone.  It starts with an ice breaker joke, has a drink inspired by histo...

One of my former lacrosse teammates, Lizzy, introduced me to pizza dip.  She would bring it to lacrosse parties and get togethers and pretty much any other time we could beg her to bring it.  It's amazing! You dip tortilla chips in the dip and it literally tastes like pizza.   In your mouth.  But on a tortilla chip.  We used to have "Fun Food Fridays" on some of our rotations at vet school, which is pretty much an excuse for residents and interns and the doctors to get fed by the 4th year students.  Anyway, I brought this 1 or 2 times and it was a hit.  I also brought this to work once when we had a pot luck day.  It's super easy to make and definitely a crowd pleaser!  Great game day food, too.  I altered Lizzy's recipe a little by adding oregano and dried basil to the cream cheese base. Pizza Dip Ingredients: 8 oz. softened cream cheese 1 tbs dried oregano 2 tsp. dried basil 3/4 c. tomato sauce 1&1/2 c. shredded mozzarell...

I really liked the stuffed acorn squash I'd made in the fall, and thought I'd do a riff on it with bell peppers.  More season appropriate. Instead of chorizo, I used Italian sausage. It was really pretty and turned out really yummy. Too bad Reid worked late the night I made them. I got to eat it while watching some "Mindy Project". Reid got leftovers a few nights later and still thought it was good. Stuffed Bell Peppers Ingredients 4 large green bell peppers 1/2 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed 1/4 medium onion, chopped 1 c. bulgar wheat, cooked 1/4 c. chopped Italian/flat leaf parsley 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1. Over medium high heat, cook onions and Italian sausage in large skillet until no longer pink.   2. In a large bowl, combine sausage and onions, bulgar, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper. 3. Cut the tops of each bell pepper off and remove seeds and membrane.  4. Spoon sausa...