March Re-Make Recap

Wow, March was a busy month! I was so happy when we set the clocks ahead an hour. I love, love, love that extra hour of daylight at the end of the day. I finally have natural light in the evening again. And we officially welcomed Spring, although Mother Nature doesn't seem to have gotten the memo yet.

It was another busy month in the kitchen and boy did I remake a lot of recipes this month! I don't think the list has ever been this long. Whenever I write these posts I find myself salivating over all the dishes I made and wanting to make them all again.

With all the cold weather we've been having, perfect roast chicken has been remade often. This is such a simple recipe that packs a lot of flavor. I love a good roast chicken dinner on a cold Sunday.

We've been eating these oven roasted potatoes a lot this winter. They're a great side dish that can double as French fries. I love them dipped in various sauces. They're so easy to prepare and come out perfect every time.

SP loved these black bean tacos with feta and slaw so much he insisted I make them again the following week. I love how simple these are but they don't skimp on flavor. These were a big hit with all three of us and I know I'll be making them often this summer.

I wanted to remake this angel hair with shrimp in lemon cream sauce but since shrimp are so expensive I swapped out the shrimp for chicken. It worked beautifully. I don't know why but the lemon cream sauce is just so delicious.

These remake recaps wouldn't be complete with the Texas Roadhouse salads. It's always our go-to salad.

I love this recipe for tilapia francese. Whenever I buy a club pack of frozen tilapia I always make this recipe at least once. The sauce is delectable and the coating gets nice and crispy. Definitely a family favorite.

This month I remade one of my favorites side dishes: creamed spinach. I've loved creamed spinach since I was a kid and I love having a homemade version to make whenever I want it.

I made a double batch of these homemade refried beans to take to a Mexican themed dinner at our friend's house. I always love sharing this recipe with new people because they're always blown away by how good they are.

It had been awhile since I last made these Hawaiian chicken sandwiches. I can't go too long without eating them. I've always loved them but it warms my heart that Baby Girl is also a big fan. She finally loves pineapple and managed to put away an entire adult-sized sandwich. What can I say, the kid can eat.

Sometimes I like to make a lighter dinner for a change. I remembered this veggie frittata from one of the recipe swaps. I love that it's packed with healthy vegetables and plenty of protein from the eggs to be a filling dinner.

Whenever I don't know what to make with ground beef I turn to taco rice. I probably make it at least once or twice a month. It's always delicious and the whole family loves it.

We decided to bring corned beef and cabbage with herb-buttered potatoes to my parent's house for Sunday dinner this year. They couldn't stop raving about how good this was and I have to agree - it's such a great recipe. It's a shame we only make it once a year.

St. Patrick's Day wouldn't be complete with these grasshopper mint brownies. I sent most of them to work with SP and, once again, they were a big hit.

I've been wanting to remake this chicken with prosciutto and brie for ages but kept being put off by the cost of prosciutto. I needed it for another recipe so I decided to get a full pound so I could make this dish. Man, it this an amazing meal. I cooked up 5 chicken breasts so we'd be sure to have plenty of leftovers and it was just barely enough. We all just wanted to keep eating.

Since SP had a work dinner one night I decided to make Greek pita pizzas. SP isn't a big fan of Greek food so this was a perfect dinner for me and Baby Girl. Simple and hearty.

One Sunday my mom asked me to make crispy baked zucchini fries to go with our dinner. I doubled this recipe and the four of us (Baby Girl still isn't a fan of these for some odd reason) inhaled the entire batch. Good thing they're pretty healthy.

I can't get enough of this crispy fish recipe. I'm so glad we've started eating more fish - I really love it. This may not be the healthiest version but it's truly delicious.

I finally got around to remaking these creamy noodles with spinach after not having any spinach the last time I made them. I loved that the spinach made this a complete veggie and starch side dish. I made a whole bag of egg noodles so we'd have plenty leftover, but we all loved these so much there was just enough for lunches.

I had a craving for these pepperoni pizza sliders this month. I'd forgotten how good these were. I could have made a double batch. I added some sliced black olives since Baby Girl loves them. I loved dipping these in extra sauce - so good.

This California club chopped salad is one of my favorite dinner salads. I love all the fresh ingredients together and I love how adaptable it is. This time I used some leftover crispy chicken from another meal and swapped the blue cheese for feta, although I realized right before I went to toss it all together that the feta had expired, so I picked it out as best I could. Still delicious and satisfying.

I had to restock with freezer with more of this sausage and spinach egg bake. I added a bunch of different cheeses this time since I had some odds and ends to use up. Such a great breakfast.

Recipe Redo: Creamed Spinach

I've been making my friend Melissa's recipe for creamed spinach for years but was never able to get a good photo of the finished product. SP has been hankering for a good steak dinner. Unfortunately there aren't any great steak places nearby that offer a consistently good meal, so we decided to make our own dinner at home. We have a fantastic Amish butcher at a local farmer's market so we picked up some steaks and I whipped up this creamed spinach.

Of course I forgot that I wanted to blog the creamed spinach on its own, so this Instagram photo is the best shot I got that night. Trust me, this is a recipe you want to have in your back pocket. It's easy and delicious. The original Emeril recipe calls for fresh spinach, but I always use frozen since finding 2lbs worth of fresh spinach without breaking the bank can be difficult. Frozen is just as good and makes this a side dish I can throw together whenever the mood strikes.

Creamed Spinach
As seen on Alosha's Kitchen, modified from Emeril Lagasse

2 cups frozen spinach
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream

Place the frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for a few minutes (will vary depending on your microwave) until just defrosted. Place in a clean kitchen towel and wring out all the excess water in the spinach.

Melt the butter in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, just until the liquid is released. Add the cream (start with 1/2 cup), salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook until the cream is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. You may want to add more cream if it looks dry. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Restaurant Knockoff - Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa

I've been wanting to make Nicole's recipe for Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa for years, I just needed a party with enough people to eat it all. When we decided to do a Mexican-themed dinner with our friends, it was the first thing I knew I wanted to make.

Photo credit - T. Casey

This could not have been easier. I used my indoor grill pan to char the vegetables and then whirred them up in the food processor. I only used one jalapeno since I wanted this to be mild enough for the kids to enjoy, but unfortunately my jalapeno was pretty spicy. It was great for the grown-ups, though. We inhaled this. Initially SP had been more excited about the salsa fresca I also made but ended up loving this one more. It's positively delicious and I can't wait to make it again.

Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa
As seen on Prevention RD, adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, to coat
6 large tomatoes
1-3 jalapenos (1 for mild, 2 for medium, 3 for hot), stem removed
1 onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Couple handfuls cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1/2 lime

Pre-heat a grill or grill pan to medium heat. Coat the tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, and garlic in the olive oil.

Grill the vegetables until they are charred, but not falling apart.

Place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Serve with your favorite tortilla chip.

Corn Casserole

This is one of those recipes that came into my life by chance. I had a 16oz container of sour cream that was mostly full and expiring in a few days. I asked the ladies on my cooking board for savory ideas to use it up and my friend Stephanie responded with this recipe for Corn Casserole. I was making a roast chicken for Sunday dinner and thought this would be a great side dish.

I knew this would be good but I wasn't expecting it to be incredible. There were 5 of us eating this and the only reason there was a smidge leftover was because there was chocolate pudding for dessert. It's an incredibly simple recipe that's slightly sweet and slightly savory. We couldn't stop eating it, Baby Girl especially.

The only issue I had was finding the corn in the sizes indicated in the original recipe. The small cans were 8.5 ounces and SP could only find whole-kernel corn in a 15.5-ounce can. Once I drained and rinsed the corn I weighed it and it was exactly 8.5 ounces, so I just dumped the whole thing in. It was totally fine. And if you can't find the no-salt-added corn, don't sweat it. One of my cans was and one wasn't and it was still delicious.

Corn Casserole
As seen on Stephanie Cooks, originally from Elizabeth's Edible Experience

1 egg
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 can (15.5-ounce) no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained
1 small can (8.5-ounce) no-salt-added cream-style corn
1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix
8 ounces sour cream
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine everything but the cooking spray in a medium bowl and stir into well incorporated. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish (or 9x13 if you double it) with cooking spray. Pour in the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

Use a spoon to stir and mash the bread until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes or slice and serve like corn bread.

Breakfast Bowls

Every night someone on my cooking board will ask "what's for dinner?" One night my friend Heather said her husband was making breakfast bowls. I immediately asked her for the recipe. I finally got around to making them one weekend when we didn't have plans and needed a hearty breakfast to hold us over until dinner.

This dirties a few pans but it's worth it. So, so worth it. The flavors come together so well and the combination of hash browns, breakfast meat, eggs and cheese is very filling. You can also add any veggies you choose. I did onions and mushrooms, but Heather uses peppers as well. Use your imagination - this is a great way to use up any leftover veggies in your fridge.

I ended up putting everything into a large, round Corningware dish then dividing it in half for us to eat, but if you have larger, oven-safe bowls I think it would be fun to make these as individual servings. I cooked the full pound of breakfast sausage but froze half since it was just the two of us eating (Baby Girl stole bites from our plates since she'd already had breakfast). I can't wait to make these again.

Breakfast Bowls
From my friend Heather
Serves 4

1 pound ground breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean's)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Shredded hash browns, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon butter

1 green or red pepper, chopped (optional)
1 onion, chopped
8 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 cup shredded cheddar
8 eggs, scrambled
1 tomato, diced
4 scallions, sliced

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Remove the sausage from the skillet.

While the sausage is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large non-stick skillet. Add as much of the hash browns as you want to the pan. Cook, turning often, until they're brown and crispy. Divide the hash browns evenly among 4 oven-safe bowls or one, large oven-safe dish.

Add the butter to the now-empty skillet and add the veggies. Cook over medium heat until they soften. Add the veggies to the bowls on top of the hash browns. Sprinkle some of the cheese on top, then add the cooked sausage.

Add the eggs to the pan the sausage was in and cook until slightly under done. Divide the eggs among the bowls and top with the rest of the cheese.

Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and bake until heated through and the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the chopped tomato and scallion. Serve immediately.

NOTE: You can use cooked, chopped bacon instead of the sausage and cubed breakfast potatoes instead of the hash browns. You can also cook the eggs over easy instead of scrambling them and put them on the top of the bowls (potatoes, meat and cheese) once they come out of the oven.

Chocolate Pudding

It's recipe swap time again. The theme this month was Blogger's Choice, which can be both fun and nerve wracking. This month I was given Eva's blog. Eva is a baker. I don't bake. I was a little worried.

I spent a great deal of time looking through Eva's blog trying to decide what to make. Unfortunately the first recipe I chose was a flop, but I'm forever grateful because it brought me to this recipe for Chocolate Pudding.

Guys, seriously, if you like chocolate pudding you NEED to try this recipe. Thick, rich, and chocolately beyond compare. This is the ultimate chocolate pudding. And simple as all get out. I couldn't believe it used pantry ingredients and took less than 30 minutes, most of which was spent whisking it on the stove while checking Facebook on my phone. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, as Baby Girl would say.

We brought this to my parent's house for dessert one Sunday and we were all amazed by how good it was. I was practically licking my ramekin clean. Next time I'll double the recipe because there weren't any leftovers. Thanks for an amazing recipe, Eva!

Chocolate Pudding
As seen on Eva Bakes, originally from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cups milk
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the chocolate, sugar and milk in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan. Heat gently over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.

Put the salt and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Pour half the milk mixture into the bowl, whisking vigorously until all the cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan.

Return the pan to medium-low heat and whisk constantly for about 10-15 minutes, or until the pudding becomes thick and glossy. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Transfer the hot pudding to a serving bowl or individual ramekins. Lay a sheet of waxed paper over the surface of the pudding, pressing down gently, so a skin doesn't form. Chill completely before serving.

To see what other recipes were made click on the links below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Salad with Pancetta, Pepperoncini and Parmesan

I was looking for something different to serve alongside the Breakfast Risotto I made a few weeks ago. I remembered Bridget's recipe for Salad with Pancetta, Peperoncini and Parmesan and figured it would be perfect since both recipes called for pancetta.

We all enjoyed this salad, although the peperoncini were a bit too spicy for Baby Girl. It's a very simple salad that packs great flavor. Baby Girl was popping the pancetta like candy and really enjoyed the dressing.

Salad with Pancetta, Peperoncini, and Parmesan
As seen on The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:
2 romaine hearts, washed and chopped
8 peperocini, stems removed, chopped fine
6 ounces pancetta, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup (1 ounce) shredded parmesan

For the dressing: Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves in their peels and allow to toast, turning often, until the peel starts to blacken in spots, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove the peel and mince the garlic. Combine the garlic with the rest of the dressing ingredients.

For the salad: Mix everything together, then toss with the dressing.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw

Sometimes I'll put a dish on our weekly meal plan that makes SP nervous. He's always game to try anything I make and he's the first to say, "I trust you because you're a good cook" but we all know that sometimes a recipe can sound good on paper but not taste so great in person.

These Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw were one of those dishes that initially made him wary. When I told him the name of the dish he gave me that side-eye look of his that lets me know he's reserving judgement. I think it was the corn tortillas - neither of us are big fans of corn tortillas, but I knew frying them in a bit of oil would completely change their texture for the better.

I'm happy to report that he loved these tacos, as did I. Baby Girl was also a huge fan. Per usual, she wanted to taste the black bean mixture and snacked on the broccoli slaw as I was getting everything prepped. Like Elly says, these are an awesome weeknight meal because there's very little prep work or cooking needed. I'm so happy SP loved this dish because I can't wait to make it again.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw
As seen on Elly Says Opa, from Bon Appetit
Makes 8 tacos

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups broccoli slaw mix
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
vegetable or canola oil
8 white or yellow corn tortillas
crumbled feta cheese
Bottled hot sauce for serving

Place the beans, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl and partially mash.

In another bowl, toss the broccoli slaw mix with olive oil, lime juice, scallions and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat about 3 teaspoons of the vegetable or canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many tortillas as you can fit in a single layer. Move the tortillas around in the pan so they're all evenly coated with oil on both sides. After one side is golden brown, flip the tortillas over and spoon some of the bean mixture onto one half of each tortilla. Cook for about 1 minute. Fold the tacos in half and cook until golden brown and crispy, 1-2 minutes per side.

Remove the tacos to a paper towel-lined plate and drain off any excess oil. Open the tortilla and stuff with some of the slaw and crumbled feta. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas, adding more oil to the pan, as needed. Top with hot sauce, if desired, before serving.

February Re-Make Recap

It's the end of February!! Woohoo!! Next weekend is daylight savings time. In three weeks we'll be celebrating the first day of spring. Yes, a big swath of the country is expecting continued cold temps and more snow over these next few weeks but I'm looking at the big picture - we're almost done with winter, at least officially. And after this brutal winter I'll take whatever I can get.

February was another delicious, if short, month in our house.

I don't remember the last time I made these Hawaiian chicken sandwiches but it's been too long. This is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches and I'm happy to report that Baby Girl loved them as well. In the past she hasn't liked the pineapple on top but this time she was a big fan.

We brought the rest of the eggplant rollatini to my parent's house for dinner one Sunday. I have to say, the dishes in the freezer were even better than the one I served the night I made it. And all we had to do was pop them in the oven to heat up and dinner was served.

I'm sure you all know by now that these citrus chicken burritos are my favorite Mexican dish to make at home. I just wish it wasn't so time-consuming to prep all the ingredients.

And, of course, you know I served the burritos with refried beans.

I was looking back through my archives for a ground beef recipe to change things up and remembered this skillet beef stroganoff. This is a family favorite and SP and Baby Girl were both happy to see it back on the meal plan.

Whenever I serve sandwiches these days I have to make these oven roasted potatoes. They're perfect every time.

I think these crispy fish sandwiches are my new favorite way to serve fish. The sauce is incredible and the crispy fish is delicious.

Another family favorite, this skillet spaghetti and meatballs is always a winner with SP and Baby Girl.

I wanted to make something different with a pork tenderloin I had in the freezer and remembered this orange and rosemary pork tenderloin. The sauce is what makes this recipe so incredible.

We all loved this broccoli cheddar risotto. I'm so glad SP decided he likes risotto after all.

I had more overripe bananas I needed to use up so, of course, I made another batch of these banana chocolate chip muffins.

Of course I made this Texas Roadhouse knockoff salad multiple times throughout the month. We brought it for my parent's house with the eggplant rollatini and my mom said it really is the best salad.

Another one from the archives, this chicken broccoli stir fry is a great way to enjoy Chinese food without getting takeout.

I made a double batch of the spicy pork and asparagus stir fry so I could freeze individual portions for lunches. I love serving it over angel hair when I don't have anything for lunch.

Asparagus was super cheap recently so I bought two bunches without having a plan for what to make. SP asked me to make this springtime pasta since it's a pantry staple. I forgot how much I love this dish and can't wait to make it again.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

SP is making an effort to get back into the kitchen, at least on weekends. During the week he gets home from work so late I have to have dinner already prepared. We take dinner to my parent's house every Sunday so that's usually a good opportunity for him to make something.

We usually shy away from desserts but he's been itching to make cookies after he came across this recipe for Triple Chocolate Cookies on an app he has on his phone.

He decided at 2pm that he wanted to make these so we had to soften the butter in the microwave. As a result, the first batch of cookies spread a bit. I told him to refrigerate the dough and he ended up baking the rest of them while I watched the Downton Abbey season finale (sob!!) I've modified the instructions to include chilling the dough as well as allowing the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

These are incredible. I'm actually a little annoyed that he made them because they're so good and we certainly don't need sweets sitting around the house tempting us. Since I don't like white chocolate he used 2 cups of regular chips, but I think a peanut butter or cinnamon chip (or even a mint chip, if they make those) would be great in these. Since Baby Girl is allergic to nuts peanut butter chips aren't an option for us, but I did spread some peanut butter on one of the cookies and it was delicious.

Triple Chocolate Cookies
As seen on All the Cooks

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy using a hand mixer on medium speed. You could also do this in a stand mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until evenly incorporated.

Add the vanilla, baking soda and salt. Beat on medium speed for 15 seconds.

Add the cocoa and stir by hand using a wooden spoon. Add the flour and mix to incorporate. Fold in the chocolate chips. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes. You can also leave it overnight.

Drop tablespoons of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Leave at least 2" between the cookies.

Place the 1/4 cup of sugar on a small plate. Dip the bottom of a drinking glass into the unused cookie dough to get it moist (you only need to do this once) then dip the bottom of glass in the plate of sugar. Lightly press the glass down on each mound of cookie dough to flatten it. Repeat for each cookie.

Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool.

Hoisin Pork with Rice Noodles

A few weeks ago we restocked our freezer with frozen pizza dough and realized something very important - our freezer isn't very big. We have one of those French-door, freezer-on-the-bottom contraptions and there just isn't that much freezer space down there. I also tend to horde things like half-eaten loaves of bread, bananas and single servings of pasta sauce with the very good intention of using them up while really all I'm doing is taking up valuable freezer space that could be used for banana chocolate chip muffins, egg bake or breakfast burritos.

SP told me it was time to do a purge. He challenged me to only cook from the freezer until it became more manageable. I like a good challenge so off I went, searching through the freezer bags to see just what was in there that I could use to feed my family for the week. I found two lonely pork chops and immediately thought of this recipe for Hoisin Pork with Rice Noodles.

The original recipe calls for thinly sliced pork tenderloin but I just thinly sliced the chops and it worked out perfectly. This was such a simple dish I wasn't sure if we'd like it but we all loved it. Baby Girl was especially fond of it - the kid loves carrots, bless her - and any pasta dish is guaranteed to be a winner, even if they're rice noodles.

Hoisin Pork with Rice Noodles
As seen on So Tasty, So Yummy

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
juice of half a lime
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon Sriracha, to taste
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
10 oz dry rice noodles
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, oil, sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, hoisin, lime juice, garlic and Sriracha. Add pork and turn to coat pork pieces; cover and allow to marinate overnight in the fridge.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the pork and the marinade. Cook until the pork until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the noodles per the package instructions. Drain and toss the cooked noodles, carrots and cilantro with the cooked pork and sauce. Serve immediately.

Breakfast Risotto

I've been on a major risotto kick lately so, naturally, as soon as Elly posted this drool-inducing Breakfast Risotto on our cooking board I immediately added it to the meal plan.

I'm a sucker for runny eggs so topping risotto with a runny egg is right up my alley. Initially I was going to use bacon in this recipe but I needed pancetta for the salad I was going to serve with it so I figured I'd give the pancetta a shot. In the future I'll probably stick with bacon since half a pound of pancetta was more expensive than a pound of bacon, plus I missed the smokiness.

Either way, this is a great recipe. We all loved it - Baby Girl was popping the crispy pancetta into her mouth like candy.

Breakfast Risotto
As Seen on Elly Says Opa!

4-6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter, divided
3 oz. pancetta, chopped
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped parsley, minced (optional)
Poached eggs for serving

Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth is at a simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the pancetta and cook until it has crisped and rendered its fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter into the pan, and then add the shallot. Cook until tender, then stir in the garlic just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice, coating with the butter and toasting the kernels until they are translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the wine to the pan. Scrape up any browned bits and allow nearly all of the wine to be absorbed by the risotto. Add a ladle-full of warm chicken broth to the rice. Stir frequently and do not add another ladle of broth until the first is almost completely absorbed. Continue to stir frequently, adding broth by the ladle, until the rice is creamy and has just a slight bite in the center when you try it. This will take about 25 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the cheese and pancetta. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with poached eggs on top.

Penne with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu

Amy recently posted this recipe for Penne with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu that I knew would be right up our alley. Pasta is definitely my go-to for easy weeknight meals, SP loves mushrooms and Baby Girl loves sausage. Win-win.

This was a simple, delicious, hearty dinner that we all happily gobbled up.

Penne with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu
As seen on Very Culinary

1 pound penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound Italian sausage
1/3 cup white wine
1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for about 20 seconds. Add in mushrooms and cook until softened, about 3 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper and the red pepper flakes. Add in sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces until no pink remains, about 3 more minutes. Raise heat to high and pour in the wine; cook until evaporated. Add in tomatoes, along with their juice, and bring to a simmer.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, along with the spinach. Toss to coat and allow the leaves to wilt. Add in the Parmesan, taste, and season with salt and pepper if necessary.