Creamy Bow Tie Pasta

I like all the ingredients to this recipe, but still, it was bland. My default guess to make it better is always to add more garlic, maybe a few more red pepper flakes. Also, this is a little thing, but, it has such weird measurements for ingredients so it was a bit annoying to get so many spoons dirty. 

• 1 cup uncooked bow tie pasta
• 1 1/2 tsp butter
• 2 1/4 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• dash salt
• dash dried basil
• dash crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 2 Tbsp chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan
• 1 Tbsp sour cream

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the oil, flour, garlic, and seasonings until blended. Gradually add the milk, broth, and water. Bring to a boil; cool and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Remove from heat; stir in cheese and sour cream. Drain pasta; toss with sauce.

Serves 2

Total Time: 25 minutes

Recipe from Taste of Home

Caesar Salad - BHG

I love a good Caesar salad, but let's face it: there are a LOT of different styles of them. I'm partial to the creamy ones but this was a bit lighter. I also felt like the dressing was bland. Could have used some umph. Not mad, just not my favorite. 

• 4 cloves of garlic, divided
• 3 anchovy fillets
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 hard-boiled egg yolk
• 10 cups torn romaine (I used 5 heads)
• 2 cups garlic Parmesan croutons
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

For dressing, in a blender or food processor combine 3 garlic cloves, the anchovy fillets, and lemon juice. Cover and blend or process until mixture is nearly smooth, stopping scape down the sides as needed. Add oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and cooked egg yolk. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Cover surface with plastic wrap; chill for 2-24 hours. 

Cut remaining garlic clove in half. To serve, rub inside of a wooden salad bowl with cut edges of the garlic; discard the clove. Add romaine and croutons to bowl. Pour dressing over salad; toss lightly to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top; toss gently. Sprinkle pepper over salad.

Serves 6 (side-dish size)

Total Time 15 minutes plus dressing chilling

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Peanut Butter Lasagna

Considering the name of this contains the words "peanut butter," you'd think it would have a stronger peanut butter flavor. I'd call it more chocolate lasagna with a peanut butter twist. No matter what you call it, it was still good. Oftentimes with peanut butter things it can come out very rich, but this was light enough. It also holds its shape well when you cut it, which is nice for serving. 

• 20 Oreo cookies, divided
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, divided
• 16 oz Cool Whip, divided
• 15 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 3.9 oz instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

By hand or using a food processor, crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-inch square dish. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and 1 cup confectioners sugar until smooth. Fold in half the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.

In another bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix, and remaining 1/2 cup confectioners sugar on low speed for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in remaining whipped topping. Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.

Serves 16

Total Time: 20 minutes plus chilling

Recipe from Taste of Home

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Pancetta

This was ok for something a little different, but I don't think I'll be making it again. The chiles were really tough and I felt like I just ate around them. They didn't seem to add much. I expected the sauce of the brown sugar and pancetta to be thicker, but it sort of just made things soupy.

• 1 1/2 lb shredded brussels sprouts, about 9 cups
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 dried ancho or guajillo chiles (1/2 oz each), stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips or rings
• 12 oz pancetta, cut into small cubes
• 6 Tbsp packed light brown sugar or piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar)
• 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss together brussels sprouts, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until brussels sprouts are slightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Add chiles to baking sheet; toss with brussels sprouts using tongs. Continue baking until chiles are fragrant and crisp, 5-6 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, place pancetta and brown sugar in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until pancetta is cooked through and fat has rendered, 5-6 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large baking sheet; let cool about 3 minutes. Stir in chopped thyme.

Transfer brussels sprouts mixture to a large serving bowl. Add pancetta mixture; toss to combine well. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

NOTES: We bought a large bag of brussels sprouts and used the slicing blade on our food processor to get the shredded consistency.

Serves 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe from People magazine

Artichoke Mushroom Cream Sauce

Doug and I made this for farfalle pasta with a little Tyson grilled and ready strips on the top. It was very flavorful and simple to make. And yes, I seem to be expanding my mushroom palate even more lately. I know. Be proud. :-) 

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/3 cup (about 3 oz) mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine or sherry
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3-4 oz artichoke hearts, either frozen and defrosted or marinated in water
• 3 tsp capers
• dash of garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Sauté mushrooms in butter until soft. Add wine and stir. Add broth, sour cream, and artichokes. Reduce by half (until the sauce coats the back of the spoon). Remove from heat and add capers. Season to taste.

NOTES: Doug and I ended up not adding any garlic (gasp!), salt, or pepper and it tasted great. If you decide to use this over meat like chicken or veal, you may want to sauté the meat in the pan first, remove it, and then cook the sauce in the same pan. It will help incorporate all the meat bits.

Also, apologies, I didn't really pay attention to how long this recipe takes so I'm gonna make some estimates below. 

Serves 2 (with 12 oz of farfalle pasta)

Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe from the kitchen of Mom and Dad!

Slow-Cooked Lemon Chicken Orzo

You know me: I like lemon. However, I have to say the zest is another thing altogether. I would definitely leave the zest out of this one. Maybe even the lemon pepper. It made it inedible to me, but Doug didn't mind it. So zest at your own peril. 

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp Greek seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1/3 cup chopped pitted Greek olives
• 1/4 cup julienned soft sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup crumbled garlic and herb feta cheese
• 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 Tbsp snipped fresh dill
• 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, optional

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches. Transfer to a 4-qt slow cooker. Add stock, Greek seasoning, and garlic powder to skillet, scraping up any brown bits from pan; add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.

Stir orzo, olives, and tomatoes into the slow cooker; making sure orzo is submerged in liquid. Cover and cook on high until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Add fresh spinach, feta cheese, lemon juice and zest, dill, and if desired, lemon pepper to slow cooker. Stir until spinach is wilted.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Recipe from Taste of Home

Baked Eggs with Avocado and Feta

This would be a fancy-looking breakfast dish for some, however it was a little bland to me. I think I would switch it up with something like everything bagel seasoning, or at the very least, some garlic or onion powder. I wouldn't be opposed to making it again with those modifications. 

• 4 eggs
• 1 avocado
• olive oil or non-stick spray for gratin dishes
• 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Break eggs into individual ramekins and let the eggs and avocado come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the gratin dishes on a baking sheet and heat them in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

After the eggs and avocado have come to room temperature, peel the avocado and cut each half into 6 slices. Remove gratin dishes from the oven and spray with olive oil or non-stick spray. Arrange the sliced avocados in each dish and very carefully tip two eggs into each dish.

Sprinkle with crumbled feta and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the whites are set and the egg yolks are done to your liking. Serve hot.

Serves 2

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Recipe from kalynskitchen.com