San Francisco Style Pasta

I made this last night and couldn't believe I haven't blogged about it... This is one of my favorite dishes and reminds me of growing up.  My dad used to make it all the time.  Sometimes the simplest things taste the best.  I think this pasta is a great way to get lots of different types of veggies into a meal. I made this for some boys who used to live next to me and they inhaled it. It's the perfect summer time dish. It's served cold and keeps very well for leftovers.

San Fransisco Style Pasta
A package of Farfalle (bow ties) or fusilli (corkscrews) or tube shaped pasta.  I use whole wheat pasta to make things a little more healthy.  It seriously tastes the same.  
Green bell pepper
Red bell pepper
Head of broccoli
Baby carrots (cut in half)
Black olives (cut in half or whole)
1 pkg Parmesan cheese
Hard salami (cut into bit sized pieces)
Olive Oil


Cook the pasta until done.  While the pasta is cooking cut up the green and red bell peppers, broccoli, baby carrots and black olives into small bit sized pieces. Once the pasta is done, rinse under cold water until pasta is no longer hot.  Drain.  Drizzle olive oil over pasta.  Add the pkg of cheese, veggies and salami.  Toss all together.   

Chicken Broccoli Braid

Another Aunt Paula favorite!  I believe this is a similar recipe to the pampered chef one...  When I made it the first time- I had no idea how to do the braid. I found this on youtube and it shows how to make it pretty! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YYju6VIMLI

Chicken Broccoli Braid

2 c. cooked chicken

1 c. broccoli 

1/2 c. red bell pepper

1 garlic clove

1 c. sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 c. mayo

2 tsp. dry dill weed

1/4 tsp. salt

2 T. slivered almonds

2 packages crescent rolls

Chop chicken, broccoli and red pepper.  In a large bowl combine chicken, broccoli, red pepper, garlic, cheese, mayo, dill weed & salt. Mix well. Unroll both packages of crescent rolls.  Do not separate sections.  Arrange dough across the width of a cookie sheet or baking stone.  Roll dough to seal perforations.  Apply filling down the center of the dough (approx. 6 in.) and fold sides over the filling.  Brush 1 lightly beaten egg white over dough.  Sprinkle with almonds. 

Bake @ 375 for 30 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Summer Squash Casserole

My auntie Paula is a fabulous cook.  She has her own cook book that has the most fantastic recipes ever.  I remember at one point in college I lived a couple blocks away from her with my cousin.  Many nights I'd come home to a fantastic meal with warm cookies or a warm dessert.  Or I'd have fresh, warm muffins waiting for me when I'd wake up.  It was unreal.  One night, she had made a beautiful salad and when I reached for a bottle of dressing my cousin said "There's homemade dressing is in the fridge".  I proceeded to tell my cousin that I hated her for getting homemade dressing, beautiful meals, and warm desserts every night for her whole life.  My mom is a great cook- she just hates cooking.  My mom is super crafty.  I think if she and my aunt combined they would be a million times more awesome than Martha Stewart.

Many of my favorite recipes come from my aunt's cook book.  This is one of them.  I made this for my family and they absolutely loved it.  It's a great way to sneak in veggies in a delicious way. 

Summer Squash Casserole

2 lbs yellow or zucchini squash

1 sm chopped onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded carrots

1 package (8 oz) herb stuffing mix

1/2 c. melted butter

Cook squash and onion in boiling salted water for 5 minutes.  Drain.  Mix soup, sour cream and carrots.  Fold into squash and onion.  Spread half of the stuffing mix on the bottom of the casserole dish. Spoon in the veggie mixture and top with remaining stuffing and butter. Cook @ 350 for 25 minutes.

Chicken Broccoli Bake

When I lived in Scotland one of my room mates made this chicken broccoli bake all the time.  It is so good! I made these cards back before I broke my computer and lost my adobe photoshop. Sigh.:(

Update 7/6: My mom just made this recipe and said this goes great with mashed potatoes.  I don't eat mashed potatoes so I'll take her word for it. :)

In case you can't read it... Here's the recipe. 

3 chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken soup

3/4 can milk- (use empty soup can and fill it 3/4 way up with milk)

Juice from one lemon (don't skimp on the lemon!) 

2/3 cup salad cream or dressing (you can usually find this by the mayo) 

2/3 cup mayo

Salt and pepper

1 bag cheddar cheese

Broccoli **Note that if you use frozen broccoli- cook it before and drain well before placing it in the bake

Flavored Croutons

Cook chicken and cut into bite sized pieces.  Place broccoli into a glass baking dish and cover with cheddar cheese. In a bowl, mix soup, milk, lemon juice, mayo and dressing with the chicken.  Place mixture over broccoli. Place croutons on top.  Cover with foil.  Bake @ 350 for for 30 minutes. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes so croutons can brown.

Favorite Salad: Steak and Onion Salad

Another recipe from my Dad.  This is by far my favorite salad, if not meal!

Steak and Onion Salad

Serves 4

Any salad mix, including baby spinach, can be used in place of the arugula.

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 small clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 large red onion , cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 boneless strip or rib-eye steaks , each 12 ounces and 1 1/2 inches thick
11 cups lightly packed stemmed arugula
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. Whisk vinegar, garlic, and 3 tablespoons oil together in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Brush onion with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season onion and steaks with salt and pepper.

3. Grill over hot fire until steaks are well browned on both sides and internal temperature registers 125 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes per side, and onions are charred and soft, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and let steaks rest 5 minutes. Slice steaks thinly across grain.

4. Toss arugula with 1/4 cup dressing in large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide arugula among 4 individual plates or place on one large platter. Arrange steak and onions on top. Drizzle remaining dressing over steak and onions and scatter cheese on top.

My go to meal- Tortellini Stir-fry

I make this meal a lot.  I mean a lot.  At least a couple times a month.  Mainly because it's easy, has lots of veggies, heats up well for leftovers, and goes a long way.

1 9 oz package tortellini
1 T vegetable oil
1 pkg frozen stir-fry vegetables
1/3 cup peanut or garlic stir-fry sauce (sometimes to mix it up, I'll even use low sodium teriyaki sauce)
2 T water
2 T chopped peanuts or cashews (optional)

Cook Tortellini according to package directions. Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add veggies and stir 8 min. Add Tortellini, sauce, and water. Cook 2 min. Sprinkle on nuts before serving.

Sausage and Veggies

I found this recipe here and it was originally posted on Cooking Light, one of my favorite places to find recipes. Very great healthy and tasty meal!

Ingredients

• 1/2  pound  hot Italian turkey sausage
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  chopped red onion
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1  cup  mushrooms, quartered
• 1  small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1  small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1  small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
• 1/4  cup  fat-free sour cream
• 4  cups  hot cooked penne (about 1/2 pound uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

Preparation

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, and zucchini; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sausage is done. Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Add pasta and black pepper; stir well. Cook over medium-low heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.