Bacon & Spinach Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients

8 oz pasta (I used Rotini)

6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces

1/2 c onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

2 tbsp white wine

salt

pepper

2-3 c spinach

1/4 c cilantro

parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Brown bacon in a skillet, then add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent. Mix the eggs with the wine, salt, and pepper. Add the drained pasta, egg mixture, spinach and cilantro and cook for just a little bit more, stirring constantly, until spinach is slightly wilted. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

Source

Adapted from Tiny Morsels

Real World Wednesday - Fried Pineapple Rice

This was one of those "clean your fridge and pantry out" type of meals. I just started throwing things together and hoping they would come out allright. I'm quite proud of how this dish turned out, considering I am usually lost without a recipe. I think the sausage may have been a little out of place, but other than that, this was the perfect middle-of-the-week meal. This would also be a good side dish without the meat.

Ingredients

2 turkey sausage links, sliced

1 chicken breast, diced

1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ginger

2 tbsp fish sauce

1/4 c onion

1 1/2 c rice, cooked

2 eggs

1/2 c toasted almonds

1/2 c peas

1 c pineapple, chopped

Directions

Slice and brown the sausage and chicken breast in a skillet. Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry until cooked through and all flavors are nicely mingled.

Steak Bites

I'm not very good at making steaks. I always seem to either over or under cook them to a ridiculous degree. These little steak bites are perfect because the size makes it easy to control the level of done-ness. They're also a nice kid-friendly size (though my red meat phobic child didn't touch them)!

Ingredients

sirloin steak

salt

pepper

garlic powder

2 tbsp butter

Directions

Trim all visible fat and gristle off the steak and cut into bite size pieces. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt, pepper, and garlic powder on your meat and let sit for 20-30 minutes. The salt needs this amount of time to season the meat. If you leave it on any shorter, it may simply dry it out. Heat up butter in a skillet over high heat (the pan needs to be HOT!) until it starts to turn brown. Dump enough of the meat so that there is only a single layer in the pan. Cook for 30-45 seconds, flip and cook another 30-45 seconds. Remove to a plate, add more butter to the pan and repeat process until the rest of the meat is cooked. Use the leftover butter as a gravy for mashed potatoes or pour over the served steak.

Notes

• I know it sounds like an incredibly short time to cook the meat, but remember that it will continue cooking after you remove it to the pan. Cook it as directed and it will be perfect medium rare deliciousness. (Trust me, I cooked it longer and some of the pieces were overcooked!)

Source

The Pioneer Woman via The Entertaining Kitchen

Black Tie Mousse Cake

Along with the breadsticks and Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden, this is my most ordered and most looked-forward-to part of my meal. When I heard that this month's Cooking Club theme with my MOMS Club was Chocolate Iron Chef, I knew that this dessert would be my dish. This is so good it's not even funny. I try to ignore the fact that one slice is an entire daily allowance of fat.

If you're looking for an easy recipe, this is the wrong one for you. This is a 4 layer cake and takes quite a bit of work. If you are willing to put in 4 or 5 hours, this is so so worth it!

Ingredients

Cake layer

1 box deviled food cake mix

Mousse layer

1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp boiling water
4 oz semisweet chocolate chips
4oz cream cheese, cubed
3/4 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp sugar

Custard layer
3 egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 3/4 c heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing layer
1 1/2 c heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
18 oz semisweet chocolate chips


Directions
Cake layer
Prepare cake according to package directions. Let cool and cut in half. Press into the bottom of a springform pan.

Mousse layer
Melt chocolate and cream cheese together, then let cool. Add cold water to gelatin and let sit for 1 minute before adding boiling water. Stir until dissolved and clear, the let cool. Whip cream and sugar together. Once the cream starts to thicken, add the gelatin and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Add 1/4 of the cream to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Fold in the remaining cream, spread over the cake layer, and put in the freezer to set while you prepare the custard layer.

Custard layer
Beat egg yolks until pale. Beat in sugar, flour and gelatin until well mixed. Bring cream and vanilla extract to a boil. (Be careful not to burn!) Slowly add cream mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly. Pour entire mixture through a strainer back into the pan and cook until custard begins to thicken. Cool slightly, pour over the mousse layer, and return to freezer to set while you prepare the icing layer.

Icing layer
Bring butter and cream to a boil, pour over chocolate, and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth, and let cool and harden a bit. Remove the cake from the freezer, and remove the collar from the springform pan. Cover top & sides with icing and sprinkle the top with extra chocolate chips. Refrigerate until set and then serve. Enjoy!

Notes

• Eat this responsibly. Friends don't let friends eat half a cake in less than a week!

Source
RecipeZaar

Real World Wednesday - Meatloaf

I know that everyone has their own special family recipe for meatloaf, but this is mine. It's simple, straightforward, fast, and relatively likeable due to it's use of barbecue sauce instead of ketchup and it's lack of vegetables. I personally don't like veggies in my meatloaf, it's like having veggies in a hamburger. Yuck. If you are looking for ways to sneak veggies in, I think substituting some sort of pureed veggie for the ketchup would do the trick.

Ingredients

1 lb ground meat (I used turkey)

1 egg

3/4 c breadcrumbs

1/4 c ketchup

1/2 c barbecue sauce

Directions

Mix all ingredients together except barbecue sauce, put in a loaf pan, and cover with barbecue sauce. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. To make it more kid friendly, set apart a small amount and cut shapes using cookie cutters. Bake these on a baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes.

So Good They Taste Like They're Deep Fried Oven Fries

Whew! Yes that's a long title, but it is completely accurate. Every time I've made oven fries before they have been just ok. They're always a little mushy and they taste nothing like the deep fried sticks of artery clogging yumminess that you get at fast food joints. Not these. I followed this recipe and they came out perfectly golden and slightly crispy. These were a hit with the entire family!

Ingredients
russet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries or wedges
olive oil
cooking spray
salt and pepper

Directions
Soak potatoes in hot water for 10-30 minutes. Meanwhile spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Toss with a small amount of olive oil and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 475 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes. Flip the fries over and bake another 5-10 minutes until golden and crisp. When finished, place on a paper towel to drain any additional grease and serve.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

I decided to try my hand at homemade chicken nuggets for Michaela's birthday dinner. I've seen this on several different blogs, but my recipe is most like this one from Itty Bitty Bistro. It's rare that I make a meal that everyone in the family likes, so I was super happy when Michaela munched these down and Philip said they were as good as McDonalds. :)

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 egg

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated

Directions

Cut off all visible fat from chicken and cut into strips. Place chicken in food processor and grind until the texture is that of ground meat. Meanwhile, mix the bread crumbs, flaxseed, and parmesan in a bowl. Put the egg in a seperate bowl and whisk. Roll the ground chicken into balls, dip them in the egg, and then in the breadcrumb mix. Place on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes in a 425 degree oven.