Penne with Brussel Sprouts and Pancetta

 Ingredients

16 oz whole wheat penne

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

2 ¼ inch slices of pancetta, diced

1 large rosemary sprig (or 1 ½ tsp dried), chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and chopped

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

Fresh lemon juice for serving

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

White wine

Salt, pepper to taste

Directions

1.       Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until the pasta is al dente (a little undercooked is even better).

2.       Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and rosemary. Saute until the pancetta fat turns translucent and lightly browned (about 2 minutes). Add garlic, cayenne and black pepper to taste and cook until the pancetta is browned (about 3 minutes).

3.       Add the sliced brussel sprouts, a large pinch of salt and a splash of white wine (may substitute chicken stock or water). Saute until sprouts start to soften (about 2 minutes). Spread sprout minture in pan and press down to flatten. Let it sit, stir it up and repeat (lightly sprinkle with parmesan each time). Add butter and sauté one minute.

4.       Drain penne and add to pan. Cook, tossing until everything is evenly coated. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.  Serve (4 servings).

Sausage Balls and Dip

These were at the December Book Club at Mandy's house...
Recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/sausage-balls-46078

Sausage Ball Ingredients:
1 lb bulk sausage
1 (10 ounce) package sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
2 cups Bisquick baking mix

Directions:
1 Allow cheese and sausage to reach room temperature (very important -- it's really difficult to mix ingredients if they aren't room temp)

2 Place in mixing bowl with Bisquick and blend until smooth. (I blended by hand, but original recipe said to use a hand-held electric mixer to incorporate ingredients).
3 NOTE: Mixture will be quite dry.
4 Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
5 Spray well with vegetable oil spray.
6 Press/roll mixture into 1 inch balls by hand (I used a cookie scooper to get consistent portions); place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
7 Bake in 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
8 Drain on paper toweling.
9 Serve warm with dip.

Dip Ingredients:

1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ

1/2 cup Orange Marmalade

Mix, heat and serve.

Pumpkin Pie Seeds

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:
Spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast them in a 250 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the seeds are completely dry and lightly browned (large seeds may take longer).
 

In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin pie spice, the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar and set aside.  

Heat the oil in a large non-stisk skillet over medium-high heat,.
  

Add the seeds and the rest of the sugar to the skillet, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts, about 45 seconds.
  

Scrape the seeds into the pumpkin pie spice mixture and stir to coat.
  

Allow the seeds to cool before eating and store in an airtight container.

Pasta With Lemon Olive Oil

I added in some shrimp that was cooked on the skillet for a bit with garlic.

Ingredients: 

2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest 

1/4 cup lemon juice 

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 

2 large garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 cup kalamata olive, sliced (optional) 

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 

3 tablespoons basil, julienned 

salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste) 

1 lb fresh linguine 

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (opitonal) 

Directions: 

1 Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, garlic cloves, Kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes. 

2 Cook pasta and reserve 1/4 cup (60mL) pasta water. 

3 Drain and toss pasta with olive oil mixture and reserved pasta water. 

4 Toss with basil and Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper. 

5 Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

Grilled peaches with brown sugar balsamic glaze

Found on Salon.com...and soooo good!  We selected a slow-churn caramel ice cream to accompany this deliciousness.  OMG.

Ingredients

• 4 not-too-ripe peaches, washed, halved and pitted (too ripe and they fall apart on the grill)
• Balsamic vinegar, to taste, about a tablespoon
• Brown sugar or honey, to taste
• Light olive oil
• 4 leaves fresh basil, chopped, optional
• Ice cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat grill
2. Drizzle peaches with balsamic vinegar and then sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. (I like to do this about an hour before grilling so the flavors soak in, but they’ll be delicious either way.)
3. Brush grill with a dab of oil. Place peach halves face-down on grill. Turn after 3 to 4 minutes, after they’ve given up the brightness in their color. Sprinkle flat side (now facing up) with more brown sugar. Remove after another couple of minutes, when they’re soft all the way through when you poke them with a fork.
4. Garnish with basil on and around peaches. Serve with ice cream or by themselves. Drink another hefeweizen. Prepare to have very happy friends.

WW: Greek-Grilled Chicken Sandwich

I subbed w/ half fat-free, half regular feta and it was still delicious.  Also, my red onion was bad, so I made a last-minute addition to the spread w/ chopped kalamata olives.  YUM.

8 WW points per serving (might be less w/ fat-free feta).

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4 oz pieces
	2 tsp olive oil
	1 tsp red wine vinegar
	1 tsp dill, fresh, chopped
	1/2 tsp dried oregano
	1/2 tsp kosher salt
	1/4 tsp garlic powder
	1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground (or to taste)
	10 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese, about 3 oz
	1 Tbsp fat-free skim milk
	1 Tbsp uncooked red onion(s), finely chopped
	4 item(s) light hamburger roll(s) or bun(s), toasted
	2 piece(s) lettuce, romaine, cut in half
	1/2 medium fresh tomato(es), cut into 4 slices

Instructions

• Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.
• Pound chicken until about 1/4-inch thick; place on a large baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, combine oil, vinegar, dill, oregano, salt, garlic powder and pepper; drizzle over chicken and flip to coat both sides. Let chicken sit for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cheese, milk and onion; mash together with a fork to make a spread.
• Grill chicken, flipping once, until browned and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Place chicken on toasted bun bottoms; spread each with 1 heaping tablespoon feta spread. Top each with 1 piece lettuce and 1 slice tomato; cover with bun tops. Yields 1 sandwich per serving.

Finger-Licking Chicken Marinade

My go-to chicken marinade.  Absolutely delicious, especially if you get the good balsamic vinegar from the Olive Branch.  Love that stuff!

Ingredients: 

1 cup oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 

2 tablespoons Miracle Whip or 2 tablespoons Miracle Whip light (can sub w/ mayo)

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

1/2 tablespoon salt (to taste) 

1 tablespoon pepper 

1-2 tablespoons thyme (to taste)

1/2 tablespoon garlic power

Directions: 

1 Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. 

2 Use to marinate chicken pieces at least 30 minutes (I usually do at least an hour or so) and then to baste the meat as it cooks in the oven or on the grill.

Baked Italian Sausage With Potatoes and Rosemary

We subbed dried rosemary for the fresh sprig, used red potatoes, added a bit more ciabatta bread and added carrots. 

Ingredients:   

6 Italian sausages

1.76 lb kipfler potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 

1 rosemary sprig 

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled 

sea salt, to taste 

fresh ground black pepper, to taste 

2 slices ciabatta 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

flat leaf parsley 

Directions: 

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

2 Slice the sausages into 1.5" pieces and place in a large roasting pan. 

3 Add the potatoes, paprika, rosemary, garlic cloves, sea salt and pepper. 

4 Tear the ciabatta into bite size pieces and add to the roasting tray. 

5 Drizzle over the oil and gently toss to combine. 

6 Place in the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the sausages and bread are golden brown.

Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin (Slow Cooker!)

Way to go Mandy--nice execution of a great idea! I'm going to be the lazy contributor to this blog, both in terms of cooking effort and blogging effort. I post links.

So: Here's a link to this incredible and incredibly easy pork loin I made a few weeks ago in the slow cooker. We had it with Ina Garten's delicious Brussel sprouts, which are also very easy and will make you love Brussel sprouts if you thought you never would (ask Anna!).