Welcome Back!

Please accept my apologies for my absence... we've had quite a whirlwind past 10 months... 

In December, this happened: 

 Oh, and this...

 Then in August, this happened :)

Needless to say, we've been very busy here in our home, and I haven't had much time to devote to cooking, let alone, blogging the times when I do.
I'm going to make an attempt to continue, but bear with me as we all adjust to our new lifestyle with our beautiful baby girl!

Easy Pasta Carbonara

Nothing says "I love you" like bacon and comfort food, right? This Valentine's day, here's an easy dish that won't keep you in the kitchen too long. And if you're feeling really loving, you can replace the turkey bacon with the real deal...

Here's the recipe online, but just for saving you time:

You'll need:

1 package of wheat penne pasta

3/4 c soy milk

2 whole eggs

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp butter

8 slices turkey bacon (cooked until crunchy, then chopped)

red pepper flakes

sprinkle of Pizza/Pasta Magic by Paul Prudhomme (if you have it, otherwise, add some Italian spices)

First, cook the bacon and the pasta.

Next, whisk together all ingredients except the turkey bacon in a large bowl

As soon as the pasta is done, drain it, and immediately place it back into the pot, adding the Parmesan mixture and the chopped turkey (or real) bacon. The heat from the cooked pasta will cook the eggs, but I'm neurotic, so I heated it in the pot again for a couple of minutes (just make sure to stir it).

My husband ate his the way it was, but I had some leftover baked red pepper and zucchini slices that I needed to use so I just added them on top. Feel free to add whatever other vegetables you like, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, real tomatoes...This dish will lend its flavor to a lot.

For Valentine's Day, we are cooking in. I haven't decided on my menu yet, but I know that this Double-Chocolate Pudding will be the definite dessert!

Ricotta Stuffed Shells

This one, I completely improvised... and it turned out to be delicious!

You'll need:

Pasta shells

1 carton Ricotta cheese

1-2 egg(s)

1 bag of Italian shredded cheese

ground turkey

oregano

other of your favorite Italian spices

tomato sauce (in a jar)

Start by boiling the pasta shells, then I let them cool in the sink (make sure you don't skip this step because you'll burn your fingers when you try and stuff them otherwise)

Preheat your oven to 350.

Next, brown your turkey and add some oregano, S&P, Italian seasoning, or whatever else you like in your Italy dishes

Mix your Ricotta and Italian cheeses (I used about 1/2 c of the shredded stuff), and the egg(s) with more Italian seasoning.

Add the ground turkey

Stuff the shells and arrange in a pan or casserole dish

Cover with sauce and sprinkle more cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for around 30 minutes, and you're done!

Apricot Baked Chicken

Since I am trying to make up for my prolonged holiday hiatus, here is one of a few recipes I can share with you all this week!

I found this recipe in the most recent issue of Cooking Light, and they name it as "Double Plum Baked Chicken". However, my grocery had not yet received plums for the season, so my recipe turned into Apricot Baked Chicken.

You'll need:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 sliced shallots

2 tsp peeled ginger minced

1/2 c white wine (or red, whatever you have in your house)

3/4 c fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

1 tsp chile paste

1 tsp ground mustard

3 or 4 of your favorite sweet fruit (you could sub peaches, plums, apricots, whatever's fresh)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

I started by preheating my oven to 425.

Next, I used my saucepan, and heated some olive oil, then added the shallots and ginger and sauteed them until they were fragrant.

I added some white wine (the recipe calls for plum wine, but I didn't waste my time or money trying to find it in the store), and brought all of that to a boil.

I cooked that and let it simmer, then added the broth, chili paste, and mustard, and boiled it.

Cook it until it reduces to about 3/4 of a cup (or more if you like sauce), then stir in your fruit (face down so they absorb the flavor).

I headed my cast-iron skillet and added some olive oil.

While that was working, I sprinkled the chicken with some S&P on both sides.

Next, saute the chicken for a few minutes per side (until it browns).

Next, pour the fruit mixture over the chicken, and bake it for around 6-8 minutes, or until your chicken is cooked.

This made a really easy weeknight meal, and tasted delicious with some mashed sweet potatoes!