Farfalle with Asparagus, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Boursin

This dish is a quick, delicious way to enjoy pasta in the springtime. The asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, and lemon zest add brightness and rich flavor to the dish. However, the star of this meal is the Boursin. It's a creamy French cheese that is flavored with garlic and herbs. The Boursin takes this dish from a simple, pasta casserole to a creamy, dreamy comfort food.



Farfalle with Asparagus, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Boursin

2 chicken breasts, shredded (I used the breast meat from 1 roasted chicken)
1/3 C. pine nuts, lightly toasted
8 oz. Farfalle (bow tie) pasta
14 Medium asparagus spears, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 T. olive oil
4 large garlic cloves
1/3 C. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 C. Parmesan or Romano cheese
2/3 C. (4 oz.) Garlic and Herb Boursin
1 T. fresh dill, chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and pepper, to taste.

Place the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Shake constantly until evenly toasted on all sides, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until barely tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add the asparagus to the water and cook until tender-crisp, 1-2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta/ asparagus water. Drain the pasta and asparagus and set aside.

Set the pot over medium heat and heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Return the pasta and asparagus to the pan, then add the reserved cooking water. Add the tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, Boursin, dill, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Toss to combine. Stir in the pine nuts. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

For St. Patrick’s Day I was really looking forward to trying Corned Beef and Cabbage for the first time. My parents would always make it and St. Patrick’s Day was the only time I could get it. There are a lot of different recipes online and in cookbooks that you can try. I decided to use my slow cooker because I wanted a no-fuss meal. Plus, when you use the slow cooker, the meat is guaranteed to be tender and fall apart – yum!! I also used a combination of chicken stock and beer rather than water to infuse even more flavor into the meat while it cooks. When looking to buy your meat, I recommend purchasing a “flat cut” of corned beef. This cut is thinner and it’s less fatty. In the slow cooker, you don’t have to worry about it being tough – it will fall apart with a fork and be perfectly tender.

The great thing about this recipe is that the measurements are not exact. Feel free to add more or fewer vegetables and seasonings depending on what you prefer. Don’t worry – you won’t ruin it because all of the flavors will combine and infuse with the meat nicely.

One thing that I will say about slow cookers, however, is that you need to be careful when cooking vegetables. Overcooking the veggies is really easy to do and mushy veggies are a sure-fire way to have a disappointing and soggy meal. Every slow cooker is different, so I recommend checking your veggies at least halfway through. If it seems like they are cooking fast, add the cabbage sooner. You can always keep the slow cooker on warm if dinner is ready before you’re ready to eat!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did on St. Patrick’s Day!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

1 Corned Beef – flat cut (I used Vienna brand - buy any size that will feed your family!)
1 large box of stock, chicken or beef (about 4 cups, enough to partially cover the meat)
1 bottle of beer, optional
Pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
4 Bay leaves
4 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3-4 Carrots
1 Onion, cut into large chunks
10 Red Potatoes, halved
½ to 1 head Cabbage, cut into wedges

Place the corned beef in your slow cooker and add the spice packet (if one came with your corned beef, mine did not). Add the stock, beer, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Cook on low for 4 hours. Add potatoes, onions, and carrot. Cook on low 2 hours. Add the cabbage and cook on low 1 hour. When everything is finished cooking, remove the Corned Beef and let it rest 5 minutes. Slice with a knife or chunk apart with a fork. Serve with juices and vegetables - enjoy!

I also like to serve Corned Beef and Cabbage in a bowl because I like all of the juices - however you prefer, it will be delicious!

Ginger Spice Cookies

These cookies are a twist on a classic Ginger Snap cookie. They include a variety of spices - ginger, cloves, even cayenne pepper. Don't be afraid of the spices!! When incorporated into these cookies, you get the slight bite of a ginger snap but the sugars and molasses keep them sweet and delicious.

The Ginger Spice cookies are great with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee. Enjoy!



Ginger Spice Cookies

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. molasses

1 t. vanilla
2 egg whites, room temperature

white sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the molasses to the creamed butter, then add the egg whites and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly. Once incorporated, roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in white sugar and place onto baking tray. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Note: Cookies will puff in the oven, but deflate a bit as they cool. This is supposed to happen!

Makes about 44 cookies

Chicken with Creamy Mustard Marsala Sauce

I LOVE pasta. To me, there's nothing better than my mom's homemade spaghetti - it's just comfort food to me. I also love a good cream sauce over pastas because they are warm, inviting, and just plain tastey! Pasta is also one of the very few things that I will eat the next day. Leftovers just aren't my favorite, but pasta always seems to hold up and be just as flavorful (if not more flavorful!) the next day. I found this recipe and thought that it was a wonderful combination of traditional Chicken Marsala but with a little extra kick from the Dijon mustard and rich creaminess from the marscarpone cheese. It comes together easily and could be used for a date night or on a night you want a rich, home-cooked meal.

When choosing mushrooms for this recipe, just go with ones you like. You can choose any variety you like and are familiar with (like a cremini, which is readily available at the supermarket) or branch out and try a new variety. Anything you choose will be great! I decided to go with Baby Bellas (baby portabella mushrooms) because they are small and easy to slice but still maintain the full, beefy flavor of a good portabella mushroom.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!!

Chicken with Creamy Mustard Marsala Sauce

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced

Salt

Ground black pepper
2 T. Olive Oil

5 T. butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
3 T. minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese

2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces pasta noodles (like fettuccine or spaghetti noodles)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta noodles and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Adapted slightly from Giada DiLaurentiis

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Pineapple Upsidedown cake is my brother's favorite cake and he always gets one for his birthday. This year, since he was turning 30 and having a party, I decided that I'd put a twist on this traditional classic. I decided to make individual cupcakes for each guest. This recipe is great because it's easy to double, is moist and delicious, and keeps people coming back for more!

For the cupcakes, adding the pineapple juice really makes a difference because it incorporates the flavors of the topping. As a side note, I played around with the pineapple I used. Originally, the recipe called for crushed pineapple. I found that this made the topping stick to the cupcake pans and didn't come out looking quite so clean and pretty. The tidbits are small enough to fit on the cupcake and really made a difference. That being said, if your topping happens to stick slightly to the cupcake pan - DON'T PANIC! You can just scrape it off with a spoon and carefully arrange it atop the cupcake. No one will ever know! :)

Also, adding the sour cream to the batter makes this cake ultra moist and creamy - the cupcakes can sit out at a party without you having to worry they are getting dry. Once you make these, you can set them out and kick back and enjoy the party!

Ingredients:

Topping:

1 stick butter, melted
3/4 C. brown sugar, packed

1 (20 oz.) can pineapple tidbits in pineapple juice- drained, juice reserved

12 maraschino cherries - drained and halved

Cupcakes:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 C. sour cream

1/2 C. pineapple juice (reserved from pineapple tidbits)
1/3 C. vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

flour for dusting pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist 24 cupcake cups with cooking spray and dust with flour.

For the topping, measure 1 tsp. of melted butter into each cupcake cup. Sprinkle with 1 heaping teaspoon of brown sugar on the melted butter. Spread about 1 T of the pineapple tidbits on top of the brown sugar. Gently place a cherry half in the center and push it down so the cherry is at the bottom, touching the pan.

For the cupcakes, blend cake mix, sour cream, pineapple juice, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl. Blend on medium speed until the batter is smooth and light, about 2 minutes. Spoon about 1/3 C of batter into each cupcake cup.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cupcakes are golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger - about 20 - 22 minutes. Immediately run a knife around the edges of the cupcakes to loosen and invert onto a platter. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.