First of all I’m not gonna lie, this is a hit and miss with most kids. Mia loves it because it has her favorites: cheese, peas, pasta, and lemon. Yes, lemon. I know it’s weird but she will bite right into it and say delicious. Of course it just makes me cringe. Lemon Ricotta Farfalle with Peas is a super simple delightfully fresh summertime pasta dish that will be gone in seconds if you’re not careful.

Lemon Ricotta Farfalle with Peas serves 6 to 8

• 16 oz box of Farfalle pasta, cooked according to directions
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• 15 oz Ricotta, part skim or whole milk
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbs lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup frozen thawed peas
• 2 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh mint, chopped

Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water that the pasta was cooked in. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Fold in peas and add the reserved water. Mix well.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese mixture and stir to evenly coat.

Next, fold in the basil and mint.

Now serve and garnish with a little extra Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, or basil. See how easy that was! Super simple for a quick summer lunch.

This is one of our family favorites. Roasting green beans is my favorite way to eat them. Nothing beats the texture of a roasted green bean and when you add mushrooms to the mix, hold tight! Even Mia loves it and eats the mushrooms by the boatload when they are roasted. This very simple yet super savory recipe can be made quickly with no fuss and is a great complement to chicken, beef, pork, or if you live in this house venison.

Roasted Garlic Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms serves 4

• 1 pound green beans
• 4 oz (weight) shiitake mushrooms, substitute with cremini if necessary
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Wash, dry, trim the ends of the green beans and place in a large bowl.

Using a damp towel, brush any dirt off the mushrooms. With a knife, slice the mushrooms in large bite sized pieces. Place in the same bowl as the green beans.

Finely, chop the garlic cloves and place in the bowl.

Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss.

Pour on a baking sheet (I line mine with foil for easy clean up) and place in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes or until the green beans are tender.

Serve and devour. Seriously good!

I wasn’t surprised when I asked my husband what he wanted for Valentine’s dinner and he said filet mignon. We don’t do flowers or cards here. No, it’s always been a good meal, break out an old bottle of wine, and talk until the sun comes up or these days pass out on the couch. Filet mignon is very simple to cook, actually. And when paired with some simple rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes and steamed green beans, you have an elegant and delicious meal in 30 minutes with little fuss.

Seared Filet Mignon serves 2

• 2 filet mignons
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbs salted butter cut into 2 pieces

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Bring both fillets close to room temperature.
3. Generously sprinkle each side of the fillets with salt and pepper. And nothing else! I saw someone once (I won’t mention any names You know who you are) put mustard on a filet mignon and I almost fainted. You don’t need one thing on this cut of meat it is perfect as it is.
4. Heat oil on medium high in a good, oven-safe, saute pan.
5. Place both fillets in the saute pan and sear the fillets for 3 minutes a side or until browned. Sear on the end sides as well for 1 minute each.
6. Once all of the sides are seared, place the pan in the oven.
7. Roast for 3 minutes for rare, 5 minutes for medium-rare, 6 minutes for medium and 7 minutes for medium well.
8. Place 1/2 tablespoon on each fillet and let rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

* If you wish, saute sliced cremini mushrooms with a teaspoon of olive oil in the same pan that the filet mignons were cooked in. Once caramelized, deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of red wine and cook until the mushrooms absorb the wine. A quick and wonderful compliment to a good steak!

Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes

• 1 pound small new potatoes and blue potatoes
• 1 Tbs freshly chopped rosemary
• 1 Tbs (3 cloves) chopped garlic
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise.
3. Place in a large bowl along with the remaining ingredients.
4. Toss until the potatoes are completely covered with oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.
5. Pour onto a large baking sheet, making sure potatoes don’t overcrowd.
6. Place in oven and roast for 30 to 40 minutes until cooked through.
7. serve

Steamed green beans

Ok I cheated, I just placed 1/2 pound of washed green beans in a bowl, filled the bowl halfway with water, covered with plastic wrap and placed in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. Drained and tossed with a pinch of salt and a drizzle with olive oil. It’s Valentine’s Day. Who wants to clean a lot of pots and pans?

For desert… Grand Marnier Molten Chocolate Cake

So the chocolate Lava Cake has worn out it’s welcome on the foodie trend scale, I know. But it is still an easy go to desert for a special occasion when you need a quick and decedent last bite. I have used this recipe for years and it is now burned into my head. I encourage you to keep this one in your recipe stash for a long time as I have. It is from a 2004 Food & Wine issue. For tonight I have cut the recipe in half and added 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier orange liquor and 1 Tablespoon of orange zest.

Molten Chocolate Cake Food and Wine 2004

Sorry no photos of this one, it was gone just too fast.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Yes, it is still butternut squash season and yes, I’m still obsessed with them. It’s not even a guess anymore at the farmers market. He just hands me a bag full of the delicious winter squash without even asking what I want. I’m surprised we all haven’t turned orange by now. Here’s another one of our favorite recipes to use butternut squash in. Similar to the post Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese, this is a creamy, savory and slightly sweet pasta sauce that is a perfect pairing for ravioli (especially mushroom ravioli) or your favorite pasta.

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce serves 4 to 6

• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 Tbs flour
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 cup butternut squash puree fresh or store bought*
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp dried sage or 1/2 tsp fresh sage
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• pinch of pepper to taste
• 4 cups of cooked pasta

* You can find store bought butternut squash puree in the frozen aisle of your grocery store.

Over medium heat melt the butter. Add flour.

Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Add milk slowly while whisking.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butternut squash puree and stir.

Add nutmeg, sage, salt and pepper. Stir. Freshly grated nutmeg makes this sauce really pop. Trust me, it is much better than ground but if ground is all you have that’s ok too.

Pour sauce over pasta and gently stir.

Simple, easy and delicious! Even Mia likes it.

I can’t even describe how good these biscuits are! My best attempt would be to compare them to a creamy and puffy biscuit. Although they are not technically a biscuit. They are like eating buttery, slightly salty, creamy airy puffs of…I don’t even know. They are that good. The fact that it takes a total of 3-5 minutes to create in a blender and 15 minutes in the oven makes these the quickest dinner rolls/biscuits ever. Every time I make them there is never any left and leaves people begging for the recipe.

It all started when I was attempting a recipe for Brazilian Cheese Bread from my favorite food blog of all time, Simple Recipes. (Seriously, check this blog out. If there were any food blogger that I would like to be in the kitchen with it’s Elise Bauer!) I was supposed to use tapioca flour but living in a town where anything other than all-purpose flour is a mystery I could not find any. I did have a stash of rice flour in my pantry from a recent trip to Whole Foods and used that instead. I thought since it didn’t have gluten that it would be the same thing. I noticed right off the bat that I was wrong and spent the next hour trying to play with the batter to get the consistency that I thought I needed. The result made our mouths water for more and I knew instantly that I had to keep playing around with this to get it right. Later I did find some tapioca flour and correctly tried Elise’s recipe for Brazilian Cheese Bread and the result was the total opposite of my concoction. I encourage you to try Brazilian Cheese Bread but I will warn you they are nothing like our traditional rolls and biscuits. They are very very chewy and it took a while for my American palette to get used to. None the less, I am happy for trying this recipe in the first place because it led to one of my favorite creations since the limoncello cookie! Thanks Elise for the inspiration.

Queso Fresco and Olive Oil Biscuits {Blender Biscuits} makes 6
prep time: 5 minutes cook time: 15-20 minutes
gluten free

• 1 egg at room temperature*
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup Queso Fresco*, crumbled
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Ok…ready? This will be the easiest biscuit/roll recipe you will ever make.

Preheat oven to 400°. Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high for 45 seconds.

Pour in a well greased muffin cup and place in the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the biscuits are slightly golden on top.

And your done. Easy right? Serve and watch them disappear fast. Although this makes only 6 servings you can easily double the ingredients to make 12 for your Thanksgiving dinner this upcoming holiday.

*Notes
Egg:If you forget to leave the egg out to get to room temp like I always do, put it in a glass of warm water for a minute.
Queso Fresco: is traditionally a Mexican farmers cheese. You can usually find it in the grocery store.

Recently, I was up in Dallas where there is salvation in the form of a Whole Foods. I had an amazing “salad” for lunch called Roasted Fall Harvest or something like that. I can’t really remember. But what I do remember was how simple and delicious it was. After talking to one of the Whole Foods chefs I found that it was supper easy to make and perfect for the kiddos to help out with. Mia helped by siring all of the veggies together and if we weren’t completely covered with olive oil by the end of her creation I would have snapped a pic. Try this slightly sweet side dish warm or cold and enjoy all that fall has to offer. Carrots can also be replaced with butternut squash.

Roasted Green Bean, Beets, and Carrots serves 4 to 6

• 1 large beet
• 5 carrots
• 2  large shallots
• 1 pound green beans
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp honey

Preheat oven to 400°. With a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off the beet.

With a sharp knife, slice the beet into quarter inch thick bite size slices and place in a large bowl.

Peel the carrots and slice into quarter inch slices. Place the slices in the bowl with the beets.

Peel the shallots, slice in bite size pieces and place in the bowl.

Snap the tough ends off the green beans and place in the bowl with the other veggies.

This is where I have to stop and tell you that when I was a kid I was forced into child labor. True story. I’ve mentioned her before, RoRo, my beloved nanny. I really don’t like to say she was me nanny because she was almost like a second grandmother. She took care of my great-grandparents when she was a teenager, helped raise my mom’s younger siblings and then, helped raise my brother and I. Whenever I think about her I smile and tear up a little. All of my fond memories have her included somehow and this is one of them. RoRo was an amazing cook! I learned almost everything from her since my mother was a hard working mom and hardly stepped foot in the kitchen. RoRo was known for her fried pies, collard greens, and fried catfish but what I truly loved was how she cooked green beans. Maybe one day I will share the recipe when I decide to forget my ever growing behind and cook a real southern RoRo style meal. but for now I’m keeping it to myself. It was her green beans I begged for everyday. So while blueberry muffins baked in the oven, RoRo and I would sit down in the living room with a big pile of beans and a large bowl. She would turn on her stories and say, “Squirt Tail (that was her nickname for me) if I’m gonna make beans for you again you’re gonna snap’em.” So in the midst of the daily dramas of The Young and Restless I would learn the ways of love, deception, how to style my hair 20 feet high (it was the early 80′s) and snap beans. There was nothing I’d rather do and still to this day every time I snap a bean I think of my RoRo, the smell of blueberry muffins and her stories.

Ok…back to it. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil over the vegetables in the bowl.

Add the salt and pepper and mix well.

On a foil or parchment lined sheet (you don’t have too, it’s just for easy clean up) spread the vegetables out and place in oven. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Once finished, drizzle honey over the vegetables and mix. Serve warm or cold. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did and if you actually live in a town with a Whole Foods and don’t want to cook stop by and try this today.

For some reason this sounded so good in my head. So good in fact that I sent the husband out to grab some POM. Thankfully it all worked out and was a wonderful dinner. Even Mia enjoyed the chicken with the slightly sweet sauce and creamy polenta. I wish I could take credit for the polenta but it is from an ancient book called The Cooking Of Italy given to me by my mother-in-law. It does not have one single recipe. Just hundreds of pages about the flavor combinations of each region and it is fantastic. This is a quick and easy meal that comes together fast.

Lets start with the pomegranate sage reduction:

• 2 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 Tbs fresh sage, chopped

Pour juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the juice has reduced to half. Turn off heat. Add chopped sage and set aside.

while the pomegranate is reducing start sauteing the chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 Tbs of olive oil

Season chicken with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper on both sides. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium-high.

Place chicken breast in skillet and sear for 6 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Now for the goat cheese polenta from The Cooking of Italy :

• 4 1/2 cups of water
• 1 cup of yellow cornmeal
• 4 ounces of goat cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup milk (optional, I like a creamy polenta)

While the chicken is going bring 4 1/2 cups of water to boil in a large pot.

Add cornmeal into boiling water and using a whisk stir while pouring. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Now here is my favorite part. This book describes ancient plump ladies stirring away constantly at the polenta like they were battling a beast. Every Time I make polenta I laugh at myself and “the polenta beast.” You are welcome to continually whisk away for 15 minutes but I have found that if you step away for a second or two you can still tame the beast. The main point is to stir frequently to avoid lumps for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutesturn off heat and add goat cheese, olive oil, and salt. Stir and mix until combined. Now sneak a taste, you know to make sure it’s not poison. It’s pure heaven, isn’t it!

The combinations of the tangy salty polenta with the sweet and savory chicken is incredible! I serve a spoon full of polenta on a plate with a chicken breast on top and pomegranate sage reduction spooned over. Enjoy.

Now wait just a minute. Before you run off at the thought of grilling okra, keep reading and ponder about the salty, crisp, grilled goodness that you will miss out on. Whenever we light the grill there has to, and I do mean has to, be okra on it. It is surprisingly delicious and not at all slimy. I found this suggestion in a local Texas gardening magazine years ago and have been making it every summer. Try it next time you grill. You won’t regret it.

Tonight we are serving it alongside grilled lemon thyme chicken thighs, grilled tomato crostini, and grilled corn on the cob with cilantro lime butter.

Grilled Okra serves 4 or 2 if you love okra

• 1 quart of fresh okra
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs kosher salt

Light your grill and let the fire die down a bit. We use charcoal so I have no clue how this turns out on gas. Just letting you know.

Place okra in a large bowl. Add olive oil and salt. Stir making sure okra is evenly coated with oil and salt.

Next, place on grill (sorry no photo here it was raining) for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve and be amazed.

Like I said, we served this with grilled lemon thyme chicken thighs, grilled tomato crostini, and grilled corn on the cob with cilantro lime butter. A very easy meal when you throw everything on the grill at once.

Grilled Tomato Crostini from Food & Wine June 2010 It is amazing!

One of my favorite food blogs is Simply Recipes. Check out her post on how to grill corn on the cob. I serve it with cilantro lime butter. You simply mix together 2 tablespoons of softened butter with 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Grilled Lemon Thyme Chicken Thighs serves 4

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• juice of 1 whole lemon
• 1 Tbs of fresh thyme
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 8 skinless chicken thighs

Mix the first 5 ingredients together. In a large dish place the chicken. Pour mix over chicken and refriderate for at least 2 hours (don’t worry, if you forget to marinate for hours ist’ still good).

Grill for 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Just take everything out to the grill and get cooking. Simple. easy, delicious, and my favorite no messy clean up. Enjoy.

Mom, this one’s for you. It’s all here when you need the recipe for one of your book clubs! Just remember that fish doesn’t need to cook for an hour.

Rosemary and garlic roasted salmon is a quick, simple and oh my word delicious way to cook salmon. Healthy, light and bursting with flavor, this is our favorite way to eat the delectable fish! Cook it along with some fresh summer green beans and you have a meal in 10 minutes. Even Mia enjoys it. No lie. She stuffs it in her mouth. We’re still working on those table manners.

Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Salmon serves 4

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, about 1 Tbs chopped
• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs salmon fillet (I used sockeye)
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pinches of sea salt
• pinch of pepper

Preheat oven to 425°. Peel and chop garlic. Set aside.

Chop the rosemary. Set aside.

Place salmon on a baking sheet (I cover mine with foil because it’s just easier to clean). Distribute olive oil evenly on salmon. Add salt and pepper over the fillet. Next, add the rosemary and garlic and lightly press into salmon.

Place in oven. At this time I also throw in some fresh green beans lightly coated in extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes until the salmon is flaky and green beans are tender.

Serve and enjoy! Before hand, I roasted a sweet potato pierced with a fork and wrapped in foil in a 400° oven for 45 minutes until tender. You can also cover a pierced potato with a wet paper towel wrapped in plastic wrap and place in the microwave for 6 minutes. A quick and easy meal that’s one of our favorites!

Stuffs it in her face I tell you!!!

Since Mia’s growing older and starting her picky period and my husband is in training for yet another marathon season, I am consciously trying to pump up our veggie intake. Even if it means sneaking it into everything we eat. So, don’t be surprised in the coming months if you find more recipes like this these. Serve with some tomatoes and basil and you got yourself a meal! By the way the chicken is awesome. It was inspired by a pecan crusted sea bass I had in when I was 16 at Cafe Pacific. I know I’m bragging but…yum.

Walnut & Spinach Crusted Chicken serves 4

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups of baby spinach, packed
• 1 1/2 cups of walnuts
• 1 cup of panko, japanese bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1 egg + 1 Tbs of water (egg white can be substituted)

Preheat oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with foil.

Place the spinach in a food processor or blender and pulse 8 to 10 times until spinach becomes chopped in small pieces. Transfer the spinach to a bowl and set aside.

Next, add the walnuts and pulse 6 to 8 times until the walnuts are in tiny pieces.

To the walnuts, return the spinach and add the panko, salt and pepper. Pulse a couple of more times until blended. Transfer the mixture to a plate.

In a small bowl beat the egg and water. Next create a “station” with the plate of chicken, egg wash, walnut mixture and then foil lined pan in a row. Take a breast of chicken and dip in the egg wash. Next, dip that chicken breast in the walnut mixture pressing the coating onto the breast. Once it’s coated on both sides lay on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken. {Notice the 80′s blue counter tops! I’m stylin. Not to fret, a kitchen remodel is in my near future.}

Place pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

It is seriously good. Now, while that’s baking throw this cheesy goodness on the stove. This uses butternut squash puree. It is simple to make. Check out this post on how to make butternut squash puree. You can also just roast a squash in the oven: cut open, remove seeds, roast 400° for 50 min, scoop out meat and smash with a fork) If you don’t have butternut squash puree handy in your freezer you can substitute with a can of pumpkin. I have noticed stores carrying butternut squash puree in the freezer section. So, check there first.

Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese* serves 4

• 2 cups of your favorite small pasta, I’m using Piccolini
• 1 Tbs of butter
• 1 Tbs flour
• 3/4 cup 2% or skim milk
• 1/2 cup butternut squash puree
• 1 1/2 cup of reduced-fat cheese, monterey jack or cheddar
• 2 Tbs reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp paprika

*Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese is adapted from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling add pasta and cook until pasta is tender (about 7 to 10 minutes). Strain and set aside.

It’s really simple to make your own cheese sauce! Melt butter over medium low heat in a saucepan and add the flour. Whisk and cook for 2 minutes. It will resemble a paste.

Slowly add milk. Whisk until combined. Next add everything thing else. Stir until combined.

Add sauce to the pasta and stir! Simple and quick. No need for scary powdered cheese with chemicals I can’t pronounce!

Smiling even with a mouth full!