Vodka Cream Sauce

We tend to keep several jarred sauces in our pantry for nights when I need to whip dinner up in a matter of minutes. Those sauces are good to have on hand and if I have the time I'll add extra veggies or protein to them, but creating a sauce (almost) from scratch always tastes so much better.

I've been making this one for a couple years now and I'm just now getting around to posting it. I feel the need to apologize for the iPhone picture, but at the same time I'm also not sorry. I love taking photos of food, but once dinnertime rolls around I just want to eat and relax with my husband! I'm working on posting more of our favorite recipes, which means there will be more iPhone pictures in the future. I'm sorry I'm not really that sorry.

What I'm actually really sorry for is not sharing this with you sooner. This is one of those meals that's hearty and flavorful enough to stand all on its own. Sometimes if I'm really feeling ambitious, I'll add shrimp to the mix (throw them in the sauce just before adding the cream so they'll have time to cook) or my new favorite way is to make it with bacon*. Put this on your menu and you definitely won't be sorry you made it!

Vodka Cream Sauce 

adapted from Cooking Light

serves 4

Ingredients:
8 ounces pasta of your choice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you want it spicy!)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (4 ounces) vodka
1/4 cup chicken (or veggie) broth
1 24-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup cream (whipping, heavy, half & half; fat free works fine, too)
3 tablespoons (about 10 leaves), fresh basil, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, set aside, and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large pot or skillet with high sides. Add onion; saute until soft and tender. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and black pepper; saute 1 minute. Add vodka; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until liquid has reduced by half (if the vodka reduces rather quickly I sometimes add an extra splash or two just for kicks). Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or a blender), process until smooth. (If you used a large blender, return mixture to pan.) Stir in cream; cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly until no white streaks remain. Stir in cooked pasta, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese and homemade bread.

*To add bacon: Omit olive oil; dice 4-6 slices of bacon and cook until brown and crispy in the skillet before adding onion. Remove cooked bacon to paper towels and let drain. Using the bacon fat, cook onions and follow the rest of the recipe. Add cooked bacon pieces to the sauce before adding cream.

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

I'll be the first to admit that I have a picky palate. I typically like almost anything, but sometimes my taste buds sort of freak out on me. Take breakfast, for example. A lot of people like having sweets in the morning, but even a banana is too sweet sometimes; I need savory eats to satisfy me...usually. I do like French toast and pancakes on the weekends for brunch and occasionally oatmeal when it's cold outside. See, I told you I have a picky palate!

So when Natalie posted a recipe for a Baked Oatmeal that didn't look too sweet, I was intrigued. I made it right away and actually liked it! But here's the weird thing: I actually wanted it a little sweeter. Since she posted the recipe I've made it just about every week, tweaking it every time and trying to get it just right. Finally, after several attempts, I have a version I really enjoy eating.

The original recipe calls for making this casserole-style, but for the past few weeks I've been making them in muffin tins and I'm loving the convenience of having muffins ready throughout the week. My husband usually grabs two (or three or four) and eats them for breakfast on his way to work. If I have it for breakfast I'll heat a couple up and pour milk over them or I'll have one muffin along with an egg for some protein. They're also great as a snack before or after a workout.

If you make these keep in mind that they're not traditional muffins, so they won't really rise. Also, play around with the extra ingredients; use what you have on hand already! The amount of muffins you'll get in a batch will also vary depending on your add-ins.

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

adapted from Oven Love

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted (can use butter substitute)

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons flax seeds

4 ounces applesauce (one small container)

1 apple, peeled and grated

1 1/4 milk

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/4—1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1/4—1/2 cup dried fruit (optional; I've been adding dried apples and dried cranberries)

1/4—1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit (optional; I've been using frozen blueberries—I don't thaw them before adding)

Directions:

Line two muffin tins with muffin/cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 375f (180c).  

In a large bowl stir together all ingredients except oats and add-ins. Once everything is combined, mix in oats nuts and dried fruit. Carefully fold in fresh or frozen fruit.

 

Let oat mixture sit and soak for 30 minutes at room temperature. After 30 minutes, scoop mixture into muffin cups (using 1/4 or 1/3 cup servings). Bake for 15-20* minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. (*Mine are done after about 15 minutes, but I have a tiny oven, so yours may need longer.) Pop the muffins out of the tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Will keep in the fridge in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to a week.

Chicken Parm Bake

Shame on me for not posting this earlier. I don't have any excuses, except that I simply forgot. A few weeks ago I wrote a guest post for Oven Love and shared this recipe, but I never told you about it. Whoops! Please make this and then forgive me.

I thought about it today because I was going to make it for dinner, but I ran out of croutons. The croutons, you see, takes this simple meal to a whole new level. I usually have an extra bag of croutons on hand, because it's my go-to meal when I really don't feel like cooking at night, so you can imagine my disappointment when I had to scrounge up something else for dinner. We're having steak, by the way.

The moral of this story is: the next time you're at the store, pick up two bags of croutons. You'll need a second bag for that one night when you have no idea what's for dinner and really don't feel like cooking.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy a couple bags of croutons!

Head over to Oven Love for the recipe and more gabbing from me about how much I love this meal!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I grew up on my tias' green chile chicken enchilada casserole, but I never bothered to ask how they made it; I mean, why learn how to cook it when they'll make it for you? Actually, that's not true. I think I did ask—several times—but their recipe included "some" of this, "a little" of that, followed by a dash, a pinch, and a sprinkling of "those." They all swore it was "really easy to make," which is why they didn't have an actual recipe.

I'm the type of person who needs clear-cut directions. Spell it out for me in detail so I can check, double check, and then have someone else make sure I got it all right, otherwise you'll end up with salt cookies instead of sugar cookies. So a few weeks before I moved from New Mexico to Georgia, my mom and I practiced making green chile chicken enchiladas. It turns out making the casserole really is pretty freaking easy.

I've been making this now for more than two years and I'm proud to say I don't use a recipe for it anymore, which is why it's probably taken me so long to share this with you. I have the basics down, but sometimes I'll throw in a little something extra (it's great with an additional 1 cup of sauteed mushrooms) or play around with ingredients (sometimes I use whatever cheese I have on hand, and I love using leftover Thanksgiving turkey in place of the chicken). The recipe also works great cut in half, which is something I like to do when it's just me at home.

Like most casseroles, this tastes better after it's been out of the oven for a few hours and even better the next day. All the flavors have time to sit, mingle, and get to know each other, resulting in a party in your mouth later. If you do make it ahead of time, just pop it back into the oven for a bit to warm it back up. Serve with Spanish rice, calabacitas (coming this week!), and homemade tortillas!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

by The Tale of Two Kitchens

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 (10 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 batch green chile sauce (or 1-2 cups green chile, pealed and chopped)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic
8 corn tortillas, quartered
1/4 cup your favorite salsa
12 oz shredded cheese (cheddar or Colby/Monterrey Jack blend)
1/2 onion, chopped (optional, but only if you absolutely, positively HATE onions)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350F (180c). Lightly spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.

In a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat, combine soup, chile, and (cooked) chicken. Add ground pepper, cumin and garlic; mix to combine. Once the mixture starts to boil thickly, take off heat, stir, and set aside.

Submerge quartered tortilla pieces in salsa one at a time and place along the bottom of the casserole dish so the whole thing is covered (it takes around three and a half whole tortillas per layer—it's okay if there are some spaces or if they lay on top of each other). Spread half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle half the onions over chicken mixture, then add around a 1/4 of the cheese over the onions. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients ending with the cheese.

Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Let cool, slice, and serve! (It's often not very set when we eat it straight out of the oven, but it still tastes great and will firm up for leftovers!)

No Sugar Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I really love having some type of sweet bread laying around. But it's not to good for your waistline to eat sugary bread all the time. And I wanted something like that for Christmas morning. Christmas morning at our house starts very early and we have a lot of places to be. So I wanted to make bread of some sort to grab quick so we weren't starving running out the door. I found a recipe for good for you breakfast loaf. It was good and I wasn't too guilty for eating it. It's made with oatmeal flour and whole wheat flour. This week I wanted a sweeter version of this bread. So I mashed up a couple recipes and threw my own twist in there, and it's delicious. You could play with the ingredients in here, add some dried fruit or take out the chocolate. I think it's a good base and it's better for you than just white flour and white sugar. I LOVE BREAD!

No Sugar Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 Cup rolled oats (ground into a flour)
1 Cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Agave
1 Cup lowfat milk
1 ripe banana mashed
1/2 C natural peanut butter
Dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions: Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Mix together banana, peanut butter, and agave until smooth. Add milk and mix until incorporated. Slowly add in dry ingredients until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and pour into a greased loaf pan. Top with oats (optional) and bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

Sausage Tomato Stew

We've been on a huge soup kick over here lately. I'm trying to eat less carbs and more veggies and protein, so soup is turning out to be one of my favorite meals. Not to mention, it's warm, hearty, and freezes wonderfully. 

If you have all the ingredients chopped and ready to go, this stew comes together fairly quickly, so it's perfect for a night when you don't have dinner planned. Of course, like most soups, this tastes better the next day (or even weeks later if you freeze it), but it also has a rich flavor fresh out of the pot! 

 Sausage Tomato Stew

adapted by Lia Huber from Cooking Light

Ingredients 

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 pound ground sausage (turkey, pork, chicken, whatever)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped kale

1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Directions: 

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add sausage; sauté 4 minutes. When is brown, add red pepper flakes and ground pepper; stir around until meat is completely cooked.  Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add chickpeas, kale, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Taco Pie

When we make dinner around here it's almost always something simple, and without a doubt, tacos debut at the top of our menu each week. They're just too easy to make: brown and season meat, chop up fresh veg, make some quick Spanish rice and you're pretty much good to go. The problem with having Taco Tuesday (or Wednesday, Thursday or Friday) weekly is that it can start getting mundane. We switch it up every once in awhile by having nacho cups (recipe coming soon) or even burritos, but my tastebuds have been craving a little something more.

The second I saw this Taco Pie I knew I hit dinner jackpot. I mean, come on, it's taco in pie form—what's not to love? The fact that it's also ridiculously simple to assemble and is bursting with zesty southwestern flavors are just added bonuses. This kind of reminded me of a Mexican version of shepherds (or cottage) pie, or even a taco enchilada, but I'm happy to keep calling it Taco Pie, because seriously, pie rocks.

Taco Pie

adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

• 6 or 7 taco shelves, halved (12-14 pieces total, or make your own)
• 1/2 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or one can diced tomatoes + 2 Tbs tomato paste)
• 1/4 cup salsa (optional depending on how much spice you like)
• 8 ounces chopped green chiles
• 1 can corn, drained
• 7 ounces of cheese, divided (sharp cheddar, mozzarella, Colby & Monterey Jack, etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 Celsius). Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions to the skillet and cook, stirring until soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and cayenne; stir and mix for about 30 seconds. Add ground beef, salt, garlic powder and cumin; cook, breaking up the meat, until browned. Stir in tomatoes, salsa, chile and corn; mix well. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Arrange half of the tortillas in the bottom of a 9-to-10-inch pie plate (overlapping is fine; about 5 halves). Top with half of the meat mixture, then half of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, meat and cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy! 

p.s. I could use some advice on how to take pictures of food when it's pitch black outside, your stomach is growling, and the last thing you want to do is let the food get cold to get a decent shot.