sundried tomato pesto penne pasta

I recently got to cater for a friends bachelorette party. We held the party on a rooftop overlooking the skyline of Chicago. It was a beautiful evening of wine, sunsets, laughter and lingerie.

The bride is a huge pasta fan, so for dinner we tossed up a delicious penne pasta with sundried tomato pesto. On the side were roasted veggies and balsamic toasts. 

Olive Oil and Parmesan

Chicago Skyline

Vino!

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Penne Pasta:
2 boxes penne pasta
1 cup fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1 jar sundried tomatoes (I got mine at Trader Joes)
1 teaspoon salt

In a large pan, boil 4 quarts of water. Add the pasta and boil for 12 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, in a blender, blend basil, garlic, olive oil, sundried tomatoes and salt until well pureed.
Drain pasta and save water.
Toss the drained pasta with the pesto puree. Add water by small amounts to find the right consistency. Serve piping hot with fresh Parmesan.

Cherry Summer Salad and Corn on the Cob

Summer Feast

 Summer foods- Who can live without a good salad and corn on the cob?

This week at my apartment, we made corn on the cob slathered in honey butter, and a Cherry summer salad with toasted pecans.
Yum.

Corn on the Cob with honey butter:
4 ears of corn, shucked
3 tablespoons honey butter
salt to taste

Boil a quart of water. Add the 4 ears of corn and boil for 6-10 minutes, or until tender.
Drain. Add the honey butter in the pan, and fully coat the corn. Sprinkle with salt to taste.


Cherry Summer Salad:
4 cups mixed greens
1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced in half
1 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup balsamic vinegarette

Toss the greens in the balsamic. Divide evenly among four bowls. Evenly distribute pecans and cherries among the bowls.

Serve with a french baguette or multigrain toasts.

Corn on the Cob with Honey Butter

Cherry Summer Salad with Pecans

crabcakes.

Crab Cakes

We have this tradition at home to always make crabcakes whenever I visit. My sister is queen of crab cakes, I think she could eat them everyday. Here is a great and easy recipe that we have adopted and morphed a bunch of times. The great thing about it is that you can always morph it too! Add different spices, peppers, etc to change the texture or flavor.

Crabcakes
8 oz crab meat
2/3 cup crushed crackers, like Ritz plus more for dipping
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 chopped yellow pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt

Flake the crab meat. Add remaining ingredients and then form into patties. This recipe should make 8-10 patties.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet. Dip each cake into extra bread crumbs and fry in hot skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve hot with a dill dipping sauce.


Dill dipping sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Whisk until fully blended. Serve with crab cakes!

Mix it up

Dip in bread crumbs and fry

Get them to a deep golden brown

salmon burgers

Another Roomie Dinner!!!

I love our weekly roommate dinners. It is great to sit down intentionally with one another. There is always an abundance of laughter and fun with these girls, and it gives us a great excuse to cook.

Salmon Burgers

I love using things that I already have in the kitchen, and then creating with the ingredients. I happened to stumble upon a can of salmon, and a bunch of bell peppers from my favorite local produce store, called Stanleys. With these, I created a delectable salmon burger with a spicy chipotle mayo. YUM.

Make the Salmon Patties

Pan Fry

Salmon Burgers
1 Can pink salmon
3 small bell peppers, finely chopped
1 egg
3 Tablespoons Chipotle Mayo (plain would work as well)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon olive oil for frying

Drain the salmon and add to a large bowl. Add in egg, chopped peppers, mayo, bread crumbs, garlic, and a dash of salt and pepper. Form mixture into 3-4 large patties. Heat oil in a large skillet, and fry burgers for about 3 minutes on each side, or until heated through.

Serve with roasted vegetables, and extra chipotle mayo.

Serve with Roasted Vegetables...

Heart healthy, filling, and so good.

peach pancakes

The fourth of July is lovely in Nashville. We road-tripped down to the land of Tennessee to celebrate with her on her favorite holiday. While there, we dined on some great southern food. In addition, we made a feast of breakfast; peach pancakes and a broccoli-asparagus scrambler.

Peaches are a great addition to breakfast. They are so sweet, and were the perfect balance in these whole wheat pancakes.

We also found an adorable "K" cup. Perfect for the 3 cups of coffee that accompanied breakfast.

Peach Pancakes

 Peach Whole Wheat Pancakes 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup whole wheat flour 
3 tablespoons sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
1 large egg 
1 large egg white 
2 large peaches, cored and sliced thinly

Honey flavored Greek yogurt
honey
extra sliced peaches

 Stir flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, oil, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until well mixed. Stir in the sliced peaches, leaving a few slices to use as a topping.

Heat a skillet and spray with cooking spray. Place pancake batter by the half-cup on the skillet. Cook pancakes for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden and bubbly. Serve the warm pancakes with Greek yogurt, honey, and peaches.

Broccoli Asparagus Scrambler

The "K" Cup

Breakfast!

 Broccoli Asparagus Scrambler
1 Cup fresh broccoli
1 Cup sliced asparagus
2 Cups spinach
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
2 Tablespoons Milk

Heat a large saute pan with a touch of olive oil. Add the broccoli, asparagus, spinach, and onion, and saute for about 2 minutes. Whisk the eggs and salt and milk in a separate bowl, and add to skillet. Scramble in pan until eggs are fully cooked through.
Serve immediately.

Guacamole!

It is the season of dips, and guacamole is one of my ALL time favorites.

Guacamole!

Avocados are probably the best green food I have ever tasted, and they make for the perfect summer addition to sandwiches, omelets, pastas, and so much more.
Guac is basic, and always a crowd pleaser. So here is an easy, and delicious guac recipe. Make it and share it.

Scoop in the avocados

Add some goodies and mash it up...

Yum.

Guacamole!
2-3 large avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Mash the avocados until chunky. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed and blended. Serve with warm tortilla chips.

Blackbean Burgers!

Blackbean Burgers

Roommate dinners have officially begun!
Every Monday night, Rachel and Cynthia and I have committed to doing dinner together. It is great; it is such a fun way to start the week, and gives us a good excuse to be in the kitchen. For our first roomie date, we did blackbean burgers and roasted sweet potatoes.

The concept of a blackbean burger is easy; take a can of blackbeans, throw in a bunch of goodies, an egg and some breadcrumbs to hold it all together, and then fry it up on a skillet. We had some yummy asiago bagels leftover that we used as buns.

Blackbean burgers
1 can blackbeans
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup salsa
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or parmesan cheese
Toppings! (Ketchup, honey mustard, cheese!?)

Rinse and drain the blackbeans. Pour in a large bowl. Using your hands, add all the other ingredients and mash, until the mixture can be formed into patties. This recipe makes 3-4 burgers.
Heat a skillet to medium high with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Once hot, place the patties on the skillet and fry on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant.
Serve on a bun, or leftover bagels for a fun twist.

Black and Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Black and Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Peju moved away from Chicago a couple weeks ago. Luckily, before she left, we snagged her one final time for brunch. Sunday morning, we got to sit around lingering over fluffy pancakes, and gawk at her beautiful new ring.

Pancakes and coffee on a Sunday summer morning go unmatched. It's the perfect combo.

Black and Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries

Mix all ingredients except fruit. Heat skillet and grease well. Fold fruit into mixture, and scoop about 1/2cup batter onto the skillet. Cook on first side until golden and bubbly. Flip, and brown on opposite side. Serve with honey butter and warm maple syrup.

Fluffy!

Also, serve with bottomless coffee. Always a bonus.