Lemon Orzo Pasta with Tomatoes and Asparagus

This is one of my absolute favorite recipes from Pinterest.  I've been making it for years and just today realized I had some pictures but never made the post!

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

12 oz. orzo
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

Bring 2 large pots of water to boil. 

In one pot, add asparagus to boiling water and blanch, about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus. 

Place blanched asparagus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep them pretty green.

In the second pot,  cook the orzo per package instructions.  When tender, drain and place in a large bowl. 

Add blanched asparagus and tomato halves.

Mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. 

Stir into orzo and vegetables.  Stir in grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Serve warm, room temperature or cold (my fav).

Spinach Pasta Bake w/Chicken or Sausage

This might be in Hunter's top 5 (in fact, I am sure it is).  My friend, Kristen, gave me this recipe and I am forever grateful.  You can prepare it ahead of time.  AND it freezes terrific.

INGREDIENTS:
 

8 oz. cooked penne pasta (or pasta of your choice)

1 T. olive oil

1 cup finely chopped, sautéed onion (medium size)

1 (10-oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/2 lb chicken OR 3 cups sausage*

2 (14.5-oz.) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 (8-oz.) container chìve-and-onion cream cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1.5 cups (6 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

*You can use chicken or sausage (or both).  We love it either way.  It depends if we've had chicken 3 days in a row (like we've had).  You can tell sausage was used in the pictures.

STEPS:

I typically keep out a large mixing bowl.  When the ingredients are prepped I add them to the bowl.  Mixing in the bowl before adding to the baking dish makes for a prettier presentation but definitely not necessary.  (You can mix in serving dish.)

Cook the pasta according to the directions.

Start to thaw the spinach in the microwave.  I have started to use a potato ricer to squeeze out the moisture and it works quite well.  I have always toyed with using fresh spinach - I am sure you can if you heat it on the stove a few minutes to get it to wilt.  Thawing frozen spinach IS my least favorite prep. 

Saute the onions in the tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.

Using the same pan, brown the sausage.

Drain the spinach.

Add the chive and onion cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes to the spinach, pasta, sausage and onions.  Make sure to stir in the cream cheese with the warm ingredients so it melts and mixes easily. 

This is an old picture of Hunter at Leadville circa 2011?  I had to use it since I rarely get pics of my assistant.

Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake 10 additional minutes or until bubbly.

It makes around 6 servings.



Mac and Cheese

Tonight Julie and I aim to perfect a "Southern Classic"...Mac N Cheese. We scoured over many recipes and chose the two below.   I think most can agree...it is hard to mess up mac n cheese.  It depends on your preference and what you are serving at your meal. If we had to choose, I think we would prefer recipe 1. This time we split the recipes in half.  And you can, too.  It might be something we continue to do in the future.

Recipe 1:  Mac and Cheese Edna Lewis Adaption 
2 cups elbow macaroni
Salt
2 1/2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese (cubed)

2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2/3 cup sour cream

2 eggs - lightly beaten

1/3 cup grated onion

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 1/2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

It is hard to tell below but the cubed cheese along with the macaroni gives it an extra cheesy goodness.  This sharp cheddar from Cabot (Costco) was the way to go!

Nutmeg.  Labeled "for use in macaroni and cheese and quiche."  Who knew?  Ok, I believe Julie and Lance knew (but not me).

We read some reviews saying it was "soupy."

And though it appears to be...

It really was perfect...

The key is letting it sit for 10 or so minutes.  It congeals.   Does this look amazing or what?  By this time the kitchen smelled fabulous!

Recipe 2: Ina Garten Mac and Cheese

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small) - PEELED ;)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Julie and Lance don't just do bread crumbs.  They made their own bread (the day before) and made crumbs from that.  Things are homemade at the Smith Kitchen.

I do like the presentation of this mac and cheese.  The tomatoes are a great twist.  Due to some tomato plants Julie found at Costo this week, you may be seeing more tomato recipes soon!

Topped with bread crumbs...also another nice touch!

Walla...

Result:

We enjoyed both recipes.  Both were so different.  I personally liked the first one (and I think that was overall consensus) but Julie made a great point.  When put with the right menu, the second one could certainly be ideal.  The first recipe is cheaper due to the Gruyere cheese you have to purchase for the second recipe.   

If you have a recipe particularly dear to your heart, let us know.  We are still open to new recipes.  We may be eating mac and cheese for a few days, however.  Thanks to Julie and her salad I didn't feel TOO bad about eating it for dinner!

Roasted Cherry Tomato Rigatoni

This is my absolute favorite pasta....I've been cooking this recipe every other week for a couple months now (that is no exaggeration). Those who know me well, know I HAD an aversion to tomatoes. That is no more. This recipe consists mostly of tomatoes. It's fresh and healthy so when I eat tons of it, I don't feel AS bad.

I wanted to give it (the recipe) justice with pictures and last night I think I did. Did I mention I did this along with the cake decorating? I started when I got home from work and I didn't quit untill 8:30!

Because I am being lazy, here is the recipe straight from my note cards (in the cute little recipe holder given to me by Ashley):





First, rinse off the 2 pints of cherry tomatoes. Slice them in half, lengthwise.

The recipe calls to finely chop your onions. This is code for 'food processor' in my kitchen.



In a skillet on medium heat, add about 4 splashes of olive oil. Add onions and sautee till translucent.



Turn the heat down (to low) and add garlic, allowing it to cook until fragrant and not brown.



Add tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper. Add dried herbs and sugar. Cook down the tomatoes over low heat, stirring occasionally, for ~45 minutes.



Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt and pasta. Top with fresh basil if you want (which I never have...I tried to grow my own but the bugs ate more of it than I did).

Wallah!  I strongly suggest topping it with the pecorino romano!

ENJOY and let me know how you like it!