Rigatoni with Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil & Parmesan Cheese

You guys, I have the most exciting news!  I got contacted by a cooking show, and was asked if they could share my Instagram photo for this recipe on an upcoming episode! Umm... YES!!!!  Seriously, Dream. Come. True!

Then I realized I never actually posted this recipe on my blog.  Oops!  You know, life with three little kids is busy friends. Bizzy!!  But I'm here to help you all out.  This is a quick recipe. Like you can be eating this in 20 minutes quick.  Which is perfect for all us busy folks out there that don't have a ton of time to cook, but still want to eat yummy food.

You need:
1 box of rigatoni
1 pint of cherry tomatoes (I used heirloom because they are pretty, but any will do!)
Fresh basil leaves (around 10)
olive oil
garlic
parmesan cheese

Here's whatcha do... Boil your water and follow the cooking instructions for your pasta.  While it's cooking heat a cast iron or skillet of choice over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Next,  add a few cloves of minced or sliced garlic, as many as you like (I like a lot!). Stir frequently, reduce heat if they start to brown too quick, you just want it to be lightly golden. Slice tomatoes in half and chiffonade (cut into long thin strips) the basil.  When the pasta is al dente, about 1-2 minutes shy of box instructions, reserve a mug of cooking water, then drain the pasta and add it to your skillet. Stir well and add a little cooking water until you have sort of a lose sauce.  Remove from the heat, stir in your tomatoes and top with basil and parmesan cheese.

Delish, fast, easy!

Penne Rustica

If you've been to The Macaroni Grill, then you probably have tried this dish before.  Some of us aren't lucky enough to have tried it or don't live close to one, so I did my thing and recreated a recipe for you to make at home.  And it is good...so good.  But, it's not diet. Not. Even. Close.  If you are on a diet, save this for a cheat day. And if you aren't well, make this right away!

Ingredients:
1lb penne pasta
4 slices of thin proscuitto cut into long ribbons
1 turkey sausage link, diced into bite size pieces (I had garlic spinach)
15-20 medium shrimp, raw, tails off
1/2 cup of white wine
2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 red bell pepper sliced thinly
3 cloves of minced garlic
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 finely chopped, one whole for garnish
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
salt
olive oil


Directions:
I love using a cast iron skillet for this because you can put it directly in the oven and don't need to transfer stuff to a baking dish, but if you don't have one, you can absolutely use a baking dish. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Heat your skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil.

Heat your water for the pasta and follow the cooking directions for making the penne al dente, about 7 minutes.

While preparing the pasta, put the shrimp in the skillet and cook about 2 minutes on each side, until they just start to turn pink, then remove with a slotted spoon and place aside in a bowl. I know, they are not done yet, but this dish finishes in the oven and you don't want the shrimp to become rubbery so you don't want to cook them through yet.

Add the garlic to the skillet. When it begins to turn golden, add the sausage, proscuitto, peppers and rosemary. Add the wine and reduce by half, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cream and the cayenne pepper. When cream begins to simmer add the parmesan, and stir until melted and sauce begins to thicken, then turn off heat. Taste the sauce and see if any salt is needed. (You may not need any since the parm & proscuitto is pretty salty.)

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and then gently stir on the shrimp.  Put the skillet in the oven and let the pasta brown up on top, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and garnish with a little fresh rosemary.

Enjoy!

Salad Weather

Literally, overnight, the weather went from being mild with a little rain here and there to over 90 degrees where I live.  So much for a mild spring, looks like summer has struck early this year.  Since turning on an oven during this heat makes my house unbearable even with air conditioning, it looks like we'll be enjoying salad weather for the time being.  I noticed that the grocery store had some beautiful hot house tomatoes today, so caprese it is...



I know that it's not actually tomato season yet, and some of you aren't experiencing this heat wave that we have happening here in Nor Cal, but, keep this in mind for the up coming summer months. It's one of my favorite summer foods and with a little grilled chicken, you're good to go!


Ingredients:
tomatoes
basil
fresh mozzarella cheese
olive oil
salt & pepper
garlic optional

Slice up some tomatoes and some fresh mozzarella and arrange them on a large plate or platter.  Add fresh basil, drizzle with good olive oil and season with salt & pepper and a little fresh grated garlic if desired.