A healthy spin on two comfort food favorites

For those of you who don’t know, ever since Russell and I got married (so for approximately the past two years), Sunday nights have been dedicated to culinary adventures with my family. My mother and I (and my grandmother, when she isn’t traveling) take turns cooking meals that are entirely new to us.

This week was my turn. Since Lily was born, my dinners have been trimmed down from elaborate feasts that take most of the day to cook, including an appetizer, main dish, at least one side dish, and a dessert. Now I generally just cook and main dish and a side dish, and usually the selections are both quick recipes. I occasionally try a dessert, but as I am trying to lose my baby weight, we are unfortunately avoiding all things sweet. I have spent a lot of time trying recipes from my new favorite Pampered Chef cookbooks: 29 Minutes to Dinner (Volume 1 & Volume 2) and from my new favorite social media app, Pinterest.

Today’s menu included healthy spins on two traditionally carb-packed comfort foods.

Crawfish-Stuffed Bell Peppers

First was a recipe I found in a free Rouse’s magazine. The first thing, as usual, that attracted me to the recipe was the picture [shown to the right].

The crinkles in the skin of the bell pepper, the fact that it was a red bell pepper, and the cute presentation – with the top of the bell pepper placed back on like a little hat – were all very appealing to me. The large pink circle advertising that it is a “low-calorie dinner!” didn’t hurt its case either. When I went on to read the recipe, however, I realized that the picture was rather misleading. The recipe calls for green peppers to be cut in half and then stuffed and for no rice, contrary to the picture, but rather breadcrumbs are used. Because the idea of stuffed bell peppers was now firmly in my dieting appetite’s mind, I decided to go for it despite the discrepancies. I went ahead and used yellow, red, and orange bell peppers to stuff instead of the green anyway, as I prefer their slightly sweeter taste to the sometimes-bitter green bell pepper. I also like the pretty colors. (Who says I’m not mature?)

[Note: Sweet bell peppers are a little more expensive, so if you’re going for price-consciousness, stick to the green. They still make for a yummy stuffed pepper.]

One of the reasons that I never used to be a fan of the stuff bell pepper was the crunchiness of the bell pepper shell. I’m not a crunchy veggie person. Crunchy onions? No, siree. Give me soft caramelized onions any day. Crunchy carrots? Not a chance. Soft carrots in a stew or with a pot roast? Yum. Following that lead, I don’t particularly care for crunchy bell peppers, so I remedy that with one of my tools from The Pampered Chef. To prepare the bell peppers for stuffing, I first cut around the stem of the bell pepper, twist, and pull; this usually takes all the seeds and unwanted pieces with it. Then I cut the bell peppers in half, as the recipe indicates, and put them in our Large Micro-Cooker with about a half-inch of water. Stick them in the microwave for about 4 minutes, and there you go!

In the end, this recipe turned out rather tasty but with several stuffed peppers left over. Per my father-in-law’s suggestion from earlier in the day when he was reminiscing about his mother making stuffed peppers when he was younger, I individually wrapped the leftovers and stuck them in the freezer, making for a perfect frozen lunch that can be easily popped in the microwave (cling wrap and all) at a later date.

Crawfish-Stuffed Bell Peppers

[The original version of this recipe (before my adjustments) 

was published in Rouse’s weekly free magazine.]

Ingredients: 

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

3/4 cup onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups Italian bread crumbs

1 lb crawfish tails, peeled and cleaned

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

crushed red pepper to taste

6 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, seeded and halved (any color pepper works)

Method: 

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add, finely chopped bell pepper, onion, garlic and celery. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. [NOTE: I sauté until the pepper is soft enough to my liking. You know how I am about crunchy peppers.] Transfer to a large bowl and cool completely.

After mixture is cool, mix in bread crumbs and crawfish tails. Season stuffing with salt and pepper and add crushed red pepper.

Fill bottom portion of each pepper with a generous potion of crawfish stuffing. Place on a greased cookie sheet  [I used the Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan.] and bake at 350˚F for 35 to 40 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash au Gratin

I’ve always been one to like carbs. I’ll take a little rice to go with my potatoes. In fact, go ahead and throw in a side of bread. I remember once being fussed at my grandmother’s house because I fixed myself a plate of just rice with corn. [A meal I continued to fix for myself as recently as last year.] I can take or leave the protein of a meal, and I can easily leave the veggies, so when our “Bye Bye Baby Weight “ diet kicked off, my appetite frowned as my subconscious announced that the carbohydrates had left the building. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but at this point, I’m down for anything remotely resembling carbs. And that is how today’s side dish came about.

When scrolling through Pinterest, this delicious au gratin dish popped up on my screen. After a little research [i.e. clicking once and then reading the 11 word description], I discovered that this was in fact not potatoes au gratin or baked cheesy spaghetti as I originally thought. Rather, it was Spaghetti Squash au Gratin, using the spaghetti-looking veggie in a casserole disguised as a carb-loaded dish. It was right up my alley. I healthified it further by using low-fat cheese and fat-free sour cream and was pleasantly surprised with the result. While I certainly wouldn’t have mistaken it for hash brown casserole in a blind taste test as one pinner’s description suggests, it was similar enough to these sides for this recipe to earn a permanent place in my recipe binder. And it was quick and easy to boot!

Side note: to slice the onions very thinly as per the recipe, I used the Simple Slicer. Here is a video to show how easy it is to use, and the onions came out perfectly thin!

Spaghetti Squash au Gratin

[The original version of this recipe (before my changes)

 was posted on Dandy Dishes.]

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash

2 tablespoons butter

1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy

½ teaspoon thyme

½ cup fat-free sour cream

1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds.  Place in a covered dish with a ½ inch of water and microwave for 10 minutes.  In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl.  Combine the squash, onions, sour cream and half the cheese together and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese. [NOTE: At this point, I covered and put the dish in the fridge. I took it out about half an hour before I wanted to bake it. These days I’m looking for recipe that can be prepped early (like when Lily isn’t hungry, dirty, or crying) and cooked later.]

Place into a 375º for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top. [I cooked it for a little longer, about 30 minutes, because it came from the fridge.]

Overall, I was very pleased with my quick and healthy Sunday night newbie adventure. Try out the recipes, and let me know what you think!

P.S. I was so pleasantly surprised with texture of the spaghetti squash, I may try it with meatballs and marinara one day soon. Hmm… I’ll let you know how it is. Since I thought the spaghetti-esque quality of this vegetable was so interesting, I am posting a video of pulling the squash/spaghettiness out of the casing. [And yes, that is Lily "chatting" in the background. :) ]

If you’re interested in purchasing and of the Pampered Chef products mentioned here today, please visit my Web site to place an order. Contact me (by commenting here, e-mailing me at eliseleboeufTPC@gmail.com, or through my Web site) if you’d like to learn how you could get these products for FREE!

Franglais, anyone?

While I wish that I could stay at home with my Lily and be a full-time cook, crafter, and homemaker, I am about to return to my full-time job as a French teacher at an elementary school.

My students are always surprised to find out that I’m not from France or Belgium or another francophone country (as are the other French teachers at our school). I am often explaining to them that I learned French in school, just like them! OK, well not exactly like them, considering that I didn’t start learning French until high school and that the most concentrated period of language acquisition for me was probably a month spent at an immersion program in Nova Scotia, Canada.

  

I have, however, come very far in my fluency from high school me. I can understand nearly all speech by native speakers, but my grammar is by no means perfect, and my French vocabulary has much to be desired. I have, however, always dreamt in the back of my mind that I would speak only French to my at the time future children. Now that the time has come, I am finding it much more difficult that I imagined.

 

[Lily does love playing with (chewing on? Making out with?) Sophie la giraffe.]

Prior to Lily’s birth, I gathered French children’s books and a few DVDs, and I took note of songs I thought a baby would like. Now that she is here, I am making an attempt to speak to her only in French; however, there are no other adults in my life (aside from certain colleagues) who speak French fluently, and thus conversing with Lily in French is basically like having a conversation with myself.

As a non-native speaker, I’m very self-conscious about my French. I often can’t think of words that I should know and have probably learned at one point, but even more often than that, I find myself struggling to use a great many of the words I never learned that are necessary involving baby care. For instance, while I could easily give directions from my house to school in French [which Lily would clearly benefit from…], I still haven’t quite figured out how to say, “Silly Lily, your poo leaked out all over your romper, and now Mommy has to clean you and the seat cover on your swing, but we've run out of wipes!”

Also, when I am alone with Lily – or even just with my husband – I can carry on lengthy monologues in French with near confidence. However, when other non-French speakers (i.e. everyone else we know) are around, I am much more hesitant. First of all because conversations with babies are more often actually conversations between adults [“That silly Daddy! He forgot to close the wipe warmer! Maybe he will hold you while I clean up the kitchen.” or “Nanny, thank you so much for the present! I know I’m going to look so cute in my seersucker dress!”]. And second of all, I just feel a little silly carrying on a “conversation” in French when no one around me understands a word I’m saying. And therein lies my biggest problem…

Recently, however, I came across a blog dedicated entirely to bringing up children bilingually. This woman started her journey with bilingual children with her nephew who she watched only one day a week and spoke to exclusively in French. She experienced many of the same things that have been discouraging me in the last several months, but – lucky for me – she learned from her setbacks and has more than six years of advice posted for me to take in as well as a multitude of other links and resources! I’ve also found lots of iPad apps for helping children learn French. These, of course, are aimed for older children, but Lily loves the bring colors, so occasionally we will play with the iPad together.

Well, folks, I’m just going to have to bite the bullet. So friends and family, you may (if I work up the nerve) begin hearing me speak more French when Lily and I are around. My one request: please don’t look at me like a crazy person. I’m just a mom hoping to help her child grow up speaking two languages. Is that so crazy?

As always, thanks for reading! And post a comment to let me know what you think of my speaking only French to Lily Robin.

Bienvenue... again!

Hey, food-loving friends! So I know. It’s been a while – a looong while. I would blame my virtual absence from the blogosphere on my pregnancy and then newborn, but then again as I type this I can’t actually remember when I made my last post, so that may not be a fair placement of the blame. :) Regardless, I’m back! I know you’ve missed me. Even if you haven’t, I’ve missed me. I’ve missed my weekly cooking adventures, and reliving them here with you. But during the last six months or so, my life has taken on a whole new direction. I’ve joined that club called motherhood.

Yes, as most of you know my beautiful Lily Robin surprised us with an early arrival on Super Bowl Sunday – February 5. The morning after the Hercules Tableau and Ball, actually, but that’s another story entirely.

Recovering from the C-section and the reality shock that is motherhood, I have taken several steps back from the stove and shifted my cooking game plan. I still love cooking, make no mistake. And I’m getting to spend a little more time doing it now, but the cooking I do for my family consists more of freezer-friendly fare, make-ahead meals, and ready in 30 minutes repasts.

As our lives have not so subtly begun to revolve around Lily, my hobbies and interests have also expanded to include things more relevant to her, such as crafts and sewing [Check out this Easter basket that I made for her!] as well as the more long-term adventure we are embarking on together of bilingualism. [C’est vrai!]

So this blog will be shifting slightly, as I think is only appropriate considering the less-than-slight shift my life has taken in the last six months. I will still be sharing kitchen tips and tricks I have learned and fabulous new family- and budget-friendly recipes I come across. (Like this delicious Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova!) I would, however, also love to share with you other parts of the craziness that is my world.

I’m at a very unique crossroads in my life. I still see myself as the little girl who calls her mother every day to ask a question about how to cook something or just to see what she’s doing. [Hell, I am still that girl.] But now I am (hopefully) becoming that same maternal cornerstone to someone else.

I’ve been thinking for the last couple of months about how much I’ve missed writing here and how I’d like to start blogging again, but it always came down to one thing. Too much life, too little time. But my sister-in-law told me to make sure that I don’t get too wrapped up in everything else and lose myself and my happiness along the way. 

So… if you would do me [and Miss Lily Robin] the honors, stay tuned to what I’m sure will be quite an adventure of craftiness, cookery, and cross-cultural communication. I have a feeling it’s going to be the ride of a lifetime.

[Comment to let me know what you think!]

Pamper Yourself

My last few weeks have been engulfed by a new endeavor. After hosting a Pampered Chef party and seeing how much fun the parties are, I took the leap and became a consultant. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks testing out various recipes from the cookbooks and all the fabulous products I got for free as a host! My husband walks into the kitchen and asks, “You got that for free too???” I try not to be one who brags, but I can’t help but share all the items that I earned for free being a host! And all it cost me was the $20 worth of ingredients for the recipe the consultant prepared and some other snacks that I already had in my pantry. It’s hard to believe!

So – back to the cooking – I’ve cooked several dishes in my deep covered baker, and I hate to break the news to my husband, but I’ve fallen in love. I prepared a very hearty Rosemary and Chicken Soup as well as an All-American Pot Roast. Now I already have a pot roast recipe. My mom gave it to me, and it’s her interpretation of the recipe that my grandmother gave to her. It’s mouth-watering. The only problem is that it bakes for about 4 hours, so there is no way that this can be a weeknight dish. The Pampered Chef’s All-American Pot Roast only bakes for a couple of hours and has such a different flavor – incorporating wine and tomato paste in the sauce – that I have added it to my repertoire… by no means replacing my all-time favorite and now to be saved for weekends family recipe.

I used my rectangle bar stone 4 times this weekend… almost with every dish I made! The best part was how easy it was to wash off with just water and a washcloth. I used it to make some toasted baguette slices to use as dippers for a pizza dip on Saturday. On Sunday I used it to make a jelly roll, I used it for a cheesy artichoke appetizer, and I used it to baked some breaded chicken.

When I saw the jelly roll recipe, I tensed up. I like to bake… love it, even… but I have not had the best luck actually manipulating the cakes. I once volunteered to make two cakes for a surprise 30th birthday party for a family member. What was I thinking?? To add the icing on the cake (pun absolutely intended… I couldn’t help myself), it was in New Orleans – an hour from where I live. My mother had already warned me: cakes don’t travel well. They crack. But I thought I’d give it a go anyway.

What happened?? I mean, do I even have to say it? The cake starting cracking on the way, the icing slowly falling away from the cake, tears falling down my cheeks. (I know. I cry… Ask my husband about the time I tried to learn to drive a standard... Or ask my mother about the time I tried to paint. I like to succeed. What can I say?) So when I came upon the Cherry Almond Angel Roll recipe… the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach were even growling. I had no choice. Much to my surprise – and relief – the directions were perfectly written, and the products yielded perfect results. No cracking or crumbling to be seen.

Not only was it easy to do, but it looks very impressive to dinner guests when it’s complete. So, to all my stone owners, try it out! And if you don’t have one yet, this recipe is a fabulous reason to get one! If you want to impress your dinner guests or learn more about all the remarkable products by The Pampered Chef and how to get them FOR FREE (no really... did you not see the picture at the top of this post??) just let me know (eliseleboeufTPC@gmail.com).

Cherry-Almond Angel Roll

[From All the Best by The Pampered Chef]
Ingredients:

1 pkg (16 oz or 430-450 g) angel food cake mix
1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced almonds, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) powdered or icing sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) cherry preserves
1 cup (250 mL) sour cream
4 cups (1 L) thawed, frozen whipped topping
1/2 tsp (2 mL) almond extract
2-4 drops red food coloring (optional)
1 pkg (3.3 oz or 102 g) white chocolate or vanilla instant pudding and pie filling


Directions:
 
1.Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line Large Bar Pan with an 18-in. (45-cm) piece of Parchment Paper. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter over parchment, spreading evenly. Sprinkle almonds evenly over batter. Bake 30-35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched with fingertip. Remove pan from oven.
 
2.Sprinkle sugar over cake. Place an additional piece of parchment over cake. Invert Stackable Cooling Rack over parchment. Carefully invert cake; remove pan and parchment from bottom of cake. Starting at short side, roll up cake in parchment, jelly-roll style. Cool completely.
 
3.Unroll cake and spread with preserves. In large bowl, combine sour cream, whipped topping, almond extract and food coloring, if desired; mix well. Add pudding mix; whisk until thickened. Spread filling over cake to within 1 in. (2.5 cm) of edge; roll up cake. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Pavlova: "feel the promise of SQUIDGINESS beneath your fingers..."

To all my dieting friends, I am going to apologize ahead of time (but don’t worry I didn’t forget about you). This week’s post is about a yummy, cool dessert, perfect for the steadily warming weather.

It’s actually a very light dessert because in it’s simplest form it is just a meringue.  Because I enjoyed this Food Network Magazine dessert recipe so much, and because it showcased an important dessert cooking technique – making a meringue – I thought it would be a good one for the blog.

A couple of things that are important to remember about meringues… make sure that whatever bowls and mixing accessories you’re using are thoroughly washed and dried. Any leftover particles or bits of water may cause the meringue to not peak up. Also, most meringues require a bit of salt or of cream of tartar (in the seasoning section at the grocery store) to help keep it peaked. As for the egg whites, be careful that you don’t accidentally get any bits of yolk in them. I recommend separating one at a time into a separate bowl before pouring it into the mixing bowl so as to not accidentally ruin what you’ve already put in the mixing bowl if you drop a piece of shell or yolk into it.

Now don’t be afraid of leaving it to whip for too long because it will probably seem like too long if it’s the first time you’ve made a meringue, but you want to make sure that when you lift the beaters out the meringue stays up in the position the beaters were last in. This is what is called “stiff peaks forming”.

This particular recipe also calls for balsamic vinegar, which is naturally a sweet product.  [This note is for my dieting friends.] Balsamic vinegar actually makes a good sweetener for strawberries rather than sugar or an alternative sweetener. It adds a bit of sweetness with a little bit of a different flavor.

Now this particular dessert – called a pavlova – is impressive looking once it’s put together and basically comes out as a deliciously moist cake. It’s a must-try for any chocolate fan (You know who you are. You probably see me at the meetings. J), but it’s not too chocolately. It actually calls for dark chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder, which adds a little bit of healthiness to it compared to milk chocolate; however, the whipped up heavy cream goodness that goes on top kind of ruins and hopes of low fat or low calories. Just save it for your splurge day!

This dessert is what I Zumba for:

Chocolate Pavlova

[From Food Network Magazine]

Ingredients

For the Meringue Base:

6 large egg whites

2 cups superfine sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar

2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

For the Toppings:

2 cups heavy cream

4 cups raspberries (I used strawberries instead.)

1 to 2 ounces dark chocolate

Directions

Prepare the pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Draw a 9-inch-diameter circle on the paper with a pencil, tracing a round cake tin that size.

Flip the paper over so your meringue doesn't touch the pencil marks - you'll still be able to see the circle.

Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites with a mixer until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

Add the chocolate: Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and then the chopped chocolate over the egg whites. Gently fold everything with a rubber spatula until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in.

Shape the meringue: Secure the parchment to the baking sheet with a dab of meringue under each corner. Mound the meringue onto the parchment within the circle, smoothing the sides and the top with a spatula.

Bake the meringue: Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300 degrees F and cook for one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready, it should look crisp and dry on top, but when you prod the center you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers. [Yes, the recipe actually said squidginess!]

Let it cool: Turn off the oven and open the door slightly; let the chocolate meringue disk cool completely in the oven. When you're ready to serve, invert onto a big flat-bottomed plate and peel off the parchment.

Decorate the Pavlova: Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter the raspberries on top. Coarsely grate the chocolate haphazardly over the top so that you get curls of chocolate rather than rubble, as you don't want the raspberries' luscious color and form to be obscured. You want the Pavlova to look like a frosted cake.

Trust your gut! And eat good risotto!

Today I was reminded twice of one very important cooking rule: the recipe is not always right!

Coincidentally, both of these pleasant reminders came as slightly undercooked ingredients.

The first was in my 15-minute prep meatloaf – a bacon-Gruyere meatloaf from Real Simple magazine that requires very little hands-on time. The most time I spent was on grating the Gruyere cheese, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite to cook with.

The issue here was when the oven called my name, saying, “Elise… time to take the meatloaf out,” the meatloaf was still clearly undercooked. I’m always very paranoid about undercooking meat (a seldom-occurring quality, as I’m generally calm as a toad in the sun… J), so when my instant-read thermometer read 140 instead of 160, I knew it needed to go back in. Twenty minutes later of checking on it every five minutes, I came to my very calm executive decision--- Screw it! If it’s not done now, we’re eating it row! Lucky for my dinner guests, it was done and delicious.

My second reminder that the times listed on recipes aren’t always correct occurred in dish number two: Risotto with Butternut Squash, Leeks, and Basil. The recipe called to sauté the squash for 5 minutes or until starting to soften and brown. After 8 minutes, I used the tried and true fork test and thought it wasn’t quite done but that the rest of the cooking process would soften it up a little. When it was all done and time to serve and the squash was the same texture, I wished I had listened to my gut. While my kind dinner guests said that the squash were good, there were some pieces that were a little crispier than I’d like. Because I didn’t cut them all the exact same size, the larger pieces were a little underdone. So, as you all should when you find something about a recipe you’d like to change, I made a note on the recipe.

So today let’s raise our glasses to one of the most important cooking rules:

Go with your gut!

Bacon-Gruyère Meatloaf

[from Real Simple magazine]

Ingredients

            1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck

            1/4 cup bread crumbs

            1/4 cup ketchup, plus more for serving

            1 small red onion, coarsely grated

            2 slices bacon, chopped

            2 cloves garlic, chopped

            1 large egg

            3/4 cup grated Gruyère or Cheddar (3 ounces)

            kosher salt and black pepper

            2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Heat oven to 400° F. In a medium bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, ketchup, grated onion, bacon, garlic, egg, ½ cup of the Gruyère, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Transfer the mixture to an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan and sprinkle with the

remaining ¼ cup of Gruyère.

Roast the meat loaf until cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Pour off any accumulated fat and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Slice the meat loaf and serve with additional ketchup.

Risotto with Butternut Squash, Leeks, and Basil

[From Bon Appetit magazine]

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (from 2 1/4 pounds squash)

3 cups 1/2-inch-wide slices leeks (white and pale green parts only)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 cups arborio rice

4 14-ounce cans (or more) vegetable broth

1 cup chopped fresh basil

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add squash and sauté until beginning to soften and brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer squash to medium bowl.

Reduce heat to medium; add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, leeks, and thyme to same pot and stir until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir 1 minute. Add 1 cup broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining broth by 1/2 cupfuls, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Return squash to pot. Continue to cook until rice is just tender but still very creamy, stirring gently and often, about 10 minutes longer (about 25 minutes total cooking time). Remove from heat. Stir in basil and 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl and serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

... And it was all yellow (Shrimp dinner leftover turned alfredo pasta)

So let’s see if I completed my Mardi Gras checklist:

Get a sunburn?... Check!

Get to the parade route 2 hours before the parade actually started?.... Check!

Stand bundled up under and umbrella in the rain waiting for a parade?... Check!

Pick up the random doubloons left all around the house by my Mardi Gras obsessed husband?... Check!

At least you can’t say that I’m not dedicated…

Now that I’ve had time to recuperate after two weeks of South Louisiana fun, it’s back into the kitchen! 

This Friday, Vandebilt Regiment’s Band Boosters hosted a shrimp boil and, lucky me, I got four dinners!! (What can I say? I’ve got connections. ahem…thanks, Mom…ahem) I’m one of those people who prefer shrimp in dishes rather than just boiled, so while my husband was chowing down on his two trays, I decided to incorporate mine into a pasta dish. And don’t you worry, there was no waste. I incorporated all the items in the dinners into a dish.

My theme was yellow. (Really my theme was using whatever I happen to have in the refrigerator, but we’ll just pretend like my theme was yellow.) I sliced up some summer squash; they’re small right now, but still tasty. I julienned a yellow bell pepper from my tri-colored pepper pack. I cut the corn off the cob from the shrimp dinner. And off I went…

I keep a couple of things in stock for nights like this when I just want to whip up a quick pasta dish, such as heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. You can also use half & half, or a low-fat alternative is low-fat milk and nonfat evaporated milk with a tablespoon of flour to thicken it up.

The basic strategy for a veggie-included creamy pasta dish is as follows:

1.   If you’re including a protein, have it seasoned, cooked, and ready to go before you start. In my case, the lovely parents of the Vandebilt Band Boosters took care of that step for me.

2.     Set your pasta to boil. When you drain you pasta, reserve some of the boiling water. This is the best liquid to use to thin out the sauce if you need to after you’re done cooking. It helps the sauce stick to the pasta, versus regular water which would not work as well.

3.     Cook down the veggies (onions, peppers, squash, garlic, or whatever you feel like) in some butter or olive oil.  Get them to the consistency that you like them to be when you eat them.

4.     Add in any veggies that are already cooked (peas, corn, etc.) and add your cream/milk mixture. Let it thicken up if you’re using a thickening agent such as flour or cornstarch.

5.     Add any cheese you’d like, such as parmesan, and add your seasonings (parsley, salt, and pepper… maybe some thyme for all the veggies… but this part is really up to you).

6.     Toss with your drained pasta, adding some of the reserved boiling water as you see fit.

This is my basic strategy, but I’ll post for you exactly what I did last night with measurements below. 

So I used the shrimp and the corn; the only thing leftover were the potatoes – one of my favorite parts of a seafood boil and somehow always the part there are leftovers of. With my leftover shrimp boil potatoes, on Saturday for lunch I made mashed potatoes. The potatoes were already boiled, but not quite enough to cream them the way I like, so I peeled them and quartered them, then boiled them for another 5 minutes. After draining them, I added some evaporated milk and melted butter and used a hand-mixer to blend them to my desired consistency (which is creamy with no lumps), adding evaporated milk as needed to reach that desired consistency. I added salt to taste, but it didn’t require much because they had the flavor from the shrimp boil already incorporated. So next time, don’t let those potatoes go to waste. Stick them in the refrigerator for mashed potoatoes later in the week!

Don’t forget to comment and let me know what you think or how yours turned out!

Shrimp Alfredo with Yellow Vegetables

Ingredients:

8 ounces fettuccini pasta

¼ cp margarine

¼ cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 small summer squash, sliced thin

1 yellow bell pepper, julienned

½ cup corn

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons thyme

salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.     Cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain and keep warm, reserving boiling liquid for sauce adjustment.

2.     While pasta is cooking, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, 3-4 minutes or until onion is tender. Increase heat to medium-high; add squash and yellow pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 5-6 minutes or until crisp tender (or until it has reached your desired consistency).

3.     Stir in corn and cream; cook 1-2 minutes, or until heated through, but do not boil. Stir in Parmesan cheese, parsley, thyme, salt and ground black pepper. Toss with drained fettuccine. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired. Use the reserved liquid to thin out sauce if necessary.