Thursday Night Dinner- Three cheese spinach tortelloni with basil pesto cream sauce and Roma tomatoes

Three cheese spinach tortelloni with basil pesto cream sauce and roma tomatoes

This past Thursday I wanted something creamy and warm and comforting for dinner. I made Kris and I this very easy dish using what I already had in my fridge.

I happened to have some refrigerated tortelloni, sun dried tomatoes, Roma tomatoes basil pesto and cream. I went out and bought this delicious country Italian bread (Pan G...? I don't remember the name but it was great. Kris was a big fan).

You need:

One package of refrigerated tortelloni (or any other filled pasta)
1.5 tablespoons basil pesto
3-4 sun dried tomatoes (in oil) chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
Grated Parmesan (for topping if desired)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Boil tortelloni per package instructions.
While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil, sun dried tomatoes and Roma tomatoes on medium heat.
When pasta has finished, drain and add to pan with oil and tomatoes.
Add pesto and cream to pan and stir till tortelloni is well coated.
Cook on medium high heat until sauce thickens slightly and tomatoes become soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve with bread and butter and enjoy!

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

Scrum-diddily-umptious yum yum funfetti cupcakes

I made these little beauties for some girls that helped me out by taking some intelligence tests. They were great and definitely deserved a treat!

***Note: the batter for these cupcakes is VERY THICK. So thick that it looks like icing. Don't worry- it's ok! Just bake them anyway! 

Sprinkle-y batter

You will need:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large lemon

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

2 cups sprinkles (1.5 cups for batter and remaining for sprinkling) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add 1.5 cups of sprinkles!

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 17 -20 minutes or just until set. (Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.) 

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 

Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. I did not make icing (tisk tisk). I ran out of time and used store bought vanilla icing, but it was still yummy. I am slightly ashamed that I didn't make the good stuff, but that's life, and I'm ok with it =)

*This recipe courtesy of www.joyofbaking.com

Ready for the oven!

TA-DA!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Holy Goodness these were yummy. They were a big hit. They were shared with friends and family (and one adorable homeless man) and won an impromptu cupcake throw-down against my good friend Libby. Even my currently vegan parents loved them. This recipe is from the www.browneyedbaker.com blog. It is perfect. I had a lot of icing left over and I'm thinking of topping cinnamon rolls with it soon =)

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Beautiful, tasty ingredients.

For the Cupcakes:

1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

Delicious frosting.

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Filled cupcakes!

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles (I used green!), if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

Yumm-ness

Things (hopefully) to come

Here is a little preview of the things I'm hoping to make in the next few weeks. You might notice, I have sugar on the brain! Hold me to this- I REALLY wanna make these!

Peanut Butter S'Mores Turnovers
http://www.recipegirl.com/2009/10/22/peanut-butter-smores-turnovers-2/

Irish Car-Bomb Cupcakes
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/03/14/irish-car-bomb-cupcakes/

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
http://www.deliciousmeliscious.com/2009/08/cheesecake-stuffed-strawberries.html

Petite Lasagnas
http://canyoustayfordinner.com/2010/11/04/petite-lasagnas/

Bruschetta

Hey y'all- it's been a while since I've added anything. I know, you, my devoted followers, have been merely surviving the days between posts ;-) So, here you go! I actually have been doing more cooking than this but I forgot to take pics!


So, a few weeks ago I was really stressed out with school (particularly because of an impending neuro test) and Kris came over and made me a special Friday Lenten dinner! It was delicious! Here is a link to the tilapia recipe he used: http://www.nowwerecookin.org/seafood/baked-tilapia-parmesan/ 


He bought some delicious 3-cheese bread and also made angel hair pasta with olive oil and tomatoes. Delizioso!

Isn't he nice?

I tell you that story to tell you another story-- Even though we ate almost all of this giant loaf of bread, there were a few slices that were spared. 

3-cheese bread- from Panera
*Pre-pig out

I used the remnants of this bread to make some yummy yummy bruschetta. This is a recipe you need to kind of eyeball. It's hard to screw it up-- it will taste good no matter the proportions as long as you don't over-season. Just combine the ingredients the way you like them!


You will need:


Any kind of yummy, porous bread 
Tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)
Fresh garlic
Onion
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Basil or italian seasoning
Grated parmesan
Salt and Pepper


Chop tomatoes and onions into small cubes.
Add a teaspoon of finely chopped garlic.
Add teaspoon of lemon juice.
Combine all ingredients and season to taste.
Stir in approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Brush sliced bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Spoon tomato mixture onto slices.
Top with parmesan.
Bake on baking sheet at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until bread is crispy. Be careful not to burn the tomato mixture! These little babies can go from perfect to irreparably screwed up in a matter of minutes to don't stray too far from the kitchen!


Happy eating!

"Use What You Have" Super-Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Yummy Fried Rice

This recipe is so good and so easy. It's also a good way to use up veggies or meat that are about to go out of date. It is super versatile, this could easily be shrimp, beef or vegetable fried rice and you can use anything you like =)

You need:

Brown rice (I use Success Boil-In-Bag)
1 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
Veggies! (I used carrots, frozen shelled soybeans, frozen green beans and onions)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Spike seasoning
3 tablespoons soy sauce (or more if desired)
1 egg
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Boil water and begin cooking rice.

Coat large skillet with olive oil and set on medium heat.

Place chicken and minced garlic in skillet and season with salt, pepper and Spike seasoning. Sauté until fully cooked.

After chicken is fully cooked, put all veggies (1 1/2-2 cups worth) into skillet and set steam for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

When rice has finished cooking, transfer into skillet and incorporate with vegetables and chicken. Turn burner up to medium high heat.

Make a hole in the center of the rice, chicken and vegetable mix large enough for an egg.

Crack egg into hole and immediately begin stirring vigorously (should look like scrambled eggs).

As egg begins to cook but is not solid, mix with the rice, chicken and vegetable mixture. Stir until egg coats the rice and is fully cooked.

Add soy sauce and stir to coat.

Add salt, pepper and additional Spike seasoning to taste.

Enjoy!

Busy Bee

Well, I just got back from taking my exam. I was the first one done, and even though I am a quick test-taker, it makes me nervous! Makes me feel like I missed something. But, considering the topic of the test, I really should reevaluate that AT =)

I have only a little while before I need to start getting ready for my first practicum interview. I'm heading to Tara Treatment Center, an inpatient, residential substance abuse treatment center. I really like the site. I hope the interview goes well. But, to be honest, my biggest worry is how my hair is going to look because of this rain! This morning the coordinator called me and wanted to bump my interview up a couple hours. This turns out to be a good thing- more time this evening to study after.

I have a lot on my plate the next 4-5 days. I have a neurobiology exam on Tuesday that is going to require A LOT of studying. I am not even close to prepared so I'm kinda freaking out about it. Plus, before the exam I have to administer an intelligence test, write an article critique, volunteer at a battered women's shelter and do a long interview in Bloomington! I don't know how I'm going to get it done, but somehow I always do.

My plan is to wake up early tomorrow and work out then study until my study session. Tomorrow (hopefully) will be a day of progress and will set the tone for the weekend. I fear that if I don't make a lot of headway studying tomorrow I will be super-duper stressed for the rest of the weekend. So here's hoping everything goes according to plan!

~ Shout out to the boyfriend for being so supportive and giving me space and support to study. He's the best cheerleader and really helps me stay calm.