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November 1, 2008

Mixed Mushroom Pasta with Thyme

fun gus!

Did I ever mention to you how much I love mushrooms? Well I do… The good thing is that Casey is warming up to them. Which means I’ve slowly been adding them to my repertoire!

We had my parents over for dinner the other night so they could get their weekly fix of Cooper. I decided to knock down another recipe I marked to try from the latest EVERYDAY FOOD issue.

It was exceptional! It was incredibly moist & super mushroomy! The only problem I ran into is that the spoon I used to stir it with was COMPLETELY covered in melty Parmesan cheese. It’s not necessarily a problem because I was able to chew it all off (yum). But I would have liked more of the cheese to stick to the pasta. I also think that next time I’ll try using a twisty pasta like the recipe calls for.

Another good thing is that it re-heated REALLY well. It was still moist and not all gummy and dry like some pastas can be the next day.

mushroom pasta with thyme

din din

Mixed Mushroom Pasta with Thyme
(recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD magazine)

-12oz. gemelli or other short twisty pasta (I used penne)
-10oz. button mushrooms sliced
-8 oz. shiitake mushrooms sliced
-1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 cup) rinsed in cold water
-4 tablespoons butter
-1 shallot, minced
-1/2 cup dry white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc
-1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain and return to the pot. Set aside. While pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, soak porcini mushrooms in 1 1/2 cup hot water until tender, at least 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot; season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until shallot begins to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add wine; cook until almost evaporated, 3-5 mins.

3. Add button & shiitake mushrooms. Cook over medium-high heat, until mushrooms are tender and begin to brown, 6-8 minutes.

5. Add porcini and their soaking liquid (leave any grit at the bottom of the bowl) and thyme to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid reduces by half, 2-4 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to pot with pasta. Add Parmesan & remaining butter and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper and serve with more Parmesan. DIG IN!!!

By the way… my little buckaroo turned 4 weeks old this past Thursday! How time flies! We are so close to getting a genuine smile out of him!

Say hi to Coop!


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October 28, 2008

Roasted Acorn Squash with Cinnamon Butter


It was 53 degrees here last night! Awesome! I thought it was time to crack into the latest issue of EVERYDAY FOOD and find something Fall-like to make.

I settled for one of the side dishes because I did a lot of snacking yesterday afternoon.
Believe me when I say A LOT of snacking 😉

cutting squash is hard

scoop the shit out

in the oven

Roasted Acorn Squash with Cinnamon Butter


(recipe from Everyday Food)

-2 acorn squash (1 1/2 lbs each) unpeeled, quartered lengthwise and seeded
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-coarse salt & pepper
-4 tablespoons butter
-1/8 ground teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 450. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss squash with oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange on sheet cut side down, and roast until easily pierced with a paring knife. It takes 35-45 minutes.

***Make sure you flip them half way through for even browning. This wasn’t in the recipe!!! I had half browny squash!!! ***

2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, stirring until golden brown. This takes 4-6 mins. Immediately pour into a small bowl. Stir in cinnamon. Place squash on a serving platter; top with cinnamon butter and sprinkle more salt on top.

This recipe was really easy & very tasty. Casey and I enjoyed it…but we wished there was more cinnamon butter! SOO GOOD.

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October 22, 2008

looks like fall…feels like summer!

Today we went to the pumpkin patch with Cooper. It was over 80 degrees!

When does the cold fall weather kick in???!!???

The leaves are turning…the ground is covered with them…but why is it so hot??

at the pumpkin patch

bees! EVERYWHERE!

bees!


Oh weather…start being cold! I’m sick of getting all sweaty while eating hot soups & stews!

Maybe I’m just having a hot flash…

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October 15, 2008

A peek at Cooper’s Room

overview:

overview

CONTINUE READING

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October 14, 2008

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

We’ve been living off of food from family & neighbors for the past week or so. It’s awesome!

Today I was craving a salad though…so I decided to make us something healthy & special.

This little salad is FANTASTIC on crusty toasty french bread…and it’s great in another salad.

tuna salad!

yes...it's tuna

Mediterranean Tuna Salad


  • 2 cans tuna (water packed)
  • 1 can drained & rinsed navy beans (I normally use cannellini beans- but we were out!)
  • 1 handful chopped Italian parsley
  • 1/2 red onion (chopped)
  • 4 vine ripened tomatoes chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • splash of red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (it could have been more- but I seasoned to taste)
  • salt & pepper to taste

Gather all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix it all up!!

Today I added it to mixed greens, with cucumbers, avocado and walnuts with a red wine vinaigrette.

TASTY.

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October 10, 2008

thank you soo much for your comments!!


I want to say thank you for all your comments! That made my week every more special! I wish I could comment on every single one..but it’s so hard to type with one hand!!!

I can’t believe it’s been a WEEK and a day!!! Wow. A WEEK AND A DAY OF BEING A MOM!!!

I lay in bed looking at Coop and thinking…this time is soo limited…this time as a newborn…I must cherish EVERY SINGLE second. I could spend all day long taking pictures of EVERYTHING.

If only I had all the time in the world….

Today we are off to the doctors! Wish us luck 😉

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October 7, 2008

pumpkin kisses!

a quick note to let you know that you should keep me away from your bag of pumpkin kisses….

someone stop me before i eat this whole bowl!

I seriously can’t stop myself.
It’s like pumpkin cheese cake in candy form.
Watch out.

Oh and speaking of sweet… look at my cute little bebe with his Mr. Panda!!!!
(made especially for him by my bff-woot)


this little boy sure has a crop of hair!

and now we are off to take a nap! Happy Tuesday everyone!