Monday Blues

Hi DCFoodLovers!  Sorry the posts have been sparse lately, summer really just seems to have a way of getting away from me!  Between travelling and a crazy work schedule, June and July are always a little hectic.  That and I haven't been cooking much lately because I'm never home!  I did try out a new pasta recipe earlier this week though, so I finally have something to share! 

Monday night B and I invited two friends up for dinner.  Everyone hates Mondays, so I can't think of a better way to cheer up the day and make the week more bearable than by spending the night with friends, a bottle of wine, a good meal, and The Bachelorette!  Pasta is my go-to comfort food, so I picked a new Giada recipe to try to help beat the Monday blues.  Of course I adapted it to my own liking- added more vegetables, and I kind of guestimated measurements (that's the beauty of a pasta dish, you can usually get away with just throwing things together).  I thought it turned out very well, everyone seemed to enjoy it, and it really was a great way to start off the week!

I encourage you all to try an early-week dinner party, you won't be sorry!

 

Italian Baked Chicken and Pasta

Adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4

 

1/2 box whole wheat rotini

1 zuchinni, cut into bite-sized chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup cubed chicken breast

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup shredded mozzarella

oregano, red pepper flakes, parsley, salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tbsp butter

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook pasta until tender (about 5 minutes) and drain.

Meanwhile, saute the chicken in olive oil over medium heat.  Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the onion, garlic and zuchinni and cook for 5 more minutes.  Put the pasta in a mixing bowl and add the chicken and zuchinni mixture, the can of tomatoes, cheese, herbs, salt and pepper and mix well.  Place in a buttered 8 by 8 baking dish. Top with the breadcrumbs and parmesan and bits of butter.  Bake for 30 minutes. 

 

Cook's note: You can save yourself some time on Monday by making this dish ahead of time Sunday night.  Just stop after placing the mix in the baking dish, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan right before baking on Monday.

Bon Apetit! 

 

"B" and a Quick Dinner Post

Let me start off by introducing you to “B,” my live in boyfriend. We’re college sweethearts who moved to the city together after school to start the next big step of our lives together. B loves to cook, drink, and entertain as well, so expect to see the occasional post from him. We actually work quite well together in our small kitchen, though he is definitely a messy cook!

Now that you’ve been introduced to B, let’s discuss one of our nightly conundrums…what to have for dinner. B and I are both young careerists, and, like most working professionals, we need quick and somewhat healthy meals during the week. I try to be creative with my quick meals; no one likes to get stuck in the pasta-every-night rut. I’ll post quick recipes B and I come up with to keep us from getting bored, and hopefully it will give you some ideas for interesting weeknight meals. Here is my first quick meal post, enjoy!

Chicken & Apples

This quick chicken meal only took about 20 minutes, I suggest using thin chicken breasts to keep the cooking time short. This meal was inspired by things I already had sitting around, namely, an apple and a half an onion. Recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

2 thinly sliced chicken breasts

1 small apple

½ a small yellow onion

Flour, salt and pepper (just enough to coat the chicken)

Olive oil (two turns of the pan)

½ cup of dry white wine

1 tsp. rosemary

1 cup cooked white rice

Thinly slice the apple and onion. Dredge the chicken through flour (add a little salt and pepper). Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken, onion, apples, and the rosemary. Make sure to stir the apples and onions so they cook evenly. Chicken should cook for about 3 minutes each side. After chicken is cooked through, add the white wine and stir, let it cook down for a minute or two. Serve over white rice.