Ribollita

This soup recipe comes from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis. The picture in the book looked great, and we love soup, but as I was making it I really didn't think I'd like it. It looked like there was way too much spinach and I didn't see how the flavors were going to blend together. As it turns out, I LOVED this soup!!! I really should have trusted in Giada because I have loved every one of her recipes that I've made. I used turkey bacon instead of pancetta and omitted the cannellini beans. Since I left out the beans, I added a bit more broken spaghetti to bulk it up. I really can't tell you how great this soup is. I will definitely be making it again!!!

Ribollita

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

4 ounces pancetta, chopped (or turkey bacon)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice (I used petite cut)

1 1o-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I omitted)

2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

3-inch piece of Parmesan rind

1 cup spaghetti broken into 1-inch pieces (extra if omitting beans; I used whole wheat thin spaghetti)

Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.

2. Add the tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add the tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all of the brown bits.

3. Add the spinach, beans, herbes de Provence, broth, bay leaf, and the Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, then add the spaghetti, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.

4. Discard the Parmesan rind and bay leaf, and ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Source: Adapted from Everyday Pasta

Triple T Deluxe Pizza

Happy Friday!!! I am super excited today because I passed my final thesis defense exam yesterday, so aside from turning in some paper work and uploading my 245 page thesis to the graduate school website, I have finally earned my PhD! It feels good to say that after 5 years of hard work :)

I know I've posted several pizza recipes, but I just had to share this pizza because it was SOOOO good. Bob and I were really surprised how much we liked it - just as good as pizza we could order or get at a restaurant! I've called this pizza "Triple T" because it's made with Turkey pepperoni, Turkey bacon, and Turkey sausage. To make it a deluxe pizza, I added some green pepper and onion, which really put it over the top. You could always throw on some mushrooms or olives, if that's your thing. We absolutely love this crust recipe. I haven't found a pizza sauce recipe I like yet, so I tried jarred Ragu Pizza sauce and was surprised by how good it is, especially since I'm not a big fan of their spaghetti sauce. In the past I have bought canned pizza sauce but am never happy with the taste. As far as the turkey products go, I am pretty particular with which brands I buy, simply based on trial and error taste-wise.

I recommend Hormel turkey pepperoni:

Louis Rich ground turkey sausage (in a tube like regular pork sausage):

and Oscar Mayer turkey bacon:

I have used Jennie-O ground turkey sausage before (both hot and sweet), and it's fine, but for pizza I really prefer the Louis Rich. I completely urge you to try Oscar Mayer turkey bacon if you 1) have never tried turkey bacon, or 2) have tried other brands and don't like them. I really thought turkey bacon was pretty gross before finding Oscar Mayer. By the way, I am not a spokesperson for any of these brands, haha :)

Growing up, Friday nights were always pizza night. Anyone else have a Friday night dinner tradition???
Meghan's Triple T Deluxe Pizza

Ingredients:
1/2 batch pizza dough (enough for a large pizza)
~8 ounces of your favorite homemade or store-bought pizza sauce (Recommended: Ragu)
1/3 package ground turkey sausage, cooked and crumbled (~4 ounces - Recommended: Louis Rich)
Turkey pepperoni (Recommended: Hormel)
4 strips of turkey bacon, cooked but not too crisp, torn into small pieces (Recommended: Oscar Mayer)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced (sweet or regular)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated
Pizza/Italian seasoning, to taste

Cornmeal, ~1/4 to 1/2 cup

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium/high heat. Add the green pepper and saute for 3 minutes, then and half of the onion (equivalent of 1/4 onion) and saute until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Preheat oven (with pizza stone inside) to 500F for at least 30 minutes.

3. Generously apply cornmeal to a large surface (like a cutting board) and roll out dough into a large circle (~14 inches in diameter). Remember that using ample cornmeal is essential to eventually sliding the pizza onto the pizza stone.

4. Top pizza as desired; I did the following, in this order: pepperoni, bacon, sausage, the grilled onions and peppers, the raw onions, the mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, then a sprinkle of Pizza/Italian seasoning.

5. Remove hot pizza stone from oven, apply extra cornmeal if needed, and slip pizza onto stone. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted as desired.

6. Remove pizza from oven, slide onto a large cutting board and slice. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken with Bowtie Pasta

This recipe was originally served inside an adorable puff pastry shell, but Leslie suggested that it would great over pasta as well. I love bowtie pasta, so I decided to make the chicken and sauce with that. This recipe is so delicious!!! I love all of the flavors. I highly recommend this recipe!

Creamy Chicken w/ Bowtie Pasta

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, diced

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces light cream cheese, softened

4 basil leaves, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons sundried tomatoes

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 slices turkey bacon, cooked crispy and broken (Recommended: Oscar Mayer brand)

1 1/2 Tablespoons grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup white wine, or a little more

Milk or cream, optional

Parmesan cheese, optional

~ 6 ounces pasta, prepared according to package directions

Directions:

1. Heat a pot of water to boiling for the pasta, and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, basil, sundried tomatoes, garlic, bacon, cream cheese, and wine. Mix until smooth.

4. Slowly add the mixture to the chicken and mix until no lumps remain.

5. Add extra wine or milk/cream to achieve desired consistency.

6. Serve over pasta, or add pasta to pan, mix, and then serve. Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Source: Adapted from The Hungry Housewife

Bacon Stuffed Cherry Tomato Appetizers

Bob and I were invited to our friends Eric and Kathleen's house for Labor Day last year. Kathleen is such an amazing hostess - she made a huge spread of Italian delicacies - all from scratch and all by herself! As I recall, she had assorted cheeses, breads, olives, and grapes as appetizers, a dinner of Chicken Marsala, Spinach-Stuffed Shells, Italian Sausages, and a salad with awesome homemade croutons, and dessert consisting of Pizzelles, homemade iced coffee, chocolate dipped macaroons, and homemade gelato. Can you believe it?! Needless to say, the food was fabulous. One of Bob's favorite things was a stuffed cherry tomato appetizer she made. The tomatoes were stuffed with green onions and bacon - Bob was on cloud 9!

I made these last Thanksgiving using real bacon, and recently I prepared them with Oscar Mayer turkey bacon, so it was the first time I actually got to try them. They're awesome! It's like a little BLT, but with green onions instead of lettuce, so I guess you could call it a BOT :) This appetizer is perfect for all of the upcoming summer parties and picnics!

In these pictures, I really over-stuffed the tomatoes because I wanted to use up all the filling. No one seemed to mind!

Bacon Stuffed Cherry Tomato Appetizers

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon* or 1 package turkey bacon (recommended: Oscar Mayer)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup mayonnaise

~24 cherry tomatoes

Note: I used thick-cut bacon because Bob prefers it.

Directions:

1. Place tomatoes stem side down and cut a thin slice off of the top. With a small spoon, scoop out the pulp. Invert tomatoes on paper towels 30 minutes to drain. 

2. Cut bacon into pieces (~1/4 inch) and fry until crisp. If using turkey bacon, you can just cook up the strips and then crumble afterwards. Let cool. 

3. In a bowl, mix bacon, green onions, and mayo. 

4. Fill tomatoes with bacon mixture. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Source: Adapted from a recipe by Kathleen O.