Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

***We all have our favorite and delicious go-to meals...this one is definitely a new go-to meal for me. It's simply wonderful! The very best part of it is, it's healthy! I found it in the "Light Recipes" special edition by Cook's Illustrated. I also went one step further by using whole wheat pasta. M'mm, m'mm good!***

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Table salt & ground black pepper

4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 medium onion, minced

1 (8 ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, patted dry, and sliced into 1/4 inch strips

12 medium garlic cloves, minced

5 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced to paste (I left these out!)

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 lbs. broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled, halved and lengthwise, and sliced into 1/4 inch thick (I used 1 bag frozen broccoli florets)

1 lb. rotini pasta (I used whole wheat pasta)

1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
1 ounce Asiago or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (I used mozzarella cheese)

Directions:

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot for broccoli and pasta.

2. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tsp. of EVOO in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until browned on first side, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken over. Reduce heat to medium-low, add 1/2 cup water, and cover pan. Continue to cook until thickest part of chicken is no longer pink and registers about 160 degrees on instant read thermometer. Transfer chicken to plate, tent loosely with foil, and set aside. When cool enough to handle, slice chicken on bias into 1/2-inch thick pieces; cover and set aside.

3. Pour off any water left in skillet and add onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, anchovies, pepper flakes, 1 tsp. EVOO, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Return skillet to medium-low heat, cover, and cook until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and continue to cook, covered, until tomatoes have softened, about 2 minutes. Remove lid and simmer until mixture has thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes; cover and set aside off heat.

4. Stir 1 tbsp. salt and broccoli into boiling water and cook until broccoli is bright green and tender but still crisp in center, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to large paper towel lined plate; set aside to cool. Return water to boil, stir in pasta, and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water, then drain pasta and return to pot.

5. Gently stir chicken, broccoli, basil, Asiago, sauce, and remaining 2 tsp. oil into pasta. Cover and let sit off heat until sauce and chicken are hot, about 1 minute. Add reserved pasta cooking water as needed to loosen sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste, divide among 6 individual bowls, serve.

Source: Cook's Illustrated - "Light Recipes" Spring 2008

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

***I got this recipe from Monica's food blog, "Buon Appetito: Meals by Monica." Thanks Monica!!! It is so delicious and yet, it's extremely easy. In fact, I had my wisdom teeth pulled last year, and I came home and made this for dinner that same night. I was even able to eat a little bit (very carefully and without the bun, of course!). This recipe is unique because it uses root beer. It adds a nice, sweet flavor to the BBQ.***

Ingredients:
Pork Tenderloin (I used 1.5 lb)

1 Onion, sliced
Root Beer (enough to cover about half way)

Your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:

Cook the tenderloin, root beer, and onion on Low in the crock pot for about 6 hours.
Drain out the juices and rinse out crock pot.
Shred the pork.
Put the pork and onion back in the crockpot and pour your favorite sauce on it. Stir and cook on Low about another hour.

Source: http://mealsbymonica.blogspot.com/

Carolina Crab Cakes - Biltmore Estate

***Recently, Brad and I were able to visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. That was the second time that I've visited the estate, but it was the first time Brad has ever been. It was just as beautiful as I remember it...one word - Incredible! I can't even imagine living in a house that size. It has everything from a bowling alley to a swimming pool...wow! Is it any surprise that my favorite part of the whole tour was the kitchen???

Anyway, we were browsing through the gift shop and I spotted this cookbook. I was so excited. It's really got some wonderful recipes, and I'll certainly post them here as I work my way through the cookbook. These crab cakes were a great place to start...enjoy!***

Ingredients:
2 pounds crab meat

2 eggs

1/4 cup Japanese-style bread crumbs

2 tbsp. minced chives

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/3 C mayonnaise

1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tbsp. whole grain mustard

1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp. mild olive oil or butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pick through the crab meat to remove any bits of shell. Combine with eggs, bread crumbs, and chives in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper; mix well with a wood spoon or gloved hands. Shape tightly into balls and flatten gently to form cakes, placing on a baking parchment-lined pan sprinkled with additional bread crumbs.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the crab cakes in batches of 4 or 5 and cook until golden brown on the bottom. Turn the cakes and cook for one minute longer. Remove to a baking pan lined with parchment. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Makes 6-8 crab cakes.

Source: Biltmore - Our Table to Yours Cookbook - The Biltmore Estate; Asheville, NC

Penne with Steak, Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

***This was one of those dinners that I did not want to end! It combined all of my favorites...sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, steak, and pasta! I had 1/2 of a left-over rib-eye steak from Longhorn Steakhouse that I was able to incorporate into this dish. I was glad that it didn't go to waste.

As you can probably tell by reading my blog, pasta is probably my favorite thing to cook. After being away from home last week, I was especially inspired to get in the kitchen this week. This pasta dish is one of those that I got a little creative with...no recipe required!***

Ingredients:

1 pkg. penne pasta (I only used 1/2 of the package)

10 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into thin strips

1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 rib-eye steak, grilled or cooked to your liking

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 white boiler onions, chopped (these look like small, miniature onions...you could substitute with 1 regular-sized onion, instead)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2/3 cup heavy cream

Italian seasoning, your choice (I used Alexander's 4 in 1 Gourmet Selections - "Tuscany Blend")

Parmigiana-reggiano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in an oven-safe dish. Drizzle with a little EVOO and season with your choice of Italian seasoning. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Season liberally with salt, and add pasta. Cook until al dente. Strain pasta, reserving the pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 - 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer. Next, add white wine, broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and heavy cream. Stir well.

Add pasta to cream sauce mixture. Add pasta water, a little at a time, to the sauce mixture if needed. The pasta water contains starches, which will help create a better sauce. Stir well.

Remove chicken from oven. Let cool for a few minutes and then chop into small pieces. Next, chop steak into similar, small pieces. Add chicken and steak to cream sauce mixture. Add parsley and a dash more of the Italian seasoning...stir well. Simmer for just a few minutes...just until heated through.

Place on platter or plate and top with freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese.

Serve hot.

Pan-Seared Grouper with Cherry Tomatoes & Asparagus

Okay, I have seriously been having withdrawals...cooking withdrawals, that is. Brad and I were traveling for business last week, so I haven't really been able to cook or blog about anything. However, we did get to see 7 states in 4 days...a total of 23 hours round-trip...talk about exhausting! We managed to have a ton of fun though. We made it from Alabama to Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and finally back home to Alabama. I'll add more about our trip later...hopefully. Now that we're back, my posting should get back to normal after a quick grocery run this week.

But now on to the topic at-hand...FOOD! Since we've been on the road so much, I was determined to cook tonight. I need to go grocery shopping, but I was able to throw together something pretty yummy. Brad mentioned that this dish had a Cajun feel to it, without being spicy...perfect! I am proud to say that this recipe is completely from my own noggin'. I didn't use a recipe. I was scared that it might not turn out good, but we were pleasantly surprised with the result.

I served this with cornbread and rice. I used the cornbread to soak up the extra tomato sauce on my plate, which was fabulous! I don't think this dish would be the same without the cornbread.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

6 Grouper fillets

Salt & Pepper, to taste

2 tbsp. butter

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth

3 oz. tomato paste

1 package cherry tomatoes, halved

2 - 3 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

About 15 stalks asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse grouper fillets with water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt & pepper. Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear grouper fillets until golden on each side (this should only take a few minutes). Remove from heat and place in an oven-safe dish. Finish baking in the oven until cooked through (15 - 20 minutes).

While grouper cooks in the oven, melt the butter in same skillet, scrapping bottom of pan. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Next, add garlic. Cook for an additional few minutes until garlic is fragrant. Reduce heat to low-medium. Add white wine, chicken broth, and tomato paste. Mix together until well blended. Add asparagus pieces and cherry tomatoes. Season with a little more salt & pepper. Continue to simmer while grouper is baking.

Remove grouper from oven. Place grouper fillets on top of mixture in skillet. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top and let simmer 1 - 2 minutes.

Serve!