Shrimp, Asparagus, and Penne Pasta

I saw this recipe on Cooking Light awhile back and it has been sitting in my "to make" pile of recipes ever since. I am glad I tried it - the ingredients are simple to prepare and the shrimp and vegetables are cooked in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta.

This dish is good for a weeknight dinner but if I wanted to spruce it up a bit I would probably add a cup or so of heavy cream when I added the tomatoes in order to give it a richer flavor. If you can't find the diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano; just add a teaspoon each of dried basil, dried oregano, and garlic powder with the tomatoes.

Shrimp, Asparagus, and Penne Pasta
Cooking Light
Serves 4

8 oz. uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups (1-inch) sliced asparagus (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
1/4 cup (1 ounce) fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, onion, garlic, and shrimp; sauté for 5 minutes. Add oregano, pepper, and tomatoes; cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Stir in cooked pasta; sprinkle with cheese.

Sauteed Corn and Black Bean Salad

Recently, I have grown to love (and Chuck too, just because I put them on the dinner table) beans a lot more. Any kind, black beans, white beans, kidney beans...they are so good for you, so inexpensive, and you can use them in so many different dishes!

I saw this recipe awhile ago over on Reading, 'Riting, and Recipes and, after adapting it slightly, have made it several times since. You can make it and eat immediately, or chill it for awhile; I would just recommend bringing it to room temperature before eating. Using the freshest ingredients helps to bring out the wonderful flavors of lime, garlic, and cilantro. Yum!

Sauteed Corn and Black Bean Salad

Serves 4

10 oz. package frozen corn kernels
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 /3 cup lime juice (juice of 2 limes)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped or 1 t. dried cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cumin
red pepper, salt, coarse ground pepper to taste
avocado (optional)

Heat small amount of olive oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add corn and saute until corn is browning. Add black beans to pan. Heat through.

Whisk together lime juice, 2 T. olive oil, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and other spices.

Pour over corn and beans. Top with diced avocado if desired.

Rosemary and Thyme Roasted Potatoes

This post is a shout out to my those of you who have asked for daily quick and easy dinner ideas ;) Roasted potatoes are one of the easiest side dishes to make and they are so versatile and full of flavor. Experiment with different herbs and spices depending on what you are serving alongside them!

Rosemary and Thyme Roasted Potatoes
Serves 2

2 large white baking potatoes or 4 medium red potatoes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 garlic clove, minced or 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut potatoes into bite-size wedges. They should all be roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

Toss in a bowl with remaining ingredients. Spread onto a baking sheet either coated with cooking spray or aluminum foil.

Cook for 30-35 minutes until brown and crispy. Turn halfway through cooking time.

Sweet & Tangy Pork Chops

This is a super-easy and super-quick way to make pork chops for a weeknight dinner. The sauce comes together within seconds and there is no long marinating time; although the longer you leave the rub on it, the better I'm sure it will taste! This has been adapted from a recipe I have had in my recipe file for awhile; so please let me know if it's yours!

Sweet & Tangy Pork Chops
Serves 2

2 center cut, bone-in pork chops, 1/2" thick
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

Rub garlic powder, thyme, and black pepper on both sides on the pork chops.

Combine last 4 ingredients. Mix together and reserve half of it. Baste with sauce before and during cooking. Serve with remaining sauce.

Broiling directions: Place on broiling pan and baste with sauce. Broil as close to heat as possible for 6 minutes on each side or until pork is done in the middle.

Grilling directions: Place chops on grill over medium-high heat. Grill 6 minutes on each side or until pork is done.

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Pie

Peanut butter is not my favorite ingredient to work with. From measuring to mixing to cleaning up, it's just a big sticky mess all around. But the end result is oftentimes worth it; especially when paired with chocolate!

I made this to bring to my parents' house on Sunday night (no, contrary to the last several posts, all the food I make does not go to them!). It's basically a one-bowl recipe - well, not even a bowl since it only calls for the food processor! The pie has a nice blend of the peanut butter and chocolate flavors, but the gelatin was overpowering. After making it and realizing there is no real need for the gelatin (unless someone can point one out) since the peanut butter would be firm enough on it's own; next time I make this I will just leave the gelatin out altogether.

I had a hard time finding the chocolate wafers it calls for so I used about 20 of these guys instead:

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Pie
Everyday Food, May 2008
Serves 8

30 chocolate wafer cookies
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 envelope (1/4 oz.) unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

I used my mini-chopper for the peanuts and pulsed until I reached this consistency.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cookies in a food processor, and process until finely ground (you should have 1 3/4 c.); add butter, and pulse until moistened. Transfer crumb mixture to a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Press firmly unto bottom and up the sides (use bottom of dry measuring cup to help).

Bake until fragrant and set, 15 to 20 minutes; let cool completely. Wipe food processor clean, and reserve.

Place 1/4 c. cold water in a small saucepan; sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside to soften, 5 to 10 minutes.

In food processor, combine sugar and peanut butter; process until smooth. Add cream; process until mixture is light and holds soft peaks, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

Heat softened gelatin over very low heat, stirring, until just dissolved.

I just had to show you a picture of my mini-cow saucepan!

Add to peanut butter mixture in food processor; blend to combine. Transfer filling to cooled crust, and smooth top. Sprinkle with peanuts (and mini chips), and chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days).

Make sure you remove the pie from the tart pan before serving. I needed to transport this so I did not remove it before photographing.

Banana Coconut Muffins

During my daily browsing of the updates on my Google Reader, I saw this recipe over at The Way the Cookie Crumbles. Bananas are a favorite fruit of Chuck's and I had some coconut that was lounging around in my pantry, so I decided these would be a good move. And yum!, I am glad I decided on them. The muffins are moist and light, with both the banana and coconut making their presence known without being too overwhelming.

My new favorite toy is my cookie scooper from Amy so I use that to make muffins as well. Mine measures 1 T. and I use two scoops in each muffin tin. As a result, this recipe gave me 12 muffins instead of 8.

Banana Coconut Muffins
Epicurious
Makes 8

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Special equipment: a muffin tin with 8 (1/2-cup) muffin cups; paper liners

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly.

Chipster-Topped Brownies

I have been waiting a long time to try this recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this bad boy calls for THIS in a 13x9 pan:

Yup, 6 eggs and over three sticks of butter - get your arteries ready! But on Saturday night Chuck and I were going to hang out with some good friends for dinner and games and I thought, "Perfect! I'll just leave all the leftovers with them!" Well, I didn't need to worry about leftovers because there weren't any! These brownies are just a dense, chocolate, cookie doughy, buttery bar of goodness. Just look at how "tall" they are:

Dorie likes to use chopped baking chocolate instead of chips in her recipes, but sometimes I get lazy and stick with my normal semi-sweet chips instead. So if she calls for 6 oz. of bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, you can just use a cup of chocolate chips in exchange. I also ommitted the nuts, as I usually do, since my father is allergic and I never know when I will be bringing him some extras!

I never bother with the parchment paper and instead use cooking spray right on my baking dish. Also, a word of advice, when you are spooning the cookie batter over the brownies, use the smallest spoonfuls possible and put them as close together as possible. That stuff is hard to spread!

Chipster-Topped Brownies
Dorie Greenspan

For the brownie layer:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the cookie layer:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 c. chocolate chips

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 in. baking pan, line it with wax or parchment paper and butter the paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To make the brownie batter: Put both the chocolates and the butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stirring occasionally, heat just until the ingredients are melted, shiny and smooth. If the mixture gets too hot, the butter will separate from the chocolates. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until pale, thick and creamy. Beat in the salt and vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate and butter, mixing only until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then, still on low speed, add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the batter. Using the spatula, fold in the walnuts, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Set aside.

To make the cookie dough: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Working with the stand mixer in the cleaned bowl or with the hand mixer in another large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. One at a time, add the egg and the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Still on low, mix in the chopped chocolate.

Drop the cookie dough by spoonful over the brownie batter and, using a spatula and a light touch, spread it evenly over the batter.

Not the best spreading job in the world - the brownie layer is extremely soft.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cookie dough top is deep golden brown and firm and a thin knife inserted into the brownie layer comes out with only faint streaks of moist chocolate. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

When the brownies are completely cool, carefully run a knife between the sides of the pan and the brownies, then invert them onto another rack. remove the paper and turn right side up onto a cutting board. (This will only work if you have used the parchment paper.) Cut into bars about 2 inches x 1 inch.