Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding and Vanilla Sauce

While Jon and I were tearing apart Pinterest last night trying to find a suitable dinner recipe (see my Beer and Cheese Soup post), I came across this dessert recipe for bread pudding and knew I just had to make it. Wow, am I glad I did!

I started prepping while working on dinner, and the timing worked out nicely so that by the time we had finished with dinner, dessert was warm and ready for us. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes in total to make, but was very easy. The recipe said it would take about 40-50 minutes in the oven, which proved accurate - I kept mine in the oven for 50 minutes exactly.

Bread pudding in the oven

Next time I may try swap out the raisins in favor of craisins just for the added flavor. But other than that, there's absolutely nothing I would change about this recipe! The bread was divine and the vanilla sauce was perfect. Yum!

Vanilla sauce brewing on the stove

Beer and Cheese Soup

Last night Jon and I were struggling to decide what to make for dinner, when he remembered he has been dying to make beer and cheese soup. Unfortunately, by the time he figured this out, it was getting a little late and our hunger was becoming undeniable. We quickly scoured the internet for a beer and cheese soup recipe that would satiate our hunger with the least amount of total cook time possible, yet still provide the tasty flavor Jon was searching for. Jon was doubtful that we would ever find anything suitable. I, however, have far more faith in the world wide web - and it did not disappoint me. Thanks to Rachel Ray, we were able to concoct a beer and cheese soup that met all our demands.

We were hoping to make our own croutons, but time and the measly selection of ingredients at our small town grocery store were not on our side. Instead, we picked up some pre-made garlic and butter croutons and they certainly got the job done.  We also added some grated cheddar cheese to the soup after serving.

We changed a few things from Rachel's recipe - we opted not to use leeks and we added onion and celery. We also decided to use Guinness beer instead of the suggested Dos Equis - a fantastic swap, if I do say so myself... so flavorful!

All in all, this was a pretty great recipe! Rachel states the recipe takes about 20 minutes to make, but it took Jon and I around 40 minutes or so (perhaps because I was simultaneously prepping our dessert - also to be blogged about!). Definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a flavorful and creamy soup.

Tomato Basil Penne Pasta

This is an easy and quick go to recipe for those rushed evenings when you get home from a long day of work and you feel like you couldn't possibly have time to make dinner on top of all your other responsibilities (aka watching the intense fall primetime TV lineup). All the ingredients for this recipe are regularly stocked in my cabinets and it requires very little culinary skill, yet is tasty and hits the spot. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

What to do:

1. Heat olive oil on medium low heat in large saucepan, then sauté garlic until fragrant, approximately 1-2 minutes. 
2. Add red onion, tomatoes, and basil and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to box directions.

    4. When one minute remains on cook time for pasta, drain pasta and cook in tomato basil mixture for remaining minute. This will allow the pasta to really absorb the flavors of the sauce.

   5. Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!

Mussels Fra Diavolo with Shrimp and Linguine

Long time no blog! I have no excuses - I have simply been lazy about blogging and every time I thought about penning a new one, I decided I had to clean my bathroom instead. But I'm back and ready to rumble! Today's blog: Mussels Fra Diavolo with Shrimp and Linguine. I made this the other night and props for the recipe go to the Food Network's infamous Emeril Lagasse.

I followed the recipe almost exactly, though I decided not to use clams or calamari (I was full enough with just mussels and shrimp, didn't want to overdo it on a Sunday night!). In lieu of making Emeril's "Essence" (a Creole seasoning), I used season salt, which was readily available in my spice rack. That decision made my prep time much shorter and really packed an amazing flavor (the season salt I used contained salt, paprika, celery, turmeric, and black pepper).

Otherwise, I found Emeril's recipe to be fabulous and followed the remainder of it every step of the way! The jalapenos and red pepper flakes packed a nice punch of spicy-ness. And the best part: such an easy recipe and took less than an hour to make!

Mussels simmering in the spicy red sauce - yum!

Mussels in a Creamy White Wine Broth

I guess I'm on a mussels kick lately, because this is the second week in a row I've made them! This time I made a white wine broth for the mussels, with just a dash of lemon to add a great flavor.

What you need:

• 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 lemon

What you do:

• Clean the mussels, then place them in a bowl of cool water to rid them of any excess sand. Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped.
• Meanwhile, melt butter on low heat in large saucepan. Add olive oil, then sauté minced garlic. 
• Add white wine and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut lemon in half, and cut one of the halves into four wedges.
• Add mussels, heavy cream, and parsley. Then squeeze lemon juice from remaining lemon half into mixture. Cover for 5 minutes and let mussels cook. Discard any mussels that do not open after cooking in saucepan.

• Serve over linguine and with grilled artisan bread on the side. Use remaining lemon wedges to add additional flavor to your plate.

This meal tasted quite delicious! Next time I will probably add scallions for taste and more cream to thicken the broth.

Thai Coconut Green Curry Mussels

This new recipe comes from the August/September 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. I know I have said this before - but you are seriously missing out if you're not getting any recipes from this magazine or their website (the magazine offers recipes that are not showcased on the website, but the website still has plenty of amazing meals). Clean Eating specializes in meals that are healthy and free of weird processed junk - and their meals don't break the bank either (a major plus for someone who is just starting to feel the wrath of that traitor Sallie Mae).

The final product

Clean Eating Mag's Thai Coconut Green Curry Mussels recipe was extraordinarily easy, and it is so rewarding to be able to make my own green curry paste using fresh ingredients. This paste called for a few easy to find items (most of which were already in my kitchen stock) - green onions, garlic, lemongrass, jalepeño pepper, cilantro, basil, ginger, lime juice, sunflower oil, and soy sauce. The mussels were cooked in the paste and coconut milk was added to the mix for added substance and flavor. 

Mussels cooking in the green curry paste

I served this mixture over brown rice with lime wedges on the side for added flavor. The meal was made complete with two slices of grilled artisan bread - great for dipping in the curry paste! For the actual recipe, please buy a copy of the August/September 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. Or even better, subscribe to this fantastic magazine for one or two years at a time!

Easiest Pulled Chicken Ever

The slow cooker is one of my nearest and dearest friends - you throw some random stuff in it in the morning, and by the time you get home from work, you have a whole amazing dinner meal waiting for you to come devour it! This latest recipe - pulled chicken in the slow cooker - comes from Ashley, one of my other near and dear friends.

I was able to throw this together in 5 minutes before leaving for work. By the time I returned, the whole lobby of my apartment was filled with a beyond incredibly amazingly delicious scent. Thank you slow cooker!!

What you need:

• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 1 jar of salsa
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• A pinch of pepper

What you do:

Throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Turn on low heat. I left it cooking for just over 8 hours, but I would assume it will taste just as good after 6 hours or so.

I cooked up some brown rice from a box to serve with the pulled chicken, but Ashley puts her pulled chicken in wraps alongside guacamole. I unfortunately had neither wraps nor guacamole on hand so I made do with what I did have - and it came out AMAZING. The taco seasoning gives it a great Mexican flair and the salsa makes it nice and juicy. Not to mention this recipe required the most minimal effort in the kitchen ever. Two thumbs up for this recipe!