Leftovers: Pasta with Sausage and Sauce

Whenever I make my highly desired Braised Shortribs recipe, I always have so much leftover sauce.  Since the sauce is just too good to waste, I always save the sauce for future recipes.  Here is one recipe that I make with this succulent sauce.

Pasta with Sausage and Leftover Sauce
Original Recipe by Kitchen Groovy

1 box of whole wheat rotini pasta
2 carrots, diced
1 lb. sweet italian sausage, sliced (regular or turkey would work great)
2 1/2 C leftover sauce from Braised Shortribs, hot

Over medium high heat, cook sliced italian sausage on a frying pan until fully cooked.  Set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any fat.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Add diced carrots to the noodles in the boiling water about 1-2 minutes before the noodles are done cooking. 

Drain noodles and carrots.  In large serving bowl, combine pasta, carrots and sausage.  Add in the heated leftover sauce and combine until well mixed.

Chef's Note: feel free to add what you like to this dish - it's leftovers!  I encourage you to add what you like and what you are craving!  Brocolli would be a GREAT addition!  I only added what was left in my refrigerator!  :-)

Delicious!!!  It was so good, the family was begging for me to make more Shortribs, so they can get these leftovers again!  Ha!  WIN-WIN!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!

Quick Apple Sausage Quesadillas

Happy post 4th of July!  I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday enjoying our independance ;-)

A very good friend of mine, Liz, sent me this cookbook quite some time ago and I've been meaning to post a great recipe I found from it.  Liz: so sorry it took me so long to brag about this awesome cookbook!  Everyone else: it's called "No Whine with Dinner" and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!  It's written by 2 dieticians, who are also moms, who also have a hard time finding healthy options for their kids to eat.  This cookbook is the answer if you have kids who are hard to feed.

This is one of our favorites from this cookbook so far:

Quick Apple Sausage Quesadillas
Original recipe by "No Whine with Dinner" cookbook, pg. 81

2 T canola oil, divided
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" dice (1 1/2 C)
2 fully cooked apple chicken sausages, casings removed and meat coarsely chopped
1 C reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C frozen corn, thawed
2 T BBQ sauce
5 8" flour tortillas, preferably whole wheat

1. Heat 1 T of the oil in a large nonstick skillet of medium-high heat.  Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes.  Stir in the sausage, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes.
2. In a bowl, stir together the cooked bell pepper and sausage, cheese, corn and BBQ sauce.  Spread the mixture evenly over half of each tortilla.  Fold over, press down gently, and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tsp. of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat (you may want to wipe out the skillet first).  Add 2 of the prepared quesadillas and cook, pressing down occasionally with a spatula, until the bottoms are crisp and golden, about 3 minutes.  Flip them and cook until the other sids are golden, about 2 minutes.
4. Repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas.  Cut into halves or quarters and serve.

We wrapped these up and took them to a softball game.  They travelled nicely and were delicious!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!

Apple Craisin Chicken Pasta Salad

Welcome to my very first recipe series!  Picnic at the Park!  I am very excited to bring this to you and I hope that you will find inspiration here, or at least a couple of recipes that you and your family enjoy.

Picnic at the Park recipes have THREE requirements.   They must be 1) easy to make 2) easy to travel and 3) easy to eat (especially by my youngest).  Typically, during the months of May, June and July - our family spends alot of time on a baseball field or softball field.  This past weekend, we spent twelve hours in the hot sun cheering on our softball team of 16 year old girls.  And yes, they came in first place - woot woot!  Dinners become challenging when we are living on a field somewhere - and I refuse to eat out unless absolutely necessary.  It will bankrupt us, as we just don't budget to feed a family of 5 every single night at fast food restaurants.  With these three requirements for dinner, I hope you will enjoy them.  I will warn you - they will be simple and nothing fancy.  Well, are any of my recipes fancy??!!  I think not ;-)


I am kicking off this series with one of my favorite salads.  Could the name be any longer??  Honestly, I just didn't know what else to call it so this is about as creative as I get!  I first tried this pasta salad at a leadership meeting for the mom's group I once belonged to a couple of years ago - and I have been making it ever since.  It's light, delicious and perfect for summer. 

I also made brats with peppers.  In total, this meal took roughly 30 minutes to make.  I started at 3:00 by making the salad, then made the brats at 4:45 and wrapped them in foil.  Miss Sunshine had a plain hot dog :-) 

Apple Craisin Chicken Pasta Salad
original recipe source: unknown

1 box favorite pasta (I let my kids pick out fun shaped pasta)
1 bottle Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
2 green apples, cored - diced (leave skin on)
1 C craisins
3/4 C slivered almonds
1 large can of chunk chicken (if you have more time, use chicken breast or rotisserie chicken)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta, and run under cool water to remove the heat.  In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients.  Chill in refrigerator for a few hours.  Enjoy!

As an alternative, this salad is also really good with Vidalia Onion dressing - which is how the recipe came to me originally.  The great thing about salad is you can adjust according to what you like!  Add green onions or carrots or brocolli florets - go wild!

Okay, since we were sitting on the bleachers while we ate, the pictures are not that great - but it was a successful dinner! 

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!

Very Pink Lemonade Cupcakes!!

Yesterday, my little Miss Sunshine and I went to see the children's theatre production of "Pinkalicious".  And, as you can imagine, my pink loving, anything glittery loving, little 5 year old girl LOVED every minute of it - the anticipation leading up to the show was almost unbearable for her.  Then, during the show, she couldn't contain her excitement, and she literally oozed her joy during the entire show!  Thankfully, it IS a children's production, and she was accompanied by many little boys and girls who oozed that same joy. :-) 

To celebrate our day, we made Pink Cupcakes (for those of you not familiar with Miss Pinkalicious: she eats a pink cupcake and therefore, turns pink herself!). 

Very Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Original recipe by Kitchen Groovy
makes 12-18 cupcakes

3/4 C cake flour
3/4 C all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 C sugar
2 T pink lemonade powder
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 C whole milk
4 large egg whites
Pink food coloring, if desired for extra pink cupcakes
Pink Lemonade Frosting, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.  Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, pink lemonade powder and 1 C of sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Scrape down sides of bowl, as needed.  Beat in vanilla.  With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts - alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just combined.  Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium low speed until just foamy.  With mixer running, add remaining 1/4 C of sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes.  Do not overbeat.  Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined.  Gently fold in the remaining whites.  At some point in this process, incorporate 3-5 drops of pink food coloring, depending on how pink you like your cupcakes :-)

Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each with a heaping 1/4 C batter.  Bake until cupcakes are a golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean - about 20-22 minutes.  Remove and place on wire rack to cool.

Pink Lemonade Fluffy Frosting

1 C confectioners sugar + 1 T extra
4 T unsalted butter, softened but still cool
4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into 4 pieces
2 T frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
Pink food coloring, 2-3 drops

With electric mixer on medium high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, aout 2 minutes.  Add cream cheese, one piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each piece.  Add pink lemonade concentrate and beat until combined.  The frosting may be runny at this point, add in extra confectioners' sugar, 1/2 T at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

Not the best picture - but they sure are cute together :-)

Super delicious pink, pink, pink cupcakes!!!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!

Carina

Beer Bread

Someone asked me if I had a good beer bread recipe and I had this one that I have used in the past.  When I was asked about it, I realized that I just had to make it again - power of suggestion?  Yeah, it exists.

I had forgotten how easy Beer Bread is to make - Miss Sunshine even helped me with it.  While I TOTALLY love to bake, it was a nice break to make something that didn't require me to haul out all my major counter appliances!!  This just required a bowl and a spoon. :-)

Disclaimer: I suppose I'm not real acquainted with different types of breads, as I'm not a big fan of them.  I made this beer bread and really liked it.  However, I've never had any other beer bread so I have nothing to compare it to!  I hope it tastes like what it's supposed to taste like!  Regardless, it's still good :-)

Beer Bread
Original Recipe by Alton Brown

Nonstick spray

8 ounces all-purpose flour

4 ounces whole-wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill (omitted by me this time)

4 1/2 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated

12 ounces cold beer, ale or stout

1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, optional

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with the nonstick spray and set aside.

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and dill in a large mixing bowl. Add in the cheese and stir in the beer just to combine. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, if using.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Chef’s Note: decrease salt to 1 teaspoon instead.  Add shredded cheddar on top during last 5 minutes of baking, if desired.

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy
Enjoy and live with gusto!
Carina

Homemade Granola Bars

My hubby and I have been training to run longer distances - we are not "runners" by any stretch of the imagination.  But, it's one way for us to spend time together and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Currently, we are training for our first 10k race - we are very excited about it! 

We probably run about 4 times a week, and I have realized that what we consume throughout the week affects whether we have a good run or not.  Let me emphasize - we are not crazy health nuts (not that there is anything wrong with that).  We do believe in moderation for everything, including things that health nuts probably would swear off.  But, I love to eat good food - I definitely carry a "sinners and saints" type attitude toward eating.

I also believe I am becoming more aware of what I am putting into my body in terms of sodium, artificial flavors and sugar content.  Which is why I believe in homemade SO much - I am in control AND I have full knowledge of what my family is consuming. 

I love granola bars - but I even remain quite skeptical of anything commercial that is labeled "healthy".  When you actually read the ingredients, alot of times it's far from healthy.  So, when I came across this recipe for homemade granola bars - I couldn't resist.  It would provide great fuel as we train and increase our running distance, as well as just finding a good ole' healthy snack.  Win-win.

Homemade Granola Bars
Original Recipe by Ina Garten "Back to Basics" Cookbook, page 242

2 C old fashioned oatmeal
1 C sliced almonds
1 C shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 C toasted wheat germ
3 T unsalted butter
2/3 C honey
1/4 C light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 C chopped pitted dates
1/2 C chopped dried apricots
1/2 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 x 12" baking dish and line with parchment paper.
Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.
*Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture.  Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.
Pour the mixture into a prepared pan.  Wet your fingers and lightly press evenly into the pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown.  Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares.  Serve at room temperature.

They were SOOOO good!  My daughter ended up bringing them to school with her lunch, as well as my hubby - so now the pressure is on to make more for them!!  But - once you make these, you'll realize there is NO pressure because they are super easy.  :-)

Chef's notes:
- I used a 9x13 dish instead of an 8x12.
- I omitted the dates - I just don't care for them.
- I used both regular dried apricots and organic.  My advice - go organic!  They taste way better!!
- I found they were a bit crumblier than I preferred, so I will continue to "play" with this by possibly adding more honey and butter (seriously, that won't do any harm, right?)
- The first time I made this, I forgot to turn the oven down and they ended up slightly burnt.  Instead of tossing, I broke it up into crumbly pieces, and I'll eat it over plain vanilla yogurt.  I don't believe in wasting ANYTHING!!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!
Carina

Oh Mama Mac n Cheese Pizza

When you ask my family what their favorite meal is, well - Miss Sunshine's favorite meal (other than Chicken, Cheese & Brocolli casserole) is macaroni and cheese, hands down.  Helloooo!  She's five years old, what do you expect?  Actually, that was my favorite dish into most of my adult life :-)  My 14 year old son will tell you pizza, chicken wings or steak.  My husband loves pizza.  So - I was faced with what to make for dinner last night.  I could have stuck to my meal plan, but I was headed out for a little last minute "girl's night out" and wanted to make something easy for the family. 

Collectively, based on what the family loves - I decided to try a Macaroni and Cheese Pizza.  I have ordered this once from a local pizza joint a couple of years ago, and thought "I could do this!". 

It was DEEE-LIC-IOUS!!  You could do a store bought crust, but I didn't make it to the store and I made one from scratch.  I had never made one before, and I was surprised at how easy it was!  I also used jarred pizza sauce from Green Mill.  I loooovve their 'za sauce. 

Chef Note: when I make Kraft macaroni and cheese, I always substitute the milk for sour cream.  It produces a much creamier mac n cheese. 

Oh Mama Mac n Cheese Pizza
Created by Kitchen Groovy

1 Basic Pizza Crust Dough (recipe to follow)
1 1/2 C your favorite pizza sauce
Pepporoni - enough for one layer
1 box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, prepared
1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 C cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp. dried oregano
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spead out pizza dough to about 12-14".  Take a brush and gently rub olive oil over the entire surface. 

Spread pizza sauce to edge of pizza, then layer with pepperoni's.  (I got excited and added the mac n cheese before taking my picture!)

Layer on prepared macaroni and cheese on top of pepperoni's.

Spread mozzarella cheese, then spread cheddar cheese on top of mozzarella.  Sprinkle with dried oregano.

Bake at 450 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

Slice, get it on a plate and enjoy!  It was goooooodddd. 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Basic Pizza Dough
Recipe from "How to Cook Everything", pg. 258
Makes: 1 large or 2 or more small pizzas
Time: At least 1 hour, largely unatttended

1 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
3 C (about 14oz.) all purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
2 tsp. coarse kosher or sea salt, plus extra for spinkling
1 - 1 1/4 C water
2 T plus 1 tsp. olive oil

1. Combine the yeast, flour and 2 tsp. salt in the container of a food processor.  Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons of oil through the feed tube.
2. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to te touch.  If it is dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for another 10 seconds.  (In the unlikely event that the mixture is too sticky, add flour, a tablespoon at a time.)
3. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball.  Grease a bowl with the remaining olive oil, and place the dough in it.  Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise in warm, draft-free area until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. 

To freeze: wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!
Carina

Macaroni and Cheese with Octo-Dogs

I am a creature of habit, no doubt about it.  I tend to make the same lunch each day for Susie and I.  However, I do break away from the mold every now and again and make something fun and silly for us.  Earlier this week, I made this lunch which I found the idea in a fun kids' cookbook. 

Macaroni and Cheese with Octo-Dogs
Recipe from Cooking with Kids cookbook, pg. 138
Adapted by Carina Smith, Kitchen Groovy

Hot Dogs - as many as desired (I used 2)
Box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
Frozen Corn, if desired
Gold Fish Crackers

Prepare mac and cheese, according to directions.  While boiling pasta, add corn. 

In the meantime, heat hot dogs in the microwave, about a minute.  To cut hot dogs, lay 1 hot dog on its side with one end facing you.  Starting 1" from one end of the hot dog, slice hot dog vertically in half.  Take 2 pieces, and cut those in half, which will leave you 4 pieces.  Cut each of those pieces in half and you will have 8 "legs". 

Arrange octo-dog on top of the mac and cheese on each plate.  Draw faces on the "heads" of octo-dogs with mustard.

Sprinkle with gold fish crackers.

This picture doesn't have gold fish crackers on it, but how cute it would be to add them!

Enjoy and live life with gusto!
Carina