Lemon Pepper Pappardelle with Broccoli and Bacon

I absolutely love Trader Joe's and when I saw their lemon pepper papperdelle pasta, I knew I had to get it.  The lemon pepper flavor shines in this pasta and it is delicious.  Add some broccoli and bacon to this lemon pepper papperdelle pasta and you have one amazing meal.   I also used my new garlic press from the pampered chef and it is awesome!  You will see what it looks like in some of the pictures below.  I feel old when I get excited about kitchen gadgets!  Haha!  Overall, this took me less than 30 minutes to make and would be a perfect weeknight meal when you are short on time.  Enjoy!

Lemon Pepper Pappardelle with Broccoli and Bacon

Printable Recipes

Ingredients

1 package lemon pepper papperdelle pasta (from Trader Joe’s)

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup chicken stock, low sodium (or use water)

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

4 or 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 tablespoon butter (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Directions

Cook lemon pepper papperdelle pasta according to package directions.  (Boil for 8 to 10 minutes and drain.)

Cook bacon in microwave by laying bacon slices on top of a couple paper towels.  Cover bacon slices with additional paper towels.  Microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes. Check to make sure they don’t burn after 4 minutes then if needed continue cooking for additional 30 seconds at a time.

In a large pan, over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic.

Next, add in broccoli florets and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour in chicken stock or water.  Cover pan and cook broccoli for 5 minutes.

Remove cover.   Season broccoli with salt and pepper.   Add in cooked pasta, butter and crumbled bacon.

Toss with parmesan cheese.

Serves 4. 

Sweet Potato Dog Chews 2

This is my second attempt at making sweet potato dog chews.  I made them previously and you can click here for the original recipe.  Buddy and Ellie absolutely love these sweet potato dog chews but they don't last as long as the rawhide chews.  I do freeze them to try to make them last longer but Buddy eats them in less than 5 minutes.   Ellie takes a little bit longer to chew them.   I think if you had a smaller dog who isn't a strong chewer, they would be comparable to a rawhide chew.  Overall, these sweet potato dog chews are a healthy treat and are inexpensive to make.  

Sweet Potato Dog Chews 2

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, medium sized

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Microwave sweet potatoes for about 30 to 45 seconds to make it easier to slice.

Cut a small piece of the sweet potato lengthwise to make a flat surface.

Turn sweet potato down on the cut side, slice sweet potato into 1/3” to  ¼” thick slices.

Place slices on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 3 hours, turning slices halfway through baking time.

Allow to cool and place in freezer Ziploc bag.  Store in freezer for up to 4 months.

Buddy and Ellie wait so patiently for their treats!

Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon

This sautéed cabbage with bacon is an easy and delicious side dish.  You can serve it on a weeknight or even for Thanksgiving.  I have always been a fan of cabbage because it is slightly sweet, tender and crisp when sautéed.  The bacon gives a great smoky and savory flavor.   Sautéed cabbage is also a versatile dish; you can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon and using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, also using olive oil instead of the bacon grease and butter.  Overall, this sautéed cabbage with bacon makes a wonderful side dish.  Enjoy!

Sautéed Cabbage with Bacon

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

5 slices of bacon

1 head of cabbage, sliced thin

1 small onion, diced

1/3 cup chicken stock, low sodium

1 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cut cabbage in half.  Place cut side down and slice cabbage into thing slices around the core.  Discard the core.

In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, fry bacon slices until crisp.  Remove bacon and place on paper towels to drain fat.  Allow to cool enough to crumble and set aside.

Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon grease in pan.  Add onions, cabbage, and butter.  

Sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage and onions are slightly tender.

Stir in 1/3 cup chicken stock.  Cover pan and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir about halfway through cooking time.  Cabbage and onions will be tender and lightly browned. 

Season with salt and pepper.  Top with crumbled bacon.

Serves 4 to 6.

Pesto Pizza

If you like pesto and pizza, you will definitely like this pesto pizza!  I always have a batch of homemade pizza dough in the freezer and I just took it out the night before to defrost for dinner time the next day.  I also used my favorite pesto sauce from Costco.  This pesto pizza is quick and simple, especially if you already have the ingredients on hand.  You can also use a store bought pizza dough, I have heard that Trader Joe's has a good one but I haven't tried it yet.  Enjoy!

Pesto Pizza

Printable Recipe 

Ingredients

1 batch homemade pizza dough (recipe here)

2 – 3 tablespoons pesto sauce (I used Kirkland’s brand from Costco.)

10 slices fresh mozzarella

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Roll out dough and press down onto a greased baking sheet. 

Spoon pesto sauce onto rolled out pizza dough.

Lay mozzarella slices evenly on top.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until edges of dough are crisp and cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

These classic chocolate chip cookies came out perfect.  They are chewy in the middle and crisp on the outside.  These are thinner chocolate chip cookies too which I tend to favor.  I also tasted the cookie dough and it was delicious.  If your cookie dough doesn't taste right, your cookies won't either.  Overall, this is a great classic chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I enjoyed a couple of cookies with a glass of milk; these cookies make for great dunking too!

 

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup and 2 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.  Slowly add to creamed mixture, half a cup at a time.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop the batter by tablespoon, well apart, on a baking sheet.  I had 8 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.

-->

Allow to cool on baking sheet for 1 minute then move to wire cooling racks.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.  I made approximately 27 cookies.

Buffalo Chicken Pockets

These buffalo chicken pockets turned out so good!  I've made homemade pizza pockets before  and they were awesome.  I wanted to change things up and these buffalo chicken pockets definitely give a kick.  I basically made a buffalo chicken dip filling, which you could use just as a dip minus the pizza dough.  These will be great for a quick lunch or dinner.  I did freeze most of them to have on hand for a quick meal.  When I made these, I didn't close the seal the pockets well with a fork but for the second batch, I just pinched the seams with my fingers and it turned out much better.  Don't worry too much if the filling oozes out some, it will still be delicious even if it doesn't look pretty.

Buffalo Chicken Pockets

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 batch homemade pizza dough (recipe here - http://sophieinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/05/pizza-dough.html)

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

½ cup hot sauce (I used Frank’s hot sauce.)

½ cup ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley Light.)

8 ounces cream cheese (I used 1 package of low fat cream cheese.)

1 cup shredded cheese (I used an Italian mix.)

olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease baking sheet with olive oil.

In a bowl, combine chicken, hot sauce, ranch dressing and cream cheese.  Stir in ½ cup shredded cheese.  

Divide dough into at least 8 pieces.   Roll dough pieces into balls.  Next, flatten dough balls with a rolling pin.  Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto one side of the dough circle.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Fold dough over and seal tightly with fingers or a fork.  

Bake on a greased baking sheet for about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve immediately.   If you have leftovers, you can freeze them!

After they cool completely, store in a freezer bag for up to 2-3 months.  To reheat frozen buffalo chicken pockets, microwave for about 2 minutes or warm in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Check to make sure they are heated through before serving.  Enjoy!

Sesame Green Beans

I couldn't stop eating these sesame green beans because they were that good!  I came across the original recipe from allrecipes.com.  This recipe is simple and easy.  I had fresh green beans from the farmers market so I had a few purple colored beans too!  This is a great side dish and I will definitely be making this again.

Sesame Green Beans

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (I used roasted sesame seeds.)

¼ cup chicken broth

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add sesame seeds.   Cook until lightly browned.  (I only cooked the sesame seeds for a minute since I had used roasted ones.)

Add in green beans.  Cook for a few minutes until the beans turn bright green.

Next, add in chicken broth, salt and pepper.

Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until beans are tender.

Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates.

Serves 2-4.