Creamy Tomato Basil Bisque

At Noodles & Co I always get their tomato bisque. I love it! Herby, rich and warm, it's perfect! My homemade version isn't as good, I'm pretty sure they use wine in theirs and it gives a wonderful flavour, but it is still really good and I can make 6 servings of it in one go!

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
3 c chicken stock
3 T chopped basil, divided
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 Parmesan rind (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 c half and half

In a heavy bottom pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and carrots and let cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, 2 T chopped basil, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. If using Parmesan rind, add in now. The Parmesan rind adds this incredible umami flavour. I just freeze the rind whenever I go through a wedge of Parmesan and throw it right in. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rind and discard. Let cool slightly and then blend until it reaches desired consistency. Return to the pot, add half and half and remaining basil. Bring to a boil and then serve

Honey-Ginger Chicken Drumsticks

I love a sweet and sticky glaze on chicken. There is just nothing more satisfying than eating a juicy piece of meat with a sweet sauce on it and licking your fingers clean. I saw this recipe for Honey-Ginger Chicken Wings on an episode of Dinner at Tiffani's (recipe is here). Looked like just what I was looking for! Some of those great Asian flavours I love, but still sweet and sticky. I don't really like wings though so I decided to try it on drumsticks and I just had to change how I cooked them. I made a 1/2 recipe since I was only cooking 6 drumsticks. I marinated them for 6 hours, but I used the whole sauce to marinate the chicken and then cooked the leftover marinade until it was reduced by about half so it was safe to eat. I baked these at 375 for 30 minutes and then flipped them to the other side to cook for 25 minutes. After 20 minutes on the first side, I brushed the reduced marinade on the chicken and then put on more marinade after 5 more minutes. I flipped the chicken over and let it go 15 minutes before brushing more marinade on. Again I put more sauce on after another 5 minutes. After another 5 minutes I put a generous amount of sauce on and then turned on the broiler and cooked these under the broiler for just a minute or two to crisp up the skin and get some of that grill-like char. This sauce was sooo good! It was sweet and thick and slightly bright/tangy from the lime and then there was the most pleasant ginger/garlic spice that came through. Greg and I both loved it! This will definitely be made again in our house

Lemon Cream Sauce

This sauce is just a few ingredients and is really easy to put together. Letting it cook down is the key. It makes the sauce thick and intensifies the flavours. It would go great with pretty much any protein. Toss it all together with some pasta and I bet you'll feel like me in never wanting to eat pasta at Olive Garden again.

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, grated
1 T olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon
1 c half and half (could also use cream, but the half and half makes a full, rich sauce and is way lower in calories)
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces cooked pasta

Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add grated garlic and let cook until just fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the pepper flakes and stir. Add the lemon zest and half and half. Stir to combine and let simmer, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally during this time. Remove from heat and toss with pasta

Fancy Mac and Cheese

I love fancy food. Fancy food to me just means that there is something to take a dish over the top or make it special. This mac and cheese is FANCY. Well, as fancy as mac and cheese can get anyway. Onions, garlic, lemon, ham, and garlicky bread crumbs on top make for such a good mac and cheese. This takes a little more time than I usually spend on dinner, but it makes a lot and it was definitely worth the work.

Ingredients:
1 T garlic oil (directions below)
1/2 red onion, minced
4 c half and half
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
5 roasted garlic cloves, minced (directions below)
1/2 c grated Parmesan
2 c shredded Cheddar
4 ounces cooked ham, cubed
1 pound pasta, cooked al dente
1 c Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c grated Parmesan
2 T garlic oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Roasted garlic and garlic oil: In a small oven proof dish, like a ramekin, put 5 garlic cloves and 3-4 T olive oil. Season with a little salt and pepper and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes. Let cool and then you can use oil and garlic

Heat 1 T of garlic oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add minced onion and cook until tender. Add half and half, thyme, zest, and the minced roasted garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until it's reduced almost by half. Add the first of the Parmesan and the Cheddar. Stir until all combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the ham and toss in the pasta. Preheat oven to 350. Put pasta mixture in a greased baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs and rest of the Parmesan. Spread evenly over pasta. Drizzle remaining garlic oil over top to help brown the breadcrumbs and give flavor. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meatless Mediterranean Pasta

This is a great meatless meal! My favourite flavours, crisp zucchini, and soft buttery beans with salty feta in every bite... This one is a keeper

Ingredients:
8 oz pasta (use whole grain pasta for extra protein)
1 T olive oil
1 medium zucchini, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 grape tomatoes, quartered
1 can cannelini beans, drained
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c reserved pasta water
1/2 c crumbled feta
1 T chopped fresh basil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat up olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced zucchini and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add beans, tomatoes and olives. Cook for about 5 minutes and add drained pasta and reserved pasta water.  Stir to combine, season to taste and add feta and basil.

                                                   

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

We have been trying to grocery shop only a couple times a month because Costco is far away, driving anywhere takes forever, and we have to give up a parking spot and try and find a good spot when we get back, and it's just a big headache. So my pantry has become my best friend helping us not make the weekly trek to the store. This is one of my favourite panty meals. We always have frozen shrimp in the freezer, but this would also be good with chicken, shrimp just cooks so quickly. In the time it takes to boil water and cook pasta, dinner is done!

Ingredients:
12 oz Penne pasta
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound shrimp (peeled and cleaned)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp crush red pepper flakes or to taste
Chopped parsley

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, add olive oil and butter to a skillet and heat over medium. Once the butter is melted, add the shrimp and cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side. Flip to the other side. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until pink and opaque. Remove shrimp from the skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the whole can of tomatoes (juice and all) to the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Keep the heat at medium and cook for about 5 minutes. Once the sauce is a little bit thickened, add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce. Toss to combine and add the shrimp. Serve with chopped parsley if desired.

Pinterest Win-Cinnamon Rolls

One of Greg's favourite treats is cinnamon rolls. But they're kind of labour intensive and my mom scared me away from yeast doughs/breads. But my sweet hubby deserves his favourite treat! Last year I tried my hand at cinnamon rolls for the first time. They were good, but not great. Better than store bought, but not the best cinnamon rolls ever and if you're going to take the time to make cinnamon rolls, they should be the best cinnamon rolls ever! My grandma's cinnamon rolls are the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had, but her recipes are not really recipes. "A little of this, just enough of this until it feels right," etc. So Pinterest to the rescue. I found this recipe for Cinnabon copycat cinnamon rolls and hoped for the best! It did NOT disappoint. The bread was soft and fluffy, they were buttery and cinnamony... Mmmmm... We had to use A LOT of self control not to eat 3 in one sitting. Definitely worth the work and time that went into them.