Tortellini with Balsamic Brown Butter

Okay, I know I've mentioned Pinterest a lot on this blog lately.  It's a fact that I spend way too much time on it.  But, I probably wouldn't have found some of my new- instantly favorite recipes without it.  This recipe comes from Gimme Some Oven.  I love balsamic, especially on tomatoes and mozzarella! So, why not try it on pasta?  I'm glad I did, because this is my new favorite pasta!  Delish!  

Tortellini with Balsamic Brown Butter Recipe(Adapted from Giada DeLaurentis)

Ingredients:

• 18 to 20 ounces store-bought tortellini or ravioli (pick your favorite flavor!)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup toasted, chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans or pine nuts)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions (generally about 2-3 minutes until tender, but still firm to the bite), stirring occasionally. Drain the tortellini.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown (and begins to give off a nutty aroma) turn off the heat and remove from the burner. Let cool for about 1 minute. Then gradually (and very carefully!) stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the pan saucepan with the balsamic brown butter and gently stir until combined. Sprinkle nuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

Good Eats Meatloaf

When is the last time you made meatloaf?  For me, it had been many months.  Lately, I've been trying to make meals using the food I already have at home. One of those ingredients was ground turkey.  After doing a little searching, I found Alton Brown's recipe for meatloaf.  The recipe received 5 stars with over 300 reviews.  For me, that is worth making. Even with using ground turkey instead of ground chuck, this dish lived up to the high expectations.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and broken
• 3 whole cloves garlic
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 18 ounces ground chuck
• 18 ounces ground sirloin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Dash hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.

Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Insert a temperature probe at a 45 degree angle into the top of the meatloaf. Avoid touching the bottom of the tray with the probe. Set the probe for 155 degrees.

Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. Brush the glaze onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.

Total Time:

1 hr 10 min

Prep

25 min

Cook

45 min

Cheesy Biscuits

I made these gems to go along with the chicken broccoli bake I posted yesterday.  I came across a picture of it on Pinterest and put it at the top of my list to make.  I decided to make big biscuits, which was a big mistake.  They were way too sweet.  BUT...if you follow the recipe below and use a mini muffin pan, maybe cut down the sugar a bit, I'm sure you will enjoy them.  They are just to quick and easy not to make once a week! If you make them, be sure to let me know how they came out.

Better than Jim 'N Nick's Cheesy Biscuits

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 Tbps sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425.  Stir together all ingredients just until combined.  Scoop into a mini muffin pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden.  **I used a medium cookie scoop and got 20 muffins**

Chicken Broccoli Bake

I had a great coupon for Philadelphia Cooking Creme recently and picked up one of each flavor.  I love how they post recipes on the containers.  That is exactly where this recipe came from.  To find it online, go here.  This is not your typical broccoli bake, the garlic creme adds a kick.  I loved it.  I served it with white rice.  Enjoy!

1-1/2 lb.

boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 pkg.

(14 oz.)frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained

1-1/2 cups

KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 tub

(10 oz.)PHILADELPHIA Savory Garlic Cooking Creme

1/2 cup

milk

24

RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1 cup)

1 Tbsp.

butter, melted

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover.
3. Bake 25 min. Meanwhile, mix cracker crumbs and butter.
4. Stir chicken mixture; top with crumbs. Bake, uncovered, 10 min. or until topping is golden brown.

DIY Crayon Holder

I've been inspired by all of the crayon creations I've seen on Pinterest lately.  With the start of school in a few weeks, I wanted to make a few of them for my classroom.  First up is this crafty crayon pencil/ marker/ whatever you want it to hold holder.  Since I don't have all my school stuff at home, I can't tell you exactly what it will be used for.  But, I'm thinking washable markers or highlighters.  It's a pretty good sized box.  This little gem took me just an hour to make.  

Materials: 

Acrylic Paint

Wooden Box

Mod Podge

Ribbon

3  (24) Packs of Crayons 

Hot Glue 

Step 1: Start out with a plain wooden box.  I bought mine at Jo Ann's.  

Paint your box your desired color.  I painted one coat on the outside and inside.  I painted a second coat on the top of the box since it would not be covered in crayons.  

Step 2: Paint a coat of Mod Podge over the paint.  I painted the entire box.  

Step 3: Hot glue the crayons to the box.  I started at the corner and makes my way around. I ended up using just over two boxes of crayons.  

Step 4: Hot glue a coordinating ribbon around the top of the box and you're finished!  Fill with whatever you'd like.  

Linkng Up

  

Triple Berry Brownie

Thank you Betty Crocker for this amazing and festive dessert! I made it for my 4th of July party.  I loved that I could make it ahead of time.  The chocolate and fruit combination was delicious. The topping was very rich.  To save some calories, I think it would be just as good with just a whipped topping (Cool Whip).  Enjoy!

25 Min

TOTAL TIME

2 Hr 5 Min

SERVINGS

16

INGREDIENTS

1	box Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
	Water, vegetable oil and eggs as called for on brownie mix box
1	package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2	cup powdered sugar
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
11/3	cups halved fresh strawberries
1	cup fresh blueberries
1/2	cup fresh raspberries 1Heat oven to 350° F (325° F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom only of 12-inch pizza pan. Make brownies as directed. Spread in pan. 2Bake 20 to 26 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean. Cool completely. 3In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until smooth and creamy. Fold in whipped topping; spread on brownie. Arrange berries over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour. Store covered in refrigerator.

Baked Penne with Summer Veggies

 I love cooking with squash and zucchini over the summer.  I found this recipe in  Cooking Light.  I had most of the ingredients and changed the things I was missing.  This recipe was created as a vegetarian recipe but I decided to add some meat for a hearty dinner.  I noted all of the changes I made in red below.  We loved the end result.  Enjoy! 

Adapted from Cooking Light 

Ingredients

• 6 ounces uncooked penne (about 1/2 a box)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow squash
• 2 cups chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped tomato
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tsp. garlic salt 

Preparation

• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
• 2. Preheat oven to 400°.
• 3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. 
• 4. Brown ground turkey (season with salt and pepper).  Add to pasta mixture.  
• 5. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 9x12 rectangular  glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.
• 6.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and let cool for a few minutes.  Serve and Enjoy!

Amazing Iced Coffee

I found this picture on Pinterest.  It immediately caught my attention and I decided I needed to make it.  I clicked on the link and went to the recipe.  After reading the directions, I decided it looked too complicated to make.  You see, the reason my blog is titled SIMPLY made with love is because I don't like complicated recipes that take lots of time.  But...a friend of mine posted the same recipe on Facebook.  She said it wasn't too hard and worth it.  So I went to the store and bought the ingredients.  I followed all directions.  It was HONESTLY a lot easier than I thought it would be.  I used fat free condensed milk and low fat evaporated milk.  I used the same water container to put the coffee concentrate.  Worked like a charm! I liked it better with mocha added and can't wait to add different flavored syrups! Enjoy!


Iced Coffee Concentrate.  

Ingredients-

• 1 gallon water (I buy a gallon of drinking water)
• 1 lb bag of your favorite rich coffee (course ground if ya can get it)
• Coffee filters or several layers of cheesecloth
• a fine mesh strainer.
• a large bowl
• pitcher (big enough to hold a gallon)

Directions-

1. Pour gallon of water into your large bowl.
2. Dump the entire bag of coffee into the water/bowl.
3. Stir to make sure all grounds are saturated with water.
4. Walk away, for 12 hours or overnight.
5. line a mesh strainer with a coffee filter or several layers of cheese-cloth, set the strainer on top of your pitcher.
6. Pour (or ladle) your coffee mixture into the strainer. (this part takes awhile...  I often had to walk away while it filtered into the pitcher)   If using coffee filters, you might have to replace them 
7. several times during the filtering process.
8. Once all the coffee concentrate has been filtered, stick it in the fridge (it will last for a month!)

Sweet Cream

Ingredients-

• 1, 12oz can of evaporated milk
• 1, 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

Directions-

1. mix both cans together, refrigerate.

Fill a glass with ice.  Fill it a little over half way with the coffee.  Fill the remainder with the cream mixture.  Mix and ENJOY!