Creamy Lemon Spring Vegetable Pasta

My rating: 4

Kids' rating: 3.5 stars

Everyone loves the sauce. The veggies aren't the kids' favorite, but they were willing to eat them bc of the sauce so I call it a win. 

Ingredients

•  1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
•  1 small shallot minced
•  12 asparagus spears cut into 1-inch pieces, woody ends discarded
•  1/2 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
•  3 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 2 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces
•  3 gloves garlic minced
•  3/4 cup chopped brussels sprouts
•  8 ounces farfalle pasta or pasta of your choice
•  2 tablespoons butter 
•  2 tablespoons flour 
•  2 cups milk
•  Zest of 1 large lemon
•  Juice of 1 large lemon
•  4 lemon slices
•  Salt and pepper to taste
•  1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
•  Parmesan cheese 

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until almost cooked through. Add the shallot, asparagus pieces, artichoke hearts, broccoli, spinach, garlic, and brussels sprouts. Cook until vegetables are tender and spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Pour the vegetables into a large bowl and set aside while you cook the pasta and sauce.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
3. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Place the large skillet you used to cook the vegetables back on the stove and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, whisking until you don't have any clumps. Slowly whisk in the milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, whisking vigorously. Add the lemon zest and keep whisking until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk occasionally until the sauce thickens.  Add in the lemon juice and sliced lemons. Season the sauce with salt and black pepper, to taste.
4. Drain the pasta and add it to the thickened lemon sauce. Stir in the cooked vegetables and stir until the pasta and vegetables are well coated with the creamy lemon sauce. Remove the lemon slices with tongs or a spoon.
5. Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

Swig Sugar Cookies

my rating: 5 stars

kids' rating: 4 stars

I'm sure this recipe is everywhere by now, but just in case you've been under a rock for the past 10 years, this is a pretty good version of the real deal 

Cookies

Ingredients

1 C butter, room temp

3/4 coconut oil

1 1/4 C sugar

3/4 C powdered sugar

2 T water

2 eggs

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t cream of tartar

1 t salt

5 1/2 C flour

Cream together butter, oil, sugars, water and eggs. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter mixture. Mix until everything is combined. Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all. Roll a golf ball sized ball of dough and place it on a cookie sheet.

Now it's time to give these babies their signature rough edge. Put 1/4 C sugar and a pinch of salt in a dish. Stick the bottom of a glass in it. This is going to be your cookie press. 

Firmly press into into each dough ball. You want your dough to spill out over the sides of the glass. If there is a lip, it is even better.

Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. They should just barely be browning on the bottom. Move cookies to a cooling rack. 

Sour Cream Frosting

(this is where I'm going to get snobby and say that this recipe is better than all the other ones out there)

1 stick room temperature butter

3/4 c sour cream

approximately 1 2-lb package of powdered sugar (I never use the whole thing, but like having extra on hand, in case I add in too much milk)

1 t salt

1/4 cup milk

red food coloring

Start my creaming together butter, sour cream, and salt. Slowly add powdered sugar. When it gets so thick it's not frosting-like, add a splash of milk. Alternate this process until your frosting is the desired consistency. Add one drop of food coloring and whip on high for 1 minute. 

Keep cookies in a sealed container in the refrigerator until they are ready to serve. The magic of the best swig cookie is that the cookies are cold and the frosting is room temperature. Frost right before serving. If you make them in advance, make sure you give it time to warm up a bit before serving. 

Sesame Chicken Ramen Noodles

My rating: 4 stars

kids' rating: 5 stars

This is one of my kids' favorite dishes.  They get excited like JoJo the circus boy when this is on the menu.

Ingredients

3-4 packages ramen noodles, spices removed

2 T coconut oil

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 carrots, diced

1/2 cup frozen peas or edamame

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 t freshly grated ginger

1/3 c low sodium soy sauce

3 T rice vinegar

3 T brown sugar

1 T chili garlic paste

2 T toasted sesame oil

6 green onions, thinly sliced

toasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook the ramen noodles according to the directions on the package. This only takes 2 to 3 minutes! I like to get all of my other ingredients out while waiting for the water to boil.
2. While the noodles are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the coconut oil and once melted, stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute, then add in the chicken pieces and carrots, and cook until almost cooked through. Stir in the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and chili garlic paste. Turn off the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Add the noodles to the skillet and toss well to coat.
3. Serve the noodles with lots of green onions and sesame seeds on top.

Pan Crisped Salmon with Light Dijon Cream Sauce

My rating: 5 stars

kids' rating: 4 stars

I was afraid this was going to taste really mustardy, but I needn't have feared. I was licking my plate. I serve this with mashed potatoes, because they're delicious, and it's another medium for the sauce.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced and divided

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 pounds salmon filet

 1 shallot, diced

3 T freshly chopped sage

1/3 c dry white wine

1 cup evaporated milk

3 T Dijon mustard

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Toast the breadcrumbs. Add 1 T of the butter to a small skillet over medium heat. Add in half of the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant, then stir in the breadcrumbs. Constantly stirring, toast the breadcrumbs for a minute or two, until slightly golden. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

2. Cook the salmon. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon all over with 1/2 t each with salt and pepper. Place the salmon in the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes per side, until the salmon is golden brown, opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Transfer the salmon to a plate and set aside. 

3. Making the cream sauce. Add the remaining 1 T butter to the same skillet used to cook the salmon. Once melted, add in the remaining garlic, with the shallot and sage. Stir to coat, then cook for 1-2 minutes until sizzling. Pour in wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until reduced slightly. Whisk in the milk and dijon. Continue to whisk and cook for another few minutes, until the sauce thickens. Taste and season additionally as needed. 

4. Serve. Immediately, topping the salmon with sauce and a sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs. 

Baked Ziti

Kids rating: 5 stars

My rating: 4 stars

1 pound ricotta cheese

2 large eggs , lightly beaten

1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided 

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 pound ziti or rigatoni (penne, spiral- any one-bite pasta will work)

1 (32 oz.) jar marinara sauce (Rao's is the best)

½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

black pepper

¾ teaspoon cornstarch

1 1/4 cup heavy cream, divided

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼-inch pieces (I buy the little balls and cut them each in half)

1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and broken into pieces

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and add pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, about 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander (do not wash pot).

Add 1 cup cream heavy cream to pot and whisk in cornstarch over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup marinara sauce, basil, sausage, and ¾ cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking dish and spread remaining marinara sauce, mixed with 1/4 cup cream, evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining ¾ cup mozzarella and remaining ½ cup Parmesan over top. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove foil and increase heat to broil. Broil for 5 minutes until golden and bubbly. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Crusty Loaf

Kids' rating: 5 stars

my rating: 5 stars

This is the easiest deliciousness you'll ever make. You stir some stuff together. Wait a million years. Flip it over a couple times. Wait a hundred years. Bake. Done. 

Note: read the recipe all the way through before starting. While simple, the whole process takes 18-24 hours. Make sure you save yourself that amount to time.

3 c all purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
cornmeal or wheat bran as needed


1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir until well blended; dough will be sticky and shaggy. Cover dough with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature.

2. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest  about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, gently shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Place dough on flour dusted towel, and cover with another floured towel. Let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic- I use my dutch oven) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from the oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over in pot, seam side up (it may look like a mess, but it's okay). Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. **I have never baked mine this long. I don't know if it's my pot or if I just like things... less-cooked? I usually do 25 minutes, then take the lid off for the last 5. I would start there and see how yours looks. Like I said, maybe it's my pot (I'm pretty sure it's not the oven, cause I've had this problem going on 3 ovens).

btw. You must refer to this as a "crusty loaf." Greg says.

Sweet Bajio Rice

Kids rating: 5 stars
My rating: 5 stars

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ white onion, chopped
• about ¼ of a bunch of cilantro, chopped
• ⅔ cup white rice
• 1½ cups chicken broth*
• ¼ cup white sugar

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Put oil and onions into a sauce pan, and cook until the onions are cooked through.
3. Add cilantro and saute for a minute or two more.
4. Add uncooked rice until it starts to brown.
5. Stir chicken broth/sugar into sauce pan.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Cover and let cook on a low temperature until rice is done (about 25 minutes.)

If making in the Instant Pot, use 1 cup rice (rinsed) and 1 1/4 cups chicken broth. Set to manual, low pressure, for 7 minutes and let natural release for 10 minutes.