umommy: greek pasta salad

Dinner Tonight

Here is a typical weeknight evening at our house around 5pm:

umdaddy: what's for dinner tonight?

me (nose buried in my computer): Huh? Ummm... there was a new recipe I wanted to try.

umdaddy (looking at the recipe): Did you take out [protein] from the freezer yet? And it says it needs to cook for [many] hours?! (Sigh). I guess I'll whip something up.

me (sheepishly): Thanks.

I try to menu plan and start cooking around 5pm most nights. Really I do. Except lately I've been consumed with work, so much that I barely have time to take a pee. That's when Martha has often come to my rescue with her Dinner Tonight from Everyday Food daily emails.

If you haven't signed up for these daily morsels delivered to your inbox, do it. The recipes are usually simple to make using everyday ingredients (duh - it's called Everyday Food). And the food photography alone will inspire you to plan ahead and put together a dish rather than pop a frozen pizza in the oven (not that there is anything wrong with that... Trader Joe's is my BFF).

Here is a recipe we tried recently that was delicious and pretty easy to make. But I'd be lying to you if I said I did the actual cooking. Filed under Quick Pasta Recipes, this was one of those typical 5pm "what's for dinner" nights. At least I remembered to make sure there was chicken defrosted.

Chicken, Edamame, and Noodle Stir Fry
Click here for the recipe

The Good: Takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Great flavors and feels healthy.

The Bad: We used bone-in chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. So there was some added prep time to prep the chicken.

Grade: A-. The boys loved this. I loved this. Great weeknight dinner.

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, by umommy

It's Fall - Time for Stone Soup (a.k.a Pasta, Sausage and Bean Soup)

As much as I hate to see Summer come to an end, it is hard to deny the pleasures of Fall: school (if you're a parent to school-aged kids), apple cider, pumpkin picking, fall foliage to name a few. My oldest son associates Fall with Halloween (naturally), his younger brother's birthday and Stone Soup.

My son's preschool would serve Stone Soup once a week for snack. Based on the old tale of hungry soldiers tricking a village into donating ingredients to make soup, each child is encouraged to bring a vegetable to be added to the school's version of Stone Soup (vegetable soup). Cute, huh? Even the pickiest preschooler enjoyed Stone Soup.

As soon as the temperatures dip below 60 degrees and the leaves show a tinge of red, soup is often a meal during the week at our house. I recently came across a Blue Ribbon Recipe (top-ranked recipe of all time) on epicurious for Pasta, Sausage, and Bean Soup (click here for the recipe). I adapted this recipe a bit using more veggies and white kidney beans. Staying true to our preschool's tradition, I had my son help prep and add the vegetables into the soup pot.

The result?

The Good: Easy to make, hearty, tastes better the next day. Both boys enjoyed it (and asked for seconds).

The Bad: If you don't drain the grease from the sausage, it can be very greasy.

Grade: A. Fall favorite!

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, by umommy

In amish country, CT

Greek Pasta Salad, Meatballs, and BBQ Cupcakes in Amish Country

We made our annual trek to visit the in-laws in Lancaster county last weekend. The boys, while at times feisty during the 7+ hours in the car, had a wonderful time. It's a weekend complete with doting grandparents, trains (note: parents of "trainiacs", the Strasburg Railroad Museum and Choo Choo Barn are a must-see), playtime with relatives, and a good dose of country air.

Country Air!

For umdaddy and I, we get to relax (thanks to doting grandparents), spend some quality time with relatives and get our dose of country air. Some might think a trip to Amish Country equates to simple, butter-laden meals by candle light. In actuality, we were treated to some fresh-from-the-garden, sophisticated meals in the comfort of central AC (no, my in-laws are not Amish in case you were wondering).

One dinner consisted of a comforting and delicious baked lasagna with meatballs. Instead of slaving over a frying pan, we tried baking them in muffin tins for the first time (a tip I saw on Good Eats).

Baked meatballs in mini muffin tins

We were also treated to a cookout complete with burgers, dogs, and local corn on the cob. We had fun improvising and whipped up a delicious Greek pasta salad (check out the recipe at the end of the post). And every meal ended with a delicious dessert. Check out these adorable brownie cupcakes made to look like grilled meat.

Brownie cupcakes with grilled "hot dogs", "pork chops" and "kebabs"

And no road trip is complete without some food off a major highway in either a chain restaurant or hole-in-the-wall establishment. We decided to roll the dice and dined at El Sombrero, a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Southington, CT (off of I-84). I'll be posting my restaurant review of El Sombrero soon!

It was a successful and great mini-vacation and I'm already looking forward to our trip next summer.

{Recipe} Greek Pasta Salad
Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces farfalle pasta (bow-ties)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 cucumber, cored and chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl.

2. Add crumbled feta cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onions and parsley .

3. Combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, and mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add dressing to farfalle mixture and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.