Lighter Sesame Noodles

This one, along with 90 % of the things I make, comes from Everyday Food. I got into a kick of making this a ton, then finally had to take a break. It's been awhile, however, so I think I'll make them this week. Will calls them 'peanut butter noodles' and eats them up! The best part, it's ready in under 30 minutes. You could add chicken if you'd like.

Lighter Sesame Noodles

Coarse salt
12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Directions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti 3 minutes less than al dente. Add broccoli, bell peppers, and onion. Cook until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, 3 minutes more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Add hot pasta and vegetables; toss to coat, thinning sauce with a little pasta water, if necessary. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Simple Crock-Pot Chili

It's that time of year!!! This one is great in bread bowls!

2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
1 large onion, chopped (or 1/2 cup dried minced onion)
1 large can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, with liquid
2- 8 oz cans tomato puree
1- 16 oz can Kidney beans, with liquid
1- 4 oz can diced green chilies, with liquid
1 cup water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Combine everything into a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours. It's really great with a little cheese on the top!

Keep them coming!

I've loved trying new recipes that have been shared on this blog. Thanks to everyone who has shared! If any of you know someone who would be interested in contributing to this blog, please send me their e-mail address and I will invite them to be an author. The more recipes shared, the better our dinner menus get! Also, please feel free to post any breakfast, lunch, and snack recipes as well. Thanks again- Alison

Market Street Clam Chowder

I haven't made it for a couple of years, but I plan on making it this week. Yum!


Ingredients:


1 cup potatoes, diced ½ inch

1 cup celery, diced ½ inch

1 cup onion, diced ½ inch

1 cup green pepper, diced ½ inch

1 cup leeks, diced ½ inch

¾ cup chopped clams (canned or fresh)

¾ tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

1 ½ tablespoon salt

¾ tablespoon whole thyme

6 bay leaves

1 teaspoon Tabasco

¾ cup sherry wine (optional)

2 cups water

¾ cup clam juice (drained from canned clams or purchased separately in can)

¾ cup butter, melted

1 cup flour

2 quarts half-and-half


Method:


Combine melted butter and flour in oven-proof container and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. In large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients except half-and-half. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough. Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half-and-half until blended. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally.


Serve immediately.

Chicken Pesto Panini

I had this delicious panini at a bar in Manhattan. Now I make it at home.

Good Bread, such as French or Italian
Roasted or Grilled Chicken (I use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
Sliced Provelone Cheese
Roasted Red Pepper Slices from a jar
Pesto
Butter

For one sandwich:

Butter both sides of two slices of bread. Grill them on a panini press for about a minute. Remove the bread from the press and spread Pesto on one side of each slice. Layer Provelone, Sliced Chicken and Roasted Red Peppers on top of the Pesto. Grill sandwich until cheese is melted.

Angel-hair pasta with bacon and peas

Here's another Everyday Food recipe. It's way good! Only takes about 20 minutes too, which helps me a ton. Every time I make this, I think I should make it more often.

4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced (I have used onion in a pinch)
1 box frozen peas, thawed
1 cup half and half
18 oz. angel-hair pasta

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain (leave fat in skillet).

Add shallots to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add peas and half-and-half; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to combine, adding some reserved pasta water a little at a time to coat. Sprinkle with bacon, and serve immediately.

Hobo Dinners

Did you eat these as a kid? I did, and I still love them. I like making them in the fall , when it's a bit cold. If you don't know what a Hobo or Tinfoil dinner is- it's basically just hamburger and veggies wrapped up in aluminum foil, and usually cooked in the coals of a campfire. I make mine in the oven. Everyone gets to choose how much of each veggie they want in their dinner to personalize them, as each portion is packaged individually.

Hamburger
Sliced carrots
Onions (large chopped)
Potato slices or wedges
Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Toss veggies in a bowl with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper. On a large piece of aluminum foil, arrange a good mix of veggies, then top with a hamburger patty. With the soup mix, you can either mix it up in the meat, or sprinkle on top of the meat. Wrap well, but not too tightly-leaving room for the food to steam, and crease edges carefully so no juices run out. Place wrapped dinners on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for approx 45-60 minutes. After 45, open up one and check to see if the meat and veggies are done.