Roasted Vegetables with Whole Wheat Rotini

Okay, so most of you probably realize the recipes on my blog are not in fact, my recipes. They are typically adapted from other recipes I find online or elsewhere. However, tonight I have something special for you: an original recipe by me. Not just that, but one that was good enough to share, or as I say "bloggable."

It started with these beautiful baby eggplants I found at Fresh Market the other day. $1.69 per pound was what the sign read. Too bad I read the wrong sign and ended up buying 5 eggplants for 8 dollars. Oops. I knew I must eat them soon and not let them go bad. I was in the mood for eggplant, which actually happens often. The dilemma was, however, that the only dish I know how to make with eggplants is eggplant parmigiana. And since I haven't had dairy in awhile I wanted to avoid the overload of cheese. After thinking for awhile, I decided to add my other favorite vegetable to the mix, zucchini, throw in some whole wheat rotini, a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, a little Parm (just a little) and voila, a delicious original dish by me! It was met with positive reviews by my husband who commented that it tasted meaty even with no meat.

Hope you enjoy. Be sure to serve it with your favorite glass of red table wine and a little Italian bread.

Roasted Vegetables with Whole Wheat Rotini
Serves 2-3 as a main dish

Ingredients:
4-5 baby eggplants, peeled and cut into 3/4 in. chunks
3-4 zucchini, cut into 3/4 in. half moons
1/2 lb. rotini
1/4 c. grated Parmesan
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
reserved pasta water
dried basil and oregano to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Add zucchini and eggplant to cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with hands to combine. Roast for 30 mins or until soft, flipping once during roasting.

Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente according to directions on box. Reserve 1/4 c. of leftover pasta water and add back to pasta in same pot. Add roasted vegetables, diced tomatoes, and cheese and stir to combine. If too much water is at the bottom, turn burner on low for a minute or two. Once desired consistency is reached, remove pot from burner and serve. Garnish with additional cheese if desired.

Homemade Sticky Buns!

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know how much I LOVE Barefoot Contessa's recipes. I can honestly say there have only been one or two that I didn't love, and that's out of maybe a hundred I've tried. As soon as I saw her make these sticky buns on her show, I knew this was going to be a good one. What else is nice about this recipe is how easy it is. I bet you have most of the ingredients already in your kitchen and there's not a lot of advance preparation.

A couple of notes about the sticky buns: they are great for company, because they look fancy when in fact they are easy to assemble (you don't even have to roll the dough). I will say I was not a huge fan of the leftovers, but I am thinking now maybe they would taste fresher after a few seconds in the microwave. Feel free to try and let me know.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Easy Sticky Buns
From Ina Garten and the Food Network

Ingredients

* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
* 1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
* 1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the filling:

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
* 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
* 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

It may only be Southern Fall, but I am in the mood for SOUP!

I was reading one of my favorite magazines the other day (Southern Living) and they had this huge spread all about what they were calling "Southern Fall." That got me thinking how different our "fall" is from other regions of the country. Despite our lack of cool weather (the high is 85 today and there is 100% humidity people!), Southerners know how to get into the holidays. We still carve pumpkins, shop for sweaters, and get cravings for cool weather food. This soup may be better in cooler climates, but I say, if you are in the South, just turn the AC down and enjoy!

Mexican Taco Stew
Adapted from Whole Foods recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef (could substitute ground turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups chicken broth
1 large zucchini or summer squash, cut into small cubes
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup medium salsa

Method:
Brown meat in a large pot over medium high heat. Drain, remove and set aside. In the same pot, sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add meat back to pot and sprinkle mixture with taco seasoning to blend. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

Notes:
Serves 4. This recipe is a good one to double. I served it with round corn chips and topped with sour cream.

Easy, delicious weeknight meal

Easy, delicious weeknight meal. Husband approved. Enough said.

Chicken, Mushrooms, and Parmesan with Orzo
Recipe adapted from For the Love of Cooking.net

Ingredients:

* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1/2 tsp dried thyme
* 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
* 1/4 lb of orzo, cooked per instructions
* 1 chicken bouillon cube
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
* 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
* 1 cup frozen peas

Cook the orzo in water along with the chicken bouillon cube, per instructions.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped onion, mushrooms, and thyme; sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the chicken, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then sauté 7-8 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove skillet from the heat then add the cooked orzo, frozen peas, Parmesan and parsley to the chicken mixture and toss. Cover the pot for 1-2 minutes in order to let the peas cook through. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if need. Enjoy.