Perfect Pasta e Fagioli

 Well, it looks like we are about to have another huge winter storm come through the Mid Ohio Valley.  And though I have had my fill of winter already, I have decided to take it all in stride!  So when life gives you the possibility of 10 inches of snow, make Pasta e Fagioli!  Yes, this Italian stew is beefy, and hearty, warm, and rib sticking.  Perfect for being snowed in with.  The best part about this stew is that it is so simple to make.  I like to prepare a big pot in the morning and nosh on it all day.

I know you are going to love it so let's get started!

Dirty Rice

Sometimes I feel like the humble side dish gets a bad wrap.  You know what I mean.  So many times we just throw something on the plate to compliment an amazing entree, but what if it could be more?  What if a side dish was so flavorful, so filling, yet amazingly simple, that I dare say it could be a meal all on its own.  Well that side dish exists my friend, and it exists in the form of my Perfect Dirty Rice.  Though it only uses a few ingredients, this recipe will rock your socks!  I can't wait to show you how I make it so let's get started!

Blackened Chicken

Can I be transparent with you for just a moment?

This past two weeks have been a NIGHTMARE!  Sickness ran rampant through my home, but I am happy to say that after two trips to the doctor, two prescriptions, and countless over-the-counter medications, I am starting to feel like a human again!

With all of that being said I am ready to start easing back into cooking.  I have missed it, but that doesn't mean I am ready to get all crazy in the kitchen.  This is why I love recipes like my delicious Blackened Chicken.  With just a few, simple spices from my pantry I can take these boneless skinless chicken breasts from ordinary to extraordinary!  You won't believe how easy it is and I can't wait to show you how I do it!

Let's get started!

Italian Lentil Soup

I AM SO COLD!

I don't know how else to put it!  We have had a lot of snow recently.  Not NEARLY as much as some places, but a lot for us.  And this cold.  It is so brutal.  When the weather is like this I will be honest with you, all I want is soup to eat.  However, soup is not always a hearty and filling as I want it to be.  Or is it?  When I want something that is going to fill my belly and warm my soul during these cold winter days, I turn to my delicious Italian Lentil Soup.  And with nutritious things such as lentils, Italian sausage, carrots, and kale, it not only warms my soul, but keeps my immune system boosted as well!  You are going to love this soup, and I can't wait to share it with you!

Let's get started!

Roasted Truffle & Parmesan Fingerling Potatoes

Yesterday I mentioned that chicken is America's go-to protein, and if chicken is our go-to protein, then potatoes are our go-to side dish.

I love potatoes.  I really do.  I like them mashed, boiled, fried, baked, roasted, you name it, I love it.  But sometimes potatoes can get a little monotonous.  That is why, when I can, I like to do little things to dress them up.  For example, while I was in Virginia Beach this past January I ate at this FANTASTIC place called Eurasia Cafe and they served these absolutely decadent Truffle Parmesan Rries with the most succulent NY Strip I have ever had.  I was instantly in love, and I knew I needed to recreate them, in some way when I got home!  That is when I went into Trader Joe's and saw these adorable "Teeny Tiny Fingerling Potatoes".  In that moment I knew they would be perfect for this recipe.

These potatoes are DIVINE and I can't wait to share them with you!  Let's get started!

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Where would the American home cook be without chicken?  Whole chicken, fryer chicken, skinless chicken, boneless skinless.  I would be willing to say that 4 out of the 7 nights a week you will find chicken on the table.  That's why I am ALWAYS on the lookout for quick, simple, but flavorful chicken recipes.

I love Lemon Pepper Chicken.  I will confess that, in the past, I would just season the chicken breast with some lemon pepper seasoning, fry it up in the pan, and call it done, but one day I was out of seasoning and I thought "There has to be a way to do this without the powder."  So I went to my pantry to see what I could come up with.  The result was DELICIOUS, and it couldn't be easier!  I can't wait to share it with you so let's get started!

Stuffed Shells

The weather in our area has been crazy.  One day it will be sub-zero temperatures, with tons of snow and ice, and the next day it will be 60 degrees and sunny.  No wonder half of the Mid-Ohio Valley is down with the flu.  I have been lucky enough to escape the flu bug, but I HAVE been battling a nasty little sinus infection.  All I have wanted to do is curl up with blankets and sleep, but alas, we've got to eat.  It is in times like these that I am all for using shortcuts to create great meals.

One such meal in my house are my Stuffed Shells with Italian sausage, spinach, and ricotta.  They are super simple, can be assembled in no time, and are assured to be loved by all!

I can't wait to share it with you so let's get started!