Tomato and Pesto Pizza by Alicia

Made this homeade pizza for Tyler on Friday and it was really good! Really liked the pesto flavoring rather than traditional red sauce. I had received some really good pesto for Christmas and used it for this!

Tomato and Pesto Pizza

What you need:

Frozen Pizza Crust

1 small can sliced black olives

1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup pesto 

3 medium tomatoes

What to do: (preheat oven to 425 degrees)

1. Remove pizza crust and spread out on oven pan (I chose to use already cooked pizza crust this time (Boboli)

2. Spread 1/2 cup pesto sauce on crust

3. Slice tomatoes (thin) and place on sauce

4. Sprinkle pepper over tomatoes for added flavor

5. Sprinkle cheese on top (as much as you like!)

6. Add olives to the top!

looked like this before I placed it in oven

7. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted!
8. Enjoy!

Lemon Basil Pasta by Alicia

I made this dish for Tyler and I the other night and it turned out great! It was very light and flavorful, perfect for a night in!

Lemon Basil Pasta

What you need:

1 lb. pasta (any kind really!)

1 can white kidney beans

1 cup basil leaves (fresh)

1/2 lemon

3 Tbs olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

What to do:

1. cook pasta... add beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking time

2. Drain 1/2 of water, keep other half for use later

3. Shred (finely) lemon peel from lemon

4. In a skillet, heat oil and cook grated lemon for 2 minutes until golden in color

5. In a food processor, combine lemon peel, basil, 2 Tb olive oil, juice from lemon half, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper... process until smooth. Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 Tb at a time until desired consistency

6. Toss pasta with dressing and serve!

Serves:4

Garlic Ranch Chicken Pizza by Suburbs Mama

This recipe looks so good to make for a lazy Friday night in!! Check it out!

Garlic Ranch Chicken Pizza

What you need:

1 large pizza dough, uncooked (fresh, frozen, or whatever you like best)

3/4 c. home made ranch dressing (see recipe bellow)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 c. turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 Cup of chicken (cooked and cut into strips)

2 tomatoes, sliced

*Ranch Dressing: 1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. buttermilk

What to do:

Whisk ranch mix and mayo together, slowly add buttermilk. When well blended, cover and refrigerate

Mix ranch dressing and crushed garlic together then spread evenly on the pizza dough.

Sprinkle a little cheese over the ranch dressing then add chicken and bacon. Sprinkle more of the cheese over that, add the tomatoes, then add the remaining cheese. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes (or until crust is a nice golden-brown). Top with parsley

Manicotti with Tomato Sauce by Martha Stewart

Another one!

Manicotti with Tomato Sauce 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, (about 15 halves)
• 6 sheets no-boil manicotti
• 1 sixteen-ounce container nonfat ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped plus 1 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce
• 3 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes in small bowl; cover with 1 cup boiling water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Dry with paper towel, and cut into 1/4-inch dice; transfer to medium bowl.
2. Fill baking dish with very hot water; place manicotti sheets, one at a time, in water. Let stand 10 minutes until softened.
3. To tomatoes, add ricotta, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil, egg yolk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and mix well to combine. On a clean work surface, place one sheet of manicotti lengthwise. Spoon about 1/3 cup ricotta mixture along front edge; roll to form cylinder. Repeat filling-and-rolling process on all manicotti. Spray 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive-oil spray; spoon about 1/4 cup tomato sauce on bottom.
4. Transfer manicotti to the dish in a single layer; cover with remaining 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover with foil; bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with remaining teaspoon parsley.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage by Martha Stewart

Another recipe possibility for company!

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage 

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup vodka (optional)
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 10 ounces baby spinach
• 12 ounces smoked chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 6 ounces fontina cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Remove from heat; add vodka, if desired. Return to heat; cook until almost evaporated, 1 minute.
2. Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Drain, and return contents to pot.
4. Add tomato sauce, sausage, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between two shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dishes.
5. Top with grated fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce by Martha Stewart

I am searching for a yummy dinner to make for friends this weekend, here is one I picked out that might be a good choice!

Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 1 slice white sandwich bread, crumbled
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in puree

Directions

1. Place chicken thighs in a food processor, and pulse until meat is coarsely ground.
2. Add bread, milk, egg white, cheese, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until meat is finely ground.
3. With moistened hands, shape mixture into 12 meatballs. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add meatballs, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and puree, breaking them up with your fingers; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover, and cook 15 minutes. Uncover; simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes more.

Stuffed Shells with Spinach, Sour Cream and Cheese by Alicia

I had left over ingredients and decided to make stuffed shells last night, they were really good!

Stuffed Shells with Spinach, Sour Cream and Cheese

What you need:

- Large Stuffed Shells (I used 1/2 a box for 2 people)

- Container of Ricotta Cheese

- Frozen package of  chopped spinach

- Mexican Cheese (1/2 a bag)

- 1 small container of sour cream

- chives (2 bunches)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Boil water for shells, add shells, cook until el dente

3. thaw spinach and drain excess water

4. In a large bowl, add spinach (drained), sour cream (just enough to saturate spinach so might only need 3/4 container), ricotta cheese (again enough to saturate), and chives.. mix together

5. Once shells are cooked and drained, hold open shells with two fingers and spoon spinach mixture into shell

6. Place stuffed shells in a large glass baking dish

7. Cover shells with a red pasta sauce and a couple handfuls of Mexican Cheese

8. Cook about 20 minutes

Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Pasta by Homemade by Holman

I saw this recipe on a friend's blog and had to laugh.. we have been looking for a recipe that uses chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.. we had a huge can of leftover ones from last week, couldn't find a good recipe, and threw them away! Wish I had them now!

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)

1/4 cup lime juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp salt

2 T olive oil

1 lb farfalle pasta

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 chipotle pepper + 1 T of adobo sauce, minced

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Trim fat from chicken breasts and cut into bite-size pieces.  Combine lime juice, 1/2 of minced garlic, 1/2 of cilantro, chili powder, and salt and mix together.  Pour over chicken to coat and marinate chicken about 30 minutes. 

Heat a large pot of water to boiling.  Add generous amount of salt and add pasta.  Cook according to package directions until al dente.  Drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, add olive oil to large saute pan and heat over medium heat.  Add chicken, bell peppers, onions and remaining garlic and cook about 6-8 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are softened.  Add chicken stock and chipotle pepper and adobo sauce and cook until stock is reduced by about 1/3.  Reduce heat to low and add cream and cheese.  Stir to combine and return pasta to sauce pan and toss to evenly coat with sauce.  Cook about 5 minutes and top with remaining cilantro and serve.

update 12/21/11...
Finally got a chance to make this dish for Tyler and he loved it!

Pizza Margherita by Martha Stewart

So good!

Pizza Margherita

• All-purpose flour, for rolling
• 1 cup prepared tomato sauce
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 24 fresh basil leaves, torn
• Coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan.
2. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Loosely cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap; let stand 15 minutes.
3. Using a lightly floured rolling pin or your hands, stretch each ball into a 9- to 10-inch round.
4. Place one round of dough directly on grill and cook until bottom is lightly browned and dry, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, gently turn dough and cook for 30 seconds more. Transfer to baking sheet, browned side down, and set aside. Repeat process with remaining dough.
5. Divide sauce evenly between pizzas spreading to within 1/2 inch of the edges of the dough. Top with cheese.
6. Working with 1 or 2 pizzas at a time, place on grill and cook until cheese is melted and bottom is golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Repeat process with remaining pizzas. Transfer pizzas to a cutting board and drizzle with olive oil. Scatter basil leaves over each pizza and sprinkle with salt. Cut using a pizza wheel and serve immediately.

Tomato and Basil Pasta by Martha Stewart

Another favorite of ours!

Tomato and Basil Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 pound cooked and drained short pasta (such as campanelle)
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 1 pound burrata (igourmet.com) or mozzarella cheese
• Small basil leaves

Directions

1. Combine olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss in cooked and drained pasta. Tear tomatoes and cheese; scatter over pasta. Garnish with basil leaves, and sprinkle with pepper.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart by Martha Stewart

Tyler and I love goat cheese, gotta try this one!

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour, for rolling
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 large leeks, white and light-green parts only
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3/4 pound grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if large, or plum or beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick, or a combination
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or basil leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 12-inch square; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and mustard and season with salt and pepper. Spread sour cream mixture evenly over pastry. Fold over 1/2-inch border on all sides and press edges to seal. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, halve leeks lengthwise; rinse thoroughly, pat dry, and slice 1/4-inch thick. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are very soft, 5 minutes. Arrange leeks evenly over sour cream mixture on pastry. Top with tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bake until pastry is golden brown and crisp, 25 minutes. Let cool slightly. Top with goat cheese and herbs before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.