French Onion Pasta

So, so, simple, and so, so tasty.

Presto Pasta Nights #223 is at Debbi Does Dinner


1 large yellow onion, sliced
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp. sugar
salt
1 can beef broth
5 oz penna rigate
1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, grated
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Heat butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, and cook over low heat until translucent. Add the sugar and salt and continue to cook over low heat until caramelized, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender.

Pour the pasta to a small casserole dish or two 6-in ramekins (or other small oven safe dish) along with any remaining liquid. Top with both cheeses and broil until golden.

This was a small batch, really just enough to test. If you are serving more than 2 double the recipe

Miriams Room

We finally got Miriams room finished. I still haven't quite gotten the hang of my camera yet so the pictures are a little blurry. The spots on the wall are fish stickers

Broccoli Salad

You only want to blanch the broccoli, not cook it. Feel free to add whatever you want cauliflower and sunflower seeds are good. And I have a friend that loves raisins in hers.

1 bunch broccoli florets, chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 lb bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1 small red onion, chopped
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
3 or 4 green onions, sliced
1 carrot, grated

3/4 c. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Boil a large pot of water. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds. Drain well and rinse with cold water.

Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.

Toss broccoli with dressing and remaining ingredients except bacon. Cover and chill several hours. When ready to serve top with crumbled bacon and stir once to mix the bacon in slightly.

Coconut Rice

2 cans coconut milk
1 can size of rice (once the coconut milk is in the dish, use the empty can to measure the amount of rice to use)
1/4 c. sugar
dash nutmeg
pinch salt

Combine all in a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 1 hour, stirring a couple times during baking. Remove from oven and serve with mango.

Such a sweet sleeper

Head Adornment

Weekend in Charleston, no kids, great food, lots of fun and touristy stuff.

John got me my first hat.

The tree is actually shiny silver thread

He got himself a derby hat.

Moroccan Chicken

(My picture didn't capture how orange it turns out)

So I took Johns favorite meal and tweaked it.
The original involves garbanzo beans, lentils, and brown rice.
I tried it this time with chicken and couscous.
This does two things.
Just generally changes things up a bit AND incorporates pasta, so I can send it to Presto Pasta Nights
(This week is Tandy, at Lavender and Lime)

You could also thicken the liquid with cornstarch and serve over couscous, quinoa, or brown rice.

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c. vegetable broth

1 c. chicken broth

1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp or 1/2 of 1 cube of chicken bouillon, crushed fine

1/2 tsp. each sweet paprika, turmeric, ground ginger, ground coriander

1/4 tsp. each ground nutmeg, black pepper, granulated garlic

1/8 tsp. cinnamon (scant)

pinch cloves

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

10 oz couscous

Greek Yogurt (optional)

Combine the paprika, turmeric, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, black pepper, granulated garlic, cinnamon and cloves. Trim the fat from the chicken and cut in half lengthwise. Sprinkle the chicken lightly with the seasonings and a little salt, leaving about half of the mixed seasonings.

Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the seasoned chicken and cook on both sides until browned. Add the onion, celery, and fresh garlic. Saute until translucent.

Add broths, tomatoes, lemon juice, and seasonings. Simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes on low to combine the flavors. Stir in the cilantro and then couscous and stir really quick to make sure the couscous is in the liquid. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

(I love the colors of all the spices together, again though the colors are not as vivid as real life)

And John brought me flowers