Fettuccine with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Creamy Pesto Pasta is something that Justin and I have been making for quite a long time- we originally came across it as a way to use up all the basil we were getting from our little flower pot garden.  Most recently we've made it using beet pasta, but it still works as a fantastic recipe with regular fettuccine as well.  Also, it works even better as leftovers than it does the first day, as the flavor of the herbs gets a chance to really work its way into the pasta.  One of our favorite homemade pasta sauces for sure.

Ingredients:
16 oz dried penne, rotini, or fettuccini
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 8 tsp dried (but trust me- it tastes better with the fresh)
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz pkg cream cheese or Neufchâtel
1 cup cottage cheese
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp white grape juice concentrate
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (If you feel like following the recipe more directly, you can use 1/4 cup white wine instead of the vinegar and grape juice concentrate, but it still turns out very well with the alcohol substitute)
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Drain and keep warm.
Meanwhile, for sauce, cook basil and garlic in hot oil for about 30 seconds.  Reduce heat.  Add cream cheese, cottage cheese, and parmesan cheese.  heat and stir until nearly smooth.  Stir in parsley, wine or juice concentrate and vinegar, and water.  Cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes.  Add milk or water if necessary to reach desired consistency (we've never added it).  Serve sauce over pasta.

Broiled Corn (aka Crispy Kernels of Glee)

Some time back, I was browsing Pinterest and came upon instructions for how to broil frozen corn and turn it into "perfectly roasted little corn kernel babies of crispy glee."  The original link actually went to a recipe for Shrimp Minestrone, which is not really my thing, but I was intrigued enough by the concept of roasting corn in the oven that I figured I'd try it as a side dish, and it actually turned out really well.  It's a quick vegetable side that I can whip up as I'm setting the table for dinner, and my 2-year-old loves it.  I usually make this with canned corn, since we can get the corn for cheaper at a case lot sale than buying frozen corn, but I'll admit that the frozen corn does end up a tad crispier, and doesn't have the mild "from a can" undertone to the flavor that always seems to be there whenever you use canned vegetables in a recipe.

Ingredients:
1 can corn, well drained, or 1 cup frozen corn (no need to thaw beforehand)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Spices to taste: We usually do salt (not much with the canned corn!), pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and Chinese 5 spice mix- but you can feel free to experiment and find a combination you like!

Place the corn on a broiler-safe baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle with spices, then mix together until corn is coated, and spread it out on the sheet.  Broil in your oven, stirring occasionally, until corn is golden and starting to become crispy- 5-10 minutes for frozen corn or for 15 or so for canned corn. 

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

With school starting back up earlier this month (one last semester to go!), we've been trying to get into a brand new schedule.  I really like recipes like this Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables for busy times like this.  Not only is it fairly healthy and really tasty, it also makes a TON of leftovers for our little family- the very full 9x13 pan lasts us 3 meals- so I have a couple days after making it that I don't have to worry about getting dinner on the table. 

Ingredients:

2 red peppers, cut into 1-inch strips
2 zucchini, quartered and sliced
2 yellow squash, quartered and sliced
4 mushrooms (the recipe calls for cremini mushrooms, but we can't always find those- plain white button mushrooms work fine)

1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt, divided

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce

1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for on top
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Note:  The original recipe actually calls for smoked mozzarella.  I'm sure that would would be absolutely amazing in this recipe, but I've never managed to find any.  Additionally, fontina can be very hit and miss in our ability to find.  When we can't find fontina for the recipe, we just use 1-1/2 cups regular mozzarella, and it's still a really tasty dish.

Preheat oven to 450º

Place the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, onion on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, 1/2 tsp of the salt, 1/2 tsp of the pepper, and Italian seasoning.  Mix until the veggies are coated and bake for 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the penne in the water for about 6 minutes- since you'll be cooking the pasta further in the oven, you'll want to be sure that it's not fully cooked, or your pasta will end up mushy.  Drain the penne in a colander.  

In a large bowl (or in the same stock pot you used to boil the penne), gently mix together the vegetables, pasta, marinara, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, cheeses, and peas.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and top with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces.  Bake at 450º for about 25 minutes, or until top is golden.