5 Ingredient Butter Roasted Tomato Sauce

My Italian husband is, understandably, quite picky about sauce. But it's led to a hunt for the creation of his version of sauce perfection. I know one of his chief complaints about my sauces in the past has been that they weren't thick enough, so when I saw this method for roasting tomato sauce to achieve that thick texture as if it had simmered for hours on the stove but actually was just in the oven for a bit, I knew I needed to try it!

And the results were YUM. This is actually my favorite sauce that I've made, thus far. It's admittedly still not quite Michael's perfection but he did really like it and oh my word the texture is dreamy and the flavor is just the perfect amount of garlic and richness. A total must-try!

Thick Italian Hot Chocolate

First of all--I'm aware it's March and spring is technically here (although, it is March-you never know. It snowed yesterday.) and I'm sharing a hot chocolate recipe with you. BUT I just want you to know that if you serve this room temperature or chilled in a small bowl or ramekin, it's essentially like a chocolate pudding or mousse or pot de creme. So it's a very versatile dessert that can be sipped warm or eaten chilled with a spoon! It's the perfect March dessert, really, you're prepared for whatever the weather decides to do!

Also...Easter is coming up. And I think if you served this "hot chocolate" chilled in pretty glasses or ramekins they'd be a pretty impressive holiday dessert. Just sayin'.

Now that we're done discussing the fact that this hot chocolate doesn't have to be hot chocolate....let's talk about it as hot chocolate. I tend to love most Italian style things--I love traditional Italian style pizzas (Neapolitan specifically), gelato, and pretty much all things I've been exposed to. So it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm 1000% on board with their way of doing hot chocolate--which is thick chocolatey indulgence style. Seriously...border-line pudding. Which I adore.

Is it the same as the Max Brenner's Italian Thick Hot Chocolate I so miss? 

No. It is actually thicker. 

Is this my favorite hot chocolate I've ever made? 

YES!

It's rich, and decadent, and thick, and pretty much insanely chocolety and perfect in every way.

In my ever so humble opinion.

Cheesy Turkey Pesto Rolls

I can't believe I did it. This is something I practically never do. I...I used crescent rolls in a recipe. And I didn't make the crescent roll dough from scratch. This is not a thing I usually do but I know we don't always have time and...I wanted to make these. So I bit the bullet and used crescent roll dough. I hope we're all ok with this? Everything in moderation, am I right?

I feel like I've been pretty firmly in the old-for-my-age camp in a lot of ways for awhile. You know, I'd rather sit and watch Netflix or a movie than go out, I like to cook/bake (obviously), Michael and I bicker like an old married couple...etc. One of the few things that kept me from being too far over the edge is that I've never cared much for HGTV...and I don't knit. Well...now that I'm starting to get into the idea of house hunting...I am sorta loving HGTV all of a sudden.

...but so far I still don't knit.

But whether you're young-at-heart or old-for-your-age...or anywhere in between, you're gonna be all about these rolls! They're crazy easy to throw together and they make an awesome lunch or snack or appetizer or just grab-and-go sustenance! They're cheesy and pesto-y (so make sure to use a pesto you love!) and there's turkey so yay protein! They're also super customizable so feel free to play around with the fillings, and you can totally make them vegetarian (just...don't add any meat--ta da!) 

Ricotta Meatballs

I'm an Italian gal who loooves ricotta cheese. I LOVE IT! On pizza, in lasagna, even in gnocchi! My heart breaks for my poor brother-in-law and his wife: they moved to North Carolina this year (my sister-in-law, Emily, is attending grad school down there) and apparently they do not have much in the way of Italian food. Like...they don't carry ricotta in normal grocery stores. WHAT THE WHAT??! That's insane. And sad. I'm sure they both load up on the Italian food when they visit, though, but still...that'd be a tough one for me.

Soooo...when I saw the idea of putting ricotta in meatballs. Clearly, I was gonna have to try it. And I'm so glad I did! It's not like a totally revolutionary thing-it didn't make meatballs all of a sudden taste totally different! Buuuut...I definitely think it added a little extra somethin' to them, and they were super moist. Which I think is probably due to the ricotta? Regardless, I like 'em. You'll probably like 'em and....if you live in the South and have a hard time finding ricotta....oh man. I'm so sorry. Someone needs to like...write a letter about this. Because it's a real problem.

Or you could just make this meatball recipe.

But I still recommend you try this one.

Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Pasta

Caramelized onion lovers only need apply.

..or, you know, not....I suppose you could always make the sauce and omit the onions. If that's the sort of path you want to take in life. Whatev. You do you, boo.

But I highly recommend the onions.

Psssttt...I also have a fun fact about this pasta for you....IT'S HEALTHY! The "sauce" is made from Greek yogurt, roasted garlic, and broth (I used chicken broth but if you're vegetarian you can use vegetable broth). If you're skeptical about the Greek yogurt, and worried it might be too tangy---um...don't be. I am NOT a tangy person, I do not care for that flavor profile. But I loved this pasta (it helps if you use a brand of Greek yogurt that's less tangy, like Fage, and also...those caramelized onions help too. Seriously. Just use 'em.)

Parmesan cheese, roasted garlic, caramelized onions...all over a big bowl of carbs!

...This might be my idea of heaven. If there are cookies for dessert than yeah, I'm definitely reaching a personal state of Nirvana with this situation. Thank you, pasta....thank you.

Whole Wheat Italian Gougères

I had such lofty intentions to make these "Italian" gougeres. I thought roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese....perfection! I considered adding additional seasonings but didn't think they'd be needed.

Welll....learn from my mistake my friends. These gougeres ARE tasty. But-the way I made them they turned out a bit bland. As a result, I've adjusted the below recipe to use more cheese and garlic and I urge you to add some seasonings. They'll be better that way.

Don't let me scare you away though! LOOK AT THE PHOTOS-these are tasty tasty, pretty pretty gougeres! Plus--they're whole wheat and have flax meal in them! So a bit healthier! In fact, you can even tweak this recipe and change out the flavor combos to your taste. You could use cheddar and scallions or onions or...I dunno...whatever you like! But first...let's give this Italian version a try, shall we?

Alright-I'm trying to be normal and just talk about food like I would any other week....how am I doing? Convincing? You totally can't tell that I'm getting married this Saturday and am kind of freaking out because I'm so excited/nervous/anxious/worried/excited again....right?

Oh good. Because you know I've totally tried to barely even talk about my wedding on here.*

*sarcasm...yes...I know I've been incessant and can talk of almost nothing else. Sorry!

Michael insisted I start calling these "puffs". He felt like I was being snobby with my constant "I made gougeres!" "Do you want a gougere?" "Don't forget there are gougeres..." His initial request was that I refer to them as "biscuits" which they are NOT biscuits. They're way to light and airy and soft! So then he amended I could call them puffs. Which...since gougeres are made from choux pastry just like cream puffs...I sort of can accept that.

So...puffs or gougeres...Italian or French or just perfectly YOU...give 'em a try!

National Italian Food Day Round Up

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS??!

No...the answer I'm looking for is not the day before Valentine's Day. Apparently, today is National "Italian Food" Day! And...hey...I'm Italian. and I love Italian food.

(And I'm currently in Baltimore for Michael's cousin's wedding so I don't have access to a computer so I didn't want to post a recipe today.)

So let's round up the best Italian recipes I've made! MANGIA!

"The" Meatballs (pictured top left)
Thus far, of the meatballs I have made, these are my favorite! They're still not my grandma's (I really need to figure out her recipe) but they are meaty and simple and delish!

Ciabatta Bread
Ciabatta bread is the best for dipping and grilled cheese sandwiches and dipping into olive oil and just...om nom nom'ing!

Roasted Garlic Focaccia (pictured top middle)
Do you like garlic? And bread? Good news-you will looove this focaccia!

Herbed Oatmeal Bread
This bread tastes just like Pizza Hut's breadsticks-but...ya know...not fried. And a million times better.

Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Parmesan Truffle Cream Sauce (pictured top right)
I am obsessed with this simple ricotta gnocchi recipe and if you love truffle than this sauce will also make you swoooon.

Linguine con aglio e olio d'oliva
My (paternal) grandma taught this recipe to my mom who taught it to me when I moved out on my own. I make it almost every week and it's served every year at Christmas. It's so simple-just cook some garlic and olive oil together and then toss with linguine (and I like to add in some shredded chicken) and top with lots of Parmesan! yummmm.

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta (pictured middle left)
This recipe tastes just like the perfect Fettuccine Alfredo but it is SO much healthier and you only dirty one dish making it. It is one of mine and Michael's favorites.

1 Hour Dried Oregano
Oregano, as a plant, is a bully. Dried oregano is used in many Italian recipes. Turns out--you can super easily make your excess fresh oregano into dried! Awesome.

Basil Pesto (pictured middle right)
Pesto is tasty on pasta, garlic bread, in grilled cheese, etc. And it's simple to make!

Crispy Pizza Wraps
These were my attempt to healthify Pizza Rolls.

Sicilian "Enchiladas" (AKA Copy-Cat Scrippelle)
My family makes something called "scrippelle"-they're a regional Italian dish. And my grandma won't give me the full darned recipe. PLUS-it's a bit of an intensive process. So to tide me over I have created a simpler copycat version using homemade tortillas and store-bought broth. Not the original but reeeeeally good in its own right.

Lasagna (pictured bottom left)
Oddly enough this recipe is from my Irish side of the family-but it is the best lasagna I've ever had.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna (pictured bottom middle)
And sometimes you want a different kind of lasagna. With chicken. And a white sauce. And you love it.

3 Cheese White Pizza with Truffle Oil
I learned how to make Neapolitan pizza in Little Italy and adapted the crust recipe to use in this white pizza that is really one of my tastiest creations.

Pesto Chicken Pizza
Same crust as above but with pesto and chicken and tomatoes--hmm...I think I'm due to make this again!

Roasted Garlic, Chicken, and Herb White Pizza (pictured bottom right)
Look...I love pizza. We all do, yes? This is another tasty version (using a more traditional pizza crust).

Pizza Caprese and Garlic Cheese Bread
The main reason for this being an addition as a favorite is the garlic bread-one of my favorite garlic bread recipes to date and really it is irresistible!

Crispy Pizza Wraps

It's the new year. Which means one thing:

people are resoluting to be healthier.

And this year Michael and I are very much amongst those peoples. We have a wedding to prep for!

I'm going to be primarily trying to exercise-but also just making better choices for food (less sweets/fats, pretty much no fried food and trying to limit the amount we go out to eat). Michael works so much that he doesn't have as much time to exercise and he's not a picky eater so we'll mostly be making diet changes for him. This means that there will probably be more healthy/healthier foods on the blog for the forseeable future...

...that said....everything in moderation.

There'll still be some treats, don't worry ;)

This recipe is a great way to bring in this new year! Michael loves pizza rolls and um...they're horrid for you. So I made these as an attempt to create a healthier copy cat. Are they the same as pizza rolls? No. They're not. HOWEVER they are delicious and still a tasty, lighter, little snack. You just use some wonton wrappers and, really, stuff whatever you want inside--if you want to get really healthy put some spinach and chicken in there (I tried to stay close to the inspiration with pepperoni and cheese). They're crispy/crunchy, easy, and a crowd pleaser!

Because being healthier shouldn't feel like we're denying ourselves :)

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

I have too many shaped pastas. I don't know how. I don't know why. All I know is I have penne and shells and whatnot for days-and no idea what to do with all of it.

So Michael promised me he'd eat penne with meat sauce. If there were meatballs.

Then all I had to do is mention the idea of mozzarella stuffed meatballs and that was it. Michael was all about it. They had to be made soon.

Fun fact about this recipe: it originally used ground turkey for the meatballs. Which you can absolutely do. However...we like our beef, so I subbed it in. But if red meat isn't your fave or if you're trying to stay a little leaner with the meat go to town with the turkey! Ironically Michael's favorite meatballs are his mom's...and I'm pretty sure she uses turkey. But for some reason hers are the only ones where it's ok with him, I guess?

I kinda want to make a meatball sub with these. I wouldn't even need to add any more cheese. All you need is the bread and some sauce and the meatballs....mmmm, sounds pretty good methinks!

Oh and when you make the meatballs, don't be alarmed if some cheese goes rogue and just oozes out of random places. Cheese is tricky like that. It's ok. It's part of its charm! We forgive you cheese, and we love you for you.

These meatballs are moist, flavorful, and bursting FULL of cheesiness!

If you want to get crazy authentic you can attempt to stuff legit. mozzarella in these meatballs. I'm not sure what will happen, though. I can only attest to what goes down when you use string cheese, but far be it from me to curb your creativity!

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Rich, creamy, flavorful, healthyish pseudo-alfredo that makes minimal dishes and Michael actually likes.

It's a pre-Christmas miracle.

IT'S DECEMBER. Which means it's officially the Christmas season. Which means I can figure out how to decorate my new house. It means I get to watch Christmas movies. I can listen to Christmas music and no one can say anything about it! 

And there's gonna be cookies. Lots of cookies.

But sometimes we need to eat non-cookie things. And maybe we want that thing to be pasta.

I've already made this pasta twice. Because it is so good (also it doesn't make a ton of pasta so it was gone allll too quickly). Listen up to how this goes down: you make a sauce from chicken broth, milk, butter and garlic. Then you cook the fettuccine right in the sauce! This means you make everyone in one pot and it also means that the noodles soak up that flavor as they cook and this thickens the sauce in the process. You finish it off with some parmesan cheese (and maybe fresh parsley if you have it) and you're done!

The result is super creamy and rich and no one will ever believe that you didn't use heavy cream and tons of butter. Which is awesomeness. I will give you a couple pieces of advice: it's easy for the noodles to stick together so I suggest breaking them in half before throwing them in to cook and also just consistently stir and try to keep them separated. Also, the sauce gets extremely thick and somewhat clumpy as it gets cooled so it is definitely best served fresh, but you can add some milk and try to heat it back up to thin it back out if necessary.

Looking at these pictures...mmm....I think it's time for another batch!

Crispy Chicken with Italian Sauce & Noodles

"It smells like fried food in here."

"What's this?"

"Is it healthy?" 

All asked within 5 minutes of my brother's arrival to my house.

"Um...well...I mean...the chicken is like...pan fried...um...and the sauce isn't full of preservatives? Sooooo?"

"Well the pasta is just carbs so I'll just eat chicken and sauce," and then he sat down to eat a bunch of my chicken and sauce. Thus concludes the tale of the mooch-y carb-free brother.

Silly brother aside--you should totally not skip the pasta. The pasta plus cream sauce plus chicken creates a trifecta of yum. And I used whole wheat pasta so it was totally fine :P. The sauce is sort of alfredo-esque, but more herbaceous? And with the chicken this is sort of a chicken parmesan situation...but without the melted cheese on the chicken...and not tomato sauce...and the chicken has a bit of a sweetness to it because of the cornflakes....but you get the idea.

The perfect bite starts with the tender, juicy chicken encrusted in that slightly sweet fried breading. Then it gives way to a creamy, rich, delightful sauce which encases some chewy noodles. Yum. Very filling too-a tiny bowl will pretty much satisfy your belly, even if you have a demanding, Italian stomach like myself and Michael.*

*(Fun fact: he doesn't know what it means to be hungry. He says he's hungry and I tell him "Just because you're not full doesn't mean you're hungry. Do you actually feel hunger?" and he replied, "That's not being hungry, that's STARVING." True story.

1 Hour Dried Oregano

Fun fact: oregano is a bully!

That's right-A BULLY! I have a planter that has basil, chives, parsley, and oregano. Over the course of a couple weeks the oregano started taking over the planter-getting all up in the other herbs' business (except the basil, the oregano couldn't mess with that tree!) The unfortunately part is...I haven't used any of it. It's just this big bully plant that I don't even use.

Correction....that I didn't use.

Less than 24 hours after reading about this super easy way to dry oregano I had done it.

Because, you see, the only time I really use oregano is in pasta sauce, or maybe on garlic bread or some such. Not super often. And the bummer about herbs is they tend to um...die....eventually. And-sadly-summer is ending. So drying the oregano means it will LAST, and then I can use it when I need it!

Woot!

Now let me tell you how this whole process went for moi:

• I snipped off some oregano branches and laid them on our table. Michael commented how pretty they looked and that he'd like to own a table with glass where you see herbs inside. Um....ok.
• Let it all sit overnight.
• Woke up and preheat the oven to 170F degrees (turns out that is a quick preheat). I only have smallish baking sheets and a lot of oregano...so I did the whole baking for an hour thing in a few batches.
• Crumble the leaves. And...um...yeah. That's it. Done! If you're cool you store the dried oregano in some sort of jar or some such. If you're lame like me then you put it in a ziploc bag which makes you think about how potheads always claim their drugs are oregano...and you hope nobody sees this bag and thinks you have a secret drug habit. But you're reassured that people would be much more likely to believe that Kayle would have dried oregano than...ya know.

Anyway. You get the idea. It's a simple process. And pretty darned cool. True story.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna

 

My picky eating is a much bigger problem in the savory food world than the sweet (I mean...we can all agree chocolate and sugar and butter are delicious, amirite?) So I get SO. GOSH. DARNED. EXCIIITED when I find a new dinner recipe! Like...sure....they're pretty much all variations on each other (chicken? check. garlic? check. some kind of cheese? check. A carb? CHECK) but....I mean...whatever...they're sort of different...

Anyway. So like....I love chicken. I love garlic. I love lasagna.  I love Parmesan. Sooooo let's be real: Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna was MADE FOR ME TO LOVE AND TO EAT! (I've made it twice already)

And ya know what's sort of dope (yeah. I just said dope. dealwithit!)? I used MY OWN,  freshly grown, parsley to top this lasagna and for the pictures!! FRESH HERBS ARE THE BESTEST! (yes....I said the word dope and then I said "bestest". I'm a complex woman.)

This lasagna tastes like...home to me. Like...it's a cross between lasagna (of which I actually love my mom's mom's recipe and use it to this day.) and this chicken noodle casserole dish that was probably made every week or every other week growing up because I WAS OBSESSED with it. This dish is like those....but better. It's probably gonna be made a lot from now on. It doesn't even take long to make (especially if you use pre-cooked chicken)! *happy dance*

I know even my mom would like this recipe. And she's just as picky as me. It was funny, my cousin Megan asked me the other day "Do you eat like your mom or like normal people?" To which I replied, "Somewhere in between...." My mom got a bit offended and insisted she eats way more things than me-which used to be true. Now I'd say we're probably even. We both eat things the other won't, but for the most part we're both pretty basic. I, however, am much more open to new foods than my darling mother (I like to cite the dreaded incident where I made her my just chicken pot pie recipe and she PICKED OUT ALL THE SCALLIONS! Like....what?! She insisted she'd gag if she ate one, to which I told her the flavor was there regardless! Agh!) Anyway...yeah. She'd like this. I'm pretty, darrrrn, sure! In fact-I think I'll make it for her soon! Hooray for having that option!

I mean...I don't know what else to say. Garlicky sauce, cheese, noodles, chicken. 

You obviously are gonna love it.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna

Slightly adapted from Pinch of Yum

Serves 9-12.

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp. butter
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic (4-5 cloves)
• 6 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 5 cups milk
• 10-15 no boil lasagna noodles
• 3 cups cooked, shredded, chicken (rotisserie adds great flavor, but you can also just bake/roast up some chicken)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup Swiss cheese (I've also used mozzarella)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• Optional-fresh herbs, such as parsley

Preparation:

• In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, stirring to avoid burning.
• Add flour, poultry seasoning, and salt. Whisk and cook or about 1 minute.
• Add milk, 1 cup at a time, stirring until slightly thickened before adding the next cup. Continue cooking until thickened, smooth, and simmering. Remove from heat.
• Grease a 9"x13" with nonstick cooking spray and preheat oven to 400F degrees.
• Cover the bottom of the pan with broken lasagna noodles (3-5), half of the shredded chicken, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup water (this helps cook the noodles), and 1 and 1/2 cups of the prepared sauce. Repeat this 1 time. Top with another layer of noodles, the final 1/3 cup water and 1 and 1/2 cups sauce, and the Swiss (or mozzarella) cheese. 
• Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and cover the top with breadcrumbs. Bake 5-10 minutes, until golden and bubbly. 
• Sprinkle with fresh herbs and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

I baked this with love. For you!

Roasted Garlic Focaccia

Aghhhh today I am SUPER anxious! Michael has his job interview and I am just hoping hoping HOPING it goes smashingly and he gets the job and he gets a great shift schedule and everything works out perfectly for the move and it all just falls into place...

is that too much to ask?

Whatever. I'm anxious. You know what's an awesome cure for my anxiety?

Bread.

Making, baking, and eating bread. Especially when it's covered in roasted garlic that makes Michael turn to you and say, "What's this stuff? Cheese?" (at this point he's already tried it and declared that he liked it, so it was safe for me to say:) "Nope. Roasted garlic."

Mmmmm....I feel better just talking about it.

I've been dying to make focaccia* for quite some time now: I mean, it's a pretty simple bread, and it looks crazy delish.

*Side note: Michael and I got into a discussion on the correct way to say focaccia. He says "focasha", I said, "FocaCHIa" and I'm pretty sure the correct pronunciation is somewhere in between. Regardless, try saying focaccia over and over again...it just starts to sound ridiculous (as is the case with most words if you say 'em enough.)

Yeah. This recipe doesn't disappoint. It's sort of like a giant, chewy loaf of garlic bread. That's like...super...deliciously...garlicky. I love roasted garlic. And bread. We finished off these four loaves in less than a week. Just the two of us. I ate 1 whole loaf in that first day.

Whatever. No shame.

Skinny Alfredo

THIS IS IT. The big one you guys!

I have dabbled with a couple different, healthier, homemade alfredo recipes. And I liked them.

But....I LOVE this recipe.

It's so simple to throw together--no weird ingredients, I pretty much always have everything I need for this recipe in my kitchen. It only takes like...10 minutes to make. No lie. AND...this is the big one...MICHAEL APPROVED! He never likes my alfredo recipes, he says they're never creamy enough! But this one he approved of (ok...he would've liked it better with white noodles and no zucchini, BUT he liked the sauce!)

I am completely obsessed and in love with everything to do with this recipe. It is so full of flavor, perfectly creamy, and you can use it on whatever kind of noodles you want. I chose to use whole wheat fettuccine or linguine, and also some zucchini noodles--I'm including instructions on how to make those in the recipe but you can completely do your own thing if you want. I just need to trick myself into eating those veggies whenever I can!

Aren't you guys proud of me?

Yeah, me too. And I'll be proud of you WHEN you go and make this. It'll only take like 10-15 minutes sooo...I'll just be waiting here.

go on. I'll see you soon.

Pesto Chicken Pizza-Guest Post at Sarcastic Cooking

Bloggy friends are precious. And when they are in need and ask you to guest post for them you say "OF COURSE!" especially when that friend just had her 1st baby AND you participated in her virtual baby shower.

Yepp...I'm talkin' about Stef from Sarcastic Cooking.

That hilarious, fun, witty, genius in the kitchen who has great taste in TV. And less than a month ago gave birth to her little man, Andy. And today I'm taking over Sarcastic Cooking with this pizza!

THIS. PIZZA. A total fave. It uses my new fave crust (the Neapolitan style), pesto, tomatoes, and chicken to create a little variety in my pizza liiiife. So crisp and delicious.

But hey...if you wanna hear more (and GET THE RECIPE) jump on over to Sarcastic Cooking!

Go on, get your tushes over there!