Spinach Pasta Bake

Happy Nom Nom Monday!  Today I'm sharing  a recipe I found for a Spinach Pasta Bake.  A long while ago I bought In the Kitchen with America's Favorite Brand Name Recipes from a thrift store, and every once and awhile I'll break it out for a recipe.  Though I'm not a brand name kinda person, so I rarely use exactly what the recipe calls out for.  Either way I get yummy results.  

Ingredients:

- 8 ounces of spinach fettuccine

- 1 tablespoon of butter

- 1 cup fresh mushroom 

- 1 green onion

- 1 clove of garlic

- 4 to 5 cups fresh spinach

- 1 tablespoon water

- 15 ounces of nonfat ricotta cheese

- 1/4 cup milk

- 1 egg

- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1/4 cup shredded Gruyére cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Begin cooking the pasta according to the package instructions.  Drain and set aside.  

Slice the mushrooms, green onion, and mince the garlic.  Heat a medium sized skillet with the butter in it.  Add the mushrooms, green onion, and garlic, and cook until the mushrooms are tender.  

Roughly chop the spinach, and add it to the skillet with the water.  Cook until the spinach is wilted, about three minutes.  

In a bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, milk, egg, nutmeg, and black pepper.  Then stir in the veggies, and the noodles.  After everything has been throughly mixed pour into a buttered 8" x 8" pan.  

Cover with shredded Gruyére cheese.  The recipe in the book called for Swiss, but we had some gruyére we needed to use.  We thought it was a terrific substitute.  Bake the dish for 25 to 30 minutes.

This dish had great flavor.  I will definitely be making this again.  I've been looking for ways to get more spinach and mushrooms into my diet, and this is right up my ally.  Fantastic vegetarian meal.  

Enjoy Nom Nom Monday, chris!

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Potatoes

Happy Nom Nom Monday!  I have a great Chicken, Mushrooms and Potatoes recipe for ya'll today.  

Ingredients:

For the Chicken & Mushrooms:

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast

- salt and pepper (to season the meat)

- 1/2 pound of mushrooms

- 4 garlic cloves

- 1 cup chicken broth

- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

For the Potatoes:

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 4 russet potatoes

- half an onion

- 1 tablespoons of fresh parsley

- salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes up into bite sized cubes.  Place them in a medium saucepan, and cover with water.  Bring them to a boil, and cook for 5 - 7 minutes.  

In a frying pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil, and rub the chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides.  Then add the chicken to the frying pan, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes on each side, flipping once.  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Clean and chop up the mushrooms, and garlic.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan again, and then add the mushrooms and garlic.  Cover and cook for 2 -3 minutes, then remove the lid and cook until golden brown, about 4 -5 more minutes.   

While that is happening preheat a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil, and dice up the onion, and add it to the skillet.  When the potatoes are about halfway cooked drain them from the water, and place in a skillet.  Season the potatoes with freshly chopped parsley, salt, and pepper.  Cover and cook on medium - low heat for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Chop up the parsley, and add to the mushrooms with the chicken broth.  Cook for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has reduced.  Then return the chicken breast to the pan.  Cover, and let simmer over low heat for 10 -12 minutes, or until the chicken is throughly cooked.  

Once the chicken and potatoes are both cooked the meal is ready to be served.  I loved the flavor of the mushrooms in this dish.  I used to hate eating mushrooms as a kid, but this meal had me wish there were seconds.  I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast, and she suggest making it with polenta.  Which sounds fantastic, but we had some potatoes that needed to be cooked before they went off.  They were good, but I bet the polenta would add a lovely complementary flavor to the chicken and mushrooms.  

Well I hope ya'll had a great Monday, and happy DIYing, chris!

Fun Friday Fascinations #7

Happy Friday!  Here are some of my fabulous finds of the week.  

Allison over on Dream A Little Bigger posted this fantastic DIY.  I love projects that take something that one person may have thrown away, and turn them into a drool worthy item.  It makes me rethink furniture and such that I don't like the looks of hanging around my house.  Like my coffee table!  

I've been thinking about accessories a lot lately.  I don't have many, and this would be a fun place to start.  Lydia Purple made this great tutorial on how to make a woven plastic bead bracelet.  I don't know why, but I tend to think of my accessories in term of if I could make it, rather than flashy gold and bling pieces.  

Love love love this owl necklace over on Angle Dust Jewelry.  The color and design is perfect.  

I've been on the look out for a fun pair of high waisted bikini bottoms, and this Urban Outfitters suit is the perfect look I was going for.  I love the blend of 50's design style, and 90's grunge colors and prints.  It couldn't be more my style.  :)

I've been hunting mushrooms for a few seasons now, but too afraid to do much than admire.  I'm ready to take the next plunge!  I want to start identifying all the lovely delectable out there with a field guide.  

I really want to find some true morels!  Don't they look awesome!  

My sweet tooth has been ravenous lately.  Maybe this yummy mashup of Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Brownies would satisfy my chocolaty urges.  Mmmm.  

Hope ya'll have a lovely start to your weekend, and Happy DIYing, chris!