"One Pot Wonder" Pasta with Rainbow Linguine, Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Sun Dried Red Peppers, Fresh Basil, Artichokes, + Creamy Goat Cheese

"One Pot Wonder" with Rainbow Linguine, Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Sun Dried Red Peppers,
Fresh Basil, Artichokes, + Creamy Goat Cheese

I liked to call myself a "snooty foodie". And by no means, do I mean that positively. All the time, I get requests from my mountain man, family members, and friends asking for something that I just completely turn my nose up too. Casseroles, pot roast, pasta, & slow cooker meals to name a few. I don't know, I guess I'm a complicated girl, who likes complicated food. However, there is a certain recipe that has been floating around the internet and has taken the world by store. And it's all because of Martha. Martha, martha, marthaaaaaaaa. I was certainly skeptical of course, it seemed too easy, too simple, and down right impossible. It literally requires you to throw pasta, vegetables, aromatics, liquid, and herbs into one pot and boil it all together to form one luscious, creamy dish... without the fuss of dirtying up a million pas & utensils. I stored this recipe away for a day that I was scrambling to find something quick to cook for dinner. And well, tonight was the night that I would pull it out for examination. Her original recipe isn't as "fully loaded" as mine, but I'm sure they are equally tasty. I started off with a tomato basil theme, but it kinda grew + expanded from there when I added artichokes, white wine, chicken stock, sun dried red peppers, roasted garlic paste, pesto, and goat cheese. Hands down, our favorite component was the sun dried red peppers. We swear by the brand, DeLallo. So if you can get your hands on those, you won't regret it! They are sweet, slightly smokey, and plump beautifully during the cooking process. And lemme tell y'all, these peppers are amazing on a homemade pizza! As for the pasta, any kind will do, but we loved the idea of using gourmet rainbow linguine because, well, it's gorgeous and tasty. Once everything has cooked through and the pasta has soaked up all of the liquid and achieved the perfect al dente texture, toss in some softened goat cheese (or even some brie would be a great substitute as well) and stir until an extra creamy sauce is formed. For this dish, it calls for two bunches of fresh basil... one is added in at the beginning to "perfume" all of the components and the other is thinly shaved and lightly folded in just a minute before serving. I think that it's a really important step because it creates a wonderful balance between the rich sauce and herby basil. But you know what's best about this recipe? It would be great all year long, no matter what season it is! I can't even imagine how much better the pasta would be with fresh summery basil and juicy heirloom tomatoes... it's practically what my dreams are made of here, people. So give this recipe a try because it literally will become your "one pot wonder" and a weekly go-to!! Enjoy :)

ingredients: fresh basil, baby heirloom tomatoes, fresh garlic, roasted garlic paste,
artichokes, rainbow linguine, sun dried red peppers, onion, + creamy goat cheese

is that food for the eyes or what??

toss it all in and call it a day!

luscious, creamy, hearty, but fresh. it literally as it all. 

For the One Pot Wonder Pasta:

16oz Gourmet Rainbow Linguine Pasta

1 Sweet Vidalia Onion, Sliced

16oz Baby Rainbow Heirloom Tomatoes, Sliced in Half

14oz Artichokes, Drained + Quartered

½C Sun Dried Roasted Red Peppers, Julienned (we love the brand, Delallo)

4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, Thinly Sliced

2T Roasted Garlic Paste + 2T Homemade Pesto

2 Bunches of Fresh Basil (one for the cooking process & one for finshing)

4C Chicken Stock + 1C White Wine

2t Dried Oregano

½t Red Pepper Flakes

Fleur de Sel, Fresh Cracked Pepper, & Olive Oil (to your preference)

4oz Creamy Goat Cheese, Room Temperature (although brie could be substituted here)

Directions:

1. For the Pasta: Combine the linguine, baby tomato halves, sliced onion, quartered artichokes, sun dried red peppers, garlic, roasted garlic paste, pesto, 1 bunch of basil, red-pepper flakes, olive oil (I used about two big glugs), fleur de sel, and fresh cracked pepper in a pot. Pour the chicken stock and white wine all over the pasta components in the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Finishing the Pasta: Once the liquid has reduced and thickened, add in the softened goat cheese and stir to melt and form a creamy sauce. Season the dish with more salt and pepper if needed (we actually added a touch of honey to round out all of the flavors). If the pasta has an al dente texture, then it is ready to serve! Chiffonade the remaining bunch of basil and toss that in just before serving. This will give the pasta a wonderful, aromatic taste and balance the creaminess with its’ herbed flavor.

Summer Staples : Grilled Artichokes with Homemade Roasted Garlic-Lemon Aioli

Grilled Artichokes with Homemade Roasted Garlic-Lemon Aioli

I had never had grilled artichokes until I up & decided to make these for dinner one night. I don't know what inspired me to do this, but I just found myself drawn to them while at Whole Foods. Why hadn't I made these before? Crazy talk. I should whip these up every weekend. I feel that if you are going to hassle yourself to heat up the grill (and submit your body to the hot, humid heat of the South), then you might as well get a full meal outta it... appetizer included. The most complicated part of the recipe is cleaning + prepping the artichokes. But let's be honest, I'll take preparing the artichokes in a cold kitchen, instead of running an oven for an hour. You've got to think of these kinds of things when you live down south like we do. For instance, how do I get from Point A (prepping) to Point B (dinner) without having to take a cold shower or having to put my shirt over the standing fan, which practically turns myself into that scary, huge marshmallow man/thing/godzilla from Ghostbusters. Please tell me someone else does this because if not, I should probably claim truth by omission. Also, am I the only one who firmly believes on turning other rooms of the house into a secondary kitchen? My Mountain Man always finds this so odd, but I think it's essential to summer staple cooking. You can find me on any given night, prepping dinner in the living room. Weird, I know, but I set up about 3 cutting boards, with multiple bowls, cooking utensils, and a trash can, just so that I can watch T.V. while getting dinner ready at the same time, in front of the coldest fan we got. Don't judge me, I am only human. After the artichokes are all ready, plop them in a a pot of boiling water, just to get them started. Once the pre-cooking is done, I covered them in olive oil, lemon juice, and a bunch of chopped herbs and tossed them onto the grill for a good char. I absolutely love the smokey taste that the artichokes pick up, and then when it's paired with a trio of homemade aioli's... you're in southern summer heaven. There is something so relaxing about picking apart the artichokes and peeling off the flesh with the back of your teeth. Homemade aioli takes it over the top by providing a wonderfully, creamy element. I was partial to my Roasted Garlic-Lemon Aioli for dipping, but also served some truffle aioli and sriracha aioli as well. But it's all up to you, any creamy sauce would be great with these grilled artichokes, trust me!! Enjoy :)

prepping the artichokes (in the living room, yep).

toss 'em the grill

that's a good char right there.

perfectly smokey 

drizzle with a little more olive oil + lemon juice and finish some more fresh herbs

Whip up the Homemade Roasted Garlic-Lemon Aioli.

And if you wanna feel fancy like us, serve a trio of homemade aioli's.

oh yeah, this shit is gonna be good.

REAL good.

For the Homemade Roasted Garlic-Lemon Aioli:

1 Egg Yolk

1t White Vinegar

1 ½t Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

¼t Dijon Mustard & Sugar

1 Garlic Clove, Minced into a Paste (with a little bit of sea salt)

1 Head of Roasted Garlic, Cooled & Garlic Pulp Only

½t Salt

¾C Canola Oil

Freshly Grated Lemon Zest (to taste, we used a lot for a strong lemon flavor)

For the Grilled Artichokes:

2 Large Globe Artichokes

1 Lemon, Cut into Wedges

¼C Olive Oil

1T Fresh Herbs, Chopped (we used a mixture of rosemary, thyme, oregano, & dried basil)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Roasted Garlic-Lemon Aioli: Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, roasted garlic pulp, and ½t salt in medium bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds. Using ¼t measuring spoon and whisking constantly, add ¼C of the oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4-5 minutes. Gradually add remaining ½C canola oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8-10 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color). Season the mayo with freshly grated lemon zest, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use.
2. Prepping the Artichokes: Place chopped herbs in a small bowl, cover with olive oil. Microwave on high heat for 30 seconds (or heat oil and herbs on the stove top until warm). Let the herbs seep in the warm olive oil while you prepare the artichokes. Prepare a large pot with an inch of water at the bottom and a steamer rack. Prepare the artichokes. Have lemon wedges ready. If you want a nice presentation, use scissors to snip away the pointy tips of the artichoke leaves. As you trim the artichokes, rub the cut areas with juice from the lemon wedges to prevent the artichokes from turning brown from oxidation. Use a vegetable peeler to cut away the thick outer layer of the artichoke stems. Trim the stems to 2 inches from the base of the artichoke. Cut off and discard the top ½inch of the artichokes. Cut the artichokes in half. Use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the fuzzy chokes and the small inner artichoke leaves. Rub lemon juice all over the inside and exposed cut areas of the artichokes. Heat the water in the large pot with a steamer rack on high. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high and place the artichoke halves, cut side down on the steam rack. Cover. Steam for 20 minutes (less of more, depending on the size of the artichokes), until you can easily pull off the outer leaves, and you can pierce the heart easily with a knife.
3. Grilling the Artichokes: Prepare your grill for direct, high heat. Use a pastry brush to brush the artichoke all over with the herb infused oil. Sprinkle all over with salt. Place the artichoke halves cut-side-down on the grill grates. Cover, and grill for 5 to 10 minutes, until you have nice grill mark on the cut sides of the artichokes.
4. Serving the Grilled Artichokes: Remove the artichokes from the grill once they have achieved a good char. Finish by drizzling a little more olive oil and lemon juice over them. Fresh herbs are also a nice touch right before serving. Accompany the dish with your homemade Roasted Garlic-Lemon Aioli, as well as any other dipping sauce. We had a trio of aioli’s… roasted garlic-lemon, Sriracha, and truffle.

source: grilled artichokes.

Crispy Spinach-Artichoke Dip Cheese Sticks

Crispy Spinach-Artichoke Dip Cheese Sticks

A duo of cheese sticks? Sign me up. I already went into my whole secret technique to awesome cheese sticks in the previous post. So, I'll spare you the repetition. But these are certainly just as special. Spinach-Artichoke Dip is my all-time favorite dip. Especially my favorite recipe, Crazy-Good Spinach-Artichoke Dip. You can use this recipe or one of your own, or you could just be lazy and grab a batch of store-bought dip. Do whatever floats your boat. However, the most important steps are that you completely freeze the dip and keep them chilled throughout the process because it can be messy to work with if it starts to melt. The egg roll wrappers are crucial for keeping these together. They really seal in all the cheesy goodness. And also, what's better than hand-held, pop-in-your-mouth spinach-artichoke dip? Perfect for football party y'all... I guarantee it!! Enjoy :)

I mean, how crispy do those look? The perfect breading!

For the Spinach-Artichoke Cheese Sticks:

Your Favorite Spinach Artichoke Dip (I used my Crazy-Good Spinach-Artichoke Dip Recipe)

Egg Roll Wrappers

For the Crispy Italian Breading:

2C AP Flour

Salt & Pepper

3 Eggs

½C Buttermilk

1T Hot Sauce

Italian Style Panko Breadcrumbs (or regular Panko can be substituted)

Salt, For Sprinkling

Canola Oil, For Frying

Directions:

1. Preparing the Spinach-Artichoke Dip Sticks: Make your favorite recipe for Spinach-Artichoke Dip (or you can use store-bought). If you do make it homemade, make sure to refrigerate completely until chilled and set in texture. Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil and spray with Pam. After the dip has chilled, spoon it into the prepared loaf pan in an even, thick layer and freeze. Once the dip is completely frozen, remove the block of dip from the tin foil and cut into mozzarella stick-sized sticks. Keep them frozen as you bread them.   

2. Assembling the Pizza Sticks: On top of an egg roll wrapper, place one frozen spinach-artichoke stick and fold over the corners the sticks and keep rolling until it is tightly wrapped. Moisten the corners with water to seal. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and spinach-artichoke sticks. Freeze until you are ready to bread. Next, you have to set up a battering station. I use 3 pie tins. For the first station, I mix the flour, salt, and pepper. For the second station, I whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce. For the third station, pour the contents of one box of Italian Style Panko breadcrumbs. Now, place the wrapped sticks into the flour mixture, then into the egg wash, and finally the panko (making sure they are completely covered). Put the breaded sticks on a tin foil-lined baking sheet with a cooling rack on top, and then put the pan into the freezer and keep chilled until all of them have been breaded.

3. Frying the Pizza Sticks: Heat your deep fryer to 350 degrees with the oil. Once the oil has heated, pull the sticks out of the refrigerator. Fry the slices for 5-8 minutes each or until golden brown and crispy on the outside, but making sure the dip has melted on the inside. Once they are done frying return them to the same baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt immediately.

4. Keep immediately while hot.

Mini Spinach-Artichoke Dip Bread Bowls

I made one of my favorite dips ever, Crazy-Good Spinach-Artichoke Dip, a little while ago, and had a bunch left over. So I decided to use the leftovers to make another easy tailgatin' appetizer. You don't necessarily have to use my recipe (but I love my recipe so much that I think you should, haha), but you could use whatever you have left over or a recipe that you love. Pretty much all you have to do it scoop some of your spinach drip into bread dough that has been pressed into muffin tins, and then top it with shredded mozzarella cheese, and just pop it in the oven. I really loved these bread bowls and they are just so darn stinkin' easy to make! Enjoy :)

Mini Spinach-Artichoke Dip Bread Bowls

For the Mini Bread Bowls:

2 Cans of French Bread Loaf Dough

Your Favorite Spinach-Artichoke Dip, For Filling

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, For Topping

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 muffin cups with Pam and set aside. Unroll the packages of the French bread and slice each into 12 equal size squares, about 1 inch thick. Press each slice into the prepared muffin tins. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop the spinach-artichoke dip filling into the centers of the bread bowls. Top the bowls with some shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until just turning brown on the edges.
2. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 3-5 minutes before eating.
3. Enjoy!

Crazy-Good Spinach-Artichoke Dip

One of my favorite appetizers has got to be Spinach-Artichoke Dip. It's just so good. Even people who don't like spinach, love spinach-artichoke dip. Well, over the years, I have had a hard time finding a recipe that I really loved. Some weren't creamy enough... some were too creamy. I wanted a complex dip, but simple enough that it was easy to make. And this recipe is a little more than just throwing everything in a bowl and mixing it together, but that's okay because the extra steps are worth it. I finally developed this recipe and have tweaked it enough that I think that it's perfect for me. I've made it a few times and I always get really good feedback. What makes my Spinach-Artichoke Dip "crazy-good" is that I make a roux and then fold it into a cream cheese-mayo-sour cream-cheese mixture (most dips don't include a roux). You can either make this dip right before you want to eat it or make it a day or two before and just pop it into the oven when you need it. I typically serve it with tortilla chips, but I have served it with toasted bread as well! Enjoy :)

Crazy-Good Spinach-Artichoke Dip

For the Spinach-Artichoke Dip:

2 10oz Boxes of Frozen Spinach, Chopped & Strained of Liquid

1T Unsalted Butter

2T Onion, Minced

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1T AP Flour

1t Garlic Salt

1t Chili Powder

¼t Cayenne

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

1 ¼C Whole Milk

1t Lemon Juice

1t Worcestershire

1 ¼C Parmesan Cheese, Grated

¼C Sour Cream

¼C Mayo

1 8oz Block of Cream Cheese, Softened

8oz Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

1 14oz Can of Artichoke Hearts, Squeezed Dry & Roughly Chopped (I used a little more)

1C Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a baking dish, and set it aside.   

2. For the Spinach Artichoke Dip: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook until the onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the flour & seasonings, and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, Worcestershire, and 1C Parmesan until blended. And then return the pot to medium heat and add the spinach and cheddar until the cheese melts and the dip is heated through. In a mixing bowl, beat together the sour cream, mayo, artichokes, and cream cheese until well combined. Once combined, mix in the warm spinach mixture into the blended cream cheese mixture.   

3. Once combined, add the spinach dip into a buttered baking dish and cover the top with the shredded mozzarella cheese and the remaining Parmesan cheese, and then cover with tin foil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, remove the foil, and then bake for another 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly (I like to broil mine a little to get that extra golden topping).

4. Serve immediately with chips or toasted bread.     

Spinach Artichoke Bread

Hello all and Happy St. Patty's Day here from Savannah! It was a crazy celebration, and I'm already counting down the days until next year's celebration! Here are a couple pictures from our crazy day :)

Me and the boyfriend :)

Good Luck Irish Kisses 

Anyway, we made a lot of food this week, since I had about 10 people staying at my apartment. But one appetizer we made was Spinach Artichoke Bread. It's practically spinach artichoke dip on top of crusty delicious bread, and its just melty-goodness for reals! Anyway I hope you enjoy it, and it's super good for a party!!

Spinach Artichoke Bread 

For the Bread:

1 Italian Loaf of Bread, Sliced in Half Lengthwise

1C Artichokes, Chopped

1 10oz Box of Frozen Chopped Spinach, Defrosted and Squeezed

1T Garlic, Chopped

½ Block of Cream Cheese, Softened

¼C Mayo

½C Sour Cream

½C Mozzarella, Shredded

¼C Parmesan, Grated

¼t Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Topping:

1 ½C Mozzarella, Shredded

¼C Parmesan, Grated

½t Garlic Salt

Directions:

1. Mix together the cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream until it is a blended mixture. Then add the artichokes, spinach, garlic, mozzarella, parmesan, and seasonings.

2. Once the mixture is incorporated, spread it on to the two slices of the bread until there is a thick layer. Then top it with the cheeses and seasonings. Place on the baking sheet.

3. Bake 350 for about 20 minutes, then broil the bread just until the cheese melts and starts to brown.

4. Cut into thick slices and serve immediately!

source: artichoke bread