4/10/11- Penne with Pancetta, Spinach, and Buttery Crumb Topping

Well, that's what the recipe is called, anyway. I couldn't find pancetta at the store, so I used Prosciutto. I almost forgot to add the spinach, and I completely forgot I was out of bread crumbs, so there went the "buttery crumb topping." So I guess it was really more like "Penne with Prosciutto and Spinach" but it was still pretty good!

The original recipe is from Cooking Light again, but as usual, it's really easy to make it not-so-light. It's really not a complicated recipe, but when you have 2 little human creatures either "helping" you, or getting into anything an everything in the house while you cook, and 2 canine creatures stealing the human creatures' toys and/or standing right behind you in hopes that food hits the floor, even the simplest things become complicated. Some days I marvel at the fact that I manage to get something even remotely edible on the table in time for dinner. Anyway, this particular one wasn't one of my best, or calmest, efforts, but it worked!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/penne-with-pancetta-spinach-buttery-crumb-topping-10000001591117/

3/26- Easy Feta Chicken Bake

This is another one I found in a Food & Family magazine. It couldn't be easier, and it's delicious! I served it with brown rice, mixed vegetables, and fruit salad. The lemon in the dish really comes through, which really surprised me! The flavors all really compliment each other, and it is just so good!

6 boneless chicken breast halves (I used tenderloins)
2 T lemon juice, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 c finely chopped red pepper
1/4 c finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange chicken in 13x9 pan. Drizzle chicken with 1 T of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Top with feta cheeze, then drizzle with remaining 1T of lemon juice. Bake 35-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with red pepper and parsley.

(I put some of the red pepper on before I cooked it so as to get a mixture of cooked and raw peppers in the dish. )

3/23- Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

I found this little gem tucked away in a Food & Family magazine on my bookshelf. I was lacking inspiration for meal planning and decided to dig out some books I never look at. It's amazingly easy to make, it's cheap, and it was delicious! It has sausage, which I don't normally like all that much, but it really is a must for this dish. Ground beef would just be too flat flavor-wise. It's a great one pot meal for a chilly, hectic day!

2 c penne pasta
1/2 pound ground sausage
1 package baby sinach leaves
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian, undrained
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzerella cheese
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook sausage. Add spinach and tomatoes, cook about 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm. Drain pasta, place in large serving bowl. Add sauce, top with cheese, mix lightly. Serve it up, and enjoy!