Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg and Chive & Cheese Breadsticks

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 14, 2011

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Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg recipe originally published by Cooking Light – January/February 2011

Chive and Cheese Breadsticks recipe originally published by Simple and Delicious – December/January 2011

I’m writing this post angry today.  I decided to make myself an omelet for breakfast this morning and it sucked.  It made me cranky.

Then I got a headache that will not disappear.  This made me surly.

Now I’m watching the Bears game and it isn’t making it any better.

Okay, focus… I’m going to focus… I promise I won’t be a Debbie Downer and I’ll just get to the recipes.

I love pasta and I enjoy finding recipes that don’t involve the traditional pasta sauce.  I remember the first time I took a chance on pesto and fell in love, so when I saw the recipe for the Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta in Cooking Light, I was ready to take a chance.  Also, I was intrigued by the soft boiled egg.  I’ve got the technique for hard boiled down and this presents a new challenge.

I decided that I wanted to have savory bread with this dish.  Regular bread and butter just didn’t seem like they would cut it.  Luckily I didn’t have to look too hard – the recipe for the Chive and Cheese Breadsticks was in the next magazine that I read.  My meal was complete.

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Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg
and Chive & Cheese Breadsticks

My pasta looks okay.  I’m a little disappointed in the pasta color though.  I used regular pasta in this case, so it shouldn’t be as brown as it is.  The goat cheese on top looks messy… like it doesn’t belong there.

As for the breadstick, this was one of the prettiest ones in the bunch.  Nicely browned and it held the twist.  However, if I’m being honest, I have to admit that not all of them looked like this.  In fact, not many of them looked like this.

Reunion Casserole with Asiago Tater Tots

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 11, 2011

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Reunion Casserole recipe originally published by Simple and Delicious – December/January 2011

Asiago Tater Tots recipe originally published by Every Day with Rachael Ray – February 2011

At some point, I realized that I need to make more meals instead of single dishes.  Part of the issue is that I have a couple of stand-by side dishes that I always go back to.  Not that they are bad, just unimaginative.  The other is that I’m making a lot of casseroles.  Casseroles have everything in one dish which is sort of the appeal.

Then I came upon this recipe for the Asiago Tater Tots.  I love a good tot (who doesn’t), but it isn’t like you can make a meal out of them.  Well I actually had a boyfriend who would make entire bags of them and eat them out of a bowl with an oversized spoon… but he was an idiot, so that doesn’t count.

So I had to find a recipe that would work with the tots.  I could have gone the hamburger/hot dog route but when I read this recipe, it reminded me of a fancy sloppy joe, with pasta for the carbs instead of bread.  I knew it would be a hit.

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Reunion Casserole with Asiago Tater Tots

Visually, I’m disappointed with the meal.  It is so brown.  Separately, I can’t complain.  The casserole looks hearty and yummy.  It could have a little more color, but it still smelled fantastic.  The tater tots turned out even better than I thought they ever would.  Golden brown and crisp, I couldn’t wait to eat them.

Overnight Brunch Egg Bake

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 13, 2011

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Recipe originally published by Pillsbury – Tuesday, March 18, 2008.

One of the things I really liked about this recipe from the beginning is its honesty.  It tells you right in the title “you have to let this set overnight.”  So don’t blame Pillsbury if you wake up on Christmas morning expecting to whip this little ditty out as the centerpiece of your Christmas breakfast.

The recipe itself is a basic egg casserole with all the yummy ingredients in it – onions, red peppers, mushrooms, and LOTS OF CHEESE!!!  But that wasn’t the only thing that attracted me to it.

See, I’m not a morning person.

In fact, I’m not an early afternoon person.

I hit my stride about 7:00PM.

Still, I have a husband who gets up semi-early (someone has to walk the dogs - hehehehe) and eats breakfast every morning.  I do enjoy preparing his meals, and I know he likes it a lot too, so I like to make him breakfast at least on the weekends, but I HATE getting up early enough to actually get it done before noon.  This recipe allowed me to assemble a meal when I’ve got my most energy, wake up, stumble down to the stove, put the casserole in the oven, take a nap on the couch with an alarm set and voila!  Breakfast is ready!

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Overnight Brunch Egg Bake

This recipe lists the things you can garnish the casserole with.  I chose not to garnish it, mostly because it was just my husband and I.  Looking at the picture… Cripes I should have garnished.  I also had a small issue with the ordering of the layers.  The cheese on top is my mistake.

Overall, it just looks… solid.  Not necessarily appetizing.

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 10, 2011

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Recipe originally published from Cooking Light – January 2011

There are only so many things you can do with a chicken breast, so I’m always on the lookout for recipes that have a different twist.  Does this one have that twist?  I’m not really sure it does, but it looked delicious.

I love shallots and mushrooms so I was excited.  But I’m usually not fond of a wine sauce, so I was skeptical.  Since the wine was used to basically deglaze the pan, I decided to go for it.

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Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Does anyone doubt that my chicken looks juicier?  I’ll be honest, that’s what I look for in a chicken dish.  Chicken is one of those things that can dry out and be like eating cardboard.

Almost-Famous Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 6, 2011

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Recipe originally published from Food Network Magazine – December 2010

Show of hands… Who loves hot spinach dip and secretly hopes that the table wants to order it when trying to decide on an appetizer even though there are much healthier things on the menu? 

I see, most of you in the audience.  Good! 

Who has secretly thought of stabbing your friend and/or significant other/spouse in the hand with your fork as they reach for the last scoop of that creamy, spinach-y goodness?

Ah, it’s nice to meet all of you.  I knew I wasn’t alone.

Now, who has scraped every bit of dip from the bowl with their spoon trying to get just one more bite?

Okay, not as many, but I see I’m still in good company.

Finally, who, after scraping the bowl with their spoon, has picked up the bowl and started to lift it to their mouth to lick clean being stopped only by your mortified husband who fears your lack of table manners will alienate the friends you have left after the last incident?

Oh, that’s just me, huh.

All kidding aside, there’s something hypnotic about these hot spinach dips that makes you eat until you’re so full that you can’t even look at your entrée.  Of course, there’s a pretty hefty price to this dip.  It tends to swim in calories, fat and sodium.  That didn’t stop me from running to the kitchen to put the ingredients on my shopping list for this little delight I found in Food Network’s magazine.

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Almost-Famous Spinach-Artichoke Dip

My dip isn’t as pretty as their dip because I couldn’t find white cheddar cheese.  Well actually, I didn’t look in the right place.  Maybe… I don’t know.  Anyway, it is still pretty darn close to the picture in the magazine.  And before you ask, yes, those are sushi serving dishes.  It was the perfect serving size!

Asian Egg Drop Soup

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 6, 2011

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Recipe originally published from Food Network.com, Tyler Florence (Food 911).

When I go for Chinese food (I can't seem to cook it right yet), I will get Egg Drop Soup.  Of course this is a fairly recent development.  I’m not a food-a-phobe, but it never appealed to me.  Luckily, my husband introduced it to me when we first started dating and now I love it.  Now, I know what you’re thinking… it looks gross.  At least that’s what I thought about it the first time I saw it.  But trust me; you’ll love it, so give it a try.

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It looks like exactly what it is – a nice broth soup.  The egg feathered out beautifully and almost looks like noodles.  It also smelled wonderful.  The picture has me holding the spoon in it because I couldn’t wait to try it and was in the process of eating that bite before I realized I hadn’t taken a picture yet.

Toffee-Flavored Coffee

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 4, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, Holiday Collection 2008.

I LOVE Starbucks!  In fact, I did a short stint there (well I worked for Target but I was in the Starbucks) and I did love making the drinks.  It was a lot of fun… but working for Target sucks rocks, so my “career” as a barista was much shorter than I had liked. 

I’m not a fan of a regular cup of coffee, but give me a tasty latte or iced drink and I’ll be set for the morning.  Now, I fantasize about owning a beautiful and commercial grade espresso machine with steam, but I know that’s not going to happen… at least anytime soon.  Therefore, I’m always on the lookout for recipes that don’t require one.

This particular recipe includes toffee and butterscotch.  I can’t even get that combination from Starbucks (they don’t have a butterscotch syrup) which is a shame because I love butterscotch.  Also, it uses brewed coffee so I didn’t have to worry brewing shots of espresso or steaming milk.  I found this one in a holiday collection magazine so I’m guessing that it is meant to be served for special occasions, but I’m the type of person who would drink Pumpkin Spice Latte every day of the year, so I don’t care.

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Toffee-Flavored Coffee

First, take in the awesomeness of my Chicago Blackhawks mug.  It was a gift from my husband, bought from Hawk Quarters Blackhawks Store, and the main vessel of my morning coffee.

The coffee looks very decadent, rich and creamy at least from the top.  Yes, you can’t see the coffee through the mug.  Then I looked at the picture from Taste of Home and realized that they didn’t photograph theirs in a clear mug either.