simple suppers: pesto pasta with mozzarella and roasted cherry tomatoes

These days, I'm all about the quick dinner ideas. Back in the U.S., I used my crockpot often for its ease of use, but here, I don't have my beloved crockpot (or my stand mixer... or the Keurig... or my nice large refrigerator - there are a few things I'll be glad to get back home to). So, if a meal can be made in 30 minutes or less and still taste delicious, it gets a thumbs up in my book. I discovered this delicious creamy pesto pasta on Pinterest and decided to give it a chance. We all know Pinterest can be hit or miss, but Josh and I both agreed this was definitely a winner.

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Creamy Pesto Pasta

from Amy Johnson | She Wears Many Hats

Makes about 6 servings.

~ 1 cup of basil pesto (recipe here)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound favorite pasta, cooked

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pesto and mix into the oil. Be sure to stir often as the pesto warms.

When the pesto is warmed and just a little bubbly, slowly stream in the heavy cream as you stir. (You can always add more cream it you'd like.) Add some pasta water to thin out the sauce, if needed.

Turn down the heat and continue to stir to incorporate the cream and pesto. Salt and pepper to taste.

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If you wanted to make this recipe even easier, you could just buy some good pre-made pesto in the grocery store. However, I found it to be pretty simple to make my own in my new, highly coveted Magic Bullet (or as they call it here, Mr. Magic). Oh, Germany.

I topped it with a few slices of fresh mozzarella, a little garnish of pine nuts, parmesan, and basil, and some roasted cherry tomatoes. To make those, just toss the cherry tomatoes in olive oil, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and stick in a 400F (200C) oven for about 15 minutes or until the skins burst. They get juicy and sweet and add a great fresh flavor to this dish - don't skip them!

If I'd had it on hand, I probably would have reduced a bit of balsamic vinegar to drizzle over the top and gone full caprese with this bad boy. And if you didn't want to go meatless, you could always add grilled chicken for some protein, which I'm certain would be a delightful addition.

So there you have it! What are some of your favorite quick, go-to dinners?

In case you're looking for an easy dessert, too, check out the recipe for this Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble I made this weekend.

sweet tooth: strawberry rhubarb crumble

It wasn't until I moved to Pennsylvania that I first tried rhubarb and became slightly obsessed with this strange, celery-looking vegetable that is most commonly used in desserts. It's an enigma, for sure, but one that's definitely worth taking the risk and trying. Why it's not a southern staple is beyond me. It meets all of the requirements...

Can you put it in a pie?

Yep. 

Does it work in a cobbler?

Absolutely.

Can you turn it into preserves and spread it on a big, buttery biscuit?

You betcha.  

It's tart and sweet and just oh so good. Thank heavens, the Germans agree, and there's tons of fresh rhubarb to be found at the markets. My ONLY complaint is that most folks - including the bakeries around here - add wayyy to much sugar for my liking, taking away that delicious tangy bite that I love so much. 

This crumble is a culmination of the things I liked best from Ina's version and this one at epicurious, plus a couple of tweaks of my own based purely on personal preference and what I had on hand. If you're jonesing to try rhubarb and can't find it in your normal grocery store, you can typically find it in season at Whole Foods in the U.S. or pre-chopped in the frozen fruit section. Now, prepare yourself, because this sucker is way too simple to make and way too good to share...

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Begin by preheating your oven to 375 F (190 C).

Crumble Topping:

1/2 c. all purpose flour*
3/4 c. oats (either quick cooking or old fashioned will do)
1/4 c. chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts, but you could use walnuts or pecans)
1/2 c. brown sugar (if you, like me, don't have brown sugar, you can use 1/2 c. white sugar + 2 tsp. molasses)
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 c. butter, softened*

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter (I softened mine in the microwave both because I'm impatient and because I wanted it to be soft enough to incorporate with a spoon) and stir until mixture clumps together. Place in refrigerator while preparing the filling.

Filling:

3 - 4 c. rhubarb, cut into one-inch pieces
2 - 3 c. strawberries, diced (if you don't have strawberries, I think peaches or even raspberries would be delicious here)
juice of one lemon
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour*

In a large bowl, mix sugar and flour. Add rhubarb, strawberries, and lemon juice, and toss well to coat. Pour filling into 13 x 9-in. glass baking dish.

Drop clumps of crumble topping across the top of the filling, then place in 375 F (190 C) oven for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 - 20 minutes. Serve in bowls with a heaping scoop of good vanilla ice cream.

*I haven't tried it, but I believe this recipe could easily be adapted to be gluten-free and/or vegan by subbing oat flour or almond flour for the all purpose flour and using softened coconut oil in place of butter.

weekend brunch: almond crusted honey + cinnamon cream cheese stuffed french toast

Yesterday, while I was out running errands, I picked up a French baguette to go with our leftover pasta dinner - this delicious little number to which I added shrimp and broccoli. The bummer about buying bakery fresh bread for only two people is that by the second day, it's too stale to eat on its own. Cue the french toast.

Despite the fact that I had already made these super indulgent browniest cookies from Smitten Kitchen's blog last night (oh. em. gee. They're definitely in my top three favorite cookie recipes - along with Momofuku's confetti cookie and these oatmeal coconut cookies I came across a few years ago. This girl loves a cookie...), I decided to up my french toast game with a few ingredients I had on hand, and this scrumptious, decadent honey + cinnamon cream cheese stuffed french toast with a crunchy almond crust was born. Here's the recipe, if you'd like to throw it together for your own weekend brunch...

Almond Crusted Honey + Cinnamon Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves 2

4 - 1 to 1.5 inch slices French baguette (or other good bread)
4 oz. cream cheese
1 tbsp. honey (I used wildflower honey, but you can use whatever variety you like)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 to 4 eggs
1/4 c. almond milk
1/4 c. 2% milk (you could use whole or whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. sugar
pinch of salt
4 tbsp. slivered almonds
1 tbsp. butter
additional honey for topping

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl with a fork or whisk, mix together cream cheese honey and cinnamon.

Slice the (already sliced) pieces of baguette again lengthwise, leaving the bottom crust intact. This holds the bread together, while allowing a pocket to stuff the french toast. Dollop a heaping spoonful of the cream cheese mixture into each bread pocket and spread. You should have four "sandwiches."

In a rectangular baking dish, whisk together eggs, milks, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Dip and soak the stuffed sandwiches in the mixture for approximately 20 seconds on each side.

Melt butter in a large pan or griddle over medium heat. Place the sandwiches in the pan, press 1 tbsp. of slivered almonds into the top side of the sandwiches that are not yet cooked, and cook on each side for 3 to 5 minutes until browned.

Once browned, place the french toast on a parchment lined baking sheet, almond side up, and bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The cream cheese will melt into ooey-gooey goodness and the toast should puff up as the egg mixture continues to cook. Remove from oven, plate, and drizzle with additional honey. 

Note: I didn't have cream, but if I did, I would definitely whip some of it up with honey and/or cinnamon to dollop on top of these bad boys.

Bon appetit!