Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies

When I say these snickerdoodle cookies are easy, I mean it. It's 4 ingredients and took about 25 minutes total. I made these for a party so I made them bite size but you can make them any size you like.

Ingredients:
3 tbs. white sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 roll sugar cookie dough (I used pillsbury)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Break up cookie dough in a large bowl. Stir or knead in flour until well combined but try not to over mix the dough.

3. Shape a rounded teaspoon of dough into a ball. Roll around lightly in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully covered. Place balls about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined sheet tray.

4. Bake cookies 10-14 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool 1 minute on pan and then remove to cooling rack. Serve on a cute holiday plate or wrap in small gifts bags for a tasty gift.

Spooky Pasta Salad for Halloween

For Halloween I went to a party where they smoked a turkey. That's right, turkey for halloween. I wanted to bring a side dish that would go with this but I had a few criteria I wanted to meet:
1. A room temp side dish.
2. Be able to make it ahead.
3. Make it halloween themed.

I knew I wanted to do a pasta salad and I ended up doing a spin on my Mediterranean Orzo Salad. I don't like making a dish the first time right before a party but I knew I could execute this other dish. It all came together for me when I realized I could do squid ink pasta and have a black pasta salad. I added in some orange bell pepper, mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes to add flavor as well as stay in the Halloween color palette. I feel like it was a hit but not as much as my super simple Snickerdoodle Cookies. (post coming shortly)

This whole dish can be made up to two days in advance. Just put into a large pan in the fridge and cover with plastic wrap. On the day of the party just remove from the fridge about an hour before and give a good stir before serving. Taste for salt and pepper seasoning. Pro tip for decorating: store some bell pepper, tomatoes and mozzarella on the side and put on top of the dish at the last minute to make the ingredients shine.

Ingredients:

Pasta Salad:
1 lb. Squid ink pasta - short noodle. (I used fusilli but penne or any other short pasta would work).
1 container cherry tomatoes, halved
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 container pearl mozzarella, halved

Dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Make dressing by combining all ingredients into a large jar. (I use a cleaned marinara jar). Shake until well combined.

2. Cook pasta to package directions. Drain and put into large bowl. Stir in 1/2 of the dressing to season pasta while it is hot and keep it from sticking together.

3. While pasta cooks, halve the tomatoes, dice the bell pepper, and halve the pearl mozzarella. Reserve 1/4 of each for final topping of the dish.

4. Once pasta is cooked and cooled, add in the tomatoes, bell pepper, and mozzarella. Add in some of the reserved dressing and taste for seasoning. Add more dressing slowly as you don't want the final dish to be over dressed or oily.

5. Put pasta salad into serving dish. Top with reserved tomatoes, bell pepper, and mozzarella.

Ginger Beer Braised Carrots

This side dish came together really quick. Great for a weeknight dinner when you're in a hurry. The ginger beer balanced the sweetness of the carrots. The gremolata mixture adds a nice bit of freshness at the end as well. Will definitely make this dish again!

Ingredients:
1 cup ginger beer - fevertree if possible
1 cup chicken stock
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch segments
2 tsp. butter
4 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. lemon zest

Directions:
1. In a large pan, boil ginger beer and chicken stock until reduced by half (1 cup), about 10 minutes.

2. Add carrots and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and glazed. About 15 minutes.

3. While carrots cook, chop together parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. Once carrots are tender, move to a serving platter and sprinkle with gremolata (parsley mixture).

Quick Tomato Pasta

Summer is wrapping up so I finally have some time to work on posting recipes. This one was quick and utilized the cherry tomatoes that are growing in my back yard. The pasta was fulfilling but not overly heavy. In the winter, you could add a splash of cream to this dish to add more depth to the sauce.

Ingredients:
cherry tomatoes - 1 container, about 12 oz
1 box short noodle of choice (I like penne or bowtie)
1 clove garlic, minced (could add more if you like garlic)
1 cup pecorino, shredded
1 cup parmesan, shredded
1-2 cups reserved pasta water
chopped basil, for garnish

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta to package directions (typically 8-10 minutes).

2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to pan. Add tomatoes to pan with a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to cook down slightly, no more than 5 minutes, until the tomatoes soften.

3. Add chopped garlic and allow to cook a minute more. Add pasta immediately so garlic doesn't burn. (If pasta is not done yet, pull pan off heat). Make sure to save the water the pasta was cooked in. Remove pasta with a spider strainer or a slotted spoon.

4. Once pasta is in the pan, add the shredded cheese. Stir to combine. Add a little of the pasta water to get the sauce to a consistency we like. Once all combined, put onto a plate. Top with chopped basil to garnish and serve.

Tomato-Braised Rotisserie Chicken

found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine. I thought it was a great way to use a rotisserie chicken which I usually buy each week but flavor it in a new way. It also added kale which I don't typically eat but I really liked it in this dish. Any way I can trick myself into eating vegetables, I'll do it. LOL

This dish was always really quick. It took me about 30 minutes total so it's a great after work dinner that used a lot of pantry staples. I suggest adding some potatoes or bread as a side dish so you have something to soak up all the tasty sauce.

Ingredients:
4 oz bacon (about 4 slices), sliced crosswise 1/4" thick
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
1 rotisserie chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 bunch curly kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
roasted potatoes or bread for soaking up sauce

Directions:
1. Place bacon into a large Dutch oven or skillet with a lid over medium heat. Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened and bacon is brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes.

3. Increase heat to high and add wine, garlic, and rosemary to pot. Cook, stirring, until wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes along with their juices, chicken broth, salt, and red pepper flakes and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; nestle in chicken piece, skin side up. Top with kale, cover pot, and cook until kale is wilted, about 5-7 minutes.

5. Stir kale into sauce and continue to cook, uncovered, until chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes more.

6. To serve, transfer a small amount of sauce and kale to a plate. Place chicken piece over kale and top with another spoonful of sauce.

Pot Roast Sandwich

This sandwich is one of my new favorite sandwiches. It's like a philly cheese steak met a pot roast and had a delicious sandwich baby. I especially liked this dish because it was a great way to use up my left over pot roast and put a twist on it to make it interesting again. If you don't have any left over shredded beef you could use sliced steak or purchase some shredded beef precooked at the grocery store.

Ingredients:
(these ingredients make enough for 1 sandwich so multiply accordingly)
1 ciabatta bread roll
1/4 cup shredded beef or pot roast
1/2 cup beef stock
small handful of arugula
3 tbsp. shredded mozzarella
1 clove garlic, peeled but left whole

Horseradish Sauce
(this makes 1 cup, enough for multiple sandwiches)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

For Horseradish Sauce:
Combine everything into a small bowl. Taste for seasoning. If you like it really strong, add more horseradish. If it's too strong, add more sour cream.

For Sandwich:
1. Reheat shredded beef. If you have left over pot roast, reheat it in the sauce from the pot roast. If you have store bought shredded beef you can reheat it in beef stock. Just add the beef and sauce to a small saute pan over medium high heat until heated through.

2. Split bread roll in half. Toast in a broiler until lightly toasted, about a minute.

3. Once bread is toasted, rub with garlic clove while warm.

4. Spread the bread with the horseradish cream on the bottom half. Put pot roast on top of horseradish cream.

5. Sprinkle beef on sandwich with shredded mozzarella. Put back under broiler to melt cheese.

6. Once cheese is melted, remove from broiler and top with arugula. Close lid on sandwich and serve! I suggest serving it with the extra beef stock for dipping.