Scrumptious Sundays

Shadow Glen Cooking Class = aka Date Night

(I have recipes for all if anyone is interested)

Double Tomato Bruschetta

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates (that we put in the salad)

Goat Cheese Date Salad

Butternut Squash Risotto

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

 

Tarte Aux Poire

Scrumptious Sundays

Pasta Primavera

Fresh & flavorful, this pasta primavera chock full of vegetables makes a lovely entree for spring.  A combination of equal parts milk and cream, half and half creates a silky, full-bodied sauce.

Yields 4 servings (2 c. ea); 9 WW points plus

Every time I see this picture I want to make this recipe.  So colorful, and tasty!

Ingredients

2 cups green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise

2 cups broccoli florets

1/2 cup (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 2 ounces) $

6 ounces uncooked fettuccine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

2/3 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Cook green beans in boiling water 1 minute. Add broccoli and asparagus; cook 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Return water to a boil. Add pasta; cook 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and add to vegetable mixture.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup onion, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper; sauté 3 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add peas, and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes. Combine half-and-half and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium. Add half-and-half mixture and salt to pan; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with basil and cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 338

Calories from fat: 29%

Fat: 10.8g

Saturated fat: 4.7g

Monounsaturated fat: 4.4g

Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g

Protein: 13.7g

Carbohydrate: 49.6g

Fiber: 7.1g

Cholesterol: 20mg

Iron: 2.9mg

Sodium: 607mg

Calcium: 205mg

Scrumptious Sundays

Penne Rigate with Spicy Sausage 

and Zucchini in Tomato Cream Sauce

Serves 4, 45 minutes; 12 WW Points Plus

Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, October 2012

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked penne rigate pasta

6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed

12 ounces zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

Dash of sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Cooking spray

3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided (about 3/4 cup)

1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from pan. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through sugar); sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add vinegar; cook for 30 seconds or until the liquid evaporates. Drain tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 cup tomato liquid. Crush tomatoes with hands, and add to zucchini mixture. Add reserved 1 cup tomato liquid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; stir in cream. Add pasta and sausage to tomato mixture; stir to combine.

4. Spoon half of pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, or divide half evenly among 4 individual dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 ounce mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 ounces mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 450

Fat: 14.1g

Saturated fat: 6.8g

Monounsaturated fat: 3.8g

Polyunsaturated fat: 1.5g

Protein: 26.9g

Carbohydrate: 55.6g

Fiber: 5g

Cholesterol: 60mg

Iron: 5.2mg

Sodium: 508mg

Calcium: 347mg

Scrumptious Sundays

Gnocchi with Yams, Kale & Sausage

One of Jason's favorites, and every time we make it we are reminded what a quick & easy recipe this is.

1 lb potato gnocchi (we buy whole wheat)
2 bunches kale, washed rubs cut out (or use spinach leaves)
1 large yam
1 garlic clove
1 lb spicy chicken or turkey sausage, sliced
EVOO
Kosher salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to lowest setting.  In nonstick pan, saute the gnocchi in olive oil until crisp and golden brown.  Season with salt & pepper.  Place gnocchi in an oven-safe dish (that holds at least 2 quarts) and place in the warmed oven.  Next you can cook the sausage in the same pan you used to cook the gnocchi or grill it on the BBQ (we prefer BBQ, always tastes better).  Slice the sausage and add to gnocchi in oven.  With sausage drippings or a bit more olive oil add the garlic, kale and yams to the pan; season with salt & pepper.  Cook until the yams are tender but not mushy, about 12 minutes (great to do while sausage is on BBQ).  If the pan gets too dry you can add some water to the pan.  Mix into the oven-safe dish with gnocchi and sausage.  Can be served immediately or held for later in the warming oven.  Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen for another meal (my personal favorite).  Reheating in the oven works better than the microwave.

Yields 6 servings; 8 WW points plus
recipe courtesy of Rebecca Reichardt of Woodland, CA

Seattle Getaway

In early December we were able to get away for a kid-free weekend to Seattle.  We jam packed our weekend with things we love; especially some of the things we love about Seattle.

Friday we did a 3 hour food tour with Savor Seattle Tours.  This is the second tour we've done with them; we love it every time.  We get to eat & drink  lots of yummies and we learn something new about one of our favorite cities each time we do it.

 Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company.

They shared their secret recipe for frosting with me - amazing!  The cupcake on the right is a bacon and maple syrup cupcake, the one on the left is chocolate & tomato soup.  Neither sounds that great but both were to die for!

 No trip is complete to Seattle unless we visit Serious Pie.  And we were lucky to have it on our tour this time too.  Potato and rosemary pizza - so, so, so good.  They even have one with an egg on it, we love this place!  Thanks to cousin Grant for introducing it to us years ago.

 Great Seattle trivia behind the gum wall.  The Market Gum Wall even made Wikipedia, go figure we never even knew it was there.  If you've been to Seattle and never seen it, you should look it up.

 Another place we've walked by 1,000 times but never been in, The Pike Brewing Company.  We had some interesting training on beer tasting and beer pairings...who knew it wasn't only for wine.

Saturday was the Seattle Street Scramble.  Seriously so much fun...well at least it was for Barb.  Betsy and Jason were skeptical.  All in all we ended up having fun running around downtown Seattle.  The organization has several throughout the year all over western Washington.  Get a group together and get out there!  You'll love it.  Or maybe we'll see you in Seattle next December.

 Fran's Chocolates was a tip from our tour guide although it wasn't on the tour.  We managed to fit in some coffee and chocolate late Saturday night.  Fran's is unique to the Seattle area and has some of the finest chocolates around.  Great for a special treat, Valentines Day is right around the corner!

In true Hendricks fashion we signed up for a race while visiting The Emerald City too!  The Jingle Bell Run is held every year in downtown Seattle and helps benefit arthritis.  We've been there many times during it, and never thought to sign up.  It was a little cold and wet, but still fun.  A great way to start a Sunday that's for sure.

 Our beloved Seahawks had a COMPLETE BLOW OUT against the Arizona Cardinals.  It was a great season Hawks, can't wait to see what you've got in store next year!

This boat was blasting Christmas music late into the night...very festive...tis the season!

 Good night Seattle, until next time.

Foodies

There is never a shortage of food at this house.  As a matter of fact, when looking through some pictures realized a lot of them have food in them.  At least they're all healthy eaters (even the big boy)

 Even in his sleep...food is close by.

 Cookie!

 Learning to use a spoon.

 Learning to feed ourself, without mom & dad having to help.

 The good old fashioned way, just use your hands!

What? a cupcake going in Mr. Hendricks mouth!

What its all about

We did something new this year to give back to our community.  More than likely this will be a tradition for years to come.  Homemade spaghetti sauce, meatballs, and pasta.  We made 3 large batches to give to the fire station around the corner from our house (3 shifts of guys).  It was a win, win for everyone - the firemen were so grateful and they let Gavin play in the firetrucks for at least 1/2 hour.  They said to come by anytime and we didn't always have to bring food.

  

How have you given this season?  Share your ideas!!

Vertuccio Farms

U-Pick peach season is here in Phoenix. Thanks to a recommendation from Samara, we decided to try Vertuccio Farms right down the street from our house. WOW! This hidden gem is right off of Power Road between Warner & Elliot. Who knew it was so close and so awesome! We went to pick peaches and we found our very own local famers market, open 7 days a week! Love this place. They will be seeing a lot more of the Hendricks'.