I've been MIA, but I've been cooking

I'm back again, trying to get the blog updated with all of my cooking from the past month or so. I've been busy and just haven't been able to find the time to get everything posted for your viewing and eating pleasure. I promise to get better at this!

Now, on to the food...

One of my favorite restaurants in our area is called Daniel's Pizza and Pasta. It is a locally owned restaurant and their food is fantastic. My favorite dish is called Penne Alla Casa and it blends a creamy tomato sauce with sundried tomatoes, garlic and spinach. It isn't the healthiest, but it is oh so good and worth the caloric splurge now and then. Luckily for my tastebuds (though not so luckily for my hips) our local newspaper published the recipe for this exact dish a while back in their "Specialty of the House" column. This is where readers can write in and request recipes from their favorite restaurants. It is a great column and I check it every week to see what gems it might turn up.

I highly recommend giving this a try. But eat in moderation... (Nutrition facts available upon request...trust me...just enjoy it and don't think about it!)

Penne Alla Casa

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup freshly chopped garlic

2 cups heavy cream (I've tried fat free half and half and it just doesn't work so well)

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienne

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

salt, pepper and granulated garlic, to taste (I omitted the granulated garlic because I didn't have any)

1/2 pound fresh spinach

1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

1 pound penne pasta cooked al dente and drained

Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat then add the garlic and saute just until it begins to brown (careful not to burn the garlic...that won't be tasty). This should take about 1 minute. Add the cream and sun-dried tomatoes and bring to a boil then add the marinara sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and is reduced by one-fourth. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and granulated garlic then fold in the spinach and Romano. Heat just until spinach is wilted and the cheese melts. Toss with the pasta and serve hot. Serves 4.

Source: Daniel's Pizza and Pasta

Another dish I'd been wanting to try was stuffed peppers. I'd seen them in Jaime and Beth Anne's blogs and decided to give them a try. I thought they were pretty tasty and they are really quite healthy. My hubby, who is less of a green pepper fan than I am, liked the filling but felt like we had wasted a bunch of pepper since he only ate a portion of his actual pepper. His vote was that next time I just make the filling and throw some cooked green pepper in with it. If you like green peppers though, try it as is.

Stuffed Peppers

1lb ground beef (I used 1% fat ground turkey)

1 large onion, chopped

1 15 oz can tomato sauce, divided

1 1/4 c water, divided

1 envelope Good Seasoning Garlic & Herb Dressing & Recipe mix

1 cup instant brown rice, uncooked

4 large green peppers

1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Brown meat with onion in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1 cup of tomato sauce, 1 cup of water & salad dressing mix. Bring to a boil, stir in rice & cover. Remove from heat and let stand 5 min. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove seeds. Mix remaining sauce and 1/4 c water in the bottom of a 9 in square baking dish. Place peppers in baking dish. Stir 1/4 cup cheese into meat mixture and then spoon meat mixture into peppers. Use the remaining 1/4 cup cheese to top each pepper with a little bit of cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 to 40 min or until peppers are tender. Spoon sauce from bottom of dish over peppers just before serving.