Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Hop to It

Hope everyone had a super Easter—it was just good to be home even if it was just for a day. Oh and the good meal didn’t hurt things either :-) You know when you leave so stuffed you can barely move, it was a success!

Mom made a glazed spiral ham that she got from Sam’s Club.

IMG_5137

Mom also made some mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows…a yummy classic!

IMG_5138IMG_5143 

My grandpa made my mom’s Stunning Sausage Stuffing to help her out a bit…

IMG_5142

I also had to make my beloved Lean Green Bean Casserole…even the leftovers of this dish are to-die-for!

IMG_5140

And last but not least, I am always looking for new vegetable side dishes, preferably roasted because I love the rich flavor vegetables develop after a long time in the oven. I came across a recipe for Lemon-Chive Roasted Vegetables and with lemons in season now, I paid just 0.50 for one. It’s the perfect excuse to try these out any night for dinner,  no special occasion required!

IMG_5141

Lemon-Chive Roasted Vegetables

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved
  • 1 bag frozen Brussels sprouts, thawed
  • 1 pound baby carrots
  • 2 medium Vidalia or other sweet onions, each cut into 8 wedges
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Directions:

    • Preheat oven to 425°.
    • Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on 2 jelly-roll pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.
    • Combine vegetables, chives, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.

    And saving the best for last of course is dessert! Cupcakes courtesy of Cassie’s Cupcake Creations.

    DSC_0032

    DSC_0085

    Whopper Cupcakes

    Chocolicious cake, whipped malted milk ball frosting, topped with whoppers.

    DSC_0089

    Cookies n’ Cream Cupcakes

    Cookies n cream cake, whipped vanilla frosting, Oreo cookie garnish.

    I wish holidays came around more often—we all had a really great time!

    IMG_5156

    -------------------------------------------

    Even if your feast is outstanding, leftovers are usually inevitable, and in this case, we have tons of leftover ham. I’ve been brainstorming new ways to use it up and I came up with three. Today’s recipe is also going towards this-->Barilla is challenging Foodbuzz Featured Publishers to imagine an Italian-inspired recipe or meal created with Barilla Tortellini.

    For my recipe, I am using Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini.

    Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu Tortellini

    Serves: 4

    Ingredients:

    • 1 bag Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini
    • 1/4 c flour
    • 2 c milk, preferably 2%
    • 1 Tbsp pesto
    • 1 1/2 c shredded Italian blend cheese
    • 2 c chopped roasted/skinless chicken breast
    • 1 c cubed ham
    • 1 c sliced jarred roasted red peppers, drained well
    • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
    • dash of red pepper flakes, if desired

    Directions:

    • Cook noodles according to Barilla’s package directions.
    • While noodles cook, combine flour and 1/4 cup milk in a heavy saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Place the pan over medium heat; whisk in 1 3/4 cups milk and pesto. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low.
    • Add the cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in the chicken, red pepper slices, ham, and seasonings.
    • Serve over Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini

    Keep an eye out for two more recipes on how to use up your leftover holiday ham!

    Have you tried a new pasta dish you loved lately?—share!

    3 comments:

    Krista said...

    What a GREAT Easter spread! I love roasted veggies, too. So flavourful and the leftovers make for a fantastic soup!

    Anonymous said...

    Hello there
    I would like to add apinchofthisandadashofthat.blogspot to the Top Food Blog list in mytaste.com/ . Your blog is quite impressive and it is just too perfect for the top list!! Great recipes!!
    I wonder if you would be interested in adding your blog to the Top List so that our more or less 3 million users, as us, will enjoy your recipes. Many blogs are already member and benefit from their exposure on us. Mytaste is one of the biggest worldwide when it comes to recipe search; it is also a social platform for foodies and blog/sites owners like you.
    To ADD YOUR BLOG or see who join the Top Food Blog list, here’s the link http://www.mytaste.com/top-food-blogs
    Please be kind enough to reply to this message so we should know that you have received it. Thank you for your attention and cooperation. For any questions- info@mytaste.com. We hope to see you there soon!
    Warm Regards
    Mytaste.com

    Unknown said...

    It gave me great quinces, and the recipe that I am not happy, I am very grabs! thank you in advance
    I board a good recipe already dealt a site like this
    recette couscous

    Couscous recipe
    Tajine Marocain
    Recette cookies
    Recette crepe
    gateau au yaourt
    Recette moelleux au chocolat
    Dessert rapide
    Recette tiramisu