recipe – Just Little Bits

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A little bit of artichoke pesto chicken…

Posted by: melissa in cooking, dinner, food, pasta, recipe, Uncategorized Comments Off on A little bit of artichoke pesto chicken…

It’s been awhile since I posted. Technically it’s been awhile since I’ve had time to do anything creative. Life just gets in the way, I suppose. I’ve already taken two trips this year, one to Philly and one to Denver. Both were with my nonbiological sister, Tomdee. After a long drive across country, which included a stop in Chicago and Kansas City and a week in Colorado, I said goodbye and left her to start a new chapter. I love everything Denver has to offer (especially now that it includes my best friend), but I was exhausted and glad to be back in Pittsburgh. I’m happy to have time to work on my crafts. I have a few new ideas in mind and I am donating to two upcoming fundraisers, Art for Change and Steins-Strong Golf Outing. I have also been cooking nonstop. I hosted Easter yesterday, which turned out marvelous minus a small mashed potatoes mishap (this is the recipe I should’ve posted! I am still so confused.) And I am slowly getting back into writing and researching all things social media. The warmer weather definitely helps. I am looking forward to summer days and working outside.

I’ve always been pretty healthy, but after visiting Colorado this month, I want to do more. Fortunately, Dave caught the bug too. Shortly after we came home, a wheatgrass juicer and fresh wheatgrass were delivered. For all you skeptics, it does make a difference. Another part of my plan is less beef. I hardly eat it as it is, but if you know Dave, well…

With vegetables on the brain and a little help from Pinterest, I came across a recipe for artichoke lemon pesto chicken pasta. I poured myself some wine and went to work. You’ll notice this recipe calls for spaghetti squash. I cannot stand the look or smell of squash, so I went with farfalle instead.

If you love artichoke hearts, you will love this recipe. The smell of them cooking mixed with fresh garlic was amazing. You’re basically making a pesto, so I got to bust out my new food processor. I am unfamiliar with these fancy gadgets and it took nearly 30 minutes for me to figure out why mine wasn’t working. The safety features they put on things these days, geez.

After combing all the ingredients and finally getting my pesto pureed, I added it to the chicken and pasta and piled on the spinach. If there is a way to add greens to anything (which there usually is), I’m in. The final product looks a lot different than the original, which I can only assume is because the pasta soaked up the vegetable broth. Or, more likely, I messed something up. Regardless, the outcome was delicious.

Two side notes. Yes, those pans are new and, yes, they are purple. They’re available on my girl Rachel’s site. Also, the wine glass featured in the first image is a custom design and can be ordered here (don’t worry, it wont be that exact glass!).

27Jan

A little bit of Ivy…

Posted by: melissa in cooking, food, pets, recipe Comments Off on A little bit of Ivy…

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I am an animal lover. Like the crazy kind that chases dog walkers down the street, so I can pet their dog. I would break my television before I would watch another Sarah Mclachlan commercial. I cry at animal videos, happy and sad. And sometimes I cry about injured animals completely out of the blue. It’s awful, but it is something I want to turn into a positive at some point this year, whether it is through volunteering or dog walking.

Knowing that, you can imagine my love for my own animals and how sad I am to be traveling on Ivy’s sixth birthday. She is an adorable corgi with an abundance of energy and a bark you can hear down the street. She will fetch a ball until she cannot physically move and she loves, loves, LOVES to cuddle. She lays at the end of the bed to protect us every night and hates to have her feet tickled. She loves playing under a blanket and enjoys my midday dance parties.

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We got her nearly six years ago when we had our other dog, Clover. Clover is a corgi mix we rescued from a shelter. She is a sweetheart, but from the beginning we could see the difference in the two dogs. Clover was a ball on my lap on the way home. Ivy barked the entire way. Clover was a bully with her toys. Ivy was timid and scared. After two years together, they started to not get along. It was heartbreaking. After more than a year of vicious fights, terrible bites (both the dogs and us), numerous vet bills and even a dog whisperer, we had to separate the two.

I have been against getting animals and giving up on them for as long as I can remember. This tore me apart. Fortunately, Clover adored my angel of a mother, who graciously took her in. After a week or so of tears and lots of anger towards Dave, I came around. Visiting her now, I see how happy she is and Ivy is much happier being the alpha dog.

Right now, I work half at home and half on the road, so I have the privilege of being home with Ivy most days. She has gotten me through some bad times with a cuddle and lots of licks, so because I am missing her birthday, I thought I would make her some pumpkin peanut butter dog treats. IMG_6722 (1)

The recipe was only four ingredients, whole wheat flour, eggs, pumpkin and peanut butter. It was super simple, which I like. Mix, roll, cut and bake. I didn’t have any fancy cookie cutters, so I used an empty pill bottle to make circles. This recipe made a lot of treats, and I swear she knew I was making something special for her. Happy Birthday, Ivy. Thanks for all the smiles.

18Jan

A little bit of pasta…

Posted by: melissa in cooking, food, recipes Comments Off on A little bit of pasta…

Most of the recipes I make come from Pinterest or blogs I find online. I like to read what others say about the recipe, how they made it better and what they would change next time. I haven’t been cooking for long, so I need all the help I can get.

I didn’t start cooking until last year. Sure, I had made the occasional pasta dish here and there or a dip for a Steelers party, but I hated being in the kitchen. I still remember the first time I cooked for Dave. I made spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs tasted like balls of clay. He ate them, which was so incredibly sweet. To say I was a bit traumatized by the whole thing is an understatement. I have yet to attempt making meatballs again.

I am known among my friends for hosting Fauxgiving, an annual Thanksgiving dinner that has become my favorite holiday with friends. Sounds like a lot of work, right? Not if you get your husband to make the turkey and stick everyone else with the sides. Not many people can get away with hosting a dinner party and not actually cooking.

Tonight’s dinner was something new. I was at the grocery store the other day and forgot to pull a list together, so I decided to pick a recipe on the side of a pasta box. I went with Mezze Penne, which basically looked like smaller penne noodles. I love Brussels sprouts and lighter pasta dishes with oil-based sauce. The recipe was simple. As you can see, you cook the sprouts and pasta. Once the sprouts are thoroughly cooked, you brown them in a skillet with sage. I didn’t have sage, but after a quick search online, I found you could substitute poultry seasoning. Oh, the joys of the Internet! After the sprouts are brown, you add in the tomatoes until tender and then mix everything together.

This dish calls for parmesan cheese on top, but when the meal was close to being done, I decided that was not enough cheese. You will learn that I eat A LOT of cheese. I found ricotta in the fridge and stirred in about a cup. The result was perfect. I also added meatballs (frozen, of course) because a meal without meat is basically a sin to Dave. I served it with garlic bread and VOILA! a simple 30-minute meal.