DINNERTIME

Sweet Pea & Pesto Pasta

1 · Aug 3, 2018 · Leave a Comment

A Sweet Pea & Pesto Pasta that makes for a quick weekly dinner, but an even better no fuss, no frills lunchtime treat.

The hard thing for me about trying to be semi-pescetarian/vegetarian is avoiding eating pasta all the time. I could seriously eat crawfish fettucini or shrimp scampi every single day.

In an attempt to lighten things up, I whipped together this Sweet Pea & Pesto Pasta and was genuinely surprised at how I didn’t miss the protein.

The homemade basil pesto comes together lightning fast, so in the time that it takes to steam the sweet peas and boil the pasta, you have a quick and delicious meal.

Of course, we are still riding the struggle bus with my husband wanting to know “where’s the meat?” and just like your toddlers, he will eat around the peas but even he said, “this was pretty good!”.

You could certainly add some shrimp, but it’s surprisingly filling and delicious on its own.

Sweet Pea & Pesto Pasta

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Author: Aimee

Ingredients

¾ cups fresh basil leaves (or 1 tube Basil Puree, 2 ounces)
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
12 ounces pasta
1½ cups (about 8 ounces) frozen green peas, thawed

Instructions

Cook pasta until al dente.
Add basil leaves (or puree), Parmesan, pine nuts, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. As the machine blends, drizzle in the olive oil. Continue blending until well combined, adding additional olive oil if needed. Set aside.
Heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the basil pesto and stir.
Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Add the peas and pesto little by little until the salad is dressed. Toss to combine.

What I loved about it most, despite utilizing some fresh basil from my herb garden, was having it for lunch the next day. Seriously, basil and mint are about the only thing I can grow without much effort (and it’s so dang hot here that it continues to fry so I have to watch it) so I’m constantly searching for ways to use both of them other than for garnish. The pesto and peas lighten things up and nearly eliminate your concern over eating pasta. Nearly.

Have a great weekend, y’all and remember to eat those peas!

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

0 · May 30, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Happy Monday, sweet friends! I wanted to pop in really quickly on this Martin Luther King Day and share this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe with you.

It’s still rather cold here in Louisiana and my husband is off today. While I love having an extra day with him at home, I know exactly what’s going to happen around lunch time. He will look over at me and say “what were you thinking for lunch?” and I will more than likely not have thought beyond what we will be eating for dinner. Ordinarily, when I’m home alone it’s a hodge podge of lunch- a little bit of whatever I’m photographing for the blog or potentially leftovers turned into something strange. For example, the other day we had leftover Steak & Edamame Stir Fry and I just plopped that on a tortilla and called it good.

Works for me, but probably won’t work for him. And we don’t have leftover anything since yesterday was our eating out day.

Hello, Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup.

If you haven’t jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon, you may want to consider it.

To be honest, I didn’t see that much appeal to it at first. And to be even more honest, my Instant Pot sat in the box for months. I was (and still am) terrified of the pressure release valve.

However, I’m turning into quite the convert.

I’ve made cheesecake. I religiously boil eggs every single week. I will NEVER boil eggs on the stove again. Trust me when I say that the Instant Pot will revolutionize the way you boil eggs and you’ll find yourself wanting to made deviled eggs for every event you’re invited to from now to eternity.

We’ve also made Beef Tips, Ribs, and a handful of Soups.

I think Soups and Stews is where the Instant Pot really shines (and of course, boiled eggs).

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

16 mins

Total time

26 mins

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (6-8 ounce)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 large onion, diced
6 ounce tomato paste
32 ounces low sodium chicken stock
¼ cup Taco Seasoning

Instructions

Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot.
Using the display panel select the MANUAL function and use the +/- button to program the pot for 15 minutes.
The pot will beep once it has come to temperature and completed the 15 minutes of cook time. Push the pressure release button.
Using tongs, remove each chicken breast to a cutting board. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. Place the shredded chicken back into the pot.
Serve with desired toppings; tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc.

This Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is stupid easy and literally comes together in 30-ish minutes with less than 10 ingredients including toppings, most of which, you probably already have on hand.

Minus chopping an onion and shredding the chicken breasts once cooked, prep and assembly is minimal.

I had this soup made, photographed, and on the table for him before he even finished putting away some Christmas decor that has been in the garage and needing to go into the attic for 2 weeks now.

Him: It smells good in here. You didn’t need to make a fancy lunch!

Me: Oh, it’s nothing. Was just in the mood for soup.

Look, there’s no sense in letting your significant other know that you literally dumped contents into a pot and pushed a button. Just serve the soup with an assortment of toppings and let him/her think you went through all that trouble because you were just so happy to spend the day off together and finally get your Christmas decor put away.

Then go prop your feet up and pat yourself on the back.

Your lunch duty is complete.

BLT & Avocado Bow Tie Pasta

2 · May 29, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Next week I’m partnering with 25 bloggers for a week long celebration of summer desserts, so in preparation for what is sure to be cheat day turned cheat week, I’m lightening things up with this BLT + Avocado Bow Tie Pasta.

And speaking of cheat day turned cheat week, our cheat weekend included some downright terrible eating (hello National Ice Cream Day and donuts on Sunday). I found myself craving something a bit less heavy today.

It’s what I love about Mondays. It’s the ability to hit the refresh button and give the new week a go and hope that you’ll make better choices.

The BLT + Avocado Bow Tie Pasta Salad is essentially everything you know and love about a BLT sandwich minus the bread, and with the addition of bow ties because well, they make a salad look happy. I’ve also added some avocado because I have found that if I add avocado, I’m less tempted to over do it with dressing.

Dressing and I have quite a love/hate relationship. I blame restaurants for having us believe that every piece of lettuce saturated with dressing on it.

And I also think it’s the creaminess of the avocados that I enjoy the most, because honestly, I don’t find that they have a whole lot of taste on their own. My husband can eat an avocado by itself for a snack, and I’m like “want me to make guacamole? how about I put that in a corn dip? on a salad?”.

Nope. Eats it alone with a bit of salt and pepper.

BLT & Avocado Bowtie Pasta

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

All the makings of a BLT sandwich without the bread.

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Salad/Pasta

Serves: 6

Ingredients

½ pound bow tie pasta
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 cups romaine lettuce, torn
1 large avocado, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
½ cup desired dressing (I used Kraft Avocado)

Instructions

Cook the pasta as directed on the package before draining and rinsing. While waiting for the pasta to cool, cook the bacon and set aside on paper towels to drain and cool before crumbling. Mix everything in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Serve immediately.

I’ve used a store bought Avocado dressing, but I was tempted to serve this with Ranch. I think the flavors will work just as nicely and I typically have it on hand, but I spotted the Avocado dressing and it sounded perfect for the last minute avocado addition to this salad.

**I noticed when editing these photos that my bacon looks like ham. I promise it’s bacon. I don’t like my bacon super crispy but didn’t realize until I editing the photos (and had eaten half the salad) that my bacon could’ve used a bit more time in the microwave.

Spicy Avocado Sandwich Stackers

1 · May 29, 2018 · Leave a Comment

When I tell my husband that we are loading up the picnic basket and enjoying lunch outside, I can literally feel his eyes roll…even if they really aren’t. That was, until, I pulled out these Spicy Avocado Bacon & Egg Sandwich Stackers and immediately set the bar for all future picnics from here to eternity.

Piled high with your choice of deli meat (I included turkey but you could choose ham, or both!), cheese, the most fabulous avocado spread, eggs and bacon…this Spicy Avocado Bacon & Egg sandwich is NOT playing around. I’d even go so far as to bet you $10 that your husband/boyfriend/significant will be duly impressed. That’s how confident I am in these things.

And, for the record, I’m not even a big sandwich person. Unless, of course, we are talking about grilled cheese sandwiches and then I’m all in.

Spicy Avocado Sandwich Stackers

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Lunch

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For the Avocado Spread:
2 avocados,
¼ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
juice of 1 lime
For the Sandwich Stackers:
1 loaf, thick sandwich bread
1 pound deli sliced turkey (or other sandwich meat of your choice)
1 pound sliced bacon, cooked
6 hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced
1 pound Cheddar cheese, sliced
romaine lettuce

Instructions

For the Avocado Spread:
Scoop the insides of the avocado flesh into the bowl of a food processor. Add all ingredients and pulse until smooth. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Refrigerate.
To assemble the sandwiches:
Lightly toast your bread slices (they hold up better than untoasted bread). Begin your stacks by placing 3 slices of toasted bread onto the counter. Add the turkey and cheese to one slice of bread. Top with the 2nd piece of bread. Place the egg slices on top. Spread the avocado mixture on the bottom of the remaining bread and place on top of the eggs. Slice the sandwich in half and wrap with parchment paper for easy handling and presentation.

You’ll need to eat them soon after preparing them, though. The avocado spread needs to be kept chilled and it’ll turn your bread green if you’re not careful.

Happy Picnic’ing!

Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers

1 · Oct 13, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I tried a new recipe this week and think you’ll love it for an easy weeknight meal swap up, for weekday lunches, or even weekend football parties! These Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers are easy to make, delicious to enjoy, and they look great on a platter. What more could you want from a recipe?

We have a new, fancy grocery store that just opened down the street from my house. And if you don’t think fancy + grocery store necessarily go together when you think of those two terms, you won’t be alone. I walked in for the first time and had to remind myself I was there for milk due to the fact that I was ultimately overwhelmed by the deli, bakery, flower shop, and cozy indoor/outdoor cafe. Among the wrap around glass display cases of prepared options for quick grab and go meals, was the Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers.

I noticed them and immediately kicked myself for not having come up with the idea first, and suddenly, while not hungry in the least, I longed for jambalaya stuffed in a bell pepper.

I did what was only reasonable.

I picked up the ingredients and ran home to make some of my own.

I think I even forgot the milk I went in for in the first place.

Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Dinner

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

6-8 large bell peppers (I used green but you could use any color)
½ cup celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
½ cup red pepper, diced
½ (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (you could also chop and use an actual tomato)
2 cups andouille sausage
2 small chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup rice
1 bunch green onions, garnish (I didn't have green onions and used dried basil instead)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cut off the tops of the peppers and hollow out the inside; discard. *If your peppers don't stand up on their own, thinly slice the uneven portion of the bottom of the peppers to help them stand.
Prepare the baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and arrange the bell peppers (you'll need a large baking pan with sides or a casserole dish).
Slice the sausage and cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Salt and pepper the chicken with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat and saute the onions, celery and red peppers until translucent. Slowly stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, and sausage. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Add in the cubed chicken and rice. Allow to come to a boil, then carefully ladle the mixture into the peppers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40-45 minutes.
**NOTE: The mixture will be liquid-y. Be sure to add the liquid into the peppers to allow the rice to cook adequately.

There’s so many things I love about these little peppers. For the most part, they cook directly inside the peppers. Your house will smell like you’ve been slaving over jambalaya all day long, when you’ve really only stuffed them into the oven to do all the work. The long bake time allows the peppers to come out tender and flavorful.

And…what’s more fun than an edible bowl?

And if you’re in the mood for more non-traditional jambalaya, these Jambalaya on a Stick Kabobs might be up your alley.

Easy Crawfish Fettuccini

0 · Sep 9, 2016 · 2 Comments

I feel like there could be an entire cookbook developed around the amazing dishes feeding people displaced from “The Great Flood of 2016”. Just about everyone on my street has been seen at some point loading up their vehicles with some sort of casserole. I’ve personally lost count over how many Cajun Chicken Pastas have gone out my door and even then, I know it doesn’t hold a candle to my neighbor Pam. I had her Crawfish Fettuccini a couple of weekends ago, and ever since I’ve been tinkering with recipes attempting to reconstruct it.

I’m quite certain that there are few problems that cannot be solved when Easy Crawfish Fettuccini is present.

If you know anything at all about the way we operate in a time of crisis down here in the deep South, well, it’s probably not surprising to you that hauling casseroles is pretty much our love language. Our conversations pretty much go like this:

Lost your home? I’m so sorry to hear that, you hungry?

You must be exhausted from gutting your home. Want a bite to eat?

So sad you having to toss out such-and-such. Here’s a casserole, hope it cheers you up.

There’s an overwhelming comfort that comes with hand delivering a casserole. For both you and the recipient.

You know how when a friend or church member has a baby and they send out the meal delivery sign up list? I’m on 3 different lists for displaced flood friends. Basically works the same way. You sign up, create a dish, deliver it to someone who needs a comforting meal….and perhaps, a hug.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Easy Crawfish Fettuccini

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 8

Ingredients

12 ounces fettuccini noodles
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 stick of butter
2 (12 ounce) packages frozen crawfish tails
1 (8 ounce) block of Jalapeno Monterey Jack cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded triple cheddar cheese blend
1 cup sour cream
½ cup grated Swiss cheese

Instructions

Cook the noodles according to package instructions. In a very large skillet or Dutch oven, saute the vegetables in butter until the onions are translucent. Add the crawfish. Using a grater, grate the jalapeno cheese into the skillet, along with the cheddar cheese. Once melted, add in the sour cream. Stir in the drained fettuccini noodles. Pour into a greased casserole dish and sprinkle the Swiss cheese over the top. Bake in 350 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Because just as home cooked meals are welcomed with open arms after the birth of a new baby, they are well received by those living with others, too. I mean think about it, are you ever really comfortable in someone else’s kitchen cooking for your own family? And what about the people hosting the displaced family members or friends? You know they must be tired and oh so happy to see a meal they don’t have to worry about coming their way.

If you don’t live in an area where Louisiana crawfish are available, you can easily substitute shrimp in this recipe and it is just as delicious. But whatever you do, don’t purchase the crawfish from overseas. It’s not the same, folks.

Drop this casserole off with a salad and a loaf of French bread and you’ll truly make someone’s day.

Do you have a go to casserole you like to bring to new mamas, recovering patients, widows….or flood victims? I’d love to add some more recipes to my rotation.

Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Skillet Peppers

0 · Aug 31, 2016 · Leave a Comment

While the cooler temperatures haven’t quite reached us here in Louisiana and we are still reeling from “The Great Flood of 2016”, there’s nothing better than looking forward to when those Fall temps and football filled weekends arrive to get you out of a funk. These Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Skillet Peppers will also get you out of “oh my goodness, what are we going to eat tonight?” funk, too!

Incredibly easy to whip up in a snap, I also think they foster healthy marriages. Why you ask? Because you can leave the grilling to your husband or significant other while you work on the skillet peppers. No whining about having to do it all- it’s a team effort! Messy BBQ not your style? Serve these grilled sausages on a hot dog bun and in parchment paper lined plastic baskets and clean up is just as easy as prep.

I’m super happy to join several Wayfair Homemaker bloggers for a BBQ Bites roundup featuring everything from appetizers to sides, right on down to desserts. All grilled!

Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Skillet Peppers

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

16 mins

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: BBQ

Serves: 6

Ingredients

6 Italian sausage links
1 bottle dark beer (I use Guinness)
2 medium green peppers, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
6 buns, split
6 slices provolone cheese, halved

Instructions

Place sausages in a large saucepan, add the beer and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until sausages are no longer pink.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the green peppers and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic and cook about a minute longer. Salt and pepper to taste.
Drain and discard the beer. Grill sausages, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until browned with grill marks, turning occasionally. Line each bun with the cheese slice, adding the sausage and skillet peppers.

These Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Skillet Peppers are featured in the Picnics, Potlucks & Porch Parties cookbook and I think it shows how versatile some of the recipes are for practically any occasion- especially tailgating! Our season kicks off this weekend on the road, but you can bet you’ll find “Italian Dogs” at our next home game.

And let’s just say you’re watching your figure and you prefer to do without the bun. You can!

Make Them Kabobs!

Preheat grill to high heat. Soak bamboo skewers in cold water for a few minutes to prevent burning. Slice sausage links into 3-to-4 inch pieces, and thread sausages, as well as chunks of peppers and onion, onto skewers. Brush with olive oil and grill for about 7 minutes per side.

Be sure to click around for some of the other Wayfair BBQ Bites and get ready for the weekend. Just search the #BBQBites hashtag on Instagram.

PS: It feel really, really good to be back on a blogging schedule. I’ve missed y’all!

Cajun Kickin’ Chicken Kabobs

0 · Aug 12, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Cajun Kickin’ Chicken Kabobs are the perfect addition for an impromptu dinner on the porch.

Every time I say or type out “kabob” my brain wonders if I’m using the word in the correct context. Is it a kabob or a kebob? Is there a difference? There must be a difference, otherwise, there wouldn’t be need for two spellings, right?

During moments like this, I’m grateful for Google. A quick search proved the following:

“When the meat is roasted on a skewer, or shish, it is a shis kebab. But shish kabob is a Western dish featuring uniformly sliced hunks of meat interspersed with vegetables on a wooden skewer, cooked over an open flame. You eat shish kabob off the stick”. -Yesweekly

My skewers aren’t wooden, but I’m not sure that matters. They are, in fact, hunks of meat interspersed with vegetables cooked over an open flame. So, therefore we shall call them kabobs.

Cajun Kickin’ Chicken comes from the sprinkle, sprinkle of Cajun seasoning. And because Kickin’ Chicken sounds fun, but really, they are simply Chicken Kabobs. Plain and simple. Easy and peasey.

You could also call these Jambalaya on a Stick kabobs, too. It’s practically everything you would put in a jambalaya. Vegetables, Chicken, Tomatoes. Add some rice on the side, and voila, you’ve got a Jambalaya meal.

On this particular day, I tried my hand at Yellow Rice. Before marrying my New Orleans husband, I had never heard of Yellow Rice. My rice was not, however, as delicious as what I’ve had in the past at his parents house so I’m going to need to play around with some different recipes before I share any rice with you.

Let’s just say, we ate it but……it wasn’t our favorite.

The kabobs however are a weekend favorite because of how easy and quick they are to whip up!

Cajun Kickin' Chicken Kabobs

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

Author: Aimee

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
12 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
14 ounces sausage, sliced
2 cups bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
8 bamboo skewers (or metal if you have them)

Instructions

Preheat your grill to high heat.
Soak the bamboo skewers for a few minutes in cold water to prevent burning.
Thread a piece of onion onto a skewer. Thread the tail of a shrimp, then a piece of sausage placing the skewer off center to allow the shrimp to wrap around the sausage, add the chicken cube.
Thread more vegetables, another shrimp sausage combination, chicken cube followed by more vegetables and end with either a piece of onion or a piece of bell pepper. Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning.
Grill 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until the vegetables begin to soften, the shrimp are no longer pink, and the chicken is cooked all the way through.
Serve with a scoop of Cajun rice.

Now, if you have my Picnics, Potlucks & Porch Parties cookbook you’ll see that in the book I added shrimp to the kabobs, and left it in the recipe here as well. If I had shrimp today, I would’ve added it, but I did not and I was in the mood to eat outdoors. You’ll see the shrimp addition in the recipe, but just know you can make them with or without.

Recently, we upgraded our grilling game outside. It’s been nearly two years in the making, but our outdoor kitchen is coming along and I’m so excited for the Fall weather to hurry and arrive so that we can enjoy being outdoors without melting. We opted to screen in the back porch area and I’m not sure why I was so hesitant. I live in the South. My house backs up to a forrest. I’m tired of being worried about Ziki.

Screened in porch for the WIN.

The dogs are seriously loving it as well, which poses a bit of a conundrum when you’re trying to relax and have a nice little date night outdoors.

Coffee table height + dogs: