Add Flavor to your Alfredo with Litehouse Food

Remember all those awesome herb samples I received from Litehouse Food? I checked out their website and they had a bunch of recipes in addition to those Fruit and Herb Popsicles I sample this summer. One that really caught my eye was an herb-seasoned alfredo sauce – and you begin with sauce in a jar!

I once again improvised, but the result was still delish – make jarred sauce a little more special by adding a mix of herbs!

credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Perfect Pasta Alfredo (adapted from Litehouse Foods):

• 6 ounces cooked linguine
• 1/2 jar alfredo sauce of choice
• 1 tblsp. Litehouse Instantly Fresh Italian Herb Blend
• 1 tblsp. Litehouse Instantly Fresh Basil
• Fresh grated parmesan cheese
• Grilled chicken breast (I used Perdue Short Cuts)

Mix and heat alfresco sauce and herbs in a saucepan until heated through. Pour over cooked linguine and mix gently. Top with chicken and parmesan cheese.

Food Nostalgia: Bread ‘n Butter Pickles

One of my most vivid childhood food memories is of my grandma’s (“Grammy”) bread ‘n butter pickles. The stuff in the jar is good, but there’s always something that makes homemade better (sorry, Vlasic).

I had often thought, especially after I started vegetable gardening, about asking my mom if she knew where the recipe was but 1) I kept forgetting and 2) I knew it would take a while to make them.

One day, I was sorting through the many food-related emails I’ve signed up for and found Homemade Microwave Pickles from Mr. Food – and they looked like bread ‘n butter pickles! I printed the recipe out, took it over to Mom’s and she went and found Grammy’s recipe. When we compared the two, we discovered most of the ingredients were the same (Grammy’s had a few flavor extras like peppers and garlic), but the microwave recipe had its benefits – 1) it was faster and 2) it had a smaller yield.

A couple days later I picked the perfect cucumber to test the recipe out.

I think Grammy would be proud J

the finished product

Microwave Bread ‘n Butter Pickles (adapted from Mr. Food):

• 1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and mix well. Microwave uncovered for 5 minutes at 80-percent, stirring halfway through. Cool pickles before covering and chilling for at least two hours before serving.

photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Saucy: Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

‘tis the season…for loads and loads of cherry tomatoes!

I have this problem: you see, I enjoy growing things like tomatoes for my mom and dad to enjoy – the problem comes from the fact that they, too, grow tomatoes. That means I need to find 1) someone else to give them to, or 2) recipes to use them in.

Brooklyn Farm Girl posted this recipe recently and it sounded like the perfect excuse to use some cherry tomatoes – and enjoy the end result! Since I was testing it out, I cup the recipe in half – I also switched out jalapenos for green peppers from my garden, and the basil was also from my garden J The taste is a little smoky, and the texture is like marinara – I’m enjoying it as a dip for my toasted ravioli and mozzarella sticks!

Oven-roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce (adapted from Brooklyn Farm Girl)

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 green pepper – seeded and diced
• 1 Tblsp. olive oil
• Dash of onion powder
• A few fresh basil leaves
• Dash of garlic salt
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 425-degrees F. Spread tomatoes and peppers in single layer in baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with onion powder. Bake for 35 minutes, until tomatoes look wrinkled.

Let tomato mixture cool, then add to a food processor with basil, garlic salt and salt and pepper as desired. Blend until smooth.

Use immediately or store in airtight container for use in the next couple of days – also freezes well.

photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Quick comforts: Easy stovetop mac-n-cheese

When the winter weather gets beyond cold – like -22 with the wind chill! That’s just nuts! – comfort foods like macaroni and cheese are beyond perfect. Creamy cheese and pasta – can it get better? Not for me!

credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

This stovetop mac-n-cheese, adapted from this recipe by Erica Lea on Buttered Side Up, is quick, simple and warm enough for these cold Buffalo nights that seem to be never ending…a lot like our snow this season – I feel like I’m in a perpetual snow globe: the minute the snow stops, someone shakes things up and it starts snowing again!

Stovetop mac-n-cheese

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces pasta of choice (I used a multi-shaped pasta)
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine (note: if you’ll be warming leftovers up in the microwave, you may want to cut this back a tablespoon or two – there was a lot left over after warm-up!)
• 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons cream

Cook pasta according to package instructions and to your preferred softness. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add butter to the pasta while hot and cover the pot to allow butter to melt a bit. Uncover, add cheese and cream, and stir. Put the lid back on and let it sit, stirring every couple of minutes (note: it will take about 6 to 8 minutes for the cheese to become “saucy”). Serve immediately, storing leftovers in the fridge. To reheat on the stovetop, add a little more cream to the pot. To reheat in the microwave, put the leftovers in a microwave safe plate or bowl and heat at 70% for 75 to 90 seconds.