tomatoes — A Southern Fairytale

Garlicky, Veggie Rotini Pasta Toss

10:24 PM ByRachelFiled UnderMain Dishes, Mouthwatering Monday

Pasta with garlic, tomatoes, spinach, parmesan and mushrooms

Savory, Spicy, Rich, Bursting, Tonguegasmic… all adjectives that describe this insanely delicious and simple to make pasta. This was one of those.. “hmmmmm, I’m looking through what I have on hand, how can I throw it all together and oh yes.. Michelle asked me to make a vegetarian dish...kind of recipe”

So, I grabbed a bunch of things from my pantry and fridge and put them on top of my stove:

Ingredients for Garlicky Pasta

(you’ll notice once we get into the ingredients.. the wine and basil aren’t pictured here. They were halfway through cooking, additions) That’s just how I roll y’all LOL

Garlicky Veggie, Rotini Pasta Toss

1 box barilla pasta plus (see, the spaghetti up there. yes, last minute.. I changed to rotini.. I love the spirals)
16 oz cherry tomatoes (roughly 22), halved
12 to 20 mushrooms, sliced (how many do you want?)
6 oz fresh spinach leaves
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
olive oil, to drizzle in the pan.. no measurement
pinch of kosher salt (well, 2 really)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 C pinot noir or chardonnay (Barefoot Pinot Noir is what I used)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 C fresh grated parmesan cheese

Prep all the ingredients, cut, grate, slice.. etc….

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box, when it’s done drain it, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, add a pinch of kosher or sea salt, toss together, set aside and cover.
While the pasta is cooking heat a skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add in garlic, pinch of kosher/sea salt, basil and crushed red pepper, cook about 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic begins to brown.
Add in 1/4 Cup Pinot Noir or Chardonnay and red peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes and a squeeze from the juice of 1/2 a lemon cook about 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Garlic Sauteeing in Wine

Add in 5 to 6 oz fresh spinach (about 2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, it will look like a TON of spinach but, while it cooks, it will reduce. a lot.

spinach in veggies for pasta

Once the spinach has wilted, remove from heat, add to the dish that is holding your pasta, mix well, top with fresh grated parmesan

fresh parmesan on top of veggie pasta

Mix it all together and serve.

Garlic, Veggie Whole Grain pasta

You will lick your lips and love me. Trust.

This is SO EASY.

Nathan said: “I’m really surprised that I like it so much. There wasn’t any meat in it, and I’m full, and I really liked it. Will you pack some for me to take for lunch tomorrow”

WOO HOO!!!!!!

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Taggedpasta, rotini, tomatoes, veggies 32 Comments

Basic Guacamole Recipe

8:03 AM ByRachelFiled UnderAppetizers, Mouthwatering Monday

How to Make Guacamole

With Cinco De Mayo peering it’s festive head around the corner, the twittersphere has been ripe with people chatting about Guacamole and Fajitas and Backyard Celebrations.
This got my mouth watering so off to the store I went to get some avocados and cilantro, so that I could make my own Guacamole.
The key to gorgeous, green, mouthwatering Guacamole is fresh ingredients.
When choosing your avocados they should yield to slight pressure, but not squish. They should NOT be hard and unyielding. Put down the greenish black rock and move on to the next.
Making your own guacamole is simple and you will be rewarded for your efforts, trust me.

Making Guacamole at Home

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

3 avocados
4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 Campari Tomatoes, or 1 medium tomato
1/4 tsp chopped cilantro leaves (or more or less, to your taste)
Juice of 1 lime
dash salt
dash pepper
1 finely chopped and seeded jalapeno

Instructions

Slice your avocados in half and remove the pit, using a spoon, scoop the avocados out gently and put them in a bowl.
Add in your chopped jalapeno, tomatoes, onion, pressed or minced garlic, cilantro, pepper, salt and lime juice.
Mash together until it is as smooth or chunky as you like it.

http://asouthernfairytale.com/2009/05/04/making-guacamole-at-home/

See, it’s easy and depending on your preferences for cilantro, garlic and jalapenos, you can add more at will. Some days I like a good bite! So, I’ll add 2 jalapenos and not remove all the seeds, or chop them up too finely. Other days I’ll add in a few dashes of cholula or tabasco.

My favorite way to eat guacamole is with the Hint of Jalapeno Scoops and an ice cold Dos XX or Corona.

Put your Guacamole (if there’s any left) into a sealed dish in your refrigerator and use it later as a special addition to your chicken or steak fajitas, tacos, hamburgers, salads, wraps etc… your options are only limited by your imagination and tastebuds.

Taggedavocado, dips, guacamole, jalapenos, party food, tomatoes 19 Comments

Wamsutta

10:00 AM ByRachelFiled UnderMain Dishes, Mouthwatering Monday

This is absolutely 100% a tonguegasmically delightful recipe!

I think every family has a version of this and a name for it. In our family, it’s called ‘Wamsutta’. It’s one of our favorite dishes, it’s wholesome, hearty, filling and fun to say. I shared the recipe with her and her family gave it a thumbs up, too.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 small package wide egg noodles
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 sm. can water chestnuts, drained
1 sm. can mushrooms, drained
1 lg. can chopped tomatoes
1 lg. can corn, drained
1/2 C chopped, stuffed olives
1/2 lb (or more) cheddar cheese, shredded
salt, pepper, Tabasco and thyme to taste.

The What To Do:

Brown the meat, onions and bell pepper together in a large pot.
Once the meat is browned, drain the grease and then add all ingredients,but the cheese, to the pot and stir to heat.

Once everything is heated through you take the Wamsutta and place it into glass baking dishes. I use two 10X13 dishes.

At this point you can either top it with cheese and bake it at 350 for 20 minutes until all the cheese is melted and bubbly and smells like heaven, or you can freeze it and take it out to cook at a later date. Do not freeze with cheese.
I usually spread the love when I make this and take it to friends with the recipe attached and cooking instructions.