Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, & Orecchiette Pasta

When the temp starts heating up I automatically think about grilling foods though, anything that doesn’t use the oven works for this season. I always see this pasta dish on restaurant menus and figured it would be nice even on a warm night since the sauce is pretty light.

The Three Bite Rule - Orecchiette, Broccoli Rabe & Sausage Pasta

I don’t cook broccoli rabe often. I find it somewhat bitter but it was a good contrast in this one and anything that makes for a different dinner is nice.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of orecchiette pasta
3 sausage links, casting removed (sweet Italian or spicy)
1 bunch broccoli rabe, outer leaves discarded
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring salted water to a boil for the pasta.
In a large pan over medium high heat, cook the sausage all the way through, breaking it into smaller pieces with the back of a wooden spoon.
Chop the broccoli rabe into chunks, discarding the ends.
Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel.
Add the pasta to the water and cook according to the package.
In the same pan as the sausage, in the oil, saute the broccoli rabe for about 10 minutes, until mostly cooked through.
The Three Bite Rule - Orecchiette, Broccoli Rabe & Sausage Pasta
Add in the broth and sausage and cook for about 3 minutes on medium high heat, then reduce to low heat.
The Three Bite Rule - Orecchiette, Broccoli Rabe & Sausage Pasta
Ladle out a cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Drain the rest of the pasta and add the pasta into the pan with the sausage, broccoli rabe, and broth. Stir well and sprinkle in some parmesan and ground black pepper. (Taste before adding any salt since the broth, cheese, and sausage might be salty enough.) Add in a splash of pasta water if it is too dry.
The Three Bite Rule - Orecchiette, Broccoli Rabe & Sausage Pasta
Sprinkle with more parmesan and enjoy!

This shape pasta is so cute. I liked the really light touch of a sauce on here full of sausage flavor and some broth.
The Three Bite Rule - Orecchiette, Broccoli Rabe & Sausage Pasta

Mother’s Day Lessons

My mom taught me about beauty, though that might not be the first thing she’d think of. She didn’t teach me about makeup or shopping, since she isn’t into either of those. She taught me the beauty of the arts – like live theater productions from an early age or all the musicals we could borrow from the library on VHS instead of Disney movies. She taught me the beauty of words – from books to cleverly written to-do lists written sometimes in Latin, to a clue on a Christmas gift so she’d remember what she wrapped. She taught me the beauty of homemade gifts and treats – like quilts and desserts from scratch. She taught me the beauty of real food – like quiche, lobster, and garden tomatoes. She taught me the beauty of nature – with trips to National Parks and for being green before that was a thing. She taught me the beauty of what love looks like – from loving my own baby to always celebrating the love I share with Mr. J.

Mother’s Day has a whole new meaning now but I’m so thankful for many lessons but I owe her all the credit of learning to cook. Some of her signature dishes nobody can make like she can, but I love trying, learning her tips and inspiring eachother.

Her quiche is unrivaled. Mine isn’t quite there, but it is getting better. My recent best one was Bacon, Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Quiche
The Three Bite Rule - Quiche Lorraine
She and I both love shrimp and scallops. I learned to make pan-seared scallops by seeing her make it look easy!scallop_plate_590_390

Freezing leftovers or additional ingredients is something Mr. J and I both picked up from our mothers. They can each go into the freezer, root around, and come out with exactly what they were looking for. Amazing.

I leave the clam chowder to her, but corn chowder is another good one.  She also agrees that bacon makes everything better.
corn_chowder_done_590_390
Zucchini or Eggplant fritters are a dish I credit to her.
The Three Bite Rule - Zucchini Fritters
Thanks Mom!

Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches

I love a meat-less meal into my weekly meal planning for ease, since they tend to be faster meals, and for cost, since they tend to be cheaper meals too. Breaded eggplant is one of my favorite Trader Joe’s freezer items. I popped a few into the toaster oven while I got the rest of this quick sandwhiches ready for the taste of a slow cooked eggplant parmesan dinner.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant Parm Sandwiches

Ingredients:

breaded eggplant (about 2-3 slices of eggplant per sandwich)
1 cup tomato sauce
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
4 rolls or slices of focaccia

Directions:

Bake the eggplant at 400-degrees until crisp and warmed through.
Spread the ricotta onto the bottom roll halfs, then top with eggplant.
The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant Parm Sandwiches
Top the eggplant with slices of mozzarella and bake for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant Parm Sandwiches
Spread tomato sauce onto the top rolls and sprinkle with parmesan. Close up the sandwiches and bake for 5 minutes at 400-degrees to warm everything.
The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant Parm Sandwiches
Enjoy!

I have a serious love affair with ricotta and I think that’s what helps this sandwich really feel like a long baked eggplant parm dinner. The focaccia rolls were so good for this. I have a few more in the freezer and will have to think about their next use.
The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant Parm Sandwiches
I paired these quickie sandwiches with some salad and had a great dinner ready in no time. These sandwiches would be a good use for any leftover fresh mozzarella or ricotta you have. Or asiago or provolone would be great too.
The Three Bite Rule - Eggplant Parm Sandwiches

April 2015 Recap

I’m so happy it is spring! Sunshine! Flowers! Gahhh! I just want to be outside all the time!!! April was a fast and furious month with my return to work just in time to kick my event planning into full gear. I was so thankful to have a week of half days for the initial return so I could practice using my brain and wearing pants that button. Mr. J was home with the little one for 2 weeks and I really loved seeing them really bond while I went back to work.

I think the twice a week blogging is here to say. It seems to be a better schedule for me to have the chance to cook some good stuff but also not feel pressured to have every meal blog-worthy. Repeating meals or cooking without photos is nice, ya know?

My salad dressing this month was early but I was so happy with my Tuna Nicoise salad. It was the winner this month as my favorite. It also was my only seafood post this month. Oops. I’ll get on that.
The Three Bite Rule - Tuna Nicoise Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
This month I was also really proud of my bacon, cheddar, & caramelized onion quiche. Best one I’ve ever made. Plus I have more caramelized onions in the freezer just waiting for a chance to hop into a panini or ontop of a pizza!
Bacon Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Quiche - The Three Bite Rule
I really loved this chicken meatball, cranberry, kale, and onion alfredo pasta dish. So good. This was my restaurant recreation that I just adored. It was oddly fulfilling to challenge myself to take the elements of a truly special dinner and recreate it as a quick weeknight meal.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Alfredo Meatballs
The “smokehouse” burger with smokey aoli, havarti, caramelized onions, and pretzel rolls!

The Little One:
3 months

We’re so in love. He’s just a joy. That doesn’t mean every day, or every minute is rainbows & unicorns, but Baby T is happy and that spreads to us. He is smiley and coos a lot. Baby T’s hair is cracking me up. There’s so much on the back and not much on the sides right now. He’s growing so quickly! Sometimes I look at him and think he’s like a wiggly little boy rather than my baby! I imagine I’ll do that for the rest of his life, am I right?! The other day I took the babe in the stroller and brought one of the dogs on a walk. I felt like a million bucks getting the 2 out at once! Windsor is such a good dog and I was really proud of him. To show my appreciation, I was realllly careful not to bump him with the stroller.

Likes: daycare! Phew! It was an easier adjustment returning to work and starting him at daycare than I thought. They’re really sweet and he seems happy. We all did well with the transition. He loooves daddy! This month especially Baby T’s face lights up and he cracks a huge smile when he spots his Dad. It is really sweet to see. He likes grabbing at toys hanging above him and holding toys.

Dislikes: sometimes the early evening nap/snooze isn’t on the agenda for more than 15 minutes. He had a few nights where he was vocal about not getting back to this nap.

Progress on this year’s goals: 

The Year of the Earring: ehh. I got several pairs for my birthday so I still had a few to be “new” this month.  

make more salad dressings: YES! I did it! I made dijon vinaigrette for my tuna nicoise salad. Seriously so easy.

factor more time into how long every-day tasks/trips will take: 
the daycare late fee is an incredible motivator/stressor to make this happen 😉

recreate restaurant menu items: 
I recreated a much faster version of the turducken meatball alfredo pasta I had from Isabella’s. Forget pinterest…restaurant inspiration is where it’s at.

be more adventurous with my reading selections: 
I didn’t read a ton, but I read The Children Act, which wasn’t amazing. Now I’m part way through Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian. That one is more adventurous. I was all jazzed to read a Laura Ingalls Wilder Autobiography until I realized it was annotated. Yeah. It weighed about 5 pounds and had a zillion footnotes. You can’t just read that. 

use the crockpot more: 
Nothing this month. 

seafood once a month: 
I think tuna on my salad is going to have to count. I’ll do a better job in May, also since it is grilling season.  

 

Beet & Sweet Potato Flatbread

With spring in full bloom I wanted to make a flatbread to highlight veggies for a lighter/meatless meal. I also am crazed at work getting ready for my big event this week. This insta-dinner taking only a few minutes to throw together was ideal. With the babe at daycare and both Mr. J and I back to work, we’re getting into the new routine.

The Three Bite Rule - Beet & Sweet Potato Flatbread

I love roasted beets but they take awhile and it involves the oven cranking away and you have to be careful not to stain anything with the juice. And and and. Apparently I’m full of excuses as to why I don’t make them all the time. I spotted packaged beets at the grocery store. That is one prepared item I can totally get behind. The convenience of these is much appreciated. The foil-wrapped potatoes is a whole different story. Who can’t do that on their own?!

Have you seen these? I found these cooked beets in the produce area near coleslaw mixes. Totally worth it. I forget what I paid, but I’d do it again. Maybe $4ish for 3 large beets. Or, if the grocery store has a good salad bar you might even find beets there too for even cheaper. That’s a great source when you don’t need much of something for a recipe.
The Three Bite Rule - Beet & Sweet Potato Flatbread

Ingredients: (for 2 entree servings, or ~5 appetizer servings)

2 naan breads
2-3 beets, roasted
1/2 sweet potato, pealed
1/2 cup feta

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. Lay the naan on a baking sheet.
Slice the beets into thick slices and the sweet potato into thin slices.
Drizzle the naan with olive oil then top with slices of raw sweet potato and slices of the beets.
The Three Bite Rule - Beet & Sweet Potato Flatbread
Crumble the feta onto the top.
The Three Bite Rule - Beet & Sweet Potato Flatbread
Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the naan crisps a bit and the toppings warm through.
The Three Bite Rule - Beet & Sweet Potato Flatbread
Slice & enjoy!

I loved these. I loved how little time it took for something different. The feta was so good with the beets and since I most often use feta cool, it was about time to put it in something cooked! I was lucky the sweet potato was so thin or it’d never have cooked in time with everything else. Using prepared flatbreads takes this from a more involved meal to a real quickie. Pita breads would work well too.

10 minute cooktime is PER-FECT for a weeknight. You can’t even decide on takeout pizza toppings in that amount of time!