Fettuccine with Asparagus and Goat Cheese

Hello from this long lost blogger! Guys, I'm sorry I fell off the face of the earth for a while there. Life got away from me. The husband and I run a small business, and we recently moved to a new office. It was way more work than I anticipated. Like WAY more. Needless to say, blogging to a back seat to...survival.

Although my house was a giant disaster area (please don't open my closet door), I did manage to feed my family. Admittedly some nights we ate crackers and cheese for dinner, but when I was feeling slightly more ambitious, I relied on HDHH classics.

Now that it's Spring, and asparagus is on sale practically every week, I figured it was time to make Fettuccine with Asparagus and Goat Cheese.

This is totally a 20 minute meal. And it's easy clean up. Cook the pasta and asparagus in the same pot, then stir in tangy goat cheese, grainy mustard, and fresh dill for a creamy, Spring-y sauce. So easy and delicious, even I could manage it!

Dinner? You've got this!

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Fettuccine with Asparagus and Goat Cheese
Originally posted in April 2013
Serves: 6

1/3 cup pine nuts
1 pound fettuccine
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut crosswise into thirds
5 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pine nuts on a rimmed baking dish and bake for about 5 minutes, until they are golden brown and smell toasty. (Alternatively, you can toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, but I always burn nuts when I toast them on the stove. Feel free to live dangerously, though.)

Cook the fettuccine to al dente according to package directions in a large pot of salted boiling water. Add the asparagus during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.

Drain the pasta and return pasta and asparagus to the pot. Stir in goat cheese, mustard, dill, and toasted pine nuts. Add pasta cooking water and stir until the cheese is melted and the pasta is evenly coated with sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Savory Pesto Palmiers

I love to cook. But, here's the thing; appetizers are hard for me. And they're really, really hard if I need to bring that appetizer to a party. I have to come up with something that travels well, is still tasty at room temperature, and is easy to make because...life. Sigh.

Recently I had to bring an appetizer to a Christmas party, so I dug into the HDHH archives for inspiration. Way back in 2011 I posted a recipe for Savory Pesto Palmiers. They met all of my appetizer requirements: travels well, tasty, and easy. Plus it was high time I took some updated photos. (I'm no photographer, but I thought I could do better than this.)

As I said in my original post, today's recipe is absolutely perfect for the shin-digs filling up your social calendar during the holiday season. And they sound as classy as you'll look in your hipster skinny tie. Savory Palmiers. You can prepare them ahead and pop them in the oven just before your guests arrive. Or bring them to the party already cooked. Although they're sublime straight from the oven, these palmiers are also delicious at room temperature.

Party on, dudes.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Savory Pesto Palmiers
From The Barefoot Contessa. Originally posted November 2011.
Makes 50-60 appetizers

1 package frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1/4 cup prepared pesto
2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt

Unfold one of the puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured board or parchment paper. Roll it out slightly using a rolling pin until the pastry is about 9.5" x 11.5". (Mine was a bit bigger than this, and it worked just fine.)

Spread half of the pesto over the pastry. Sprinkle with half the goat cheese, half the tomatoes, and half the pine nuts. Season with salt.

Starting at the short end of the pastry, roll each end halfway toward the center. Then fold each end toward the center again until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press together gently. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the second sheet of puff pastry and the remaining ingredients. Cover the puff pastry with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the rolls of puff pastry into 1/4" thick slices.

Place the palmiers face up on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14 minutes until the palmiers are puffed and golden. This makes about 60 appetizers, so you might need to bake them in batches. If you bake two trays of palmiers at once, make sure you rotate them halfway through so they cook evenly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

P.S. You can reheat Savory Palmiers at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes.

P.P.S. I can't help but share when my kids come to "help" when I'm taking blog pictures. Palmiers are officially toddler approved.

Spring on Toast (featuring eggs and asparagus)

Last Friday, on the first day of Spring, Erin dropped by Chez George for a little culinary date. Erin brought her son Danny (he's adorbs!) and my daughters Lucy and Penny enjoyed their first "babysitting" stint. She also brought a yummy lemon buttermilk cake.

Erin and I decided to team up today to tell you about our main course, which we shall call Spring on Toast. I'd seen a friend's yummy-looking Facebook photo of toast topped with asparagus, sunnyside up eggs and goat cheese--all finished off under the broiler. (Shout out to you, Kate Y.!)

This dish was the perfect choice for the first day of Spring, a meatless Friday before Lent and for a dinner without the husbands, who are both opposed to "breakfast" for dinner. The hubbies are wrong, just wrong, btw.

Here was our conversation while eating.

Erin (while shoveling yolk-y bites of asparagus into her mouth at warp speed): OMG. Amy. This is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. It's, like, for realz Spring on Toast.

Amy (admiring the crisp-tender spears of asparagus blanketing the toast): It does taste like Spring. This asparagus is absolutely perfect. Seasonal vegetables rock my world.

Erin (now attempting to lick up the puddles of yolk pooling on her plate): I think I'm going to make this for lunch every day now.

Amy (moving her foot just in time to avoid Danny driving over it with a Barbie jeep): So good. So, so good. SO GOOD.

XOXO and let's get cooking!
Amy & Erin

Spring on Toast (featuring eggs and asparagus)
Asparagus
Olive oil
Salt
Cracked pepper
Multigrain bread, sliced
Butter
Eggs
Goat cheese

Trim asparagus and place on cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 425 for 5 minutes or until slightly tender, but not overdone.

Butter each side of bread and "toast" each side in a skillet. Place toasted bread on a cookie sheet. Top with asparagus.

Cook eggs sunnyside up until the whites are set, just a couple minutes on medium or medium high. Slide eggs on top of the asparagus. Two per piece of toast. Note: This is a two person job and it helps if you and your culinary partner utter things like "careful, careful, careful" and "eek, eek, eek," as you try to coax the eggs on top of the toast, keeping them intact. Top eggs with goat cheese.

Broil on high until the goat cheese is softened and warmed through, about 5 minutes. (Watch carefully when you are broiling! Some broilers are hotter than the surface of the sun and will set your toast on fire in less than a minute. Erin may or may not know this from experience.) Remove and top with cracked pepper. Eat immediately.

P.S. Amy was kind enough to send the leftover Spring on Toast home with Erin, and it reheated beautifully. 425 degrees for 10 minutes and the egg was still runny and perfect.

Chicken and Orzo with Goat Cheese

I like this recipe because you stir everything together in one pot and bake it in the oven. It's hands-off. So I can watch TV while dinner makes itself. That's how I roll.

Chicken and Orzo with Goat Cheese
Adapted from Everyday Food
Serves: 6

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound orzo
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large, oven-safe Dutch oven,* bring broth, water, salt, and pepper to a boil. Add chicken, orzo, goat cheese, basil, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the broth. Stir to combine.

Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is mostly absorbed. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Let it rest for about 5 minutes (to give the cheese a chance to melt) before serving.

*If you don't have a pot that's safe for the stove and the oven, bring broth and water to a boil in a saucepan and then pour it into a 3-quart baking dish with the rest of the ingredients. I like to use an oven-safe pan so I only have to wash one dish!

Herbed Goat Cheese

Do you think it's fair to say that herbs are to food as accessories are to fashion? Take a bracelet. On it's own you might think, "Well, that's a nice bangle." But when paired with the perfect cocktail dress, yowzers. It makes the outfit.

I think herbs are the same. I'm not gonna get all jazzed about a basil leaf just sitting alone on my plate. But when that basil is sprinkled on top of freshly sliced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese? There might be some swooning then. And, really, what is a mojito without mint?

Now that I have herbs growing on my back porch, mere steps away from my kitchen, I plan on using them to add flair to my meals as often as possible. Just yesterday I used basil and dill to turn a boring old sandwich into something special. And it all started with herbed goat cheese...

Herbed Goat Cheese

3 ounces goat cheese, preferably at room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil*
1.5 teaspoons chopped fresh dill*
Salt and pepper

Stir basil and dill into softened goat cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use Herbed Goat Cheese as a spread on sandwiches or wraps, to dip veggies, or schmear on crackers or pita chips. This recipe makes enough to spread generously on two sandwiches.

*Don't like basil or dill? Feel free to substitute your favorite herbs.

Herbed Goat Cheese and Roast Beef Sandwiches with Roasted Red Peppers
Serves: 2

4 slices bread
Herbed Goat Cheese
Roasted red peppers, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons for the husband and practically the rest of the jar for myself.)
6 slices roast beef

Spread Herbed Goat Cheese onto one side of all four slices of bread. Top two slices of bread with roasted red peppers and roast beef. Close up sandwiches with remaining two slices of bread.

Couscous with Chicken, Chevre, and Cranberries

I feel like dinner has been a struggle lately. Can anyone else identify with that? When I get home from work, I'm so hungry that all I want to do is shovel down a bowl of cereal for my evening meal. (And I'm talking Lucky Charms or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I'm not messing with the healthy stuff.) I can't imagine putting forth the effort to make hot dinner; it would be at least as hard as climbing Mt. Everest. Maybe harder.

When I can think of something to make that's fast--something that involves leftovers or cooks at warp speed--I'm sold. And if it can be eaten all together in a bowl (as if it was cereal), all the better.

P.S. Today's recipe made me chuckle to myself: Four words that start with "C" in one recipe. I'm so clever.

Couscous with Chicken, Chevre, and Cranberries
Serves: 4

1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (Water will get the job done, too.)
1 7.6-ounce package couscous*
2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 cups cooked, diced chicken
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2/3 cup dried cranberries
3 ounces crumbled chevre (a.k.a. goat cheese...but that didn't start with a "c")
Salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Allow couscous to sit, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Stir lemon juice, olive oil, chicken, almonds, and dried cranberries into couscous. Gently fold in crumbled goat cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*I usually have a 7.6-ounce box of couscous on hand. If you buy your couscous in bulk (which is probably the smarter and thriftier way to do things), 7.6 ounces is about 1 1/3 cups of uncooked couscous.

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Dried Cranberries

The husband introduced me to a phone app called Words with Friends. It's dangerously addictive. One minute you're having a conversation with your spouse, and the next, you're trying to land a "j" on a triple letter score, muttering "mmmhhhmmm" to whatever he's saying.

Although you can't buy it on iTunes, I think cooking with friends is just as good. There are a gaggle of reasons why it's an excellent past-time, dinner-time, party-time...

1. It's fun. Another couple joining you for a double date, a few glasses of good wine, someone attempting to use an immersion blender for the first time. It's either a recipe for disaster or hilarity, and it always seems to be the latter. 
2. It's less work than cooking alone. Hate peeling carrots? Assign that job to a friend while you focus on chopping onions. Or you can be the supervisor and just watch everyone else cook while you sip a cocktail. Someone has to be the coordinator, right?
3. It takes the pressure off. Entertaining can be intimidating, especially if you're not terribly comfortable in the kitchen. Cooking with your dinner guests is the best way to remedy that. If your meal doesn't turn out according to plan, it's on everyone's shoulders. And you know my rule; if dinner doesn't work, you can all go to McDonald's. 

This salad is one of my favorite things to make when I cook with my friend, Kelly. It's her favorite. Also, it's easy. So we can focus on gabbing and drinking. (See #1 above.)

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Dried Cranberries

A.k.a. Kelly's Favorite Salad

Serves: 4

8 cups mixed greens

2 apples, very thinly sliced (If you're not as obsessed with apples as I am, you could use just one.)

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans

High-quality balsamic vinegar

High-quality extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

In a large bowl (or on individual plates) combine greens, apples, goat cheese, cranberries, and pecans. Drizzle with vinegar and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.