Steak, Mushroom, and Asparagus Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Robert and I have been using our Big Green Egg Smoker Grill practically every night since we moved in to our new apartment. When we end up with leftovers, I like to get creative with the reheating so as to avoid getting bored. My most recent attempts was using some leftover steak fillets to make this delicious pasta.

I found the recipe for the sauce on a blog and new I had to give it a try. Then I decided to add mushrooms and asparagus, two of my favorite sides when it comes to steak. This pasta was absolutely delicious, albeit very rich. It's a great way to reuse leftover steaks (especially those on the rare side).

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Steak, Mushroom, and Asparagus Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped leftover steak
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup beef broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Instructions
Place the asparagus pieces in a steamer and cook until just done but still crisp.

 While the asparagus is steaming, chop the leftover steak into cubes.

 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat and add the green onions and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and have released most of their liquid.

 Add the steak and stir to warm through.

 Pour in the wine

 and beef broth.

 Bring to a slight boil then pour in the heavy cream.

 Stir to fully combine.

 Stir in the gorgonzola until fully melted.

 Toss in the asparagus.

Serve over whole wheat penne pasta and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Pretty Peas

Easy Marinara Sauce

Work has been a little crazy the last couple of weeks so I've not had as much time to cook elaborate meals. As a result we've eaten out a little more than normal, and the meals I have cooked have been either ones I can cook from memory, or those than can be made in less than an hour.

This meal was a quick substitute for my usual spicy spaghetti and turkey meatballs that, while delicious, takes close to two hours from start to finish. Instead of 2 hours, we were ready to eat in 45 minutes, which is great for a busy weeknight. So keep this in mind the next time you want a quick meal that tastes fresh and homemade. And leave the take out for another night.

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Easy Marinara Sauce


Ingredients
1 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano tomatoes)
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion halved
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Instructions
Roughly chop the canned tomatoes.

 Place in a large saucepan with the onion and butter.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

 After 45 minutes remove the onion and discard.

 Add the brown sugar and stir until mixed in.

 Serve over whole wheat spaghetti and grilled Italian sausage.

Source: Adapted from Steamy Kitchen

Lasagna: Comfort food for a rainy night

Dallas is having a huge storm tonight...much appreciated rain for both the plants and to hopefully get some of this pollen out of the air. I thought it would be fun to have an old fashioned treat for dinner to celebrate the rain by staying cozy and dry inside. Meat, cheese and pasta, that is basically the equation for comfort food, warming and filling. Hopefully you will enjoy this rather easy recipe for a homemade treat.

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Ingredients:
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 cup of chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes, pureed
1/2 cup of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of Italian seasonings
No boil lasagna noodles
1 egg
3 cups of cottage cheese
6 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
A splash of fresh lemon juice

Steps:
1. Gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the beef, onion and garlic. Cook until the beef is browned.

3. Add the pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasoning.

4. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes. You want the sauce to thicken.

5. While the sauce thickens, make the filling by combining the egg, cottage cheese, mozzarella and lemon juice.

6. To assemble the lasagna spread enough sauce over the bottom of your baking dish so that the bottom is covered. Layer the noodles on top of the sauce. Then add half the cheese filling over the noodles. Add half of the sauce over the filling. Top the sauce with noodles. Top these noodles with the remaining cheese filling and then the sauce and one more layer of noodles. Finish the lasagna by adding a bit more sauce over the noodles. I actually ran out of sauce, so I used back up canned sauce from the fridge. Then sprinkle a little cheese on top.

7. Bake in a 375 degree over for about 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Enjoy with yummy rolls! We are using Sister Schubert rolls...my absolute favorite!

Simply Delicious Tomato Sauce

What is your comfort food? What is the one thing that you crave when you need healing, whether that be emotional or physical healing? Mine is pasta, especially pasta with a rich and luxurious tomato sauce. Indeed, this incredibly easy tomato sauce is one of the tastiest and most comforting sauces I have discovered. Do you need some healing or comfort? Sometimes you just do, there might not be an explanation for it, but sometimes you just need to be kind to yourself when the world is not so kind to you. I certainly could use a food hug. This tomato sauce certainly made me feel better.

What is the key to the luxurious texture and depth of flavor? Butter! Butter does make everything better. My husband says using butter in cooking is somewhat like cheating, because whenever you add butter...the food is better. I agree. Everything is better with butter. But, sometimes you just need to cheat and treat yourself to butter! So, indulge yourself with this decadent sauce, that has literally 4 ingredients!

I added chicken, mozzarella and halved grape tomatoes to round out the pasta dish as a full meal. Serve this with a nice green salad, crusty bread, and I suppose a nice bold red wine would pair nicely...but it is 104 degrees outside...so we are having a crisp and COLD Chardonnay from the Carneros Valley, Cuvaison, one of the most beautiful places we have ever been.  

Speaking of beautiful....we were in Malibu this past weekend for one of Bunker's dear friends from college. This friend is a purely kind person with a heart of gold, and I love that he found an incredibly sweet and thoughtful girl. Not only was the wedding venue breathtaking, but also the wedding vows, speeches, and overall aura took your breath away and brought a tear to each and every eye. Much love to Murph and Jackie. 

Bunker taking a conference call for work at a Starbucks just off the beach!

View from lunch! I could live here very easily...

There are just no words...amazing...

At the wedding!

At the wedding...overlooking the ocean!

The happy couple!

Reception.

So....the temperature dropped just a few degrees once the sun went down...chilly!

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Ingredients:

2 28 ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes in their juices

10 Tablespoons of butter

2 yellow onions peeled and cut in half

Salt to taste

3/4 pound of pasta (I used Penne pasta)

3 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

2 cups of grape tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise

1 fresh Mozzarella ball sliced into bite sized cubes (Mine was from the Mozzarella Company in Dallas) 

Steps:

1. In a large cooking pot, combine the two cans of tomatoes, 10 tablespoons of butter and onions. (Do not slice the onions, really just cut each on in half and place in the pot, you will remove the onions later.)

2. Let this mixture simmer for 45 minutes, stirring often. 

3. While the sauce is simmering away (and making your house smell so delicious!) cook the pasta (I used penne but you can really use whatever you prefer), cook the chicken breasts, cut the grape tomatoes and mozzarella and set aside. 

4. Once the tomatoes have broken apart after 45 minutes, remove all of the onion pieces with a slotted spoon. I am keeping mine for something...not sure what...perhaps to top a pizza or something like that. 

5. Puree the tomato sauce until it is to the texture that you prefer, I prefer very smooth, therefore, I pureed mine until it was very smooth, but you should do whatever you prefer. 

6. Place the cooked pasta in a shallow pan and place over very low heat.

7. Add the sauce to the pasta.

8. Add the chopped chicken, tomatoes and mozzarella to the pasta and cook until heated through.

9. Enjoy with a crusty bread and a bright white wine in the summer, or a warm and rich red in the winter.