Once upon a time there was... Lemon Pasta with Chicken and Pine Nuts

When Cal and I want a quick, weeknight meal, pasta is a good choice. Unfortunately a good recipe is hard to find. Most easy pasta recipes have one of the following problems:

1) they are boring (i.e. spaghetti with sauce from a jar)
2) they are fattening (i.e alfredo, amaretto cream sauce )
3) they require fresh ingredients on hand (i.e penne with fresh pesto, ricotta, and tomatoes)

This recipe is like a magic solution to all of those problems. Just try it. You'll see what we're talking about.

Once upon a time there was... Mac and Two Cheeses with Caramelized Shallots

Alright Castle Farm Cookbook readers, today you are in for a delicious treat.  This macaroni and cheese recipe is pretty much the best thing ever.  Why top your noodles and cheese with dried out bits of stale bread when you could gloriously coat them with buttery caramelized shallots instead?  That's what we thought.

We were originally introduced to this recipe when a friend brought it to us as part of a potluck.  After stealing all of the leftovers for ourselves, we took her recipe, too.  (She found it at Epicurious.)

Once upon a time there was... Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss

Chicken Piccata is one of our favorite recipes. So, when we first heard about a piccata pasta toss, we knew we would have to try it. It came out great the first time we made it and every time since. This wonderful idea is originally from Rachael Ray but we adapted it to make the portions less completely ridiculous.

Once upon a time there was... Amaretto Cream Sauce

While we are big fans of alcohol in cooking, we think amaretto is an underused ingredient. There are always recipes with wine and beer and even rum - but amaretto? Not often. We have a delicious recipe for an Amaretto Cake, but amaretto in a cream sauce is a whole new type of deliciousness. Variations of this recipe are all over the web.

Once upon a time there was... Penne with Fresh Pesto, Ricotta, and Tomatoes

Well Castle Farm Cookbook readers, here's a great use for our fresh pesto! Since you've made the pesto ahead of time, this dinner is super quick and easy for a weeknight. We found this recipe online a few years ago and can't find the original source.

Once upon a time there was... Pumpkin Penne

We made this a long time ago - last year! In fact, there are a lot of things we have made since last year and into this year that we just haven't posted. Today however, we have nothing else to do except post all of these old recipes (and make new ones!). You see, we are snowed in again!! It's Snowmageddon 2010!!!! There are 3 farm animals (roughly 21") of snow outside. So here we are, FINALLY updating our adventures.

This recipe is for Pumpkin Penne. We were intrigued by the idea of using pumpkin for a savory dish instead of a sweet one. It should be noted that we decided to make this prior to deciding to cook healthier things. (Pasta coated in pumpkin and heavy cream is not exactly healthy.) We mostly followed a Rachel Ray recipe. This is pretty quick and simple; great for a weeknight!

This serves 4

ingredients

8 oz of penne pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. chicken broth

7.5 oz pumpkin puree

1/4 c heavy cream

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of sage

salt and pepper to taste

sage and parmesan for garnish

instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic and shallots and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).

3. Add chicken broth, pumpkin and cream. Stir. Add hot sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Lower heat, simmer until thickened (about 5 minutes).

4. Add sage and pasta to sauce. Toss to coat.

5. Garnish with parmesan and sage. Serve!

And that's it! See how easy?

We weren't sure how we would feel about the idea of pumpkin for dinner, but in the end we really liked it! It was different, it was easy, and most importantly, it was yummy. It reheated well for leftovers as well.

Here is the nutritional information for the dish.

This total does not include any parmesan cheese. A little high on fat but not that bad actually!

We definitely recommend this one.

Moo!

Once upon a time there was... Pasta with Chicken and Gorgonzola Sauce

This will be a pretty quick post because it's a pretty quick meal.  This is a nice dish to make for a weeknight.  Its simple and has a very different taste from your average pasta with chicken meal.  If you like the gorgonzola, you will like this.

(serves 2)
pasta ingredients

3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1 green onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz pasta
salt and pepper to taste

chicken ingredients

8 oz chicken breast

1 egg

1/2 c bread crumbs

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 c parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

instructions

1. prepare the chickens. cut chicken into 1" chunks. Whisk egg into a shallow dish. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, and garlic powder in another shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg then coat with crumb mixture.

Now your chickens will look like this:

2. cook your pasta according to package directions.

Cornelius' tip: we like to measure our pasta. 2 oz (uncooked) is a serving.

3. cook your chickens. heat oil and butter in a frying pan. Add chicken and cook, flipping as necessary, until golden.

4. make sauce. When the chicken and pasta are almost done, combine onion, gorgonzola, garlic, and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low, until ingredients are heated and combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. combine sauce and pasta. top with chicken.

pig, out.

Once upon a time there was... Pasta with Vodka Sauce

Cornelius and I have been very busy this month. We've cooked, we've baked, we've eaten, and we've done it all over again! Now it is time for one of our easy specialties - pasta with vodka sauce. (It should be no surprise that a recipe with vodka is one of our favorites.) We originally found this recipe at EveryRecipe.info and we really like to make it on the weekend because it is great for weekday lunches.

ingredients

1 lb. penne pasta

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1/4 c. vodka

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese

instructions

1. Melt butter with oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and simmer until almost no liquid remains in the pan, about 25 minutes.

4. While the sauce is simmering, cook pasta according to package instructions.

5. Add cream, vodka, and red pepper and boil until thickened, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Combine with cooked pasta, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and serve.

And so it is that simple - you just follow the six steps above and you will have yummy hot lunches all week!

Moo!