Taco-ish Tuesday- Cheesy Taco Pasta

Cheesy Taco Pasta

I can't say I grew up with Taco Tuesdays, in fact my parents never made tacos even once in my entire childhood.. Italians don't often cook Mexican food, or any other food other than Italian for that matter LOL. I guess that is why my kids have essentially been deprived of Taco Tuesdays as well however I recently came across a taco-ish recipe that I could get behind and it has fast become one of our weeknight favorites... let's be real- I can't always get my SH*% together to coordinate it with a Tuesday. Try it out and see if it makes your Tuesday rotation! 

Total Cook Time: 30 minutes

You will need:

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer petite diced )

1/2  lb elbow pasta

shredded mexican cheese

canola oil

1 packet of Taco seasoning**

** When I'm feeling extra fancy I make my own taco seasoning blend using cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder and a little salt. I don't really measure, just toss together a little of each to my preference. You can't go wrong! My favorite spices right now are the starter set I got on Amazon from Spicewalla- they are super flavorful, and plus I love the tins they come in, aren't they so cute?!  

First up get your pasta water on to boil and then make your spice mixture..

Then heat a small amount of canola oil in a pan over medium/high heat in a high-sided skillet. When the oil gets hot add in the ground beef and brown it up, about 8-10 minutes.

 

Once beef is cooked through, lower heat to medium, drain excess oil/liquid and add in a can of diced tomatoes as well as your taco seasoning mixture and stir well.

When pasta is cooked drain and add it to the pan with the beef and tomatoes....

Now comes the fun part- add the cheese and stir until melted and gooey- 

                                               

Dish it up and dig in!

**Want to switch it up?!!**

- substitute ground chicken or turkey for the beef. 

- omit the pasta and have it over nachos!

- spice it up with 1/2 a can can of chili in adobe sauce

-add chopped up red or green bell peppers when browning beef for more veggies

Date Night In- Butternut Squash Risotto

Let's face it- our calendars will remain wide open for weeks to come in this crazy time. I am so missing a night out at a great restaurant, or more honestly, any meal I didn't have to cook! But yet we trudge on. I was starting to get bored with our usual suspects for dinner so decided to make something more fancy to go with our steak tips. This is where risotto comes in! Its the perfect way to elevate a dinner and give it a little something special, you know... set a Saturday apart from a Wednesday... 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Italian cooking, risotto is a rice dish cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. It is made with a special type of rice called Arborio because of its short grain and high starch content. Once you get the method down you can change up the flavors pretty easily by using different broths, different wines and altering your add-ins. It's very versatile in that it can be served as a main dish or as a side.

Risotto is a great home date night meal because it doesn't require much active cooking. You can drink wine, talk, hang out and give it a little attention to the stove every few minutes and then it's done! I love this version because it is lighter than some of the risottos that use lots of cheese. Also makes my Sauvignon Blanc an acceptable choice even though I'm serving red meat since I had to open the bottle to cook with it!

Here's What You Need:

1/2 cup dry white wine*
4 cups chicken broth**
1 small/med butternut squash***
1-2 shallots
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (WARNING no other type of rice will do!)
2-3 sage leaves

2 cloves of garlic

Olive oil,  butter

*don't use cooking wine!!

** low sodium is best here 

***save time and buy prepackaged cubed, just cut them up smaller before roasting 
Makes 4 side dish servings or 2 entree servings, Total Cook Time: 35 minutes

First get the squash peeled, chopped and ready for roasting. Place on parchment paper or foil and drizzle with olive oil, salt, garlic, and some sage leaves. Put in 400 degree oven while you cook the risotto (about 20-30 min).

In medium size saucepan combine chicken broth and wine and let it simmer on low to keep warm.  Any kind of dry white will do here but I prefer Sauvignon Blanc. You want to keep the liquid warm the whole time so when you add it to the dish as you are cooking your'e not bringing the temp down.

While your broth is coming to a simmer chop up your shallots and garlic into a fine dice. Then heat some olive oil (couple turns of the pan) in large deep skillet and toss them in to get shiny.. 

Once the shallots are translucent and you can start to smell the garlic it's time to add the rice along with a couple of extra swigs of wine and stir to coat 

Now turn down the heat to medium low, time to start adding the broth- you are going to add in about a ladleful or so at a time, as long as it wets the rice. Then stir it around vigorously each time to help the rice release its starch. A wooden spatula or spoon works best for this.

Let liquid almost evaporate completely each time before adding more liquid.  Total cooking time will depend on your preference of firmness. Somewhere between 20-25 minutes. I like my risotto a little softer but most Italians will say that al dente is the proper way.

As you keep adding the broth/wine the rice will plump up a bit.  You want to make sure you have a nice  bubbling going when you add the broth to make sure the pan stays hot enough..

In the last 5 min of cooking  move the rice aside and add a little more oil to crisp up the remaining sage leaves. This goes a long way in flavor... When they start getting crisp remove from pan.

Then add in your roasted butternut squash and stir together.  Adding a little more salt and the crumbled sage leaves in to incorporate all the flavors together.

  Then turn off heat and stir in 2 pats of butter which will give it a velvety and rich texture and the pretty restaurant-shine. 

And there you have it!! Fill your wine glass with the rest and ENJOY!

Date Night Dinner at Home: Drunken Risotto

Let's face it- these days it is not so easy to get out for a date night. I have a long list of restaurants I am dying to try out.  To keep myself content in the meantime I like to cook a fancy meal at home. I came across this recipe for "Drunken Risotto" in a Rachel Ray magazine a few years back and it has since become one of my favorites.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Italian cooking, Risotto is a rice dish cooked in a broth to a creamy consistency. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. It is made with a special type of rice called Arborio because of its short grain and high starch content. Once you get the method down you can change up the flavors pretty easily by using different broths, different wines and altering your add-ins.

Risotto is a great home date night meal because it doesn't require much active cooking. You can drink wine, talk, hang out and give it a little attention to the stove every few minutes and then it's done! I love the pairing of the deep wine flavor with the grated romano cheese and spiciness of the sausage. Give it a try- it might become one of your favs too!

Here's What You Need:

3 cups dry red wine
2 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium stock)
1/2 lb bulk italian sausage or links with casings removed
1 small sweet onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (WARNING no other type of rice will do!)
3 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
Olive oil, nutmeg, butter

Makes 4 side dish servings or 2 entree servings, Total Cook Time: 35 minutes

In medium size saucepan combine chicken stock and wine and let it simmer on low to keep warm.  Any kind of red will do here but I think this dish is best with a dry not too fruity one.  I've used Rojas, Pinot Noir, Malbec, and Cabernet and all have been great. You want to keep the liquid warm the whole time so when you add it to the dish as you are cooking your'e not bringing the temp down.

While your broth is coming to a simmer chop up your onion and garlic into a fine dice. I used shallots tonight which is also a great option. Then heat some olive oil (couple turns of the pan) in large deep skillet add sausage to cook through, crumbling it up as it cooks and browns (2-3 minutes). Tonight I used chicken sausage but you could also sub in turkey sausage or regular sausage or even chorizo if you prefer.

Once it's browned add in the chopped onion and garlic and sautee until softened.  Next stir in the Arborio rice and add salt and pepper to taste.  Time to turn burner down to medium heat.

Now for the stock- you are going to add in about a ladleful or so at a time, as long as it wets the rice. Then stir it around vigorously each time to help the rice release its starch. A wooden spatula or spoon works best for this!

Let liquid almost evaporate completely each time before adding more liquid.  Total cooking time will depend on your preference of firmness. Somewhere between 20-25 minutes. I like my risotto a little softer but most Italians will say that al dente is the proper way.

As you keep adding the broth/wine the color will intensify and the rice will plump up a bit.  Here is a pic about 10 minute in...

And here is another pic about 20 minutes in... notice the deeper color

In the last 5 min of cooking wilt in the baby spinach, grate some nutmeg in for taste- a tiny bit goes a long way.  Then turn off heat and stir in 2 pats of butter and your grated Romano cheese which will give it a velvety and rich texture.

And there you have it!! Fill your wine glass with the rest and ENJOY!