Spinach Orchiette Soup

Our soup days are coming to an end, although you wouldn't know it by the weather we had this weekend. It's almost April and it feels like January. I can't take it anymore. 7 weeks and counting until we're in sunny Mexico though, basking in the sun and drinking frozen concoctions that will make me forget about this never ending miserable winter we've had in New England.

This healthy soup is a cinche to throw together and you can freeze in serving size portions. It's a Cooking Light recipe that was given to me by Stacey (founder of the SSCC)!

Ingredients:

1 cup water
3 (10.5 oz) cans chicken broth (or vegetable)
1.5 cups uncooked orecchiette (I used Campanelle pasta)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed (or use fresh spinach)
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Bring water and broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add pasta and spinach; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in tomato.

Combine 3 T parmesan cheese, pepper, salt and egg; stir well with a whisk. Slowly drizzle egg mixture into simmering soup, and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with parmesan cheese (to taste). Serve immediately.

Cicco's Calzone

Holla! Ya, I know, it's been a while. Will you forgive me? I've been cooking, just not blogging. Not sure why, maybe it's because I have very little time after work now since I'm addicted to a couple reality shows and with the writing strike over, some of my favorite shows are coming back. YAY!

American Idol has proved to be one of the best seasons ever in my opinion. I did not cry when Amanda was sent packing last night. I wanted to like her, I really did, but every week she screamed the same wanna be rocker tune and it drove me batshit crazy. I was shocked Carly was in the bottom three though, I really like her. I just think she needs to make better choices. So who are my favs you may ask? I lurve Jason Castro....he looks like a guy I would have totally drooled over in high school, with the long hair, big nose and dreamy eyes. And the cherry on top, he sings AND plays the guitar, well giddyup! I also like David Cooke, aka "big forehead guy" in our household, because even though the renditions of some of my favorite songs are not his originals, he sounds awesome. And David A....despite the fact that he licks his lips more often than not I love him. He's cute, he's kinda dorky, and he's got an amazing voice. I almost cried when he forgot his words last week. I think he'll win the whole shabang if you ask me.

Okay, and onto the calzone! Anytime my group of friends has a party, it's pretty much a known fact that Cicco is bringing a calzone. It's also a known fact that the thing will be woofed up faster than you can say oink oink! I think what makes this calzone stand out is the Land o Lakes American cheese. When it melts, the creamy velvety texture just rocks your world. I ain't lyin folks! But beware, there's a bite to this calzone because of the capicolla (hot italian ham) so if you'd like to make it a little less milder use regular ole ham. Oh and one more thing, don't snub your nose to the bologna like I did, you can't really taste it, and I tend to use less than the recipe calls for. Thank goodness D knew better and did not tell me what was in it before I had a chance to fall in love.

Ingredients:

fresh pizza dough (found in the deli/produce/cheese section)

1/4 lb german bologna

1/4 lb capicolla

1/2 lb pepperoni (sliced from the deli)

1/2 lb land o lakes white american cheese (calm down, you won't use it all)

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flour pizza dough and roll out into a rectangle. Layer the cold cuts and then the cheese. You might not need to use it all, depending on how big the regtangle is. Fold over the dough (the long side) in half. Wet your hands and press together the edges. Brush the egg on top of the calzone. Bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Stuffed Peppers

I'm trying my hardest to reduce the amount of meat Brian and I consume, but let me tell you, it's hard. Brian is very much a meat and potatoes type of guy - and me, well I'm a carb lover. Now that the winter months are coming to an end (hey, a girl can hope, right?) those bikini and speedo days are in sight. So we're back on the wagon, the diet wagon that is.

This stuffed pepper recipe is very versatile. You can add chicken, ground turkey or no meat at all. You can add any type of cheese, feta, goat or mozzarella. I've adapted this creation from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
2 cup water
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.

While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice and cooked chicken, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.

Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.