Pinterest Rescue:One Pan Chicken Alfredo Pasta

I don't know about the rest of you, but I love Pinterest! I pin a bunch of yummy recipes that I just HAVE to make, and then... I forget all about them. I have made a resolution to make one of my pinned recipes every week and let you know how it turned out. Feel free to play along; leave a comment about a pin you have rescued from your "to try" boards. 


The Pin:

One Pan Chicken Alfredo, from Like Mother Like Daughter

Photo courtesy of lmld

Why I pinned this: I see lots of one-pan pasta dishes and I am always skeptical about cooking pasta in the sauce. I don't really have an alfredo recipe and my kids love it.

Weekend Links

People, I read a LOT of food blogs. and articles. It's a little out of control, actually. So I have decided to share my madness with you. How about every weekend I make a digest of the best stuff I read during the week? I'm going to assume you said yes, so let's go!

King Arthur Flour posted an exhaustive 3 part series about baking with whole wheat flour. If you like to substitute whole wheat flour for all purpose, or if you are just a food science geek, check out this series. There are some great tips here from the experts.

I already posted this to facebook, but Mark Bittman had a sensible article about the newest findings linking poor health outcomes to processed foods and letting saturated fats off the hook a little. This is my favorite song, so here it is again.

Here are some lovely country maps made from regional foods. I don't even know what to say about these, they just made me happy.

Have a great weekend!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on April 3, 2011...

I have always made cookies from scratch, but from time to time I have purchased frozen cookie dough from fundraisers or the market. It seemed like a cool thing to have the dough on hand to bake up a couple cookies whenever the mood strikes without all the hassle - and waiting - of starting from scratch.

I am embarrassed to say how long it took me to figure out that since I a) know how to make cookie dough, and b) am in possession of a freezer, I could make it myself- with a little advance planning. Since that epiphany, I try to keep frozen cookie dough on hand.

Kitchen Tip: Bakin' Bacon

First off, I want to apologize for that. I couldn't control myself.

I have a whole series of tips that are based on nothing more than using your kitchen appliances to make your life easier. These tips are a little embarrassing in their simplicity, but since they really do make life easier, who am I to keep them from you?

I have never actually made bacon on the stovetop. I don't have one of those nice spatter screen things, and I loathe cleaning up grease off of my kitchen surfaces. So I bake it in the oven. Here's the deal:

Get out your bacon and a rimmed baking sheet or shallow pan. You don't want bacon grease running all over your oven.

Coconut Shrimp

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on March 26, 2011...

Every year when Lent rolls around, I rediscover seafood a little bit. I’m a seafood fan all year round, but I tend to forget about it in the winter when I’m far from the ocean, and I’m thinking about heartier meals. And then along comes Lent, deep in the doldrums of February and March with its fish-on-Friday tradition and forces me to change things up.  I like the tradition, because we are not just sacrificing meat -we could just have pizza after all- but we are getting a glimpse of the lighter, sunnier food to come. With the winter we have had, we could all use a little reminder that the sunshine will return, and from a culinary point of view, coconut shrimp is like a Caribbean getaway. You can even blend up a little rum drink, if you haven’t given it up for Lent.

Oatmeal

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on February 20, 2011...

Suddenly, oatmeal is all the rage. Don’t believe me? Marketing monsters Starbucks and McDonalds are offering up bowls of oatmeal alongside their fancy lattes and humble McMuffins. One the one hand, I understand the trend, because I am a huge fan of steamy bowls of cereal at breakfast. On the other hand, it is as big a mystery to me as the myriad boxes of instant oatmeal that cover nearly half an aisle in the market. Homemade oatmeal is easy, quick and versatile. Why have we fallen for the message that we can’t handle it, or that we don’t have time for it? I promise you, we can, and we do.

Roasted Potatoes

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on April 10, 2011...

Yes, I’m roasting again! I have mentioned how much I like roasting vegetables, so today let's take on the classic side dish roasted potatoes. It’s a classic for a reason, as it’s cheap, healthy and liked by just about everybody. Like any roasted food, it does take a while to cook, but the hands-on time is minimal and simple. Just toss the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper, toss it in the oven and finish with your favorite fresh herb.

Hummus

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on March 20, 2011...

People have been eating hummus in the Middle East for thousands of years. In the U.S., it was mainly consigned to Lebanese markets and health food stores until a few decades ago, when people discovered how delicious this nutritional powerhouse (It's loaded with fiber, protein, vitamins and healthy fats) can be. Today, it takes up quite a bit of supermarket real estate. It’s still relatively expensive, though, given the minimal cost to make it, and the quality varies quite a bit by brand.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on March 6, 2011...

I have a family of picky eaters. It’s rare that any meal is a hit with everyone, so when it happens, it’s a Very Big Deal. Enter takeout sweet and sour chicken, which is a big hit with everyone but me. As happy as I am to have everyone eating in peace, it’s difficult for me to overlook the thickness of the fried batter on the chicken, and the how-did-they-achieve-that-hue gloppy red sauce. As I often do, I wondered if there was a way I could make something similar at home, and make everyone happy.