Pasta Again

There's a reason I named my blog "Natalie's Noodles," actually, there's two. One, my name is Natalie. Two, pasta makes a very frequent appearance at my house. I could eat pasta every night of the week, and some weeks, I do. I make pasta so much that I wouldn't blame Brian for getting sick of it but he hardly ever complains. How do I manage to feed my carnivorous boyfriend pasta multiple times a week? I add meat, and I change the sauce.

Pasta is a wonderful neutral flavored carb that can be paired with virtually any flavor (have you ever heard of Chili Spaghetti?!). Tonight, I decided to experiment with some chicken and came up with garlic lemon chicken and pasta.

To make this citrus-y, garlic-y wonder, you will need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 box of pasta

1/2 cup flour

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp lemon zest

Juice from 1 lemon

Italian herbs and seasonings (Parsley, oregano, thyme, marjoram, etc)

2/3 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp oil

Put on a pot of salted water to boil. While you're waiting for that, put the flour, garlic, and Italian seasoning mix into a plastic bag or bowl. Shake it up, add the chicken, shake some more. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Pour the oil into a pan and add the chicken. Cook on medium high heat until the chicken is cooked through, flipping once. By this time, your pasta should be done. Drain and return to the pot. Cut your chicken into strips and add to your pasta.

Add the milk, butter, cheese, and lemon juice. Heat on low until the cheese melts down. Garnish with some fresh herbs or lemon peel.

I would have also served this with garlic bread, but I totally forgot that I had put some into the toaster oven and they burnt. Badly. Oops!

Taste the Rainbow!

One of the main appeals of vegetarian cooking is how colorful it all is. In my mind, the more colorful a dish is, the better it will taste. That's one of the reasons I was so attracted to this recipe for Rainbow Cake I found on Omnomicon. It just looked so pretty!

The really nice thing about cake is how versatile it is. Sometimes, I make this in a bundt pan. Sometimes, I make this in a regular 13x9 pan. Someday, I might make a round double-stacked rainbow cake. When I'm feeling really ambitious, I make rainbow cupcakes.

If you want the fat-free version of this recipes, visit Aleta over at Omnomicon and follow her recipe using sprite and pudding and cool whip.

To make this amazing, fantastic, psychedelic cake you only need two ingredients.

1 box of white cake mix (I use french vanilla)
1 box of Betty Crocker Gel Food Colors (I use neon, but they also come in Classic)

First, you'll need to make the cake mix according to the directions on the box. You could also make your own white cake mix, if you're feeling like a super chef.

Split the cake mix into four individual bowls, and add a squeeze of color into each bowl and mix well. There's no need to go overboard, these gel colors are a lot bolder than those liquid food colors we grew up with. In whatever pan you choose to use, layer the colors, being sure not to mix them. This is what it should look like:

Don't try to swirl the colors, or you'll get grey/brown batter. The cake will still taste pretty good, but it won't be nearly as cool.

Bake according to package directions and add your favorite icing.

Oh, and for the love of God,

DON'T FORGET TO GREASE YOUR PAN!

I can't tell you how many times I've gotten really excited about a new dessert recipe and forgotten to grease the pan. Ruins the whole presentation, trust me.

Something Fried

Despite what most people think, being a vegetarian does not automatically make you a health nut. In fact, just last night I got a craving for some of those fried veggies you get at county fairs. Knowing that I only have zucchini and peppers in the house (two vegetables Brian can't stand), I decided to make him a fried porkchop with green beans and potatoes while my fried veggie strips cooked. Here were the results:

The zucchini and the green peppers were particularly amazing with the bbq sauce I dipped them in. The red peppers were so flavorful I could have eaten them without the sauce. Heres how I made these beauties:

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 zucchini

2 eggs

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 tbsp Southwest Chipotle seasoning blend

All you have to do to make these delicious bites is cut your peppers into 2-inch strips and your zucchini into discs, dip in the egg, add to the seasoned breadcrumbs and bake at 450°F for 20-30 minutes on a cookie sheet. If you can make shake-n-bake, you can make these. I ate mine with bbq sauce, but they'd be equally good with ranch, marinara, or whatever you feel like dipping them in.

Also, since they were baked rather than fried, they were somewhat healthy. They'd be equally as good with practically any vegetable you happen to have in the fridge. I'm thinking broccoli, cauliflower, onion, or mushrooms.

The pork chop was only slightly more difficult, if only because they were incredibly thick and took a while to cook. To recreate this, you will need:

4 Porkchops (or however many you want to make)

2 eggs

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 1/2 tbsp Southwest Chipotle seasoning

3 tbsp Oil

Liberally cover a pan in oil and get it nice and hot while you prepare the pork. Prepare the same way as the veggies, first coat in the egg then seasoned bread crumbs, and add to the pan. Mine took about 8 minutes on each side, but if your chops are normal sized it should only take about 5. Be sure you have enough oil to swish around, or the crust will burn.

I served our meals with green beans and potatoes, seasoned with garlic and cayenne to compliment the southwest chipotle.

Introductions are in Order...

Hello, readers! My name is Natalie, as you could probably tell from the title, and I love to cook. However, I do run into some difficulties. Such as a picky boyfriend, an itty bitty budget, and virtually no time to actually get into the kitchen. Yet, somehow, I still manage to make some pretty awesome dinners when I actually get the chance.

For my pilot post, I've decided to post one of my favorite recipes ever: Pepper Penne.

Looks good, doesn't it? I make this recipe a lot with whatever happens to be lying around the house. Here's what I found in my fridge last night:

1 Zucchini
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Tomato
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Garlic Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Cilantro
A Handful of Montery Cheddar Cheese
A box of whatever noodles you have on stock (I like to use penne, but on this particular night I didn't have enough for a full dish so I added some butterfly pasta that I had leftover)

I stopped measuring herbs and spices a long time ago because most of the time it should be "to taste." I, for instance, love hot and spicy food. So I used a healthy dose of cayenne. Likewise, if you're a huge garlic fan, add more garlic. If you don't have garlic pepper, you could just as easily substitute black pepper and garlic powder.

Start by putting a pot of water on the stovetop to boil. While you wait for that, chop up all your vegetables and throw them in a pan with the olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat and throw the noodles in the boiling water. If you use a pasta with a shorter cooking time, you may want to wait until your vegetables have cooked a few minutes. The vegetables should have between 10-15 minutes on top of the stove so if you choose angel hair pasta, wait until the very end to add it.

After your vegetables have cooked about 5-7 minutes, add the lemon juice, garlic pepper, cayenne pepper, and cilantro. Be sure to stir the vegetables to ensure that everything gets coated. There should be a fair amount of liquid in the pan, simmer the vegetables in it until your noodles are done. Drain your noodles and add the vegetable mixture. Top with cheese (again, however much you want, just be sure not to overpower the vegetables) and enjoy!