30 minute meal | Mommie Cooks!

Veggie Ricotta Pasta

March 30, 2011 By Julie 36 Comments

Whether the temperature outside registers it or not, it’s officially springtime across the country. Down here in the South the beginnings of foliage are starting to show and the first flowers of the season are in full bloom.

Spring is my favorite time of year. I love watching life blossom back into view and bring the promise of warmer days. Leaves make themselves visible, flowers open their petals to drink in the springtime sunshine and birds start to look for the perfect nesting area to expand their family. I feel as though we wake up a bit too. We shed our extra layers, spend more time outside enjoying the warming days, and begin to put away our hearty soups and stews in exchange for lighter fare.

This dish was inspired by my adoration of the changing season. With fresh basil, spinach, and tomatoes all present and swirled around the pleasurable taste of ricotta cheese, a bite of this meal makes me instantly blithe to say goodbye to winter and hello to the warmer months ahead.

There are only a few steps involved in making this pasta; another reason I find a smile creeping onto my face when I make it. Start off by dropping in a smattering of ingredients and spices. Think garlic, white wine, lemon juice, and chicken broth to name a few.

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Simply Bean Soup

March 16, 2011 By Julie 25 Comments

When I was a child I hated beans. No wait, let me rephrase that. Not just hated, despised. On nights when beans were served, my mom would make my brother and me sit at the table until we finished every last bean on our plates and sometimes we’d sit there for hours. We didn’t have a dog to help in our demise and the cat was as turned off by the whole ordeal as we were so she was no assistance in the bean disposal department. My brother eventually developed this ingenious idea to declare an “emergency bathroom break” immediately after taking a huge bite of said round nuggets and would magically come back with a cleansed palate. I still owe my brother one for his shrewd method of bean extraction.

I’m not sure what happened between childhood and today, but at some point in time, unbeknownst to me, my palate adapted, ate a bean, and declared it good. Now I suddenly find myself cooking with beans on a weekly basis and dare I say, enjoying it. Fortunately two of my three kiddos enjoy the beans with me. One, Nicholas, does not. Life experience has taught me that forcing a bean ~~despiser~~ hater to eat beans does absolutely nothing for expanding the palate and only causes said child to have a sore bum from spending too much time seated at the table with no dog for assistance. So, for now, I allow Nicholas to bypass the beans in the hopes that one day, he too will declare beans good.

And so, this soup is in honor of beans. Plain and simple. There aren’t many bells and whistles in the recipe. Just what it takes to highlight my gratitude for a sometimes under acknowledged, non-meat, healthy as all get out, protein source that with time and appreciation, I have truly come to enjoy.

Grab your bowl and let’s cook up some Simply Bean Soup.

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Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

February 21, 2011 By Julie 61 Comments

Having grown up in Wisconsin, there were certain foods that I came to enjoy as a part of everyday life. Bratwurst cooked on the grill. Friday night fish fries. Beer (Need I say more). And then there is the food that Wisconsin has always been known for, cheese. California may try to claim it from us, but make no mistake, we are considered the cheeseheads for one big reason. Wisconsin knows cheese. Sorry California. I love your beautiful weather and your beaches (lord knows Wisconsin is lacking in the sand and salt water department and our winter weather leaves something to be desired), but I just can’t give you the crown for cheese over my beloved hometown state; and yes I’m most definitely biased.

So in the spirit of true cheesehead pride, I have created this recipe as a salute to the state where I grew up. You can find a steaming bowl of beer cheese soup in just about any mom and pop restaurant in Wisconsin. And I’m willing to throw money down that pretty much every bowl you find will be good enough to scrape the dish clean. There’s just something magical about combining cheese and beer together that makes the world right again. Serve up a brat or some fish fry on the side and you’ll be ready to move your roots to the north. Guaranteed.

In other news, the big day is finally here! My blogoversary is officially on Thursday, but we’ll be celebrating on Friday with a giveaway or two and a look back at the past year of Mommie Cooks (and what a year it’s been!) Hopefully the new site design will be launched by then as well. It’s as good as ready. I’m just waiting for the green light from my designer. So keep an eye out cuz Mommy’s updating to a whole new look and this one plans to stick around for awhile.

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Indian Butter Chicken

February 16, 2011 By Julie 35 Comments

I was first introduced to Indian butter chicken about six years ago after finishing up a marathon road journey to my dear friend Camilla’s, who was living in Kansas City at the time.

Call me crazy, but I love to drive long distances and am known to throw caution to the wind and just hop in the car at any given moment and go. On this occasion I had been chatting with Camilla over the phone and we decided a get together was long overdue so the following week I popped Nicholas in the toyota, then about 16 months old, and made the eight hour trek from Dallas to Missouri. The drive was probably about one hour longer than a 16 month old had patience for, but we arrived in one piece, none the less for wear, and ready for a hearty dinner.

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Cajun Lobster Pasta

January 26, 2011 By Julie 39 Comments

Valentines day is fast approaching and while many people prefer to go out for dinner to celebrate the occasion I, simply put, am not one of those people. Don’t get me wrong, I love dining out at restaurants; just not on Valentines Day. It’s crowded, it’s expensive, and the menus are usually fixed prixe and limited in honor of the special day. I don’t blame restaurants; it crazy out there on the day of love! You gotta do what you need to do to survive the night.

That’s why, after a few years of braving the crowds and the mediocre food, Scott and I made the decision to stay home on Valentines Day and do it the way we wanted to do it. For the past 10 years, we’ve made it a tradition to have a carpet picnic; just the two of us. We create a wonderful meal, set up a small table by the fireplace, and allow ourselves to eat slowly and truly enjoy one another’s company. It sounds so simple, but trust me, when you have a boatload of small kids running you in circles all day, the option for a nice meal enjoyed slowly and deliberately doesn’t happen all that often.

There are so many wonderful dishes that can be made to celebrate the day. This is one that Scott and I truly enjoy. The lobster gives it that bit of indulgence that you crave for a special meal, but it’s still easy to put together and serves up quickly so that you can spend more time at the dinner table and less time behind the stove.
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White Chicken Pizza

January 19, 2011 By Julie 65 Comments

In this house I know that anytime I make a pizza, it’s guaranteed that it will get eaten. Even if I screw it up, the mantra seems to be that there is no such thing as a bad pie. Only the “this is pretty darn good pizza, pass another slice please” pizza, the “thank you soooo much for making pizza mommy” pizza (trust me, dinner compliments from the six and under crowd are a rare treat so this is the sign of a job well done), and the “Get your hand off that last slice, I called dibs and I’ll fight ya for it if I have to” kickin’ awesome pizza.

This pizza is of the third distinction. It’s a tomato free pizza loaded with chicken, fresh basil, and fresh spinach. Trust me, you won’t miss the tomatoes. I’ve made it twice for my kids now and both times they gobbled it up like it was candy (it could also be that I bribed them with candy if they would eat a piece, but I would never (did I just say never?) do such a thing so we’ll pretend I didn’t just type that).
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