[recipe] Sunday, Dinner

We woke up this morning and just after we had finished brewing our coffee our power went out! Luckily it was morning time and it was light outside. The hubby and I sat on our couch and enjoyed our morning coffee until it was time to leave for church. We volunteered in the nursery today and we had a whopping 7 toddlers. They were all so quiet. It was a nice morning. When we arrived home our power was back on, thankfully.

For dinner tonight I decided to forgo the soup and I made a Pasta Bake and a Parsley Salad with a Dijon vinaigrette. It was pretty good for my first one. I made up my own recipe and just went for it.


Pasta Bake Ingredients:

2 bay leaves
1/2 Tablespoon dried Basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced Tomatoes with oregano, basil and garlic
1 can Tomato Sauce
3 whole fresh tomatoes, chopped peeled
1 cup chopped frozen Broccoli
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
3/4 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Pasta of Choice

Bread crumbs and butter

Italian Cheese or Mozzy Cheese, shredded


Directions:

1. In a large saucepan cook fresh tomatoes until soft and falling apart. Add the can of diced tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, the garlic, basil and bay leaves. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Add in the tomato sauce, broccoli and vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Add the Red Pepper Flakes and let simmer for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper again if needed.

3. Meanwhile Pre-Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta for half of the directed time. Drain and return to pot. Mix the pasta and sauce together. Ad 1 cup of cheese and stir to combine. Transfer to a baking dish.

4. Bake Pasta for 15 minutes. Then top with a Bread crumb and melted butter mixture. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Top with 1/2 cup cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.


Salad:

1 bunch of flat leaf Parsley
1/2 head of Iceberg Lettuce
1/4 cup Italian Cheese, shredded
Croutons


Dressing:

juice of 1 lemon about 1/4 cup
1/2 cup Olive Oil (or double the amount of lemon juice)
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Zest

Directions:

1. Combine salad ingredients in a salad bowl.

2. In a jar or dressing shaker combine the dressing ingredients and shake until combined. Pour as little (or as much) as you like over the salad and toss to coat.


Enjoy!
♥ Ashley