Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Marinated Artichokes, Olives, Fresh Mozzarella and Cherry Tomatoes

Healthy, quick and delicious pasta salad 

with artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, olives, fresh mozzarella and basil.

An amazing combination of Mediterranean flavors!

I always appreciate a pasta salad that takes little time and little effort to prepare. This pasta salad with artichoke hearts, olives, mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes is fresh, healthy and delicious. Perfect for a family picnic, or to take along for a lunch or a dinner at the beach.
With the beginning of spring break, and many beach days coming up, this quick recipe will come really handy. Especially when the weather is so nice and the kids can't wait to get out there and play! Even when my morning gets pretty busy with all the packing for the day, I can find time to cook this dish. Ready in less than 30 minutes. Amazing, right?!?
All you have to do is cook the pasta, chop and combine all the veggies, and the job is done. The quantities of the ingredients are only there to give you an idea of how much I used for each. But you can improvise, change it up and make it fun. You can't go wrong with this pasta salad.
And here is the video recipe:

Ingredients: serving 4

• 8 oz (225 gr) mixed, organic cherry tomatoes
• about 12  olives (kalamata, greek... or your favorite)
• 4 oz (115 gr) of artichoke hearts, grilled and marinated (I bought mine at Cost Plus World Market)
• 4 oz (115 gr) of fresh mozzarella, ciliegine
• about 4 leaves of fresh organic basil
• 12 oz (340 gr) of orecchiette pasta, or similar shape
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water boils, cook the pasta following the directions on the box.
2. Cut the tomatoes in small pieces, removing most of the seeds. Cut in pieces also the mozzarella, the olives and the  artichoke hearts.
3. In a large bowl, add the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Add the artichoke heart and the olives.

4. Drain the pasta when ready, and run under cold water to stop from over cooking.
5. Toss the pasta with the vegetables. Add the mozzarella and the basil leaves cut in pieces. Drizzle with more olive oil if necessary.

Buon appetito!

DYE EASTER EGGS WITH KOOL-AID !!!

I found this fantastic idea on Pinterest and it works extremely well. Not only does it produce a pretty colored Easter egg, but  it doesn't smell up the whole kitchen like a vinegar based dye does, PLUS it is very economical!!

 

This could not be simpler: 

Mix one small packet of UNSWEETENED Kool-Aid powder into 2/3 cup warm water and mix.

A coffee mug works well for this; a different color Kool-Aid in each mug. Place a hard boiled egg in the liquid for about a minute then set the colored egg on paper towels.  That's it!! I TOLD you it was easy!!

The lemonade (yellow)isn't very bright, but if you add a little orange to it, it will give you a great color. Pink lemonade is a beautiful color; try them all and have fun!!

Happy Easter !!

Note: Use the small packets of Kool-Aid. Most of them are about .15 ounce, (it isn't critical).

Apple Roses

Impress your guests with this beautiful rose-shaped dessert

made with lots of soft and delicious apple slices, wrapped in sweet and crispy puff pastry

If you are a Pinterest fanatic and enjoy browsing through all the delicious food selection like I do, I'm sure you have seen photos of this amazing dessert. There are many variations, but all very similar. And all (or most!) very beautiful.
So, the other day I got inspired, and looked up a bunch of recipes to try out these apple roses. There are several ways you can prepare them. You can make your own dough or, like I did, use store bought frozen puff pastry. It's much easier and a lot quicker!
All you have to do is defrost the dough, and stretch it out a bit. You want to make sure it's not too thick, or it might not cook properly.  I spread the dough with apricot preserve, but you could also use peach, plum ... or what you like. Slice the apples really thin. Cook to make them softer and easier to work with. And then just have fun with rolling the dough with the apples, like my pictures down here will show you.
And for all the cinnamon lovers out there, don't forget to sprinkle your apples with as much (or as little) cinnamon as you wish.
You will be surprised by how easy is to make this simply beautiful dessert. Ready to try it out?
Here is my video recipe:

Also, check out my new recipe for a savory appetizer: Rose Shaped Eggplant Parmigiana. As beautiful and as delicious! Click here to see my YouTube video.

Ingredients: to make 6 roses                                       Printable Recipe                Leggi in Italiano

• 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
• 2 red organic apples (I used red delicious)
• half lemon, juice
• 1 tablespoon of flour, to sprinkle the counter
• 3 tablespoons of apricot preserve
• cinnamon (optional)
• powder sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation time: about 20 minutes to prepare, plus 45 minutes to bake
Directions:
1. Thaw the puff pastry if you haven't done so yet. It should take about 20-30 minutes.
2. Prepare a bowl with some water and the lemon juice. Cut the apples in half, remove the core and cut the apples in paper thin slices, as shown in my picture. Leave the peel so it will give the red color to your roses. Right away, place the sliced apples in the bowl with lemon and water, so that they won't change color.

3. Microwave the apples in the bowl, for about 3 minutes, to make them slightly softer. If you prefer, you can also simmer the apple slices in the water in a small pan (on the stove).

4. Unwrap the puff pastry over a clean and lightly floured counter. Using a rolling pin stretch the dough a little, trying to keep it in a rectangular shape. Cut the dough in 6 strips. These are about 2 in x 9 in (5 cm x 22 cm).

5. In a bowl, place three tablespoons of apricot preserve with two tablespoons of water. Microwave for about one minute, so that the preserve will be easier to spread. Spread the preserve on the dough.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Drain the apples.

7. Place the apples on the dough, as shown in my picture. Sprinkle with cinnamon if you'd like.

8. Fold up the bottom part of the dough.

9. Carefully roll, seal the edge, and place in a silicone muffin cup. No need to grease the muffin mold if it's silicone. Otherwise, make sure to grease it.

10. Do the same for all 6 roses. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 40-45 minutes, until fully cooked.
NOTE: make sure the pastry is fully cooked on the inside before removing the roses from the oven! If after 30 minutes the apples on top look fully cooked, move the pan to a lower rack in the oven, and wait for 10-15 more minutes to avoid undercooking the puff pastry.

Sprinkle with powder sugar and enjoy!

BEST BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS EVER !!

I kid you not, these chicken thighs are the BEST of the BEST and quick and easy to make. They are SUPER moist, SUPER tender and SUPER flavorful. We couldn't stop eating them and they are going straight to the TOP of my FIVE STAR recipe list.

 

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs  (thawed)
Milk to cover
1/4 cup melted butter

1 tablespoon Coleen's seasoned salt (click here for recipe)
3/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons paprika

Put the chicken in a large bowl and cover with milk (I use 2%). Let this sit in fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, seasoned salt, salt and pepper, and paprika until well mixed. NOTE: I've only ever tried this with my own seasoned salt mixture (click here for recipe)I can't tell you if any other seasoned salt mixtures would taste as good.

Drain the milk off of the chicken and put the chicken in the flour mixture and toss to coat evenly.

Preheat your oven and an EMPTY 9 x 13 baking dish to 400°. When the oven hits 400°, put the melted butter in the hot baking dish, spreading it around so the entire bottom of the pan is covered.

Set the floured chicken on the melted butter and put back in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over and bake another 20 minutes. That's it!!

Chicken comes out SUPER tender, SUPER moist and SUPER flavorful.

ENJOY !!!

Homemade Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins

These lemon-poppy seed muffins are full of a summery citrus flavor,

with a super soft and fluffy texture, and the added crunchiness of the poppy seeds 

Nothing says spring like just-picked, juicy lemons.
Here is Southern California all the trees are blooming with beautiful flowers and lots of fruits. If you are not sure how to use your fresh lemons, here is the perfect idea. These muffins are soft, fluffy and bursting with lemon zest and juice.
This recipe is very easy and quick. You can prepare these muffins in minutes without the use of a blender. To keep the muffins soft and moist is actually recommended to whisk the batter by hand, so that you don't overmix it. And the secret to make the perfect high top of a bakery-style muffin: fill the muffin cups almost to the top with the batter, and bake the muffins at 400 degrees for the first 10 minutes, and lower temperature for the rest. It's that simple!

Here is something new for my blog: I'm super excited to show you my first video recipe for these muffins. You can find it on YouTube here:

Please let me know what you think! All comments are welcomed. 

Ingredients: to make 12 muffins

• 6 tablespoons (80 gr) of unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of white sugar 
• 1/4 cup (50 gr) of brown sugar
• grated zest of 2 lemons
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) of milk
• 2 tablespoons (20 gr) of poppy seeds 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 cups (375 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (16 gr) of baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar or white sparkling sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter, in a double-boiler or in the microwave (about 30 seconds). In a large bowl mix the eggs with the white and brown sugar and the melted butter.

2. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, poppy seeds, vanilla extract and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour with the baking powder and baking soda.

4. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the other mixture, only until combined. Don't over mix or the muffins will come out not as soft.

5. Spoon the batter evenly into 12 paper lined  muffin tins. They should fill almost to the top.

6. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if you'd like. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees, and without removing or opening the oven, bake for 15 more minutes, or until golden on top. Test with a toothpick, check if it comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Enjoy!

COLEEN's SEASONED SALT

This seasoned salt recipe exists because a recipe that I wanted to try, called for it and I didn't like the idea of buying a ready made "blend". I guess I'm just cheap frugal in that respect.

These ingredients go together in seconds and costs nothing (extra) since everything needed is already in your spice rack!!

1/4 cup kosher salt
4 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika if you have it)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (not salt)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

Mix everything and store in a small jar....couldn't be simpler.

Note about the cayenne: This mix is definitely NOT spicy. Picky-picky husband is very heat-shy when it comes to his food, and he thinks this salt blend is great. If you want more kick, you can double the cayenne.

ENJOY !!!

Seafood Spaghetti with Spicy Sole Fillets

This one-dish pasta dinner with seafood is hot and spicy.

A must-try recipe that is super easy and quick to prepare.

This is one of my favorite one-dish pasta dinner, simple and quick to make in no more than half an hour. Dover sole fillets are easy to find at most supermarkets, at least around here. And even better, are among the cheapest seafood there is.
This recipe combines the delicate flavor of the sole fish, the strong and nutty aroma of the garlic, with the super hot peperoncino, all cooked in white wine.
You can always adjust the recipe based on your taste. For my family, I cut the garlic in big slices so that I can remove the garlic and peperoncino before serving. This will make the pasta a little more kids friendly, but still very flavorful. Or, if you prefer, you can chop the garlic in small pieces, and break up the peperoncino for a deliciously hot and spicy pasta.
Tonight, I'm enjoying my dinner watching an amazing sunset over the Pacific ocean. Buon appetito!

Ingredients, serving 4 people:

• 6 medium dover sole fillets, about 2/3 of a pound
• about 1/3 cup of flour
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 peperoncini (dry hot peppers)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• 12 oz of thick spaghetti

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Directions:
1: Cut the sole fillets in pieces. Dip in flour and mix to coat all pieces..

2. In a large skillet heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, cook the fish - make sure to shake off any extra flour from the fish before cooking it. Sprinkle with salt.

3. Remove the sole from the skillet and set aside. Clean any left over olive oil from the skillet. I used very little oil that there was not much left.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the spaghetti when it boils following the directions on the box.
5. Saute' the sliced (or chopped) garlic cloves and the hot pepper in about three tablespoons of olive oil, using the same skillet.

6. If you'd like, remove the garlic and hot peppers from the oil, once the garlic it's slightly golden.  Add the cooked sole, the white wine, a couple of tablespoons of water (from the pasta pan) and the parsley. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the alcohol evaporates and the sauce dense up a little. Don't let it dry. Add a little bit of olive oil or water if necessary.

Drain the pasta when ready, and toss it in the skillet with the fish. Mix well, and serve immediately. Top with more chopped fresh parsley if you'd like!

Buon appetito!