Recipe: Roasted Eggplant Linguine

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe and that's basically because I only want to share yummy things that are different and/or super yummy. My schedule has been insane lately, in a good way but the meals haven't been anything to write about. I've been busy than ever creating content for DIY Candy and getting ready to relaunch Hello Awesome Tees. No matter how crazy life gets, we still need to eat. And I don't mind that one bit.

Lately, I've been wanting to incorporate more healthy options for pasta. The canned sauce just hasn't cut it for me lately. There's really nothing like fresh tomatoes and organic herbs. Throw in a veggie like zucchini or eggplant, and you've got yourself a gourmet supper. I received a box of ingredients from Hello Fresh accompanied with awesome recipes. They didn't send it with the intention of having me write a post, so this is all my opinion and the recipe altered a bit to fit my family's tastes.

Here's what you'll need:

1 Eggplant

6 oz Linguine

2 Cloves Garlic

1/2 Onion

1-2 Teaspoon Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 can Tomatoes

2 Teaspoon Olive Oil

1/4 cup finely chopped Parsley

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the eggplant into bite-sized pieces and toss with a dash of salt and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and cook the eggplant for about 30 minutes or until the "meat" of the eggplant begins to brown.

Add the remaining olive oil to a large pan on medium heat. Dice the onion, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes then add to the pan. Toast for about 5-10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and stir. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, cooking the linguine until al dente. Drain the noodles and stir them right into the sauce.

Add the eggplant to the sauce and noodle mix. Serve immediately with a spoonful of the finely chop fresh parsley. Yum!

The Ultimate End-of-Summer Burger Recipe

Warning: You may want to lick the computer screen.

I feel like almost every recipe post starts off with me confessing something. Either I'm doing a lot of things wrong or food just brings out the honesty within me. We love to grill over her at the Pulford's. Whether it's on our deck at the condo or during a party over at the in-laws. Grilling just makes summers more meaningful. And glorious. And that's the truth.

Another truth is, I could not for the life in me create a homemade burger recipe that wouldn't end with the patties falling a part, plummeting to their death on the hot burning coals. Every recipe I tried, I failed. My poor husband would look at the burgers, wondering if he would be wearing most of it. He usually did. Thank you Jesus for stain stick!

Then, lo and behold, I came across this amazing burger recipe from Kraft. I'm going to continue on the truth train: I rarely EVER follow recipes. When I search for recipes, my goal is to find one as a base. A foundation for my kitchen creations, if you will. This was IT, folks! I don't know why but out of all the burger recipes from the past years, this one stuck and made sense to me. It corrected what I was doing wrong...and brought to life the ultimate end-of-summer burger.

I call it that because it seriously is! My husband and I enjoyed every moist, flavorful bite. The added homemade sauce, cheese, bacon and lettuce created an awesome end-of-summer party in our tummies. I just wrote tummies. Can you tell I have a toddler? Long story short, ingredients were simplified and the entire process was easy-peasy.

Here's what you'll need:

1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs, plain or seasoned
1 egg
Dash of pepper
1/2 teaspoon Adobo or your favorite spices
Italian dressing for flavor

Homemade sauce:
1 teaspoon mayo
2 teaspoons ketchup 

Add all of the burger ingredients into a medium bowl and mix well with your hands. Shape into 6 patties, 1/2 inch thick. Grill or cook in a grill pan, bast 1/2 teaspoon of italian dressing on each side of the pattie, flipping 4-5 minutes for each side or until fully cooked. 

In a small bowl, mix the mayo and ketchup. Add cheese, lettuce, bacon, anything you want to the burgers. Don't forget the homemade sauce! Perfect with homemade fries or your favorite chips.

And that's it. Can you believe how easy that was? The short creation time doesn't effect the great taste of this burger. It is amazingly good. I am sad that summer has ended but eating this burger made the last few days so worth it!

What summer food will you miss the most?

Linking up here:
Linky Party Palooza

Easy Dinner Recipe: Pizza in a Pan

Oh yes. This happened. More than once.
I was pinning, you know, like we ladies do when we create meal plans. Honestly, how did we create meal plans before Pinterest? I don't even want to think about it. Currently we are getting ready to head to Virginia to see our family which includes our new nephew! So stoked. This mind is rushing, planning, mentally packing and mentally freaking out about the 6-7 hour drive with a 16 month old.

Pardon me, dinner, but you will just have to cooperate with me and be done in about, oh, 20 minutes okay? Yes, dinner did cooperate and was ready in less than a half an hour! Boom. Case closed.

I adopted this recipe from Pillsbury right here but changed it very slightly. Basically I am cheap so I used spaghetti sauce instead of pizza sauce and generic biscuits instead of name brand. Sorry, Pillsbury. I love ya but the wallet sometimes screams for mercy from my purse when we hit the store.

If you're looking for a quick, easy, yummy dinner that can feed two or the multitude, look no further! I made this in two pans for a family of about 15 this past summer and it was a hit. Can't say it was my brilliant culinary expertise (sounds snazzy though) but it simply was because everyone LOVES pizza! So throwing all the ingredients in a pan and having it cultivate into a delicious hot, cheesy dish really makes the hearts flutter. And mouths water.

What you'll need:
1 can of Jumbo Biscuits
1 can of pizza or spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Handful of pepperoni and/or other toppings

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut each biscuit into 8 small pieces. In a large bowl, combine the biscuit pieces, sauce and 1 cup of cheese. Mix well. Spray a 13x9 baking pan and pour the ingredients from the bowl into the pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining cheese, add the pepperoni or your favorite toppings and bake for 20 minutes uncovered. When done, let cool for 1-2 minutes.

That's it! I'd like to try this with veggies.

Now tell me, what kind of pizza toppings do you like?

Chili Cheese Nachos {Recipe}

 Man, I haven't posted a new recipe in like forever! I don't know about you, but I love me some nachos...especially encased with cheese...I threw this together and created this recipe for three reasons:

1.) I was too lazy to cook REAL dinner
2.) I wanted something easy yet yummy

3.) I hadn't done groceries, so I used whatever I had

Feel me? You've been there...

Here's what you need:

-      1 bag Tortilla Chips

-      1 can salsa

-      1 can chili beans

-      5 slices or more of Velveeta (to your liking)

-      1/4 cup milk

-      ½-1 cup chopped lettuce

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, spread chips at the bottom. Top with drained beans, salsa and lettuce.

Melt cheese in a heat safe bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. Mix in the milk with a spoon, return to the microwave for 30 seconds. Mix until smooth, spread on top of lettuce.

     Bake for about 10 minutes and serve immediately. Top with sour cream & enjoy!

    Recipe suggestions: 

    Adjust ingredients to your liking.

-   For a little extra something, brown some ground beef with taco seasoning and

    add on top of the beans before the rest of the ingredients.