sunday ham & cheese pasta salad

This was so crazy good. I didn't have spinach the first time around, but it called for it and I wished I had it! Next time I make it, I will be sure I do, and I may even experiment with adding a bit of Dijon mustard to the dressing. Served with a bright, green salad (using leftover scallion vinaigrette), this made a quick and tasty meal - though, eater beware, it is high in fat due to the dressing and cheeses. I also brought it for lunch the next day, as shown in the photo below, at work served over spring mix and it was delicious. This would also be great to bring to a party or picnic. Enjoy!

Sunday Ham & Cheese Pasta Salad 
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 egg*
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (trust me, it's good!)
• 8 ounces corkscrew, whole-grain pasta
• 10 ounces fresh spinach, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 8 ounces cubed cheese, such as Colby-jack or mozzarella
• 8 ounces ham, chopped (from the deli is fine)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, for garnish 
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. To make the dressing, place egg in a bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil to the egg and whisk until thickened. Add the Parmesan cheese, white wine vinegar, and ground cloves and whisk until fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Cook corkscrew pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain well. Toss the hot pasta with the dressing until the pasta is well coated. Add the mozzarella, ham, spinach and tomatoes and toss to combine the dressing. Cover and chill for 4-5 hours.
3. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese before serving.

I brought leftovers (served over greens) with me to lunch the next day, as shown below:

*Note: The dressing contains a raw egg which is incorporated into the hot pasta. 

tangy dijon-prosciutto pizza

Pizza is easily one of my favorite foods. And this unusual recipe sounded too intriguing not to try. It blends tangy Dijon mustard with a buttery, garlicky white sauce that has a light base of skim milk and flour. It comes together to form a creamy, almost-Alfredo sauce that is, by comparison, fairy guiltless. Give it a try when you want something fresh and different. Just make sure to leave leftovers and eat a big, fat salad with it.

Tangy Dijon-Prosciutto Pizza 

• One ball fresh pizza dough
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
• 2-3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• Corn meal

1. Allow your dough to rise per package directions. Roll it out on a floured, clean surface. Preheat the oven to 400 (or whatever your dough package directs) with a pizza stone inside.
2. While the oven and stone preheat, combine milk and next three ingredients (through egg yolk) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for three minutes or just until butter and garlic begin to brown, stirring frequently. Add two teaspoons all-purpose flour to pan, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in milk mixture, and bring to a boil. Cook for one minute or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk.
3. When the dough and sauce is ready, pull the hot stone from the oven and sprinkle with corn meal. Lay the dough on top and spread sauce in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border; sprinkle sauce evenly with cheese. Slide parchment and pizza onto preheated pizza stone. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden, and the cheese is bubbly and brown. Arrange prosciutto on pizza, and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately. 

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shrimp scampi - a buttery dream come true

There's a secret side to me that maybe I haven't shared yet. Though I try to eat healthfully most of the time, lurking deep within me is a zeal for some of the most delicious and fattening things alive – in this case, butter.

For a recent birthday, I wanted something buttery. For dinner. There were only two people I knew to turn to: Paula Deen and Ina Garten. As a Savannah and South-Georgia native, Paula's over-done accent annoys me and she tends to cook with too many processed foods. She was nixed. Ina it was. Ina's shrimp scampi it was. 

As I sit in an airport typing this at 6:41 a.m., the smell of garlic sauteing in butter is still clear in my mind. (Probably because I usually opt for olive oil ... a true shame now that I think about it.) I can still taste the buttery-parmesan noodles, sharp lemon and sweet shrimp.

Ina's Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
    •    Vegetable oil
    •    1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
    •    3/4 pound linguine
    •    3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    •    2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
    •    1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
    •    1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
    •    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    •    1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
    •    1/2 lemon, zest grated
    •    1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
    •    1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
    •    1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
2. Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
3. When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Happy birthday to me (don't worry – you didn't miss it. It was a while ago!).