a few of my favorite things...

Last night while making dinner I stumbled upon this delicious pasta dish! I don't think I've mentioned yet that my husband and I are vegetarian, and therefor all my recipes will be too! But, vegetarian or not, this pasta is "yum" and the ingredients are just a few of my favorite things:

Garlic Spaghetti
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt
1 lb/450 g dried spaghetti
3 tbsp dried parsley flakes
teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 c. fresh Parmesan, grated

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic & pinch of salt and cook over low heat stirring constantly, until golden brown, then remove saucepan from heat.

2. Bring large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to boil & cook according to box directions. Drain and return to saucepan.

3. Add the olive oil-and-garlic mixture to the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly. Add parsley & pepper and toss to coat again.

4. Transfer the pasta to warmed serving dish & sprinkle with Parmesan. Salt to taste.

Enjoy!
~Laura Joy~

(Base of recipe from "Mmmm... Pasta")

A New Year, A New Kitchen!

Hello! I'm Laura Joy, the other "writer" for this blog! I've been a little busy over the past few months, but here I am and I'm ready to blog! This past New Year's Eve my husband and I hosted a party to celebrate our new apartment. Mostly, to celebrate my new kitchen! I love to cook & bake, but when your kitchen teeny tiny, it is difficult to make much more than noodles & sauce. But, moving into our new place also upgraded my kitchen! So, I decided to make everything from scratch for this blessed event. Quite an undertaking when you have been out of practice, but still very fun! I am going to share just one of the recipes with you today... Spinich & Artichoke Dip.

Makes about 5 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
2 c. (8 ounces) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/2 c. Fat-Free Sour Cream
1/4 c. (1 ounce) Grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 (14 ounce) Can Artichoke Hearts, drained & chopped
1 (8 ounce) Block 1/3-Less-Fat Cream Cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) Block Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 of a 10 ounce package Fresh Chopped Spinach

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 6 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl, and stir until well-blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm with bread or tortilla chips.

Good luck!

(The base of this recipe is from Cooking Light & myrecipes.com)