Cheesy Baked Rigatoni with Peas, Basil and Purple Kale

It’s official, spring fever is spreading fast. The one problem? Weather in the northeast hasn’t been on the same page. That’s where this baked pasta dish comes in. It has a comforting, cheesy sauce that 40 degree nights call for with fresh flavors that will satisfy all of your spring cravings.

This is a great recipe to try next time you're cooking for friends. The dish can be made up to a day in advance by covering and refrigerating the unbaked pasta mixture in prepared skillet. When you are ready to serve, remove skillet from fridge and let it sit at room temperature while waiting for your oven to preheat. Then you just bake it off according to the recipe. I'd love to hear how it goes!

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni with Peas, Basil and Purple Kale

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1/3 cup and 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, divided
1 cup ricotta cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1 cup shredded Fontina cheese
1 egg
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound dried rigatoni pasta
1 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas
2 cups coarsely chopped purple kale
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Grease skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese, coating completely. 

Mix ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a simmer. Then, reduce heat and cook until sauce is thickened, whisking frequently (about 20 minutes). Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk in Fontina and 1 cup Parmesan. Add egg and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set sauce aside.

Preheat to 375°. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just short of al dente (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Without discarding the pasta water, transfer pasta to a large bowl using a slotted spoon or spider. 

Add kale and peas to boiling pasta water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and add to bowl with pasta. Stir in cheese sauce. Add 1 cup parsley, and basil to pasta mixture and stir to combine.

Transfer half of pasta mixture to prepared skillet. Spoon half of lemon ricotta mixture over pasta. Cover with remaining pasta. Finish by spooning remaining ricotta mixture and 1/4 cup Parmesan on top.

Bake pasta for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Return to oven and bake until top is golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. 

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve.

Blackberry Lemon #Cake with Coconut Glaze

Not sure what to do with those leftover berries in your fridge that are quickly approaching their “sell by” date? This is a situation I find myself in a lot. Instead of throwing these guys into my morning smoothie that is long gone and forgotten after a few sips through a straw, I decided to bake them into a pound cake (#cake) that I’d be able to enjoy (and share) for the rest of the week.

Chain coffee shops and food stores have really given pound cake a bad rap thanks to those prepackaged slices full of preservatives and artificial flavoring. Pound cake, however, gets its name from the traditional recipe made with a pound of each flour, butter, eggs and sugar. While this recipe may not follow the traditional recipe, it will remind you of how deliciously easy it is to make a cake.

I used blackberries but you can use whatever berries you were planning to use in that “garbage disposal” smoothie. The glaze is optional but looks pretty and tastes amazing.

Blackberry and Lemon #Cake with Coconut Icing

Yield: 8 slices

Ingredients:

CAKE

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 whole milk
1 cup blackberries

GLAZE

1/4 cup coconut milk powder
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
3-4 tablespoons whole milk

DIRECTIONS

CAKE

Preheat oven to 350F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper (I used a 9x5-inch pan but a 8x4 loaf will work too).

In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add half of the flour mixture into butter mixture. Add milk, then the other half of the flour mixture. Stir to combine and then fold in blackberries.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes (or until golden brown). Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before removing cake and transferring to a wire cooling rack. 

GLAZE

Add coconut milk powder and confectioners sugar to a medium bow, string to break up any large pieces. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency of syrup. Pour glaze on warm cake.

Banana Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats

I’m not really a morning person, or at least not in the traditional sense of the meaning. I am, however, really good at hitting the snooze button a few times, flipping on the morning news and rolling out of bed with just enough time to be 5 minutes late to wherever I’m going. Does that count as being a morning person? On days like these, the only breakfast I’m making comes out of a can and is devoured on the floor by my two furry girls.

This is when my favorite recipe for overnight oats comes into play. I make a few jars at once so they are always ready to go on weekday mornings when my time is limited. Healthy, delicious, filling and easy to eat on the run. You can always add in your favorite fruits or nuts to make your own version.

Banana Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats

Yield: 1 16oz. jar or 2 8oz. jars

ingredients:

2/3 cup of unsweetened milk (I use almond)
1/3 cup of plain greek yogurt
1/2 rolled oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup (honey would work well too)
3/4 ripe banana, mashed
2 tablespoons chocolate chips

directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until combined.

Spoon into mason jar(s) and secure with lid.

Refrigerate overnight (or for at least 6 hours). Jars will keep for 4-5 days.

Go-to Tiramisu

Let me start by saying that I used to HATE Tiramisu (or at least I thought I did). You know that local Italian restaurant that was your parents go-to for special occasions when you were growing up? Painted murals of Italian countryside on the walls, white table cloths covered in paper, napkin fans and a large display of dusty wine bottles? Well ours was called Pinnochio’s and it was the first place I tried Tiramisu.

It was soupy and overly boozy (though I'm not sure that this would be a complaint I’d still have today) with an excessive amount of cocoa powder. The amount that leads to a coughing fit should you accidentally inhale with a bite in your mouth or even close to it. I avoided it for years, maybe decades. Now fast forward to 2017 where Tiramisu is, hands down, my favorite dessert. I order it whenever it’s on a menu knowing full well that it may disappoint. And it does more often than not. This recipe, however, won't. 

While it may seem daunting, Tiramisu is actually pretty simple to make and can be stored in the the fridge for up to 3 days. My recipe calls for store bought savoiardi (lady fingers) and you’ll want to make sure they are the crisp variety, not spongey. I have yet to try making fresh savoirdi but I am sure they would work just as well, if not better. 

GO-to Tiramisu

Yield: 12 servings

ingredients:

2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 tablespoons coffee liquor (I used Kahlua)
1 tablespoon rum (or substitute for an additional tablespoon of coffee liquor)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cups dry Marsala wine
2 1/2 cups mascarpone
1 cup heavy cream
2 7 ounce packages of savoiardi
2-3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions:

Stir together water, espresso powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, coffee liquor and rum in a bowl until sugar has dissolved. Let coffee mixture cool.

Beat egg yolks, Marsala wine, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a heat safe bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water using a whisk or electric mixer for 8 minutes (or until doubled in volume). Remove bowl from saucepan. Beat in mascarpone.

Whip cream in a large bowl until it holds stiff peaks.

Carefully fold mascarpone mixture into whipped cream until combined.

Quickly* dip each side of savoiardi cookie into coffee mixture and line the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking pan with 14 ladyfingers in 2 rows, cutting down cookies to fit if need be. Spread a third of the mascarpone cream mixture on top. Repeat this step 2 more times (for a total of 3 layers).

Dust the top mascarpone layer with cocoa powder. Cover tiramisu and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (up to two days).

Remove tiramisu from the fridge and let it sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Feel free to dust with additional powder before serving! 

* Cookie should still be crispy after dipping, not soggy. avoiardi will continue to soften while tiramisu sets in the refrigerator, I promise!