Penne Rustica

 

Macaroni Grill is my husband’s absolute favorite place to eat and when

we get the chance to go, we always split the the Penne Rustica!

I found this recipe some time ago on Your Home Based Mom.

I made a few customizations of my own to make it a little closer to the original

and I tell you what, there is no other copycat recipe as close as this one is

to the original flavor!

 

 

Ingredients:

12 oz. grilled chicken breast
1/4 lbs. Pancetta

1/4 lbs. Prosciutto
2 boxes penne pasta
1 1/2large red bell peppers- diced and sautéed till soft 
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika for sauce and some to sprinkle on top!

3 cups Mozzarella cheese

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tbs. butter
3 large cloves chopped garlic
1/3 apple juice + 2 tbs. red wine vinegar + 1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary and several sprigs for garnish
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cups heavy cream + 3/4 cup milk

 

Directions:
Sauté garlic and peppers in butter in large pan.

Add apple juice mixture, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper,

and heavy cream and milk.

 

             Cook pasta according to directions.

Chop pancetta and prosciutto into small pieces and then fry

in a skillet. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.

(***Tip, when grilling chicken at any time be sure to add a couple extra

breasts on the grill. Then slice up and throw in the freezer for future meals

like this one. This Saved me a good hours worth of time! )

Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, pancetta, prosciutto,

bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly.

Spread in pans, and top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Garnish with 3 rosemary sprigs in each pan.

When I set out to make this recipe I did not realize how large the recipe

was, but I was incredibly grateful that it did!

In one prep I made four dinners at once. Considering the amount of work

involved up front it was very beneficial to get three future dinners done

at the same time.  

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of.

Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields 4
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Future suggestions… As we started to eat we realized that the ONLY thing that

was missing was the shrimp! So next time I will add lightly sautéed Shrimp.

 

 

I chose to serve this with a simple salad and sourdough bread,

baked and buttered with garlic-butter.

 

Taking the time to set a simple table Scape sets the mood

and some how makes the food taste that much better!

Making dinner at home special also makes it easier to make

the choice to eat at home.

We even played some Italian music as we ate!

This is a great meal for date night, Valentines Day,

Italian themed movie night, Birthday Celebration,

or Father’s day.  Here is a fantastic dessert to

accompany any Italian meal!

This is now a permanent recipe in my rotation of

bulk meals. Since we are in Flagstaff now, and there

is not a Macaroni Grill here, this helps  to satisfy

my husbands withdrawals! 

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Hawaiian Vacation… a Feast away!

An Attempt to Escape for the Evening

to a Happier Time...

My family has recently experienced a tragedy and we are

finding it hard to find reasons to smile each day.

While browsing Pinterest, I found an easy recipe for Kalua Pork,

or Hawaiian pork BBQ. I felt inspired to bring a bit of our

Hawaiian vacations of the past, to our winter home, in order to 

help warm up our thoughts and bring some excitement

to our 3 year old son.

 

 

Kalua pork.

I did not use the recommended pork shoulder for the Kalua pork.

 I tend to buy as lean of meat as possible for health, and

all I had around in the freezer was pork loin roast.

I was only feeding 3, so a small roast worked for us.

However, it came out very dry due to the lack of marbling in the

meat. Next time, I will splurge and buy the pork shoulder since it is

not a meal we would make often!

To make the pork: rub 1 tbs. sea salt (I used coarse kosher instead)

on a 3lb. pork shoulder.  Then add 1 tbs. of Liquid mesquite smoke

and rub that evenly over the meat.(I also added about 1/2 cup

water to the bottom since my meat had very little fat)

place in crockpot  for 16 hours.

(mine took about 10hrs due to the size)

“Fried Salad”

To go with the pork I made a cabbage side dish that

our family likes to call “Fried Salad.”

It is simple and goes very well with pork!

 

Start with a head of cabbage and shred it finely.

 

I also add thinly sliced carrots.

(sometimes I add onions and mushrooms too, but not in this case)

In a fry pan heat up a 1-2 tablespoon of oil (olive or canola).

Add your cabbage and carrots.

 

Then sprinkle approximately 3/4 tbs. coarse salt

and 3/4 - 1 tbs. Sugar. (Yes sugar, it is a necessary step. I have

tried it w/out the sugar and it does not work well. The sugar

and salt brings out the moisture and the sugar cuts the

bitterness of the cabbage.)  

 

I also grind fresh pepper on top, mostly for looks.

Mix/stir gently and then cover with a lid.

The steam will soften the cabbage, continue to stir/turn over

occasionally as it cooks.

 

 

You know it is done when you see that the cabbage is starting to

caramelize on the edges and the cabbage is slightly translucent.

 

Fruity Drink

 

What is a Hawaiian meal with out a fruity drink?

I simply took a package of Crystal Light Strawberry,

Orange, Banana mixed according to directions and then

added a little fizz with a can of Ginger Ale!

 

 

Delightful Island Dessert!

One thing that is bound to come up when we reminisce about

our Hawaiian vacations is the amazing fruit we

experienced day in and day out. Unfortunately for this

particular dinner fresh summer fruits were not

an option at this time of year so. I did the next best

thing…

1 small can tropical fruit w/ juices

1 small can mandarin oranges w/ juices

*(I try to buy fruit in their own juices as opposed to syrup

as they contain much less sugar)

1 small box  vanilla pudding (I used sugar free)

1 container Cool-whip

 

In a large bowl dump both cans of fruit with their

juices and mix in dry pudding mix until well blended.

Let it set for 3-5 minutes until slightly thicker,

Finally, fold Cool-whip in until well mixed.

Place in fridge for 30 minutes or until

ready to serve.

*I would have liked to have added toasted cocoanut

flakes to the top for an even more authentic flavor!

or serve it with cocoanut macaroons!

 

Setting the Mood…

 

On one of our visit's we saw a theatrical play about the

history of the Hawaiian people, where I purchased

one of these CD’s. However, I found the other CD at the

Dollar store of all places. I used it in my classroom and many

others I bought at the Dollar Store to inspire great writing

out of my students.

 

 

Mood setting, such as setting a themed table-scape

and music are a great way to make an evening special and

memorable. It really is worth the time and effort. I gathered

the few collectables I had around the house that is not

still in storage to set the table. Two sarongs, two hand-made

banana-leaf baskets and a wooden carved fish. As you

can see, this did the trick!

As much as we would like to escape to the islands 

it is not possible right now, but it was sure

nice to have dinner there, even if only in our

imaginations!

 

Tips to consider:

*This would be a great party idea that would be easy to do for a

large crowd, like a pool party/luau.

* This is also a great idea for a romantic valentines meal

* If your honeymoon was in Hawaii, this would be a good

anniversary meal too!

*You could have this as a FHE dinner and then discuss

missionary work ( a lot has been done in the islands,)

BYU Hawaii and the visitors center, or temples around the world.

 

Either way, whether you have been or dream of going, it is never

a bad day to have a Hawaiian dinner! Aloha!

 

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