Spinach Fettucine Primavera (a.k.a. Rachael, You Tease!)

When my sister in law shared this recipe on her blog earlier in the week, I took a look at it and thought, "A ha! A tasty-looking, simple recipe, that might have a shot at actually being made in 30 minutes!!" It looked so incredibly simple that I was convinced I'd be able to tackle it in thirty minutes. I even saved making it for a night I knew I'd be staying late at work, because wouldn't it be fun to come home and just throw something quick and easy together? WRONG.

I set my timer for 30 minutes and went to work on this bad boy. 28 minutes later, I was still chopping things! Does Rachael have any idea how long it takes an amateur to prepare strips of zucchini and carrot using a vegetable peeler alone? NO! Do normal people have magical water boiling fairies that start boiling a huge pot full of water at just the right moment so that it is perfectly timed for when the vegggies and pasta need to go in? NO! Alas, I had to set my timer for two 30 minute sessions in order to complete this crazy recipe.

Nevertheless, this recipe was relatively simple and moderately delicious so I thought I'd share. I added an extra three cloves of garlic (a must in our house), sauteed the garlic and shallots with crushed red pepper flakes in the oil (another must) and added a drained can of diced tomatoes and a handful of chopped fresh basil for a little something extra. Although the wine reduction sauce smells amazing while cooking, I found the recipe in general to be a bit lacking in flavor. We did enjoy the way the curls of veggies blended in with the pasta, however, and I'm a big fan of a balanced one-bowl meal, so I have a feeling I might be giving this recipe another shot in the not-so-distant future. I already have my tivo set for 7 a.m. Sunday morning so I can see what exactly this wizard woman does to make this dish magically appear in 30 minutes!

Spinach Fettuccine Primavera
See this recipe on air Sunday Sep. 14 at 7:00 AM ET/PT.

Salt
1 pound spinach fettuccine (I used capellini because Trader Joe's didn't have any fettucine that appealed to me... I can see how spinach fettucine would add more flavor, so I'll give her that)
2 carrots, peeled
2 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used 5 cloves because 1 pound is an awful lot of pasta)
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some to pass at table
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful (I'm not a parsley fan, so I substituted basil)

Bring water for pasta to a boil. Salt the water add the pasta and cook to al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes. Use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of carrot and zucchini. Keep the vegetables flat on counter and run the peeler the length of the vegetable. Drop the carrots and zucchini into the pasta water for the last 4 minutes of cooking time.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat with extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Saute the shallots and garlic 3 to 4 minutes then add peas and heat through, 2 minutes, stir in wine, reduce for half a minute and stir in stock. Toss drained pasta and vegetables with the sauce, season with salt and pepper, and combine with cheese and parsley.

Laughably Easy Lasagna

I had hoped to post a recipe for Chicken Under a Brick to the blog this week, but unfortunately it seems that Rachael Ray and I have had ANOTHER difference of opinion on what constitutes a complete and informative recipe and so let's just say that Chicken Under a Brick did NOT turn out as well as I had hoped. It tasted good in the end, but it was the "during" that was the problem. In fact, it almost set off my smoke alarm. I maintain that Rachael Ray is a LIAR.

Anyway, I have a very lazy lasagna recipe that is basically foolproof and always comes out delicious no matter what. Which is, RACHAEL, the best kind of recipe. This is a slightly jazzed-up take on my mom's lasagna recipe - thanks Kathy!

KATHY and KIRA'S LAUGHABLY EASY LASAGNA

Ingredients:

1 package lasagna noodles
1lb ground beef or sweet Italian sausage (or mix)
1 jar Newman's Own Roasted Garlic pasta sauce (<--IMPORTANT)
8oz dry curd cottage cheese (or rinse off the regular stuff)
3 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever kind you want)
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Boil noodles. Brown ground beef or sausage; drain grease. Mix ground beef with the pasta sauce. Layer cooked noodles, sauce/meat, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Put more cheese on the top layer than on the others, sprinkle Parmesan, and garnish with the handful of chopped parsley - evenly distributed. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour; broil for 5-10 minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly, browned, and yum-o-licious. Cool for a few minutes and serve!