Week 12: Pasta with Pesto and Asparagus

The Recipe
1/2lb pasta
150g bacon
1 lb asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup basil pesto (~130g)
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained
1/3 cup mozzarella cubes
Fried eggs for serving

Preheat oven to 200C. Place asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for 8-12 minutes until tender and crisp. Let them cool before cutting them into 1-inch pieces.

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.

In a pan, cook sliced bacon until crisp. Put aside, leaving drippings in pan (use them for frying the egg later).

In a bowl, toss together pasta, bacon, asparagus, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella.

Serve immediately with a fried egg on top.

The Verdict
Okay, the original recipe didn't have the bacon, I added that myself. Everything tastes better with bacon ;)

I absolutely loved it! I don't think the egg did anything either way, but the rest was extremely yummy! The only thing lacking was roasted pine nuts, so I'll have to add that next time :) Unfortunately DH isn't too keen on that much pesto, but I thought it was fantastic. Will definitely be making this again.

Week 11: Giant M&M Cookies

The Recipe
2 tbsp butter (~30g) at room temperature
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp mixed egg*
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp peanut butter (the recipe called for creamy, I used crunchy)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup mixed M&Ms (I used half ordinary, half peanut)

* Make omelet or scrambled eggs for breakfast, and put aside 2 tbsp of the eggs before you add all the other things.

Preheat oven to 175*C

In a bowl, mix the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. This is easy if the butter is really soft. Add egg and vanilla and mix until it's well combined. Add peanut butter and then flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until about half combined, then add the M&Ms.

Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes until cooked through. Let cool completely before eating.

The Verdict
The recipe said this made for "1 giant cookie or 4 regular ones" -- I went for the 4 regular ones. They didn't melt down quite as flat as I had expected, so they turned out less crunchy than expected. Next time I think I'll push the dough down further before placing them in the oven.

I like my "regular" M&M Cookies better, but for a quick fix, these'll work really well :)

Week 10: Crock-Pot Fajitas

The Recipe
1lb chicken
3 bell peppers
1 onion
1 package taco seasoning (~40g)
Tortillas
Toppings: Guacamole, shredded cheese, salsa

Slice bell peppers and onion and put them into the crockpot. Pour half the package taco seasoning over the vegetables.
Put chicken on top and pour the rest of the seasoning over the chicken.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4.

Take out the chicken and slice thinly. Stir back into the crockpot.

Serve with tortillas and toppings.

The Verdict
A new favourite! This was awesome. Extremely easy and tasted delicious. Definitely the best fajitas fillings I've tried yet. This one is a keeper :)