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Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Looking for a quick and easy meal? Roasted Red Pepper Pasta to the rescue!

Sometimes you get home from work and the last things you want to do is make dinner! You know I’m right……

This pasta is super duper easy, and will have you from stove to plate in a flash.

Roasted red peppers in a jar are a God send in the kitchen. No work ……all the flavor. Roasting red peppers is great when you have the time but when you don’t…..grab a jar.

Drain and chopped, the red peppers are added to walnuts, basil, a smige of sugar, and garlic. I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes for a touch of heat. Blend in a food processor, or blender. Leave it a bit chunky…..pesto like.

Angel hair pasta is one of my favorites. It cooks in just a few minutes, so when you want something easy it a good to go pasta!

Drain the pasta and give it a quick rinse, then toss with the red pepper sauce.

Garnish with the reserved red peppers and basil. Dinner is ready!!

Serve Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with some crusty bread and a salad and you have a quick easy dinner thats on the table in a flash.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 6 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

1– 16 ounce jar roasted red peppers
3 tablespoon walnuts
1 tablespoon sugar
1 clove, smashed
1/4 cup basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes – optional
1 pound angel hair pasta
1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese

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Instructions

Drain and chop the peppers, reserving 1/2 cup for garnish.
In a small skillet, toast the walnuts over moderate heat until golden, and let cool.
Transfer the peppers and walnuts to a blender. Add the garlic and basil leaves, blending until coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil and puree to a chunky pesto. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if using.
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and cool slightly under running water. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and toss with the red pepper pesto. Season the pasta with salt and pepper. Top with the chopped basil, reserved red peppers and parmesan cheese. Serve at room temperature.

Vanilla Rum Bundt Cake

Memorial day is right around the corner……OMG…… what to take along?…. Vanilla Rum Bundt Cake!

I think bundt cakes are the bomb! I have made numerous bundt cakes for What the Forks For Dinner? Look around the site and try them all……

What makes them so great?? Well…..they are easy to make, easy to bake, they either need no frosting, or are good to go with a quick glaze.

With Memorial Day comes the start of summer. And the start of summer is the start of cookouts, potluck, and picnics. No matter the occasion, everyone wants dessert…..be the dessert Queen……..or King and bring a bundt cake.

Vanilla Rum Bundt cake is perfect to take to your Memorial Day party, picnic, cookout……

Moist cake studded with flecks of vanilla bean, and flavored with rum. I used white rum but you could try a flavored rum for that extra kick.

There’s a pretty steep price difference between vanilla extract and a whole vanilla bean — pod and all. In many cases where vanilla is called for, opting for the less expensive of the two is a wise choice. Vanilla beans would be wasted say in a batch of chocolate chip cookies, but in homemade ice cream, real vanilla beans make a world of difference.

But, here are times that the pretty black specs and flavor of vanilla beans are worth the splurge…….like Vanilla Rum Bundt Cake.

Vanilla beans also makes for a pretty Buttered Rum Glaze. Rich creamy butter, flavored with rum and those little specs of vanilla bean are melted together and then cooled. Add some powdered sugar and you have a glaze thats not only pretty, but super yummy!

For your next summer event, take along Vanilla Rum Bundt Cake and be speck-tacular!!

Vanilla Rum Bundt Cake

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 12 1x

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Ingredients

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Cake
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup light rum
1 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Glaze
5 tbsp butter
1/3 cup rum
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scrapped out
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together flour and baking powder.
In another small bowl combine milk and rum.
Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape out seeds from vanilla bean. Stir vanilla seeds into milk mixture; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium to high speed beat butter for 30 seconds.
Gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar, and beat for about 10 minutes , until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and egg yolk; beat for 1 minute.
Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, on low speed just until combined.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly.
Bake 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Frost with Buttered Rum Glaze
To Make Glaze
In a small saucepan, heat the butter until melted. Add the rum, vanilla, and scrapping from vanilla bean. Cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.
Remove the buttered rum from the heat and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. Once cooled, whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.

Thai Chicken Pizza

It’s the weekend….busy Saturdays call for take out? How about take in? Thai Chicken Pizza is the best of two carry out favorites.

When I think of carry out, I think of pizza and Chinese………..Thai Chicken Pizza is carry out combined.

Pizza is a weekend staple for us, and if you have read my blog you know, we love pizza, and have it at least once a week. I love Chinese food, Tim not so much, but he does like spicy, this pizza is all of those things.

Pizza, Chinese, spicy, plus easy to make! What could be better?

Now, pizza has to have sauce, Thai needs peanut sauce. I see a combo……no tomatoes here, but a spicy smooth peanut butter sauce than is the perfect “pizza sauce”.

Pre-made pizza crust make a pizza easy to make at a moment notice. I keep them on hand for that impromptu pizza moment……you know when you just gotta have a pizza.

Pre-grilled chicken strips……in the freezer section, makes it easy to have grilled chicken at the ready.

For toppings, chicken, bean sprouts, carrots, and green onions. Now I know that mozzarella cheese is not Thai or Chinese, but, no self respecting pizza is sans of cheese!

Mozzarella is a bit neutral so….perfect. Compliments but doesn’t over power.

Once the crust is loaded with toppings into the oven for about 10 minutes. I like a brownish cheese, so a few minutes under the broiler helps give that golden color.

But remember, it only take a minute to go from perfect, to slightly more than golden…..a.k.a. burnt! So watch your pizza carefully if you broil.

Once you have that perfect golden cheese, remove the pizza and garnish with the green part of the green onions, cashews, cilantro, and if desired the cooling coconut cream.

Funny story……the day I made this pizza, I made the coconut cream and put it in the frig, so when the pizza was ready and I was taking pictures I could garnish with the cream………I forgot the cream until the next day…..yikes!

So, none of the pictures have the cream in them but, when I reheated a piece the next day I put the coconut cream on the pizza……..OMG it was awesome!

So, this weekend when you want take out – in…….. Thai Chicken Pizza.

But be sure to set the coconut cream out when asking the pizza so you can enjoy the total taste experience…..you won’t be sorry!

Thai Chicken Pizza

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

1 pre-made pizza crust, I like Boboli
1/2 of 22 ounce bag Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips
Peanut Pizza Sauce
1 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup peanut butter
Toppings
6 green onions onion, thinly sliced, separating the white and green parts
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup white bean sprouts
1/3 cup shredded carrots
Cashews, chopped
cilantro, chopped
Coconut Cream
1/2 of a 5.3 oz coconut yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon lime juice

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Instructions

Coconut Cream: Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a medium sauce pan whisk all the peanut pizza sauce ingredients. Heat over medium high heat until the peanut butter has melted and the sauce is smooth.
Place pizza crust on a pizza stone or baking sheet.
Spread peanut pizza sauce over crust.
Top with sprouts, carrots, white part of green onion,and chicken.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over pizza.
Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown. You can broil to achieve desired brownness.
Garnish with, green part of the green onion, cashews, cilantro and Coconut Cream.