2 for 1 Dinners-Mini Pizzas and Pasta Bake

I'm not a huge fan of leftovers.  However, I'm usually only cooking dinner for my husband and me (or just me as he goes out of town a lot for work) and most food items are not portioned for 2 people.  So instead of having leftovers, I like to find ways to create 2 different (but similar) meals out of some of the same items.

This week at Harris Teeter, I found some Italian style chicken sausage on sale.  One time for my birthday when I was younger, my mom made mini pizzas using refrigerated biscuit dough as the pizza crust.  I decided to try this with the sausage as a topping.  Then the next day I used to rest to make a pasta bake.  I bought a package of Italian style chicken sausage (4 Links), a jar of Spaghetti sauce, frozen mixed bell peppers and shredded mozzarella cheese to be used in both dishes.  Then I just needed a can of refrigerated biscuit dough and some type of pasta (which I typically already have at my house).

Mini Sausage and Peppers Pizzas-Makes 10 mini pizzas
1 small container of refrigerated flaky biscuit dough (5 biscuits)
1 link of Italian style chicken sausage chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup of frozen mixed bell peppers chopped in to smaller pieces
1.5 cups of tomato sauce (I used Prego Spaghetti Sauce)
3/4 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese

1-Split biscuits in half to make 10 circles of pizza dough.  Cook these at 400 F for about 5-6 minutes.
2-While the biscuits are cooking, heat up the sausage and peppers in a pan on the stove.  Add one-two spoonfuls of tomato sauce to that and set aside.
3-Pull biscuits out of the oven and top each with some sauce, then the sausage and pepper mixture and then some cheese. 
4-Put back in the oven and back for 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Sausage and Pepper Pasta Bake-For 2 or 3
2 links of Italian style chicken sausage cut into small pieces
1 cup of frozen mixed bell peppers
1.5 cups of spaghetti sauce
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1.5 cups of pasta

1-Cook the pasta
2-While you are cooking the pasta heat up the sausage and peppers.  Then add in the spaghetti sauce.  Let this simmer a little.
3-Mix pasta and sausage mixture in a baking pan and top with cheese.
4-Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Ok, yes I realize that these two meals are very similar (at least ingredient wise) but it's enough of a difference to make me feel like I made two different things.  And I still have a sausage left over.  What should I do with it?
How do you feel about leftovers?

Impromptu Dinner Party

Me: What should we do tonight?
B: I dunno, what do you want to do?
Me: I dunno, what do you want to do?
B: I dunno.
Me: Well I don't know either.  Give me some ideas. 

Somehow this convo lead to me and B deciding to have people over for an impromptu dinner party.  Our two guests confirmed at 5 that they would be over at 7 so we headed off to the store to pick out food.   When I saw that salmon was on sale at the Harris Teeter, I went ahead a put B in charge of the main dish.  He made me this salmon on like our 4th date and it's his signature dish (really his only dish).  Then I decided I wanted to try this "healthy" mac and cheese recipe that I found online.  So we gathered up our ingredients and some dip for appetizers and of course some wine and headed home.

B's signature salmon dish is actually a Rachael Ray recipe (Oven Poached Salmon with Dill, Onion and Cucumber Relish).  From what I can tell, it's pretty easy and pretty much always ends up being good.  Here is the recipe.  Since I've never made it myself I am assuming he just follows the recipe.  The cucumber, onion, radish relish actually makes the recipe in my opinion.  Everyone liked it last night.

The mac and cheese recipe I found was from Ellie Krieger.  The thing that makes it healthy is the addition of winter squash in to the cheese mixture.

Macaroni and 4 Cheeses (adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe,  I made a couple of small changes)

Cooking spray
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups skim milk
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
2 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
pepper
2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon olive oil
another 1/2 cup of Cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese

-cook the pasta
-cook the milk and frozen squash in a separate pan
-mix all that together with the cheese, salt, pepper, and mustard
-grease the 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and then pour the pasta mixture into dish
-top with a mixture of the Parmesan, bread crumbs and olive oil
-cook for 20 minutes
-add the rest of the cheese to the top and cook for about 5 more minutes on a higher heat to brown the top

I just added more cheese at the end because I thought it tasted a little too squashy.  It was pretty good.  I think everyone liked it and it has to be a little healthier than the traditional kind of macaroni and cheese.  I thought it could use a little more flavor but I'm not sure what I would put in it.  B said he liked it how it was.

So that was my impromptu dinner party.
Did you do anything fun this weekend?
Is it wrong to sneak vegetables into a classic like Mac and Cheese?

PS-Happy 10/10/10 everyone!

Shimp and Scallop Pasta...

After eating out for 3 nights in a row at the beach with my brother and sister (who decided to come up to visit us), B and I decided that we would eat in one night.  We headed on over to Captain Jack's Seafood Stand and bought some fresh shrimp.  Then I got some bay scallops at the grocery store.  I decided to make a shrimp and scallop pasta.  I made this up as I was going so it is definitely not perfect...........

Shrimp and Scallop Pasta (for 2-3)
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled
1/2 pound small scallops
3 cloves garlic, minced
butter
olive oil
white wine
mushrooms
red pepper flakes

cooked linguine

lemon wedge

I basically just cooked the shrimp in some butter and olive oil and then set them aside.  Then I cooked the scallops in the butter and olive oil and set them aside.  Then I cooked the garlic and the mushrooms in some butter and olive oil.  I added some wine to that.  Just a splash.  I cooked it down a little and then added the shrimp and scallops back in until everything was hot.  I mixed it all with some linguine and added some red pepper flakes. I squeezed some lemon on before serving.   Like I said, I was kind of winging it.  It was pretty good.  I could have used a little more flavor but still it was not bad for making it up as I went.

I had a hard time with the photos because every time I went outside my camera would fog up.

So, do you like shrimp and scallops? 
Do you hate peeling shrimp as much as I do?
What's your favorite food to eat at the beach?

Dinner Last Night-Chicken Sausage Cajun Tortellini

OK I have decided to do a new series of blogs entitled Dinner Last Night where I talk about easy dinners I put together with things I normally have around the house.  Here's the first one.

I had really been wanting some pasta for a few days.  I had a bag of frozen tortellini in the freezer as well as a few other things I normally have, frozen peppers, canned tomatoes, chicken broth.  So I decided to make a pasta dish out of this.  I went to the store and bought some chicken sausage and invented this Cajun Sausage and Pepper Tortellini.  I served it with a Cesar Salad (aka lettuce, croutons and cesar salad dressing).

Cajun Chicken Sausage and Pepper Tortellini (3-4 servings)

2 Chicken Sausages-Sweet Pepper Flavored

Package Frozen Tortellini

1 cup Frozen Pepper Blend (red, yellow, green)

1/2 small white onion

Cajun Seasoning

Garlic Salt

Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 Can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken broth

I cooked all the veggies (except the tomatoes) together with some garlic salt and cajun seasoning.  Then I added in the Sausage.  These are precooked so they don't take too long to heat up.  I added in the tomatoes and simmered that for a bit.  Then I added in some chicken broth in small increments to make it more saucy and less just chunky.  I threw in some red pepper flakes for good measure.  While you are making the sauce cook the tortellini or whatever pasat you want or have.  Once the sauce was thickened I mixed it all together with the Tortellini.  And there you have it, a pretty easy week night meal.

What's you favorite pasta recipe?