half and half Archives

Ingredient Spotlight: Cream, Whipped Cream, Half and Half

June 1, 2011 by Tiffany

I admit the first thing that comes to mind when I think of cream or half & half is ice cream. Oh, how I love ice cream. Especially homemade ice cream.

But there are more delectable ways to use cream than just in sweet treats. Like in creamy pasta dishes.

Please don’t consider the calories. I’ve officially banned calories from all cream dishes. Yes, I do have that power. I just wave my magic wand and *poof* – all calories disappear! Wonderful, isn’t it?

Here are some of my favorite recipes that use cream, whipped cream or half & half: [Read more...]

Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage and Bell Peppers

April 5, 2011 by Tiffany

There are nights when I stare into my pantry, wondering what I’m going to fix. On this particular night, the contents of the pantry made me consider making Italian Sausage with Bowties but I didn’t have any stewed tomatoes. I decided to change the recipe up a bit and came up with this.

Like the original, it’s a cinch to make and quick too. This one gets an added taste boost from the peppers. Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish, Pasta Tagged with basil, bowties, crushed tomatoes, garlic, green pepper, half and half, Italian sausage, onions, oregano, Pasta, red pepper9 Comments

Bowtie Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers and Grilled Chicken

March 18, 2011 by Tiffany

We love pasta. Especially if it’s in a creamy sauce. This dish cooks in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. You can’t beat that.

I made it even faster, by using chicken I had grilled, sliced and frozen. A quick thaw in the microwave and it was ready to use.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Chicken, Main Dish, Pasta Tagged with bowtie pasta, butter, Chicken, chicken broth, garlic, half and half, Italian, mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers, seasoned salt14 Comments

Potatoes and Ham ala Julia Child

December 20, 2010 by Tiffany

I’ve been reading Julia Child’s book My Life in France. That led me to order “The French Chef”, her cooking show on PBS, from Netflix. What fun!

I have to say that I’m surprised how many of the recipes she shares are accessible for the average cook at home. I’m not sure why it surprised me, because that is who she wrote for. She aimed to bring French cooking to American kitchens.

This dish is based on one that Julia Child shared on her TV program. She used smoked sausage in hers, but I substituted cubed ham. I don’t remember what kind of cheese she used. I admit that I have some more tweaking and trying to do on this recipe. The sauce didn’t thicken like I’d hoped. I’m pretty sure I did it like she said, but something didn’t work. It may have been that I used milk along with the half & half. Julia Child said that would work, but I only have 1% milk instead of whole.

However, the taste was wonderful! I could really taste the potatoes. You know how sometimes they are just there and you don’t really notice them? Not so with this dish. The ham was a nice complement and it was all underscored with Swiss cheese, garlic and onion.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish Tagged with butter, egg, garlic, half and half, ham, Julia Child, milk, onion, potatoes, swiss cheese5 Comments

Ravioli with Red Onion, White Wine, and Asiago

August 25, 2010 by Tiffany

This tasted like something from a good restaurant. It can be made in the time it takes to boil water and cook the ravioli.

I found the Asiago cheese in the cheese case near the deli. It was the same price as Parmesan, which can be substituted if you can’t find it. The label states that Asiago has a “mild and nutty” flavor.

Oh, I’m detecting nuttiness.

Name that movie.

I’m pretty sure Remy and Gusteau would approve of this dish.

[Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish, Pasta, vegetarian Tagged with asiago, basil, garlic, half and half, Italian, parmesan, Pasta, pepper, ravioli, red onion, white wine6 Comments

Pepper Patch Pasta with Grilled Chicken

April 30, 2010 by Tiffany

I was zipping through the produce section the other day, tossing things in my basket when I saw a pack of peppers. Red, yellow and orange. Not cheap, but they looked so good I couldn’t resist. They waited in the fridge for a day or two until inspiration hit.

I decided they would be good paired with pasta, tomatoes and a creamy sauce. I was right. This dish was a hit with all of us. It also makes use of the homemade seasoned salt that I posted yesterday. [Read more...]

Filed under: Chicken, Main Dish, Pasta Tagged with bell peppers, butter, Chicken, chicken broth, garlic, half and half, onions, Pasta, seasoned salt, tomatoes9 Comments

Creamy Tortellini with Red Bell Peppers and Peas

June 19, 2009 by Tiffany

tortellini-with-red-pepper-and-peas-done

I know I’ve declared my love for pasta many times, but let me say it once more – I really love pasta! I bought the totellini with the intention of re-creating a pasta dish at Fazoli’s. I’ve never eaten that dish, but the picture in the ad looked good and involved artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. Yum. For some reason, I could not find artichoke hearts in Walmart the other day and I forgot to buy sun-dried tomatoes. I did have red peppers and peas though, so I created this instead. A very good combination of flavors in a creamy, cheesy dish.

[Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish, Pasta, Uncategorized Tagged with basil, half and half, onions, parmesan, peas, red peppers, tortellini19 Comments

Homemade Coffee Ice Cream

June 5, 2009 by Tiffany

coffee-ice-cream-done

Coffee ice cream is one of my favorite things in the whole world. I used to buy pints of Haagen-Dazs and eat it straight from the carton. Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz got me through one of my pregnancies. (Interestingly, that child is my youngest coffee drinker.) Blue Bell Mocha Madness has called my name many times recently. I really like coffee ice cream. And I’m very happy that my homemade version turned out with that perfect touch of coffee flavor and creamy coffee color.

[Read more...]

Filed under: Dessert Tagged with coffee, half and half, ice cream, sweetened condensed milk14 Comments

Pasta Primavera

May 25, 2009 by Tiffany

pasta-primavera-done

I love pasta. I’ve been noticing lately how many recipes I’ve posted that involve pasta. It’s a lot. I hope you don’t mind.

I altered this recipe from one I clipped out of Southern Living many moons ago. It turns out just a little different each time I make it, depending on the veggies I put in and also which kind of cheese I end up using. It’s always good.

[Read more...]

Filed under: Main Dish, Pasta, vegetarian Tagged with asparagus, broccoli, cheese, half and half, linguini, zucchini3 Comments

Penne Gorgonzola with Grilled Chicken

March 30, 2009 by Tiffany

We don’t eat out often, but when we do I really like to go to Johnny Carino’s. The last time we were in there, my husband and I shared an order of Penne Gorgonzola and I got the bright idea that I could cook up a knock-off version at home. I was right! This tastes almost exactly like the restaurant version.

Here’s what you’ll need:

penne pasta
2 cups half & half
Gorgonzola cheese (the package I used was 5 oz)
Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup grated
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbs. butter
fresh ground pepper
tomato for garnish
grilled chicken, sliced thin

I was so focused on trying to re-create this dish that I forgot about taking a picture of the chicken. Unfortunately, it was pouring the rain so I had to grill it on the George Foreman. The outside grill would have made it taste better, but it was still fine. I just sprinkled it with salt and pepper before grilling.

Heat the water for the pasta and cook it according to the package directions. While that’s cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan. Saute the garlic for a bit in the butter. Whisk in the half & half and heat it over medium heat, then whisk in the cheeses. Allow the cheese to melt and add the pepper. I tried to keep mine hot, but not boiling but I wasn’t successful. It boiled just before I was about to pour it on the pasta. At first the sauce seemed very thin, but then after adding it to the pasta it thickened up.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir in the thinly sliced grilled chicken. The Carino’s version also has mushrooms, so if you like those you could add them in. Top with chopped tomato and extra cheese if you like.

This was a hit with everyone in the family. Now I need to conquer my other favorite dish from Carino’s, Bowtie Festival.