Ingredients
1 pound orzo
10 ounces baby spinach, chopped
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging. Drain well and rinse with cold water.  Drain again then transfer to large bowl. 

2. Add remaining ingredients to bowl and toss well to combine.  Serve any at any temperature – chilled, room temperature, warm, or hot. 



Comments
This recipe is from allrecipes.com.  When Art and I were in Williamsburg, we had a great orzo and spinach salad as a side dish with our Carrot Tree Kitchens lunch.  I was thinking about it while meal planning and found this recipe.  While it’s not the same as the CTK recipe, I’m glad I tried it since it was very delicious in its own right!  It’s a very simple dish that can be served at any temperature.  I liked mine cool or cold, but Lance enjoyed his nuked with other leftovers the following day. 

Shown here with Grilled Salmon with Creamy Horseradish Sauce.

Ingredients
1 pound short pasta
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk, cream, or half and half
6 slices white American cheese, torn into pieces
8 ounces extra sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Sriracha

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta as instructed by packaging.  Drain well. 

2. Melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.

3. Gradually whisk in milk (or cream); cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat.

4. Add cheeses, mustard, salt, and hot sauce, stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.

5. Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat for 1 minute (or until thoroughly heated).



Comments
This recipe is from Panera.  I have a weekly “me date” at Panera between Voice and Choir, while the guys eat leftovers.  Voice and Choir are located in such a way that it makes no sense for me to come home in between and Panera is a conveniently located place for me to have a quiet meal while I read a book.  I also love Panera since they don’t use HFCS in most of their products, including the salad dressings.  This makes them one of the few places in town that is “safe” for me. 

Every so often, especially if the weather is nasty, I like a bowl of their mac and cheese.  It’s creamy and delicious and hot and yum.  I do find it to be a bit overdone in the sauce compartment, but I can sop up the extra with a piece of bread so it’s all good. 

I thought it would be nice to try making their mac and cheese at home so I could control the sauce to pasta ratio as well as emulate the deliciousness that is Panera.  I’m not entirely sure what went wrong, but the sauce I ended up with just wasn’t as smooth and creamy as the sauce in the restaurant.  Maybe it needs less flour as another blogger has suggested?  I might try that out next time. 

I did, however, use half the sauce this recipe makes for the pound of pasta.  I’d suggest adding the sauce to the pasta a scoopful at a time until you reach your desired ratio. 

Shown here with Potato-Crusted White Fish with Tartar Sauce.

Ingredients
8 ounces short pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tablespoons taco seasoning (1 pouch)
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta well. 

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and cook ground beef, stirring, until beef is almost cooked through.  Add onion and stir to combine.  Continue cooking until onion has softened and beef is completely cooked.  Add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

3. Stir in tomatoes and taco seasoning and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.  Add pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, and reserved pasta water.  Continue stirring until cheese melts.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce reduces slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, then serve. 



Comments
This recipe is from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.  It’s fairly simple and basic, I feel like I’ve made this dish before in fact, although I don’t have anything with this title in my blog archives.  It was tasty, warming, and a nice casserole-pasta dish when you want comfort food.  It would be tasty with cilantro and/or green onions sprinkled over the top as well!

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (I used bowties/farfalle.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 package (about 6.5 ounces) Boursin or Alouette cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Instructions
1. Place liquid measuring cup in colander in sink.  Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging. Reserve 1 cup pasta water then drain pasta well. 

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add peas, chicken broth, and wine and bring to boil.  Stir in cheese, cooked pasta, sundried tomatoes, dill, lemon pepper, and freshly ground pepper.  Add Parmesan cheese, pine nuts,  and toss well.  If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water to thin. 



Comments
This recipe is from Baked Bree.  I needed something quick and easy for a busy evening and this made a delicious dinner when served with simple chicken.  We all enjoyed it and leftovers were gobbled up.  I wasn’t able to get Boursin at the store where I shopped, so I went with Aloutte instead and used their sundried tomato soft cheese.  It worked out very well and complimented all of the other flavors nicely! 

This pasta also taught us something interesting.  Art ended up with a very weird taste in his mouth the following day and, due to discussion with a friend some months before, I diagnosed him with pine mouth.  After quite a bit of research, we have decided to switch to single sourced pine nuts, even if they’re more expensive than the randomly sourced ones we used to get at the grocery store.  It’s a small price to pay to avoid a recurrence of pine mouth! 

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Ingredients
Salt
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1/4 cup half and half
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons total)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Place colander in sink and place liquid measuring cup in colander.  This will help you remember to reserve pasta water in step 2. 

2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water; cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1 3/4 cups pasta water, drain pasta into colander, and set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk 1 1/2 cups of reserved pasta water and half and half into pot; bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat, return pasta to pot, and stir until coated. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

4. Cover and let pasta stand 2 minutes, tossing frequently and adjusting consistency with remaining 1/4 cup reserved pasta water if necessary. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzling individual portions with oil and sprinkling with cheese. 



Comments
This recipe is from the Cook's Illustrated 2011 Annual and I completely forgot to reserve pasta water.  Like always.  Because I forgot to do the “measuring cup in the colander reminder” trick.  Oops.  You should do it so that you’ll remember to save some of that beautifully starchy water to bind everything together.  I used extra half and half which just isn’t as grand. 

This was great.  Art loved it most because Art loves all that is lemon. 

Shown here with Pan-Seared Steaks with Herb Sauce.