Friday Food

It's finally Friday (yay). Here are six yummy recipes to help you through the weekend, including Tie-Dye Cheesecake and BBQ Chicken. Enjoy!

CREAMY RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE AND FENNEL

This comes from Stephanie who came up with Girl versus Dough. If you haven’t checked out her site (and subscribed), I definitely recommend checking it out!

This recipe, which Stephanie adapted from the Food Network, begins, “This pasta. This is last-meal kind of pasta. This is the kind of pasta you eat when you don’t just want any old variety of carbs and cheese — you want grown-up, legit, every-bite-is-a-flavor-explosion kind of pasta. This is it.”

Prep Time: 40 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour; Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes; Yields: 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups chopped fresh fennel or celery

1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 lb bulk mild Italian sausage

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, crushed or chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup half-and-half

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 lb rigatoni pasta

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

1 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

In large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add fennel and onion and cook, stirring often, 7 to 9 minutes until soft.

Add sausage; cook 7 to 9 minutes, crumbling as you cook, until sausage is cooked through and browned. Add garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, then pour in white wine. Bring to boil. Add heavy cream, half-and-half and tomato paste. Return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt to boiling water, then add rigatoni pasta. Cook according to package directions. Drain and add to sauce; stir to coat pasta.

Off heat, stir in 1/4 cup parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Serve topped with remaining parsley and Parmesan cheese.

TIE-DYE CHEESECAKE

This is from The Food Network, and begins, “This outrageous psychedelic cheesecake is an ode to all the tie-dye of the 1960s. Making the vibrant swirls is much easier to do than it looks; all you need is a wooden skewer – groovy!” Total: 10 hr 45 min; Active: 35 min; Yield: 12 servings; Level: Intermediate

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 18 whole crackers)

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch fine salt

Filling:

Three 11.5-ounce containers whipped cream cheese

1 1/4 cups sugar

One 16-ounce container sour cream, at room temperature

1 cup heavy cream

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Neon blue, pink and purple food coloring

Yellow food coloring

Whipped cream, for serving

Directions

Special equipment: a 10-inch springform pan and a wooden skewer

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

For the crust: Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and salt and press into bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely. Wrap up the bottom and sides of pan with a large piece of foil and put in a large roasting pan.

For the filling: Beat the cream cheese and sugar, in a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sour cream and mix until just combined. Add the heavy cream and mix until just combined. Mix in the eggs, by hand, 1 at time. Then mix in the vanilla, lemon juice, by hand as well, until just combined. (Overmixing can turn your cheesecake into a souffle.)

Using a ladle, divide the cheesecake batter into 4 separate bowls. Dye each a separate color; blue, pink, purple and yellow. Add enough food coloring so that the colors are very vibrant and intense.

Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the crust, alternating the colors, until all the batter has been scooped. Use a wooden skewer and drag it through the colors to marble them for tie-dye effect, making sure the skewer reaches down to the bottom of the pan. Transfer the pan to the roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan.

Bake until the outside of the cake is set and the center is still slightly loose, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Unmold the cheesecake and transfer to a serving plate or cake stand. Serve slices with a dollop of whipped cream.

"BETTER THAN THE DELI” MACARONI SALAD

Kathy Kingsley is one of About.com's American Food guides. Kathy wrote, “Take your time, and use your sharpest knife to get a nice fine dice on the veggies in this classic pasta salad. When made right, this is a macaroni salad where every forkful bursts with flavor.” Serves 8; Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes

I couldn't find the original link to this recipe. If/when I do find it, I'll post it.

Ingredients:

1 pound dry elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed in cold water, and drained well

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup finely diced celery

1/4 cup minced red onion

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1/4 finely grated carrot

2 tablespoons finely diced roasted red pepper or pimento

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preparation:

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and add the drained pasta. Toss to combine thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

BBQ CHICKEN

This comes from the folks at GE Appliances, and begins, “This BBQ chicken recipe is a simple classic that will be the star of your next summer gathering.”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound chicken drumsticks

1 pound chicken thighs

2-3 cups Italian dressing

2-3 Cups BBQ sauce (homemade or store bought)

Directions

Marinate the Chicken:

Combine drumsticks and thighs in a bowl and add Italian dressing until chicken is covered. Let sit overnight (ideal) or for 3-4 hours.

Cooking:

Fire up a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat, put chicken on, and cook for 20 minutes (about 10 minutes per side). After 20 minutes, brush on your favorite BBQ sauce. Turn chicken and add more BBQ sauce. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Watch closely, so you don't burn the BBQ sauce.

FETTUCCINE ALFREDO WITH ASPARAGUS

This recipe is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Ready to go at a moment’s notice, this asparagus-embellished classic is not only creamy, quick, and delicious, but it dirties only one pot.”

Serves: 4; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 12 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus

3/4 pound fettuccine

4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 cup heavy cream

pinch ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fettuccine until almost done, about 8 minutes. Add the asparagus; cook until it and the pasta are just done, about 4 minutes longer.

Drain the pasta and asparagus. Toss with the butter, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Serve with additional Parmesan.

FLOURLESS BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

This recipe comes from Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN, LD, who, besides running her own site (Lively Table), writes on VeryWellFit.

For this recipe, Kaleigh wrote, “If you have a sweet tooth, you may be used to eating dessert most days. Sometimes fruit or a fruit salad will do for a light dessert. Other days, you just need a brownie.

“Baked goods like brownies are often high in sodium, even though they don’t taste salty. Between leaveners like baking soda and baking powder, salted butter, and added salt, brownies and other baked goods can be sneaky sources of sodium! If you bake your own brownies at home, you can control the amount of sodium-containing ingredients for a better alternative.

“The secret to these flourless brownies is a can of low sodium black beans.Before you write them off, give them a try! Blending up black beans in a high-powered blender or food processor makes them nice and smooth, and when baked into brownies, gives them a nice chewy texture without any flour. They also add in extra fiber, iron, and folate.”

Total Time: 35 minutes; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Servings: 16 (2-inch square each).

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Preparation

Heat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" baking dish with parchment or spray with oil.

Blend all ingredients except for unmelted chocolate in a high powered blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in chocolate and pour into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Ingredient Variations and Substitutions

Use all chocolate chips if you don’t have a dark chocolate bar.

Cocoa powder, melted dark chocolate, and chocolate chips gives these brownies lots of rich chocolate flavor with a little boost from coffee granules.

If you don’t have the coffee granules don’t worry—you can leave them out and you’ll still have delicious chocolatey brownies!

Cooking and Serving Tips

Avoid over-cooking—the designated time should be just about enough, but you can check before removing from the oven. Brownies shouldn't be overly dry.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator and heat for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave before serving.