Asparagus Penne

I love a recipe with fresh asparagus. This is a good one, no changes made or needed. ENJOY!

Ingredients

- 1 pound asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 pound penne
- 1/4 pound butter, cut into pieces
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.

3. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt.

**Recipe from www.foodandwine.com**

No-Bake Energy Bites

I’ve had this recipe pinned on Pinterest for awhile, friends have made and then my sister made them. Decided it was time I made them.

Ingredients:

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

- Mix everything together.

- Refrigerate 1 hour – then roll into 1 inch balls.

- Store in airtight container in fridge for one week. (They won’t last that long.)

Tips:

- Substitute away with this recipe! I used whole flax seeds and mini M&M’s and less coconut this first round. Anything to get the kiddos to eat them.

Tortellini Spinach Bake

YUM! Try this as an easy dinner or as a side – you’ll be glad you did!

Ingredients:
- 12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortellini
- 4 strips of bacon
- 3 cloves minced garlic -
- 2 Tbs flour
- 2 C milk
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp dry basil
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 medium lemon
- 2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- ¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
- ¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Cook tortellini according to directions.

- Cook bacon in skillet until crisp, remove from pan.

- Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.

- Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

- While sauce is heating, zest lemon. Then cut lemon in half and remove juice. Add 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice to sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

- Drain tortellini and place back in pot. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture. Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Place pasta mixture in a baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

- Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- I didn’t have a lemon, just used lemon juice. I’m sure the lemon flavor would have been stronger had I used a real lemon.

- I could only find the 8 oz bags ot tortellini at Walmart—so I bought two and used them both so we would have leftovers for lunch and dinner tomorrow. I had plenty of sauce to go around without adding anything extra.

Originally from Our Best Bites Website.

Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato Salad

Mark needed to take potato salad to work tomorrow, so I went for a new recipe. I get tired of the same old potato salad, you know?!?

Well, it turned out DELICIOUS!! Would be fabulous with burgers right off the grill. Try it, you’ll like it!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs red potatoes , cut into eighths
• 5 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 green onions , chopped
• 3 ounces blue cheese , crumbled

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes until tender.

2. Cook bacon until crisp, and cut into one inch pieces.

3. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, salt and pepper.

4. Fold in green onions, cheese, potatoes and bacon.

5. Serve immediately or refrigerate.