Slow Roasted Tomato Pasta

Even though it hasn't felt like winter, I am still in the mood for slow cooked winter style meals. Slow cooked stews, roasted vegetables, and crock pot meals all make the house warm inside and outside. This weekend, I am planning to make one of my favorite recipes, slow roasted tomato pasta. Check it out:

3 pounds roma tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 whole peeled garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
12 ounces uncooked fettuccine
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 tablespoons torn fresh basil

Preheat oven to 225°. Place tomatoes on a jelly-roll pan; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Bake for 4 hours. Heat a large skillet over low heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and garlic; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic, and chop. Combine garlic, tomatoes, and red pepper in pan. Cook pasta in boiling water with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt for 8 minutes or until almost al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Increase heat to medium-high under tomato mixture, and stir in reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes. Add pasta; cook for 1 minute, tossing to combine. Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Using Ronzoni or other whole wheat pasta makes this meal healthful and delicious. Also, adding some grilled chicken gives it a little more substance and tastes delicious.

Do you have a favorite wintery recipe?

Breakfast of Champions

You've probably heard people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This a great cereal slogan and a great way to keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders. Think about it...if you eat dinner at 7pm on Tuesday, and skip breakfast on Wednesday, by the time lunch rolls around, it has been 17 hours since you last ate. Your body is clinging to everything you had for dinner and wondering when you will eat next.

The great thing about breakfast is that it can be whatever you want it to be. Really, eating just about anything for breakfast is better than skipping. Cereal, toast, yogurt, fruit, eggs or an omelet are all things that come to mind for a traditional breakfast. But, you don't have to eat breakfast foods for breakfast. If you don't like breakfast foods, you don't have to eat them. You can have a turkey sandwich for breakfast if that suits you. Just remember, anything is better than nothing!

Cooking after work

There is nothing better than coming home after a work and errands and cooking a healthful, hearty meal! Between finding new recipes online, borrowing cookbooks from the library, and sharing recipes between friends, there is never a shortage of great, new ideas to try.

Lately, I have been experimenting with different ways to prepare salmon. I usually enjoy grilling, but it becomes much less fun in the cold weather. This week, I tried a 2 parts brown sugar and 1 part Old Bay seasoning mixture blended on a salmon filet and grilled. This paired with grilled asparagus and cornbread muffins made for a delicious dinner. My only wish was that there would have been enough for leftovers.