Artichoke and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

This is my go to dish, I make it all the time and really love it!!!! It is so fresh and unique! I really love how the flavors compliment each other! It is at the top of my list! You've got to try it! It is so satisfying but doesn't feel too heavy. It's easy and my whole family just dies over it!

INGREDIENTS:

~ 28 oz. Spinach and Chive pasta (Trader Joe's)

~About 2 tablespoons of olive oil

~1 large onion, diced

~ 2 cans (16 oz.) artichoke hearts

~1 or 2 yellow squash, chopped

~1/4 to 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

~2 cloves of garlic, minced

~1/4 cup pine nuts

~ 2 cups vegetable broth (I love making it with water and the knorr's vegetable bullion)

~1/4 to 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

~juice from 1/2 a lemon

~About 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, plus more to sprinkle over top when finished

~About 1/4 cup of heavy cream

~About 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, diced

~A handful of fresh basil to sprinkle on top

~Salt and Pepper to taste

I like to prepare most of the sauce about an hour or so before just so the flavors can really meld together. First saute the onions in olive oil until they are soft and transparent, then add the artichoke hearts, squash. Next add the sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and garlic and salt and pepper and continue to saute. When everything is cooked through, add the vegetable broth. Continue to cook so the broth gets a little concentrated. Add the balsamic vinegar and the lemon juice and take off the heat so the flavors can marinate.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Turn the heat back up on the sauce once the pasta is out, add the cream and parmesan cheese to the sauce. (The sauce will be a thicker vegetable type mixture, not your typical runny sauce.) Stir and add the sauce to the pasta. Then add the fresh tomatoes, more fresh parmesan cheese and the basil. Enjoy!

My Favorite French Toast

One of my favorite breakfasts of all time has got to be French Toast, but not just any french toast, this french toast. It is a recipe that my mom always uses that she got from her best friend, who we call Aunt Shelly. It is freaking amazing! You've got to try it! I think it is the added flour and baking powder that gives it a better texture and creates that extra goodness!!!

Ingredients:

4 eggs in a blender

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp cinnamon, shake more on while cooking.

Dip sourdough or sheepherder's bread in the egg mixture and fry in a pan on medium with plenty of butter.

We love eating it again...

...And again!