Hey Brant...You're Welcome.

Some days I feel like I'm not creative enough with my post's title. I tried to be creative today, what do you think?

Well, I suppose I should get on with the post and then you can let me know. Sound good?

My sister called me a few days ago...


Hi, Sissy! Wow. This is us 6 years ago at her college graduation. WEIRD!

Any who, she called me to see if I knew of any good, healthy recipes she could make for her husband the nights when he gets home late from class.

Oh. This is Brant. Also know as my brother-in-law. He's OK. Just kidding. I wasn't too sure what I thought of him at first, but who doesn't love someone who can go from looking like a banker at 6am to a lumberjack 48 hours later? No one.

Moving on with the story...I told her about a recipe, only to find out she already knew of a very similar recipe.

Dadgumit.

I was feelin' stumped.

So I made-up/tweaked a recipe last night.

Here you go sister!

It's called...Nameless pasta casserole.

Ingredients:
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 can artichoke hearts
1-2 cans diced, low sodium, tomatoes
1 pkg frozen spinach (thawed according to package)
5oz cream cheese
1/2 C milk
mozzarella cheese
1 box of your favorite pasta (whole wheat)
(I used penne, but it's not my favorite. I thought it was a little harsh with the rest of the ingredients. Next time I think I'll try bowtie or ziti.)

Let's get started. Get your pasta cookin'. I'm not gonna tell you how to do that. Everyone has their own method. Just don't cook it all the way! About half the time it says on the box. It will finish in the oven. :)

Start out by heating the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. While the butter and oil melt, prep and nuke the spinach in the microwave. Add garlic and onions to the pan and turn up the temp. Caramelize until soft. Add the diced tomatoes (juices and all), and artichokes-allow to heat through. Then add the cream cheese (i cut my into cubes to assist the melting) and a dash of milk. Stir until combined and melted. Then fold in the spinach and a handful of mozzarella cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Add any seasonings you like, I used dried basil. Shhh don't tell Jonathan! ;)

Drain your pasta and fold into the sweet, cheesy, yummy goodness. Put in a casserole dish, top with a little cheese and bake at 350 til bubbly. You could even broil it to get the top nice and crispy. If you don't like artichokes, bell peppers or shredded rotisserie chicken would be a delicious substitute.

ENJOY!

Oh. And Brant...you're welcome. :)

Hope your day is delicious and nutritious!

Love,

K