What's For Dinner?: Broccoli Rabe Pesto

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe Pesto

Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell for Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

hr min

Cook Time:

12 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, tough lower stems removed
• 1/2 cup pistachios, toasted
• 3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 pound orecchiette pasta
• High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing (optional)

Directions

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Cook the broccoli rabe in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes and then immediately plunge in the salted ice water. This will prevent the broccoli rabe from being overcooked and will set the lovely green color.

Drain the broccoli rabe and squeeze out any excess water; coarsely chop. Place the broccoli rabe in the bowl of a food processor and puree until it is a coarse paste. Add the pistachios and parmigiano and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning; you probably will need more salt. Add the ricotta and pulse until combined. Taste for seasoning once again-it should be full-flavored, slightly bitter and creamy at the same time. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. (If you are making the pasta right after the pesto, just use the broccoli rabe blanching water.) Cook the pasta 1 minute less than the cooking time on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, place the pesto in a large skillet and add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water; place over medium-high heat. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the skillet with the pesto. Stir vigorously to combine and cook until the sauce is creamy and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes; add salt to taste. Remove from the heat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, if desired, and stir vigorously. Garnish with more parmigiano. Voila!

Per serving: Calories 420; Fat 13.5 g (Sat. 4.4 g; Mono. 5.5 g; Poly. 2.7 g); Cholesterol 18 mg; Sodium 286 mg; Carbohydrate 54 g; Fiber 3.5 g; Protein 22 g

Photograph by Con Poulo

What's For Dinner: Grandma J's Chicken Tortilla Casserole

3 cups boneless chicken, diced or shredded (cooked!)
12 corn tortillas 
1 (10 1/2 oz) can cream of chicken soup 
1 (10 1/2 oz) can cream of mushroom soup 
1 cup chicken broth 
1 onion, chopped 
2 cans mild green chilies 
1 can sliced or chopped black olives 
1 pkg shredded cheddar cheese 

In a bowl, combine chicken, chilies, soups, broth and olives 
In a greased 9 x 13 pan, layer half the tortillas cutting to fit the pan 
Top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese 
Repeat layers, top with cheese. 
Bake @350 uncovered for approx 30 mins. 

Newly Pregnant?

Congratulations! And Yes, it's overwhelming - so much to learn for the biggest responsibility of your life :-)  Here are some of our favorite Peninsula resources for prego parents:

Pre-Natal Fitness (San Carlos)

Once you're prego the fitness rules change - talk to your OB about your personal fitness level. We love this class in San Carlos taught by Patty Dougherty, C.C.E. (she also teaches birthing classes and is a doula, what a combo!) Pre-Natal fitness is a great way to start a healthy pregnancy and meet other local moms who will be your greatest support system. This class is held Mondays & Wednesdays 5:45-6:45 at the San Carlos Adult Recreation Center. (I'm still attending the post-natal class with my little guy as babies are welcome!)

Check out & Sign  Up for a Birthing Class Series:

They can fill up fast so make sure to allow yourself plenty of time....the last few months get VERY hectic! We like the Basic Prenatal Package at Blossom Birth in Palo Alto...there's nothing basic about it! It covers all your new parent needs and you will feel well-prepared for the arrival of your new little one.

Sign up for emails from Baby Center (online) that are customized for your due due (and baby's age after birth). They're so informative that it reduces a lot of frustration - we love them so much we forward to our husbands and the grandparents!

OBGYN / Hospital / Insurance Relationships:

You may love your OB but you may NOT love what it means to have your OB deliver your baby. Each doctor has different relationships with different hospitals where they have permissions to deliver babies. Make sure your doctor and your hospital preferences match. I switched my doc after 26+ weeks in order to deliver at Sequoia hospital instead of Standford. (more details on that in a future post). It was hard to give up the OB that I loved and had a relationship with, especially when over 1/2 way done with being prego: my advice is if you have to switch do it as early as possible.  Make sure your health insurance covers all of the OB and hospital costs (or as much as possible). A vaginal birth without complications can be $30,000 without insurance.

Books & Magazines:

You'll be in info gathering mode from some time now and here are some of our favorite books/mags to fill your coffee table:

Books:

What to Expect: Classic and thorough but can be kind of boring :-)

From the Hips: Comprehensive and open-minded, great visual aids too!

Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy: Laugh out loud funny, but can get a little negative, read in small excerpts.

Magazines:

Fit Pregnancy and Mom & Baby (same publisher), super fun, stay fit and review new products!

Parents Magazine: This was gifted to me (great gift) and I read it wayyyy more than I thought I would while pregnant....I thought it was only for after baby was born...wrong!

Bay Area Parent: what every local padre needs!

Family Friendly Vacation Reviews

We've been listening to your requests and we'll be adding a new feature on family friendly vacations just in time for summer! Most comments refer to wanting vacation locations less than 2 hours a way that have accomodations and activities designed with kids in mind but are sophisticated for parents as well. We'll let you know what's HOT and what's NOT because everyone needs a great family fit!

Email us with your destination review requests! Our first destination will be Monterey, Ca.

SFPeninsulaParent@gmail.com

What's For Dinner? Slow Cooker: Pizza Chicken

 Set it and Forget it! :-) Happy Friday!

From About.Com: Busy Cooks

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 cups pasta or pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded pizza cheese

Preparation:

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and place in a 4-5 quart crockpot. Top with onions and bell peppers and pour pasta or pizza sauce over all. Cover crockpot and cook on low 4-5 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Stir well, then sprinkle with cheese and let stand 5 minutes to melt cheese. Serve over hot cooked pasta or rice. 8 servings

Pre-Birth To Do List

So I have three girlfriends due in a span of three weeks this summer...I can't believe it!  They've all gone through their preparation routines and then asked me if they were missing anything. I found this list in the format of an email to my husband J about a month before my baby was born. My girlfirends thought it was super helpful....

J: email the HR person who works with the medical insurance about our hospital/OB/medication costs 

Have Resources on hand:
_Bookmark helpful internet sites - American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Sears, Dr. Spock
_Post phone numbers of "help lines" both day time (ob, lpch) and 24 hr numbers, put  family and friend numbers on white board for hubbie and other helpers
_Baby states of consciousness info - quiet alert state etc.
_Create flexible birth plan to give to nurses/doc at hospital http://www.babycenter.com/calculators-birthplan
_Create phone list for when CC is born / email list for initial photos  etc. www.callingpost.com  *Babe I need the numbers you want for our acct on website and read the instructions so you can leave the initial "he's here" message
_Legal guardian, will paperwork
_College fund set up
_Get Car Seat Inspected @ LPCH, I need you there to watch it be installed correctly
_Hospital Tour
_Hospital Tour Pre-Admit Paperwork

_Set up breast pump and sterilize parts for use - read directions
_Call nursing mother's counsel to have a counselor assigned in advance http://www.nursingmothers.org/  or La Leche League http://www.llli.org/Web/California.html
_Finish nursery setup - bedding & move crib, toy org, diaper station, bath station ready.

_Nursing station set up at rocking chair: snacks, bottled waters, breast shields, garbage can, clean towels
_Relocate book shelf & teaching materials, file paperwork and build 2nd file cabinet.
_Find/Interview Pediatrician

Shopping:
_Circumcision care: gauze pads and vaseline
_rubbing alcohol and cotton balls
_grooming kit with baby brush/nail clippers or file, etc.
_Medical kit: thermometer, infant tylenol, pedialyte
_Peanut shell sling for home use
_Hospital bag: night light, snacks for j, lavender oil smell stuff, birth ball


Questions for the OB:
_When do you reccommend supplementing formula for breastmilk?
_What % weight loss is considered "normal"? (10%?)
_Circumstances for a c-section
_Alternate pushing positions - do I have to be on my back for you to "catch" the baby?

This Weekend - New Feature!

The Dreaded Question:

What should we do this weekend? It gets even more complicated when you have a child (or children!) Check in with us for our new weekly feature "This Weekend"!