But fast, cheap and easy is an honest-to-goodness description! No false advertising here, I pinky swear.

The recipe, Angel Hair Pasta with Broccoli & Fresh Herbs, is originally written as a main dish, which is how the Punks ate it. The Husband and I had a simple sear-roasted salmon fillet on top of ours. It garnered rave reviews from the DamFam, and honestly, I liked it a lot. Would I serve it to company? Hhhhmmm…probably not … but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t make it again. In fact, I’ve now made it twice in the past 24 hours!

My pasta was a super bargain because I, for once, exercised a bit of forethought and planted a whole slew of herbs a few weeks ago. Much as I love spending $$ on fresh herbs at Sendik’s (who doesn’t? LOL), I get a fun little thrill every time I step outside and snip off sprigs of my very own parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (cue the Simon & Garfunkel). I thought about showing you a picture of my herb garden, but it’s raining outside and my camera is allergic to raindrops. Maybe another day.

Now, do yourself a favor and run out to the nearest garden center as soon as you humanly are able! Snap up some decent soil and a few gorgeous herbs. Stick ‘em in the ground (or in big pots) and water accordingly. You’ll be soooo happy to have them right outside your patio door all summer long! And every time you cut a sprig or two, you’ll congratulate yourself for your green thumb and thrifty ways. I always do.

Happy last week of school!!

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH BROCCOLI & FRESH HERBS
Serves: 4, as a first course
Source: epicurious.com

½ c. unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature **
2 T. chopped fresh basil
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced

2 t. olive oil
8 oz. angel hair pasta (RP’s Pasta is on sale in the dairy department this week, 6/16/10 – 6/22/10)
2 c. broccoli florets (broccoli crowns are on sale this week, 6/16/10 – 6/22/10)
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Mash the first four ingredients together in a small bowl.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the olive oil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for two minutes. Add the pasta and cook for an additional two minutes. Drain pasta and broccoli and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add herb butter to taste and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow pasta bowls, passing Parmesan cheese at the table.

** I love buttah’ as much as the next girl, but I thought one stick was excessive for this dish. I did go ahead and make the whole batch, but I only (ONLY!) used half of it on the pasta. I’m going to save the rest to serve on grilled fish or steamed vegetables later on in the week. Clever, eh?!

This recipe is a winner for several reasons: first, it makes great use of both the florets and the stems, with very little waste; and second, because the recipe doesn’t call for pulverizing the soup to oblivion, you can actually tell that there is broccoli in the soup!The florets and the stems are added separately so that the stems will cook until tender, and the florets will maintain their bright, beautiful shade of green.  Along with this pretty soup, the DamFam will dine this evening on a big green salad and crispy popovers.

What’s that?  You don’t know how to make popovers?  You don’t have the fancy schmancy pan?  Never fear, Frugal friends.  You don’t need to make a trip to the mall for the special popover pan, you can make them in a muffin tin with similar results.  Come along!  It’s fun to learn something new!  Your gang will be so impressed, you’ll be whipping out popovers all winter long.

First things first, though.  Start with the soup.  One thing about popovers is that they don’t like to be kept waiting.  They’re best straight from the oven.

However, if you do have a few left over, they’re lovely for breakfast with a little bit of butter and jam (I still have raspberry freezer jam leftover from the summer!).  Just re-crisp them in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes.  Your kids will think you’re a total goddess!

BROCCOLI SOUP WITH CHEDDAR
Serves: 6
Source: epicurious.com

• 6 T. butter, room temperature; divided
• 2 pounds of fresh broccoli, stems and florets separated and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 dried tarragon
• 6 c. chicken broth (Emeril’s stocks are on sale)
• 1 c. half and half

• 3 T. flour

• 2 c. grated cheddar – about a half pound block; (Sendik’s Brand Mild Cheddar is on sale)

Melt 3 T. butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add broccoli stems and onions, saute for about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and the tarragon, saute 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered until broccoli stems are tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Transfer contents of the soup to a blender, being careful not to fill it all the way (unless you enjoy scraping green soup off your ceiling). Place the lid on the blender, removing the center plastic piece so that the steam can vent. Using a clean kitchen towel, gently hold the lid in place and start the blender on LOW. Wait a few seconds and then up the speed to medium, and blend until smooth.

Transfer soup back to pot. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 3 T. butter and the flour with a fork to make a paste **. Whisk the paste into the soup. Add the broccoli florets. Simmer until the soup thickens and the florets are tender, about 5 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Place 6 ovenproof bowls on a baking sheet. Divide soup among the bowls. Sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese over each. Broil until cheese melts and bubbles around the edges, about 4 minutes.

** Cooking 201: The fancy French term for this butter / flour mixture is ‘beurre manie’ (pronounced ‘burr mon yay’), which translates into “kneaded butter”.  This is a simple technique that can be used to thicken soups, sauces, and gravies.

POPOVERS

Makes 6, but is easily doubled

Source:  epicurious.com

• 1 c. sifted all-purpose flour
• ½ t. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 1 – 2 T. butter for the pan

Preheat the oven to 450.

Sift together the flour and the salt in a large bowl.  Whisk together the eggs and the milk in a small bowl.  Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring, and stir until the batter is smooth.  (I like to transfer the batter to a big glass measuring cup at this point; it makes filling the pan much easier.  I also like to allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes or so before proceeding).

Place the popover pan (or muffin tin) in the hot oven for five minutes.  Remove pan from the oven and place a bit of butter (call it ¼ teaspoon, maybe a little more) in the bottom of each of six muffin cups.  Place the pan back in the oven for two minutes, or until the butter is melted.

Working very quickly, pour the batter into the six buttered muffin cups, so that they’re ½ – 2/3 of the way full.  Immediately place the pan back in the oven.  Bake the popovers in the middle of the 450 degree oven for 20 minutes (** see note).  Reduce the heat to 375, and continue to bake the popvers for 20 minutes longer, or until they are golden brown and crisp.  Remove from the pan immediately and serve.

** COOKING 201: Absolutely no peeking while the popovers are doing their thing in the oven!  Popovers are leavened by steam.  When you open the oven door, heat escapes, and the popovers will collapse.  I would hate for that to happen to you!  So, behave yourself – no peeking.  Thank you.

This is one of those recipes that I only break out during the coldest winter months.  Not because it’s difficult to make – mostly because I can’t be trusted when leftovers are hanging around.  It’s the ultimate comfort food, and  I love it more than almost any other recipe I have in my repertoire!

With a freezing cold weekend ahead, you’re gonna want to have this pot pie on hand to warm up your chilly chill’ens.  It’s not hard.  You don’t even have to do the lattice crust if you don’t want to but I’m obsessive compulsive picky about these things.  Not that my family would even notice –they just want to dig right in!

A few notes on the recipe: I like to use leftover chicken (light and dark meat) for this recipe.  If you have it on hand, obviously skip the poaching step and just add it in at the end.  If you want to be extremely frugal, you can poach one of the whole chickens that are on sale this week — but  I was feeling quite lazy and didn’t want to deal with de-boning cooked chicken.

This filling is extremely versatile. Add or delete whatever veggies you like (don’t choose anything too watery though).  You don’t have to use two crusts; you could just pour the filling into your pie plate and use one crust on top.  If you don’t like pie crust (what’s wrong with you?), you could easily top it with biscuit dough instead.  Either way, prepare to be addicted.  You’ll be wishing winter would never end!

BEST EVER CHICKEN POT PIE

Serves: 5-6

Source:  ?!  I don’t know!  I’ve been making this for YEARS!!

• 1 box pie crusts, at room temperature

• 2 c. of diced raw chicken (I used a mixture of boneless breasts and thighs)
• 1 c. broccoli florets
• 1 large carrot, small dice
• 1 large leek, washed well and thinly sliced (white and pale green part only)

• 3 T. butter
• 3 T. flour

• 3 c. whole milk
• 1 large chicken bouillon cube (I like the Knorr brand, they’re really big!)

• 1 c. grated Parmesan (this is on sale this week!)
• 1 c. frozen peas, thawed (Birds Eye are on sale this week)
• 1 box pie crusts, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 425.  Unroll one pie crust and place in a deep-dish pie plate.  Line the pie plate with foil and fill foil with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake crust for 12 minutes.   Remove from oven and set aside.  Remove foil and pie weights when cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, place the raw chicken, broccoli, carrots, and leeks in a shallow pan.  Add enough water to cover; season with salt.  Bring pan to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are beginning to get tender, 12-15 minutes.  Do not overcook chicken and vegetables. Drain well and set aside.

Place the milk and the bouillon cube in a large measuring cup and microwave on high for 3 minutes or so, or until bouillon cube is soft enough to dissolve when stirred with a whisk.  Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the flour and cook for three minutes, stirring.  Add the milk and bouillon mixture in a steady stream, whisking to incorporate.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring frequently, about  5 minutes.  Blend in the grated Parmesan cheese and remove from heat.  Add the cooked chicken and vegetables along with the peas and mix well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into the crust, then top with the second pie of crust, crimping decoratively if desired.  Use a sharp knife to cut slits in the top of the dough to vent steam.

Bake pie for 30-35 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and crust is beginning to turn golden brown.  Spoon pie into shallow bowls and serve.