Sometimes the simplest meals are the best. Really, when you have pasta, chicken, good cheese and tomatoes, do you really need much else? Probably not. This site has been really focused on dessert recipes lately, and while I love a great recipe for candy or cookies or cake as much as the next girl (probably more, in fact), every once in a while I have to throw in something healthy and substantial.

Also, for those of you who commented on last week’s Splurge or Steal post, the “Steal” cocktail ring is the one on the right! It’s $4.80 from Forever 21. The other is gorgeous too, and it’s from Max and Chloe, available here. Enjoy!

Pasta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into strips
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp capers
1 pound chicken breast, cooked and cut into pieces
12 ounces rotini pasta
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS

Mix tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella, capers and oil in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain the pasta and return the noodles to the pot. Add the chicken and the tomato mixture and toss gently over low heat, until everything is heated through. Season with salt and pepper again and serve.

Here’s a fun one I haven’t done in a while:  Splurge or Steal?

One of these adorable cocktail rings is $90, the other is under $5.  Can you guess which is which?

If you can, leave a message in the comments.   I’ll post the answer next week!

I figured I should post this before everyone forgets all about the Rodarte line for Target!  The weekend that this line came out, I literally bought everything I could get my hands on.  I got basically every dress they made, some in multiple colors.  And then they came.  And I tried them on.  And every single one of them went back to the store.

I know.  I should probably have sold them on ebay, but I just wanted to be rid of them — I was so excited for this line, and almost everything looked awful.  But this cardigan alone probably redeems the line — I wear it all the time, and it’s adorable.  The tank top is a little cheap-looking, but layered underneath other cute pieces and you hardly notice.  I was really hopeful that I’d like more of these pieces, but I guess a few good staples are enough for now.

Rodarte for Target cardigan and tank top, J. Brand jeans, Jimmy Choo chunky heels.

I have found the secret to perfect meringues, every single time.  No more worries about humidity or temperature, no more whipping and whipping until you’re blue in the face, only to produce soft peaks.  And as an added bonus, no more worries about eggs expiring in your fridge.

Because my secret to meringues is so painfully obvious:  egg white powder.  I actually mentioned it in my last recipe post, because I used it for royal icing, in which the egg whites are never cooked.  But ever since then, whenever I have a recipe that calls for whipped egg whites, guess what makes my life so much easier?  That very same jar of egg white powder.

Just make sure you buy the kind with no added sugar.  This stuff isn’t cheap, and you don’t want to pay more for something you probably have on hand or could buy for a lot less.  I found mine at a specialty cooking store, but you can also buy it on Amazon here.

Now go make these for Valentine’s day!

Peppermint Meringues

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp egg white powder and 7 tbsp water (or substitute 2 egg whites)
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

DIRCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Whip the egg whites until thick and foamy. Mix together the sugar, peppermint extract and cream of tarter, and add the misture gradually. Continue to whip until the mixture forms stiff peaks (you can turn the bowl upside down and nothing falls out).

Bake for 90 minutes to two hours, or until meringues are firmly set.

Makes about 20 meringues.

I bought this sweater at BCBG during Fashion’s Night Out this fall, and even after a few glasses of champagne, I could tell it was an excellent purchase.  I’ve gotten so much use out of it — it’s comfortable, great for the weekends, and I get compliments every time I wear it.  Really, all I need now is for it to get warm enough to wear this instead of a jacket — I’m counting the days.

BCBG oversize sweater, Splendid leggings, Zara tank top and boots.

I can’t believe it’s been this long, but I made this cake almost a year ago, for Chad’s last birthday.

Yikes.

And I haven’t held off on posting it for any good reason — in fact, everyone at his party readily agreed that it was terrific.  But somehow (probably due to the bad lighting conditions when I snapped these photos), it has taken me a whole 10 months to share this recipe with you all.

I think you’ll forgive me.  Because in this case, the wait was worth it — this delicious birthday cake is perfect for when you want to go the homemade route for someone special.  Someone who is worthy of the relatively intense cake-baking process.  Someone, I hope, who will appreciate the effort you put into it.  And, of course, someone who likes white chocolate as much as Chad and I do.  Yum.

White Chocolate Birthday Cake

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

For the buttercream:
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, melt the white chocolate and hot water over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs, beating well with each addition. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, then add the melted white chocolate.

Pour batter into a medium-sized sheet pan (or two 9″ round pans). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

For the buttercream:

Microwave the white chocolate and milk on medium-high for 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir. If the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave for an additional 30 seconds and stir again.

Meanwhile, cream together the butter and shortening, then add the vanilla. Add the confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, beating well in between. When all the sugar is mixed in, add the melted chocolate and beat until light and fluffy. Spread the icing on the cooled cake layers, and serve.

For the decorations, I used this recipe for royal icing, using meringue powder instead of raw egg whites.

Believe it or not, this was my dress for New Year’s Eve!  Usually people go one of two routes: sparkles, or the little black dress.  After several years of doing one or the other, I fell in love with this dress while looking for something else — and could only justify buying it because I didn’t have anything yet for New Years.  Fortunately, this dress will only get more weather-appropriate as spring comes around, so I’m excited for that.  For now, tights and boots are a must!

Tibi beaded caftan dress, Wolford tights, Steven ankle boots.

When I first posted this recipe for soft pretzels over a year ago, it immediately became one of the most popular posts on this site.  I made that recipe probably a dozen times, trying to improve it with some small variance — and finally settled on garlic.  Because, really, is there any savory recipe that isn’t better with some garlic?

But now I’m opening it up to you — what would be other good variations on this?  Clearly cinnamon sugar would be great, but are there any unique pretzel flavors I should try out?  I’m getting hungry just thinking about it…

Soft Pretzels

INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/3 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp baking soda
1 cup hot water (as hot as your tap can get)
Sea salt

DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve yeast into water with a pinch of sugar, let stand 10 minutes, until the mixture is creamy colored. Mix the yeast mixture with flour, sugar, salt, garlic powder and canola oil, and knead until combined (a few minutes, not even 5). Let the dough rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the dough has risen, pinch off a handful and roll it out into a long strand. Set aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough, about 6 times. Once all the strands are rolled out, pick up the first one and stretch it out again (the gluten will have relaxed and it should stretch further now). Twist it into a pretzel shape and place it on a baking sheet lined with silipat or cooking spray. Repeat with the rest of the strands.

Dissolve baking soda into hot water and stir until dissolved. Quickly dip each rolled pretzel into the mixture and place it back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle all the pretzels with sea salt, to your preference. Bake for about 8 minutes, until pretzels have browned.

Makes six medium-sized pretzels, but please double or triple this recipe, because they disappear quickly!

You know what’s particularly cool about this outfit?

No, not the awesome fringe bag that’s trendy and classic at the same time.

No, not the phenomenal wedges that make me insanely tall — and yet still able to walk.

Actually, it’s that zebra print skirt.  Because you know what?  I made it.

Yes, you heard correctly.  After one too many episodes of Project Runway, I figured I would try my hand at making something on my own.  And after several long hours trying to thread a brand-new sewing machine, I tried making a miniskirt.

Actually, first I tried several other things, and none of them were really wear-able when I was done with them.  But the miniskirt was the charm — for a total beginner, I think this one is a good start!

Sugarlaws skirt, J. Crew sweater, Zara tank, Wolford tights, Elizabeth and James wedges, Charlie My Love fringe bag.

I know, I know.  Shouldn’t I be starting 2010 with some kind of zero calorie, healthy vegetable thing so you guys won’t be tempted away from your New Years Resolution diets in the first week of the year?

I am a bad influence on you.  You should just close your browser window right now, and don’t even bother to read this recipe.

Because if you read it, you might just realize that this toffee takes about 15 minutes to make, requires about five ingredients, is basically foolproof, and is completely delicious.

Do I have your attention yet?  I thought so.

I decided I wanted to make this after I stopped in the Vosges chocolate store in Soho shortly after Christmas.  They had toffee on sale with crushed almonds, and while it was completely delicious, I couldn’t help but think how much better it would be if they didn’t bother with the nuts — so my version is just butter toffee and chocolate, nothing more, and it’s completely delicious.

Toffee

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

Butter a baking sheet or put Silpat on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, stir in the sugar, water and corn syrup, until the sugar has dissolved. Once the mixture starts to boil, stop stirring. Set a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches about 300 degrees (it took me 8-10 minutes).

When the mixture hits 300 degrees, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the toffee in an even layer onto the baking sheet. Sprinkly the chopped chocolate over the hot toffee. After a few minutes, the chocolate will be soft enough to spread with an offset spatula in an even layer over the toffee. Sprinkle the sea salt over the melted chocolate once it’s spread evenly.

Cool completely in the refrigerator, and then break into pieces.

Store the toffee in an airtight container for about a week. It can also be frozen for about a month.