My Favorite Pasadena Restaurant!

Louise's Trattoria

Louise's Trattoria in Old Town Pasadena (with other SoCal locations) has fabulous food at great prices!  It has a romantic, but not overly fancy, atmosphere.  They start you off with terrific, warm rosemary focaccia bread served with a balsamic-oil-herb dipping sauce.  I could just eat that and be satisfied!  They did recently change their menu and took off one of my favorite dishes, which was disappointing, but I'd find it hard to order a bad dish at Louise's.  My current favorite dish is the "chicken balsamico"- which comes with a great spinach side dish and I substitute the veggies for potatoes - delish!!  I have taken many friends there who are now big fans also!  The service has generally been great (just a little slow for our large group on New Years Eve, but that is to be expected).  I don't like to head into Old Town much because of parking issues, but this place is worth it!  What I like best is that for the quality of the food and portion sizes compared to the prices - it's really a great deal compared to similar Italian restaurants.  (The first time I went, my pasta - the one that's no longer available - lasted me 3 meals!)  If you're in the area looking for good food and a good value - Louise's is the place!  The only real downside for me is the dessert menu - nothing really to my tastes, but there is a fabulous gelato shop right next door!  Louise's is my go-to local restaurant whenever I want great food at a good price!

Our friends after the meal :)

Pizza-Pasta Bake

I was on my way home from work the other day, and realized my husband was gone for work and we had nothing prepared for dinner.  We generally keep our meat in the freezer so we didn't really have anything to make quickly.  I began brainstorming and remembered we had some pepperoni and always have most types of shredded cheese stocked in the freezer.  I checked when I got home and we also had pizza and pasta tomato sauces, but nothing to make a quick pizza on.  So I made up my own dish and made my pizza on pasta!  (I'm sure it's nothing new, but it was to me, and I didn't use a recipe - so this is my creation!)  I am going to put a combination of what I used and what I would recommend since I was using what was available in the freezer/pantry, but you could get larger amounts at the store.

Gretchen's Pizza-Pasta Bake 
Serves 8

1 pkg penne pasta (I used organic brown rice pasta - gluten-free!!)
2 1/2 c. tomato sauce (pizza or pasta sauce, I used a little of both)
2 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella (or other Italian) cheese (mine was a blend of provolone and mozzarella, and I also added some grated parmesan on top)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Italian seasoning (could substitute oregano and/or basil, but I recommend getting some Italian seasoning anyway if you don't have it already - I use it on everything!)
1/4 tbsp crushed red peppers flakes (optional, adds spice)

1.  Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions.
2.  Toss the drained pasta with the garlic, seasoning, and pepper.
3.  In a 9"x13" casserole dish (prepped with nonstick spray), layer 1/2 of the pasta mixture.  Then layer 1/2 of the sauce, followed by 1/2 of the cheese.  Create an entire layer of pepperoni (so they cover most of the cheese without overlapping) on top.  Repeat all four layers with the remaining ingredients.
4.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.

Step 3

Step 2

Step 4

ABC Chicken

Amazing Balsamic Caprese Chicken that is!  This was the easiest dinner ever - it's elegant and delicious.  Perfect for a dinner party.  I'm a sucker for some great fresh mozzarella, but normally eat in on bread - hadn't thought of this amazing chicken idea!  My husband marinated it and I did the rest - we didn't use a recipe and neither of us measured, so I will give suggested measurements, but feel free to do what seems right.  Sorry - that's really my style of cooking; I just like to play around with flavor!  We served it with a caesar salad and roasted potatoes, but it could also be great as a sandwich on some thick toasted bread.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Amazing Balsamic Caprese Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
balsamic vinegar (2 tbsp)
olive oil (2 tbsp)
crushed/minced garlic (1 tbsp)
fresh mozzarella (4 1/4" slices)
fresh basil (8-12 large leaves)
tomato (4 1/4" thick slices)
panko breadcrumbs (optional - 3 tbsp)
balsamic glaze (to taste, about 2 tbsp)

1.  Place first 4 ingredients in a large ziploc bag.  Allow to marinate (in fridge) for a few hours.
2.  Remove breasts from bag and place in a baking dish.  If using breadcrumbs for added crunch, place about 1/2 tbsp evenly on each.
3.  Bake about 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
4.  Remove from oven.   Top each chicken breast with cheese, basil, and tomato.  Sprinkle remaining panko crumbs on top.  Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes.
5.  Drizzle glaze overtop and serve.

(See below for potato recipe.)