Time Well Spent

At this point, I think I'm known as someone that will just throw things together and hope they turn out edible. I mean, really. How efficient is it to head over to the grocery store EVERY time I want to try something new? It's not, unfortunately - and I never have the energy to do it (ok, maybe sometimes). I have a stack of recipes that I would love to try, but who knows if I'll ever get to them. I can only drool at the photos and imagine what they might taste like.

The reality is - we're busy. Everyone's busy. We don't always have the time to spend an hour or more making a meal. In fact, I just read the other day that Americans, on average, only spend about 30 minutes on meal preparation - as opposed to other countries that spend about 2 to 2 1/2 hours on a meal. I'll tell you what - give me an extra 2 hours for every dinner, and I'll use it. I would love to have that time to make something awesome;  homemade pasta, fresh - homemade bread... I could go on for a while. I can only do this on weekends - if I'm home.

What would you make for dinner if you had an extra 2 hours to create it? Would you invite people over for dinner more often? Would you take more time to actually eat your food, versus scarfing it down? When I started writing this post, it was not my intention to talk about our food eating habits, but it's part of our everyday lives - and it just came to me. I have half of a bushel of peaches sitting on my dining room table - that we bought on Sunday. I haven't touched them yet. I also have a reusable grocery bag full of cucumbers and yellow peppers that we picked in our 'community garden' (shared with two friends) on Sunday - they're still sitting in the kitchen. And what about that giant zucchini I just got from a co-worker today? I should probably do something with it. My problem is that I easily get inspired, and then I run out of time. Especially during Shark Week.

Where was I going with this? Well - my husband travels a lot and sometimes I end up with random leftovers in the fridge that don't really accumulate to a meal. I typically fry myself some eggs when I'm home alone and call it good. This time, I got inspired. I had some fresh broccoli, tomatoes, fresh thyme, bacon and 1/2 a box of pasta. Remember when I was working on creating my own pan sauces? This was another attempt. I added some garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and leftover white wine (leftover wine? I'm not sure how that happened either).

It was ok. The bacon really added a lot of flavor, as usual, and the broccoli really soaked up the juices well. Like I mentioned in the past post - practice makes perfect. I'll keep practicing.

Whether I liked it or not, I ate it for lunch for the next week. It's tough cooking for one or two!

Testing Pan Sauces

I recently subscribed to bon appetit through my sister's magazine drive - and absolutely love it. They just got a new editor that has completely changed the magazine. If you check out their facebook page, you'll notice a lot of anger from past readers "it's just not the same!" It never is. Move on.

Last month's magazine was all about Italy and had a section called Pasta Perfect. Now, I don't know about you, but I always get frustrated when trying to make a pan sauce. In fact - I don't typically bother making a pan sauce, I just buy the sauce in a jar. I'm assuming you do too.

Within the past few years, I've noticed that my digestive system doesn't take to red sauce very well and I decided to do something about it. Stop eating red sauce. That's easier said than done. I LOVE lasagna and spaghetti with meatballs. There are times that I take the pain and just eat it, because I can't resist. But what if I could create my own sauce - so I knew what was in it and it matched with the actual dish? This section of the magazine inspired me - and I immediately tested out one of their recipes.

bon appetit gives ten things to swear by when making pasta and pasta sauce. They're great to keep in mind and make a lot of sense:

1. Forget the pot. Use a pan.
2. Build the foundation.
3. You're not using nearly enough salt.
4. Don't dump the pasta water.
5. Trust the tongs.
6. Now work that pan. It's where the magic happens.
7. Everything's better with butter. {sure is!}
8. Cheese is not just a garnish. {that's right, it's essential}
9. It should look as good as it tastes.
10. Practice makes perfect pasta.

For the full descriptions of each rule, follow this link. 

I followed the basic white sauce recipe and got... decent results. Like number 10 says - practice makes perfect. I definitely need more practice. There just wasn't enough flavor - and I'm awful at taking pasta out of the hot water on time. It's always overcooked - that is, unless my husband is around to take a noodle and throw it at the wall. If it sticks - it's good! Yes... I let him do that.

So give it a try. Pasta is such a quick and versatile thing to make - why not explore it a little more? But do me a favor - let me know how it goes. As we all need practice and can learn from each others pains and successes.  Good luck!

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

I get daily text messages at about 3:00 from Martha Stewart with the Recipe of the Day. My husband loves it {sarcasm}. Mostly because I announce the Recipe of the Day to everyone around me, so there's no avoiding it if I'm around. If I like the recommended Recipe of the Day, I can reply 'cook' and it will text me the shopping ingredients and email me the recipe. It's really quite wonderful. This is where my Cheesy Baked Rigatoni came from though, it was originally called Baked Spaghetti and Mozzarella, before I got to it.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can change it up and it's still going to turn out great; as long as you follow some of the basics. Feel free to click on the original recipe above, but this is how I would do it. 

*Caution: This is enough for a week's worth of leftovers for 3 people. If you don't want to make so much, cut the recipe in half.

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

Serves 6-8

2 boxes dried pasta

1 larger-than-average jar of pasta or marinara sauce

1 ball or log of fresh mozzarella, cubed

5 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 cup shredded Parmesan or Gruyère

Oregano (dried or fresh)

Directions

Cook pasta just before it becomes 'ready' - it will still have a little crunch to it. Drain in a strainer, but do not rinse. Sauce sticks better to un-rinsed pasta.

Preheat oven to 350*F

In a large dutch oven or oven-proof saucepan, fry bacon until crisp. Pour in tomato sauce and stir until boiling. Dump in cooked pasta and stir until fully incorporated. Toss in the cubed mozzarella and stir once more.  Top with shredded cheese and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browned on the edges.

With potholders, carefully take out the cheesy goodness and sprinkle with the oregano.  Serve with garlic bread and a tall glass of milk.

A New Kind of Pesto?

Last night I made something that caused my husband to say "This is something I've never had in my entire life." He continues... "Honey, if you were to make this once a week for dinner - I wouldn't complain a bit." Oh really? Awesome, because it was a piece of cake. Thank you Serious Eats for tweeting about awesome recipes - it makes my life so much easier.

The thing I love about simple recipes is that I can easily change up something - and it still turns out great (or sometimes better).  I only changed two things in this recipe - well, mostly just one, because I didn't have it.  I used broken up lasagna noodles for the pasta (atlas! a use for broken lasagna noodles!) and I didn't have any pine nuts - though, I wish I did. We argued about the real name for pine nuts. My co-worker says she's just going to call them pignoli because she's Italian, and that's the Italian name for them. I kind of like the Latin name... it makes me chuckle at least - Pinus pinea. 


But you know what, this blog post isn't about pine nuts.

This blog post actually revolves around sweet corn. Glorious sweet corn. I didn't have any. I had 1 full can of it and a smaller can of Mexicorn (so good in scrambled eggs).  It has peppers and everything all mixed in. So that's what I added instead of fresh. awesome. sweet corn. tear.

The recipe is simple and serves at least four people... more like five. It's got a little bit of sweet, but a lot of savory from the bacon and cheese.

Pasta with Bacon and Corn 'Pesto'
click the title for the full recipe

Ingredients
4 slices thick bacon
4 cups fresh corn kernels
1 large garlic clove
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup+ grated Parmesan
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound taglietelle, fettucini, or other pasta

Want the instructions? Click here.

Stuffed Manicotti

I'm starting to get better at using what I have in the pantry for dinner - instead of eating junk until I go grocery shopping.  I typically enjoy rummaging through to see what crazy things I can come up with - though manicotti was pretty typical when I was growing up. I love it. Mostly because it's stuffed with ricotta cheese.

I mostly followed the directions on the back of the box, but made a few alterations.

Ingredients
15oz ricotta cheese
3 eggs
1 box thawed and drained spinach
1 box manicotti pasta, cooked
1 jar spaghetti sauce of choice
1 chicken breast, cubed and cooked with 1 clove garlic

Mix ricotta, eggs, chicken and spinach in one bowl, season with salt & pepper.  Pour half of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Stuff manicotti with filling and place in baking pan. After you're done with all of the manicotti, pour the remaining pasta sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover pan with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350*F. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Enjoy with a large cold glass of milk!

My Failed Attempt at Pierogi

The August Daring Cooks challenge was to make homemade Pierogi and homemade filling. I had recently stocked up on ricotta cheese and frozen spinach, so I decided to use that for my filling. I also added some salt and pepper just for some added flavor to the cheese.  Let's not forget the crispy bacon that's in there too. If I were to do it again, there would be more bacon.

My husband gave me a ravioli mold and pasta maker for our anniversary a few months ago, so I took this opportunity to use them. I don't have the Pierogi gadget, though I did get my sister some for Christmas last year - too bad she lives 1200 miles away.

After I attempted to roll out the pasta dough and form the ravioli, I realized I made a big mistake. I hand-rolled the pasta dough instead of running in through the pasta maker. Duh! You don't think of using something to make your life easier if you're not used to having it... next time.  So needless to say, I had filling oozing into the dough as I am trying to get the itty-bitty ravioli out. What a disaster.

I then re-rolled out some dough and formed them in the actual shape of Pierogi since, that was what I was supposed to be making in the first place - right?

After boiling the Pierogi, I deep fried them and then added some Four-Cheese Alfredo sauce. They were a little dry since the dough was too thick, but still filling.

Next time - the pasta maker is coming out.


Dough Ingredients:
½ cup (125 ml) milk (can be whole milk, 2% or skim milk)
½ cup (125 ml) whipping cream
3 large egg whites
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
3 cups (450 gm) all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Mix flour and salt, add other ingredients, and knead dough until you have a smooth dough. (I
kneaded this dough quite a bit, and it yielded a nice, pliable dough).
2. On a floured surface roll out fairly thin (1/8”), cut into 2” squares, and fill with 1 tsp (5ml) filling.

Filling Ingredients:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped, thawed spinach
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 strips of cooked bacon


Bring a large, low saucepan of salted water to boil. Drop in the pierogi, not too many, only
single layer in the pan! Return to the boil and reduce heat. When the pierogi rise to the surface,
continue to simmer a few minutes more ( usually about 5 minutes). Remove one dumpling
with a slotted spoon and taste if ready. When satisfied, remove remaining pierogi from the
water.

Better Late than Never They Always Say

I had two people participate in my April Challenge. I'm sure you're saying to yourself "it's almost June, why are you talking about April?" I know, I'm sorry. Let's just say it's been a hectic month. Heck, I got up at 4:00am this morning, simply because I couldn't sleep anymore. Does that help?
Unlike past months, I'm going to put all the April Challenges in one post - because at 4:00am, I like to keep things simple. The first recipe is my own, but please vote for the other two! I already have enough cheese.

I've always wanted to make homemade gnocchi. In all honesty, the pasta isn't really THAT tasty. I mean, you can add some good sauce or sides with it, but in the end, it's still potato noodle. Sort of...  I'm fascinated by it though, so I decided to make some of my own. I couldn't just make plain old gnocchi though, I had to make pumpkin flavored. Warning - this recipe makes  A LOT of gnocchi.







Pumpkin Gnocchi with Shaved 
Parmigianno-Reggiano

1 1/2 pounds white potatoes, about 3 large, peeled, diced and boiled until tender
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup finely grated Parm
1 egg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
2 to 2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling out dough
Salted water, for cooking gnocchi
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 T. sage, minced
1/2 cup shaved Parm

Allow cooked potatoes to cool slightly. While still warm, puree potatoes and let cool to room temperature (or set in the freezer for a few minutes.) Add the pumpkin puree, cheese, egg, cinnamon, all spice, salt and pepper and mix well. Gradually add enough flour to form a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Briefly knead the dough to incorporate the four, being careful not to overwork.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cut the dough into six equal pieces and place one piece on a lightly floured work surface. Roll piece into a long rope (this is difficult if you didn't add enough flour). Slice the rope into pieces 1/2-inch round and wide. Holding one piece at a time, roll the tines of a fork against the dough until slight indentations are formed. Repeat with each piece of dough, setting formed gnocchi on a floured kitchen towel or baking sheet.

Add gnocchi to the boiling water and cook until they have risen to the top (about 2-3 minutes). Remove the cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon and set aside while making sauce or sides.

In a skillet over high heat, add the butter and let sit undisturbed until it has begun to caramelize. Add minced sage and let cook for 30 seconds longer. Feel free to add other ingredients at this point. Season with salt and pepper and add gnocchi. Toss ingredients in pan until gnocchi gets slightly crispy (I'm a texture person). I served my gnocchi with pan-fried sage chicken and a cucumber, tomato salad.

Don't forget to clean up your mess!

Challenger #1

Mushroom Ravioli with ricotta, Parmesan, and pine nuts with a tomato white port sauce

Pasta:
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Olive Oil (or vegetable oil)
2 large Eggs
1 pinch Salt
1 - 2 tbsp Water

Whisk or beat with fork eggs, olive oil and water.
Make mountain of flour (sprinkle salt on top) on any flat surface, and form well in the center of it.
Pour in ½ of egg mixture and begin forming dough with 2 fingers while supporting the mound of flour with other hand, adding in the rest of the egg mixture once the dough gets going.
Kneed dough for 8 - 10 minutes, flouring surface with semolina as needed.
Form dough into ball and wrap with plastic wrap.
Let dough 'rest' in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
Cut dough into 2 pieces with a knife or dough blade.
Roll out dough into thin strips the thickness of a nickel.
Fill with ravioli filling, brush edges with egg wash, then close and seal individual ravioli dumplings making sure no air is trapped inside them.

Filling:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces mini portabello mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup chopped pine nuts
4 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced and chopped
Salt and pepper (used some garlic pepper grinder for the pepper and coarse, kosher salt)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Once it shimmers add the onions and cook until they soften, about five minutes.  Add the mushrooms, basil, and pine nuts and cook until the excess liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have reduced in volume, about eight minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds.  Remove the pan from the heat to cool slightly.

Sauce:
The amount I made was only enough for one serving because I made it up.  So, if you were to make it, double or triple it.  

3 large tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, smashed
1/4 c. white port wine
1 T. butter
2 T. heavy cream
kosher salt
pepper

Place clean, washed tomatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. When tomato skin cracks well, drain and rinse tomatoes with cold water. Pull skins off. Process tomatoes through a food mill into medium sauce pan. Cook on med-low heat with garlic. About 30-40 minutes until it is reduced. About half-way through, add the white wine. When all liquid is gone, and the sauce is smooth, add the butter and cream. 

Boil finished ravioli in salted, boiling water. Cook for roughly 8 minutes. Drain and serve with sauce. Sprinkle with grated fresh Parmesan and garnish with basil. 

Enjoy!


Challenger #2

Homemade Fettucini Alfredo

I absolutely love pasta! I should have been born Italian because everything about Italian food I love. The bread, pasta, pizza, vino...everything! So, naturally for this challenge I needed to make my favorite food (besides homemade pizza)...fettucini alfredo!

Homemade Pasta
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

Mix flour and salt in bowl. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add eggs, water and oil. Mix thoroughly. Gather dough into a ball and knead for 5 to 10 minutes or 4 minutes if using KitchenAid mixer. Roll dough out flat with rolling pin on flour surface, cut thin strips with pizza cutter lenghtwise and then once down the middle width-wise. Bring water/chicken stock mixture to a boil, add noodles, cook for 2 to 5 minutes.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper

Heat butter and whipping cream in skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and mixture starts to bubble; reduce heat to low. Simmer 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened; remove from heat. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!


*Don't these girls rock!? Please vote for your favorite pasta - winner gets some Grafton Cheddar.

Chicken and Artichoke Pasta

Recently, I've had quite a few people (at least four) ask me for some good recipes that use a crock-pot, or slow cooker. I am a huge fan of crock-pots. I can whip dinner together in the morning before work and have it ready to eat when I get home - let's not forget how great the house smells! It doesn't get much better. I follow a lot of food-related sources on Twitter and found a recipe for artichoke pasta. Again, I changed a lot about it, so I'll tell you what I did. This recipe uses a slow cooker, but not 100%; just for the sauce. Regardless, it has a unique flavor and is fun to try.


Chicken and Artichoke Pasta

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
3 cloves garlic
1 T. basil
1 T. oregano
1/4 cup whipping cream
6 oz dried linguine, fettuccine, or other favorite pasta (I used whole wheat linguine)
Olives (optional)
Feta, Parmesan or Gruyere cheese, shredded or crumbled
4 chicken breasts, grilled as desired


Directions
1| Coat the inside of a 3-1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Drain one of the cans of diced tomatoes (do not drain remaining can). In the prepared cooker, stir together drained and undrained tomatoes, the artichoke hearts, garlic, basil and oregano.
2| Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6-8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in whipping cream; let stand for about 5 minutes to heat through.
3| Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Serve sauce over hot cooked pasta and chicken breasts. If desired, top with olives and cheese. 


Makes 4 servings.