Tossed Salad

Ok so there's nothing like a good, cold, fresh salad for lunch in the middle of summer. Something cool to help you chill and relax in the heat. Am I right? Besides it's a good way to get your veggies in too at the same time. Personally, if the salad is good enough? I don't even need any dressing on it, clouding the flavors and adding the calories....

For this salad all I have used is 4 ingredients. That's it. A head of lettuce, a red onion, half a head of red cabbage and a small bundle of carrots. I'm one of those people that likes to wash everything or at least rinse it good. So I rinse the cabbage and onion since they can be peeled back a layer before cutting it up. I slice the cabbage, lay the slices flat and quarter those. Then I peel the layers apart as I drop the pieces into the bowl. Rinse, peel a layer off the onion, slice, quarter and seperate as I drop the pieces in the bowl. Next I wash my carrots, scrubbing them a little with my hand. Once washed I grate them and dump that into the bowl.

The lettuce is next and I like to rinse it as I peel it. The first leaf or two on the outside get tossed. If you hold the head of lettuce under the faucet and let the water slowly fill each leaf, it almost peels each layer back on its own. As each leaf comes off tear it off at the base, let the water run off and set it aside on a towel to finish drying a little. As the base of the head becomes more apparent sticking out, you can break it off and toss it, using the hole inside to fill the remaining leaves and let them peel back.

Once the lettuce leaves are all rinsed and peeled off, you can start tearing them into smaller pieces for your salad. Now it would be much quicker and easier to get out a knife and start chopping, but lettuce is touchy that way. If you tear it, the edges don't turn brown like they seem to do right away when you cut it. Tearing the lettuce means it will keep in the fridge for about a week before the lettuce starts to lose its look.

After tearing up all the leaves from the whole head of lettuce and tossing them into the bowl, my bowl was pretty full and there wasn't much room for tossing anything without it going everywhere. What to do? What to do? Hahaha....

I reached under the counter and grabbed the big pot I use for making soup. These are good for cooking a lot of things, but now it will come in really handy and useful for tossing the salad. I dumped my big, full bowl of salad into the pot and since it only filled the pot about 2/3 of the way, there was plenty of room for things to mix around in there. Put the lid on the pot, grab the handles while holding the lid on with your thumbs and shake. Kids love to do things like this and why not let them. They have plenty of energy and mine like to help out, so they got to shake the pot, tossing the salad inside.

When its mixed up, just dump the salad back into the big bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill for a while until you're ready to serve it. Since some of us like some things and others like other things, this is a good base to which we can each add what else we like later on. I love black olives and can sit and eat a whole can with a fork. The kids used to like them too, so they are a great adition to salad, as are radish slices, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber slices and tomatoes.

You can also add grated cheese and croutons as well as meats to your salad. Fresh cooked shrimp, cubed roasted chicken, chunks of ham, any of this left over from dinner the night before can turn your salad into more of a chef's salad and add protien to your meal. Some people like to add hard boiled eggs to their salad and if you like them, why not? Its your salad. Have fun with it and enjoy what you eat.

Margarita Pizza

This one has been a long time in the making.... Since September of last year. At least that was the last time I looked at this post and considered sharing this one. It's one of those recipes that comes from the heart thru someone I love.

If you've made the pizza crust I previously posted about here, you're half way there. Make the crust and then instead of using typical pizza sauce, use olive oil to cover the crust. Slice some Roma tomatos and fresh mozerella and place them on your dough. Next place some sweet basil leaves on the pizza. Salt it to taste and put it in the oven to cook.

Thats it. Easy peasy and yet the post took me so long to write. No, I have no idea why. The difference in this pizza when compared to normal pizza with sauce? This pizza seems 'lighter' and after a couple of slices, it doesnt leave me feeling groggy and stuffed. Which may not be a good thing if I eat more of it.

Chocolate Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I don't normally like coffee cake. Good coffee cake yes. But let's face it, not all coffee cake is good. The stuff with the brown sugary looking crumbles on top? While it's just not my personal taste, although I have had some that were really good, I usually will pass on it. Mention 'coffee cake' and I'm out.


This one caught my attention though as it doesn't have the crumbles on top. It has chuncks of chocolate and nuts instead. It was featured on the homepage of Yahoo! and linked to the page for it on Bon Appetit.


I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon. It looks too good to pass up.


Chocolate Cinnamon Coffee Cake


If you like, serve this with whipped cream or an extra dollop of yogurt. Servings: 12 


INGREDIENTS
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan 
½ cup blanched hazelnuts, chopped 
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped  
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 cup sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour 
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup plain whole Greek yogurt 


PREPARATION
8" square baking pan


Preheat oven to 350°. Butter 8” square baking pan; set aside. Toss hazelnuts, chocolate, cinnamon, and ¼ cup sugar in a bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and remaining ¾ cup sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with yogurt in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.


Pour half of batter into prepared pan and smooth top; top with half of hazelnut mixture. Spoon remaining batter over and smooth top; top with remaining hazelnut mixture. Bake cake until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan before turning out.


DO AHEAD: Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Recipe by Duane Sorenson

Finding new things

Potica, or for those who know it's correct Slovenia pronounciation Po-teet-sah, looks like a tasty treat.  I found the following link for Potica for sale on the Gourmet Slueth website on the side of the recipe for the Vietnamese Salad Rolls.  I had a look, thought it looks tasty and went in search of a recipe.

Part of the problem with finding new things as stated when I found one for this, is the correct spelling and the pronounciations of the word(s). Sort of like another dish I will be trying for the first time and posting here too.  Once you know the spelling, looking it up is easy. 
From the AllRecipes.com website-

I give you Potica

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup milk, lukewarm
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the flour in warm milk. Mix well, and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter with the remaining sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the yeast mixture, remaining milk, 4 cups of flour and the salt; mix well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Lightly grease one or two cookie sheets. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and roll Out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread each piece with melted butter, honey, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon. Roll each piece up like a jelly roll and pinch the ends. Place seam side down onto the prepared baking sheets. Let rise until double in volume. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown.               

Pink Fudge

This was a Valentines Day thing that I found and since I LUV some good fudge, 2 ingredients and taa-daa, you're done? What's not to love?

Obviously you may not find the red and white, heart shaped sprinkles the rest of the year, but a different flavor of icing, different color and you can adapt this to each month if you are so inclined.


I found this on Crafty Staci, who found it on another blog Cookies & Cups

Two Ingredient Fudge-

1 package of white chocolate chips
1 can of strawberry frosting with sprinkles

Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stove and then stir in the frosting. Put the mixture into a lightly greased or lined 9X9 pan, pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so. Cut it into squares, hearts or whatever shape you like. Store in the fridge and enjoy.

This is one of the easiest fudge recipes I have made and it was good even though I bought pink colored vanilla icing instead of strawberry. I guess I need to read the labels a little more closely from now on.

Juice!

Recently a friend of mine turned me on to the documentary film, Fat Sick & Nearly Dead. Joe Cross was on the fast track in life and living it large, Literally, when he got sick. He traveled to the US and came here with the intent of finding a new way to live. "I'm here in the US, but I'm not going to eat your food."

He goes on to help a few people out with changing their eating habits. One person in particular is Phil, a truck driver he met in Winslow, AZ. Phil had the same autoimmune disease that Joe had. Yes, Had. Through consuming fruits and vegetables made into juice, Joe has changed not only his own life, but also Phil's and Phil went on to help out his brother and several other people too. What happened is that more people have joined in and they have a website, blog and post recipes... And int he recipe section, it is not just juice, but salads, soups, snacks and smoothies.

I had printed out a few of them and really wanted to try this one-

Joes favorite- watermelon, pineapple, ginger.

And if the link didn't come up, here it is below-

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This week’s recipe shines a spotlight on one of Joe’s personal favorite juice creations in honor of the “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” launch in Australia. Even if it’s not summer where you live, this light juice is simple to make and refreshing all year round.

Nutritionally speaking, these ingredients offer many anti inflammatory compounds.

Watermelons are rich in lycopene- a member of the carotene family. Carotenes exert both anti inflammatory and anti oxidant activity in the human body.
Pineapple contains a phytonutrient called bromelain that is well known for its ability to help reduce inflammation.
Ginger root reduces inflammation as well as nausea, pain and provides heartburn relief. It also aids digestion and can help to encourage thermogenesis in the body which may boost metabolism.

This juice is perfect for active Rebooters. It is rich in electrolytes and anti oxidant nutrients like potassium, magnesium, Vitamin C (140% of your daily value), beta-carotene and contains some sodium. These nutrients are important before, during and after exercise. Rather than reaching for a commercial sports drink, you can make your own that’s even healthier!

Ingredients

• 1/3 pineapple, cored and skin removed
• 2 large watermelon slices
• 1 inch ginger root

Directions

1. Cut pineapple away from core and rind
2. Wash watermelon well and cut 2 large slices. You can juice the rind as well as the flesh of the watermelon
3. Wash ginger root and cut a 1 inch piece to juice
4. Place all ingredients into juicer
5. Juice
6. Pour over ice
7. Enjoy!

It was really good! I do not suggest eating a meal with the juice. The juice is enough to fill you up and adding a meal on top of it, I felt like I had eaten waaaay too much. Not good. I won't be doing that again! Lol Off to print out a few more to try later.

Rocky Road Pudding

I don't often do desserts. I have a sweet tooth now and then, but I just for whatever reason, don't make them all that often. Yesterday the girls wanted cake. Out of the blue they decided they wanted cake.  The closest I could come- was still not cake. But they love it anyways, because it is chocolate!

For a 9 X 13 pan-
2 boxes of instant chocolate pudding
4 cups of milk as directed on the package of pudding
2 packages of graham crackers- crushed
1 stick of butter melted
marshmellows and nuts (optional but then it wouldn't be rocky road)

For a 9X9 pan-
1 box instant chocolate pudding
2 cups milk as directed on the package of pudding
1 package of graham crackers- crushed
1/2 stick of butter melted
marshmellows and nuts (optional)

Start with smashing the graham crackers- now is a good time to get all of your pent up anger, frustration or aggression out. Use a rolling pin to smash it into fine bits in the package- then use a large ziploc to finish the job.



Dump the mashed graham crackers into the pan. melt the butter in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Pour over graham crackers, mix well to moisten and press cracker crumbs evenly across the bottom and up onto the sides of the pan. 



In a large bowl, mix the instant pudding and milk. I used a wire whisk. When mixed, you can add the marshmellows and nuts to your liking.



Pour into the pan on top of your graham cracker crust. I threw a few marshmellows on top to cover a few spots where it didn't look like there were many in the pudding.



Let chill in the fridge for a 1/2 hour or even overnight.
Enjoy!

 

 

Tortilla's

I have posted about making enchiladas and although I made them again recently, hubby has always been saying that the tortillas are too thick and too 'heavy'.  So I went searching for a recipe for home made tortillas. Because Heaven knows fresh home made tortillas are Da Bomb!

Growing up we had a neighbor down the street who would make dozens of tortillas and sell them. She made dozens because we ordered dozens. We also slathered them with butter and ate them while waiting for the next round to come... Fresh, warm tortillas with butter on them- my mouth waters and I drool.

I found a few recipes online, here, there and everywhere, each one calling for some of the same things... Last night I gave it a shot. The first one had cornstarch and baking powder in it. They turned out ok, but would seem to be better used in making chips. Granny's Corn Flour Tortillas In the comments there are a few people saying to add a little more water, etc. They were good with honey and I actually made a couple into bowls for taco salads.

Since these were coming out too crisp to use later as taco shells, I flipped a couple of pages and found another recipe. Easy enough and all the ingredients were on hand... I would provide a link, but forgot the website I found it on. Here it is though and I highly recommend this one. Very light, fluffy and easy to roll into burritos, make chimichangas, or even flautas or taquitos depending on the size you make to use.

3 cups of flour
1tsp of salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup warm water

Combine flour & salt, mixing well, then add oil. Combine until it is crumbly and begin adding water. Mix by hand until it forms a nice dough. Turn it out on a non-floured (or lightly floured) surface and knead 3-5 minutes until it is consistent & smooth. Return to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it sit for at least an hour.

*This is a good time to go do something else like grate cheese, cook some chicken or beef, chop lettuce.... Get your stuff ready for putting in the tortillas.

For standard tortillas, cut dough into 10-12 pieces. Roll each piece out into 10"-12" thin tortillas. Heat a non-greased flat pan over medium heat. Place the tortillas on the pan for 30 seconds each side. This part goes really quick. If you have someone helping you, they are flipping tortillas about as fast as you can roll them out. I will try to get pictures tonight of the few leftover tortillas from both batches. They were good for soft tacos or what ended up being burritos and the first batch were much like Sopapilla's which if you have ever had these- they are very good too. I have a recipe for them I will be posting soon. Enjoy!

Alterations-

If you will be making flautas or taquitos- you will get more tortillas as they will be smaller in size. For larger tortillas (for those wonderful football sized burritos)- obviously you will not get as many.

For Chimichangas and flautas, you can either fry the tortillas filled with cheese, chicken, steak, shredded beef, shrimp, ceveche or whatever you like- or for a healthier, easier, cleaner alternative- bake them in the oven on a cookie sheet at about 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until the tortilla browns and hardens like a shell. These can all be frozen for later or eaten when cooled.

I am going to be making a bunch of these to take with us for lunch this week.
Fast, cheap, easy and tasty- I love it!

Pasta perfection

A few weeks ago I found a recipe online for Perfect Gnocchi. For anyone not familiar with Gnocchi, it is a pasta made from potato's. Chef Fabio Viviani makes it look incredibly easy and let me assure you- it is! I watched the video a few times repeatedly, so as to write down what he used to make the gnocchi and how he cooked it afterwards.

Chef Fabio's Perfect Gnocchi

3 lbs of potato's
2 cups of flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon nutmeg
optional- salt & pepper to taste

Cook the potato's and mash. Let them cool in the refrigerator overnight. I peeled, boiled and mashed them as if making regular mashed potato's- Fabio cooked them as if making baked potato's, then mashed them with the same result- do what works for you.

I do not have a wonderful Kitchen Aid mixer yet, so here is the version of doing it by hand. It still worked, but I think the mixer would make things go much faster and be a lot easier.

Mix cheese, flour (salt & pepper) and nutmeg in a large bowl. (I also threw in a generous dash of garlic salt.) Once mixed, add in the potato's. I mixed this with a wooden spoon for a while until finally just getting flour on my hands and mixing it by hand as if kneading the dough. Once mixed, turn it out onto the counter or a floured cloth and work the dough a little more. patting it as Fabio does to remove all air bubbles. 

Slice into pieces the size of your fist. (I quartered it. Just easier that way for me.)  Roll the ball out into a long rope about the diameter of your thumb.  (If your ropes start to fall apart, cut that part off and work with it later.  Working it by hand it will moisten up and you can then roll it out again. If they get too long to manage on the surface you are working on- cut them down to more manageable lengths.) Once the dough is in a rope about the diameter of your thumb, cut it into pieces about one inch in length. Some people will press a fork into it to give it lines for decoration, but you can skip this step if you'd like.  

Fabio then brings a large pot to water to a boil. Toss in your gnocchi and let them cook. While that is happening- it happens fast- put some olive oil in a frying pan, add some crushed red pepper and let it simmer. (I am not a fan of crushed red peppers on or in anything, but this was good and it heat was not a problem at all.)  As the first few gnocchi start to float, pull them out of the water and put them into the frying pan. Let them simmer until they begin to brown around the edges. Remove the gnocchi from the frying pan and place them on a plate. Sprinkle with some ground Parmesan and enjoy.    

I made gnocchi from this recipe over the weekend and the girls loved it. They both gave it their smile of approval! It was really good and easy to make, even without having the mixer to do most of the work for me. I still have half the dough left and will be making the rest of it tonight. It was that good.

Drawing Inspiration

Sherry over at Fern Valley Appaloosas, recently received an award and passed it along to me.

Where do you get ideas of things to cook? What kind of stuff do you like?  I started this blog as a way to sort of post the recipes I have made and we enjoyed, sort of as a way to compile it but also as a way to find new things to try.

I love me some Italian food and used to watch the shows on Saturday morning on the PBS channel. Now that we no longer have cable, let alone the local channels- that option is gone. No food network, nothing to draw on other than websites online, what Mom used to make or stuff I threw together one night out of desparation.  Let's face it- we have ALL been there at some point!

In making the Sea Shells recipe I bought a bottle of Voga Italia wine for the sauce. I will not lie, I am not a particular fan of wine. I live in the world of two kinds of wine- red or white?  I bought the Voga Italia wine for the bottle, because it was different, sleek and I like the way it looks. I can be pretty shallow that way. I bought the Pinot Grigio, but I would like to try the Sparkling, Merlot and the Rosa... and I like the bottles for them too.

Something on the VI website caught my eye though. Tutti Matti, I looked it up and found it to be a restaurant in Toronto serving Tuscan style food. They listed the lunch & dinner menu's online and as I looked at them, I thought- why can't I find a recipe for this, now that I know what this dish is called? Although the spelling of the dish can throw you off at times, once you have that- just go online in search of a recipe for that dish... 

That is how I came across the recipe for sour cream enchiladas. A local restaurant had them and I loved them.  The last time we went there- not so much. They just were not that good. Ever had that happen?  So I got to thinking (dangerous, I know!) why not make my own at home?   Between this new idea and not wanting to serve the girls a bunch of stuff coming out of cardboard boxes, I started to cook.  The food, the flavors, the idea of knowing WHAT is in each dish... I have also been putting more into the garden out front. If I can grow it, then use that in a dish- even better.  So where do you get your ideas for what you serve your family for dinner?

French Bread

We each have our own thing about food to love. Mine is fresh bread out of the oven, slathered with butter. It has also proven to be one of my biggest 'problem areas' of cooking/ baking and making stuff.  I have been trying to make a light, fluffy bread and the one recipe I have tried several times, finally failed me for the last time. I pulled it out of my 3 ring binder and tossed it in the trash.

I have tried it several times, hotter water, cooler water, let the yeast proof longer, not as long, let the bread rise 3 times, 2 times, skip that throw it in the oven- all different things I have tried and nothing works. At least it hasn't for me. 

So I went back to a blog I have gone to many times before over the years and found this recipe.  One thing I absolutely LOVE about this recipe is the versatility of it.  I made hamburger buns last night and they are good, big, fluffy, mmmmm.... Made baguets from it last week and although it seems you are putting the ingredients in backwards from other recipes- this one worked nicely for me.

French Bread from back in 2008 off the blog- Mennonite Girls Can Cook. I'm not sure if I can post the whole thing here, but if there is a problem, they can let me know and I will pull it, just leaving a link to the recipe.  They are a group of ladies who seem to have a great, easy recipe for everything. Gotta love that!

French Bread

I got this recipe from Lovella G. ( another Lovella, and another great friend) way back when our kids went to the same elementary school. This recipe has become sort of a "staple" kind of recipe for a quick bread, for pizza crust, pizza buns, focaccia bread or baguettes (used for spinach dip etc) As you can see - It is a must have! =)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp salt
2 cups hot tap water
4 1/2 - 5 cups flour
2 Tbsp instant yeast

Method:
Mix in order given, mixing the yeast with a little flour and adding that while dough is still very soft. Add enough flour to make a dough that holds together in a ball shape and is not sticky if you handle it with floured hands. Cover.
Let rise until double, about 1/2 hour. Divide in half.
Roll out to about 12x15” rectangle. Roll up jelly roll style and place on greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Cut diagonal slits on top. Let rise about 30 - 45 min. Brush with mixture of 1 egg and 2 Tbsp milk, beaten with fork.
Bake at 400F for 20 min, or until golden.

For Pizza:
Instead of rolling out the dough, just divide and press onto 2 pizza pans. Bake at 400F until light golden - just done. About 12 minutes.
Spread lightly with pizza or spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with any cold cuts you want . . . ham, salami, pepperoni, cooked hamburger (left over sloppy joe sauce) or cooked chicken, slivered peppers, grated cheese (mozzarella, or assortment). Sprinkle with oregano and basil. Bake at 375, about 15 min.

focaccia bread:
Add about 1 Tbsp of each (fresh if possible) thyme, oregano, rosemary, chopped into tiny bits,
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1- 2 tsp garlic powder to the dough, as you're mixing it. Cover and let rise.
Press dough into 2 - 8 X 8 greased pans. Make indentations with end of wooden spoon and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal and rosemary (optional)
Cover and rise 1/2 hour. Bake until light golden, about 25 - 30 minutes. Serve with Olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

dipping bread:
Use any kind of combination of flour and grains that you like, roll out to make long skinny loaves (baguettes) and slice at an angle. Great with Spinach dip.
Maybe this is too much information, but it's there to give you ideas on what you can do and I hope you try something new and enjoy it.

Biscuits & Gravy

Sometimes there's just nothing like a good meal. Something that 'sticks to your ribs' and satisfies you for hours during the day. With the weather turning cold, something warm for breakfast is always a nice way to start the day. But who says B & G has to be limited to breakfast?  We had it for dinner last night and I even remembered to take pictures!

1 1 lb chub of sausage
2 packets of country gravy mix
3 cups of water
1 cup of milk
2 cans of biscuits



Pour the 3 cups of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. 



Mix the two packets of gravy mix and 1 cup of milk in a bowl. Mix until all lumps are dissolved. Set aside until water boils.



Fry the sausage in a pan over medium heat.



Pop open the cans of biscuits and place on a cookie sheet. 



Cook as per the directions on the can or 13-17 minutes in preheated oven at 350 degrees.



When water boils, add the milk/gravy packet mixture. Stir occasionaly until gravy begins to thicken. 



Add sausage to gravy and stir to combine. 

Cut 2 biscuits in half and place them on a plate. Spoon gravy over them and serve.

 

Variations- My teenaged daughter likes to bip her biscuits in a bowl of gravy.  What can I say? It works!

Chicken Chili

The other day my oldest daughter was at her boyfriends house. They had Chicken Chili for dinner and she liked it so much she wanted to make it for us for dinner.  I have found a few variations online, some calling it White Bean Chili, Chicken Chili Soup and a whole combination of things using those words. The recipes- call for a lot more ingredients.  This one is easy and since the weather is turning, her timing is excellent!

Chicken Chili-

3 chicken breasts with leg meat, diced
1 jar of picante sauce
1 can of white beans (Mediterranean style)
1 lb of Monterrey Jack cheese grated
1 16oz tub of sour cream
1 bag of tortilla chips or corn tortillas

1. In a frying pan, cook the chicken until done.
2. In a sauce pan, cook the beans, then add the picante sauce, 1/2 of the sour cream and 1/2 of the cheese. Stir as the cheese melts and then add the chicken.

Serve in a bowl with added sour cream on top and chips on the side. If using corn tortillas, fry each tortilla in oil until crisp, pat dry and serve as is or in smaller pieces.

Variations- You can add a can of corn and a rice cup of rice to the mix if you'd like.

Rice Junk

This is something my Mom used to make every so often. It never really had a name we just all called it 'Rice Junk'. Since then my oldest brother has adapted it by adding mixed veggies and whatever else, but I make it much the same as Mom always did.

2 packages of Farmer John sausage links
6 handfuls of rice
1 box, 2 packets of Lipton chicken noodle soup mix (I like the extra noodle version and even Ramen noodles work in a pinch)
I package slivered almonds (optional)

Brown and shred the sausage links in a frying pan.

Boil water in a large pot for the rice. When it is boiling add the rice.  As the rice is nearing finished, add the two packets of chicken soup mix.  When the rice has finished cooking, drain the water off using a colander.  When drained, put the rice & noodle soup mix back in the pot, add in the almonds (optional) and the sausage, stir to mix and serve. Done. Simple as that. I made this last night and the girls were all over it. It's better somehow if they 'steal' a bite from someone else's plate.

Pic's to follow later

Thanksgiving leftovers?

Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving on Monday. Some of them may have leftovers they aren't sure what to do with. I recently found a recipe to help with that. Of course I altered it a bit so I wouldn't have to wait until next month to make it...

Thanksgiving leftover stuffed shells.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) box jumbo pasta shells
• 2 cups cubed cooked turkey
• 1 1/2 cups leftover stuffing
• 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups leftover turkey gravy

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the shell pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 13 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
3. Place turkey and stuffing in food processor, and pulse until finely ground and combined. Place the ground turkey and stuffing mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer along with the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and 2 cups of the mozzarella. Mix with paddle attachment on medium-low until well blended.
4. Spread 1/2 cup of gravy on the bottom of the prepared dish. Stuff the pre-cooked pasta shells with the turkey mixture and place in the dish in tight rows. Top with the remaining gravy and the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes until top is browned and bubbly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Cook's Notes-

• 1 - 6 ounce package of prepared instant stuffing mix can be used in place of leftover stuffing and 1 - 10.75 ounce can of cream of chicken soup can be used in place of leftover gravy.

Alterations-

I used rigatoni shells, chicken instead of turkey and cream of chicken soup instead of gravy. Stuffing the shells is a little trickier, but a teaspoon works well.

Rolled lasagna

Now that we all know how to make our own pasta and ricotta, let's put it together with a few other things for some lasagna....

I found this recipe somewhere online. I forget where, because I would gladly post a link and give them Kudos like I always do.  I love a good lasagna, but somehow layering the noodles doesn't work for everyone including me. Even laying them different directions as you go, sometimes you cut into it and stuff goes everywhere. You are left with a big pile of noodles, cheese, meat and sauce, not resembling much of anything recognizable.

Rolled lasagna-

When I make the noodles, I make the 2 egg pasta, which makes about 9 lasagna noodles. The 9 noodles will fill a 9X9 pan.   You can also place 1 or 2 rolls in separate pans for single servings- good for lunches...

Lasagna noodles, 1 package if not making your own
ricotta cheese, 8 oz if you are using store bought.
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
grated Parmesan cheese- optional
1 lb Italian sausage- optional
1 jar of pasta sauce

Cook the meat if you are using any, shred or crumble, drain any grease off and set aside.  Cook the noodles in boiling water until they float. I usually cook one or two noodles at a time.  Taking one out to cool, slipping another one in and going along from there until the noodles are all cooked.

Place a small amount of pasta sauce in the bottom of the 9X9 pan, this will keep the noodles from sticking when you bake.  As the noodles cool enough to handle them, place a spoonful of pasta sauce on the end of the noodle, smear it the length of the noodle if you choose. Spread some ricotta cheese on the end of the noodle, sprinkle some meat, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on the end or full length. Roll the length of the noodle and place the roll in the pan. 

When all of the noodles are rolled and in the pan, use the rest of the sauce over the noodles. Use the remainder of the mozzarella and Parmesan to sprinkle over the top of the noodles as well. This can now either be frozen for later or baked in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  I try to make Italian bread, garlic bread or at least bread sticks to go with this.   Enjoy!

*Edited to add- Lasagna Alfredo Roll Ups, same thing sort of, but stuffed with spinach instead and covered with alfredo sauce... I gotta try this one.  All recipes also has a few other variations- Lasagna roll ups. Turkey, tofu, veggie, southwest sausage, chicken, seafood, crab... I guess it depends on your tastes. 

Ricotta Cheese

Now that everyone knows my recipe for homemade pasta, I will put this one up for ricotta. I haven't tried it out yet, but I hope to soon.  I found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen back in June.

I can only imagine how much different (to read Better!) lasagna will taste with not only the homemade pasta, but also the ricotta being used... and I have an easy recipe for rolled lasagna that I will be sharing soon too.

From the SK website-

Rich Homemade Ricotta
Inspired by Salvatore Ricotta, via Tasting Table

I made this ricotta three different ways: with all milk, as the Salvatore recipe suggested (we found it a bit dry), with 3 cups milk and 1 cup heavy cream and with 3 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Guess what? The last two ricottas were virtually indistinguishable.The extra cream did indeed add an even richer edge, but the one with less cream was also very indulgent. I imagine I’d use the richer version for toasts, for putting out at a party and the almost-as-rich one for pastas and things where I might need a larger, sturdier quantity. I’ll leave it up to you which way you go.

Makes about 1 generous cup of ricotta
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (see Note above about using less)
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 190°F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Turn off the heat [Updated] Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.) Discard the whey, or, if you’re one of those crafty people who use it for other things, of course, save it.  Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve: On 1/2-inch slices of baguette that have been run under the broiler until lightly bronzed. Serve it simply [as shown in the top photo, left to right] with honey and a pinch of flaky sea salt, a couple grinds of black pepper, pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil, and/or a few droplets of an aged balsamic. Or with zucchini ribbons [as shown in the last photo], I started with about half a pound of miniature zucchini my mother-in-law had found at Trader Joes. Larger ones will work just fine, but you might want to first cut a big one in half lengthwise. Peel them into ribbons and toss them with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and let them drain in a colander for a while (this wilts them), about 20 minutes. Rinse and pat them dry. Toss with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste. Arrange in piles on ricotta crostini.

Do ahead: I keep mine only 3 to 4 days; the really fresh milk I used doesn’t last long. However, Salvatore also uses really fresh milk, and theirs appears to keep closer to two weeks. In conclusion? Shelf lives will vary. Use your nose to judge freshness. Or your partner’s nose, because who doesn’t like hearing “Hey honey, sniff this for me?”

I scream, you scream

We all scream for Ice Cream!!!!  Especially when it is hotter than HELL like it has been here in Aridzona.  So why not go for something cool, cheap, and tasty?

First of all a shout out to Andrea for sending this one over. Your timing on this one is Awesome! since we were away showing and no time to be cooking or making anything...

One Ingredient Ice Cream

One ingredient? I know it sounds crazy, but that's it.  Frozen bananas...

From the website in case you cannot access it-

Choose two bananas- not too ripe

Peel the bananas, cut them into 'coins'.

Set them on a plate and freeze them for 1-2 hours. 

Put them into a food processor or blender.

Blend on high.

Initially it will look crumbly, and it will stick to the sides. Keep scraping it down into the blades and eventually it turns into....

creamy ice cream!

Now is when it is recommended to add, chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, peanut butter, milk (if you want it creamier) cinnamon, nuts, honey, hazelnut cocoa mix- the options are endless. It is the texture of soft serve, but says you can freeze it in an airtight container for the standard, harder ice cream. In the comments someone else suggested adding cottage cheese (?), mango's and even alvacado.

I am looking forward to trying this one soon...

Lotsa Pasta...

A while back on another blog, I posted a pasta recipe I had found in the newspaper several years ago.  Last night I made Chicken Alfredo from the recipe I had posted here before.  The only thing that would have made it better- home made pasta of course!  It is really easy to make and the taste is definitely worth it. 

One egg pasta and variations

One egg - 2 servings
3/4 cup semolina flour
1 egg
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 or 2 teaspoons of water or milk

Two egg- 3-4 servings
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
3/4 Tablespoon oil
2-3 teaspoons water or milk

Three egg - 5-6 servings
2 1/4 cups flour
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon oil
3-4 teaspoons water or milk

Mix flour oil and egg(s) in a bowl or mixer until it has a course, crumbly look like corn meal. Add water or milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the mixture starts to hold together.

Switch to the dough hook on the mixer or knead by hand.Knead in mixer 7-10 minutes. Dough should not be sticky or in separate pieces. Add liquid if separating, flour if sticky.

If kneading by hand, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15-30 minutes. (Now is a good time to get out the pasta machine and set it up)

Set the pasta machine to the widest opening and roll out a ball of dough a little larger than golf balls. Roll through pasta machine to make a thick oblong shape. Fold in half and run through again. Repeat 3-4 times then roll out to the desired thickness.

Let dry as you roll out each ball of dough. Lightly flour the sheets of pasta and run them through the blade attachment. (*if you choose, if making lasagna noodles, cut them to size and let them dry.)

Hang the strips on a pasta rack , floured surface or cooling racks to air dry. (*I like to let them dry overnight if possible. Lasagna noodles definitely overnighters.)

To cook, be sure the water is at a full boil. Fresh pasta cooks very quickly and floats when done. Drain in a colander, but do not rinse. Because pasta will continue to cook after it's done, be careful not to overcook. 
___________________________

Variations

I make the two egg version and get 9 pasta noodles- good for rolled lasagna in a 9 X 9 baking pan.

I use a full Table spoon of oil (vegetable works just as well as olive) and a Tablespoon of milk right out of the gate.

When I let the dough rest, I don't cover it. Did the first few times, haven't since- no differences, so don't waste the plastic wrap.

I hang my pasta over the metal cooling racks- turned on their sides. Just the right height to get noodles on both sides.
Once dried, the noodles can be stored in a plastic bag until you use them.  I will be making some lasagna noodles soon and making rolled lasagna, pics and all to post here.... I also found a homemade ricotta recipe. I think I will post that one next, then make the lasagna.  Good stuff and rarely any leftovers... 

Pizza, calzones & snack sized treats

I have this recipe for pizza crust that is super easy. Which is why I love it. No need to wait for the dough to rise, just mix it up, roll it out and add the toppings.

3 cups of flour
1 packet or 2 tablespoons of quick rise yeast
1 teaspoon of salt*
1 tablespoon of sugar*
3 table spoons of vegetable oil
1 cup of warm water

*I have used and skipped both the salt and sugar. They are not necessary and can be left out to adjust for any dietary issues or concerns.



Combine the dry ingredients, add the oil & water. mix to form a light dough. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until it is well combined. I have found this makes 2 very large pizzas with a thinner crust. If you let it sit for a little bit, the dough will rise and become thicker, yet lighter.  
-Cut up for hot pockets type snacks, this will make about 8-10 depending on the size. Maybe more, maybe less. 
-Calzones 2 giant ones.
-Personal size pizzas- 4-6 dinner plates depending on thickness.


1 jar of pizza sauce  (not sure of the size or oz, but I will add it after I check)
1-2 lb of mozzerella cheese (depending on how much you like)
package of pepperoni or other toppings to taste- ham, sausage, pinapple, green peppers, onions, black olives...



The one jar of sauce will cover both pizzas. I have used these to make pepperoni, ham & pineapple, plain cheese, or combinations.  Over the weekend I made my own Hot Pockets, type food. Easy to freeze and bring for lunch... Guess what I'm having today?


Pepperoni pizza, ham & cheddar, turkey & cheddar, roast beef and swiss...  Sliced sandwhich meat is great for this and leftover meat can be used for sandwiches too.  I rolled out the dough, used an old rack from a toaster oven or a plastic take out lid, to mark out my rectangles, cut the out with a pizza cutter, added sauce, meat & cheese to one side, fold the other side over, wet the edges, press together to seal and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Once cooled I put them (2 each) into zipper lock bags- $1 store- and freeze for later.  They are good hot, warm and cold I have found since our microwave is still on the fritz.


Enjoy!