What's for dinner? BAKE YOUR OWN PASTA

BAKE YOUR OWN PASTA

PICK A PASTA:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 lb of pasta.

(I chose gluten free brown rice elbow pasta.)

MAKE THE SAUCE:

Heat 2 T olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add 4 sliced garlic cloves and pinch of red pepper flakes; cook until golden. Crush 28 oz can and 15 oz can of tomatoes into skillet. Rinse out eat can with 1/2 C water and add water to skillet. Add 4 large basil sprigs; Simmer, uncovered until sauce is thickened for about 15 min. Discard basil: season with salt.

(OR "cheat" & pour a jar of pasta sauce into a large bowl like I did.)

CHOOSE YOUR ADD INS:

Prepare 3 C cooked meat and/or vegetables in any combo

Suggestions: Italian sausage, meatballs, pepperoni, chicken, hard boiled eggs, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, fennel, spinach, olives, etc.

(I used pepperoni, canned artichokes & zucchini.)

FLAVOR:

Stir in. Suggestions: 1 C basil or parsley, 1 C ricotta, 3/4 lb pancetta

(I used ricotta.)

SAY CHEESE:

Prepare 2-3 C melting cheese & 1 C grating cheese.

Suggestions melting cheese: Mozzarella, provolone, Italian fontina, asiago

Suggested grating cheese: Parmesan, Pecorino, Ricotta salata

(I used 2 C shredded Italian blend.)

CASSEROLE:

Toss everything in a large bowl (leave out the melting cheese, if desired to sprinkle on top). Spread into a greased baking dish. Bake uncovered until brown for 15-25 min. Let rest 15 min before serving.

(I placed fresh basil leaves on top of mine.)

Thanks to my husband for taking these photos so I could go exercise. REALLY proud of him!!

What's for dinner? Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine

1/2 lb cooked & crumbled bacon

8 deli slices Swiss cheese

1 unbaked pastry shell (I cheated & bought the refrigerated roll out)

4 eggs

1 T flour

1/2 t salt

cayenne

nutmeg

2 C 1/2 & 1/2

1 T melted butter (I forgot to melt mine :)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Fit your pastry shell inside your pie pan and crinkle edges (I used a fork).

Arrange bacon in alternating layers with cheese over pastry in the plate.

Beat eggs until blended and combine with flour, salt, dash of cayenne & dash of nutmeg. Add cream and butter.

Pour custard over bacon & cheese.

Bake pie on lower rack for 40 minutes. It might bubble but it will go down soon. Serve warm.

Very Interesting Birthday Cake for Ryan's 35th: SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL CAKE

I'll be gone this weekend so I'll miss Ryan's actual birthday. Canaan & I made him a cake he'll never forget.

Because Ryan loves Spaghetti & Meatballs...

Spaghetti & Meatball Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix (made with package instructions into 2 - 8" round cakes)

2 - 16 oz tubs butter cream or vanilla frosting

4-6 drops yellow food coloring

1/2 t cocoa powder

1 - 16 oz bag frozen strawberries (thawed)

white chocolate for grating OR sweetened coconut

Make sure the chocolate cakes are cooled completely.

Crumble 1 of the cakes into a bowl. Squeeze a handful of crumbs into a 2-3 inch ball. Roll between your hands until smooth. Repeat to make 3 total balls.

Sprinkle some of the remaining cake crumbs on a clean surface. One at a time, roll cake balls in the crumbs, pressing lightly to coat. Moisten cake balls with water if necessary to help the crumbs stick.

Put the 2nd whole cake on a serving plate or cake board or pedestal. Spread 1 tub of the butter cream or vanilla frosting on the cake with a spatula. Run it around the sides to make it smooth.

 

Arrange the cake balls on the cake.

Mix remaining frosting, the yellow food coloring and cocoa in a bowl; transfer to a pastry bag with a small round tip or in my case a Ziploc bag with a cut corner.

Pipe yellow frosting around cake balls in a figure eight motion to look like spaghetti.

Puree strawberries in a food processor until slightly smooth with a few chunks. Spoon 1/2 C puree around meatballs to look like tomato sauce.

Grate white chocolate or sprinkle coconut on top of the cake to look like Parmesan cheese. Serve cake with remaining strawberry puree on the side.

Journey continues from Bizarre Foods to One Plate at a Time

As you might know from some of my previous posts, I collect vintage cookbooks and search for recipes late at night to make. I want to know different techniques and master them over time as well as bring my family and myself a taste of the world; to expand our palates and appreciate the talents God has given every culture. People are fascinating to me and even more so, their food.

One of my favorite shows on TV is Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. He's a funny man who I've grown to admire because he not only is not afraid of other cultures but he appreciates them and what they have to offer especially through their food. Not everything is appetizing, of course, but he knows what it means to appreciate what other people like and love in their setting and everyday life.

Yesterday our preacher and his son stopped by to say hello. I was in the middle of making Puchero (see previous post). He said it smelled wonderful and I told him what it was then quickly explained my journey through cooking; how I wanted to bring culture through food into my home and share it with not only my family but with others. He told me about a show that used to be on PBS called One Plate at a Time. He was telling me how much I'd love that show.

I looked it up and it's host was Rick Bayless who Ryan & I love and admire. I've been watching episodes or parts of it on Youtube for a good chunk of this morning. Chef Bayless is so much like Chef Zimmern in a way; the delicate appreciation they have for other cultures, to me, it's truly admirable.

I look forward to using some of Chef Bayless's recipes and enjoying the Mexican cultural food in my home.

Come for dinner; we'd love to share it with you! (Try to give me a heads up so that I make enough.)

What's for dinner? Puchero - a Mexican stew - served with tortillas, avocado slices and coriander or parsley or cilantro

PUCHERO

Make in large crock pot or very large pot. Or better yet, 1/2 the recipe.

Extras for us is what's for lunch.

Serves 8-10

1 lb boneless lean round of cubed beef

2 pieces of beef bone marrow

1 large chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

12 peppercorns

1  3lb chicken cut into pieces or shredded (since I'm allergic, I left this out today)

1/2 lb cubed smoked ham

1/2 lb cooked chorizo

2 t salt

4 medium potatoes, peeled & diced

4 large thinly sliced carrots

1 C cut green beans

1 C corn

2 large zucchini, chopped

1 large plantain, sliced thinly

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained

2 avocados, peeled and diced

1/3 C fresh coriander or parsley or cilantro, chopped

Lime slices, optional

Put beef, marrow bone, onion, garlic & peppercorns in a large pot. Cover with water and simmer slowly for 45 min.

Remove marrow from bones.

Give the bones to the dogs or place in Ziploc then freezer to give the dogs treats at a later date.

Add chicken, ham, chorizo, salt, potatoes and more water if needed to keep meat covered. Bring to boil then simmer slowly for 25 min.

Add carrots, plantains and green beans. Simmer 15 min more.

I had to transfer everything to a crock pot at this point b/c my Dutch oven wasn't large enough. Then add corn and zucchini. Cook 5 min more.

Add garbanzo beans & cook 5 more min. Pour into bowls and garnish with avocado slices and coriander or parsley.

If you'd like, offer everyone lime slices to squeeze on top of soup.

I served my family this with tortillas. It would be good with cornbread or tortilla chips as well.

What's for dinner? Pulled Pork with Mango BBQ sauce (Similar to Aarti Party's) with homemade Brioche Rolls & Restaurant Style Cole Slaw

Pulled Pork with Mango BBQ sauce

servings 4-6

1 - 3lb boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt

2 T brown sugar

1 T paprika

2 t salt

1/4 C oil

1/2 t cumin seeds

1 diced onion

2 T minced ginger

1 Serrano pepper, thinly sliced (too hot? remove seeds)

salt

2 C mango puree

1/2 C fresh lime juice

1/4 C apple cider vinegar

2 T molasses

1/4 C Worcestershire sauce

If you can't find a pork shoulder that's 3 lbs, buy a bigger one and cut it to the weight you need. Just "guesstimate."

Remove excess fat if you want to, I think a little makes it juicier though.

RUB: Combine brown sugar, paprika & salt in small bowl and massage into the pork shoulder until well coated all over. Set aside while you make BBQ sauce or make this a day ahead and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

BBQ SAUCE: Heat oil in saucepan over low heat until hot. Add cumin. Once sputtering subsides, add onions, ginger, Serrano and salt to taste. Saute until soft but no color. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer 5 min.

Add pork shoulder to saucepan coating with the sauce. Cover and gently simmer until pork falls apart, stirring and turning often about 3 hours.

SLOW COOKER METHOD:
Place all ingredients in crock pot & cook for 6-8 hours on low.

Remove pork from pan and shred using 2 forks. Return to sauce pan and stir to coat with sauce.

Put a generous spoonful of pork inside a brioche bun, top with a few slices of pickle (optional) and cole slaw then serve immediately.

Brioche Rolls

"Let them eat cake!" - Marie Antoinette

makes 8 - 1/2 lb rolls

1 1/2 C warm water

1 1/2 T yeast (or 2 pkts)

1 T salt

8 lightly beaten eggs

1/2 C honey

1 1/2 C (or 3 sticks) unsalted melted butter
7 1/2 C flour

Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 T water)

Pour water into large bowl and sprinkle yeast on top for 5-8 minutes. Add salt, eggs, honey and melted butter. Mix in flour stirring with a wooden or bamboo spoon until mixed. Place in oven at 100 degrees to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and punch down. Place in refrigerator to chill. Use within 5 days.

Dust surface of cold dough with flour and cut off 1/2 lb (orange sized) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape into a ball by stretching surface of the dough around the bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter turn as you go.

Place onto pizza stone and allow to rise for 1 hour and 20 min or 45 min in a 100 degree oven.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 20 min before you want to bake it.

Brush the top crust with egg wash.

Place in center of the oven and bake for 35-40 min or until golden brown.

Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Restaurant Style Cole Slaw

serves 8

16 oz bag coleslaw mix

2 T diced onion

2/3 C mayo

3 T oil

1/2 C sugar

2 T vinegar

1/2 t salt

1/2 t poppy seeds

You can either make this in a bowl or large Ziploc bag.

Combine coleslaw mix and onion in bowl or Ziploc.

Whisk together the rest of ingredients in another bowl or Ziploc until well blended.

Pour mixture over coleslaw and toss to coat.

Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

TIP #42: Can't find Mango Puree at the grocery store?

I want to make Aarti Sequeira's pulled pork with mango BBQ sauce tomorrow for lunch. I sent Ryan to the store with a list and the only thing he couldn't find was mango puree. Poor dude, he looked everywhere for it and even asked for help. So he bought me some mangos to make my own puree. I love that man!

Buy 2 ripe mangos.

Peel, seed & chop mangos.

Add it to a blender with 1/3 C sugar & 2 T water.

Blend for 1 minute. There's your mango puree.

Recipe #74: Milky Way Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Milky Way Cake

7  2.05 oz Milky Way candy bars

1/2 C melted butter

2 C sugar

1/2 C softened butter

4 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 1/4 C buttermilk

No buttermilk? http://kimbersgreatscott.blogspot.com/2010/12/tip-36-needing-buttermilk-for-recipe.html
1/2 t soda
3 C flour
1 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine candy bars and melted butter in saucepan and place over low heat until candy is melted, stirring constantly. Cool.

Cream sugar and softened butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Combine buttermilk and soda and add alternately with flour, beating well.

Stir in candy mixture and pecans.

Pour into greased and floured tube pan and bake 1 hour & 20-30 min or until cake tests done.

Put a plate or platter on top of it and turn it over while it's still hot.

 

Chocolate Glaze

1 C powdered sugar

1 oz semisweet chocolate, melted

4-6 t milk

Thoroughly combine all ingredients. Drizzle onto cake.