If all these great chefs, and I do mean all of them, believe in "flavor pasta as it cooks", with a pound of salt, why do these garlic lovers forget that.
I can put a tbsp.of salt into my pasta as it cooks, but NOTHING flavors it like grating a clove of garlic or two into the water as it boils. Who needs all the sodium when every chef, cook, baker I have met, has yet to do this?
You don't need all that salt, for some good pasta, just some good flavoring...Use a microplane, grate some garlic into the water, a clove or two, depending on taste, spare the salt, and enjoy some GREAT pasta...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Raviolli Take Two
I recently posted a ravioli with a red sauce. This ravioli (which I use premade wonton wrappers for), uses an alfredo sauce.
I mixed cheddar, mozzarella and cottage cheese (as I have said before, you can use ricotta, I just don't love it), and stuffed my wontons, boiled them until they rose.
My alfredo sauce is mentioned in the last article.
Gnocchi!!!!
This was a super fun recipe!! Olive garden makes a delicious gnocchi. I searched for gnocchi recipes and honestly, it seemed too much work. (Giadda's recipes stand out, but again, when you want a quick dish, it seemed too much). I tried to model this gnocchi after Olive Gardens Recipe.
I bought premade potato gnocchi from the store and cooked it per the box. Mean while, I cooked zucchini (peel on) red, green, and yellow peppers, with some onion and garlic, on the stove with a hint of olive oil and water, to cook it tender. Just a hint of water, to save draining.
In another pot, I cooked chicken tenders, in a few tbsp. of olive oil, cut bite size with onion, garlic and salt. (you could use chicken breast, but the tenders cut up super fast and result in size proportionate) .
In my final pot I made a cream sauce, similar to alfredo. There are a few ways I make a cream sauce, some call it a bechamel sauce.
Sauce: Always start with 2 tbs melted butter, 2 tbs flour. Let the flour cook out a bit, 1-2 mins. (you can up the butter and flour, if feeding more, but KEEP it proportionate), this is your thickener.
Variations:
Then add 3-4 cups cream OR
add 2 Cups Chicken Stock (or favorite stock) with 2 cups 1% milk. (I haven't tried it with other milk variances).
I added kosher salt and garlic (3-4 cloves) (grated over a plane, to avoid chunks of garlic).
And then tossed it all together.
Variations on cooking, and the cream sauce:
Some people don't have fresh onion and garlic on hand as I do. You can use onion salt or garlic salt, remember the "salts" have a more potent flavor then the "powders"
When I am making an alfredo sauce, I do as I explained, but only with a light cream or heavy cream. I add 1/4-1/2 cup of parmasean to the mixture. Some people prefer freshly grated, some prefer the typical store bought Parmesan.
I personal find, that while fresh grated is great over the top at the end, the mince store bought, meshes better in the sauce. Again, its trial and error and what each prefers best.
I hope everyone tries this recipe, or uses the alfredo sauce recipe in their cooking! Enjoy!!
Simply Put-Meat Roll
Growing up this was done with ground beef. But switching to ground turkey (or chicken) is an easy substitute. Brown the meat with some salt, garlic and onion. Roll out biscuit dough, (you can easily use bisquick or jiffy, to save time) and then roll the meat in the dough, like a jelly roll. Bake at 375 for 45mins to 1 hour, or until crust looks crispy. You can top with a canned or homemade gravy.
Chips
In my eyes, it's okay to have some junkfood if you make it yourself!! Potatoes sliced with a mandolin for even sizes. (We didn't peal the potatoes). Fried (in vegetable oil, for a neutral flavor) then salted, (kosher salt or sea salt is best) and well dried afterward's. This would work baking the chips for a healthier choice, I still recommend drizzling some extra virgin olive oil (healthy route) or vegetable oil over the top before baking, to ensure crispness. It would work great with sweet potatoes as we have done this too.
Meatless Stuffed Shells
Often times, people will use meat in this dish, I would recommend ground turkey cooked with kosher salt, garlic and onion if you want to add meat. I opted not to use meat, and precooked jumbo shells, then mixed it with sauce (spaghetti sauce works good, I make my own) cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan and cottage cheese. The cottage cheese is a choice. Some people really prefer ricotta cheese, but I am not a fan of its grit. Baked at 350 for 30-45 mins.
Simple Pasta Salad
I was asked for this, because some people just don't understand how to make a simple pasta salad.
Any shaped pasta you like, cooked and cooled. Cucumber, cheese, tomato, and deli turkey, sliced thick. I had to shop around for a "kosher" slicer, because some place slice turkey where they do pork or roast beef, oi. Add some italian dressing and chill, and you have an easy pasta salad.
Any shaped pasta you like, cooked and cooled. Cucumber, cheese, tomato, and deli turkey, sliced thick. I had to shop around for a "kosher" slicer, because some place slice turkey where they do pork or roast beef, oi. Add some italian dressing and chill, and you have an easy pasta salad.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Easy Bruschetta
We have a stove top grill that you place right over two burners. Was a bit pricy to buy, but is one of my most favorite kitchen additions. We make a variation of bruschetta's a few times a month.
This is a garlic brushetta. Made with garlic butter (butter, with garlic salt and fresh parsley), grilled on one side, flipped, then topped with fresh mozzarella and finished with tomato.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Feed 6-8 for Less Then $10
My parents, but mostly my mother, raised 3 girls ( a best friend, and more often then not, 6-10 of the neighborhood kids) on a single income until I was about 12. Fresh herbs and spices were unheard of back then, you cooked and baked on a budget and became pleased that the next day brought just as many people to dinner.
Thanksgivings were never sparse, dessert brought anywhere from 8-10 variety of pies for us, our cousins, aunts, uncles and neighbors to chose from.
Christmas, brought forth dozens of varieties of cookies, and dozens of each flavor, passed out to 20+ people in platters, again, all on one income.
I rarely cooked with my mother, she did it all alone. But on the Christmas before she died, we were blessed with a recipe book, painstakingly hand scribed, and photocopied for each of us girls, with her "best recipes". Often the recipes are just a way to feed an army on a tight budget. Sometimes us girls stumble over a recipe as to what this or that means without our mother to fill in the details as I am sure she planned.
Now, with my daughter, she helps me cook most of our meals, and often times, I go back to Moms recipe book, pages tucked in a torn folder, stained and splattered, to relive a recipe I cherished growing up.
While food is just the tip of the iceberg of things my mother did for people, it's the glue that binds all good families and friends together. I have no training to be a chef, baker, or otherwise. I cook from moms recipes, life experience, and the occasional mash up of recipes on the web, combining 3-4 recipes into my own. I enjoy watching some cooking shows like Giada and Paula Dean, and am inspired by some of their recipes. But mostly, though my food seems simple to some,
it has come a long way from what I grew up with, and I think my mother would enjoy sitting at my table, as I often enjoyed sitting in Gramma's rocker, in moms kitchen, next to the old kerosene stove, rocking away to something baking.
I am proud and delighted to post this recipe, which feeds so many people on such a cheap budget, with a few tweaks of my own, in parenthesis. If you want simple, no fuss, disregard my comments in parenthesis.
Chicken and Corn Casserole
(This recipe is a trial and error of "what looks like it's right" measurements cannot be exact, use judgment)
3-4 C. cooked rice (this is usually 2 cups of dried rice boiled in 4 c. water. I boil my rice in chicken or vegetable stock for added flavor and I usually do 1.5C. rice to 3 C. stock)
1-2 C. chopped cooked chicken (I am not a fan of bone in chicken, or dark meat, but around here, it's very cheap to buy bulk thighs or drums, so I boil the chicken in goya sazon, garlic, onion and sea salt, right off the bone. Not only do you have a wonderful chicken stock after, but once the chicken is in the recipe, you don't realize it's not breast meat, you could also use a deli rotisserie chicken, chop it and save a step)
1 to 1 and 1/2 Can Corn or approx 2 C. frozen corn (don't ask me on fresh, my daughter won't eat it lol. If you are in a pinch, you can use cream corn, just remember that when you are adding the soup)
2. tbsp minced onion (here, I like to use fresh onion, and garlic, and boil it with the rice as it cooks, unless you cooked your chicken as I described above)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup (I use cream of mushroom, it's cheaper, and adds another depth of flavor, have a 2nd can around in case, because this recipe is mostly "cook it how it looks" not measurements)
"A Little Milk" (Love mom, but I never add milk, hence the 2nd can of soup back up)
Crackers or Bread Crumbs (both work great, in the pics I smashed up "Townhouse Crackers" which are buttery in flavor)
(After rice and chicken are done) Stir rice, chicken, onion (if you didn't cook it in as I do), and soup together, stir in enough milk until it is good and moist, but not soupy. (again, with enough soup and stock, this step isn't needed).Pour into casserole dish, sprinkle crumbs over top. Bake at 350 for 30-45 mins until hot and top is crispy.
I know my added comments make the recipe look harder then it is, and again, if you only cook with the bold items, you are good to go. But I rely on this recipe a lot, and I think through the years, I have made it a great, affordable recipe that can feed many.
Thanksgivings were never sparse, dessert brought anywhere from 8-10 variety of pies for us, our cousins, aunts, uncles and neighbors to chose from.
Christmas, brought forth dozens of varieties of cookies, and dozens of each flavor, passed out to 20+ people in platters, again, all on one income.
I rarely cooked with my mother, she did it all alone. But on the Christmas before she died, we were blessed with a recipe book, painstakingly hand scribed, and photocopied for each of us girls, with her "best recipes". Often the recipes are just a way to feed an army on a tight budget. Sometimes us girls stumble over a recipe as to what this or that means without our mother to fill in the details as I am sure she planned.
Now, with my daughter, she helps me cook most of our meals, and often times, I go back to Moms recipe book, pages tucked in a torn folder, stained and splattered, to relive a recipe I cherished growing up.
While food is just the tip of the iceberg of things my mother did for people, it's the glue that binds all good families and friends together. I have no training to be a chef, baker, or otherwise. I cook from moms recipes, life experience, and the occasional mash up of recipes on the web, combining 3-4 recipes into my own. I enjoy watching some cooking shows like Giada and Paula Dean, and am inspired by some of their recipes. But mostly, though my food seems simple to some,
it has come a long way from what I grew up with, and I think my mother would enjoy sitting at my table, as I often enjoyed sitting in Gramma's rocker, in moms kitchen, next to the old kerosene stove, rocking away to something baking.
I am proud and delighted to post this recipe, which feeds so many people on such a cheap budget, with a few tweaks of my own, in parenthesis. If you want simple, no fuss, disregard my comments in parenthesis.
Chicken and Corn Casserole
(This recipe is a trial and error of "what looks like it's right" measurements cannot be exact, use judgment)
3-4 C. cooked rice (this is usually 2 cups of dried rice boiled in 4 c. water. I boil my rice in chicken or vegetable stock for added flavor and I usually do 1.5C. rice to 3 C. stock)
1-2 C. chopped cooked chicken (I am not a fan of bone in chicken, or dark meat, but around here, it's very cheap to buy bulk thighs or drums, so I boil the chicken in goya sazon, garlic, onion and sea salt, right off the bone. Not only do you have a wonderful chicken stock after, but once the chicken is in the recipe, you don't realize it's not breast meat, you could also use a deli rotisserie chicken, chop it and save a step)
1 to 1 and 1/2 Can Corn or approx 2 C. frozen corn (don't ask me on fresh, my daughter won't eat it lol. If you are in a pinch, you can use cream corn, just remember that when you are adding the soup)
2. tbsp minced onion (here, I like to use fresh onion, and garlic, and boil it with the rice as it cooks, unless you cooked your chicken as I described above)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup (I use cream of mushroom, it's cheaper, and adds another depth of flavor, have a 2nd can around in case, because this recipe is mostly "cook it how it looks" not measurements)
"A Little Milk" (Love mom, but I never add milk, hence the 2nd can of soup back up)
Crackers or Bread Crumbs (both work great, in the pics I smashed up "Townhouse Crackers" which are buttery in flavor)
(After rice and chicken are done) Stir rice, chicken, onion (if you didn't cook it in as I do), and soup together, stir in enough milk until it is good and moist, but not soupy. (again, with enough soup and stock, this step isn't needed).Pour into casserole dish, sprinkle crumbs over top. Bake at 350 for 30-45 mins until hot and top is crispy.
I know my added comments make the recipe look harder then it is, and again, if you only cook with the bold items, you are good to go. But I rely on this recipe a lot, and I think through the years, I have made it a great, affordable recipe that can feed many.
Matzo Mix 3/1/10
Matzo Ball Soup With a Twist
(yes, that's steam)
We really enjoy Matzo Ball Soup (you can pick it up at most grocers). But I decided to make it a bit heartier by adding celery, onion, carrots and egg noodles half way through the cooking process.
(yes, that's steam)
We really enjoy Matzo Ball Soup (you can pick it up at most grocers). But I decided to make it a bit heartier by adding celery, onion, carrots and egg noodles half way through the cooking process.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Say That 3 Times Fast 2-28-10
Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Raisin Nut Bread
I was looking all over the web for an oatmeal raisin bread recipe. Everything I found wanted to give me a bread loaf, sandwich style, with yeast, which wasn't what I wanted. I found an apple bread recipe of my mothers and made some great tweaks to it, and ta-da, one of the best breads I have eaten.
Here's the recipe:
Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Raisin Nut Bread
makes 2 loaves
1/4 C. Shortening
1 C. Sugar (or do what I did 1/2 c. white sugar, 1/2 c. light brown sugar)
1 Well beaten egg
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 c. Flour
dash of salt (love my moms recipes)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. applesauce (I used homemade applesauce, which is a little chunky, you could also use a peeled, cored, and chopped apple instead)
1/2 c. nuts (I used walnuts, I am particular to them)
1/2 c. raisins
(you can add more raisins or nuts to suit your taste, I didn't really measure the raisins and nuts I just poured until it looked like it was enough) :)
Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and stir. Blend in milk. Add dry ingredients, then apple, raisins and nuts. Pour into greased bread pans and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes.
I was looking all over the web for an oatmeal raisin bread recipe. Everything I found wanted to give me a bread loaf, sandwich style, with yeast, which wasn't what I wanted. I found an apple bread recipe of my mothers and made some great tweaks to it, and ta-da, one of the best breads I have eaten.
Here's the recipe:
Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Raisin Nut Bread
makes 2 loaves
1/4 C. Shortening
1 C. Sugar (or do what I did 1/2 c. white sugar, 1/2 c. light brown sugar)
1 Well beaten egg
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 c. Flour
dash of salt (love my moms recipes)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. applesauce (I used homemade applesauce, which is a little chunky, you could also use a peeled, cored, and chopped apple instead)
1/2 c. nuts (I used walnuts, I am particular to them)
1/2 c. raisins
(you can add more raisins or nuts to suit your taste, I didn't really measure the raisins and nuts I just poured until it looked like it was enough) :)
Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and stir. Blend in milk. Add dry ingredients, then apple, raisins and nuts. Pour into greased bread pans and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Spinach Ravioli Lasagna 2-25-10
After having bronchitis for a week, I am back to cooking!
Forgive my camera, it decides when it wants to work best for me.
Homemade Ravioli using wonton wrappers, stuffed with spinach, garlic and mozzarella cheese. Boiled for 3 minutes, and then layered in a pan (lasagna style) with sauce, leftover spinach mixture and cheddar cheese and baked @ 400 for 20 minutes. This dish, despite the poor picture that doesn't show the individual raviolis, came out amazing.
Forgive my camera, it decides when it wants to work best for me.
Homemade Ravioli using wonton wrappers, stuffed with spinach, garlic and mozzarella cheese. Boiled for 3 minutes, and then layered in a pan (lasagna style) with sauce, leftover spinach mixture and cheddar cheese and baked @ 400 for 20 minutes. This dish, despite the poor picture that doesn't show the individual raviolis, came out amazing.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Zucchini Bread Feb 10, 2010
I normally cook from my own recipes, but I didn't have one for Zucchini Bread. So I searched online and I found this recipe here:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moms-Zucchini-Bread/Detail.aspx
I made a few tweaks to the recipe (to make it my own) as follows:
I used 2 tsp. Cinnamon instead of 3
I traded 1/4 C. of the sugar for light brown sugar
I used 3 C. of Zucchini instead of 2, and I left the peels on while grating to give some beautiful green flecks, and did NOT drain the zucchini after grating it.
2 large zucchinis=3 cups for me
This bread came out amazing, it made 3 loaves for me. It really is an amazing recipe with the tweaks I made to it.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Yellow Rice, Sugar Snap Peas
White rice cooked in vegetable broth with Goya Sazon for color and flavor. I like to slow cook the rice, almost in "risotto" style for a nice creamy texture. Sugar snap peas, blanched and then sauteed in some butter and a hint of sugar to bring out the flavor of the peas.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Bread Crumbs, a Discussion
As far as Vermont, and I am assuming the rest of the world ( I have only lived as far South as Connecticut, but lived in Boston), in the Bread Crumb world we have plain, Italian Seasoned, and Panko.
What to buy? Which will work best in this dish?
In a lot of stores in Vermont, Panko can be overpriced, but worth the price based on what you prefer. I find that Panko is great if you are frying. It's a Japanese crust-less breadcrumb. We aren't huge fryers, but we bake a lot, and Panko gives you a crisp bite that you might find in many restaurants, especially on fish or seafood. Many people season Panko, and I have included my own seasonings in the "plain section"
Italian Bread Crumbs are great, when you want to coat your food in a hurry. You don't need to mess with the seasoning, but then again, you cannot control what is in there. So often we buy something for the ease, but we can make it ourselves, without additives, and can control our portions.
Plain bread crumbs are great, when you can't make your own (making your own is very easy out of left over bread and a food processor, it may seem time consuming, but most of us throw away the end crusts of our bread, and that can make perfect croutons and bread crumbs).
Regardless, it's easier for most people to buy regular bread crumbs as it's cheapest. If this is the case, and you want to bake with them, I find throwing in some sea salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion salt and dried parsley top notch in flavor. Even some Parmesan (grated or fresh) can add a salty cheese kick to finish off your meal. Some people will "smash" crackers into this, for the last bit of bite, and personally "Townhouse" has a buttery crunch that people like (people being my family lol)
I use bread crumbs when I bake goods, in the occasional frying, and even in recipes (such as meatloaf, which I will be sharing soon) my veggie burgers and spinach quiche. They can make a great crust, and great to thicken something that you won't use flour or cornstarch for.
I don't claim this is complete, and I hope if anyone has other ideas or seasonings they will share it.
I just hope this helps everyone when chosing which kind of bread crumb they want and with what dish to use it.
Enjoy :)
What to buy? Which will work best in this dish?
In a lot of stores in Vermont, Panko can be overpriced, but worth the price based on what you prefer. I find that Panko is great if you are frying. It's a Japanese crust-less breadcrumb. We aren't huge fryers, but we bake a lot, and Panko gives you a crisp bite that you might find in many restaurants, especially on fish or seafood. Many people season Panko, and I have included my own seasonings in the "plain section"
Italian Bread Crumbs are great, when you want to coat your food in a hurry. You don't need to mess with the seasoning, but then again, you cannot control what is in there. So often we buy something for the ease, but we can make it ourselves, without additives, and can control our portions.
Plain bread crumbs are great, when you can't make your own (making your own is very easy out of left over bread and a food processor, it may seem time consuming, but most of us throw away the end crusts of our bread, and that can make perfect croutons and bread crumbs).
Regardless, it's easier for most people to buy regular bread crumbs as it's cheapest. If this is the case, and you want to bake with them, I find throwing in some sea salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion salt and dried parsley top notch in flavor. Even some Parmesan (grated or fresh) can add a salty cheese kick to finish off your meal. Some people will "smash" crackers into this, for the last bit of bite, and personally "Townhouse" has a buttery crunch that people like (people being my family lol)
I use bread crumbs when I bake goods, in the occasional frying, and even in recipes (such as meatloaf, which I will be sharing soon) my veggie burgers and spinach quiche. They can make a great crust, and great to thicken something that you won't use flour or cornstarch for.
I don't claim this is complete, and I hope if anyone has other ideas or seasonings they will share it.
I just hope this helps everyone when chosing which kind of bread crumb they want and with what dish to use it.
Enjoy :)
Caramel Applesauce Cake(s) Feb 5, 2010
Made with Walnuts and Raisins. My sister trades the nuts and raisins for coconut and chocolate chips. I like my version better. I don't like frosting too much, so this was perfect. And we used the homemade applesauce I had canned, was just a really nice cake. YUMMM!!
All recipes available upon request
Spanish Rice Feb 3, 2010
Made with ground turkey. Blanched and Sauteed Green Beans.
All recipes available upon request
Zucchini Bars Feb 1, 2010
It's not fried Zucchini, it's Zucchini prepared like apple pie, brownie style. Guaranteed delight when you are craving sweets!
All recipes available upon request
Baked Egglpant Jan 31, 2010
Baked in the oven, over fettuccine noodles with homemade sauce. A big hit in our house.
All recipes available upon request
Apple-Filled Cinnamon Topped Coffee Cake Jan 28, 2010
No explanation needed here.
All recipes available upon request
Veggie Burgers Can be Good! Jan 27, 2010
Homemade Veggie Burgers with Pesto Mayo and Mashed Cauliflower (We made homemade garlic biscuits, but any favorite bread will do, I think good Ciabatta Rolls would be great too)
All recipes available upon request
All recipes available upon request
Healthy Chicken Breast Jan 24, 2010
Chicken Breast topped with Apple Stuffing and Crustless Spinach Quiche.
Very Easy to make. My mom used to top pork chops with an apple stuffing, and I would scrape off the stuffing and throw the pork chop back into the pan. I think this stuffing is so versatile if you eat pork, chicken, red meat or even tofu, it's a great topper.
My Crust-less Spinach Quiche can use frozen or fresh spinach, so it's great in season or not.
All recipes available upon request
Very Easy to make. My mom used to top pork chops with an apple stuffing, and I would scrape off the stuffing and throw the pork chop back into the pan. I think this stuffing is so versatile if you eat pork, chicken, red meat or even tofu, it's a great topper.
My Crust-less Spinach Quiche can use frozen or fresh spinach, so it's great in season or not.
All recipes available upon request
Chocolate Stuffed Eclairs Jan 23, 2010
A mix of up one of Paula Dean's Recipes. A bit time consuming, but easy to make!
All recipes available upon request (although her original recipe can be found at foodnetwork.com)
Easy one pot Rice and Beans Jan 21, 2010
Cooked in vegetable broth with Goya Sazon, onion, garlic and a bit of sea salt. This is one of our favs.
All recipes available upon request
Lets Do Chicken Jan 20, 2010
Baked Chicken (breast) Bites, Baked Seasoned Red Potatos (we don't eat too much meat, but this came out nice)
All recipes available upon request
Broccoli and Cauliflower Stirfry Jan 18, 2010
Also great with zucchini and summer squash, or snap peas.
All recipes available upon request
Pineapple Cake Jan 17 2010
Pineapple Cake with homemade Pineapple Whipped Cream, yumm. The pineapple is mixed into the cake, rather then upside down, as people are used to. (shame my camera is on the fritz)
All recipes available upon request
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