Fresh Pasta

I watched an episode on Food Network last night.  The chef was making homemade pasta, Linguini alla Carbonara.  I've made homemade pasta once or twice before quite awhile back.  I thought  I'd give it a try again, even though I don't have a pasta machine.  I made it today for lunch.  Homemade pasta takes your dry pasta dishes from dive to you need to make a reservation to get into this restaurant!  Really, I am not kidding it makes all the difference in your pasta dishes.  The one I made was so good even doing it the old fashioned way, rolling out the dough with my muscles!  Next time you do pasta night, please try making fresh pasta.  And, let me know how it turns out.

Homemade Pasta

1 C cake flour
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/8 C evoo
dash of salt
2 egg yolks
water

Put above into a food processor (or right on your kitchen couter if you dare.  if you dare, put the flour down first and then make a well in the center then pour the rest of the goods).  Once it all comes together, slowly pour in the water.  There is no measurement, because it depends on the type of flour you use (you can use all all purpose flour the dough will just be more dense.  The cake flour makes it nice & light & fluffy).  You want the dough to form into a ball, and when you push it in with a finger it says together.  I think today I started with a 1/2 water but did not use it all.

Wrap up the dough into a ball into plastic wrap & put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

If you have a pasta machine, you already know what to do to finish the dough.  I don't, so I floured a board and my fingers.  I pulled out the rolling pin and just kept rolling to my desired thickness.  Then I cut the dough into strips.  I made fettuccine noodles.  Keep in mind the dough does expand while cooking, so next time I will cut my strips not so wide.

Start your pot of water, get it boiling.  Add some salt.  This will season your pasta.  Some people add vegetable oil or evoo.  I normally don't, but heck today I was kinda sassy so I put in a little evoo.

Cooking fresh pasta takes a lot less time to cook than the dry.  Mine took 4 minutes.  Really watch it until you get the hang of it.  Take a piece out and test, the only way you'll know.  Then drain as usual.

Linguine Alla Carbonara

2 T evoo
2 T white wine
1/2 heavy cream
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic
4 strips bacon/4 oz. bacon or pancetta  chopped
1 egg seperated
1 C parmesan cheese

Put evoo into pan and heat over med low.  Cook the bacon, about 7 minutes.  Add the garlic, & stir about 5 seconds.  Don't burn the garlic.

Add the white wine, cream, and pepper.  Stir and cook until it becomes thick. About 3-5 minutes.

Once the pasta is just about done (drain about a minute before it is done), strain and put into the sauce.  Take the sauce pan off the heat. Stir in 1/2 C of parmesean.  Stir sauce and noodles being careful not the break the noodles.  Fresh noodles are more fragile than dry.

Keep the pan off the heat.  Stir one egg white into the pasta/sauce.  Then stir the egg yolk.  Mix all until well combined.  Garnish with remaining cheese.

Falling on ice =

Can you guess?  Yes, I broke my arm.  My right elbow to be exact.  I'm right handed.  It's been 3 weeks now and it has been tough if I can be honest.  Think about it, I can't dry my hair, straighten it, I have to brush my teeth with my left hand, & not to mention extremely little cooking for 3 weeks.  I say the sleeping has been the most difficult, but actually I think it is tied with my lack of cooking.  I know a lot of you would rather go out to eat than even begin to think about what's for dinner tonight.  But, for me my excitement level is highly elevated when I am deciding on my nightly meal!  I have way too many food blogs bookmarked, cook books, printed recipes (don't get my family started on my recipe box), & my own creations.  I'm thinking I should go to Culinary School or maybe be a personal chef...oh wait I already do that in my own house! 

My broken arm is my reason for no posts for the last few weeks.  Hopefully I'll be on the mend soon so I can hold up my camera to take pictures of my creations.  My line now when people ask about my arm is, it is still broke but attached.  It will get better just not soon enough for me to get back in the kitchen!

What? Fried Burgers?

Fried burgers?  No way!  I am a die hard grill woman.  A burger is grilled on a charcoal grill.  Gas grills are for sissies lazy people!  There is no other way.  I grill as many nights of the week as I can.  And, yes, even in the winter.  I saw some burgers on a show the other day and thought oh my goodness they look delicious, BUT they were fried.  Yeah, fried as in on a pan.  The other loud, loud gasp I had watching that show is that the cook 'smashed' the burgers.  A burger is never, ever to be smashed.  All the goodness is smashed out when you do that.  So, I said to myself.  Self, keep an open mind & try these.  I watched the show, and they did not give me the recipe.  How dare them?  I wrote down what they said they used for ingredients and what I thought they didn't say.  I went free style and guessed on all measurements.  Oh my goodness (or OMG for all you youngsters), these were the best burgers I have ever made!  Every one in my family said the same exact statement.  It was as if all the planets were aligned, because it really is a rare occasion when everyone is in complete 100% agreement.
I would love to have my own burger restaurant one day, so when  my ship comes in and my joint is open this will be on the menu.  So, my apologizes I can not give you my recipe.  It is top secret.  I will tell you that I made a basil pesto mayo w/a few special ingredients that was the star of the burger.  And, the burgers were fried with onions seasoned with about 9 spices, delicious!

Mini Bread Pans

I have wanted a mini bread pan for a long time.  I just didn't want to spend about $20.00 for 4 of them.  I found one today for $1.99.  How could I pass that up?  I bought it, went directly home & my daughter whipped up some banana bread dough for me.  It really isn't anything different than a normal sized bread pan, other than the mini size.  It just looks so darn cute!  Doesn't it?  I can't remember my recipe right now so I'll try to get that to you later.  I've tried quite a few & always go back to this one.  This is the regular in our household.

Summer Veggies

I just came across some pictures of some of our tomatoes from this past summer.  Thank goodness I did a lot of canning.  I miss my gardening, but not the weeding.  Can't wait to dig in the dirt again.

$14.95 meal

I want my own little diner.  You know the one where everything is home made & down right delicious food.  When you think of say...bacon wrapped chicken my little diner is the place you think of first.  We have a fake menu going on at our house, what I'd serve at my diner, & how much each item would be.  This tonight at my kitchen diner was $14.95.

I made three new recipes tonight. Spinach and blue cheese, bacon wrapped stuffed chicken, honey & balsamic green beans, & smashed potatoes. I used my own potatoes and green beans, nothing like it!  It was one of those nights where everyone was 'starving', so I couldn't get a good picture of the food. Never mind the horrible lighting and display, the troops were demanding food!  I should have cut the chicken open & showed you all the gooey cheesy goodness inside of the chicken. Why have I not stuffed my own chicken ever before? I really don't understand, really it is a simple process.

I usually start with a recipe and then make it my own. At the request of a few of you I will add the recipes below.  A word to the wise.  I love to cook therefore I may throw in seasoning, evoo, this & that at my own discretion & that is why there may not be the measurements for some of the ingredients on the recipes.  For example, below for the chicken I have no idea how much spinach I used just take a handful and mix it all together & see if it's enough...really try it, it won't be difficult.

Oh & smile when you are making these dishes because you know anything is over the top good with bacon.  One more thing, let me know if you made any of my recipes and what you did different....I wanna know!  Send me some of your recipes you'd like me to try.  I'll make 'em, take pics of them & post them.

Bacon wrapped, spinach and cheese stuff chicken

4 chicken breasts (bonless, skinless)

blue cheese (I also did a couple with feta cheese)
spinach
arugula
bacon
pepper

Take a paring knife and cut down the middle of the fat side of the chicken about 1/2 way.  Put your finger in the cut to loosen it up.  You will be cutting right in the middle of the breast, don't cut all the way through.

Take some spinach & arugula & mix it together.  Then throw some cheese in the mix & mix it all together.

Put the green/cheese mixture into the cut of the chicken.  Use your finger & really stuff it down in there.

Pepper the chicken.

Wrap bacon around the chicken, like a spiral.

Put in a baking dish at 425 for about 30 minutes.

Honey and Balsamic Green Beans

16 oz green beans
2 garlic cloves
evoo
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp honey
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Heat the evoo in a pan over medium heat.  Put in the beans & garlic.  Cover & cook for about 10 minutes. Stir when you feel like it.

Put in the onion powder, honey, balsamic vinegar, & salt & pepper to taste.

Cook for about 3-5 minutes longer.

Smashed potatoes
(my kids can take or leave potatoes depending on how they are cooked.  I've never made this recipe before tonight & they all loved them)


4 medium potatoes
1/4 chicken broth
3 T evoo
4 scallions (green & whites)
salt & pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water about 15-20 minutes.  Drain. Put back in same pot.

Add evoo, broth, scallions, & salt & pepper to taste.

Smash with the back of a fork.  These will be a bit chunky, not like your Mamma's mashed potatoes.

Eat!

Comfort Food, French Onion Soup

I made some French Onion Soup the other day.  I forgot to take a picture.  For some odd reason, I had some leftovers.  I heated it up today & remembered to take a picture.  Who is with me lovin' this soup?  How can you not love it?  Really, it has lovely cooked onions, toasted bread, & lots and lots of gruyere cheese melted all over the bread and oozing down the sides.  Wipe off your chin and go make some soup!