Homemade Pasta

The first time I made homemade ravioli I was shocked by the difference in texture from that which is sold in the grocery store.

After I made homemade gnocchi I swore I would never again buy it in the store.  What came out of the recipe given to me passed down from a beautiful Italian grandmother produced the most delicious, light, fluffy dumplings that seemed to melt in your mouth while the store bought kind seems tough and chewy now by comparison.

So with all of this in mind, when my dear friend, Michael, and I were walking around the grocery getting the goods to make Creamy Cajun Pasta he suggested we make our own pasta....hell, we had done it before, we could do it again....

....except sometimes Michael and I have a tendency to make a huge mess in the kitchen AND food won't be on the table until about 2 hours past the time we had originally planned.

For this reason, mid-week meals aren't necessarily our forte but it was a Friday night so we tossed precaution to the wind and went all in (ok, I did, Michael rarely worries as much as I do)!

Forgive the repetition in the beginning of this recipe as it is the same that I used for the ravioli, but why reinvent the wheel, right?  Besides, I am still in a food coma from this incredible meal!

Homemade Pasta

3 cups unbleached white flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

Sift flour and salt together. 

Place flour mixture on a board, making a well in the center of the flour. 

Drop eggs into the flour well, using your hand or a fork, break the yolks and beat eggs slightly. 

Combine the eggs and flour together, gradually adding enough warm water to make a stiff dough.  Knead dough well, until smooth; cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. 

Cut dough in half and roll each half of the dough out on a floured board, into a very thin sheet (about 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick).

At this point you can use a pasta guitar like we had or just cut it into very thin strips the size of linguine.

  

AS I so often times hear, pasta can only be seasoned while it is boiling so make sure to bring you water to a boil and then add a generous sprinkle of salt to the water.  This will give the pasta a delicious flavor.

 

Cook between 2-4 minutes or until al dente.

Drain and serve with your favorite marinara sauce or just with a small pat of butter and salt and pepper.  Either way you will never want to go back to store bought pasta!

Spicy Red Snapper

With the weather slowwwwllllyyyy changing into spring, I love switching from the hearty soups and crockpot meals to the light, fresh dishes of spring and summer!

The garden is planted and soon we will be able to reap the benefits of it's bounty, but until then we must make due with the supplies at the store.

Being in Nashville we find ourselves a bit landlocked and isolated from the delicious fresh seafood available for all those coastal living folks, but even still we are able to get our hands on some tasty fish pretty frequently.

With that said, I have been trying to incorporate more seafood into my diet but sometimes find pasta easier to prepare after a long day at work.  My sister-in-law introduced me to this delicious meal most recently and it has opened my eyes to all different ways that fish can be prepared in a quick and painless process for something incredibly tasty!

Spicy Red Snapper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon minced capers

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup white wine

salt and pepper to taste

4 (6 ounce) fillets red snapper

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, red pepper and capers. 

 

Add more olive oil if needed.

 

Saute over medium heat until onion is soft. Add the tomatoes with juice, and the wine. 

 

Reduce heat to low and simmer. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon as the sauce cooks.

Once sauces begins to thicken add the snapper fillets and push them down into the pan. 

 

Cover and cook over low heat until the fish flakes with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Then of course there must be pictures of my favorite little munchkin and his new slide!

   

Can't leave out the puppies!

Chicken Stir Fry

Recently a dear friend of mine asked if I would post a few well-rounded meals that children would also eat.  As I have no children and spoil my nieces and nephews completely giving them crackers, cheese and ice cream for dinner and a half a pound of bacon in the morning for breakfast, I was clearly not really up to speed on the eating habits parents should instill in their children.

Growing up my brother and I simply ate what was put in front of us.  My parents were not short order cooks who would feed us whatever we would eat.  If we didn't eat what was prepared then we went to bed hungry. 

I can't tell you how many times I ate "three more bites" of something just so I could get up from the table.  I would smoosh my spaghetti to one side of the plate, convinced my parents would think I ate half of my food so long as half the plate was clear.

As I have gotten older many of those recipes are now my favorites, but as a child nothing but chicken nuggets or fish sticks really got my attention.  With this in mind, I decided to enlist the help of my friend, Mackenzie.  With an adorable daughter, Amelia, on the cusp of eating more and more regular food, I thought she would be a great start.

So many of Mackenzie's recipes simply amaze me.  They are quick to make, simple in the list of ingredients, and turn into a gourmet meal in minutes.  Besides many of which I feel children will also eat, her meals are typically healthy, quick and don't make a mess in the kitchen!

The glass of wine we enjoy as we laugh over the cutting board and skillet doesn't hurt either but with 25 years of friendship behind us, we have a lot to say to each other!  She just makes my soul smile!

Here is my first shot at a well-rounded meal that children might eat as well!  Let me know what you think!

Chicken Stir Fry

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup sliced celery (½-inch pieces)

1 cup thinly sliced carrotes

1 cup thinly sliced onion, cut into wedges

1 cup shelled edamame

1 cup water

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

 

Cut chicken into ½-inch strips; place in a resealable plastic bag or large mixing bowl.  

Add cornstarch and toss to coat.  

 

Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ginger and garlic powder; add to bag and shake well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

 

In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil; stir-fry chicken until no longer pink, 

about 3-5 minutes.   

Add water and bouillon making sure to scrape all of the brown parts from the bottom of the pan. 

 

In a separate pan add remaining oil; stir-fry broccoli, celery, carrots and onion for 

4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.  

 

 Add Worchestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce and remaining soy sauce.  Return chicken to the pan, add edamame seeds and combine all ingredients making sure everything is tossed well with the sauce.   

Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve over rice.

Here are two of the angels who joined us for dinner....God bless Blythe and Amelia!

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Sitting around a table for four in a cozy living room surrounded by friends laughing over a bottle of wine.  Does life get much better?

Only if you add pasta!

I had dinner with some friends a few days ago....a group who hadn't gotten together in a while and it was seconds into the dinner before we were laughing hysterically about what I can't even remember.

Nights like this are what I love.

Sharing a meal with friends, sipping on a glass of wine, stirring the sauce over the stove, smelling the delicious aromas of what is sure to be a delicious dinner.

In one of her recent post, The Pioneer Woman posted this recipe which immediately tugged at my taste buds. It looks simple enough and required that I only buy a couple ingredients at the store.  Something that is always a huge plus for me, especially when it is in the middle of the week and the last thing I want to do after work is go to the grocery store.

We added some crushed red pepper flakes to give this recipe a bit more of a kick but I feel like this is certainly one of those dishes that you could play with....add some grilled shrimp, saute some chicken, play with the different kinds of pasta that would be good with the sauce....there are a million options!

I hope you enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

as adapted from The Pioneer Woman

12 ounces, weight Pasta Of Your Choice (I Prefer Short Ones Like Rigatoni, Penne, Etc.)

4 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 whole Large Onion, Finely Diced

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 jar (15.5 Ounces) Roasted Red Peppers, Drained And Roughly Chopped

1 cup Vegetable Or Chicken Broth

1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup Heavy Cream (more To Taste)

1/2 cup Parmesan Shavings (more For Serving)

Finely Minced Parsley

Chopped Fresh Basil (if You Have It!)

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until starting to soften. 

 

Add the chopped red peppers and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until hot.

 

Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor or blender. Place on the lid and puree the pepper mixture until totally blended (there will still be some texture to the peppers.)

  

Heat the other 2 tablespoon butter back to the skillet over medium heat. 

Pour the pepper puree back into the skillet.  

 

Add the broth, salt, and pepper,  and red pepper flakes and stir until heated. Splash in the cream and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to.

 

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Add Parmesan and parsley/basil, then stir it together to coat the pasta.

 

Serve in bowls with extra Parmesan and a sprinkling of parsley on top.

YUMMERS!!!

 

Getting this crew together could get dicey!

 

 

 

LOVE!!