Lemon Aspargus Pasta with Goat Cheese

1 pound spiral-shaped pasta
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon plus more for garnish
1 5- to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (the pre-crumbled stuff will not melt as well)
Fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)

Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed. Season genersously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice.

French Crepes

Crepes are so easy to make and can be filled with sweet ingredients like blackberries and ricotta cheese or savory and filled with cooked chicken and spinach or broccoli. It's up to your imagination!


1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter. Let sit for 10 mins or can even be refrigerated until ready.
Now my experience is that the first one or two don't turn out very pretty for some reason. By the time I do the third one they turn out great.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Homemade Butter

I found this super easy way to make your own butter!


Homemade Butter

2 cups heavy cream
1-2 cups ice water
sea salt to taste, optional

Place cream on the counter for 8-12 hours. It is easiest to use cream that is just slightly souring. If your cream is not yet turning, let it sit on the counter for 12 hours to allow bacteria to form lactic acid or add a spoonful of yogurt or buttermilk with live cultures to the cream prior to letting it sit to culture it.

Pour cream into a quart-size canning jar. Begin shaking with slow, deliberate shakes until cream first starts coating the jar, becomes thick like whipping cream and then starts to pull away from the sides, turning to two substances: buttermilk and butter. Let the jar sit for one minute and then pour off the buttermilk into a separate glass.

Pour ice water into the butter to wash it, kneading with hand or stirring to remove any milk, strain off land repeat until water is clear. Strain to leave only the butter in the jar. Stir in salt, if desired. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.


Makes approximately 1/2 cup butter
Copyright © Food for My Family.

Toast with Egg ~ Love Style~

This is one of Zachary's favorite breakfasts.  Might actually be his Most Favorite.

Ingredients:

Your favorite bread, the thicker and bigger the better.

Egg

Butter

Melt some butter in a skillet over med heat

Take a cookie cutter in the shape of a heart,

 or whatever other shape you want.

Cut thru the bread.

Place the bread and the cutout in the skillet.

Add a tiny bit of butter in the middle of the hole.

Carefully crack an egg into the hole.

I check to see if its done by the little hearts. 

When they are toasted, then  flip over the egg/toast.

Cook that side till toasted.

Serve with love.

Caribbean Beans and Rice

Caribbean Black Beans Sausage and Rice
Ingredients:

2 15.5-oz cn black beans
1 Onion coarsely chopped
3 Cloves garlic chopped
1 tb Olive oil (or more)
2 c Chicken broth
1/2 ts Ground cumin
1/2 ts Curry powder
1/8 ts Dried Oregano
1 Jalapeno minced
2 c Brown rice
One bunch of cilantro Chopped
1 can of tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 10-oz pk frozen peas
1 lb any type Smoked sausage sliced
3 bananas Underripe
2 tb Unsalted butter
   saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil until softened; add beans along with broth, cumin, curry, oregano, jalapeno, cilantro and  tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium-low.  about 15 minutes. Add peas, cover, and set aside. Brown sausage slices in a  skillet, adding a tiny bit of olive oil if necessary. Remove from pan and  place on rice. Slice
bananas; saute in butter until lightly browned. Serve  rice and beans surrounded by browned
sausage and bananas.   

Ricotta Gnocchi

Last night I made ricotta gnocchi.  Several weeks ago I bought some at Whole Foods. It was premade, and it was good, but the reviews I read online said homemade was so much better. They were right!  This was so light like pillows and they melted in our mouths.  Plus they were super easy to do.  Now I am soo not a pasta maker. I do not enjoy making pasta so I don't. This however was so easy, that I will be making it often.

16 oz Ricotta Cheese Part Skim

1 egg yolk 

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 cup Parmesan freshly grated

1 cup unbleached flour, + extra for dusting the dough/board

That is the basic recipe. 

I added finely chopped basil from my garden, about 1/3 cup. You can add any fresh herb you like, or even some spices that you like.  

Discard any excess liquid that the Ricotta’s packaging may contain, then add Ricotta cheese, egg yolk, salt and freshly grated Parmigiano and any herbs into a large bowl. Mix well with a spoon. Now add the flour and stir in briefly, just until combined – the dough will still be quite sticky. (Of course you can add more flour at this point, but keep in mind, that the more flour you use, the denser the gnocchi become in the end. And you want them to be as light & fluffy as possible, with a velvet-like texture.)

Generously flour a board, take a big tablespoon of the dough and scoop it onto the board. It gets dusted with flour (dust your hands generously, too!), before rolling it into a finger-thick roll. Cut it into little pillows (stick the knife’s blade into the flour to prevent it from sticking to the dough). Then place each gnoccho on a floured board or parchment paper lined baking tray. 

Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and reduce heat until the water bubbles lightly. Add the gnocchi and stir once, so they don’t stick to the bottom – then let cook until they start floating on top. Depending on their size this may take 2 to 4 minutes. Take out with a skimmer and serve immediately.

Last night I served these with a mushroom cream sauce I made. But these will go well with just about any kind of sauce. Tomato, pesto, mushroom etc.  Just be sure your sauce is done at the same time so you can quickly  toss the gnocchi in it and serve.

Homemade Ketchup

Never buy store bought again!

So I decided to try and make my own Ketchup.  Yum! I found this recipe online.  It will keep for about 2 weeks if in a sealed container.  This is very tasty.  You can also add a small amount of chipotle peppers in the adobe sauce to give it a smokey pepper kick.  Very very good!

1 can tomato paste

1/4 c water

2 tsp  raw sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

Optional:   A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Store in a tightly sealed container and Enjoy!

Tuna Sammies

When I saw this recipe on Rachael Ray show the other day, I thought, "YUMMMOO!"  But I figured Christina and maybe Caleb might be the only ones that would eat it with me. However, last night Mike and I were home, all the kids were over at friends, so I suggested a Tuna Melt to him. We had a bunch of leftover mac and cheese, so I figured if he didn't like it, he could eat the Mac n Cheese.
A few bites into the sandwich he declared, "this is really good! I am so surprised that I like this, but this is really good! The flavors are so fresh! They just popped in my mouth!"
Well with that good of reviews from him, I had to post this so I can make this again and again,. I love that it is mayo free.

• 1/2 red small onion, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 can line-caught orItalian tuna (6 ounces)
• (I used two cans of 5 oz each)
• 1/2 cup Niçoise (oil-cured) or kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 
• (I used green olives with pimentoes)
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves (a handful), finely chopped
• (I used curly parsley and chives from my garden)
• 2 slices thick-cut brioche bread
• (I used Whole Wheat)
• 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded
• (I used fresh mozzarella and pepper jack cheese)

PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

Combine the onion and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.

In the same bowl, stir together the tomato paste, garlic, Herbes de Provence, pepper and EVOO. Add the tuna, olives, capers and parsley and mix to combine and break up the tuna slightly.

Divide the tuna mixture between the two slices of bread, transfer to a baking sheet and top with the cheese. Toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the tuna is heated through.

Pizza Pockets

I made these tonight for the kids since Mike is out of town. 

 They each ate 3. (and their veggies side) And declared that I MUST make them again.

Ingredients:

1 can of biscuits  (I only had Grands on hand, but they would work great with regular size, they will just be smaller)

Cheese   I used Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar

pizza sauce

Your favorite pizza toppings like:

Pepperoni

mushrooms

basil -- dry or fresh

oregano -- dry or fresh

melted butter or 1 egg white lightly beaten

Heat oven to 350

Take the biscuits and roll them out to about 1/4 in thick

Spread a little pizza sauce in the middle

Put the toppings on top of sauce  (not too much or it will leak out the sides)

Fold one side over to the other and seal the edges very good by pushing them down with your fingers or a fork.

Brush with melted butter or egg wash over

Bake 13-15 min or until golden brown

I made the boys with just the sauce (homemade of course), cheese and pepperoni.

Turkey Sausage and Pasta

I made this last night.

  Everybody finished their plates 

and said it was very yummy.  

I took a recipe I found online and changed it up a bit.  

I will post the original recipe and then my additions in BLUE

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced  I used 6
• 2 14-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes including liquid I used 6 fresh tomatoes cut in quarters and about half a cup of chicken stock
• 1 pound smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices*
• Pinch red pepper flakes I used one whole red chili pepper seeded and diced
• 3/4 pound rotini pasta (corkscrew pasta) I used a whole box of whole wheat rotini
• Salt
• 3 ounces smoked Mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes I used regular mozzarella and ADDED a few drops of liquid smoke about 1/2 tsp
• 1 cup peas
• 2 cups spinach  
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 
  
• *If you put the turkey sausage in the freezer first for a half hour, it will be easier to slice.

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and minced red pepper and cook a minute more.

2. Add the tomatoes to the pan, Include the juices. Add the sausage and red pepper flakes. and the few drops of liquid smoke. (probably I used about 1/2 tsp)

 Cover and cook on medium high for 20 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

3. While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a teaspoon and a half of salt for every quart of water. Cook the pasta according to pasta package instructions, until al dente, or cooked through, but still a bit firm. Add peas the last 2 minutes to the water. Drain the water  from the pasta and the peas.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to add to dish to make it more saucy. 

Combine the pasta and the sauce in a large serving bowl. 

4. Add spinach and toss with pasta to wilt.  Add pasta water as needed to moisten.

5. Stir in the cubed smoked regular mozzarella cheese.  Continue to stir until the cheese has softened and is a bit melty. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Banana Bread

I made this tonight. It has no eggs, and no oil.

It is very healthy for us! And yes, this is my second Banana Bread recipe.

The last one was very good, but I don't always have the ingredients on hand.

This one, I do.

And tasty too! Zachary has had 2 slices, and it just came

out of the oven 20 min ago.

• 
  
• 1 Cup flour
• 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat flour (or 1 1/2 cups reg flour)
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 apple sauce (or 1/4 cup Oil)
• 1 tsp vanilla (I used more)
• 2 TB Ground Flaxseed mixed with
• 6 TB Water (OR 2 eggs)
• 2/3 cup raisins or chocolate chips or nuts OPTIONAL (I use what I have on hand)
• Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Combine dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Combine banana, milk, flaxseed and water, vanilla, and applesauces in a small bowl or measuring cup.
• Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently
• just until the dry ingredients are moistened. or the bread will be tough.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
• Cool on a wire rack, in the pan, for about 15 minutes

Mediterranean Couscous

I had my brother Frank over last night, and knowing he loves couscous, I made this dish.

Everyone enjoyed it, even the boys.

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 garlic cloves minced

2 TB Olive Oil --divided--

1 1/4 cup water

1 pkg (5.6 oz) couscous with toasted pine nuts

1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules

1/2 cup tomato chopped about 1 in thick or cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 TB grated parmesan cheese

In a small skillet saute onion and garlic in 1 TB oil for 4 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile in a large saucepan, combine the water, contents of seasoning packet from couscous mix, bouillon and remaining oil. Bring to a boil.

Stir in the onion mixture and couscous. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Stir in tomatoes and parmesan cheese.

Just Peachy Chicken

Last night Caleb had a Boy Scout meeting, and Mike and I were late getting home.

I threw this together pretty quickly. Although next time I think I will add 2 cans of peaches and some more chicken stock mixed with 2 TB of cornstarch, probably to equal 2 1/2 cups, because the sauce was so good, but not enough. You know how saucy Mike likes things!

1 (15 ounce) can peaches, drained (reserve the juice) and chopped
6 cloves garlic minced
chicken stock AND the peach juice to equal 1 1/2 cup
2 TB Red Wine Vinegar
1 inch grated fresh ginger
2 TB brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried basil
Salt & Pepper pinch of each
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup flour
1 TB garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 TB onion powder
2 TB EVOO
Directions

Bring peaches, garlic, chicken stock, vinegar, ginger, sugar, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and basil to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally

Mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl
Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture
Shake off the excess.
Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken, and cook until lightly brown on both sides.
Season peach sauce with salt and pepper to taste, and pour over browned chicken.
Return the chicken to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink in the center.
Serve over rice or noodles.

Bean & Rice Tacos

I put the filling in Whole Wheat Pita Bread. But tortillas would work too.
Its good and good for you.
The problem tho with most of my cooking, is that I don't really measure the ingredients. I tend to eyeball it. I taste it, and add more if it needs it.
So on the amounts I am guessing about how much it was that I put in. It could of been more or less, but most likely more because I like alot of flavor and kick in the foods.


1 small onion chopped
6 garlic cloves chopped
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 carrots finely chopped
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa
1 cup frozen corn
Whole Wheat pita bread
handful cilantro (came from my herb garden)chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (whatever is your fav)
romaine lettuce
2 jalapenos diced
8 oz greek yogurt

Saute the onion, garlic and carrots till onion and carrots are tender
Stir in chili powder and cumin
Saute until fragrant
Add rice, beans, salsa and corn
Cook thru till all is warm
Remove from heat
Add cilantro
Put mixture in Pita breads top with lettuce, sprinkle with cheese and jalapenos
Add a dollop of yogurt and serve

Chicken Cordon Bleu in Creamy Wine Sauce

This was soo yummy. The sauce is rich. The original recipe called for half the amount of sauce ingredients, but Mike likes things saucy so I doubled it. This is the doubled version.

4-6 chicken breasts pounded to about 1/4 in thickness
2 TB Dijon mustard
4-6 slices of Prosciutto
4-6 slices of Swiss
2 cups Panko crumbs
1 TB paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1 egg
1 TB water
1 cup white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc (good quality)
2 tsp low sodium chicken bouillian
2 TB cornstarch
2 cup heavy whipping cream
6 fresh basil leaves sliced thinly

Heat oven to 350
Heat some EVOO in a large skillet over med heat
Spread some dijon on each chicken breast
Wrap the swiss cheese up in the prosciutto, being sure to tuck the ends of the prosciutto in so the cheese wont melt out.
Place on one end of chicken and roll chicken up around it
Tie with string or secure with toothpicks
Mix the egg and water together in a bowl
In another bowl mix the Panko, paprika, garlic and pepper
Dip the rolled up chicken in the egg
Then roll into the Panko mixture.
Place the covered chickens in the skillet and brown on all sides
Remove from skillet place in an oven proof dish and bake for 10 minutes
Meanwhile in the same skillet on med heat pour the wine in
Sprinkle chicken boullian on and whisk together
Add the cornstarch and whisk till well blended
Pour in the whipping cream
Bring to a boil stirring occasionally
Reduce heat and simmer till nice and thick
Take chicken out of oven
Pour the sauce over it and serve with basil

The extra sauce is also great served over steamed aspargus or rice.

Squid Ink Pasta with Pink Gorgonzola Sauce

The pasta can be found at a Super Target.

Mike, Christina, Caleb and I loved it.

Caleb gave it 2 thumbs up. Zachary thought it was ok,

but was put off at first by the black pasta.

Don't be afraid to try it.

The pasta pretty much tastes like regular pasta.

Once Zachary actually tried it he gave it 1 thumb.

1 (16 ounce) package black squid ink pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
5 (1/2 ounce) slices prosciutto, diced
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 leaves fresh basil, cut into thin strips

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Don't salt it because the dish is pretty salty as is.Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
Saute shallots and garlic until lightly golden.
Pour in wine and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil, and stir in gorgonzola.
Add tomato paste and prosciutto; bring to a boil.
Stir in half-and-half, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place pasta on dishes, spoon sauce over.
garnish with parmesan and basil.

Welsh Rarebit

I made this today for Mikes and my lunch. Mike claimed that this is his new fav cheese sauce and next time I need to double or triple it and he will use it as a dipping sauce. This would also be good on macaroni.


2 TB unsalted butter
2 TB all-purpose flour
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I just shook it in, but I think I used a bit more than 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup porter beer (I had Mike go buy Guiness)
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 cup shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar
2 drops hot sauce (I used alot more than 2 drops, more like a tsp, but we like it a little spicy)
4 slices toasted rye bread

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.
Cook, whisking constantly bringing it to a light golden brown
Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Add beer and whisk to combine.
Pour in cream and whisk until well combined and smooth.
Gradually add cheese, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.
Add hot sauce.
Pour over toast and serve immediately.

Black Bean Quesadilla

I put this together last night at the last minute. It turned out very good.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup salsa (I used a corn and fire roasted tomato homemade salsa)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups shredded cheese (I used extra sharp cheddar because thats all we had)
Flour tortillas

Mix the first 5 ingredients together.
Heat up a dry skillet over med-low heat
Place tortilla on skillet and heat on both sides
As soon as you flip the tortilla to the other side spread the cheese around it.
Add a big spoonful of the bean mixture and spread around
Add a little more cheese
Place another tortilla on top.
Cover.
When the bottom of the tortilla browns slightly and crisps up a little bit,
flip it over and lightly brown the other side
Place on plate and slice into wedges with a pizza cutter
Serve with sour cream, salsa and avocado slices.

Orange Ginger Chicken

3 cups cooked rice
1 small bunch scallions (green and whites) sliced thinly
When rice is cooked put the scallions in and then fluff rice.

4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs sliced into 1/2 in thin strips
Put chicken into a sealable bag along with
1 TB cornstarch
2 TB soy sauce
1 inch grated ginger
2 cloves grated garlic
1 tsp pepper
Let marinate for 1/2 - 1 hour

In a bowl combine
1 TB cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
2 TB sesame seeds
4 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 inch ginger grated
2/3 cup orange/apricot/peach marmalade (whichever one you want)

1/2 lg sweet onion sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper sliced thinly
1 bunch brocollini or broccoli sliced

Heat a mix of sesame oil and olive oil in a skillet till just smoking
Add chicken in batches if needed (add more oil if needed)
Discard marinade
Let chicken sit in Stir fry until chicken is golden on one side, flip over and cook other side till golden and slightly crisp
Remove from wok and keep warm
Stir fry onion and red bell pepper for a 2-3 min (add more oil if needed)
Add broccolini and stir fry till bright green and crisp tender
Remove from wok and keep warm
Pour the soy ginger sauce in wok and heat till boiling
Boil 1 min
Reduce heat and let simmer till slightly thickened
Add chicken, peppers and broccoli and heat thru
Ladle in bowls the chicken mix.
Take an ice cream scoop and fill with rice
Put the scoop of rice over the middle of the chicken.

Apple Turnover/Pie

I'm not really sure on what to call this. So I will go with Apple Turnover Pie.

Filling
3-5 apples chopped, soak in water with lemon or lime juice to keep from browning

3 TB flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
combine in a large plastic bag

1 tube Crescent Rolls

Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Combine in a bowl
3 TB melted butter

Put drained apples in the bag with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Shake until all the apples are covered in sugar and cinnamon.
Unroll the tube of crescents.
Place 2 rectangles in a 8x8 greased pan and press the seams to close.
Put apple mixture on top.
Take the remaining crescent rectangles and lay over the apples.
Pinch the seams closed.
Cover with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Sprinkle melted butter all over the top.
Bake at 350 for about 30 min.
Until top is golden brown and apples are bubbling up the sides.