Mango Lassi

This was great, minus the pistachios on top. That was sick and wrong.Mango Lassi

From: Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2009

1 cup mango, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup 1% lowfat milk
dash of ground cardamom

Combine Mango and sugar in a blender; process until pureed. Add yogurt and milk; process until smooth. Sprinkle with Cardamom if desired. Top with chopped pistachios. (But only if you want to gag)

Home Made Pasta

This is essentially a handout that I made for a "class" I taught on making home made pasta. It is SO simple. Let me know if you have any questions. The picture is of a boat load of spaghetti noodles that I made prior to being cooked. I just tossed them in flour as I made them so that they wouldn't stick together.

The Dough Ingredients: eggs and flour, sometimes water or oil

Flavoring the Dough: Basil or other herbs, lemon zest, spinach, tomato powder, garlic salt

*Add to dough with eggs or between thin layers of pasta sheets

Methods for Making Dough: Almost all methods begin the same way. Place flour in a bowl, make a well in the middle and add the eggs, etc. Slowly incorporate flour, mixing with a fork

*Quick and Easy: 1 egg for every ½- ¾ cup flour

*This dough starts out pretty sticky and doesn’t require kneading. Before each

pass through the rollers, you “dip” it in flour, until you reach the desired

consistency. Then you begin decreasing the roller setting, making your dough

sheet thinner until you reach the desired thinness and then you roll it through

the attachment to make spaghetti or fettuccine, etc.

*The texture is much less smooth than other methods.

* Not conducive to hand rolling, etc.

*Keep portions of dough not in use covered.

*Typical Method: 4 eggs, 3 cups flour, water as needed

*Spread a little flour on your work surface. Knead until dough is a consistent

color and texture. (about 7-10 minutes).

*Form dough into a ball and cover with a damp towel or saran wrap. Let the

dough rest for 10-15 minutes. This helps the ingredients to blend and the dough

become more relaxed and workable.

*Roll dough in pasta maker or with rolling pin.

* Keep portions of dough not in use covered.

*This dough turns out very smooth consistency pasta, perfect for everything

from spaghetti to ravioli.

*Spin on the Typical Method: 4 eggs, 3 cups flour, 2 Tbs. Olive Oil

* Sift flour into a food processor. Place eggs and olive oil on top of flour.

Process until dough starts to come together. It will look like a ton of tiny crumbs.

Press together with your hands, adding a tiny bit of water as needed if too dry.

*Spread a little flour on your work surface. Knead until dough is a consistent

color and texture. (about 7-10 minutes).

*Form dough into a ball and cover with a damp towel or saran wrap. Let the

dough rest for 20-30 minutes. This helps the ingredient to blend and the dough

become more relaxed and workable.

*Roll dough in pasta maker or with rolling pin.

* Keep portions of dough not in use covered.

*Can also use a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook.

*This also turns out pasta with a smooth consistency

*It is easier to mix together but the drawback is that you have to let it rest quite

a bit longer.

*I think that the olive oil in the pasta is great for if you are going to store the

dough. It doesn’t seem to stick to itself as much.

*Rolling it by hand:

*This method obviously by far takes the most amount of time and energy.

*A good rolling pin in a must.

*Make sure that you really let your dough rest so that it is workable.

*On your work surface you want the thinnest sprinkling of flour. If you use

too much flour, your dough will slide around and make you crazy.

*Roll dough out to desired consistency and cut into shapes wanted.

*A pizza cutter works really well for cutting out fettuccine or lasagna.

*A round cookie cutter works well for ravioli.

Storing your Pasta:

Drying:

*Buy or make a drying rack.

*As pasta comes out of the machine you can hang it on the rack for a few hours until

dry.

*Store in a Ziploc bag or other airtight container.

*You can store the dried pasta indefinitely.

Freezing:

*Lay out or form pasta “nests”, toss with flour and place in a Ziploc bag and freeze.

*Store in freezer for about 6 months.

Refrigerate:

*Place in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.

*You can place parchment paper between layers of pasta if you are worried about it

sticking together.

*Use within 2-3 days.

Sweet Potato-Pecan Burgers with Caramelized Onions

It was hard to get these to be a burger like thickness, it oozed from the bun, but it was well worth it. These were awesome. And I'll definitely be doubling the onions next time. For those of you who know me well, that is saying something about these onions.Sweet Potato-Pecan Burgers with Caramelized Onions

From: Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2009

Onions
1 Tbs.canola oil
3 cups sliced onion
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Burgers
2 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, cubed, peeled
cooking spray
2 1/2 cups onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 cup regular oats
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup pecans, chopped, toasted
1 Tbs. canola oil, divided
6 boston lettuce leaves (I used romaine)
6 whole wheat buns
6 Tbs. chili sauce

To prepare onions, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion to pan; saute 12 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar, vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook 30 seconds or until vinegar is absorbed. Remove onion mixture from pan; keep warm. (I will definitely be doubling the onions next time). Wipe pan dry with a paper towel.

To prepare burgers, place potato in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain.

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes or until tender; drain.

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes or until tender.

Place potato, chopped onion mixture, oats, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth. Place potato mixture in a large bowl; stir in nuts. Divide potato mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2 inch patty.

Wipe pan dry with a paper towel. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add a few patties to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned. Carefully turn patties over and cook for another 3 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm. Place lettuce leaves and patties on bottom bun. Top each patty with 1 Tbs. chili sauce and some onions and top halves of buns.

Dijon Mustard Chicken Fricassee

I have to admit that this looks kinda, um, not good. But it is really just my plating and photography skills that are not good. This dish is, in actuality, quite good.Dijon Mustard Chicken Fricassee

From: Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2009

1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 fresh parsley, chopped and divided
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped and divided
3 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth

Combine mustard, 1 Tbs. parsley, 1 1/2 tsp. thyme, and chicken in a large ziploc bag; toss well to coat. Chill 8 hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven (I don't have one, so I just used a large heavy skillet) over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan.

Add chopped onion to pan, and saute 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic to pan, and saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine and chicken broth, scrapping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 1 tablespoon parsley and remaining 1 1/2 tsp. thyme. Return chicken to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, keep warm.

Cook sauce, uncovered, oven medium heat 4 minutes or until slightly thick. Pour sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs. parsley.

Perfect Grilled Chicken Marinade

This was freaking awesome. I decided that some veggies thrown in with some of the marinade would be worth a try and it did not disappoint.
Perfect Grilled Chicken Marinade

From: AllRecipes

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce (somehow I didn't have any of this, so I left it out and we still loved it.)
2 Tbs. sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

desired amount of chicken breasts
veggies, if desired

Whisk together all of the ingredients. Place chicken in marinade and put in fridge for at least 2 hours. (I doubled the marinade and poured half of it in a ziploc bag over the chicken and half of it over the veggies. I used a bag of frozen stir fry veggie mix as that is what I had, but I'm dreaming of making this again using fresh summer veggies!)

Place chicken on the grill and let it work it's magic.

If making veggies, place veggies in a grill basket on your grill with enough time to cook before chicken is done. Toss veggies occasionally.

Zucchini Bake

Alissa gave me this recipe one evening when I called her in search of a recipe to use for dinner with some zucchini I had in my fridge. She will have to tell you where she got it from. On the first bite, I slightly questioned it, but after I had another bite I was sold. I would say to let it cool slightly before eating because the texture was awesome on my second piece that had time to cool off a bit. And my kids chowed down on this. Zucchini Bake

From: Alissa's Friend

3 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup bisquick
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup cheddar, grated
handful of snipped parsley (I left this out as I didn't have any)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4 eggs

Put everything in a bowl. Mix until everything is wet and combined. Pour mixture into a greased 8x8" glass baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. There should be a nice brown color on top and around the edges. When you insert a knife it should come out slightly "wet" but clean.

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

WOW. The picture doesn't make it look good, but WOW! This took a max or 20 minutes from start to finish to prepare and my husband was raving up and down about it. I must admit, it was pretty darn good. I should have claimed that it took hours and I slaved over it with just little ole' him in mind.Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

From: AllRecipes

12 oz. fettuccine pasta
2 red bell peppers, julienned (I just pulled some from my freezer and they were chopped, so that is what I got. Clearly it doesn't change the taste.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, minced (these weren't in the original recipe)
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I cut it down to a scant 1/2 tsp. so that it wouldn't be too spicy for my kids.)
1 cup fat sour cream
3/4 cup chicken broth (I only used 1/2 cup so that it wasn't too runny.)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I added a little bit more to thicken it up a bit)
salt and pepper to taste.

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute red bell peppers, garlic, onions and cayenne pepper in olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the sour cream and broth. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Toss hot pasta with sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Flat Bottom Fruit Pie

This is one of the most requested desserts around our place during the summer. You can't beat all of the fresh fruit on top. You just can't keep yourself from going back for seconds, thirds,...well, you get the picture.Flat Bottom Fruit Pie

From: Kraft

1 refrigerated, ready to use pie crusts
1 tsp. cinnamon sugar
1 1/4 cups half and half (I have substituted milk before and it was fine just not as rich)
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 cup cool whip, thawed
2 1/2 cups fresh fruit, sliced i.e. peaches, kiwi, blueberries or whatever is in season.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Unroll the pie crust onto a cookie sheet. sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, pour the half and half into a medium bowl. Add the dry pudding mix. Beat with a wire whisk until well blended. Gently stir in cool whip, cover. Refrigerate until ready to use. Spread mixture over crust. Top with fruit.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

This doesn't look like much but it was fabulous. Definitely a busy day crockpot meal.Garlic Chicken Farfalle

From: Real Mom Kitchen

1 lb. Bowtie pasta (obviously I used penne because it is what I had.)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breast
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. pepper (I think I used a tad bit less)
1/2 cup butter
1 lb. bacon,cooked and crumbled (this seemed like way too much, so I used less)
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz.) bottle Lawry's Mesquite marinade with lime juice

In the crockpot, cook chicken and marinade on low heat for 6-8 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a bit and shred. Set a side.

About a half hour before serving, boil the pasta.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic, cream, pepper, parmesan and curmbled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta. Add chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Lasagna

Lasagna

From: Betty Crocker

1lb. ground beef
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (1 lb.) can whole tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 Tbs. parsley
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. basil leaves
3 cups cottage cheese
1 cup freshly grated parmesan, divided
1 Tbs. parsley
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 (8 oz.) pkg. lasagna noodles(pictures are some homemade noodles- I swear the recipe is coming soon.)
3/4 lb. mozzarella, shredded

Cook and stir ground beef, onion and garlic in a lg. saucepan until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain fat. Add tomatoes and break up with a fork. Stir in tomato sauce, 2 Tbs. parsley, the sugar, 1 tsp. salt and the basil. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour or until mixture is the consistency of spaghetti sauce.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1 Tbs. parsley, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and the oregano.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the meat sauce for a thin top layer. In a 9x13 pan, put a thin layer of meat sauce. Then layer noodles, meat sauce, mozzarella and the cottage cheese mixture ending with a layer of mozzarella. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the parmesan on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

Gnocchi with Meat Sauce

This was my first time trying my hand at making Gnocchi and I think that it turned out pretty good. Things I learned: cut the Gnocchi a little bit smaller and cook them a tad bit less time.Gnocchi

From: Janet is Hungry

6 medium russet potatoes
1 egg
1 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. butter
2-3 handfuls of flour, a little over 1 cup

Boil the potatoes in the skin until soft, but not falling apart. While still warm, peel the skin off of the potatoes. Mash the potatoes with a potato ricer so that there are no lumps. (I don't have a potato ricer so I just made sure to mash them up really really well.)

Add the egg and butter. Begin adding flour, a handful at a time until the mixture forms a soft dough that can be worked, but is not sticky. (I gave up on the whole not sticky bit, mine was always a bit sticky and I didn't want to overdo the flour, so I just stopped with about 1 1/4 cups of flour and will likely stop before that next time.)

Divide the dough into 4 smaller balls and roll out on a floured surface into a 1" diameter log. Cut into 1" sections, they will look like little pillows. (Like I said above, I would make these a little bit smaller next time.) Cover with a tea towel and let sit.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add salt. Drop the gnocchi in batches into the water. Cook until they float, about 2-3 minutes. Scoop them out and add the next batch. Serve warm with the meat sauce.

Meat Sauce

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (I think I only used 1 lb.)
6 oz. pancetta, diced
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 large stalk of celery, diced
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste.

Saute pancetta with onion, carrots and celery. When the onions are almost cooked, add the beef. Cook until beef is no longer pink.

Add the wine and simmer until mostly reduced. Add the tomatoes and about half of the beef broth. Simmer for about 2 hours adding more broth if the sauce is starting to dry out. (I didn't have the time for the 2 hour reduction, so I just add the half of the broth and simmered for about 30 minutes and never added the remaining 1 cup of beef broth and the sauce was still divine.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lemonade Chicken

This is a really good and flavorful crockpot dish. We just love it.Lemonade Chicken

From: Unknown

4-6 chicken breasts, cut into strips
3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
3 Tbs. ketchup
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. vinegar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. water
Minced onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper and thyme, to taste

Put chicken in the crockpot. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Serve over rice.