White Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Hello there! Nice seeing you again! Thanks for stopping by and not forgetting about me during my unintentional blogging sabbatical. I appreciate it. :)

When I was about 14, my family moved into a new house. The kitchen had been re-done shortly before my parents bought the place and the cabinets were custom and most of them had sliding, pull-out shelves (a la Ikea). I was fascinated by them.  I had no idea this was a "thing." I'd never heard of Ikea (forgive me, Swedish ancestry). The state of Minnesota didn't even have an Ikea until I was well into my twenties. I thought that whomever designed the kitchen cabinets was genius, and really onto something.

So, fast-forward until we bought our house. We have a few really deep cabinets. I hated going into them. It was impossible to get things out of them (you can guess where this is going now, can't you). Every time I took out my flour container, it felt like a puzzle getting it back in. I had wanted for almost the entire year-and-a-half we've lived here to do something about those damn cabinets. I was crushed when I learned that one particular cabinet was not the right size to be able to drive the 4 miles to our Ikea and pick up some of the magical shelves. Then, I discovered a company that will custom-make the shelves to fit the actual dimensions of your cabinets.

So, I present to you, the before and after:

I swear, the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah went through my head. It's amazing how much easier it is to get things out - like the pasta to make this mac & cheese. Even my husband, who firmly believes that mac & cheese is a side dish, not a main dish, agrees that this is really good stuff.

Yes, this picture was taken a while ago while it was nice outside.

White Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Recipe from Annie's Eats (she got it from panera.com)

Serves 4-ish (probably should be at least 6)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb small pasta

4 TBSP butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups dairy liquid (milk, cream, half & half - whatever)

4 oz white American cheese, chopped  (I usually just use Velveeta - white American is oddly hard to find around here)

8 oz sharp white cheddar, shredded (I usually use reg. orange cheddar)

1 tsp Dijon mustard (or more, if you really like dijon)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp hot sauce

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the bugger in a large saucepan over medium heat (my dutch oven works well). When the butter is melted and a little bubbly, whisk in the flour, stirring constantly, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and keep whisking until the lumps are gone. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the cheese by the handful, whisking until the cheese is entirely melted before adding more. Repeat until the cheese is all added. Stir in the mustard, salt, & hot sauce.

Return the pan to the heat and stir in the pasta, stirring to thoroughly coat all of the pasta with the sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes to make sure everything is heated through.

Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Penne alla Vodka

We've now been back from San Francisco for about a month. Our trip was a wonderful week filled with great sight-seeing and absolutely wonderful food. The Golden Gate Bridge really is as cool to see in person as you'd think it is. I want to go back, badly. I mean, look at this. It's beautiful.

We both fell in love with the North Beach neighborhood, San Francisco's "Little Italy." The Twin Cities have a lot of really great restaurants, but they truly don't hold a candle to anything we ate in San Francisco. I don't think I've eaten better Italian since I was in Italy. If you're ever there, you should go to Tommaso's.  It's an adorable little hole-in-the wall place - very small, quaint, and cute. Order their lasagna. It's amazing.

And in the meantime, make this Penne alla Vodka. You won't regret it.

Roasted Tomato Penne alla Vodka
Recipe from Rachael Ray, adapted
Serves 4ish

INGREDIENTS
1 lb penne pasta
3 lbs plum tomatoes
2 TBSP olive oil, plus drizzles
2 TBSP fresh thyme, finely chopped
salt & pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced fine
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup mascarpone cheese
handful basil leaves, torn

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange cut-side up on baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the thyme, salt, & pepper.

Roast for about 1 hr, 15 min. Let cool.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions & garlic and season with salt & pepper. Cook until soft, about 12-15 min. Add the vodka and cook until reduced by about half. Add the chicken stock.and roasted tomatoes and heat through.

Stir in the mascarpone cheese, and then, using an immersion blender (or transfer to food processor), puree until smooth and creamy. Add the basil and stir until it is wilted.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, and drain. Toss the pasta with the sauce, and serve. Top with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Stock

Can I tell you a secret? You have to promise you won't tell anyone...

Alright, if you promise you won't tell, I'll tell you my secret.  Are you ready for it? Well, here it is.

I only pretend that I make homemade stock for culinary reasons. Any talk of "oh, there's just no comparison" or "it really is worth the extra effort" is just that - talk. Sure, it may all be true, but it's not the reason I make stocks. In fact, I regularly buy boxes of the stuff and use it frequently (the six-pack from Costco and I are besties).

Nope. I make homemade stock because I'm kind of cheap and hate wasting things. And homemade stock is a great way to clean out the veggie crisper. It's just a bonus that it's super easy and makes my house smell good. In fact, it's so easy that it just may change your life.

Here's what I do:

If you want to make a meat stock, save the bones (a chicken carcass works really great). Put that at the bottom of a crock pot (mine is a 4-quart, and I think a slightly larger one would work better, but I make do). If you want to do a veggie stock, skip this step.

Next, add some veggies. I think onions, carrots, and celery are the essentials, but I've not used carrots or celery when I was out. Baby carrots, shredded carrot, carrot coins - whatever you've got. If you're using whole carrots, you don't even need to peel them. Cut those and the celery into big chunks. If you have a whole onion, chop it into big chunks and leave the skin on. The skin will help the stock get a nice dark color. If you have something else onion-y that you want to get rid of, throw that in too - shallots, scallions, leeks... they're all good. I'm pretty sure I added a green pepper once when I discovered I had one that was at the "I need to use this by tomorrow or throw it out" stage.

Add some garlic. I prefer to use whole cloves, in their skins (again, the skins help get that nice stock-y color), but if you only have a jar of minced or those little frozen garlic cubes from Trader Joe's, throw a few cloves worth in.

Next add some fresh herbs - a few full sprigs. I prefer to use Parsley and Thyme, but I'm really not picky. I've used Rosemary instead. Once, I even threw in some arugula. Use whatever you've got. I wouldn't recommend using dried herbs, though - only fresh, whole sprigs.

Throw in a palm full of whole peppercorns.

Cover everything with water, put the lid on the crockpot, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Pour everything through a fine mesh strainer and let cool before packaging up into individual containers. It will stay in the fridge for a few days or frozen for a long time.

Ratatouille Pasta

My oldest two nephews love the movie Ratatouille. I doubt the yonger two have a preference, considering they're 6 months and 12 months, respectively, though I like to think if they could follow a plot line, they'd love the movie, too. We watched it at Thanksgiving (or more accurately, it was on while the adults were talking and drinking homemade Sangria). I'd forgotten how cute the movie actually is. It made me hungry for ratatouille. 

Fastforward 4 months. It feels like summer here. March is normally our snowiest month of the year, but I was sitting on my deck wearing a tank top and capri pants. Now, as much as I know this weather isn't normal and in all probability shouldn't be happening right now, I can't help but love it. It really puts me in the mood to make the things I normally make in the summer when I can get fresh, local produce (often from my back yard or the Farmer's Market at my office). 

This time I decided to take it one step further and make traditionally ratatouille even more delicious - add ravioli, top it with cheese, and bake it. It was a revelation. Now if only I could be guaranteed it won't drop below freezing for the rest of the year so I can get started planting my garden.

Ratatouille Pasta Bake

Serves 4ish

INGREDIENTS

2-3 TBSP olive oil

1 eggplant, peeled chopped (about 2 cups)

2 zucchini, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) can diced tomato

1 (28 oz) can tomato puree 

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade

3 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped

2 packages fresh ravioli (we like the 4-cheese kind from Trader Joe's)

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Put the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit out for about an hour. You'll probably notice a lot of moisture on the eggplant. After about an hour, rinse the eggplant thoroughly, and then pat it dry. This process will help coax out the bitterness in the eggplant and help collapse the air pockets, so your eggplant doesn't absorb as much oil.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Let it get very hot, but not smoking. If your oil isn't hot enough, the eggplant will absorb it and it. Cook until the eggplant has begun to soften and is a little brown, stirring occasionally. It should take around 5. Add the zucchini and cook until it starts to soften, again about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and again cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomato, tomato puree, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley and simmer for about 20 minutes, again, stirring occasionally.

In a bit pot, bring some salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook until al dente. Set aside if the 20 minutes isn't up yet, or to the ratatouille, if it is. Stir to combine.

Add the ratatouille with ravioli to a casserole dish and cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.

Grilled Pizza Margherita

My favorite pizza, hands down, is a pizza margherita. A nice crispy crust, a fresh tomato sauce, fresh basil, and mozzarella is all I need. I've been on the hunt for the best pizza margherita since the first time I got back from Italy (12 years ago... *feels old*). I found it a few years ago at a restaurant in Minneapolis, but I don't have the time to drive up there every time I get a craving. By the way, if you're a twin cities resident and you read this blog, please don't recommend Punch. I've been there. Yes, I know they claim the owners are from Naples. Their pizza sucks donkey balls.

During this process, I also discovered that I get irrationally annoyed when people call something margherita but it's clearly not. I was at a pizza place not too long ago where their margherita was advertised as having olives on it. Another one had goat cheese and gorgonzola. I'm pretty sure I saw one once that had bacon on it. Maybe delicious... margherita, not so much.

I also discovered a few places that spell it like the Mexican-ish blended tequila cocktail. I half hoped the pizza had some form of liquor and lime incorporated. But no.

When we were watching an episode of Good Eats not too long ago, we decided we had to give making our own on the grill a go. And despite the fact that pizza should be delivered to my house in about an hour, I venture that this stuff is better than anything you can get at most pizzerias.

So get to it. Make this pizza. And if you do, bring me one, OK?

Grilled Pizza Margherita
Recipe from Alton Brown, Adapted
Makes 1 large pizza or 2 small

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pizza dough
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning (optional, but I recommend it)
4-6 basil leaves, torn
2-4 oz sliced fresh Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS
Make your dough and roll it out so it's pretty thin - use your judgment how thin, but I'd say we usually do somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch thick. Lay it on a greased pizza peel or the back of a cookie sheet.

Oil your grill grates and preheat the grill to medium.

Once heated, brush your dough with about 1-2 tsp of oil and put your dough on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes. Take it off the grill, brush the raw side with oil, and flip it over.

Put the tomatoes on the grill and cook them until they're nice and soft and mashable. This should take somewhere between 5-10 minutes (it usually takes us about 8).

Put the tomatoes on top of the dough (cooked side) and mash up to make the sauce. Put the torn basil leaves on top of the sauce and top with sliced mozzarella. Return to the grill and cook until the crust is done and the cheese is melted, about another 2-3 minutes. Let cool a bit before cutting and eating.

Spaghetti Pomodoro

The first time I went to Italy, I was 18 years old. While not particularly well-traveled, I knew that the food in Italy wouldn't taste anything like the spaghetti or lasagna my parents made or the stuff they served at Olive Garden (the closest thing to "authentic" my readily available when I grew up). I didn't know how simple and delicious it would actually be. I also had no idea that pasta is generally a first course. 

On our first night in Italy, we were served a big plate of pasta and it was so delicious that when the waiters came around asking if anyone wanted any more, we all happily took some. Imagine how surprised (and stuffed!) we were when they took our plates away and brought us each a couple of pieces of roasted chicken and potatoes. We learned our lesson the next night, and while we definitely still over-indulged in every dish of pasta the waiters put in front of us, we knew to save room for the equally delicious second plate that was about to come our way.

I've been trying for a while to make a good spaghetti pomodoro, plain and simple, like what you can find in pretty much every restaurant and cafe across Italy. I tried several recipes with no luck. I think I was over-thinking it. So, one day, I decided to just throw things that made sense into a pot and see what came out. I think I hit it with this one. I'm not saying this is going to be better than your Italian grandmother's, but I'll be flattered if you think it is. 

I'm going to submit this to this week's Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Ruth of the great blog Once Upon a Feast. I haven't participated in a while and am looking forward to getting back into it!

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Pomodoro
Serves 4

Cook & Prep Time - 15-20 min

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken or veggie stock
salt & pepper
6 basil leaves, chiffonade
dash red pepper flakes
1 lb spaghetti noodles
1 TBSP butter

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Heat about 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat. Add the garli and sautee for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the red wine vinegar and cook for about 2 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the tomato sauce and stock and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper, to taste (you shouldn't need much). Add the basil and red pepper flakes and stir. Cook for about 5-10 minutes.

Add the hot pasta to the pot. Top the pasta with about 1 TBSP of butter and toss to combine. Top with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce

At the grocery store, I came across a bottle of roasted red pepper Italian dressing and thought it looked interesting. Unfortunately, it's a bit too strong to eat on lettuce, so I was left to figure out what I could make with it. A pasta sauce came to mind. It was delicious, if I do say so myself. The red pepper flavor came through clearly and complimented the marinara sauce beautifully.

Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce

Serves 4

Cook & Prep Time - about 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced finely

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

1 jar marinara sauce

1/4 cup roasted red pepper Italian dressing

3ish oz cream cheese

1 lb pasta (I used farfalle)

DIRECTIONS

Cook the onions and garlic in the oil for a few minutes over medium heat, until the onions begin to soften and get translucent.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Add the marinara sauce and red pepper dressing. Stir to combine. Add the cream cheese and let it melt for a few minutes. Once the cream cheese is soft, stir to combine until the cream cheese is mixed through.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Garlic Scape Pesto

I first tried pesto when I was 17 and in Minneapolis for the spring All-State Band festival. My high school band director took myself and my fellow band geeks to Edwardo's Natural Pizza (unfortunately, now closed) for what was pretty much the best pizza I've ever had, even to this day. It was a deep dish with pesto sauce, roasted garlic, and mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan cheese.

I liked it so much that I made my parents go to this pizzeria with me the next time my family went to Minneapolis to visit family. My mom agreed with me; my dad kept complaining that there wasn't any meat on the pizza (silly dad).

I still crave that pizza occasionally.

A few weeks ago I went to the Farmer's Market and picked up a bunch of garlic scapes and decided to make pesto out of those. I was a bit nervous, but it was delicious! I wish I had made more batches to freeze.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Serves 2-3ish

Prep Time - 15 min

INGREDIENTS

10-12 garlic scapes, roughly chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine all in food processor until it reaches your desired consistency. Since I like pesto thinner, I used close to a full 1/2 cup of the olive oil, but depending on your preference, you may use more or less.

Toss with cooked pasta. I used fetuccini, but it's great on almost anything. Top with Parmesan cheese.

** Pesto also freezes really well. Store in an airtight container and it will freeze for several months.

Green Beans with Olive Oil & Garlic

Hello, there. Remember me? Contrary to any rumors you may have heard, I haven't actually fallen off the face of the earth. In fact, I've been cooking quite a bit. I'm very excited to share this post with you, not because I think it's the beacon of culinary genius, but because it's made (almost) entirely with ingredients from my garden. This last week, I was able to pick some green beans! I decided they'd be the perfect companion to the beer can chicken my husband was grilling. And they were. So I picked them, and they were on my plate less than 20 minutes after I picked them.

By the way, have you made beer can chicken yet? If you haven't, what are you waiting for? I told you weeks ago to make it.


Green Beans with Olive Oil & Garlic
Serves 2
Total Cook & Prep Time - 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
Green Beans
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (this was from my garden, too!)
olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
grated parmesan cheese, if desired

DIRECTIONS
Wash & trim the green beans. Boil them or steam them for just a few minutes, or until they get bright green.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet and sautee the garlic until it gets soft & mellow.

Once the garlic is done, add the green beans to the skillet (I started them both at the same time and the green beans & garlic took about the same amount of time). Toss till combined. Add salt & pepper to taste. Sprinkle with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Fetuccini Alfredo

Despite how much I love it, eating fetuccini alfredo makes me feel really guilty. My favorite recipe calls for something like 12 tablespoons of butter, over 2 cups of cream, and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty much the best Alfredo sauce ever, but healthy... it is not.

So, along came this recipe. It's great - smooth & creamy, and much healthier than my beloved recipe discussed above. It definitely won't take over the #1 spot, but will enter our regular rotation so we can leave the calorie-laden stuff for special occasions.


Fetuccini Alfredo
Inspired by Cooking Light
Serves 2-3
Prep & Cook Time - 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
8 oz uncooked fetuccini noodles (fresh or dry)
1 TBSP butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP flour
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1-2 TBSP 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook fetuccini to al dente. Drain & set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant. Add flour and whisk together. Cook for about 1 minute, wisking constantly.

Add milk and combine thoroughly. Increase heat to medium and allow it to simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5-7 minutes.

Add cream cheese and Parmesan cheese and whisk together until cheese is melted. Toss with the cooked fetuccini noodles and top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

Sometimes there isn't a whole lot that's more satisfying than sitting down to a nice, hot bowl of a tomato-y soup with a grilled cheese. Sure, your exact preferences for the soup and sandwich may have changed a bit from you were a kid, but the combination is always just as satisfying.

This was the perfect twist on the old classic. The soup was nice and creamy with a nice, unexpected hint of spice and paired perfectly with my husband's excellent grilled cheese sandwiches.

Please click on the link below for a much better picture. Thanks.

Tomato Tortellini Soup
Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens, adapted
Serves 4
Prep & Cook Time - 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1-2 TBSP butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (try to get reduced sodium)
4 oz flavored cream cheese - chive & onion or garlic & herb
1 can tomato soup
1 (9 oz) package refrigerated cheese tortellini)
dash red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion & garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions soften. Season with salt & pepper, if desired.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook the tortellini in the broth for about 5 minutes, or until almost al dente.

Remove about 2 ladles of broth into a smaller bowl and whisk the cream cheese into the broth. Once smooth & creamy, return to the pot and stir until well-combined.

Add tomato soup and stir until combined. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Add a dash of red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

Challah

This bread drove me crazy. For the first batch, I tried making the dough in my bread maker and forgot to add water, so my "dough" ended up looking like cornmeal. The second batch didn't rise. At all. So, I tested my yeast. I bought new bread flour and super fresh eggs. I was determined that a loaf of challah would not defeat me. In the end, the third time was the charm, even though the process ended up taking most of the day. My third attempt came out great. It was golden brown, beautiful, and made absolutely delicious french toast.



Challah Bread
Recipe from Epicurious
Makes 2 loaves

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 tsp bread machine or instant yeast
3 3/4 cups bread flour
3/4 cup warm water
2 large eggs, plus 1 for glazing
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast and 3/4 cup of the flour, then whisk in the warm water until smooth. Let the yeast slurry stand uncovered for 10 to 20 minutes, or until it begins to ferment and puff up slightly.

Whisk the 2 eggs, oil, salt, and sugar into the puffed yeast slurry until the eggs are well incorporated and the salt and sugar have dissolved. With your hands or a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining 3 cups (400 grams/14.7 ounces) flour all at once. When the mixture is a shaggy ball, scrape it out onto your work surface and knead it until smooth and soft, no more than 10 minutes. (Soak your mixing bowl in hot water now, to clean it and warm it if you would like to use it for fermenting the dough.) Or, if you like, the dough can be very quickly kneaded in a food processor: Mix the ingredients together in a bowl as directed, cut the rough dough in half, and process one half at a time, then knead the halves together. If the dough is too firm to easily knead, add a tablespoon or two of water to it; if it seems too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour.

The dough should feel smooth and firm and knead easily without sticking to the work surface.

Place the dough in the warm cleaned bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. (Or, the dough can be refrigerated right after kneading, then removed from the refrigerator to finish fermenting up to 24 hours later.) Let the dough ferment until it has at least doubled in bulk, about 2 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. (If it has been refrigerated, the dough will take an extra 30 to 60 minutes to ferment.)

Line one or two large baking sheets, depending on how many breads you are making, with parchment paper or oil them. Divide the dough into two 1-pound (450-gram) portions for loaves, one 1 1/2-pound (680-gram) portion for a large loaf and three smaller pieces for rolls (the easiest way to do this is to divide the dough into quarters and use three of them for the bread and the other for the rolls), or sixteen 2-ounce (60-gram) portions for rolls. To make a New Year's spiral*, roll each portion into a long, even strand, preferably sheeting it out first.

For each portion:

Wind the dough tightly around on the prepared sheet, without leaving any space between the loops, and be sure that the last loop is bound with a bit of tension. This will force the dough to rise in the center as it is proofing and especially during the oven rise.

Cover the loaves well with plastic wrap. (At this point, the loaves can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) Let proof until tripled in size, about 1 1/2 hours (or up to 2 1/2 hours if the loaves were refrigerated).

Meanwhile, 30 minutes before baking, arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower third positions if using two baking sheets, or arrange one rack in the upper third position if using one baking sheet, and remove any racks above them. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the remaining egg with a pinch of salt for glazing the bread.

When the loaves have tripled and do not push back when gently pressed with your finger but remain indented, brush them with the egg glaze. Bake loaves for 25 to 35 minutes, until very well browned. After the first 20 minutes of baking, switch the loaves from front to back so that they brown evenly; if the large loaf is browning too quickly, tent it with foil. When the loaves are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool on a rack.

Bagels

I love bagels. I could eat them every single day. I've been annoyed lately how expensive they are in the grocery store, so I started wondering how difficult they would be to make. After searching around online for awhile, I came across a bagel recipe that starts in the breadmaker. Since I love my bread machine, I couldn't pass it up.

These bagels were super easy and they taste great. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to justify buying bagels again.


Bagels
Recipe from Allrecipes
Makes 9 bagels

INGREDIENTS
Dough
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP white sugar
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Water bath
3 quarts boiling water
3 TBSP white sugar
1 TBSP cornmeal
1 egg white

DIRECTIONS
Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting.

When cycle is complete, let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut dough into 9 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well browned.

Guacamole

Up until about a year ago, I was convinced that I hated guacamole. There was just one problem with that opinion - I hadn't actually ever tried guacamole. Whenever it came on my plate at Mexican restaurants, I'd scrape it off or just ignore that weird looking green blob. At Chipotle, I'd simply pass on the guacamole option.

Then, one day it dawned on me that despite my belief that I hated the stuff and continual passing it up in restaurants, I hadn't ever eaten it. About six months later, I finally broke down and bought some. I was pleasantly surprised.

I hope you enjoy this guacamole recipe. I'll probably make it a little spicier then next time I make it, but overall, it's excellent and simple to make.


Guacamole
Serves 4-ish

INGREDIENTS
2 small Hass avocados, peeled & pitted
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 serrano chili pepper, finely chopped
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

DIRECTIONS
Mash up avocado with a fork.

Add lime juice and blend together.

Add all other ingredients and stir until well-combined.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

I love twice-baked potatoes. They're just so creamy and wonderful. Unfortunately, I'd never made them before and those pre-made ones at the supermarket are usually mediocre at best. So, I figured I'd try my hand at making them as a side dish to to a roasted chicken.

So, after searching several recipes, I came up with my own combination of ingredients and was very pleased with the results. These potatoes were absolutely delicious - creamy, cheesy, and everything a twice-baked potato should be.


Twice-Baked Potatoes
Serves 3-4
Prep Time - 10 min
Cook Time - 1 hr, 30 min (mostly inactive)

INGREDIENTS
2 large russett potatoes
2 TBSP butter, softened
1-2 TBSP half & half
3-4 oz cream cheese, softened & cubed
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
dash Cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS
Wash the potatoes and poke holes in them. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake for about 1 hr at 400 degrees F.

Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes. Grab the potatoes with a towel or pot holder (so you don't burn your fingers) and cut the potatoes in half. Take a spoon and scrape out the insides into a medium bowl. Be careful not to tear the shell, but get as much of the potato out as you can.

Lay the hollowed shells out on a cookie sheet.

Add butter, half & half, cream cheese, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper and begin mashing to your desired consistency. I think keeping it a bit lumpy gives them a nice texture, but feel free to mash more or less, depending on how you like your potatoes.

Add the cheese to the mixture and stir until combined.

Scoop the filling back into the potato skins and keep going until the filling is gone. They should sort of form a dome on top of the potato shell. Sprinkle each potato with more shredded cheese, if desired, and bake about another 15 minutes, or until cheese gets bubbly.

Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

I know I've mentioned in this blog before that I think there are certain things everyone should know how to make, regardless of his or her own cooking skills. A basic cream sauce is one of those things. You can use it for so many things - Alfredo sauce, mac & cheese, a cheesy sauce for scalloped potatoes, or you can even eat it plain. One of my favorite ways to use a basic cream sauce is to make it into a roasted garlic cream sauce. Which is nice, because I also happen to love roasting garlic. You can turn any cream sauce into a roasted garlic cream sauce, but I recommend using the recipe below. So let's do it, alright?



Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce
Serves 3-4
Prep & Cook Time - about an hour

INGREDIENTS
1 head garlic, roasted (instructions to follow)
Olive oil
1 cup cream or half & half
2 TBSP milk
1-3 TBSP butter
1 clove garlic, minced
dash salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes, optional
Pasta (I like Fetuccini)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (I recommend using a toaster oven. It's super easy and uses a lot less energy than a regular oven).

Cut the garlic head in half (you should have a top and bottom half, not a left and right side). Place each half on a sheet of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit about 5 minutes, and then open the tin foil to let the garlic cool.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside.

In a medium skillet, combine cream, milk, butter, minced garlic, and salt & pepper. Thicken by whisking in about 2 tsp flour, if necessary. Bring to just boiling. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese and whisk till smooth. If sauce is too thin, add some stock (chicken or veggie) or some more milk.

Now, squeeze the garlic out of the paper-y skin. The bottom half should take a bit more work than the top. They should just sort of fall out of the top with just a little squeeze from the top. You might have to dig a little on the bottom. Mash with a metal potato masher or the back of a fork. Add to the cream sauce and whisk together. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with more red pepper flakes, to taste.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

In keeping with the theme of "clean out the fridge," I decided to make us Spaghetti Aglio Olio as a side to tonight's Parmesan Chicken. I love that Aglio Olio is simple, with only a few ingredients, and only about 10 minutes of cooking time, but is packed with flavor. I decided to kick it up a notch by adding red pepper flakes.



Spaghetti Aglio Olio
Serves 4 (0r 8 as a side dish)
Cook Time - 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1-4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
coarse salt
1 lb Spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Cook spaghetti to al dente. Drain & set aside.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic & pepper flakes. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant.

Toss spaghetti with the garlic oil and add the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. I like to top it with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve as a main dish or along side your favorite entree.

Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes

We're going on vacation in a few days, so it's time to clean out the fridge. I just hate to let the perishables go to waste while I'll be galavanting around with Mickey Mouse. That lead me to Pioneer Woman's Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes.

I wasn't sure how I'd react to these. I mean, I don't like plain tomatoes and I'm just starting to warm up to ricotta. However, I overcame that fear and decided to give them a try.

I'm a little torn on what I thought about these. They were decent - the cheesy filling was great. But overall, I felt like it was missing some pasta; like I was eating the sauce and cheese inside a lasagna. I'd encourage you to try them, possibly improve upon them, and let me know what you think.


Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes
Recipe from Pioneer Woman
Serves 8-ish (I cut down to serve 2-3)

INGREDIENTS
1 handful flat-leaf Parsley
1 handful fresh Basil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
8 Roma tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups Ricotta cheese
*1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I added)
bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to to 400 degrees F.

Wash tomatoes and half them. After halving them, gut the insides out with a spoon. Discard the seeds and other gooey parts. Sprinkle a bit of salt inside each tomato half and place them on a cookie sheet.

Chop up herbs & garlic and mix with the Ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Fill each tomato half with a heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture.

Sprinkle each tomato half with bread crumbs. Drizzle each with a little bit of olive oil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

PW's Sherried Tomato Soup

There isn't much more comforting on a cold day than a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, is there? Don't be afraid to admit it. Fall is here, it's getting colder outside... you know you want some tomato soup and a grilled cheese. But wait, before you open that can of Campbell's, think about a nice creamy tomato soup with basil. That sounds better, right? Sure it does. Lucky for you, I've got just the recipe for you. Pioneer Woman's Sherried Tomato Soup will hit the spot, and as an extra bonus, it doesn't use any weird ingredients, so you won't have to go to any specialty shops or wander around your grocery store aimlessly trying to find something.

Sherried Tomato Soup
Recipe by Pioneer Woman
Serves 6-ish
Cook & Prep Time - 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons melted butter (I used about 4)
1 medium onion, diced
1 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 to 3 TBSP chicken base (I omitted)
3 to 6 TBSP sugar
Pinch of salt
Black Pepper
1 cup cooking sherry
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS
Saute diced onions in butter until transluscent. Add canned tomatoes. Stir.

Add tomato juice, sugar, pinch of salt, and black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat.

Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste, adjust other seasoning, and serve with yummy, crusty bread.

MMM... Manicotti

I know I've blogged about manicotti before, but I finally got a good picture, and I've decided to submit the recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is started and organized by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast, so I've decided to do it again. This week's round-up is hosted by Ulrike at Kuchenlatien. This recipe makes a lot, and I like to make a full batch and freeze half. Thanks for hosting, Ulrike. Enjoy, everyone!


Manicotti
Recipe from my mother-in-law
*Serves about 8*

1 box manicotti shells
2 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (I use the 5-cheese blend)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
8 oz Ricotta cheese (whole milk variety)
12 oz cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Marinara sauce (no set amount, but a lot)

DIRECTIONS:
Par cook noodles (about 5 min). Drain, but do not rinse.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all cheeses and egg in a bowl. Stuff noodles and place in a 9x13 pan.

Cover with sauce and bake for 1 hour (45 min covered and 15 min covered). Let sit about 5 minutes before serving.