Daring Cooks July Challenge: Nut Butters!

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

This month's challenge was something else I had never tried to cook with or make from scratch.  I was really surprised at how simple and easy it was to make your own nut butter and how much flavor it adds to food.
I went with the Chicken with Pecan Cream & Mushrooms adapted from Cooking Light to try it out and was not disappointed.  Even Jeff scarfed it down, though it had lots of the dreaded mushrooms in it, and almost licked the pan clean of the pecan cream.  The only thing that I would change is to get a better food processor to chop the nuts up, we ended up with an almost smooth nut butter but it didn't really drizzle on the pasta like a creamy Alfredo sauce.  Very tasty flavor and something I will definitely experiment with in the future, maybe a walnut cream sauce?

Grandma's Meatballs

I thought the most appropriate recipe to post next in honor of my Grandma would be her famous meatballs.  Every Christmas we would go to her house for a feast of spaghetti & meatballs (with of course the sounds of the Dallas Cowboys game playing in the background). We always looked forward to Grandma's party and it was such a treat to have all our family together again so soon after Thanksgiving.

My mom came to visit a month ago and I talked her into letting me in on the secret to making a really good meatball the old Italian way.  Now you can spice it up anyway you want but the real trick is the eggs/ meat/ bread crumbs ratio.  My mom told me that her grandmother, who was blind when she came to live with them, could tell how many more eggs to add to the meat just by feeling it with her hands and would know if my mom left out an egg.  Instead of trying to learn the feel method I really appreciate this simple recipe for the basic meatball. 

Now the meat can be all ground beef but its more traditional to make some of it pork (for example 3 pounds ground beef plus 1 pound ground pork). I have had it both ways and both taste great so go with what you have (or what is on sale :)

The recipe below is not your usual one so judge how many meatballs you would like to make by how much meat you buy.  I made the above mentioned 4 lbs meat and came out with about 50 golf ball sized meatballs, freezing most of them for later use.  Just make sure you cool completely before sticking them into a freezer bag.

Grandma's Meatballs

3 eggs per pound of meat

2 Tbsp plain bread crumbs per pound of meat

 (so for 4 pounds of meat that would be a dozen eggs and 8 Tbsp breadcrumbs)

Seasoning for 4 lbs of meat (example)

• 1/3 - 1/2 cup Italian seasoning blend (if using a no-salt version add 2 tsp salt)

If you don't have an Italian seasoning blend you can use what I play with below, adjusting to your tastes & mood. Or just add spices till it smells good like I usually do.

• 3 Tbsp Parsley 
• 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 2 Tbsp Basil
• 1 Tbsp Oregano
• 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Place meat in a large bowl and make a well in the center.  Crack open your eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Pour eggs into meat well.

2. Add all of your seasonings to the eggs and beat once more. Sprinkle the bread crumbs around the edge on the meat and get your hands ready for some mixing.  Start squishing and folding the meat over the eggs and thoroughly blend together, don't worry if at first it looks too wet, it will come together.

3. Place a heavy frying pan on the stove and fill it to 1/4 in. - 1/2 in. deep with regular oil (canola or vegetable).  Turn heat to medium/medium high and heat oil till you hear a sizzle when a drop of water hits it. Start forming the meat into golf ball sized meatballs and place in frying pan in a clockwise direction being sure to fill as much of the pan with meatballs without letting them touching too much.

4. Leave the meatballs alone for about 2-3 minutes till the bottom looks dark brown.  Using a fork turn each meatball on its side, starting with the first one you dropped in the pan.  Cook that side till brown and then roll the meatball with your fork to sit on any uncooked sides. Keep rolling and watching till all sides are dark brown.  Remove and place on a large cookie sheet to cool. 

**be sure to not let your oil sit on the heat long without meatballs in it, keep the assembly moving**

Don't deny yourself the tasty way to make your spaghetti sauce pop.  Take the meatballs you will be eating and heat them with your sauce on the stove with a low simmer.  The meat will absorb the sauce and flavor it at the same time.  This is also how I thaw my frozen meatballs. 

heaven is a homemade meatball sandwich

Meatless Monday - Veggie Lasagna

Welcome to Meatless Monday week three!
I have to say that we actually looked forward to today.  Though there are plenty of days where we don't eat meat & not notice we have made Mondays into "Get-some-more-veggies-into-your-belly Meatless Mondays!". 
Jeff actually got excited when I told him what we are having for lunch ... is this the same pizza every night guy I married?

Breakfast

• Oatmeal with honey and cinnamon

Lunch

• My Super Green Sandwich

Dinner

• Veggie Lasagna

For this I make my Mama's Lasagna just like normal except where there is meat I sauté grated onion, minced garlic, thinly sliced zucchini & squash, grated carrot, and chopped broccoli.  Add all the tomato sauces when the veggies are softened and simmer for 10 minutes.  For the ricotta mixture I substituted half cottage cheese and added spinach that has been steamed & drained.  Cram more vegetables in if you want, there can never be too much!

Freakin Good Lasagna

Our week of healthier and Easter candyless eating was well ... a bit boring.  Partially my fault for being unimaginative and lazy but I've made a promise to myself to be better .... ummmm ... starting Monday.
So to celebrate all that healthy eating I'm making LASAGNA!!!!  Yes I guess I could go on a 5 mile run to celebrate but I just don't have that in me right now and I'm just going to embrace my inner naughty today.  My body is craving carbs.....delicious carbs covered in sauce and topped with more carbs.  Oh baby.....
This has to be the best lasagna I have ever eaten, so good in fact we have to watch ourselves or we will eat the entire pan without a second thought (see previous post as proof).  I love the contrast of flavors with the stewed tomatoes and sharp cheddar, it just all melds together so yummy.  My favorite kind of sharp cheese is Cabot Vermont Extra Sharp.  If you haven't tried it give it a shot!  Really tasty.

I saw the original recipe on Down Home with the Neelys and I've made only a couple of adjustments.  If I'm feeling sassy I make my own Lasagna noodles  :)  La dee da!

Mama's Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
• 9 large lasagna noodles (or enough for 3 layers in your casserole)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (15 oz) tub ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus 1/4 more for the top
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 (8 oz) bag shredded mozzarella
• 8 oz sharp cheddar, grated

1. In a large saute pan, over medium high heat, saute chopped onion in oil for about 1 minute.  Add meat and garlic and cook till browned.  Drain pan of fat and add tomato paste and can of tomato sauce, reserving about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce for the bottom of the casserole dish.  In a food processor pulse stewed tomatoes till large chunks are chopped. Add to the saute pan with the meat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the noodles.  Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions (about 7-8 min).

3. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, then mix in ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and basil.

4. Pour the reserved 1/4 cup tomato sauce in a 9x13 inch casserole pan, lightly covering the bottom of the pan.  Grate the block of sharp cheddar cheese and set aside.  

5. Now you are ready to make the lasagna layers, this recipe makes 3 layers.  Lay 3 of the cooked noodles evenly in the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella and grated cheddar cheese evenly on top. Spoon 1/3 of the meat mixture on top. Repeat layering twice more:

1. noodles
2. ricotta cheese mixture
3. Mozzarella and cheddar cheese
4. Meat mixture

You will end on the meat mixture.  Sprinkle the top with about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, removing foil for last 10 minutes of baking.  You will know when its done when the edges are bubbling and its slightly brown on top... and when you start to drool.

Alfredo Sauce

While we were over at my sister's having our pasta extravaganza the other night I got the comment that my Alfredo Sauce tasted just like what you get in a restaurant (I'm guessing that comment was for the nice restaurant and not the dive down the street :)
I wanted to post how simple it really is to whip this up for those of you who have never made your own. For the time it takes for pasta to cook I can be done with this sauce which for me, the queen of "have to have it all ready at the same time", is wonderful.  Plus unlike the 10,000 calorie sauces in restaurants this one I make with 1% milk ...  waaaay nicer to my tummy and to my thighs ;)

The picture is our favorite way to serve this sauce...bowtie pasta, steamed green beans, and slices of cooked turkey bacon. Steamed broccoli is also really good in this too!

Alfredo Sauce

This recipe makes enough sauce for 2 (very hungry) people

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 Tbsp dry parsley (if it is all leafy sometimes I like to crush it slightly)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp basil
• fresh ground black pepper (adjust to your taste - we use about 1/2 tsp)
• little bit of salt to taste (if you are adding turkey bacon use less or no salt)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter in saucepan.

2. Add flour and whisk together on medium or med/low heat, cook for about 1-2 minutes.

3. Pour in milk.

4. Whisk in parsley, garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper.

5. Turn the heat to medium med/high & heat bring to just bubbling, till the sauce thickens, making sure to stir while cooking. Give it a little taste test and adjust seasonings to your liking if needed.

6. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese, pour over your favorite pasta and serve!

OPTIONAL: Add sliced turkey bacon or cooked chicken pieces to sauce before you add cheese (the only turkey bacon we ever get is Butterball - the rest tastes like cardboard to me)

Making Homemade Pasta with my Mommy

I had such a great time visiting with my Mom these past two weeks.  Of course while she was here I had to get her to help me make homemade pasta. I've tried it before but it just didn't seem to come out the way I wanted to... it needed the Italian Mom's touch. Making this was really fun and of course we had to take it all over to my sister's house so everyone can enjoy the hours of labor that went into this pasta extravaganza! (granted many of those hours were spent just visiting but still hours nonetheless)
Making your own pasta is something I would recommend doing, its really fun and even if you don't have a pasta machine you can just use a rolling pin to roll it out thin. Cut into squares or circles to make ravioli and go to town on experimenting with fillings!

Making the Pasta Dough

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups flour
• a little bit of water

1. Pour flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Break the eggs into the well. Using a fork slowly start to whisk the eggs, gradually incorporating the flour into the mix. 

2. When it starts to form a ball place on a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands.  If it seems to be too dry add a Tbsp of water and mix, repeating if necessary till smooth (not too dry not too sticky). Don't fret if it feels like its taking forever for it to get kneaded together, just keep plugging away!

3. Wrap dough in some saran wrap and place in the fridge to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Now for the fun part ...the pasta machine! 

1. Using a knife cut off a small piece of the dough, making sure to wrap the rest back in the saran wrap so it won't dry out. Flatten the dough with your hand so you can feed it through the thickest setting on the machine (for mine it was setting 7). I learned that you really have to keep dusting the strips with flour so that it won't stick to the rolls in the machine. Be prepared to cover your kitchen, and yourself, with flour!

2. Feed the dough through each setting about 2 times, dusting occasionally as needed with flour to keep from sticking. Gradually keep adjusting the setting lower to desired thickness. You may need to cut the dough to keep it from growing too long (**ahem**).

3.  Be sure to not let the dough dry out before finishing, have your filling ready if you are making ravioli. If you are making linguine lay out on a floured surface or a cookie rack after you cut until you are ready to cook.

For the Linguine I stopped on the #2 setting, for the ravioli I stopped on the #1, the thinnest, setting.

Can you guess which person will make the longest linguine ever?

I just hated having to cut my dough to a more manageable size, it was just too fun seeing how long it would get.

Speaking of Linguine it was a life saver because each ravioli was made with such love and care (i.e. very slooowly) and I wanted to make sure there was enough food to feed seven people. Plus how can you not resist cranking out linguine like playdough!

now while those linguine get a bit of a rest we can start on the...

Ravioli Filling(s)!

We went with two different kinds of ravioli fillings just to make things more fun. Believe it or not the one that got devoured the fastest was the feta cheese and walnut one, even my little nephew couldn't get enough of it!

Feta, Walnut, & Spinach Filling

Ingredients:

• Feta cheese (one regular container)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• Large handful of fresh spinach

1. Place spinach in a bowl with 1/4 cup of water, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes till wilted. Place in a colander to drain, squishing with the back of a spoon to get more water out.

2. Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse till well blended and chopped.

The second filling was still really good

Chicken and Spinach Filling

Ingredients:

• 2 Cooked Chicken Breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• Large handful of fresh spinach
• 1 tsp basil
• ground pepper to taste

1. Place spinach in a bowl with 1/4 cup of water, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes till wilted. Place in a colander to drain, squishing with the back of a spoon to get more water out.

2. Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse till well blended and chopped.

And finally... Stuffing those Ravioli 
(thought I'd never get to this part ;)

We tried several methods to making the ravioli.
First method we laid out the strips and placed the filling in little piles.
Then, after brushing some water around the filling, we laid another strip on top, making sure to press firmly around the filling to seal it in.
Using a knife we cut it into individual squares.




Another Method (and my favorite) was the "making little sombreros" as my mom put it.
Since apparently I will NEVER remember to buy myself cookie cutters we used a wine glass to cut out the shapes, sadly not the first time this glass has been used for this.
We found it easy to just cut out all the circles first then place the filling inside. To keep the work surface from getting wet we brushed water on the top piece and then pressed it down on the bottom to seal.

Aren't they just so cute!

And Tada! A Homemade Pasta meal!  I whipped up a Marinara sauce for the ravioli and an Alfredo sauce for the linguine, which I learned that if you make it too long it gets tangled up while cooking and some people will be served more of a "bird's nest" pile of linguine...chirp chirp!

Chickpea Pasta

A while back I was stuck trying to figure out a better way to serve whole grain pasta.  Not that I don't like it but you know how it is switching from regular to whole wheat, quite the flavor and texture change.  This recipe really compliments the penne pasta and the chickpeas cook up with a lot of flavor.  You know its good when the picture has the steam rising off - we just couldn't wait for it to cool off for a pic so we can gobble it down!

Chickpea Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of whole grain penne pasta
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 medium cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley (dry does not work here, must use fresh)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes no salt added
• 1 (16 oz) can of chickpeas/Garbanzos
• 2 medium bay leaves
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup fresh parmesan  cheese

1. Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas in a colander.  If you have lots of loose chickpea shells place in a bowl of water and using a slotted spoon skim off the floating shells.  Place drained chickpeas in a small bowl with a paper towel on the bottom.

2. Place a colander on top of a bowl, open can of diced tomatoes and pour in colander.  Using a fork smash down each piece of tomato.  Save liquid for later.

3. Roughly chop the fresh parsley.  Peel skins off garlic and thinly slice.  Go ahead and put a large pot of water on the stove on high heat to get ready to boil the pasta in.

4.  In a large skillet heat the olive oil on medium heat.  Add the garlic, cook for about 30 seconds, then toss in the parsley and red pepper flakes.  Cook for about 1 minute.

5. Add the chickpeas, slightly crushed tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and the bay leaves.  Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until the chickpeas start to brown, about 8 minutes.  About 5 minutes into the cooking put the pasta in the pot of boiling water, cook till al dente. (this way it all finishes at the same time).

6. After the chickpeas and tomatoes cook down add the saved tomato juice and cook for about 5 more minutes.  Add a little of the pasta water if it looks like the liquid is getting completely cooked out.

7. When pasta is done drain and toss it in the skillet with the sauce, cooking for about 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.