Basic Pasta Dough.....so simple a 2 year old can do it

We bought a Pasta machine -
I think its going to be a new fun family treat tomake pasta together. It tasted amazing - and was so easy to do~ Brayden and Chris and I had a blast - and Thank goodness for the vaccume to suck up all the extra flour!!!

Basic Pasta Dough
makes 1 pound


"This yields enough fresh pasta to serve four as a first course pasta dish or two as a main course. Divided into 4 portions and rolled to the thinnest setting on a pasta machine, it can be used to make ravioli and other stuffed pastas. Rolled slightly thicker the sheets can be cut into varying widths, as follows: Tagliolini: 1/4 inch, Fettucine: 1/2 inch, Tagliatelle: 3/4 inch, Pappardelle: 1 1/2 inches"

3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 extra large eggs
1 extra large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and olive oil. (Trust me on this one, use a large bowl and make the well in there) Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well.

As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape. Do not worry that this initial phase looks messy. The dough will come together when half the flour is incorporated.

Start out by kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. (you can probably knead this in a food processor but I prefer doing it by hand. Kneading dough by hand, is a satisfying taskthat I really enjoy doing) Once you have a cohesive e mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover crusty bits. Lightly re-flour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Roll or shape as desired.

Note: Do not skip the kneading or resting portions for the dough. They are essential for light pasta.

Filled pancakes - aka EBELSKIVER's

2 cups all purpose four
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 tbso sugar
4 eggs seperated
4 cups milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter

fillings of your choice.

you must have an ebelskiver pan in order to make these. We got ours at willimans sonoma for just under $40. this is a wonderful breakfast treat - we all loved them.

make the batter in the standard wet/ dry method
whip the egg whites and fold into the batter in 2 batches so thats its nice and light

cook according to the directions on your pan!

I really highly reccomend getting one of these pans - its a great breakfast snack treat!

Cheesecake recipe for the Burger princess...

24 oz cream cheese
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
3/4 cup ish vanilla sugar - or baking splends
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp melted butter
pinch of salt

room temp CC, Mix well
pour cherese mixture onto a spring form pan..........about 12inches in diameter

bake at 300 degrees on cookie or grahm cracker crust
with a pan of water in the bottom of the oven

Bake for one hour
open oven door for one min
close oven door and tuen oven off - leave cake in oven one more hour

Remove from oven and top with
1 cup sour cream mixed with 1 tbsp vanilla sugar

cool at least 5 hours in fridge
better of left overnight!

Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (5 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired


1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
2. Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.
3. Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.



How-To
No buttermilk on hand? In an emergency, you can mix 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 1/2 cup. Or substitute 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

Chicken Picatta.........

Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 chicken breasts, about 3/4 pound, split and pounded to a thickness of 1/8-inch
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 garlic clove, chopped
1 lemon, juiced, and zested or more to taste, (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoon capers, drained
3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves


Directions
In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and pepper and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and, working quickly and in batches if necessary, cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side.

Transfer to a plate and set aside. Deglaze the pan with wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock, chopped garlic, lemon juice and capers and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Whisk in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter and the
chopped parsley. When the butter has melted, return the chicken to the pan and cook until heated through and the sauce has thickened, about 1 minute. MMMM Tasty Goodness!

A clone recipe to Panda Express Orange Chicken....

Orange Flavored ChickenTender, juicy chicken pieces lightly battered and fried, sauteed ina sweet and mildly spicy chili sauce with scallions.1 lb. chicken breast meat1 egg white1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon sugar4 cups vegetable oil to be used for frying1 cup cornstarchOrange Sauce1 cup water1/2 cup ketchup1/2 cup sugar1/8 cup vinegar1 tablespoon soy sauce4 teaspoons cornstarch2 teaspoons sesame oil2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 tablespoon grated orange peel2 tablespoons chopped scallion1. Cut chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes, set aside.2. To make marinade - combine egg white, salt and sugar in a bowland stir vigorously until ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Addchicken cubes to marinade and stir to coat well.3. To make orange sauce - combine water, ketchup, sugar, vinegar,soy sauce, 4 teaspoons cornstarch and sesame oil; stir and setaside. Place a pot over high heat. When pot is hot, add the 2tablespoons vegetable oil and heat. Add orange peel and scallionand stir for about 20 seconds, taking care not to burn the orangepeel.4. Pour combined sauce ingredients into the pot and cook, stirringfrequently, until sauce has thickened, about 12-15 minutes.5. Preheat 4 cups oil to 350-375°F. Meanwhile, put marinatedchicken in the plastic baggie containing the cornstarch. Shakechicken well for about 20 seconds or until chicken is covered withcornstarch. Shake off all excess cornstarch and fry chicken in hotoil until golden brown, approximately 2 1/2 minutes. Remove chickenfrom oil with a slotted spoon, drain well and set aside. Add friedchicken to pot with heated orange sauce, stir for about 30 seconds,then serve immediately.6. Serve with steamed rice.

Brain food before the big exam!

Tomorrow night its Brain food dinner night!~ WHY? Because friday morning is Christophers Final exam for his Current block in medical school. Med students know all the value of things like sleep - eating well, excercise, and so on... yet while in medical school they have no time to do any of those things... Its my job to make sure he gets the BRAIN food he needs to ACE those tests!

here are the rules for before test meals! and BRAIN FOOD ( this goes for anyone)



DO
ensure a sound night sleep with camomile tea before bedtime and tossing some calming ginger into the final meal of the day. ( maybe candidied ginger before bed - )

DO give your little test taker a packet of fruit and nuts to snack on – healthier and more energy sustaining than chocolate or chips

DO make easy to digest raw fruits more interesting by whizzing them up in a blender for a meal rich in concentration along with plenty of vitamins. CAN we say SMOOOOTHIE!

DO add plenty of fresh basil to a pasta dish for a brain chemical boost.


DON’T eat red meat in the lead up to a test. Chicken, pork and fish and easier to digest.


DO skip
the caffeine as a meal substitute. Avoiding caffeine all together (if you normally drink it) may cause headaches, but you shouldn't overdo it. Overdosing on coffee and energy drinks may cause you to become too jittery and then crash. Try green tea as a natural caffeine addition to your diet.
and lastly...........
DO:
Fill yourself with protein-rich foods like eggs, nuts, yogurt and cottage cheese during breakfast and lunch on the day of the test. The benefits will last throughout the day.



The Top 5 foods for a SMARTER brain....

1. Salmon ( wild)
2. Cacao Beans
3. Matcha (Tencha-grade green tea powder)
4. Acai berries & Blueberries
5. Coffee beans

Too bad they dont all taste good mixed together!

Basil is next on the list..... YUM Bruschetta, pesto.... you name it!

Superbowl = super tasty stuffed Jalapenos

I was looking for a recipe to poach from some food network chefs. I always have to tweak them a little and make them my own! This recipe from GF ( I dont usually subscribe to his ideas of tasty due to the fact that the DDD show has disappointed myself as well as some friends when we have visited the featured locations) was a winner!

I used cream cheese not mascarpone - I save that for tiramisu
I mixed my mozzarella into the stuffing instead of putting it on top - less messy!
Sprinkled the tops with a little chopped parsley and scallion
and baked at 400 for about 7 mins....

everything else was pretty static to his recipe... Enjoy! Oh yeah and don't forget top wear gloves when prepping the jalapenos! They really wernt spicy at all after de seeding and removing the veins.... a few zings near the stem end - nothing unpalatable!

Ingredients
15 jalapenos,, cut in 1/2, seeded and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 pounds mild Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Minced chives
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Place jalapenos on a sheet tray and roast for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Heat the oil in a medium saute pan. Add onions, peppers, garlic and sausage and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove and place in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, then add mascarpone, and Parmesan. Mix ingredients thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.
Place approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture into each jalapeno half, and top with 1/2 teaspoon of mozzarella cheese.
Place the sheet tray of stuffed peppers in oven and bake for 5 minutes or until mozzarella cheese melts.
Garnish with minced chives and Parmesan.