Roasted Feta Tomato Pasta with Focaccia

Sadie made this yummy Italian meal completely solo. 

 Yum!

Foccaccia

Garlic Wrapped in Foil

(Minced garlic can be used for a quick version)

A Block of Feta surrounded by Grape Tomatoes 

in Olive Oil and Italian Spices

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Breaking up the Clove of Garlic

Crumbling the Feta

and Tossing the Ingredients

Roasted Feta Tomato Sauce Ready for the Pasta

 Prête à manger!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

 This is the perfect comfort food and can easily be made gluten free by using GF macaroni and GF tomato soup.  The only difficult part of this recipe is it's a bit random for amounts of ingredients.  Only the brave make random recipes.  Amounts are not precise.

Definitely a Grandmaman recipe!

Ethan took on the challenge and was able to decipher 
Grandmaman's recipe and make it his own.  
Not only yummy but a creative "Enjoy the Moment" photo!  Love it! 

Photo and Meal by Ethan 

This is elbow macaroni!

Ingredients

canned tomato soup (usually 1 can) 
elbow macaroni (usually 2 cups dry)
grated cheddar cheese (as much as you want, maybe 1/2 to 1 cup depending on how much you have in the fridge, how cheesy you want it and what your cheese budget allows)

salt and pepper

Optional Ingredients

other types of cheese

Panko bread crumbs (GF or not)

1.  Boil elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Drain.

2.  Spray casserole dish with cooking spray and pour macaroni into the casserole.

3.  Mix in 1 can of tomato soup undiluted and the grated cheese . (sometimes GF tomato soup is already diluted but that should be fine.  Sometimes I add a little water if I think it's too dry. Salt and pepper to taste.

4.  It's ready for the oven now unless you want to put some extra cheese or bread crumbs on top(which can be toasted and/or spiced or not).

5.  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes for an average size casserole.  If you are doing smaller or larger casseroles adjust the cooking time.  The dish is done when bubbling and/or crispy on top.  

Vegan Pasta with Caprese Sald

 Dinner by Sadie tonight.  Vegan pasta with a side of
 not vegan caprese salad made by Mom.

9 oz  (225 gm) uncooked pasta (GF if desired)

1 to 2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

4 to 6 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 ripe medium avocado (pitted)

1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp. fine grain sea salt

freshly ground pepper

lemon zest (for serving)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.

While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.  In a food processor combine the garlic and basil and pulse to mince.

Add the lemon juice, oil, avocado flesh, and 1 tbsp. water and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.  If the sauce is too thick, add another tbsp. water.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the pasta and place it back in the pot.  Add the avocado sauce and stir until combined.  You can gently rewarm the pasta if it has cooled, or simply serve it at room temperature.

Top with lemon zest, pepper, and fresh basil leaves, if desired.

Summer 2022

Conchiglie with Zucchini and Spinach

1 box (12 oz/375 g) jumbo conchiglie

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

FILLING

3 medium zucchini

 salt

1 bunch spinach (about 8 oz)

1/4 cup butter

2 onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley

1/4 tsp pepper 

SAUCE

1/4 cup butter

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans  (each 28 oz/796 ml) tomatoes

salt and pepper

FILLING

Grate zucchini and place in colander.  Sprinkle with 2 tsp salt: let drain for 30 minutes.   Rinse and drain well: drain on paper towels.

Trim spinach and rinse under water; shake off extra water.  In saucepan, cover spinach and cook, with just the water clinging to leaves, over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or just until wilted.  Drain well and squeeze dry: chop coarsely and set aside.

In large heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat: cook onions and garlic for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Add zucchini:  cook until any moisture has evaporated.  Add spinach and mix well.  Let cool:  drain off excess liquid.  

In large bowl, beat ricotta until smooth:  beat in Parmesan eggs, parsley, 1 tsp salt and pepper .  Stir in zucchini mixture until combined:  set aside.

SAUCE

In saucepan melt butter over medium heat:  cook onions and garlic for about 5 minutes or until softened.  Add tomatoes, breaking up with spoon:  cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until thickened.  Purée in food processor:  season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

PASTA

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook conchiglie for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender but firm:  drain and refresh under cold water.  

ASSEMBLE

Spoon some of the filling into each conchiglie:  arrange, stuffed side up in a greased 13 x 9 inch  3L baking dish. ( If there are small broken conchiglie, coarsely chop them and put on bottom of baking dish first.)

Pour sauce over top and then sprinkle with up to  1 cup ( to taste) of Parmesan cheese. 

Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until bubbling.  Makes 8 servings.

Fresh Pasta

Grandmaman pulled out Oma's pasta machine today and Papa and I made pasta.  Results were very tasty.  We made fettucine this time and although the results were not uniform we learned a few tips that will help with future endeavors.

Recipe we used today:

1 1/2 cups flour (we just used all purpose flour)

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Mound flour on counter or in large bowl.  Mix salt in to flour.  Make well in center of flour.  Put eggs and oil in mound of flour and mix with fork (whisking eggs as you go) until a soft dough forms.  Turn onto a floured surface.  Knead dough for 5 minutes. Wrap with a tea towel (so the dough doesn't dry out) and let rest for 15 minute. For this amount of dough cut the dough into four pieces and process one piece at a time (wrapping the waiting dough until ready to process).

Processing the Dough into Pasta

Set the regulator knob to position number 1.  Pass a dough piece through the smooth rollers. Fold the slice of dough and sprinkle flour between the folds.  Flour as necessary and repeat a few times through position 1.

 Set the regulator knob to number 2 and pass the dough through.  Reduce the thickness of the dough by adjusting the regulator know decreasing it one number at a time until the dough reaches the desired thickness.

Once you have your pasta sheet it can be shaped  into the desired pasta form.  Today we made fettucine by passeing the dough sheet into the cutting rollers. We hung the fettucine on rulers.  Next time we will watch for uniform size.  Practice makes perfect.  

And for supper Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo with Fresh Pasta

Barbara's Pesto

Ingredients

5-6 ounces (2 bunches or 6 cups) basil leaves

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1-2 garlic cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

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

Blend half the basil with nuts, cheese, garlic cloves and salt in a food processor until finely chopped.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the basil.  Blend until a uniform paste has formed.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  With the food processor still running, stream in the olive oil (amount depending on the consistency you want).  

Pesto will darken and brown very quickly but will still be tasty and fresh for several days.  For best appearance, use it right away.  If storing, store it in the smallest container possible and thoroughly press the pesto to eliminate air pockets.  Pour a little olive oil over the surface, cover and refrigerate for up to a week.  Pesto can also be frozen for several months.

Barbara and I prepared our pesto at Barbara's Hawaiian getaway and as we didn't have a food processor, with a little creativity and tenacity we were successful with a small hand mixer/blender.

For a change, or depending on ingredients you have on hand, substitutions can be made.  The "main formula" includes  fresh green leafy greens (maybe baby spinach), a nut (walnuts), a hard cheese (asiago) and olive oil.

Lasagna Gluten Free or Not

1 pkg gluten-free lasagna noodles OR regular lasagna noodles (8 ounces)

(The rest of the recipe is gluten free.)

1 1/2 lb. ground meat 

(ground beef or a combination of mild pork sausage/ground beef/ground veal)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounce)

1 can tomato paste (6 ounce)

2 teaspoons dried parsley (or fresh)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 pinch white sugar

8 ounces sour cream

8 ounces of ricotta cheese

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Makes one  9x13 inch pan.

Heat a large skillet and sauté the onions until clear.  Add meat and garlic and cook until the meat is evenly browned.  Drain off excess grease.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, oregano and sugar.

Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sour cream, ricotta, Romano cheese, salt, black pepper and half of the mozzarella cheese.

To assemble the lasagna, spread a thick layer of the cooked sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Cover with 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the remaining cooked sauce, 1/3 of the sour cream mixture.  Repeat this layering 2 more times.

The above recipe is very similar to Grandmaman's lasagna recipe which is basically made up of four parts, with the layers starting with the meat sauce layer and ending with a "very generous portion of grated mozzarella cheese".

To make Grandmaman's recipe gluten free, noodles need to be gluten free and attention needs to be paid to the tomato sauce.  It's best to make your own tomato sauce,  instead of premade pasta sauce.  

Part One-Precooked lasagna noodles (regular, whole wheat or gluten free)

Part Two-Meat Sauce (made of sautéed ground beef, prepared pasta sauce or your own sauce made from your choice of tomatoes (canned, sundried, fresh), tomato paste or tomato sauce, spices, onions, garlic cloves)

Part Three-eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper grated mozzarella (sometimes I leave this part out or only include some of it)

Part Four-THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF GRANDMAMAN'S LASAGNA-A very generous amount of grated mozzarella cheese on the top, (sprinkled with parmesan cheese if available) 

Pasta with Rapini, Gorgonzola and Walnuts

Serves 4

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 bunch rapini (12 oz/375 g)

12 oz (375 g) bucatini or other long pasta

3 oz (90 g) Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1 cup toasted walnut pieces

In skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-low heat; cook onion and half each of the salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes.  Stir in garlic; cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in vinegar.

Meanwhile, trim 1/2 inch (1 cm) from rapini stems; cut rapini in half.  In large pot of boiling salted water, cook rapini until tender, about 2 minutes; drain and stir into onion mixture.

Meanwhile, in separate saucepan of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid.  Return pasta to pot.

Stir in onion mixture, cheese and remaining oil, salt and pepper.  Pour in reserved liquid if necessary to moisten.  Sprinkle with walnuts.

Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

This recipe will become a well-loved revisited favourite.  It is super quick to make, almost as quick as a box of KD.  The littles will LOVE it since the noodles are bathed in a familiar orange colour, reminiscent of that famous blue box, but it is not a cheese sauce.  Adults will love the sage and mild garlic flavours that pair nicely with the pumpkin.  T-man exclaimed "I'm 'hoarking' this down Mom, can you make this everyday?"  That's a winner dinner in my book!  Try it and you will be a believer too!

Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 14 oz can of unsweetened pumpkin
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
4 Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves or 4 tsp dried
Salt + Pepper
1 pound dried pasta, such as penne or rigatoni
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the pumpkin, broth, cream, and half of sage.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until al dente.  Drain well and add to the pumpkin sauce along with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan.

Serve immediately, topped with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the remaining sage.

We visited a Pumpkin Patch in the Fall of 2009 near Red Deer.

The pumpkins were all very unique and beautiful.

It was fun taking painting pictures for Grandma.

E-man enjoying all the Fall activities.

T-man picked a 'keeper' pumpkin that was just the right size.

Reegs, in her 6 month size, was able to wear a pumpkin.

Love,
Twin B
xoxoxoxo

Oh Orzo, where have you been?

...and no I'm not talking about a new toy or animated character.  I'm talking about a delish pasta salad.  It just happens to be one of the simplest to put together dishes EVER.  It is perfect to bring along to a playdate to feed the Mama's and the littles just might be brave enough to try it because the Orzo itself is a rice shaped pasta.  Share a bowl of this salad this week and your Mama pals will be cravin' nothing else.  I have never met a new Mom (or a pregnant one for that matter) who doesn't think about Feta cheese ALL DAY long.  Just make sure if you are serving feta to the preggo crowd it is pasteurized (it is actually pretty hard to find the un-pasteurized stuff in the grocery aisles anyway).  The kick of spinach is a nice dose of folic acid to boot, load er on up!

Feta, Spinach & Orzo Salad

1 (16oz) package of Orzo, cooked and drained
2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped.  (I used more)
2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 red onion diced (I used less, like half)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine pasta, spinach, feta, onion and italian seasoning in a large bowl.  Toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Refrigerate and serve cold.  Serves 6-8.

The two littles camped out on a cold winter day.  The big reading to the little.

Using the old noodle.

The big little has started to try a few more new foods.  "Strings" is a new favorite pasta shape, replacing "Tubes".  So, surprise of all surprises, the big little actually ate this pasta salad.  Full disclosure, we had to say that somebody else made it... but he gobbled it up and I was happy.  Def. a repeat in our house.  A nice dish to drop off to a family or bring to a potluck, it makes a nice lunch too.

Spicy Noodle Salad

Dressing:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 TBSP chili sauce
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP sesame oil (I didn't have any, substituted olive oil, worked fine)
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and grated finely or minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp chili flakes (a tad hot, use the amt you think you can handle, less if serving to the littles)
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Spaghettini or Vermicelli (any thin noodle will work)
grated carrots (I just bought the pre-shredded kind and used a ton!)
green onion, thinly sliced to taste

In a bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together, making sure to whisk in vegetable oil in a thin stream.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  Can be prepared up to one week in advance (the flavor improves!).  Whisk again just before using.
Toss with cooked pasta, carrots and greens onions.

Tools of the trade.

The boys using their "noodles".

Precision building.

Note the concentration.  Now that's a good noodle workout.

Look Mama, we made "stairs"!

Sending Love,
Twin A