Mediterranean Style Pasta

Posted on November 21, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

Since Thanksgiving is this week and I am going to be up to my eyeballs in turkey, ham and casseroles, I decided to make something totally different for dinner tonight. It has some great flavors of the Mediterranean mixed in with some angel hair pasta.

I was a little nervous about how this dish was going to go over with my family. Some people around here are really picky and I often have to change up recipes to take out one ingredient and then add another in its place to make it edible for everyone around here. The pickiest eater is my daughter, who is 3. I will never figure out how a kid that lives in this house with all this amazing food I cook would prefer to not eat dinner and then eat cereal. I sometimes think about strapping her to her chair and force feeding her. But, then I think of all those therapy bills I will have to pay when she’s 20 and it takes all the fun out of it.

The great news is that everyone loved it! Miss Picky Pants ate it too, though I did leave out the olives when I served it to her, she hates them.

This is super easy to make and only takes about 20 minutes total. You can prep and get the other ingredients ready while your waiting for the pasta to finish. If you use angel hair, it only takes about 4 minutes to cook perfectly, it takes more time waiting for the water to boil. Especially if you sit there and watch the pot.

This is a great meal for a weeknight when your short on time but want something great tasting and even healthy to eat. This is very inexpensive to make and shows that just because your on a budget, it doesn’t mean that you have to eat like you are!

You could add some grilled chicken breasts to this and it would be wonderful. I just wasn’t in a meat eating kind of mood tonight, so I just did the pasta. This made about 6 full servings.

** For the gluten free version, just substitute the pasta for a GF version.

Mediterranean Style Pasta

  • 3/4 of a 16 oz box of angel hair pasta
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained (I chopped mine up small)
  •  1 1/2 – 2 cups bell peppers, assorted colors, chopped or cut into small strips
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives and green olives, sliced
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh
  • 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 tbsp fresh
  • fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 4 oz. package Feta cheese, crumbled
 

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well.  Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add pepper, oregano, thyme and garlic. Once pan is heated, add in artichokes and peppers and cook forabout 2-3 minutes to soften, stirring constantly.  Add in your capers and olives and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add broth and pasta to skillet, toss well and add in feta cheese.

Serve with fresh bread. I used a baguette.

Posted in Dinner, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Pasta Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Posted on November 14, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

These. Cookies. Are. The. Bomb. Diggity.

My cousin Michael’s wife, Chanelle, shared this recipe with me a really long time ago and until this past week, I had never made them. She said that they made amazing ice cream sandwiches when used with vanilla bean ice cream. She also told me that they were really great for breakfast with coffee. AND, since they contain oatmeal, they are a perfectly healthy choice for breakfast. That was her story and we are both sticking to it.

Chanelle is a truly remarkable person. Although we live far away from each other and I don’t get as much time with her as I wish I did, I just adore her. She is a dress designer and has worked for some pretty amazing clothing companies in her day. I drooled over her portfolio when they came to visit us this past spring. I pretended that all of those dresses were designed for me. Some of them were nearly perfect for my secret life as a 1950’s housewife.

She is also an amazing baker. We are lucky enough to get the most fabulously designed and delicious Christmas cookies from her during the holidays. She recently showed me some pictures of these macarons she baked to raise money for Diabetes. Holy. Moly. They were beautiful! She is coming to visit us in a few months and I am hoping to get her to do some baking with me and let me blog about it. I am pretty sure that if the day ever comes that her and Michael have babies, they are going to come out wearing the latest in couture and holding trays of cookies. *giggle*

It isn’t surprising though, that she is talented in the kitchen. Her parents own the Mackinac Fudge Shop way up, almost the middle of nowhere, in the upper peninsula of Michigan. If you are looking for gifts that no one in their right mind would re-gift this holiday season, you need to click that link and go to their website and buy lots of yummy things from them. We have been lucky enough to receive fudge from them the last couple of years for the holidays. It is usually gone in record time and there is lots of fighting over it. You will not be sorry you spent your hard earned money there AND you will be supporting an American small business owner this year! How can you go wrong with that?

Now that I am drooling over that fudge…back to the cookies. I have this thing about craving something sweet at night, usually around 9 p.m. or a little after. I never crave sweets in the daytime or in the afternoon, it’s only at night for some weird reason. Probably because I am pushing 40 and there is some force determined to make me thick around the middle by making me want to eat late at night and then go to sleep while the calories pile up.

This past Tuesday at about 9:15 the craving hit, again. I looked in my recipe book and didn’t find anything that really spoke to me, until I found this recipe for her cookies. I had everything on hand to make them, so my son and I whipped out the Kitchen Aid and got to baking. These cookies are really easy to make and take exactly 12 minutes to cook. I got a total of 2 1/2 dozen cookies out of this recipe using my medium cookie scoop, if you follow the directions and use a rounded teaspoon full you should get about 3 1/2 dozen.

** For the gluten free version, use GF baking flour, oatmeal and make sure that your coconut has been certified GF, as sometimes they are processed in the same plant as non gluten free products and can be cross contaminated. Most brown sugars processed in the US are made with a corn based caramel coloring, just verify that with whatever brand you are using to make sure. Dixie Crystals and Domino brands are GF. This is a link to a PDF file of GF products. I found this very informative, it is 55 pages of items.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe from More from Magnolia by Alyssa Torey

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the flower, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes with a stand or hand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Hand stir in the oats and the coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoon fulls (or you can use a medium scoop like I did for larger cookies) onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion.

Bake for 12-14 min, or until lightly golden. I baked them for exactly 12 minutes and they were perfectly soft in the middle. I took them out immediately and let them cool on a wire rack. Once they are completely cooled, store them in a sealed container or if your like me, use a Ziploc bag. I use them for everything. In fact, I think I have a Ziploc addiction and I may need help.

If you want to get a little crazy, make them into ice cream sandwiches like we did.

Oh, so good!

Posted in Cookies, Dessert, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Vegetarian | 4 Comments

Asian “Fried” Chicken

Posted on November 11, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

I am calling this dish Asian fried chicken, instead of Chicken Katsu, because you can use so many other sauces with it other than Katsu. However, we usually use either Katsu or Tonkatsu sauces on it. I know there are recipes out there to make homemade versions of both of those sauces, but I don’t make them homemade. It is so much easier just to pour them out of a bottle right onto my plate! Kikkoman makes great Asian flavored sauces and that is the brand I use.

You could try any one of these sauces though, they all taste great.

I didn’t have a picture of the Tonkatsu sauce, we were all out. I can’t get that or the Katsu sauce in my regular grocery store, I have to buy it at my local Asian market. I usually pick up a few bottles at a time when I go in to get my udon noodles.

Katsu is what they call it when you use chicken cutlets in the dish and Tonkatsu is when you use a pork cutlet. You would make this recipe just the same using a pork cutlet if you prefer.

Every single week my son asks me to make this. It is probably his most favorite dish ever. The flavor and the texture of the chicken cooked this way is unbelievable. I have several versions of this recipe that I will be sharing. One is made the same way but you add in some coconut to the panko and it is served with a sweet coconut pineapple sauce and jasmine rice! It is on my menu for next week, so you won’t have to wait long for the recipe!

** For the gluten free version, you will need a GF soy sauce, Kikkoman makes one,  Kinnikinnick Foods makes a GF Panko and instead of flour you can substitute corn starch. Then you can just use your favorite GF sauce, or see the bottom of the page for a GF tonkatsu version. Serve over rice.

Asian “Fried” Chicken

  • 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded to the same thickness)
  • pepper
  • soy sauce
  • powdered ginger
  • ½ cup of flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups panko bread crumbs (I like the Kikkoman brand of these, but they were out the last time I went to the store, so I got this brand.)
  • oil for frying, peanut is great if you have it
  • green onions, sliced thin for garnish
  • your favorite sauce

Make sure that your chicken pieces are all the same thickness, it is very important so that they all cook evenly when you fry them. Lay your chicken out in a dish. I take a fork and poke a few random holes in the chicken so that the seasonings marinate through it. Now you are going to season the chicken on both sides with pepper and ginger. You can add as much of those as you like according to your taste. Pour over the soy sauce so that each piece of chicken is coated with it. Cover the dish and refrigerate for about an hour, or longer if you want to.

Place flour in one bowl, egg in another and panko in a third.

You will take the chicken and dredge in the flour, then in the egg.

Then in the panko. Make sure you press the chicken down into the panko on both sides to coat each piece thoroughly.

Heat up a pan with oil in it over medium heat. Cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side, if you’re not sure if the chicken is cooked all the way through, cut a little slit on the thickest part of the breast and see if the juices run clear, if not, cook a little bit more.

Remove chicken from and place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve with your favorite sauce.

I always serve this over the Udon Noodles, but you could serve it over white rice or jasmine rice if you prefer.

Gluten free Tonkatsu Sauce

  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lee & Perrins is gluten-free)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp smooth dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients but the dijon mustard and all-spice. Whisk all the ingredients until they are fully combined and smooth. Continue to whisk until the sauce reduces by about 20%. Then add the mustard and allspice and whisk until it’s well combined.

Posted in Asian Inspired, Chicken Dishes, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Recipes | 2 Comments

Bold Green Beans

Posted on November 10, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

As I sat down here to post this delicious recipe for green beans, to go along with all the Asian dishes I have been posting all about this week, I realized that the pictures I had for this recipe were some of the ones that got deleted off of my computer. You see, a couple of weeks ago when I was adding some pictures from my Cannon to my folder on the laptop, the box came up for copy/replace, or something like that. I thought to myself, oh, I must have already put these pictures on here, so I just put to copy/replace. Long story short, I copied over and replaced pictures that were stored in there that weren’t the same, and they were lost forever. A lot of them. Good ones, ones that would have been so nice to have since I had already slaved over all of them in the kitchen. Ugh. So frustrating.

I wasn’t even totally sure which ones they were, but I am slowly finding out as I go to post recipes on here. I started to get really upset about these green bean pictures and then I stopped for a second.

They are just pictures. Right? I mean, I am sure that at some point I will make all of these recipes again and maybe the pictures will be a lot better that the ones I lost anyway.

So, it got me thinking about how it was really silly to get upset about it. I mean, no one died, no one is sick, we are happy, my husband has work, there is food in the refrigerator. (There isn’t anyone here to clean my house, which would be super duper cool, but it’s ok.)

Thinking about how thankful I was got me thinking about how Thanksgiving is in two weeks and how many people out there will not have family, money or other resources to have a really great meal on the table. Personally, I have a hard time knowing that.

We are adopting a family, maybe two, this year to make sure that they get to have a great holiday. I challenge you to ask around and see if there is a family that you can find that may need some help this year. Maybe you could spare an extra $15 for a turkey, or make a few extras and take over to their house, or when your at the grocery and they have those meals in a bag that you can purchase for them to donate, buy one! I know that times are hard for everyone, but I guarantee there is always someone worse off than you. It will make you feel so good inside to help someone else and I know you will be blessed in return!

Ok, off the soapbox now.

Here is the only picture I have for you, but I think you can get the idea!

These green beans are perfect as a side dish to any of the Asian inspired recipes from this week. Whether it be the Japanese Udon Noodles, the Asian Beef and Rice, or the Beef and Snow Peas, this would be a great compliment.

Bold Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed (I used about 1 1/2 lbs here)
1 tbsp peanut, grapeseed or olive oil
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup almonds, chopped (You could use walnuts or even peanuts if you want)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon

Add about an inch of water to a large skillet and bring to a boil. Add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the green beans. Cover and steam for about 5-7 minutes, remove from skillet, drain and set aside.

Add your oil to the skillet and turn on med-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, pepper and walnuts. Let that saute for about 1 minute or so. Then add the green beans and give it a stir. Sautee for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the green beans are fully coated. Then turn off the heat, squeeze lemon juice over top, sprinkle with more salt if you need it and serve immediately.

Posted in Asian Inspired, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Beef and Snow Peas

Posted on November 9, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

This recipe came straight from the Pioneer Woman. I love everything about this dish. It is easy and delicious, it just takes a little planning ahead to marinate your beef.

I haven’t made this in awhile, but I wanted to get it on here this week because it goes with the whole Asian theme. The flavor combinations in this dish are unreal. I think the key is making sure you slice the meat against the grain and then slicing it thin enough that it cooks quickly and remains tender. As well as, making sure your pan stays very hot through the entire process.

** For the gluten free version, just use GF Soy Sauce and make sure your cooking sherry is GF as well. The one I used says it is naturally gluten free.

Beef and Snow Peas

  • 1 – 1 ½ pound Flank Steak, trimmed of fat and sliced thin against the grain
  • ½ cup soy sauce, you can use the low sodium version if you like
  • 3 tbsp cooking sherry
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
  • 8 ounces fresh snow peas, ends trimmed and you can peel off the strings too if you like
  • 5 whole scallions, sliced on the diagonal
  • 3 tbsp peanut oil (can use olive oil)
  • Crushed red pepper, for sprinkling
  • Jasmine or long grain rice cooked according to package

With a very sharp knife–cut the flank steak into very thin strips. You’ll want to slice against the grain, slightly on a diagonal (rather than a ninety degree angle to the grain.)

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Add sliced meat to bowl and toss with your hands. Set aside.

These were the Pioneer Woman’s directions. I prefer to allow my beef to marinate in this sauce for a few hours before I cook it. You can do it either way. If you are going to allow it to marinate awhile, just cover your flank steak with the sauce, and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet or a wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate and set aside.

Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half the scallions. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. Turn the meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.

Repeat with the other half of the meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings and add salt only if you need it. Mixture will thicken as it sits.

Serve immediately over rice and sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some spice.

Posted in Asian Inspired, Beef, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Recipes | 9 Comments

Asian Beef and Rice

Posted on November 8, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

This is one of those recipes that tastes like you must have spent hours slaving over it in the kitchen. But, it’s not! You make it in a crock pot, but if you don’t have one, you could easily cook this in a Dutch-Oven, or a similar pan with a tight fitting lid, on the stove top or in the oven.

This recipe is so easy, that it’s great for me on those days when I just want to sit around and eat bon-bons and play on the computer all day, throwing responsibility to the wind. You know, like I do pretty much every day around here.

This is another one of those dinners that everyone around here seems to love. For the 3 year old it is kind of hit or miss though. Depending what kind of mood she is in. Or rather,  whether the princess or the evil queen has taken over her castle that day.

** For the gluten free version try Kikkoman’s GF soy sauce and either a GF flour or rice flour for making the gravy.

Asian Beef and Rice

  • 1 1/2 to 2 lb boneless beef roast, cut into 3 or 4 chunks or pre-cut beef stew meat
  • 14 ounces chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved or 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
  • 1/4 cup flour

For the Rice:

  • 1 1/2  cups rice, I use long grain white
  • 3 1/3 cups water
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1/4 tsp salt

This is ginger root. If you have never used it before, don’t be scared! It is so good! I bought a piece this size this time, because I knew that I would be using it a few times this week. If you don’t need it all, you can put it in a Ziploc and freeze the rest until you need it, to avoid it going bad on you. My cousin David taught me that. His tip was that sometimes when it has been frozen, you may need to use slightly more than the recipe calls for, if it has lost it’s strong flavor.

I cut the left “finger” off of there and peeled the skin off. Then just take your knife and cut it up into little pieces. You can make them larger or smaller than this if you like.

Turn on your crock pot so that it starts getting hot. If you are using a large chunk of beef, cut it up into bite sized pieces and set aside.

Mix together the chicken broth, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Pour about half of that mixture into the bottom of your crock pot with half of the onions.

Then put in all of the beef and pour the remaining broth mixture over the beef. Top with remaining onion slices.

If you are going to be gone all day, just cover your crock pot and cook on low for about 7-8 hours. Or, if your like me and you never remember to get the stuff in the crock pot at a decent time in order to be ready for dinner, then cover it up and put it on high. It will be done in about 4 hours. If your not certain, just take out a piece of the beef and try it to make sure it’s tender.

When you are at the last 40 minutes or so of cooking time, scoop out two cups of the broth into a bowl or large measuring cup.

It will look like this. Then mix in your 1/4 cup of flour and whisk until it is well blended and smooth.

It should look like this. Stir the flour mixture back into the slow cooker and stir it up well. If you have had it on low, increase the heat to high. Then cook, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

About a year ago I finally figured out how to cook rice. For someone who can do as much cooking as I do, I could not cook rice to save my soul. In fact, I used Minute Rice all the time because I could never screw it up! I know, I know, ridiculous.

I finally started making it in my 12 inch covered skillet and following these directions below, and it comes out perfect every time.

Place your pan on the stove over high heat and add in the butter and the salt. Once that gets hot pour in your dry rice and stir it up so that it is all covered with the butter and salt. Pour in your water, give it another stir and make sure it is distributed evenly over the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 18-20 minutes without removing the lid.

Put your rice on the plate and then spoon over the beef and gravy mixture. Your taste buds are gonna love this!

Posted in Asian Inspired, Beef, Crock Pot Dishes, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Recipes | 2 Comments

Japanese Udon Noodles

Posted on November 7, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

I love these. They have a great texture and are very versatile as far as how and what you can cook them with.

I have to stop right here for a second. I have to tell you that it took me approximately 1.5 hours to put up that one picture and type those 23 words up there. It isn’t because I am slow at typing, I can actually type about 125 WPM. (I learned that in my old life, the one where I got up and put on business clothes and went to work all day and then met the girls after work for dinner and martinis.) Actually, it took me that long because I have been interrupted by my children about 1,359 times. For random things like these:

Mama, I need another movie in. Mom, how do I cook this macaroni again? Mama, I need some help in here (because blueberries were all over the floor). Listened to a song about poop that completely broke my concentration. Got yelled out because I didn’t put the Disney Princess rings back in the right order in the jewelry box. Mom, can you please get those dogs quiet so I can concentrate on my algebra? Broke up a ninja fight in the living room over who gets to have the bigger pillows in the pillow fight. Mind you, one was supposed to be doing school work and the other watching a movie quietly in her room. Then I realized what time it was and that I needed to get my dinner in the crock pot so it would be ready in time.

Now, finally, everyone is quiet and the house smells like ginger from the Asian pot roast in the crock pot. I am going to pretend that I am in a Japanese garden with beautiful cherry blossom trees and I am finding my moment of Zen. Ha ha ha ha ha…that lasted about 25 seconds until I heard the drama queen run through the house yelling, “my foot is on backwards and my toe is bleeding!” There was nothing wrong with her at all. Welcome to my world people, welcome to my world.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog post…

Udon Noodles can be found in any Asian Market. The package I usually buy has about 12-15 of these wrapped bundles. 3 of the bundles, as shown above, serve our family of 5.

These are the basic ingredients needed for this recipe. I use a mix of the plain sesame oil and the sesame with Cayenne pepper. The Cayenne is super spicy and it ads a great kick of flavor to the noodles.You can usually pick up either of these very cheap in an Asian Market.

Then I go back and forth between adding one of these two sauces.

If I am going to do Chicken Katsu or something similar, I will use the soy sauce, but if I am making the noodles by themselves or with a more citrus style chicken, I use the Ponzu sauce.

Japanese Udon Noodles

  • 3 bundles of Udon Noodles
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil (I use 1 tbsp regular and 1 tbsp with the cayenne.)
  • 2-3 green onions, sliced thin
  • 1 tbsp of either soy sauce or ponzu sauce (you can use another sauce if you like)

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Unless the directions are all in Japanese like mine were and you have no idea what they say. In that case, just bring your water to a boil and add a small splash of sesame oil to keep the noodles from sticking. Break your pasta bundles in half and add to the boiling water. You only want to cook these for about 6-8 minutes, they do not take long to cook at all. If you leave them more than this, they will become mush!

Take them out and drain them really well in a colander in the sink.

While they are draining, turn your heat up to about medium on the stove and get a large skillet hot. Your going to add your oils and your sauce to the pan. Then once it is really hot, add in all your noodles and stir them continuously until they are all coated with the oil/sauce mixture.

Toss in your green onion slices and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Then remove from heat and serve!

Posted in Asian Inspired, Dinner, Pasta Dishes, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian | 4 Comments

Italian Wedding Soup

Posted on November 6, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

When my husband leaves me here in the madness and goes to that place called “work” I always speak of, he runs our families business. We own a home renovation and handyman service. Most of our clients are residential ones, but we do service a couple of large restaurants in our area. Last winter my husband brought me home some soup from one of those restaurants. It was called, Italian Wedding Soup. I had never tried that kind before, but I really enjoyed the “marriage” of flavors with the meats, pasta and spinach.

The only thing I didn’t like was that I thought their version of the soup was a little thin. I like my soup with a lot of “stuff” in it. If that makes sense. So, I set out on a quest to make my own version of this soup. I have made this one several times and it has become a family favorite. It is really easy to make, just takes a little time to mix up and roll out the meatballs. You just want to make sure that you do not make your meatballs too big. You will also want to serve this with a loaf of some type of crusty bread. One of my favorite parts of this soup is sopping up the broth with the bread.

** You can make this gluten free by using Better Than Bouillon for your broth (or another GF version) and GF bread crumbs in place of the Panko.

Italian Wedding Soup

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 bay leaves, fresh or dried
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan/Romano Blend
  • 1/2 cup Panko or plain bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 14 cups chicken broth, I used Better Than Bouillon
  • 1-1/2 cups dried pasta, I use Ditalini but you can use whatever you want
  • 6 oz bag of spinach, rough chopped (this ends up to be about 6 cups)

Combine the meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg in a medium size bowl. I use my hands for this so that I can make sure everything is very well combined.

Take a small amount of the mixture and roll between your hands to make a meatball about 1 to 1 ½ inches across. You want them fairly small so they are bite size. Once you get them rolled out, set them aside.

In a soup pot over medium heat add butter, onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add your broth to the pot, increase heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. When soup is at a full boil, drop in the meatballs. When they are in, give them a stir to make sure none of them have stuck to the bottom of the pot. I wait about 5 minutes to allow it to come back up to a boil, then add in the pasta. Be sure to give it another stir to make sure none of the pasta sticks on the bottom (you may need to do this a couple of times during cooking). Cover and simmer soup for about 10-12 minutes, or until pasta is cooked to your liking.

Uncover the pot and add in the chopped spinach and give it a good stir.

I serve this with a loaf of Sesame Seed French Bread. Cut bread in slices, add some butter and toast for a couple of minutes, just until crispy.

Posted in Beef, Gluten-Free, Pasta Dishes, Pork, Recipes, Soup | 3 Comments

Mexican “Mortar” Shells

Posted on November 3, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

I have to tell you, these things are the “bomb.”

They’re so amazing that even my dog said, “EEEEEEEEEEEE, Chihuahua!!

Ok, ok. In all seriousness, this dog doesn’t really talk. But if he could…

I like the idea of cooking and stuffing these jumbo pasta shells. I just don’t like the way they are normally served because I don’t like ricotta cheese. I figured that there had to be other great flavor combinations out there to make and stuff in these lovely little shells. And if you have other suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Since we have been having a lot of Mexican style dishes lately, I decided to stick with that theme. I came up with a plan and they turned out even better than I thought. In fact, the two pickiest eaters in the house had seconds! My teenager has even mentioned them a few more times this week, wondering when I was making them again. That is always a good sign. They also made for great leftovers.

I wanted to have them with a little more heat to them, but knew that if I added it, the three year old wouldn’t be able to eat them. So, we topped them with sour cream and doused them in Green Tabasco sauce. If you have never tried the green version, you are missing out for sure. It was amazing on top of these shells and added a really nice flavor. You can definitely add some heat to the meat mixture if you wanted to. I think a jalapeno and some red pepper flakes would make a nice addition as well as the hot enchilada sauce instead of mild that I used. I think the next time I will add a 4 oz. can of chopped green chilies too.

** To make this a gluten free recipe, just use GF jumbo pasta shells

** To make this a vegetarian recipe, just leave out the meat.

Mexican Mortar Shells

  • 1 box of jumbo pasta shells
  • 1  ½ lbs ground beef (you could use ground turkey if you wanted to)
  • 2 – 10 oz cans enchilada sauce
  • 1 small sweet onion, diced
  • ¼ cup red pepper, chopped
  • ¼ cup yellow pepper, chopped
  • ¼ cup green onion, sliced thin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ¼ – ½ cup cilantro, depending on your taste
  • 1 – 16 oz can of re-fried beans
  • 1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • Optional toppings: sour cream, guacamole, green tabasco sauce, salsa

Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside. While those are cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, put in your sweet onion, peppers and seasonings.

Cook for about a minute or so and then add your ground beef (or turkey) and continue cooking until it is cooked through. Drain any excess fat. (I always use a 90-10 ground beef so that I don’t have all that extra fat.)

Stir in your can of re-fried beans and mix it all up. Add your green onions and cilantro and then about 3/4 of one of the cans of enchilada sauce. Let it cook for about another minute or two and then remove from heat.

I used an 11 x 13 glass baking dish and sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray. Then I added the remaining 1/4 of the first can of sauce and about 1/4 of the second one to the bottom of that baking dish.

Then, open up each cooked pasta shell and fill it up with the meat mixture. Place each shell into the bottom of the dish. I ended up with quite a few leftover shells, so the next time I make it I probably won’t fill them up as full so that I won’t run out of the meat mixture. Place them all close together so you can fit them all in your dish. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the tops of the shells. Then sprinkle your cheese over the shells.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until all the cheese is melted. Then top with your favorite toppings.

Posted in Beef, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Mexican Inspired, Pasta Dishes, Vegetarian | 9 Comments

Better Than Bouillon – a food base

Posted on November 1, 2011 by ohmygoodygoodness

For years I have sworn by College Inn broths. I make a lot of soups and stews and other random dishes that require either chicken, beef or vegetable broth and I have always preferred the taste of that brand. Recently though, I tried this Better Than Bouillon brand food base. Let me tell you, I will never use anything else as long as I cook! Click on that link and you can take a look at all of the products they have, I was amazed at the options they have available.

I have been following Karen’s blog over at Our Life In The Kitchen for almost two years now. (If you’ve never been by there, you should check it out. She has amazing recipes and unbelievable pictures!) She is always talking about this stuff, she uses it in any recipe that requires this type of ingredient.

For some reason I have just never tried it. It probably has to do with the fact that I am a real creature of habit and I stick with what I know. Until one day I try something new and then can’t believe I never did it before. I mean, it is kind of ridiculous, I park in the same aisle and nearly the same parking spot every time I go anywhere. When I don’t get to park in my usual spot, I get lost for a second when I come out of the store and nearly panic. Just kidding. Kind of.

It seems a little expensive when you look at the size of the jar, I paid about $5.60 at Publix for each one of these. However, when I compared this to the fact that I pay roughly $3.60 for a 48 oz. package of the College Inn broth, it is actually saving me money. I figure I generally use about two of the CI broth containers per recipe which is over $7.00. I have already used the BTB twice and still have about 3/4 of the jar left. Honestly, I would pay even more for this stuff anyway, because it is absolutely amazing. I see now why this is the only stuff Karen uses in her recipes.

I have been on a quest to find gluten free recipes for my friend Jenny who has Celiac Disease. When I did a search for GF broth, this stuff came up. This is what gave me the extra push to step out and finally try it. I am so glad I did.

When you use it to make broth, you just add in about 1 tsp of this to 8 oz. of water and stir to dissolve. I hope that you will give it a try, you won’t be sorry.

**I am in no way paid to endorse this product. They have no idea who I am or have a clue my little blog exists.

Posted in Gluten-Free, Products | 4 Comments