Cavatappi with Pancetta Ricotta Tomato Sauce

Easy, quick pasta dish for a busy weeknight. With the amounts in the original recipe, I would give it 9/10. Below, I've put the modified amounts I will try next time I make this and will update again after I do so!

Link to my YouTube preparation of the recipe: https://youtu.be/_Ebv5_Nui8M

Original recipe credit: https://www.italianrecipebook.com/cellentani-pancetta-ricotta-tomato-sauce/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

*8oz. uncooked cavatappi/cellentani pasta (this is the amount I plan to use going forward, not what was used in the video)

splash of EV olive oil

4 oz. diced pancetta

~1 tsp. jarred minced garlic

*3/4 c. tomato passata (again, this is the amount I am going to try next time I make this)

dried basil, to taste (could also use fresh)

1/2 c. ricotta

1/4 c. reserved pasta cooking water (plus more, if needed)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve pasta cooking water when draining.

2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and pancetta to pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until pancetta starts to brown slightly. Stir in the garlic.

3. Lower heat to just below medium (may want to remove pan from heat momentarily to let cool down). Stir in the passata, season with the dried basil, then cook, stirring occasionally, letting gently simmer as you complete next step.

4. In a food processor or blender, purée together the ricotta and reserved pasta cooking water.

5. Add the puréed mixture to the skillet and stir to combine. If the sauce is not desired thickness, adjust with small amount of pasta cooking water.

6. Remove from heat, then add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Stir to coat and combine. Serve up and enjoy!

Fusilli (Rotini) Alla Vodka

Very tasty! 9.5/10, only reason for not 10/10 is that, while it is very tasty, it's not on the same level as other pastas I've rated 10's. It is quite easy to make, though, and I absolutely will make again. **note: I used 1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper, NOT 1/4 cup as I say in the video lol!!**

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/pC3A8GX8csA

Original recipe credit (you may hit paywall if you've already browsed other Bon Appétit recipes): https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fusilli-alla-vodka-basil-parmesan

Recipe below reflects my modifications.

Ingredients:

8 oz. fusilli (or, as I used, rotini) pasta, cooked according to package directions and strained cooking water reserved

2 T. olive oil

1/2 of a small shallot, minced

3 clove garlic, minced

1/2 c. tomato paste

2 T. vodka

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 T. unsalted butter

~1 oz. freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

~1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic to skillet, cook for a couple of minutes, until softened (not browning!!).

2. Add tomato paste to pan. Stirring frequently, cook until turns brick red and caramelizes (*I don't know how tomato paste is supposed to 'caramelize', so I did not try for this; if this happens for you, however, wanted you to be aware.)

3. Stir in the vodka and cook, stirring, until it seems to have evaporated (this does not take very long).

4. Stir in the heavy cream and crushed red pepper. Continue stirring frequently until mixture has fully combined (should become a creamy, uniform sauce).

5. Remove from heat. Season with kosher salt (be generous) and pepper.

6. Add the unsalted butter along with the cooked pasta to the pan. Slowly stir in a bit of pasta water at a time until the desired consistency is achieved (it took 1/2 c. for mine to be nice and glossy, coating well, but not too thick or thin).

7. Stir in the Parmesan and basil. Garnish with additional Parmesan if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Pie (with video link)

Happy pi(e) day! I tried this recipe not only to celebrate pi day, but also as an early birthday dessert for my hubby, who loves snickerdoodle cookies. And it was a hit--we all loved it, 10/10 all the way! In my YouTube video below, I flubbed a couple of times on ingredient order; it still turned out great anyway, so I think it's a forgiving recipe lol. As for 'original recipe credit', I found it on two different sites with only one tiny variation, and could not tell which site had posted it first, so I'm listing both. Either way, if you love snickerdoodles, you are bound to love this, too.

As stated in the video, there is a cream cheese drizzle to top this in the original recipe; we opted to leave this out and have vanilla ice cream with it instead, which is delicious :)

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/JyKdxpYVLfE

Both 'original' recipe links: https://www.somethingswanky.com/snickerdoodle-pie-la-cookies-and-cups/

https://cookiesandcups.com/im-liking-the-snickerdoodle-pie/

Ingredients:

for the crust--

1 unbaked pie crust for 9" pie plate (I used this recipe to make my own)

1 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

~1 T. butter, melted

for the syrup--

1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed

1/4 c. (half of a stick) butter

3 T. water

2 T. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. cinnamon (*I forgot to add this in the video, still turned out great, will add next time!)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the filling--

1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. milk (original recipe doesn't specify type; I used 2%)

1 1/4 c. (5.31 oz.) all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. For the crust--Place the unbaked pie crust in the pie plate and crimp top edge as desired. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the melted butter all over inside the pie crust, then sprinkle 1 tsp. only of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over to coat evenly; reserve the rest for later.

2. For the syrup--In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, butter, water, corn syrup, and cinnamon. Bring to gentle boil and stir frequently to keep from boiling over for 2 minutes. 

3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.

4. Heat oven to 350°F.

5. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, then beat for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar. Beat together until well combined.

6. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, then slowly beat in the milk. (*I did this in wrong order in the video!)

7. Gradually mix in the flour and keep mixing until mixture becomes smooth.

8. Pour the mixture into the pie crust in the pie dish and spread as evenly as possible. Slowly pour the reserved syrup all over the top of the filling.

9. Sprinkle the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture as evenly as possible across the top of the syrup. Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil.

10. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for additional 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

11. Cool, serve (with ice cream, if desired) and enjoy!

Chicken with Morels

Wonderful dish, special-occasion-worthy, 10+/10! 

The recipe I use in this entry is from a book called French: delicious classic cuisine made easy by Carole Clements & Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen. As I stated in the video, I got this book back when Borders bookstore existed and love it, it's full of great recipes, some of which are in this blog already. I have modified only slightly from the original for what is written below.

Link for my YouTube video of preparation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRwYRtVmqa0

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. dried morel mushrooms (*this could easily be reduced to just 1 oz. to make this more affordable)

1 c. chicken broth

4 T. butter, divided

3 medium shallots, thinly sliced (*you can use more, but I found this to be plenty)

3 1/2 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

3 T. brandy

3/4 c. heavy cream, divided

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, around 7 oz. each (if you can find thinly sliced, those would be best)

1 T. vegetable oil (*I left this out by accident in the video; will use next time)

3/4 c. Champagne or dry sparkling wine

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring morels and chicken broth to a boil. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 1 hour. (I covered my pan during the hour, but this is not listed in original recipe.)

2. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Pour the morels and broth over the cheesecloth, then press lightly to squeeze excess liquid out. Reserve the sauce and set aside some of the larger morels. If desired, coarsely chop the remaining morels. (I did not do this and it was fine.)

3. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 T. of the butter. Once melted, add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes (until softened). Add the (chopped) morels and the sliced button mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, for around 2-3 minutes.

4. Stir in the thyme, brandy, and 1/3 c. of the heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to keep at a gentle simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has nearly evaporated. When finished cooking, remove from heat to let cool slightly.

5. While the mixture is simmering, cut a slit pocket in each chicken breast, being careful to not pierce the sides.

6. Use a small spoon to stuff each pocket with around 1/4 of the mushroom mixture. (*If you have some leftover, just reserve it to add to the sauce like I did in the video.)

7. Melt the remaining 2 T. of butter along with the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat if you have regular (thick) chicken breasts, medium high if you have thin chicken breasts. Gently add them to the heated butter/oil combo and cook for 8 minutes on one side, then 4 min on the other (longer if you have the regular/thicker ones). 

8. Transfer chicken breasts to a plate. Add the sparkling wine to the pan and bring to boil, keeping at boil until reduced by half. Then add the reserved morel liquid, bring back to boil and keep it boiling until again reduced by half.

9. Add remaining cream and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until sauce thickens to point of coating the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. 

10. Return the chicken to the pan, along with any accumulated juices, and stir in the reserved whole morels (and any leftover stuffing mixture, if you had any). Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 3-5 minutes, until sauce reaches desired thickness. Serve sauce over morels and enjoy!! 

Chewy Brownie Cookies (with video link)

Delicious and easy! 10/10, will definitely make again. The only modification I made was to not grease the cookie sheets and use parchment instead. This worked perfectly and will do so anytime I make these. The baking time ended up being 10 min for me; this was due to my oven being slightly off on the temp (I checked after second batch). Thus, if your oven is accurate, likely 8 or 9 min for the baking time will be just right :) Also, I have no idea why the original recipe lists 'powdered sugar' at the end of the ingredients, as it is not used in this recipe. The original does indicate that you can use whatever type of chocolate (or non-chocolate) chips you like.

Link to original recipe: https://crisco.com/recipe/chewy-brownie-cookies/

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/WAE3vBSErqo

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)

2/3 c. butter flavored Crisco

1 T. water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 c. (6.38 oz.) all-purpose flour

1/3 c. unsweetened baking cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment (or grease, if preferred).

2. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together brown sugar, Crisco, water, and vanilla until well combined.

3. Beat in eggs until blended.

4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Add mixture about a third at a time and mix until just blended.

5. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Drop dough (rounded tablespoonfuls) onto prepared baking sheets, spacing dough placements about 2 inches apart.

6. Bake for 8-10 min or until cookies are 'set'. Cool at least 2 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely (cookies will still be a bit soft when transferring). Enjoy!

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Asiago Tortellini

Need a quick weeknight dinner? This will do the trick! I will go 9.5/10 on this one, as it's very tasty, but the sauce was not as thick as I expected and the original recipe's directions seem to be lacking a couple of details. I will absolutely make this again, though, and update if I change anything to improve it :)

Link to original recipe: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a49185/asiago-tortellini-recipe/

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/9JAdoXMlv78

I made half of the original recipe, thus the amounts below reflect this change, plus my modifications.

Ingredients:

8 oz. cheese filled tortellini, cooked according to package directions, cooking water reserved

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

6 T. heavy cream

6 T. chicken broth

1 c. baby spinach (moderately packed)

6 T. grated Asiago

kosher salt, to taste

coarse ground black pepper, to taste

1 T. fresh parsley, chopped (I think you could use either curly or Italian; I used Italian)

pinch of crush red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium-large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds - 1 min, until it becomes fragrant.

2. Stir in the heavy cream, chicken broth, and 1/4 c. of the reserved pasta cooking water. (*next time I make this, I am going to simmer it at this point for about 5 min.)

3. Stir in the cooked tortellini, followed by the baby spinach. Let come to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach begins to wilt.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the Asiago. You may add additional pasta water at this point if the sauce is not the desired consistency (I did not add any, as it was already thinner than I expected).

5. Stir in the desired amount of kosher salt and pepper, as well as the parsley and red pepper flakes. Serve and enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Sesame Asparagus

This is a major yum fest. If you are serving anyone who thinks they don't like asparagus, serve them this to change their mind. I believe it will work like a charm, as this is too delicious. As I mentioned in my previous entry, this pairs well with the baked tilapia for which I made the video (and is pictured below).

Link to original recipe: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/04/bacon-wrapped-caramelized-sesame-asparagus

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, stems removed (around 20-25 spears)

4 (or 5) slices thick-cut bacon (I used 5, as I had about 27 spears total, making 5 bundles)

1 1/2 T. olive oil

1/2 T. toasted sesame oil

1 1/2 T. brown sugar

1 minced garlic clove

1/2 T. sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (be absolutely sure you do this!!) and place wire rack on top. Spray rack with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together olive oil, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar, and garlic in a small bowl.

3. Wind a piece of bacon around 5-6 spears as a bundle, then place bundle seam side down on the rack. Repeat for remaining spears.

4. Spoon some of the sauce mixture over each bundle, making sure to coat as well as possible.

5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Transfer to oven and roast for 35-40 minutes. Serve up and enjoy!

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