Pasta with Chicken and Lemon

I don't know about you, but I am always trying to find ways to get vegetables into what we are eating. Sometimes I dice them and throw them in soup, with pasta, or into a starch. Often, I have a giant pile on each person's plate, hoping the sheer magnitude will force them to eat at least half.
I recently realized my husband is throwing away his vegetables when he clears his own plate. I hadn't noticed right away because he always comes back with a giant pile of rice doused with Tabasco and that's all I can think about. After a minute or two I realize he ate a lot of vegetables, and as I open my mouth to ask how they were I realize he threw them away. It has only taken me two or three years to catch on to this. A couple weeks ago at dinner I finally confronted him.
"Did you throw your vegetables away?!!" I already knew the answer.

Spinach and Sausage Tortellini

At my house, one of the few things that wins every time is pasta. It doesn't matter what I do to it, whether I cook kale and throw it in, toss in some sausage, or perhaps some browned butter, it is always a winner. Red sauce, white sauce, garlic butter sauce, bacon cream sauce, ground sausage, ground beef, shrimp or chicken, it doesn't matter. I might toss in fresh lemon juice, tomatoes, and steamed vegetables with a protein, or make a spicy red sauce with shrimp. My kids love it, my husband loves it, my sister usually loves it (unless there are shrimp).

Besides being one of the easiest meals to throw together in about half an hour, pasta is also fun and easy to make. I know we have this preconception that it is difficult and time-consuming, but pasta is quick and easy, and can be done in a matter of minutes. The dough is simple and easy, and I find it so rewarding to make it fresh. All you need is flour and eggs and  you have a blank canvas for anything you can conceive. Add freshly ground black pepper and you have a delicious base for a strong cheese and browned butter. Make spinach pasta and top with a rich cream sauce.
One of our family favorites is spinach and sausage tortellini. Sometimes we add cheese, sometimes we leave it out, but I usually make a double batch and freeze some of it for another meal. It doesn't seem like very much, but if you have had tortellini you know a little goes a long way. They are also delicious if you drop them into a spicy vegetable tomato soup.

So the next time you have a lazy afternoon, set aside a little time to make up a batch of pasta and see how delicious and tender homemade pasta is.

(I usually double the recipe and pop some in the freezer)
For the pasta:
2 cups flour
3 eggs

For the filling:
There is an endless multitude of fillings you can use. Just be sure you season them as you normally would, and cook all meats to a safe temperature. Fresh pasta cooks in a matter of minutes and most meats do not cook that quickly, even ground.
 about 1/2 cup of filling per batch
cooked spinach with garlic and italian sausage
cheese and cooked spinach
lobster and bechamel sauce
3-cheese

For the pasta:

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy). The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2-cup increments, if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Roll and form as desired.

Men are from Mars and women are...like spaghetti?

I love spaghetti. I know, you probably think I love every food, but I really love spaghetti. Spaghetti with meatballs. There is just something so fun about it. Maybe, it is because I liked watching Lady and the Tramp when I was a little girl, and that famous scene when they fall in love happens at a little Italian place around a big plate of Spaghetti and meatballs.
Maybe its because that was a family dinner I remembered and enjoyed. I think it was one of my dad's favorite meals, and I have to say I liked it, too.
When I first got married, my husband preferred Prego over any spaghetti sauce. I made homemade sauce, and he still hinted that he like Prego better. Not roasted garlic or four cheese, just plain, old, Classic Prego sauce. I kind of left it alone. I would make meat sauce or whatever, and sometimes I added things to the sauce, like onions and garlic, or sun dried tomatoes, or olives, but there just wasn't any oomph. I wanted to 'maka spaghetti lika the Italians'. I wanted sauce that made me kiss my fingers and say, "Momma-mia!" It just wasn't working out for me.

Then, there was a special in Saveur magazine. I really love that magazine. I had never heard of it until my husband bought me a subscription. It isn't an over commercialized, celebrity-chef oriented magazine. It has recipes from cultures all over the world, and articles and essays about food, its origins, eating, and travel. I like it a lot. I have found so many recipes in there that I have used over and over again.
Anyway, back to spaghetti. So, there was this recipe from a famous restaurant in New York (I think) and I decided to try it. We all loved it. I sometimes make the whole recipe, or if I don't have time for the meatballs I just make a meat sauce, but follow the same principles. I really love saucing the noodles ahead of time. It definitely makes a difference no matter what spaghetti sauce you use. And if you make this up, taste it and if its too bitter just add a hit of sugar. Not too much, though. And, of course, this isn't exactly how the recipe goes, and feel free to add what your family loves.
For the sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt
2 24 oz cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup basil, chopped

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Just before adding the meatballs, add the basil.

For the meatballs:

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage (homemade if you have it)
1 cup Parmesan Italian panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup basil, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil

optional: 2 sticks mozzarella string cheese, each cut into six pieces.

Combine all ingredients, except for sliced garlic, mozzarella cheese (if using) and olive oil, in a large bowl. Gently stir with a spoon. Pat meat into 12 large balls, placing mozzarella pieces in the center (if using). Pour olive oil into a large pan and add sliced garlic. Saute over medium-high heat until garlic begins to brown. Add meatballs. Saute first side for about 4 minutes, then rotate as though the meatball has six sides. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes before rotating.
When meatballs are done, place into simmering sauce.

For the spaghetti:
1 lb dried spaghetti noodles, broken in half
4 quarts salted water
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cook spaghetti  in salted water according to package directions, draining as soon as it is al dente. Return to pan and turn heat on low. Add two or three ladles of the pasta sauce, tossing to coat. Add parsley. Serve with more sauce and meatballs.

Happy Anniversary

So, this month marks my one year anniversary of having a blog! I know, many of you out there have had blogs for years, but I feel like it is quite an accomplishment. My first blog post was actually on January 19th. I think it took me the whole month just to design my blog. I wasn't really sure what to do.
You know how on anniversaries, you look back at the last year and reflect on things you can do better, etc. Well, I was looking through my posts, and as I was reminiscing, I noticed something.
Not one post about beef. Strange. We eat beef all the time. Not as much as chicken, but we have it at least once a week. I guess it's just because beef isn't that interesting. I usually just make hamburgers, or meatballs, or maybe beef burgundy, broccoli beef or tacos. Nothing too crazy or too interesting. I always make steak for Father's Day, Valentine's Day, and any other time my husband can talk me into it.
I thought it was time to start posting some beef recipes. The first one that came into my mind was beef stroganoff. We all love it around here, and it is an easy recipe that you can make with just a few items you usually have on hand. I have made it with ground beef or small beef stew pieces. It's great either way. We love it with green beans, carrots, broccoli, or garlic bread, and even the boys will eat several bowls of it.

Laurel's Beef Stroganoff

1 lb egg noodles (I like No Yolks Extra Wide)
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb button mushrooms, thinly sliced (you can leave them out if you don't like mushrooms)
1 cup beef stock with 4 Tablespoons flour whisked in
2 teaspoons beef bouillon
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
chopped parsley for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain noodles and return to pot.
Meanwhile, saute onion with a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until soft. Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about five minutes, then add the mushrooms. Once beef is completely cooked (no pink) add the beef stock and flour. If the mixture thickens too much, add a little more beef stock. Heat almost until boiling, then add the beef bouillon and sour cream.
Season with additional salt and pepper.
Combine sauce and noodles, and add chopped parsley.