Nanaimo Bars

Oh boy. Let me preface this post by saying that nanaimo bars (say it "nah-nee-moh") are completely addictive. If you're looking for a new no-bake treat, this is a surefire winner. I had all the ingredients on hand in my pantry, so when I found the recipe, I was eating Nanaimo Bars within a couple of hours!

These layered bars remind me a little bit of Brookies in that you mix the different layers separately and then combine. Also, both are very rich and chocolate-y. However, when judged by me, Nanaimo Bars would win the dessert contest anytime. They're slightly easier to make, don't require baking, keep in the fridge forever, and taste amazing. Try them!

I would suggest assembling and measuring all your ingredients ahead of time. You have time in between making each layer where the bars need to chill in the fridge, so prepping only the layer you're about to work on will be sufficient.


Nanaimo Bars
adapted from The Joy of Baking


bottom layer ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

middle layer ingredients
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 tbsp. milk or cream (I used skim milk)
2 tbsp. vanilla pudding powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. powdered sugar

top layer ingredients
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1 tbsp. unsalted butter


bottom layer assembly
Grease a 9"x9" (I don't have one, so I used 8"x8") pan with cooking spray or butter.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder until incorporated completely.
Slowly stream the beaten egg into the mixture, stirring constantly.
Continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining "bottom layer ingredients".
Press the mixture into the greased pan with your fingers, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

middle layer assembly
Using a KA or electric hand mixer, beat butter until creamy.
Add all other ingredients and beat until smooth.
If mixture is too thick to spread, add a tablespoon of milk/cream at a time until it reaches a thick yet spreadable consistency.
Spread over the bottom layer.
Cover and refrigerate at least thirty minutes.

top layer assembly 
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate and butter in thirty-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
Pour over the middle layer and smooth.
Refrigerate until chocolate has set.

Cut into squares (I did 4x4, so got 16 2"x2" bars) with a sharp knife. I prefer to serve chilled straight out of the fridge, but you can also bring them to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza

Well, it's been quite a hiatus.  Chaos has reined in my household for the past month, and hopefully things are starting to calm down.  I'd love to say I'll get back to consistent, frequent blogging right away, but I'm not positive that will be the case.  For now, I'll do my best to continue sharing recipes with you.  I really appreciate you sticking around and continuing to check back - thanks for reading!

Whenever Anna gives me a recipe, I know it's going to be delicious.  (Remember her wild rice stuffed onions?)  She posted the recipe for this homemade pizza dough on her old blog.  I've made it twice now and I adore it.  It's a major savings over ordering pizza out, and best of all, you can top it exactly the way you like it.

I opted to top ours with slices of fresh mozzarella, pancetta, caramelized onions, and fresh spinach.  Delicious!

As Anna points out, if you don't have a mixer of some kind, the manual labor involved in this dough recipe is going to be excessive. You'll need a KA stand mixer or some other type of mixer with a dough hook.

Pizza Dough
from Anna

1 tsp. active dry yeast
2 tbsp. warm water +
2/3 c. water
1 c. AP flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
olive oil

In the bowl of the mixer, combine the yeast and warm water.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes - until the yeast has expanded (or "bloomed").
 
Add the additional water, both types of flour, and salt.  Combine and knead using the dough hook attachment for ten minutes.  While the dough is kneading, lightly oil a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Turn the dough out into the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Set in a warm place (I like my oven, turned off), and allow to rise for two hours.

Punch down the dough, then replace the wrap and allow to rise at least another two hours, up to overnight.  (Place bowl in the refrigerator if allowing an overnight rise).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and divide in half.  Roll and stretch each half into whatever shape you'd like your pizza to be.  I usually go with funky blob shapes, but if you want to go for a circle or square, have at it!

Top the dough with whatever you like.  Last week, we did sausage, goat cheese, and thawed frozen spinach.  The pictures show prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, carmelized onion, and fresh spinach.  The pizza on the left is Andrew's and also has homemade tomato sauce on it.

Bake pizzas on the bottom rack of the 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until dough is browned and cheese is melted and bubbly. 

This pizza dough recipe is easy, healthful, and delicious.  If you've been reading TPF for a while, you may know that I haven't always been confident in my ability to bake with yeast.  This is a great recipe to use if you feel the same way.  Your mixer does a lot of the work, and the directions are straightforward and easy to follow, thanks to Anna. 

The best thing about this pizza is that I always have the ingredients on hand.  Flour and yeast are staples in my pantry, and the toppings can be as varied as your imagination can handle.  I've always got some sort of cheese in the fridge and various veggies to use up.  Add in whatever meat and herbs are on hand, and fantastic homemade pizza is a snap.

Peek Into My Pantry!

Happy Friday!  It has been a long week and I have been extremely negligent of TPF lately - my apologies!  I am making Beef with Broccoli for dinner tonight - my version of the Chinese takeout classic, and a new favorite of ours.

As a fun Friday post, I thought I'd give you a peek into my pantry, seeing as how I just cleaned and reorganized it last night!  I seem to always be able to throw a meal together using ingredients from my pantry and my freezer (hmm, a future post perhaps?) so maybe I can inspire you to stock up!

Let's start with the top half!

As you can see, the top shelf is unlabeled.  All that's up there is a loaf of panettone, my KA food grinder, a cupcake tree, and a big box of Ramen noodles (hey, I like to eat them for lunch!).

The next shelf has my tea collection, plus Sweet & Low.  I also have extra boxes of raisins, oatmeal, and pancake mixes.  Behind all the food is an extra plastic pitcher and some plastic tumblers, and a plastic ketchup & mustard set.

Next you see my canned goods - most important to me are tuna, artichokes, tomato puree, and olives.  Usually I have a box or two of chicken stock, and at the moment, I also have some Campbell's condensed soup - Andrew was sick last week, and we've got to have tomato soup on hand to go with his grilled cheese!  I've also got tons of pasta - everything from egg noodles to rigatoni.  There's also piccolini, lasagne, spaghetti, and bow ties.

That red "PopCorn!" cup is the bane of my existence - we use the scoop to get cat food and the cup to get water, and then carry it to the basement to feed the kitties.  I always stick it in the cat food bin, and Andrew always puts it back on the shelf!

The fourth shelf has the usual backup baking supplies (flour, cornstarch, baking soda), plus some different baking stuff - raw nuts, anise seeds, and ladyfingers (for tiramisu!).  The "911" Desserts are cake mixes, graham cracker crumbs, and instant pudding - always ready when I need to throw something together at the last minute!  You can also see my popcorn stash - both microwave and the "real" kernels.

 Also on the fourth shelf are my "most used baking pans" - two muffin tins, two baking sheets with Silpats, and a 13x9 pan.  I keep two smaller baking sheets, a 6-cup muffin tin, an 8x8 pan, and a 13x9 in a kitchen drawer.  If those are my "first string" pans, these are the "second string"!

The last shelf has random cleaning supplies off to the left - contractor-size trash bags, vacuum attachments, etc.  In the middle is my "baking stuff" - from powdered sugar to chocolate chips, colored sprinkles to corn syrup.  I always keep yeast, extra brown sugar, sweetened and unsweetened chocolate, unflavored gelatin, and parchment paper on hand.

Also, behold the Almighty Crock Pot!  I love this thing, and use it all. the. time.  As you know, having seen my slow cooker meals.

On the floor you can see the appliances I don't keep in the kitchen, including my waffle maker and blender.  Off to the right, I store white and sweet potatoes.  And in the middle, the bin of pet food - kitty food and doggy kibble.

My pantry is in my laundry room, and I've utilized one of the cabinets next to the dryer as storage.  Here are more baking pans - on the top shelf there are two 8" cake pans, a 9" springform, and a 10" tart pan.  The middle shelf holds two pie plates and a stainless steel mixing bowl.  I also store paper goods here - cups, plates, napkins, and plasticware.  Below the cabinet, you can see my beloved recycling bins.

So, that's it!  Hopefully you enjoyed your little tour of my pantry.  Next week, I'm hoping to share my homemade Spinach-Ricotta Ravioli and my friend Adriana's Italian Drip Beef Sandwiches.

Snacks for Dinner - A Kid Friendly Version

I love making snacks for dinner.  Or appetizers for dinner.  Basically you make a bunch of "picky" dishes and then eat a little of this, a little of that...until you're stuffed!  Andrew and I were baby-sitting his cousins for a weekend, and we decided to do our own version of "snacks for dinner".  I had to make things that were kid friendly and that I could find in their house, so that narrowed down my choices big time.  But you know me, I love to sort through a fridge and pantry and see what I can come up with.  I have to say, this time wasn't particularly inspired, and it certainly wasn't culinary genius, but it made the kids happy and was relatively well-balanced, so...that's good enough for me!

The photo above is Andrew's cousin Luke, waiting patiently for me to take a picture so he can dig in.

Luke told me he loves to cook, so I had him help me was and then carefully cut the vegetables for our little crudite platter.  In the fridge, we found carrots, celery, half a red pepper, and two halves of cucumbers.

In the freezer, I found chicken tenders, cheesy garlic bread, and in the fridge, hot dogs.  We cut everything up into pieces we could grab with our hands, though we did end up using forks.

Here's our spread!  I added a bowl of pretzels and colorful bowls for the condiments.  We also made a frozen pizza for the boys, since they eat like horses.  :)

It may not have been the healthiest meal, but we worked with what we had to put it together, and everyone was happy with the results! 

Throw Together Pasta: Version 3

We do love our pasta around here, and I'm all about putting together meals with food we've already got on hand, even when we have house guests.  My mom and aunt were visiting again, and last time, I made butternut squash risotto.  To please my carb-loving relatives without being repetitive, I opted for a pasta dinner one night.  I had pesto left over from the panini, so I opted to turn it into a sauce.  I needed to use up some random veggies in my fridge, so I paired those with some frozen shrimp and the pesto cream, and TTP #3 was born.


Throw Together Pasta: Version 3
The Farmer's Market Version

1 lb. pasta (I used rigatoni) 
1 bunch spinach, washed and trimmed
1 bunch asparagus, washed
1 lb. shrimp, cleaned and deveined
4-6 slices bacon
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chicken stock
2/3 c. pesto, leftover
1/2 c. fat-free half & half
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Salt the water liberally, then add the pasta and cook al dente (according to package directions).

In the meantime, chop the bacon into 1" pieces.  Cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove to a paper towel-covered plate using a slotted spoon.  If you have an excessive amount of bacon grease, pour it out.  I had less than a tablespoon, so I left it in the pan.  Add the olive oil to the skillet.  Once the oil is hot, in goes the diced onion and garlic.  Cook until onion is translucent, being careful not to let the garlic brown.

Chop the asparagus into pieces about 2" long and add to the pan.  Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Cook two minutes, then add shrimp and spinach to the pan and cover.  Once spinach has wilted, stir in cooked pasta.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together pesto and half & half.  Pour over the pasta and toss to coat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with grated cheese - we like asiago!

Rice Pudding

This photo didn't come out that great, but rice pudding is so creamy and so...uncolorful...that it was tough to get a good picture!  What I love about this recipe is that you most likely have all the ingredients in your house - you'll just need to make your husband stop at the store for all that half-and-half!  The original recipe uses whole milk, so I subbed a combination of fat free half-and-half and skim milk.  The results were perfect - a creamy, delicious dessert with a lot less fat! 

I adore rice pudding, love risotto, and cook rice frequently, but for some reason I had never made my own rice pudding before.  I'm glad I tried it - this recipe was a nice change from chocolate at a time of year when people want warm, homey comfort food.  I brought this to my in-laws house for dinner along with some poached pears I had left over from Christmas.

Ann and I opted to eat it warm, Andrew and his father wanted it cold.  Not sure what this weird boy/girl divergence is all about, but to each their own.


Rice Pudding
adapted from Simply Recipes

4 c. fat free half-and-half
1 c. skim milk
2/3 c. uncooked short-grain white rice
pinch salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. raisins  (optional)


Combine rice, half-and-half, milk, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Drop the heat to low and simmer 20-25 minutes, until rice is tender.  Keep an eye on the rice, stirring often, or it will stick to the bottom of the pan.

Combine eggs and brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl.  Slowly stir in one tablespoon of the rice mixture at a time (totaling about half a cup) to temper the eggs.

Add the egg mixture to the saucepan, reduce heat to low, and stir for about ten minutes.  Do not allow the mixture to return to a boil.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and raisins, if using.  Serve immediately or chill and serve cold.  Serves 4-6.

Split Pea Soup

Watching Food Network with Andrew's stepmom Ann is always fun - we get ideas, chat about recipes we've made lately, and plan meals for the following week.  Recently we saw an episode of Sunny Anderson's show, Cooking For Real.  I had never seen it, but in this episode, Sunny made an "Easy Peasy Split Pea Soup" that looked absolutely delicious.

I went home and immediately bookmarked the recipe, but it's taken me several weeks to make the soup.  I'm so glad I got this soup onto my menu plan, because it was a rich, velvety, comforting dinner that was easy to put together on a cold weeknight.

You can click the link above for the full recipe, but I wanted to point out the differences in my version.  Instead of slab bacon, I used six slices of peppered bacon that I had leftover in the fridge.  I skipped the celery (we don't like it) and the cumin (I couldn't find it), and didn't garnish with tomato or lime as Sunny suggested (it sounded gross).  I also used my own homemade chicken stock rather than the boxed or canned variety.

This split pea soup truly was "easy peasy" - Andrew and I both enjoyed it's thick consistency and the nutritional value of the soup is sky high, a major plus for the healthy lifestyle we're trying to maintain through the holiday season.  The best part?  I had everything I needed on hand except the dried peas.  Now that I bought them for the soup, I'll have them on hand, and next time, this will truly be a meal straight out of my pantry.

Speaking of Food Network, Ann attended the Cleveland Fabulous Food Show and she got to meet our FN crush, Tyler Florence!!!  Aren't they so cute?!?

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Some people are scared of cooking seafood at home.  They may not have grown up in a family that ate seafood, they may dislike the smell of fish cooking, or they may not realize the vast benefits of adding fish to your diet.  If you are a novice at preparing (or eating!) seafood, tilapia is a great place to start.  A mild white fish, tilapia has a subtle flavor that doesn't overpower wary diners. 

At my supermarket, I can buy individually wrapped, boneless, skinless, frozen tilapia filets from Tropical Aquaculture.  These are a fantastic staple to keep on hand, as they can easily become a dinner entree on a busy night.  Prepare tilapia as you would chicken - baked, fried, poached, steamed, grilled, or broiled.  You can cut it into chunks and create an easy fish chowder, or mix into fresh veggies for a simple stir fry. 

This is an easy preparation that will work for any mild white fish fillet.  The flavor from the herbs and cheese prevent the fish from becoming bland or boring.  Baking preserves the buttery taste of the fish without adding unnecessary calories.


Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

2 tilapia filets
1 tbl. Italian seasoning
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. breadcrumbs
1 egg
salt & pepper


Scramble egg on a plate, set aside.  On a paper plate, combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, cheese, salt, and pepper.

Rinse tilapia, pat dry with a paper towel.  Salt and pepper both sides.  Set up an assembly line - fish, egg, and breadcrumbs/cheese.

Dip both sides of fish in egg, then coat both sides in breadcrumb mixture.  Lay on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes with a fork.

For a simple but delicious meal, serve with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Buttermilk Quick Bread

There are so many food blogs out there that it's hard to keep track of all the ones I want to read and all the recipes I want to make. Sometimes, a post catches my eye, and I end up making the recipe right away. I'll see some delicious looking chicken dish, already have chicken thawed for dinner, and decide to change my plans to accomodate this new recipe I've found. However, I had never gotten up out of my chair after reading a post and gone straight to the kitchen to make a recipe. Until today.

Buttermilk Quick Bread

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 large egg whites

1-1/2 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the dry ingredients.

**Note** Part of the reason I wanted to make this recipe was because I discovered a container of powdered buttermilk in my pantry this weekend. If you are using powdered, add the powder to the dry ingredients, then add the water when you would add the liquid ingredients.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the liquids. Stir gently to combine - do not overmix! You just want everything to be incorporated, not beaten to death.

Here's where Stephanie tells you to pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Oops! I didn't realize that I packed my loaf pan and sent it to my mom's house...in Connecticut. So here I am in Ohio, debating what to do. I ended up using an 8" x 8" pan, and it worked beautifully.

Bake for 45 minutes, unless you are dumb like me and have to use an 8" x 8", in which case, bake for 35 minutes.

I allowed mine to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then removed it to a baking rack per Stephanie's instructions. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let it cool completely before I tasted it. I would be ashamed, but let's face it, hot buttermilk bread is pretty irresistible.

I decided to cut the 8" x 8" square into two rectangular "loaves" and then slice.

So, today I discovered two great new things: a new blog to enjoy in Stephanie Cooks, and on that blog, a great new recipe! Stephanie found this one in the January/February 2009 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

If you have buttermilk powder on hand, this is the type of recipe you can pull together at the last minute when you need something for weekday breakfasts, a weekend brunch, or even to serve with chili. I love recipes that can be put together using only the contents of my pantry and everyday fridge items (eggs, butter). I honestly didn't find any fault with the buttermilk powder - some foodie purists might choose to disagree, but I thought this bread was luscious - buttery, not too crumbly, moist, and rich. *sigh* I think I need to be alone with the bread for a moment.

Okay, I'm back. ::wipes away drool:: I don't trust myself alone with this bread for another day...so I sent it to work with Andrew. Hope everyone enjoys it! And for the record, I did keep two pieces for myself. Okay fine, three.

This quick bread really was easy to put together - it took me all of five minutes to mix it once I had my ingredients assembled. Another five minutes was spent looking for my loaf pan, then about 30 seconds deciding screw the loaf pan, I'll just use an 8x8. Another 30 seconds was spent inhaling two slices once the bread came out of the oven. See, I told you...it's quick.

Throw Together Pasta: Version 2

You know I love my pasta, and you may even know that I'm good at throwing things together at the last minute. What you may not know is that I put together a random pasta dish almost every week, and it's never the same twice. I wanted to post tonight's dinner so you can get an idea of how I come up with these meals.

Unlike my last version, this throw together pasta is not vegetarian. Andrew is not a fan of meals that don't include meat, so I try to keep certain items (like bacon and shrimp) in the freezer at all times. I stick to bacon and shrimp for a few reasons: they are quick to thaw, easy to incorporate into any dish, fast-cooking, and most importantly, I like them. See, I'm a little devious that way.

Throw Together Pasta: Version Two

The Fridge & Freezer Version

6 slices raw peppered bacon, chopped

1 lb. pasta (*see note below)

12-15 frozen shrimp

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 c. fresh mozzarella, diced

1 egg

salt & pepper

red pepper flakes

To start, crisp the bacon in a large pan over medium high heat. It's okay if it doesn't get completely crispy, it will have more time to cook. I didn't need to, but depending on the quantity and type of bacon, it may be necessary to drain some of the fat.

Add the onions, peppers, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and saute until vegetables soften.

In the meantime, put a pot of water on to boil for your pasta. I used cresti di gallo, a pasta shape that made the best mac & cheese ever - served at a restaurant I waitressed at here in Ohio. I never knew the name of the pasta shape until today, when I googled "ruffly elbow noodles" to try to find out what they were called. It didn't even say what it was on the box, so research was necessary.

Once you drop the pasta, throw your shrimp into the bacon/veggie pan, ladle in some pasta water, and put a lid on the pan. I used uncooked frozen shrimp straight from the freezer, shells on. Usually I thaw them, remove the tails, and devein them, but I was in a hurry and Andrew was hungry, so we peeled them ourselves while we ate.

While the pasta cooks, beat one egg in a small bowl.

Give the bacon/veggie mixture a stir, then dice the fresh mozzarella.

Drain the pasta - see how pretty?

Combine all ingredients in the pasta pot - the bacon/veggie mixture, the egg, the mozzarella, and the pasta. Stir to coat the pasta with the egg and evenly distribute the bacon, veggies, shrimp, and cheese.

Serve in bowls topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Andrew and I have come to love pasta night - I get to be creative, we get to use up various items in our fridge and freezer, and we always end up liking the results. Try your own throw together pasta next time you're short on time, ingredients, and ideas. Trust me, you'll like whatever you come up with.

Garlicky Crescent Rolls

I must admit, I occasionally rely on dough that comes in tubes. I like to dress them up so they're not quite so plain.


This time, I took crescent rolls, spread them with butter, and sprinkled with garlic salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and parsley. Then I just rolled them up and baked according to the package directions.

These garlicky crescent rolls are a little nicer than just slapping the dough out of the tube, without taking any more time or effort. I like to have bread with my meals and this is an easy way to make that happen!

Throw Together Pasta: Version 1

I make a lot of pasta, and when I use a recipe, I always try to post it with photos. What you don't get to see, dear readers, is the behind-the-scenes magic that occurs when it's 5:30 on a weeknight, I'm starving, and I've already put on my pajamas. In these situations, there's only one thing to do - make something happen for dinner using only the contents of my pantry.

This may be an acquired skill, but it is certainly something I'm excellent at. I've decided to try to start sharing my pantry meals with you, in the hope of inspiring last-minute greatness at your dinner table.


Throw Together Pasta: Version 1
The Veggie Version
Co-Chef: Kristi

Pasta

1 lb. pasta (whatever you've got!)
1 sweet potato, julienned
1 ear leftover corn on the cob, kernels removed
1 medium zucchini, julienned
1 medium onion, sliced thin
5 cloves of garlic
red pepper flakes
EVOO


If you aren't good at chopping or you are lazy and don't have the energy to hunt for your mandolin, feel free to roughly cut the veggies into chunks about the same size as the pasta you've chosen. We almost always have penne rigati or rigatoni, and I like to keep everything in the dish as uniform in size as possible.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a handful of salt and the pasta. Cook according to the al dente timing on the box.

In a large pan over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in EVOO until soft. Add sweet potato and cook until it begins to slightly soften. Add the corn, zucchini, and red pepper flakes. Continue to saute veggies until all are heated through and slightly softened, not mushy.

After your pasta is cooked and drained, return it to the large pot. Pour the veggies and pesto over the pasta, toss to combine. Top with any grated/shredded cheese you've got on hand.


Pesto

herbs from your best friend's garden (we had a large fistful each of parsley and chives)
2 cloves garlic
small handful of raw walnuts
salt, pepper, EVOO
splash of cream

You can make this ahead of time if you must, but part of what makes this pesto so great is that it's fresh. This is "throw together pesto" - so you're using what's on hand...NOT going to the store to buy pignoli (pine nuts) or spending $5 on basil because it's not fully grown into your garden yet.

I used my rocket blender to make this, but feel free to utilize your food processor or full size blender. Stuff the herbs into the blender, add raw garlic, walnuts, and about 2 tbsp. olive oil. Pulse pesto until it isn't moving anymore - now you need to add more EVOO. If you have a regular full size blender or a large food processor, you can stream in the oil, otherwise, you will have to stop, add more, check it, and repeat until you get the right consistency. Once the pesto is fully combined, add a lovely splash of cream to loosen it up a bit more and make it a bit richer.

Variaions
-If you want this meal to be vegan, just omit the cream in the pesto and don't top your pasta with cheese
-If you want this meal to fall into a raw diet, steam all the veggies and serve over quinoa, smothered with pesto (since it's a raw sauce)


This pasta turned out great. Kristi and I loved the kick from the red pepper on the veggies and the raw garlic in the pesto. The sweet potato added a lot of body to the dish, the corn added crunchy freshness, and the zucchini was a bright pop of color and clean flavor. You could add curry powder in place of the red pepper if you wanted to give it an Indian twist - curry would mesh really well with the sweet potato.

The point of my throw-together pastas is to try new combinations and not let anything go to waste. Basically, incorporate all your leftover meats and veggies, and make up a sauce that works. If you know the methods for simple sauces, you can create anything you want based on what's in your pantry. I've got another version waiting in the wings (hey, I make it a lot!) so keep your eyes peeled.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Shapes

After I adopted a soldier, I decided I wanted to send him treats in the mail. I wanted to send something that would stand up to shipping and last as long as possible so they would (hopefully) still be fresh when they got there. I thought chocolate chip cookies would be a nice homemade treat.

I haven't done much experimenting with chocolate chip cookie recipes. I typically use the Nestle recipe - with one variation.




I add one box of instant vanilla pudding to the dry ingredients before I mix the cookie dough. This makes the cookies stay soft for a longer period of time. They puff up nicely and stay puffed.

My pan was 12" x 17" - too large for one batch of cookies. I did some calculations based on the information on the bag of chocolate chips, and decided multiplying the recipe by 7/3 would be the right amount.



It worked out well. Once my giant batch of cookies was mixed, I dumped it all out onto the pan.

I spread the cookie dough out with a spatula as evenly as possible and baked according to the recipe directions.


To cut the cookies into shapes, I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter. I sent the cookies out the week before Valentine's Day, hoping they would get there in time.



In order to cut them out, I pressed the cookie cutter down, then slid a spatula underneath. I kept the cutter in place and lifted the whole thing to a rack to cool.


The cookies were large - my increased recipe made about 12 hearts. I cut up the "crusts" and Andrew and I ate them for three days!


I wrapped the cookies individually in plastic wrap. The ones that were shipped, I also wrapped in bubble wrap so they wouldn't get crushed. You could use this method for any shape - the cookies are scrumptious and festive.