Spinach Pesto Ravioli's

Who doesn't love fresh homemade pasta?  Fresh homemade pasta is like nothing else in this world and when you pair it with fresh spinach pesto you just can't go wrong!  I will admit homemade pasta is time consuming but if you make it with your family or a group of friends it is fun and the time just flies by!

Here we are starting the dough.  This could be done in the Kitchen Aid but we wanted to do it by hand this time.

 Here is my spinach pesto.  I used fresh spinach (about a pound), garlic,olive oil, roasted walnut oil, salt, pepper and some parmesan cheese.  Whirled it around in the food processor and it was done.  This was super tasty on crackers.  Yes, I was snacking.  :)

 We rolled the dough out using my Kitchen Aid pasta attachment and then we made the raviolis.  I used 1 egg, a small container of ricotta cheese and about 1/2 the pesto for the filling. 

We let these dry for about 2 hours while we made a our sauce.  It was very simple I just used 2 cans of tomato sauce, a spoonful of pesto and some roasted garlic red pepper seasoning.  We then put together a salad with spinach, romaine, green onions and tomatoes.  The bread sticks were store bought but I will make them next time.

Ready for the best part of this?  This meal cost under $20 and fed 5 people.  The fresh flavors of this wake up your taste buds and make you smile.  Make this and your family will love you!

Chocolate, I needed chocolate!

I have not been feeling crafty lately but I have been craving chocolate.  I found a make a mix cookbook about a week ago and so today I decided to try out a recipe. 

Brownie Mix

6 cups AP flour
4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp salt
8 cups sugar
1 (8 oz) can unsweetened cocoa
2 cups vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add sugar and cocoa.  Blend well.  With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed.  Put into a large airtight container.  Label and store in a cool, dry place.  Use within 10-12 weeks.  Makes about 17 cups of brownie mix. 


Brownies

2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups brownie mix
1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.  In a medium bowl, combine eggs, vanilla and brownie mix.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake 30-35 minutes, until edges separate from pan.  Cool and cut into 2 inch bars.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost.

I made these brownies tonight and let me tell you I think I am feeling crafty again.  I used a combination of chocolate and peanut butter chips and it was yummy, I mean really, really yummy.  Try this,  your taste buds and your creativity will thank you!  Hopefully this weekend I will be sharing more recipes that you can make with this mix. 

Recipe copied from Make-A-Mix Cookery HP Books copyright 1978

Blueberry Sausage Waffles

I love breakfast for dinner.  Tonight we had waffles and they were awesome.  I have found that when you make something like waffles for dinner they have to be a bit heartier so they stick with you.  I think these fit the bill perfectly.  Try them and let me know what you think.

Blueberry Sausage Waffles                               

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

4 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp baking powder

8 Tbsp powdered milk

4 Tbsp buttermilk powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

2 cups fresh blueberries

8 oz. cooked and crumbled sausage

2 eggs

4 cups water

1 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients and cook in hot waffle iron.  This recipe makes about 12 waffles.  You can just top them with a bit of butter since the blueberries pop and almost make their own syrup.  Make sure you spray your waffle iron with non stick spray since the blueberries can stick.

Enchilada Soup

I love enchiladas.  I think they are one of the most perfect foods in the world.  Sadly, enchiladas are time consuming to make...  I decided to try and come up with the taste of enchiladas in a quick and easy soup.  So here is my version of enchilada soup.

Jenn's Easy Enchilada Soup                                                           

*1/4 cup diced bell peppers
*1/4 cup minced onion
*1/8 cup minced garlic

*1/8 cup minced hot/mild peppers (I used Pasilla and Jalapeno)

1 29 oz. can of Enchilada sauce
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups of rice
1/4 cup of cornmeal stirred into about 1/4 cup of water
2-4 cups of water

Combine the sauce and the broth and bring to a simmer.  Add in the rice and simmer 20-30 minutes.  Once the rice is done add in the chicken, peppers, onions and garlic.  Return soup to a simmer and slowly stir in the cornmeal.  The soup was a bit too thick for me so I added about 3 cups of water and returned to a simmer. 

Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips or tortillas.         Serves 6-8

*I used dried peppers, onions and garlic.  About an hour before you start the soup put your dried ingredients into a bowl and covering with boiling water.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until softened.

Isn't this pretty?  I love all the colors.  The amazing magic that happens when you add water fascinates me.  I love how the veggies all plump up and taste just like fresh.  My favorite part of using dried ingredients is that I know I always have them on hand and I can make a fresh tasting meal. 

Look how the water makes the colors pop! 

Cornbread Sticks

Years ago I bought this pan because I thought it was cute.  Well it is still cute but sadly it was unused until today. 

I searched around the net and found this recipe.  It is as good as she claims it is.  Give it a try.

My Best Cornbread

• 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk (powdered buttermilk is fine, or even yogurt or sour milk would work)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

You really need an iron skillet to make this, but if you just don’t have one, a nine inch square or round cake pan will do. Get your large iron skillet, or 9″ pan and put the margarine in it. Put the pan into the oven at 400° allowing the margarine to melt, and the pan to heat.
In a large bowl combine the buttermilk, eggs, sugar and salt. Use a whisk to mix it up really well. Pour in the melted margarine, leaving about a tablespoon of it left in the hot pan. Be careful pouring so you don’t get burned. Beat everything up again. Finally add the cornmeal, flour and baking soda. Whisk again until the batter is mostly smooth. Turn the batter into the hot skillet or pan, on top of the little bit of margarine you saved in it. Carefully put the skillet back into the oven. Bake the cornbread at 400° for about 25 minutes. It will be golden brown and the edges will pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool a little while before slicing into 8 or 12 wedges.
The iron skillet gives this cornbread the traditional crispy hillbilly crust. Another pan will still cook it, but it will not be quite the same. The buttermilk and sugar make the cornbread very tender and sweet. A perfect accompaniment for spicy dishes like Chili and stew.
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/mybestcornbread.htm

I made a couple of changes, I melted the margerine on the stovetop in a saucepan and didn't quiet pour all of it in the batter so I could grease my pan for each batch and I only baked these little guys for 8 minutes and they are perfect.  I made a double batch so I have 70 of these little cuties!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

This is a super quick and easy recipe using leftovers...  shh don't tell my kids.  On Monday we had chicken tacos with rice and beans.  I doubled the rice recipe and saved 1/2 of it for tonight.  The chicken is my leftover chicken chorizo from the other day.  Tonight all I had to do was rehydrate some veggies and combine everything.  Having such a simple dinner planned allowed me time to do what I wanted including setting up a facebook page for my blog.  :-)

Here is the recipe... 

3 cups of Spanish rice (cooked)
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 cup bell peppers
1 chili pepper
2 diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced onions
2 minced garlic cloves

Combine everything in a skillet or casserole dish and cook until heated through.  You can top this with sour cream, salsa, cheese, guacamole or whatever you like.  You can easily change the heat in the recipe by adding more or less peppers.  Enjoy!

Confessions of a Cheese Snob

I will admit it I am a cheese snob.  I love cheese but, only if it is good cheese.  If you offer me that sliced processed junk that some people think is cheese I will do my best not to turn up my nose but I will not eat it.  I have been known to order my fast food without cheese and take the food home to add my own Tillamook cheese.  I guess some people might think that is weird but hey, that is just me. 

With that said I have to admit I made mac and cheese with that processed stuff and some powdered cheese and to my complete surprise it was pretty tasty.  It all started because I was canning some chicken and had leftover chicken stock... here is what I did.

4 cups chicken stock
2 cups macaroni noodles (I didn't really measure just guessed)
16 oz of processed cheese cubed
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup cheese powder
salt and pepper to taste

Add the noodles to the hot stock and cook until noodles are al dente.  Stir in the processed cheese and butter until melted.  Sprinkle the cheese powder in slowly just to thicken it up a little.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

There you go!  That is it... how easy is that?  The boys loved this and I thought it was pretty darn good.  It is not like real mac n cheese but it is much better than that blue box stuff.  :)

Easy Creamy Potato Soup

This is a great soup to plan on making this month especially if you live in So Cal.  This week Stater Bros.  has 5lb bags of potatoes for 75 cents!  Just think how much soup you could make!  This soup keeps well so it is great to have on hand for lunches.  The tang from the cream cheese goes awesome with a sourdough grilled cheese sandwich.


6 potatoes peeled and diced
8 cups of water
1/4 cup dried green onions
1/4 cup dried onions
1/4 cup dried celery
1/8 cup dried minced garlic
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon
1/4 to 1/2 cup dried potato buds
1 Tbsp butter
8 oz. cream cheese cubed and softened
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a large stockpot.  Add the potatoes, onions, celery and garlic and let boil gently until softened.  Gently mash some of the potatoes with a potato masher.  Add chicken bouillon and potato buds and bring to a simmer.  Stir in the butter and cheese.  Once the cheese is melted, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Top with
Fresh green onions
grated cheddar cheese
crumbled bacon bits
Bacon salt

~ This soup is great on a cold winter night and it takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish.  Enjoy ~

Chicken chorizo

I have only had chicken chorizo once and it was in an omelet on one of my very worst days but somehow I remembered that chicken chorizo.  It was a food that just stuck out in my mind in a good way and I wanted to recreate it.  Yesterday we spent most of the day down the hill.  Our cat Shadow was broken and we got her fixed but that is a different story.  ;)  While we were waiting on Shadow we went to Bass Pro Shops and hung out and drooled.  We ended up looking at sausage making equipment, books, spices and kits.  Since I was spending money getting Shadow fixed I wasn't spending money there but took full of advantage of everything we could read. 

We found out that alot of chicken sausages are made from fully cooked sausage and it oddly we had fully cooked and shredded chicken legs at home so today I got the grinder out and started grinding the chicken.  I will tell you it looks kinda funny when it comes out.  It reminded me of baby food but it tastes just like deviled chicken which I love.  So without any further rambling here is the recipe.

Chicken Chorizo ~ Jenn's way

9+ lbs. shredded dark meat chicken
heavy 1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup minced dried onions
1/8 cup minced dried garlic
1/8 cup cumin
1/8 cup paprika
1/8 cup dried cilantro
2 Tbsp kosher salt
16-20 grinds of pepper
1 heaping Tbsp tomato powder
1 cup chicken stock
3 eggs

Start by grinding your cooked chicken.  If you want you could even use a food processor for this step.  Just make sure it is all evenly ground or processed.  Then the fun starts...  throw everything in a large bowl and start combining.  This can take some time.  I mixed most of it in by hand but finished with the Kitchen Aid and the paddle attachment.   Take a small ball and flatten and cook on griddle or non stick skillet and taste.  Adjust seasoning and then shape by hand or  put into sausage casings.  We did it both ways. 

One thing to note is that there is very little fat so you are going to want to use some non stick spray to cook it.  I have two large sausages in casings that I froze but I also used it tonight on our Indian fry bread.  The chicken is very light but really does hold it's own.   Give it a try and let me know what you think.

BTW ~ I am pretty sure I saw an electric grinder that does everything except tell the meat to jump into it.  Hmmm... how to bribe Santa...  I think Jenn might just need that... 

Spicy Mexican Soup

I meant to make tortilla soup but ran out of time to make tortillas.  I decided to improvise and just kinda wing it.  This soup was a huge hit and will become a winter staple for us.  The best part is you can use your food storage for this if you like.  Ok, let's get started.

Ingredients

2 half chicken breasts, cooked and shredded             

3 cups black beans, cooked but not drained

4 cups chicken broth

1 chopped bell pepper

1 chopped onion

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1-2 finely chopped jalapenos

1/4 cup water

4 Tbsp corn meal

Salt

Pepper

Chili powder

Cumin
Cilantro (chopped)

Optional toppings
guacamole
sour cream
cheese

Combine everything except corn meal, water and cilantro in large pot and let simmer about 20 minutes.  Soak the cornmeal in the 1/4 cup of water while the soup simmers.  After 20 minutes add in the cornmeal mix and let simmer another 15 minutes.  Add the chopped cilantro, top as desired and serve. 

This can be served with either corn or flour tortillas (I strongly recommend you make your own), corn bread or on it's own.   Try this soup it will make your life better or at least it will spice up your winter.

To use your food storage use

1 1/2 cups dried black beans cooked
1 pint canned chicken
1/4 cup dried bell peppers
1/4 cup dried chopped onion
1/8 cup dried garlic
1 qt tomatoes
Substitute canned chipoltle for the jalapeno (unless you are growing jalapenos)
*For the broth either used canned broth, bouillon cubes or the juice from the canned chicken with enough water to make 4 cups.

I admit it.... I am in love with lard

Yes it is true.  I found lard and I am in love.  I am sure you are wondering how I came to fall in love with something that sounds soo disgusting.  Well, it all started when I found  http://thepioneerwoman.com/  She is my hero.   I love her recipes, I love her stories and now I love lard. 

What I think you need to do (yes I said need).  Is follow this link  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/homemade-flour-tortillas/  and make these tortillas.  I am telling you it will change your life or atleast the way you think about tortillas.  I have made the recipe several times using good old Crisco but I decided to live on the wild side and buy some good old lard.  I am soo glad I did.  I am never buying tortillas again!  Seriously they are that good.  I can not stop thinking of all the delicious food I can create using these tortillas. 

I am sure tonight my dreams will be full of cheeses, sauces and hearty fillings to go into these wonderous, tasty and I am sure low cal tortillas.  Please try these, your family will thank you.

"Food of Love" part 2

2 new sausage recipes and these might be even better than the first one!

Cilanto Spiced Sausage

2 1/2 lb of ground pork

1/4 cup dried minced onion

1 Tbsp dried minced garlilc

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp freshly ground pepper

1 bunch of fresh cilantro

Mix all powders together. Finely chop cilantro or chop in food processor stalks and all. Mix pork, powders, and cilantro. Regrind mixture if using a meat grinder. Fry up a small patty to check flavor and spiciness. The flavor will intensify over time. Divide into 1/2 pound packages or stuff into casings, then freeze. Let stand in freezer for atleast a week.

Apple Pecan Sausage

2 1/2 lbs ground pork

1 large apple cut into 1/4" cubes

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground clove

2 pinches salt

Cut apple into 1/4" cubes, smaller if you are not using a meat grinder. Mix pork and apple together. Add pecans, spices, and salt. Regrind mixture if using a meat grinder. Fry up a small patty to check flavor. Package as above.

If you like or love these recipes they are mine.  If however, you do not, well then they are Curt's recipes.  Enjoy and please tell us what you think! 

Sinfully Good Cinnamon Rolls

This dough recipe comes from my wonderfully talented friend Deb.  This recipe has been used many times for many different purposes.  Yesterday, while I was feeling a bit out of control, I decided to take this recipe and make cinnamon rolls with some delightfully decadent additions.  By the time I got around to trying one I had also covered them in cream cheese icing.   So here we go.

The Dough

2 pkgs dry yeast
2/3 cup of sugar divided
1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup margerine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs beaten
6-7 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1 cup warm water; let stand about 5 minutes.  Combine remaining sugar, salt, margerine and shortening in a large bowl.  Add boiling water and stir until butter and shortening melt.  Cool slightly.  Add dissolved yeast, stirring well.  Add eggs and 3 cups of flour, beating at medium speed of electric mixer until smooth.  Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.  Place in a well greased bowl, turning to grease the top.  Cover and let rise until doubled in size.  Punch dough down and place on well floured surface.  Divide dough in half and set one half aside.  Roll the dough out into a large rectangle about a 1/4" thick.  Now here comes the fun part.

Spread your dough with some softened butter and then sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mixture.  When you are done with that grab some chocolate chips and some chopped nuts.  I like pecans.  Cover the cinnamon mixture with the chocolate chips and pecans.  You could also sprinkle on some brown sugar and coconut.  Once you feel your cinnamon rolls are sufficiently sinful go ahead and roll them up starting at the wide side.  After it is rolled slice into about 1 1/2" slices and place into buttered baking dish.  Cover with a dish towel and let rise about 30 minutes until doubled in size.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or just until the tops are golden brown. 

After the rolls have cooled slightly you can either eat them as is or you can be bad like me and cover them in cream cheese icing.  Either way is delicious and is a wonderful treat at the end of a long day or at the start of what is sure to be a long day.  Just make sure you have a fresh pot of coffee to enjoy with your rolls.

*This dough can also be used for wonderful dinner rolls which is what I did with the other half of the dough or it can be turned into some wonderful light buns great for making sandwhiches.  I like to make up a pan of cinnamon rolls and a pan of dinner rolls before we go camping.  The cinnamon rolls are a great way to start the day and the rolls are fantastic with some hobo stew making the perfect end to the day.

Homemade sausage or "Food of Love"

I truly believe that homemade foods taste better because in the words of Curt "you can taste the love".  That is only one of the reasons we started making our own sausage.  With prices being what they are sausage didn't always fit in the budget and it was missed.  After lots of trial and error we have gotten pretty darn good at it.  Yesterday we came up with a new recipe and our niece came over to learn how to make sausage.  We had a good time and she was a great helper.  I should have taken pictures. 

Sundried Tomato Italian Parmesan Sausage

2 1/2 lbs of fresh ground pork
1/4 cup ground sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup good Italian seasoning
1/8 cup of good grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp roasted red pepper and garlic seasoning
2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Combine all your seasonings together and stir well.  Sprinkle over your ground pork and work in with your hands.  After it seems to be mixed in I run it through the meat grinder one more time it seems to combine it more evenly.  Now comes the best part.  Make a small patty with the sausage and cook it up and taste it.  If you are happy with the taste you can either shape your sausage or bag it up in bulk.  If you feel it needs more seasoning then reseason but remember even in the freezer the flavor will continue to intensify.

This is a great sausage and has tons of flavor.  I shaped it into fairly large links and plan to serve them grilled on some whole grain rolls. 

Enjoy and please tell me what you think!

** A note on grinding your own meat.  I know some of you might be intimidated by the idea but it really is a money saver and it is very satisfying.  If you have a Kitchen Aid they sell a great attachment but you can also get a manual grinder for a very reasonable price.  It is a great tool to have around.  Having a meat grinder allows me to purchase meats on sale and make my own ground beef and sausage for a fraction of the cost.  If you have no interest in grinding your own meat you can purchase pre ground pork and after adding the seasoning just work it in more so that the flavors are evenly distributed.

Super Yummy Whole Wheat Waffles

I have really gotten into the whole wheat and whole grain thing.  I love the way it tastes and I really love the way whole grains fill up a teenage boy without breaking the bank.  Try these waffles!  They are light and crispy but they are hearty and filling.  It makes a great breakfast for dinner and they are quick to make.

1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
2 Tbsp flax meal
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg (freshly ground)
2 cups millk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Start heating up your waffle iron (mine takes forever to get hot).  Combine all ingredients and blend well.  Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes.  This is a great time to get some sausage cooking ;)  When your iron is ready pour the batter on and cook as usual.  In my waffle iron this recipe made 7 waffles.  I will be doubling the recipe next time so that I have leftovers for the boys.  I love having leftover waffles because that frees up time for me in the morning which means I can have an extra cup of coffee with some peace and quiet.

Some quick notes
*This recipe can be easily changed and adapted to suit your tastes.  The flours can be changed.  I started with an all purpose flour recipe and changed it so it worked for us.  Feel free to experiment.
**This recipe works fantastic for using your food storage.  Change the 2 large eggs into 2 Tbsp powdered egg, leave the milk out and add in 6 Tbsp instant dry milk and use 2 cups of water.
***The next step for this recipe is going to be trying it with finely chopped nuts.  I plan on adding in 1/2 cup of either almonds or pecans.  I will let you know what we think. 

After you try this please tell me what you think and what changes you made.  Enjoy!

Chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter and more chocolate

Holidays always mean chocolate to me...  It is just one of those things... if there is no chocolate can it really be a holiday?  I say no.  So in that spirit here are some super easy recipes that are guaranteed to help you get in the holiday spirit.

Easy Rocky Road Fudge

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups of mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts

Directions:  Line a 9 x 13 with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Microwave the chips and milk together on high for 1 minute.  Stir and then continue to heat at 30 second intervals until smooth.  Stir in vanilla extract and then fold in marshmallows and walnuts.  Press mixture into prepared pan and refrigerate until set.  Cut into small pieces and serve. 

Makes about 48 servings.  Yea right!  Who are they kidding?  Everyone knows you can't have just one tiny piece of fudge!

Crispy Bars

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of Karo syrup
1 cup of peanut butter
6 cups of crispy rice cereal
1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts

Heat sugar and corn syrup to boiling.  Remove from heat and add peanut butter; stir to melt.  Add crispy rice cereal.  Press into buttered 9 x 13.  Melt chips together and spread over rice bars and top with chopped peanuts.  Cool and cut into small squares.

Makes about... oh come on I don't know how many it makes I was eating them as I put them on the plate.  It makes a bunch though.

Enjoy! 

*** If you came by looking for paper crafts don't despair I am working on some boxes to hold all of these wonderful yummy goodies.