Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch with Handmade Pasta Noodles

 Chicken Soup:

I can't tell you how much I crave a delicious bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. I was inspired to create this recipe after living in Utah and frequently ordering a bowl of Brick Oven's Chicken Noodle soup which was just down the street. Now 12 years later, I think I have it just where I want it to be. Don't be intimidated, it is easier than you think and pretty soon you will be able to whip up a hearty bowl for your whole family. Just pick the options that meets your needs or try a new version and see the difference.  This is also good with Turkey!

Step # 1 Prepare Chicken

Chicken Options:

1 Whole chicken- Roast it or buy a pre-roasted one. Shred off the meat and refrigerate.

or

3-4 Medium Chicken Breasts-

Bone-In Chicken Breasts- Broil or Baked (click here to see how I do it)



Only have frozen or fresh Chicken breasts?

Frozen Chicken breasts- Place3-4 Chicken breasts into stock pot and fill about half way. Bring it to a low boil and cook until chickens are done. Remove chickens from water. Shred chicken and refrigerate. Save your water for the soup!

Fresh Chicken breasts- Broil (click here to see how I do it), grill, baked or boil (as mentioned above). Cube and refrigerate.

Step # 2 Soup Base

Why make a soup base when I already have a stock?

First of all, this recipe is for a soup base which is different from a stock. Plus, I have two reasons why I prefer a soup base over a simple stock. One, I like more flavor without having to add more salt and two, I like a good hearty base which is full of nutrients and more filling so I don't feel like I have to eat more noodles to feel satisfied than I would with a thinner base.  However, you can always skip this step and go straight to step #3.

MAKE A SIMPLE SOUP BASE 

Ingredients:

•  4 Quarts of Pre-Made Chicken Stock (click here for my recipe) -half it with water if it is concentrated.

No chicken stock? Use 4 Tablespoons of Chicken Soup Base (or Bouillon) with 4 quarts of water

• 2 Fresh Carrots, cleaned and chopped
• 2 Fresh Celery with leaves, cleaned and chopped
• 1-2 Fresh Leeks, cleaned and chopped
• 1 Fresh onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 Fresh Sprig or 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1 Teaspoon of Sage
• 1 Teaspoon Thyme
• 1 Tablespoon of dried Dill Weed (optional but wonderful)
• 1 Teaspoon of Curry Powder (optional but wonderful)
• 2 cloves of minced Garlic or Dried
• Leftover Chicken fat or Oil to tenderize the vegetables and keep chicken from drying out. (optional if you didn't leave some in your stock)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to water or stock and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 20 minutes or until all vegetables are softened. Blend into a liquid base. You can do this with an immersion blender, put into a upright blender or your food processor. If you take it out, add back to pot when blended.

Step # 3- Add Bulk Vegetables

• 4 Carrots- cleaned, peeled, and chopped into bite sizes.
• 4 Celery Hearts- cleaned, peeled, and chopped into bite sizes.

Directions- 

1. Add bulk vegetables to your completed soup base and allow them to simmer while you make your noodles. 

Forgot to add bulk vegetables before you made your noodles?

Add the bulk vegetables right before you start adding your noodles to boiling soup base and cook with noodles until done. (This option is if you are like me and forget to add the bulk vegetables before you cook your noodles. Your noodles will not get over cooked and mushy (they will retain their shape).

Step #4 - Make Your Pasta Noodles

Pasta Dough:

Flour: about 1-2 cups

Olive Oil: As Needed 

Salt: A dash

Eggs: About 2

What Flour can I use? 
These are country style noodles so, I have not made them with Semolina or Durum wheat flours. I have made my noodles with whole red wheat flour, whole brown wheat flour, whole white wheat flour, and unbleached all purpose flour. I have yet to try it with gluten-free all purpose flour. Just keep in mind that the more hearty the flour, the longer you need to cook it and the more dense and chewy it will be. I personally like the whole white wheat and the whole red wheat and the unbleached all purpose flour. It produces a really tender noodle that soaks in the soup base quite well.
 

Prep:

I like to start with 1 cup of flour and 2 eggs and go on from there. Throw together in a bowl and mix with a spoon or your hands (rub a little olive oil on your hands to keep dough from sticking to your hands)

Knead only until your dough can be formed into a ball.
Cover and let is sit for 15-20 minutes at room temp
(it is not going to rise. Letting it sit will make it more pliable and easy to roll out)

 Step #5- Form Noodles

Roll out dough on a well-floured surface and spread flour on top. Roll up dough and cut into disks to unravel noodles. You can cut them shorter or keep them super long. Re-use the flour by brushing up the flour with your hand and adding it to the soup.

Step # 6- Cook Noodles in Soup Base

This is a photo from back in 2009 when I used to make this soup
without a soup base. Not the same at all!

Bring soup base to a boil. Place noodles a few at a time until all of them are in the pot (adding them all at once can created a big lump of noodles. Cook until desired tenderness (about 10-12 minutes depending on thickness).

They will enlarge a little bit and may even break apart if they are too thin. We like ours super long!

The noodles come out nice and tender. You can't beat homemade noodles.

Step #7- Add Chicken

If you haven't shredded your chicken, take your cooled chicken meat, shred or cube it, and add as the final ingredient. It should warm up almost immediately or in a few minutes because the broth will be hot from cooking the noodles.

Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Pasta Salad with Ham by Cindy Bunde (Cindy Lou Who)

The pressure has been on – how do I select some amazing recipe for my first post when it’s been nearly 100 degrees every day and I’m hardly inspired to cook!?! Then answer hit me – share a quick, easy, cold one-bowl main dish:

Pasta Salad with Ham 

 While I can’t claim credit for creation of the pasta salad, I can share a few easy tips to make your summer cooking easy and yummy! I even like to make this one while camping. This is so versatile that you can vary the sauce or the add-ins to suit anyone’s preference. Except for baking, I rarely measure exactly, so feel free to adjust amounts.

Ingredients:

One-half pound good quality pasta – fun shape of your choice

About 1 cup thick-sliced ham, cubed

1/2 to l cup cheese cubes – your choice, I used medium cheddar

3/4 cup frozen peas

1-2 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 of red pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 jar Hidden Valley Oven Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sandwich Spread & Dip

Milk, a few tablespoons

Sliced scallions (green onions), for garnish

1.     Fill a medium pot 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil on stovetop on High.

2.     While water is coming up to a boil, prep your carrots first, then red pepper, scallions and any other veggies you may be using.

3.     Put the peas in a large bowl (no need to thaw – they’ll help chill the pasta).

4.     Add the pasta to the boiling water and set your timer for 1-2 minutes under the recommended cooking time. This is so you don’t get mushy pasta – a mortal sin in my Italian family! Turn down heat a bit, but keep a rolling boil and stir occasionally.

5.     Finish chopping remaining ingredients – ham and cheese cubes. This keeps the more “contaminated” items last, or you can use separate cutting boards for produce and meats/cheeses. Toss the ham, cheese and red pepper in the large bowl with the peas. 

6.     When your pasta has about 5 minutes left, add the carrots to the boiling water.

7.     When the pasta is done, drain pasta and carrots in a colander and rinse in cold water until cool. Set aside a couple minutes to let most of the water drip out.

8.     Add the Garlic Parmesan spread to the large bowl with the other ingredients, stir in milk, a little at a time, until thin but not watery consistency. It’s better to leave it thick and add more milk later. Stir in the pasta and carrots.

9.     Garnish with scallions and enjoy!

This basically makes a pretty satisfying summer meal – add a green salad or, as my family prefers, a bunch of cut-up raw veggies on the side. This makes about 4-6 servings.

**Some notes on this basic pasta salad. I recently discovered the Hidden Valley spread and found it perfect for this. You can experiment with making your sauce or whatever strikes your fancy in the salad dressing/sauce aisle at the grocery store. If I was making this without my kids’ finicky palates in mind, I would add fresh chopped basil and more veggies, such as artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes. You could do a Greek variation with feta and chicken (instead of ham and cheddar), adding olives and a Greek-style dressing/marinade. This could easily be made vegetarian, leaving out the ham. You could do a variation with chopped pepperoni and mozzarella. The veggies can be whatever you’d like – just juicier ones, like cucumbers and tomatoes could make the pasta salad runny. You can adjust the “healthiness” of this recipe by increasing the veggies and using the smaller amounts of ham and cheddar. **

Mangia! (Eat!) . . . Cindy Lou Who

Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
 

It is still cold and snowy here in Rochester, and I am still making cozy warm meals to fill us up and keep the frigid temperatures from turning us into living ice sculptures. I am also always looking for ways to sneak veggies into my kids meals because anyone who knows me and my kids knows they are THE pickiest eaters on the planet, hands down. "Oh no", you say, "My kids are the pickiest." I DARE you to challenge my picky kid stories with yours. You will be schooled -BIG TIME. And what a happy thing to lose at. I hope to lose this title some day. Please. Anyway, here is the recipe that I whipped up the other day simply because I had previously made Sweet Potato soup (the box variety will work just fine for this recipe, too) and I was desperately conspiring with other the child-loved ingredients in the fridge on how to get that soup in their bellies. Here is the result of desperation. It was a VERY tasty scandal.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 cups milk
• 2 1/2 cups sweet potato soup
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
• 2 cups grated Gruyere/ or Mild Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
   
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
   
3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Next, stir in the soup. Stir another 4-5 minutes until it bubbles slightly again.
   
4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cheeses ; set cheese sauce aside.
   
5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce. If you want to, sprinkle top of macaroni with bread crumbs and finish off in a 400 degree oven until cheese bubbles. If you want to serve out of pot, sprinkle with bread crumbs just before serving. Enjoy!
   

Ratatouille Pasta

This is a re-do of my old Ratatouille pasta post back in October of 2008. Since then, I have changed up a few things such as photos, cooking technique, and substitutions. However, my original recipe takes place back in 2001 with my first time using Eggplant. A Belgian lady I worked for bought an eggplant and asked me if I could incorporate it into a meal for her children. Even though I had never even cut into one, I graciously accepted it and started to work. After cutting it open, I thought about mixing similar vegetables, adding some fresh herbs, and serving it over pasta. I think it worked out pretty good as the children enjoyed it (or they didn't know the difference). Since then, I decided to improve on it and soon learned of a similar dish called Ratatouille. To that effect, I named this dish after it. This is actually a perfect recipe that incorporates almost all of the ingredients in an Italian Pack from Bountiful Basket!

 Ingredients:
Pasta- Penne or Bowtie, cooked
 1 eggplant
1-2 yellow squash
1-2 zucchini squash
 1/2 sweet onion, cut in wedges
2-3 small Tomatoes
1 Bell pepper
Aged Cheese
Salt and Pepper as desired

Herb Paste:
Olive or Grape Seed Oil - About 1/4 cup
Balsamic Vinegar- About 1/4 cup
Juice from 1/2 to to 1 whole lemon
2-3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
2 sprigs of Italian Parsley
2 sprigs of Oregano
3-4 leaves of basil

Directions for herb paste- Blend all ingredients together until paste-like texture.

Directions:
Cut all vegetables spread out onto a baking sheet. Pour all herb paste into pan and mix with vegetables.

 

Broil in oven for 10-20 minutes or until roasted (desired doness)

 Serve over pasta and sprinkle with cheese and a little bit of fresh herbs.

Options and Substitutions:

• Mix and match bell pepper colors
• Use any pasta that would go well with vegetables
• You can us a zip bag to mix all the vegetables and herb paste together
• Even though this is a meatless meal, it goes well with chicken, Italian sausage, or steak. 
• To make gluten-free, this dish can be served over rice pasta, rice itself, or served alone.

Sausage and Kale Pizza

It has been a long winters nap since I posted last, but I have a new and fabulous recipe that I just had to share. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of this dish, but I can assure you it was as nice looking as it was delicious. My husband invited guests for the Super Bowl rather last minute and asked if I would make my gaining-in popularity pizza. Lately, I have been making a basic pizza with homemade crust, olives, mushrooms, and (sometimes) pepperoni because my son begs me weekly to make this kind and so far he won't venture to any other toppings. I was excited to have a good excuse to make pizza with something a bit different. To add some spice and body, I decided to use Italian sausage. Usually, we don't eat much meat at all, but I figured I would indulge in a meaty pizza for the occasion because I found some really nice quality organic, free range Italian sausage from a local butcher. I decided, as usual, to also feature something seasonal so I settled on kale -which I am rather obsessed with lately. In compliment to the sausage and kale, I added sauteed red onions, diced Italian seasoned tomatoes, and Fontina cheese. In order to give the pie some texture, I made the kale into kale chips and this proved to be the big secret to the whole thing. I am happy to say that it was a smash hit with the guys...and I rather loved it, too. So, without further adieu, here is the recipe. :

Ingredients:

-Basic Pizza Dough (I make my own and it is very easy but you can use store bought in a pinch.)
-14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning, drained through a sieve until only a slight amount of juice remains
-good quality Fontina cheese, enough to cover the area of your dough, shredded. (You could use other cheeses, but I find the Fontina gives it just the right zip of flavor.)
-half a red onion, sliced into thin strips
-1 lb (or more depending on are of your pizza) ground Italian sausage, cooked and drained (I cooked the onions in the left over fat from the sausage but you can use olive oil instead)
-kale, washed, very well dried, ribs removed, and sliced into one inch thick and two-inch long strips
-olive oil
-salt and pepper

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees
-Place washed, cut, and dried kale on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Toss with olive oil (be careful not to drench), salt, and pepper.
-Cook for 10-12 minutes until kale is crisp, but not burnt, tossing with a spatula half way through to ensure even cooking.
-Cook Italian sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat or save to saute onions.
-Set sausage on a paper towel-lined plate to rest.
-Saute red onion slices in olive oil or fat and salt and pepper until opaque and soft, about 10 minutes (You could also add garlic, shallots, shaved fennel, or shaved kohlrabi)
-Set sauteed onions aside
-Set crisp kale aside and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees
Pre-cook your pizza dough until set but not golden. I use this trick to ensure that the crust is not soggy after sauce and toppings. My dough takes about 7 minutes on 500 degrees.
-Remove dough and spoon diced tomatoes over, leaving a slight edge for crust.
-Layer shredded Fontina cheese over tomatoes
-Layer your cooked Italian sausage
-Layer the sauteed onions/other vegetables you may have added
-Top with crisp kale
-Bake until cheese is slightly bubbling, about 9-10 minutes

Dad's Basil chicken and Linguine

This is a tasty and healthy meal for dinner. I found it on cooks.com and would love to share it with you.

Ingredients: 

chicken (I prefer boneless/skinless) enough to feed your family

3 Tbsp Basil

3 Tbsp Parsely

Olive Oil (I eye ball this amount)

1 Cup Parmesan/Romano mixture

Linguine Noodles

 I prefer to boil the chicken for 40 minutes rather than fry it. It doesn't require any butter, and keeps the chicken moist. About 30 minutes in, start boiling your linguine noodles, then drain them when the softness you desire is reached. Use any amount you feel needed to fit your family. 

 While the chicken is boiling, I prepare my seasoning mixture. Parmesan/Romano, basil and parsley stirred together. Drizzle a tsp or so of olive oil at a time into mixture while stirring it around. Continue to add the olive oil until the mixture feels wet and crumbly. Set aside mixture.

 Once chicken is complete, I cut it into pieces and place it in a big bowl. This bowl is where you will combine the entire meal together.

 Once the chicken and noodles are combined, toss in the seasoning mixture a bit at a time. You can judge the amount of mixture you want to the amount of noodles and chicken. I don't like mine overly coated.

Once its all nicely tossed together, bake it in a casserole dish at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Serve, and enjoy.

Pollo Asado Pasta

This is a re-do of my original Pasta de la Salsa con Pollo that I created back in 2009. I thought my original dish needed a little flair and flavor with out using as many herbs and seasonings. The transition to Pollo Asado brought out the full potential of all the ingredients by simply changing the order and preparation of the ingredients and taking out all but one seasoning. Along with roasted chicken breast, this dish has roasted peppers, tomatillos, onions, and grape tomatoes; served over cilantro and green chile infused pasta.

Ingredients:
2 Large Chicken Breasts (I prefer them the with ribs still in them)
2 Bell Peppers (red, green, yellow, or orange)
4 Tomatillos, husks removed
1 Small package of Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 to 1 Whole red onion
Garlic Salt (as per directions)
Grape seed or Canola oil (as per directions)
Lime juice (as per directions)

Directions: Roast chicken in broiler until done. Cut up Tomatillos, onions, and peppers. Spread all of them out on a baking sheet or roasting pan. Spray or toss with approximately 1/4 cup of Grape seed oil. Sprinkle liberally with garlic salt. Roast in the Broiler for 10-15 minutes or until blackened.

Ingredients for Infused Pasta:

For 4 cups of cooked Pasta-

1 Bunch of fresh Cilantro

1 (4oz) can of Green chiles (with the juice)

2 Teaspoons of lime juice

4 Tablespoons of Butter or Olive oil

1 Tablespoon of Chicken Bullion (equivalent to 1 cube)

Directions: Puree Cilantro, green chiles, and lime juice. Cook pasta and drain water. Melt butter over pasta. Stir in chicken bullion. Add Puree and mix until incorporated. 

Serve with roasted chicken and veggies and top with Parmesan or Jack Cheese.

Suggestions and Substitutions:

1-You can use real garlic cloves and roast them along with the veggies. Mince after roasted and add back to veggies.
2- You can substitute regular or canned diced tomatoes for the grape tomatoes.

3- If you don't have garlic salt, you can use garlic powder and a little salt.

4- You can use olive oil, it is just doesn't hold up as well when heated at high temperatures.

4- A few additions I have added in the past. Black beans and tortilla strips.
5- For a gluten-free version, substitute cooked rice or mashed potatoes for pasta.
6- With leftovers, I will use roasted chicken and veggies for a quesadilla, omelet, or for fajitas.   

Buffalo Chicken Pizza- Homemade to go!

My husband and I created this when we were invited over to a friends house for grilled pizza. Since they were making something really creative with caramelized onions and feta cheese or something like that, my husband thought about buffalo wings. Well, we've tried buffalo pizza from various places and they all seem to put the buffalo sauce as the sauce and as a marinade for the chicken. Plus, I haven't had any with additional toppings other than cheese and chicken. It doesn't quite cut it for a delicious pizza for either of us. So, we decided to create one that includes our favorite compliments to a buffalo sauce in the form of a pizza.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
- Grilled Chicken Breast (or roasted chicken works well)
- Frank's Red Hot Sauce - Make as directed with butter
- Green Bell Peppers
- Red Onions
- Ranch Dressing (Homemade is best!) We like ours made with sour cream or plain yogurt for this pizza. You can also buy store brands that are made this way as well.
- Mozzarella Cheese (Or a variety of shredded cheeses works well)
- Pizza Crust (Homemade, store bought fresh dough, dry dough mix, or prepared crust)

Directions:
Shred your grilled chicken and place it in prepared Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
While it marinates, roll out your pizza crust and pop it in the oven for about 5 to 8 minutes (or if it is an already prepared crust, do as directed).
Allow the crust to cool for just a few minutes.
Spread Ranch Dressing all over the crust.
Top with sliced peppers, onions, and marinated grilled chicken.
Top again with cheeses (be as generous as you like)

* Just remember, if you like it hotter (spicier), the more marinated chicken and hotsauce you need on your pizza. This can also be effected by how much butter you dilute your hot sauce with when you are preparing it.

For a milder pizza you can:
-Dilute the hot sauce with more butter (or use less concentrated hot sauce) when preparing it
- Don't marinate the chicken as long
- Spread a thinner layer of marinated chicken on your pizza

Bake in a 400 Degree oven for an additional 10-15 minutes or until done. Check after 10 minutes depending on your oven.

Enjoy!

Spinach style spaghetti

I wish I could say I slaved over this delicious dish, but I didn't, after all it is just spaghetti :) I bought Tinkyada brand pasta, gluten free brown rice pasta, spinach style.  It is made with brown rice and spinach powder.  I cooked it according to package directions.  I also cooked some ground beef. I topped it with Classico brand florentine spinach & cheese sauce.  YUMMY!  and it's is green to boot!  Happy March :)

My family's favorite cracker

Blue Diamond makes some of the best Gluten Free crackers!  MMMMMM.... My family loves them.  We buy them by the ton.  I really don't like the cheese flavor at all, but the kids love it.  Here are some uses we have found for them, outside of eating them straight from the box :)
1. I scoop tuna fish onto them. The tuna I make is as follows: 2 cans white albacore tuna, drained. 4 eggs hard boiled and diced 1/4 onion diced.  a little salt, a little pepper, a little garlic.  mix with Mayo and yummy!
2. scoop egg salad onto them Hard boiled eggs diced mixed with mayo, salt, pepper, and mustard.
3. Recently my son (kindergartener) asked to have pizza for lunch like those kids that make their own.  After a little more questioning and thinking we figure he was talking about those pizza lunchables.  So He takes crackers, a little pizza sauce some cheese cut into squares that fit the cracker, and some pepperoni.  He loves doing that.  I haven't actually tried it, but I bet it is good.

They as you can see from our favorite things to put on them, are a great alternative to bread.  I have trouble with gluten free bread.  I don't like the store bought stuff and I have tried and failed to bake a good loaf multiple times.  It has never really bothered me until recently.  Before since it was just the kids that couldn't have wheat, I ate regular bread.  now though my nursing daughter can't handle it and so I cant eat it anymore. Bread is something that I greatly miss, but these crackers help fill the void because I can now enjoy some of my favorite sandwich fillings now :)

Penne in Tomato-Artichoke sauce

This is one of our favorite recipes, and it has fresh or dried herbs. (fresh is always better though :P)
It is from my Carol Fenster cookbook.  It can be made either regular, or Gluten Free.

1 Can petite diced tomatoes (15 oz) including juice
2 Tsp chopped fresh basil (1t dried)
1t chopped fresh oregano (1/2t dried)
1t chopped fresh thyme (1/2t dried)
1/4 t sugar
1/8 t salt (plus more for pasta water)
1/8t crushed red pepper (we found this too much and use less)
dash freshly ground black pepper
1 jar (4.5 ounces)marinated artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb gluten free penne (can use penne of your choice)

1. In a medium heavy sauce pan heat the tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, sugar, crushed red pepper, and black pepper over meduim-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered about 10-15 minutes
2. while this cooks bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook according to package directions Serve sauce over drained pasta.

I always start the pasta first, but that is because my gluten free pasta of choice takes about 20 minutes to cook, after the water is boiling.  so I start the water boiling before I start my sauce.

Margherita Pitas

This week is National Herb week and here at Saltbox House Cooking Exchange, we would like to challenge everyone to make a dish using fresh herbs.  

I have four potted herbs in my kitchen window (Basil, Oregano, Dill Weed, and Rosemary). They are so nice to have there ready to use. With just a few snips, I have some fresh, fragrant herbs that I can add to a delicious dish. My basil plant is my favorite and I would like to share a quick and easy recipe that I can't seem to go with out. My Margherita Pita.   

I like to use the Flat-Outs, flat pita bread because it resembles thin crust pizza to me (my favorite). I brush some olive oil over the whole pita, add Mozzarella (sliced or shredded) and a little shredded Parmesan.

I cut up some fresh Basil leaves, Roma Tomatoes and spread them around the pita (sometimes I add a little Oregano too). I bake this in the oven (or toaster oven) set @ 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until done. I like mine a little crispy but, not too much that the cheese is really hard.

Each mouth watering bite is so full of flavor that you don't need anything extra. Enjoy!

Easy Manicotti

Photo by Madeline L.

Ingredients:

Ricotta Cheese- 2 cups

Mozarella Cheese- 2 cups

Parmasan Cheese- 1/2 cup

Egg- 1

Green Onions (diced)- 1/4 cup

Parsley- 1 Tablespoon

Salt- 1/2 teaspoon

Manicotti Noodles (1 box = 14)

Marinara Sauce

Extra Mozarella and Parmasan cheese for top

Directions:

Cook Noodles for 6 minutes in boiling water. Remove and cool with cold water. 

Mix Ricotta, Mozarella, Parmasan, Egg, Onions, and Parsley together and pipe into Manicotti Noodles. In a baking pan, spread a little Marinara sauce on the bottom and place filled Noodles in a row. Top with remaining Marinara Sauce and some extra cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  

(If you cover with tin foil you won't have to worry about the exposed noodles drying up) 

Making More with Easter Leftovers- Ham and Pineapple Pizza

After making the Split Pea Soup, it turned out that I had more ham than I orignally thought. Plus, I had fresh leftover pineapple to boot. So, what better was to eat your Easter dinner than making a pie with it. A thin crust pizza pie that makes you forget that you are eating leftovers all together. I stopped off at the new Trader Joes in Corvallis yesterday and picked up some freshly made whole wheat pizza dough and pizza sauce to make my pizza pie for dinner last night. This made one fast pizza and left you feeling stuffed after just one piece. I love whole wheat thin crust pizza! I recommend making one tonight.

Ham and Pineapple Pizza

Whole Wheat or Regular Pizza Dough (or look below for my favorite Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe)

(I also recommend freshly made Trader Joes or Winco pizza dough- look near the cheese)

Corn Meal (optional)

Pizza Sauce

Mozarella Cheese

Ham (diced)

Pineapple (diced)

Fresh or dried Parsley, Basil, and Oregano (for the top).

I rolled out the dough onto my round pizza stone

(When I use a cookie sheet I spread out a thin layer of corn meal to prevent sticking)

I assembled the ingredients in the order shown above and baked accoringly. Baking times are usually 350 degrees for up to 30 minutes (for regular crust or thicker pieces) or 425 degrees for up to 15 minutes (for thin crust pizza).

Wheat Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 package of Active Dry Yeast

1-1/2 cups of warm water

2 Tablespoons of Canola Oil

1-1/4 cups of Whole Wheat Flour

2 Tablespoons of Sugar

1/2 teaspoon of Salt

1-3/4 cup of All Purpose Flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in water; add oil. Combine whole wheat flour, and salt. Add yeast mixture and stir until smooth . Add enough All purpose flour to form some soft dough. Knead on a floured surface for 6-8 minutes. Rub a little oil over the ball of dough and let it sit in a bowl covered with a kitchen towel. Put the bowl in a warm place for 15-20 mintues to allow it to rise. Follow the rest of the recipe above.  

Braised Beef with Tortellini

This week we are challenging eveyone to make a special dish that includes noodles. March is hosts National Noodle Month and we at Saltbox House Cooking exchange are happy to celebtrate it. So, whether it is with homemade noodles or not, get those favorite noodle recipes out to share.

Braised Beef with Tortellini

This is a favorite of mine and my husbands everytime we go to the Olive Garden. I found a recipe online that was close to it and i altered it just a bit. I have to admit that this was probably one of the best and most delicious things i have EVER cooked for dinner and i am looking forward to it again soon!

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs Boneless Beef Shortribs(I used bonless beef country style ribs) cut into med size chunks

1 med. yellow onion, chopped

8 oz. red wine (you may substitute beef broth if you like)

1 14.5 oz. can of dice tomatoes(don't drain liquid)

2 c. beef broth

1 bay leaf

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs. sugar

1 pkg of fresh tortellini (i used Bertolli)

Preperation:

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan of some sort, sear chunks of meat untill well browned on all sides, remove meat from pan and set aside. Saute onions untill they are translucent, add wine or beef broth to deglaze the pan (be sure to scrape all of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan-thats where the flavor is:) add tomatoes, bay leaf and sugar. Add meat back to the pan and add enough broth to cover meat half way. Cover and bake in 350 oven for 3 hours or untill meat is extremely tender. When meat is done, cook tortellini according to pkg directions, when they are done, add them to the meat and juices, let them sit for just a minute to soak in all of the flavor. Serve and enjoy!