Turkey and Pancetta Meatballs, Pasta with Mint Pesto and Fava

It's been a while since I've cooked anything. I mean really cooked. Sandwiches and ready-made salads don't count! The pictures don't do this pasta and meatballs and justice. I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home. I love this cookbook. I know I've mentioned it several times but everything that I've cooked from it is just so yummy and relatively easy.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
Pasta with Mint Pesto and Fava:
1 cup shelled fresh fava beans
1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup pecorino (I gave my cheese grater to my sister so I used pre-grated parmesan)
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups fresh mint
12 oz capellini
s&p

Turkey and Pancetta Meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey (I used white meat)
1 oz thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
olive oil
s&p

Boil some water in a small pot. Blanch the fava beans until bright green and tender. Remove from heat and run under cold water. Next, remove the beans from the skins. (Be careful when peeling not to break the beans inside!) Set aside.

Next, in a food processor, pulse the almonds with the garlic until coarsely ground. Add the olive oil and cheese and process to a coarse paste. Leave this in the food processor because you'll work on it again.

Next, mix the turkey, pancetta, garlic, bread crumbs, and onions. Season with s&p. Add the egg, sage, and zest. Mix thoroughly and then form the mixture into meatballs.

Start boiling water for pasta.

Heat a large skillet over medium high. Add oil. Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook thoroughly (takes about 7-10 minutes)

Add your noodles to the pasta when the water boils. Capellini cooks fairly quickly so be careful not to over cook and end up with smushy noodles. Yuck. When the noodles are done, drain and transfer a large mixing bowl.

Next, add the mint to the almond/garlic/cheese mixture and pulse until coarsely chopped. If it's not really pulsing, stir around with a spoon and try again. The reason you should leave this last is because the green leaves will turn brown if made in advance. Gross. Another way to avoid this is to top the pesto with olive oil... but that just seems like a lot of oil.

Add the pesto and beans to the noodles and mix well. Serve with meatballs and top with additional cheese and lemon juice if you'd like.

the munchkins are coming!

the munchkins are coming to visit this weekend...

yay :)

Banberry Pie

I LOVE Polly's banberry pie. Anyone else feel the same way? Anyone? Somebody? Anybody? Hello? Bueller? Bueller?

This is, I swear to you, the easiest pie you will ever bake. In fact, it requires no baking. Yes, I could've made everything from scratch. But sometimes, a girl just wants simplicity. aka she wants to be lazy. And by she, I mean me. And by me, I mean I.

The best part is? You don't have to tell people that it was easy. Oh. So maybe I should've lied and said I made it all from scratch. Oh well! Too late for that.

Ingredients:

1. 9" graham cracker crust

2. 2-3 bananas

3. Instant vanilla pudding

4. Instant strawberry jello

5. Cornstarch

6. Water

7. Sugar

8. Heavy whipping cream

9. Strawberries (washed and ... de-stemmed? de-leaved?)

Slice bananas and layer at the bottom of the pie tin. Next, follow the instructions on the instant vanilla pudding (I think all you need to do is add milk. I did a mix of milk and heavy whipping cream) Pour the pudding over the bananas. Next, add the strawberries.

In a saucepan, mix 1 cup sugar and 3 tbsp cornstarch. Add 1 cup of water and allow to simmer, stirring constantly. When it thickens, add a bit of jello powder until you get the color you want. HOWEVER, if you add too much, your glaze will be the consistency of jello. So, if you'd like, you can add a teensy bit of jello for taste and then add red food coloring. Pour it over the strawberries. WARNING: if you stop stirring, or wait too long, the glaze will thicken and then you'll be sad. Why? Because you have to do it again. So be quick!

Lastly, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Pipe around the edges of the pie. I didn't add sugar to the whipped cream because the glaze and pudding are pretty sweet. However, if you like super sweet things, you'll have to sift powdered sugar and add it to your cream. I don't recommend this unless you like diabetes and cavities. =)

If you want to make a homemade crust, mix about 1.5-2 cups of graham cracker crumbs with 6 tbsp of melted butter. You can also add about 1/4 cup sugar if you'd like. Press to the bottom and sides of a pie tin. Bake at 350 for 7-10 min.

If you want to make homemade pudding, then you're just an overachiever.

Donkatsu à la Hurry Curry

Hi. I'm sorry about the super blurry pictures. Though I've had my camera for several years and the lens for just about as long... I still don't know how to use it. Hee hee. One day, my sister wanted to make donkatsu. And she did. And it was good. The next day, Andrew was coming to visit so I decided to make some for him as well. So I did. And it was good. The difference was that I finished it off in the oven because I'm afraid of deep frying things. Really, I am.

Here's what you do:

1. Go to the market and ask the butcher for some boneless pork chops. If they're too thick (which they will be), ask him to halve and flatten them for you.

2. Make some curry.

3. Make some rice.

4. Take out the tenderloin. Wait. I mean pork chops. Put a layer of saran wrap over them, use the meat tenderizer and further flatten them. Why? Because I said so. Pat them dry with a paper towel and season with s&p.

5. Similar to this, you're going to have 3 different plates/saucers/whatever of stuff. The first will have flour, the second eggs, and the third with panko and whatever seasoning you want. (S&P, onion/garlic powder, paprika... whatever.)

6. Heat up a skillet and melt some butter on it. Add some oil as well. Fry both sides of your donkatsu until it's nice and brown. Maybe 3-5 minutes on both sides.

7. Oh, I forgot to tell you. You should've preheated your oven to 350.

8. Place the donkatsu on a baking sheet and bake until cooked all the way through. (About 20-25 min)

9. Plate with rice and curry. And the red stuff if you have it.

If you don't like curry, serve with some donkatsu sauce. But then don't forget the chopped cabbage with thousand island dressing! (That's Korean style)

Quinoa, Pea, and Mint Salad

Have I mentioned how much I love this salad? I know I posted it before. It goes well with everything. The mint makes it taste fresh and as a plus, quinoa is really good for you. I'm kind of weird about mint. For instance, I can't drink mojitos bc I feel like I'm drinking toothpaste water. But this is goooood. Trust me!

I got this from Martha Stewart. I LOVE her cookbook Dinner at Home. Everything I've tried in it thus far has been excellent.

Here's the recipe for this:

2 cups Chicken stock

1 cup White Quinoa, rinsed

1 cups Shelled fresh /frozen peas (unthawed if frozen)

3 tbsp EVOO

3 tbsp Fresh mint leaves

Salt and Pepper

Bring stock and quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook 10 min. Add peas. Cook until quinoa has absorbed the liquid (about 5 min). Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 min.

Season with s&p, then add oil. Let cool about 5 min before stirring in the mint. Enjoy!

Motivation vs Laziness

I realize that I have a lack of motivation when it comes to a lot of things. At the beginning stages of a project, I get excited and am full of ideas. But soon, the novelty wears off and I don't follow through. How do you stay motivated?

Here are my current "projects" that I'm excited about along with concerns:

1) I'm starting school next month and want to pack lunch at least 3 times a week rather than eating out. This is both for monetary and health reasons. As a student, I definitely will not have the funds to be eating out daily. Also, I'd like to do some portion control as well as eating more healthy food. Though I'm excited about the possibility of things to cook, I already feel unmotivated for various reasons... time, energy, laziness.

2) I started swimming again a few months ago and this is something I'd like to keep up. I feel healthier and more energetic than when I wasn't exercising. Once I start school, realistically, how often will this happen?

I don't know if it's motivation that I'm lacking or if it's that I have too much laziness and too many excuses. Hm...

Coconut Cake

I've never had coconut cake before. Really. So this was fun to bake and yummy to eat! I got this recipe from Food Network, or more specifically, Ina Garten. Did I ever tell you I thought that her name was Contessa for the longest time?

Anyway, I did make a few adjustments. I used coconut milk instead of regular milk and I used 2 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of almond extract for the cake. Also, I used 6 large eggs instead of 5 extra large eggs. Where do you even purchase extra large eggs? Anyway, I also put less than 1 lb of confectioner's for the frosting.

All in all, it was a good cake, easy to bake... but really really really dense and rich.

This picture looks alien-esque. Hehehe...

Do you have any cake recipes to share?

Bruschetta... Sort of.

There's something about the combination of tomatoes, basil, mozzarella olive oil, and balsamic vinegar that tastes so good.

I call this "Bruschetta... Sort of." because bruschetta is actually just sliced baguette topped with olive oil and rubbed with garlic. I call the tomato, basil, garlic, etc. part bruschetta. But who's going to stop me?

Anyway, here's how I make it:

Start with some good tomatoes. These happen to be two heirloom and one... from my sister's garden. Shh!! Don't tell her! You can use any type of tomato you want. Even cherry tomatoes!

Chop them up into little cubes. My sister takes out all the insides so you don't end up with a watery bruschetta... I like to be lazy. =)

Next, mince up some garlic and chop up some basil. How much? I don't know... about this much. I like a lot of garlic. I think I put in like 3 cloves. As far as basil, I think I put about 7 large leaves.

Next, add a few glugs of olive oil, a few less glugs of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Taste it. Does it need more salt? More vinegar? Adjust accordingly. =)

Slice up some of your favorite baguette. This one happens to be Acme Bread Company's Sweet baguette. Serve with fresh mozarella.

Sorry about the photo quality... they're all from my phone =)

The Pioneer Woman's Sour Cream Noodle Bake

I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman and it looked really yummy to me... which is weird because it looks like lasagne and I don't like lasagne. I haven't been cooking her recipes lately because, well because I don't work on a ranch and don't want to be obese.

Anyway, it's really simple to make and only takes a few ingredients. In fact, it took so few ingredients that I added some more of my own. I added mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Also, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. I might've added bell pepper too... I don't really remember.

It didn't turn out as pretty as hers, but it was really good! Also, she isn't kidding when she says it's good just with the noodles, green onions, sour cream, and cottage cheese before you bake it. It really is.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies + Milk = :)


Recipe from Joy of Baking

Grilled (Striped Bass) in Corn and Clam Chowder Sauce

A couple of months ago, I purchased/or received? (I don't remember) Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home. I love it! Everything I've made so far has been really yummy and this is no exception.

She says you can use any firm, white-fleshed fish (black sea bass, halibut, trout) for this dish. I don't remember what fish I used. *Shrugs* Anyone?

Basically, you marinate the fish, grill it, and place it on a bed of really yummy clam chowder sauce.

Here's the link to the corn and clam chowder sauce and here's the link to the grilled striped bass.

I really do love her recipes. Here's another really yummy one that I don't have a good picture of. (Also from the same cookbook)
This was Quinoa, Pea, and Mint Salad taken by Andrew's phone. You can ignore the chicken piccata in the corner... that's Giada's recipe. (Also good!)

I've never tried quinoa before and I was a little skeptical of this recipe but it was SOOOOO good, you have to make it. Please. Now.

Ingredients:
2 cups Low sodium chicken stock
1 cup White quinoa, rinsed
1 cup Shelled fresh green peas or frozen peas (unthawed)
salt and pepper
3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp freah mint leaves, torn if large

Bring stock and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover and cook 10 minutes. Add the peas. Cook until quinoa is tender but still chewy and has absorbed the liquid, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered for 5 min. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in oil. Let cool slightly before stirring in the mint.

Enjoy!

Practice Makes Not-So-Perfect!

If you've seen my previous posts, you'll know I'm not the world's best cupcake froster. (I suck.) So I've been practicing...


This isn't so much of a recipe post as it is of a... "I think I'm getting the hang of frosting" post. (But if you'd like the recipe, I'll gladly type it out--or not so gladly)

Still not perfect... but getting the hang of it!

my lurves

<3

C&E @ Larson's

C: "Is this a pig's nose?"

Shortbreads with White Chocolate and Raspberry Jam

I saw these on Joy of Baking and thought they'd be super yummy---and they were!

I've never used a cookie cutter before so this was a first for me, and I had a lot of fun. Just be sure to refrigerate the cookie dough so it's easier to work with.

The finished product. I thought they'd taste like the Knott's Berry Farm cookies but they're much less dense and more flaky. Also, the jam I used wasn't as sweet as the Knott's jam. The white chocolate was much more subtle than I thought.

I made mini cookies for the kids with the leftover batter. You can't tell from this picture but they're tiny and perfect size for their little hands!

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes!

I've been baking (and eating!) a lot of cupcakes lately. Some from online recipes but mostly from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.

I really need to work on my frosting skills... (which are lacking) hee hee...

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. As you can see, I'm horrible at frosting, so I made pineapple flowers and topped the cupcakes with them...

Much better!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting... I wasn't a big fan of the frosting

Marble Cupcakes (These were yummy!)

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting (It tastes a lot better than it looks...)

And now for the store-bought cupcakes:
From Gigi's Cupcakes in Napa... now closed. This is actually a picture from a couple of years ago... =P I wish I could frost like this. Somebody teach me!

From Sift in Napa. Guess what flavor it is! Give up? Samoa! Like the Girl Scout Cookies.

And more to come next time...