spicy sausage pappardelle

Are you in need of a quick weeknight meal that is meaty, but also easy to prepare? Look no further. I've recently received feedback that MORE dishes with LESS ingredients would be most appreciated. Since I'm a lady of the people, I'm going to work on collecting accessible recipes with simplicity in mind.
This pasta dish contains approximately eight ingredients, only four of which you probably need to go out and buy...these would be the sausage, tomatoes, cream and red onion(and fresh thyme if you don't harvest your own herbs). Chances are if you cook from time to time you already own your own garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and some pasta noodles. Enjoy!

SPICY Sausage Pasta
(serves 2)
olive oil
1 red onion, diced
a handful of thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
1/2 tbsp. red pepper flakes (dried chili flakes)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 pork sausages (Uli's HOT italian!), meat removed from casings and separated into small pieces
1 28 oz. can of peeled, sliced or diced tomatoes
1/2 pint cream
salt and pepper
pappardelle (from trader joe's, any noodle that you love will work)
parmesan to serve
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Brown the pieces of sausage in the oil, breaking the sausages as you cook. Add the thyme leaves to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook until soft. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the sliced or diced tomatoes to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook the pasta in salted water. A few minutes before the pasta is ready, add the cream to the sauce and stir. When the pasta is cooked, plate and serve with a heaping spoon of sauce.  

mr. pibb & red vines = crazy delicious

This frosting from Magnolia Bakery in New York is so so so good that American heartthrob & comedian, Andy Samberg rapped about it in his first big digital short on SNL, "Lazy Sunday."
the man says it right:
"Let's hit up Magnolia and mack on some cupcakes
Yo man that bakery has got all da bomb frosting
I love those cupcakes like McAdams loves Josling."


It's true, one bite and love, mirrored only by that portrayed in The Notebook, ensues. This is something Sarah made that really impressed me. I feel like a lot of homemade buttercream frostings are just not quite right.  this, on the other hand, is very very right. it's great on cupcakes or just poured over a whole cake. 

you got a backpack?  gonna pack it up nice.

i told you that i'm crazy for these cupcakes, cousin.

girl acted like she'd never seen a ten befo'.

MAGNOLIA BAKERY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
1 cup (2 sticks) 
unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk (whole is preferred)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

the savory to your sweet

this is a tasty and slightly savory way to incorporate fruit into the dinnertime meal, and to take advantage of  all the winter citrus fruits at your fingertips.  this recipe calls for mint, but you can use any herb that you like, basil, tarragon or thyme would all work well.  Kelly made this and I enjoyed every last bite.

MIXED CITRUS SALAD
adapted from smitten kitchen
3 to 4 tablespoons red onion, cut into tiny bits
4 pieces of citrus, mix grapefruits and oranges
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) feta cheese, chopped or crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped or cut into tiny slivers

Place your red onion in the bottom of a medium bowl, this is to catch the juices as you prepare the fruit. Nest a strainer over the bowl. Cutting off all the peel until it is white free. Cut the fruit into 1/4-inch thick wheels, removing any seeds and thick white stem as you do. Place the wheels and any collected juices from the cutting board in the strainer over the bowl with onion. Repeat with remaining citrus fruits.

Spread the fruit slices out on a platter. Scoop out the onion bits (a slotted spoon or fork does the trick) and sprinkle them over, leaving the juice in the bowl. Whisk one tablespoon of juice (this is all I had accumulated) with red wine vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the citrus, sprinkle with feta and mint, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

1/2 oatmeal, 1/2 everything else cookies

these healthy little morsels come via the January 1978 issue of Home Cooking. They are healthier than your average cookie because they include no butter or flour.  But then I added chocolate to make them more satisfying.  This might cancel out the healthy, but it doesn't cancel out the delicious. 

dry ingredients.

teaspoonfuls.

 kicking back with my recipe book and a warm cookie.

ULTIMATE OATMEAL COOKIES
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips, chopped
1/2 cup dried fruit or nuts, chopped (apricots or raisins)
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat eggs and mix wet ingredients in a seeparate bowl. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry while mixing.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake at 300 for 20 minutes.

in living color

De Laurenti's has their windows filled with these fabulously vibrant displays.  Reminds me how exciting it is to explore new ingredients and to make colorful foods. Also, I love the tins of olive oil, they'd make a great addition to any kitchen counter top. 

orange. 

green.

yellow.

red.

gotta get a grahamy

my mom used to make homemade crackers when I was little. it was a long time ago and that was very nice of her, but i don't remember them. Nevertheless, I'm sure they were delicious. i still love animal crackers and graham crackers and have been curious about what the homemade version would be like. also i wondered where is this graham flavor coming from? I am aware of no spice called "graham" and cannot identify any flavors that resemble graham. now that i've seen a recipe, the code is cracked, apparently graham = brown sugar + honey.

here is the result.  these babies do not disappoint, they are similar in flavor to a gingerbread, but softer than most store bought graham crackers. I would definitely make them again and recommend serving them with cream cheese frosting or just plain dipped in milk.

Ingredients
(Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares)

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup honey
5 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Topping
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Make the dough: Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.

Roll out the crackers: Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers.

Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Decorate the crackers: Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough (this is for the traditional cracker shape). Using a fork, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

rigatoni is d best

rigatoni "d" is a special dish from maggiano's. we ordered it once because our waiter said it was the number one best selling item in all restaurant locations across the country, and because you can't go wrong with mushrooms, garlic cream sauce and marsala wine. no, you cannot. it's been a little while since we've gone back to maggiano's and Dan and I were both craving it. So with a little googling he found the recipe and we made it at home. It was really good. I did a little trick where I swapped out the heavy cream for whole milk, and then thickened it a little with flour. for full flavor and richness, and if you want to try the real deal, the milk trick is not recommended. stick with heavy cream. everything else was spot on.

Rigatoni "D"
Based on a favorite from Maggiano's

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 ounces button mushrooms (pick the littlest ones, tops the size of a dime or nickel)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup marsala wine
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups cream (or whole milk)
1 lb rigatoni pasta
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
parmesan cheese, shavings (garnish)
chopped fresh parsley (garnish)

Heat oil. Saute mushrooms in balsamic. Saute onion and garlic in heated oil until browned lightly. Once mushrooms are done and have absorbed most of the balsamic, add to onion and garlic mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken (cook separately in a pan or use a rotisserrie chicken). Add chicken stock, Marsala, and white wine. Add more Marsala for flavor as needed. Cook until reduced by half. Add cream and bring to a boil.

Cook rigatoni in salted water until al dente. Add drained rigatoni to chicken mixture in pan and finish with basil, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.