4-Cheese Rotini

It has been such a beautiful week. It has been really busy but I will not complain. My husband got the chance to go to New York with Beta Alpha Psi and his accounting professors from CMU. They went to the New York Stock Exchange today. Tomorrow they are going to tour the Empire State Building and go to ground zero. I wish I had had the opportunity to go with him just to experience New York.

I have spent the last few days thinking of what meal I wanted to be my last blog. Since it is becoming that time of the year of reunions and potlucks I decided on my baked 4-cheese rotini. The items you will need is a 16 oz. box of rotini, pound Velveeta cheese, milk, ½ cup butter,  8 oz. cottage cheese, parmesan cheese,  1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, and pepper.

Start by cooking the noodles just shy of being done. Drain the noodles and return noodles to the pan. Cube the Velveeta and mix with the noodles, add milk (about ½ cup to start), and butter. Turn on low heat and stir until cheese is melted. If it seems too thick add more milk, the mixture should not be thick at all. Add in cottage cheese, ½ cup shredded cheese, a ½-cup parmesan cheese, and tsp. course ground pepper. Mix well and put in an oven safe bowl. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese and some parmesan cheese on top and cook in the oven (350*) for about 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Deep Fried Tacos

One of my husband’s favorite meals is tacos. Even more than that, he loves it when I make deep-fried tacos from the previous night’s leftovers. I, as well, love them. They offer a diverse way of eating leftovers that I feel has a rich flavor and texture. Tacos in general here do not have leftovers; however, J prefers I make extra so there is some for the next day. Because in order for me to make them I will only use what is left of the previous night’s meal. Some foods just have better gustoes the next day.

What is needed to make these are leftover taco-seasoned hamburger, chicken fajita meat (Sam’s Club has the best), refried beans. Other needed items are toothpicks, oil, cheese, tortillas (medium 8”), diced onions, diced jalapenos, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

I start by dicing/mincing up the leftover meats and mixing some of the refried beans with the hamburger. Warming the tortillas will help with being able to fold and roll the tacos. Heat about 1 ½ - 2 inches of oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. On a tortilla just below the center, do not overstuff, add meat of choice and items such as refried beans, cheese, onions, jalapenos, or tomatoes. Fold up the sides and then fold the bottom up and roll into a log (looks similar to an egg roll). Place toothpicks in to rolls waiting to be submersed into the oil, remove just before the taco is to be turned over in oil. Place the taco in the oil once it turns a nice brown it is ready to be turned over. When both sides of the taco are browned, remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Top with items of your choice and you have a delightfully delectable dinner awaiting you. Enjoy!

Meatloaf

One of my favorite meals to make at home for my family is meatloaf. Meatloaf is a well-rounded meal that makes wonderful leftover sandwiches. I make it different each time I cook it for diversity as well as to please everyone’s tastes. I feel there is a myriad of ways to make meatloaf. You can add or take from the recipe such as onions. Things can be substituted for a sundry of flavors, for example, using Cheez-It crackers instead of saltines. I will list the recipe that is my personal favorite.

The ingredients used are a pound ground chuck, a medium onion diced, a can diced tomatoes (drained), approximately a sleeve of saltine crackers (crushed), 2 large eggs,  ½ cup ketchup, ¼ cup milk, seasonings (seasoning salt, garlic powder, chili powder) or I use an envelope of Lipton’s French onion soup. In a large bowl mix burger, eggs, milk, ketchup, and seasonings mix well (make sure seasoning is evenly distributed). Mix in onions, tomatoes, and crushed crackers (half at a time). The consistency should make a loaf easily without a dense feeling to it. If the loaf feels too dry, add a little more milk, if it is not forming a loaf, add a few more crackers.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 60 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the loaf. I have used bread pans and they work wonderful. I, however, prefer to use a cookie sheet with a rack (cookie cooling rack). I put tinfoil over the rack and poke holes about 2 inches away from the corners of the loaf. I put foil over it as well and let it cook for about 45 minutes. Take the foil off from the top, spread some ketchup over the loaf, and return to the oven to brown for about another 15 minutes.

The reason I choose to cook with this method over a bread pan is that you can still have moist meatloaf without all the grease. I hope you enjoy!!

Birthday follow-up

The birthday party turned out to be amazing. The weather was beautiful, so the kids were all able to play outdoors. The adults all congregated on the deck to converse and enjoy such a beautiful day. I like it when all the family can get together like that. I made homemade ice cream because it is a very nostalgic thing for me. I remember it starting with my great-grandmother, then grandma, and now my father carried it on. They all of course passed the tradition on to me and I am sharing it with my children. I chose to make pistachio ice cream, cake cones with white chocolate raspberry and cherry vanilla frosting, and a roast for dinner.

The ice cream consists of an ice cream maker, ice-cubes, rock salt, a gallon whole milk, one can evaporated milk, 1 ½ cups sugar, and one large or two small boxes of your choice instant pudding. Mix sugar, milks, and pudding in the canister. Once everything is mixed well and the lid is on it is put into the bucket. Ice is then filled all around the canister and rock salt sprinkled over the ice. The machine runs for about 45 minutes and once it stops churning, the ice cream is ready.

The roast consists of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, medium sized onion, and one or two good size roasts. At about 11:30 a.m. I put the roasts in a roast pan filled about two-thirds of the way up with water. I put in a good amount of seasonings especially when there are two roasts in the pan. That will cook in the oven at 350* until 4 p.m. with the lid on. At that time put in either a bag of baby carrots (take longer to cook) or peeled and cut fresh pieces and a ½ of a cabbage cut in half. Let that cook for about 20-25 minutes and then put in an onion (quartered) and potatoes. Potatoes usually take about 30 minutes to cook. The roast is generally so tender that it melts in your mouth.

Here is a picture of the cake cones......

Oops I forgot to blog!

Getting online to look into next week’s assignments made me realize I did not do my second blog last week. Being spring break we ate out quite a bit. Therefore, I am looking forward to a home cooked meal. I will be able to have one come this Sunday at my dad’s house. I am going out there to cook dinner for everyone along with having cake and homemade ice cream. We will be celebrating my daughter Taylor’s 4^th birthday (Monday, March 12). I have not decided what I am making yet. It will be either roast or spaghetti.

For Taylor’s cake, I am making cake cones. By putting ice cream cones on top of the cupcakes before baking them, they cook as one with a decorative top. I am trying a new frosting by Dunkin Hines. It has a base frosting and packets of flavoring to mix in. I wanted to decorate her cones with purple and pink colors so I chose the flavors cherry vanilla and white chocolate raspberry. I am thinking of making pistachio ice cream. Next week I will write more on how everything turned out.

Swedish Meatballs

This has been another eventful week with the family’s ailments. I know that it is the season for this and everyone is going through one form or another of the crud. My son has had a temperature of 104 for the last two days with no other symptoms. I have been keeping it under control with Motrin and Tylenol and semi-warm bathing. I just do not like not knowing what is causing him to have the fever. One thing is he has not lost his appetite. He is even making requests for what mommy should make for dinner. Tonight he asked me to bring him home some Chinese, being a sucker for sick little boys I did. I also made him one of his favorite dishes, Swedish meatballs. Here is what you will need.

4lb Bag of Meatballs

Family size can of soup (cream of mushroom, cream of celery, or cream of chicken)

8oz. sour cream

Milk

Noodles

Side Vegetable

I particularly love making Swedish meatballs on days that I am going to be gone all day. I like coming home to a dinner that all I have to do is boil some water for the noodles. The meatballs are cooked in a crockpot on low for however long you are gone. However, they can be ready in a couple hours if I wanted. There are a few different ways that I have made this recipe. It really depends on a person’s palette in deciding what to use. I preferably like the Armour brand meatballs, they are of the few that I have found that are pork and not beef. I love the piquant flavor they have. Of the soups, I like using the cream of chicken best; it allows the meatball essence to stand out the most. I like the cream of mushroom and celery, but many family members do not because of the pieces of vegetables in them. I also find them to have a saltier taste. Each of them deliver a variety of flavor to the dish, if anything way to change up a simple meal occasionally.

In order to make these I put the entire bag of frozen meatballs and soup mixed with about ½-cup milk in the crockpot. I leave it on low for the duration of the time I am gone. When I return or in about two hours, I will add the sour cream and sometimes more milk if the gravy seems too thick. I also make a side vegetable and noodles to serve as well.

New Pasta Attachment

Early last week, I received in the mail, my order of semolina flour. I had searched many of the stores in my area and could not find it. I was not able to remember where I was able to obtain it last time. I found it on Amazon.com for a good price. This week I received the pasta extruder I purchased brand new on E-bay. The price on the KitchenAid Website was more than I wanted to pay. I really like being able to find good deals. I purchased the pasta extruder because it has a spaghetti attachment that will be more to my liking in the thickness of the noodle.

A pasta extruder has a few different added benefits from the other pasta making attachments. It makes six different shaped noodles, such as homemade large or small macaroni, fusilli, rigatoni, bucatini, or spaghetti. I will only have to place balls of dough through the hopper. Instead of having to flatten the dough first then insert it into the cutter. This attachment has a wire cutter that enables me to cut the noodles to the length I prefer as well. I am not at a loss with the other attachments, as they will continue to make the egg noodles that we loved so much. I look forward to classes slowing down so I can have more of an opportunity to play with my new food investment.

Homemade French Fries and Chicken Tenders

Today was a good day! I was able to have some of my family over for dinner tonight. My dad, brother, sister in-law, and their two daughters all came. I made homemade french fries, homemade chicken tenders, and box brownies. I have to be careful with what I cook when my dad is around. He is not able to eat certain grains, seeds, or potato skins due to a medical condition. I am always extremely careful to make sure that I either make his separate or change the normal way I do things to accommodate his needs. For example, for my french fries I only peel them for him, as I think they taste best with them on. I cook the French fries first as they will stay warm in a covered container while frying the chicken.

The french fries are easy enough to make. Set the deep fryer to 375* and let the oil warm completely. It depends on how many people there are, as to how many potatoes are needed. Tonight I used a 5lb bag of potatoes and there was not any left over. Anyways, I wash and cut the fries into thick strips (½ x 1 inch). Depending on the thickness of the fry, I will cook them for about 10-12 minutes. Salt is optional.

For the chicken tenders, I actually buy the breast tenders in the meat section. I have used chicken breast and cut them to size as well. **I boil my chicken for about 30 minutes to make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked**. I drain and set aside to cool while I prep the rest of dinner. Beat three large eggs in a bowl and set aside. In another flat-bottomed container, I put in about a cup of flour and one cup crushed corn flakes. I mix in a variety of seasonings: lemon pepper, garlic pepper, seasoning salt, and Montréal chicken seasoning. I coat the chicken in the egg and then the flour. Put them in the deep fryer for about 2-3 minutes, enough to crisp the coating and heat the chicken.

**I boil the chicken first for three reasons. First, it makes certain that the chicken is thoroughly cooked; no guess time when it comes to deep-frying. Second, the chicken is not submersed and completely saturated in the oil; making the chicken non-greasy. Lastly, the chicken remains juicy and tender.**

Have a great week!!

Long Week

This week has been long one. I have not done hardly any cooking, as no one is hungry due to the viruses floating around. I still have yet to get completely up to par but at least the worst part is over for me. My little girl Taylor is still up tonight because she cannot stop coughing long enough to stay asleep. Out of all of us, I would have thought she would have the higher immunity system. She is an amazingly healthy eater. She is only three-years-old and could do 90 percent of her shopping in the produce section. She will eat almost every fruit and vegetable available to her. She literally gets excited when I bring her home “her” container of cherry tomatoes, which she will eat in one setting. If I want to eat any of them, I have to hide them. I guess I am just extremely awed by her choice of diet. When it just seems you have to fight most children to eat their vegetables. It personally has been a losing battle with my son, Jaiden, as I cannot think of one single vegetable that he will eat. That he knows of I should say. I can sneak vegetables into his food as long as it blends completely. The next thing I am going to try with everyone is cauliflower-mashed potatoes. I am interested myself to see how it tastes.

Triple-Layer Chocolate-Peppermint Bars

The time has come in the semester when the newness of classes beginning has worn off. Things are becoming more fast-paced and overwhelming to some. I am not so overwhelmed that I am going to scream, yet! I do find myself lacking the time and or energy for extracurricular cooking. I have kept things basic for the last few weeks. I am feeling rather sad that I have not been able to put together a family meal lately. I might just have to make a point to get my parents up to my place this weekend. We will see what the next few days have to bring.

On that note, I am going to share with you a recipe I made for my husband’s Christmas party. I think it has a Christmas and Valentines aura to it, so it would be good for either holiday. On the other hand, if you like peppermint anytime is a good time to make this. This is not a recipe that you can put together last minute. There are quite a few steps in the process of making this dessert. It may seem tedious but the overall result is delectable.

CRUST

½ cup chocolate mint chips

¼ cup unsalted butter, cut up

1 ¼ Cups chocolate cookie crumbs (put 24 chocolate wafer cookies in a bag and crush with rolling pin)

FILLING

¾ cup chocolate mint chips, divided

1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened, divided

2 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

3/8 teaspoon peppermint extract (1/4 + 1/8 teaspoons)

¼-teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

TOPPING

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies (shake crushed candy in a fine strainer to remove fine candy dust)

Heat oven to 350*F. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. Heat ½-cup chocolate mint chips and ¼-cup butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cookie crumbs. Press into bottom of pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until fragrant and cool completely on wire rack.

Heat ½-cup of the chocolate mint chips and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

Beat remaining ¼-cup butter and cream cheese in a large bowl at medium speed until smooth. Beat in 2 tablespoons cream and peppermint and vanilla extracts. Reduce speed to low; beat in cooled chocolate mixture. Slowly beat in powdered sugar. Stir in remaining ¼-cup chocolate mint chips. Spread over crust; smooth out the top. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until set.

Meanwhile, place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring ½-cup cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat; pour over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute; stir until smooth. Cool at room temperature 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened but still pourable. Spread over filling; sprinkle with peppermint candies. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Store in refrigerator and keep chilled while serving.

Enjoy!

Goulash

I have been sick the last few days. I have not been doing a whole lot, except homework. Trying to stay focused with a cloudy mind is not an easy task. I am been so cold that I turned the heat up to 72 from my normal 68. Therefore, last night I chose to make one of my son’s favorite dishes to help warm me up. I made goulash; I need to find out where this dish got its name and where it derived from. It would be interesting to see if the basic recipe has stayed the same or if it has changed from generations or countries.

I think mine is a basic recipe. I use rotini noodles, hamburger, onions, sometimes mushrooms, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, V-8 juice, and some seasonings. I usually only season the burger and I use seasoning salt, garlic granules, chili powder, and garlic pepper seasoning. Macaroni is typically the norm for most, but I like the way the rotini is enveloped by the juices. I also use V-8 instead of tomato juice because I think the V-8 enhances the flavor. However, if I had my grandmas canned tomato juice, that would have made this even more delectable. Oh how I miss her!

Post Super Bowl

The Super Bowl party was a complete success. Good times with good friends and of course some good food. Everyone really enjoyed the dishes I had prepared. In the words of one of my husband’s friends “I can’t get away from this, it’s like liquid cocaine”. He was speaking of the banana split dessert. When I heard him say this, it really made me smile. As stated before, my love for cooking comes from satisfying another’s palette. It was very delightful to see that there were no leftovers to be found.

In addition, I was thinking of other ways to make the tacos into even more of an appetizer dish. I thought that if I used the scoop/bowl tortilla chips that you could actually make bite-sized portions. I question the how the saltiness of the chips will affect the taste. I will have to look into this to see if I can find some without salt. I think this will be a great idea for this summer’s Fourth of July picnic that we have at my husband’s parents in Harrisville, Michigan.

Super Bowl Dishes

I am excited that this weekend is the Super Bowl. I am not team specific in general; I just like the whole aspect of football. We are hosting a Super Bowl this weekend. I will be making three different dishes for everyone. My husband and his friends seem to like spicy foods. I do not eat anything that is spicy. The nice thing about two of these recipes is that you can change the level of “spicy” for whomever you are cooking. I will be making stuffed jalapeños, mini southwest buffalo chicken tacos, and banana split dessert. The ingredients you will need for the dishes are:

1) Stuffed Jalapeños

1/3 c. tomato paste

1lb. breakfast sausage (mild or spicy)

½ c. water

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

20 fresh jalapeños

2) Banana Split Dessert

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

½ c. margarine, melted

8oz. cream cheese

2 c. powdered sugar

4 large bananas

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

8oz. cool whip, thawed

8 medium strawberries

1 tbsp. chocolate syrup

¼ c. Nuts optional

3) Southwest Buffalo Chicken Tacos

½ tsp. cornstarch

3 tbsp. taco sauce

7 oz. chicken breast, chunked

1 stalk diced celery

½ c. crumbled blue cheese

4 Taco hard shells or mini hard shells

 

1) You will start by halving the jalapeños, making sure you remove the seeds and membranes. Leave the stems intact for easier handling. I recommend wearing gloves during this process to protect you from later burning from juices left on your hands.

You will start by browning the sausage in a large skillet, drain fat. Stir in the water, paste, and chili powder. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in ½ cup of cheese.

On a cookie sheet, spoon about a tablespoon of sausage mixture into each pepper. You can choose to bake these at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or you can cook on a grill, medium heat, for 9-12 minutes or until peppers are tender. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

2) Combine crumbs and melted margarine. Press evenly and firmly into the bottom 13x9 pan.

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and sugar, blend until smooth, spoon evenly over crumb crust. Slice bananas and arrange on top of the cream cheese layer. Spoon the pineapple on top of the bananas. Spread the whipped topping over the pineapple. Arrange the strawberry halves in 4 rows across the top. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and sprinkle with nuts (optional).

Cover and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.

3) In a small bowl, add cornstarch and taco sauce (mild or hot). Stir well.

Heat chicken thoroughly and drain any excess liquid. Add taco sauce and stir. Reduce heat until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Stir to prevent sticking. Divide into 4 large shells or mini taco shells. Top all with celery and blue cheese crumbles.

I truly hope you enjoy these recipes and may even try one this weekend.

Stroganoff

Tonight I made dinner for the family just my husband and the kids. I wanted to call my dad up and have him come to eat but I know that I was getting off to a late start with cooking. He lives 30 minutes from us now. Not just across the field, like he used to when my husband was in Iraq. He used to come over almost every night for dinner and to snuggle with the kids in the evenings. My parents divorced when I was young (7) and I was always a “daddy’s girl”. I took on the role of caretaker for my dad, not because I had to but because I wanted to. So quite often, I will call him and he will come up for dinner, I think it is his excuse to come see his grandbabies.

I made a homemade stroganoff and candied carrots for dinner. I am not sure I would exactly call it stroganoff but I am not sure what it would be otherwise. To make this I use stew meat, a medium onion, 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, a few different seasonings, egg noodles, carrots, brown sugar, flour, milk, and smart balance butter. I take the stew meat, ¼ c water ¼ of the onion sliced and the seasonings and cook with cover on low heat for about 30 minutes. I then put in the rest of the sliced onions and mushrooms and cook until almost all of the liquid is gone. I mix flour and milk together to use as the gravy (1 ½ cups milk to 3 tbsp. flour). I turn up the heat just a little and stir constantly until it reaches the consistency I desire. I boil the egg noodles to al dente and put tbsp. butter on them to keep them from sticking together. I quarter about a half a pound of carrots and steam them for about 15-20 minutes (just enough water to cover ½ the carrots). The water will dissipate and I add 1tbsp butter and 2 tbsp. of brown sugar, they are heated until the carrots are glazed. I keep the noodles and meat separated, as my children are fussy eaters. I am able to put things on each of their plates per their liking. I find they eat much better this way.

Cheese Fudge

This week has been extremely busy for me. I have not cooked a dinner since Sunday night when I made the chicken noodle soup. Therefore, I do not have a new recipe attempt to share with you. However, I will share a recipe that has a lot of meaning to me. More so than anything I have ever made or ever will make. Ever since the first Christmas Eve I can remember, we would go to my paternal grandparents’ home for dinner and gifts. My grandmother would send home with every family her special cheese fudge. She has been passed on for five years now, and I have taken on the role of that tradition. It means a lot to me and I know that it makes others in the family smile. I did not like to eat it when I was younger because of its name “cheese” fudge. I have never liked cheese so I guess you could say I “stereotyped” the food because of its name. As many people do just that, quite often I am asked, “What exactly is cheese fudge? It doesn’t even sound good.” I love it and usually anyone who does try it loves it too.

I will start with all the ingredients you will need: 1 pound of Velveeta cheese, 1 pound unsalted butter, 4 pounds powdered sugar, a tablespoon of vanilla, and 1 cup of cocoa. I cut the cheese into cubes to make for easier melting. In a medium saucepan on low heat melt the butter and add the cubes of cheese stirring often. This is a timely process as you continue to melt the cheese until the butter and cheese mix into one another smoothly. If the cheese is stringy or has any chunks, it is not ready. While that is melting, in a large bowl sift the powdered sugar and cocoa together. Once the cheese is ready, add the vanilla, and proceed to pour the cheese mixture over the sugar and cocoa. Mix until everything is smooth and put into a large pan (11x13). Press until distributed evenly and put in the refrigerator to cool. This fudge will be best kept in a covered container in a cool area. It will become very soft if it is left sitting in warm temperatures. I truly hope you enjoy, do not let the name fool you.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Yesterday was a great and fun cooking day for me. I made homemade chicken noodle soup. I have to say I even patted myself on the back, for it was delish! I started by putting a whole chicken in a stockpot with half a quart of chicken stock and water to cover almost half the chicken. I let that boil on the stove on low heat for about an hour. I then took the chicken out of the pan and let it set in a bowl to cool. To make the chicken soup less fattening and oily (like it is in the can) I set the stockpot in the refrigerator to cool as well. Once it is cooled, you can skim the hardened fat off the top of the broth. While waiting for everything to cool down, I diced up a pound each of carrots and celery, and just over half of a medium/large onion and set them to the side. When the chicken was cooled, I deboned and pulled the meat off into chunks and put it back into the broth. I added another quart of chicken stock to the base and returned it to a boil. Once boiling I added the carrots and celery. After about 20 minutes, I added the homemade egg noodles and the onions. I let that cook for about another 20-25 minutes until noodles were tender. I prefer my broth to be a little thicker so I added about a tablespoon of cornstarch and a mix of two tablespoons flour and ½-cup milk and let boil a few more minutes.

The meal was amazing; I had my dad and my brother’s family over for dinner. There was not a leftover to be found. I also wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, but was ready to sit back and relax with a full belly. So instead, I just made a triple batch of chocolate/peanut butter chip cookie batter and made cookie bars. I sent most of them home with my brother, as I certainly did not need that many cookies in my house. This was a complete success and I am really excited to try more new things.

Chicago Style Chili w/ Homemade Spaghetti Noodles

Tonight I made what is considered Chicago Style Chili. You make a pot of chili and a pot of spaghetti noodles then combine them in your bowl. I have eaten chili this way since I was a child. My dad has always made a great pot of chili; however, I do enjoy mine a little bit more because I can add onions and tomatoes that he will not eat. I feel that the chili taste better on the spaghetti when the chili is a day old. Mainly because the chili thickens up overnight and creates more of a saucy topping. Either way it is a very good meal no matter how you choose to make your chili. The spaghetti I used to make this meal was from the batch that I made last night. It had a wonderful consistency and flavor. The only bad thing was that it was way too thin for my liking. I like the pasta enough that I plan to invest in the spaghetti cutter rather than the angel hair pasta cutter that I currently have. Now I am really looking forward to trying the egg noodles as well.

Homemade Pasta

I started this week with attempting to make homemade pasta. I succeeded in making spaghetti and egg noodles. A few months ago, I purchased a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer and some of the various attachments that came with it. Of those were the pasta roller that flattens the dough, and two different cutters, one for large/egg noodle and the other for angel hair pasta. Therefore, in some ways you could consider me a cheater. I would not necessarily see it that way, as this was quite an in depth project. Although, I will admit I would not have wanted to do all this work with my own hands. I would not have had the time to cut each piece into the spaghetti noodle or had the perfect proportion of each strand. With this being my first time and not understanding the exact process to use the attachments, it was a trial and error in using the mixer to do the work. It was nice to have a dough hook instead of making it by hand. That definitely made creating the pasta dough very quick and easy. Tonight I had my children in the kitchen attempting to help me. My daughter Taylor is three and my son Jaiden is five so they like to help when they can. I enjoy letting them help me even though at times it can be more stressful than not. It is still quality time with them learning bits and pieces with me. I wanted to make spinach noodles tonight, but was not able to get into town for the needed ingredients. One of the reasons I wanted to start making my own pasta is because spaghetti is my favorite meal. The second is when I was younger I would spend a lot of time at my aunt’s house and I would always have a spaghetti dinner. She used spinach spaghetti and turkey burger to make her meal and it was a very delightful dinner. No one at my house would even try it because the noodles are green and more than likely the word spinach scared them away. Now in control of my dinners I have often looked for it in the stores and cannot find it on the shelves. They do have many varieties of noodles, just not the ones that I want. I know my son will freak out if I just cooked it for him, but maybe if he sees me create the noodles I could tell him I am making them green because it is his favorite color. I know that is a bit sly, but we need to eat healthier as a family and this might be one way to start. I used just a basic recipe for this project and semolina flour because it claims to make the noodles have a better taste. More so it is better for you with its high content of proteins and nutrients, that in turn it is more filling when consumed. I guess we will find out later this week when I make a dinner out of my new noodles. I look forward to sharing with you the taste outcome.

Not just a cooking freak :-)

In my early teens, I picked up the nickname Betty Goodwrench. I had the know-how and desire to go out change an alternator, pull the plug in an oil pan, or change a head gasket on a vehicle. Then go inside and cook a dinner or simply bake a pan of homemade cinnamon rolls. Just tonight, I helped my dad pull the side of the engine off to change the timing chain in my husband’s car. While at the same time that I love the life of being the woman of the house, I like to let the inner tomboy out in me and get dirty too. I like to cook a good meal in the evening for the family. I used to make everyone sit at the dinner table and have family dinner together. I feel that is a healthy practice to get into. With college, I have slacked at that quite a bit, because all of my classes have been in the evening and or I would be cramming in homework at the same time. On the nights that I have class I leave the cooking to my husband, Jason. That usually means that it will be a pizza night. I personally do not eat pizza so when they get the chance to have it Jason and the kids (Jaiden and Taylor) jump on it. I know they look forward to those nights of pizza and quality time with dad. This next week I am hoping to get the chance to try out the pasta making and being able to share those experiences with you.

What makes me smile...

I have an extreme joy for cooking since I was quite young. I cooked my first dish of fried venison when I was only 7 years old. I have not left the kitchen since. I grew up as the cook for my family and even today they all look forward to coming to my dads for a family meal. I always watched my grandmother cook and many things I know today are because of watching her. Grandma never measured much she just threw it in and tada it was perfect. I am not that talented though I hope someday my grandchildren will look to me as I did her. I like to attempt to make new dishes or create them myself. I personally do not eat a lot of the main dishes and appetizers that I make because I am a picky eater. The joy I get out of cooking is the fact the someone is enjoying my "creation". However, when it comes to the sweets I do indulge. Every year near the holidays I host a candy making weekend at my home with my sister, nieces, my aunt, and a friend or two. I get everyone started on a task and make my rounds helping and instructing what to do next.We have a wonderful time making holiday candies and attempting new candies each year. Some turn out and well some do not always make it to the candy bags. I bake the cakes for my kid's birthdays and I try to get as creative and yet simple as I can. I am also wanting to become more self sufficient by making my own pastas for my family. I have not yet attempted to do this, but I definitely will here soon. I would like to share my experience in attempting  new dishes or old dishes that deserve to be shared. Please feel free to give helpful hints or personal opinions on how to make something better or even your own way.