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Tag Archives: pasta

Memorial Day Weekend & a recipe

May 29, 2012 | 0 Comments

How’s everyone’s Tuesday after memorial day? Feels like Monday to me. I have been running around like a chicken ~~with its head cut off~~ all day long!!! Funny thing we fabricated (broke down) whole chickens in class today. Not only does that require a good bit of muscle strength, it requires a lot of clean up because that is a sticky job-YUCK. We used the carcasses to make stock and the breast for poached chicken today. We also made a tarragon sauce, parmesan Reggiano risotto, and tomatoes Provencal. Woooooh I am worn out. I am not sure when I will get my appetite for chicken back, but tearing one apart at 8 in the morning will change your chik-fila lunch plans real quick.

We headed down to Eagle Lake this past weekend to celebrate memorial weekend with a big group of friends. Luckily for me, I don’t have school on Fridays and Jackson was on the way! I got to spend some time with my Aunt Penny (who lives in Virginia) on Friday night. We did some cooking and catching up. Mom always has the best ingredients in the fridge and her herb garden makes mine a mockery. I saw goat cheese in the fridge, peppers, and lots of basil in the garden that would make an easy pasta dish I wanted to make earlier in the week.

Aunt Penny also put together a caprese salad for us using burrata cheese (my absolute favorite), summer tomatoes, basil, and good extra virgin olive oil.

Penne pasta with goat cheese, peppers, and basil

What you need: yellow/red bell peppers, seeds and membrane removed, med dice (1/2 in. square)

5 oz package of soft goat cheese

1 T garlic, minced

1 leek (halved and rinsed) white only, sliced 1/4 in rondelles

1 bunch of basil

good quality olive oil, 2 T

1 lb penne, al dente

How I did it:

Saute garlic, leeks, and peppers in 1 T of olive oil until soft, meanwhile drop penne in salted boiled water until al dente. Use 1 cup of pasta water to thicken sauce of leeks, peppers, and garlic. Add pasta, goat cheese and basil off the heat. Toss and season with kosher salt and cracked pepper. Finish with drizzle of olive oil.

Sunday supper and a birthday week

October 20, 2011 | 0 Comments

Because it’s a birthday week and I have trouble saying no to anything and yes to everything. Let me paint you a picture-Ole Miss v. Alabama game started at 5, we were groving by 2 and at the library for over 6 hours. I did not move all day Sunday, slept from 4-6 which is quite a feat because I have probably napped a total of 5 times in 10 years. I was so looking forward to pizza delivered to my door, a movie and then more sleep. Instead, a little birdie has a little birthday (BIG 25) this week and he wanted stuffed cannelloni. Not easy, peasy pasta but stuffed, homemade, baked golden brown manicotti and of course, I said yes. I loved making this. I pretend it was a task and it was, but so worth it and so rewarding. Ooey gooey cheese covering tender pasta with a velvety red sauce running through each rib of pasta. gosh I love to cook. I love to create and I love to eat good food. This recipe was a mash-up of ideas I found on tastespotting, so not much of a recipe at all. I used my go to tomato sauce and turned it into a vodka sauce. Sautee garlic, onions, deglaze with a splash of vodka, reduce then add tomatoes and crushed red pepper and simmer for at least ½ an hour. Finish with cream. AND ENJOY with every sort of pasta you can find.

Boil the pasta until al dente (they will continue to cook in oven), mix together fresh mozzarella, 1 container of ricotta, spinach, and ¼ c. Parmesan

Filled the pasta with the back-end of a spoon, cover with vodka sauce, top with remaining cheese.

Onions & garlic simmer in butter/olive oil until translucent (onion first so garlic doesn’t burn), followed with a splash of vodka, simmer until reduced, add tomatoes and finish with cream