Cavatappi Pasta Bake

I was under the gun: dinner idea and shopping spree in under 10 minutes at Shaw's. (This was my last chance at shopping freedom before school pick-up). A personal challenge.
Call to the co-executor while enroute: pasta entree, o.k.'d (this is always an important step in consideration of cooking).
Ruminated over Cabot recipe seen on internet earlier (Make-Ahead Stuffed Shells with Cabot White Cheddar Cheese). While on shopping spree I kept that inspiration alive and went with my own ingredients.

Makes 2 smaller casseroles or one 9 x 13" (cut up and freezer friendly).
12 lunch servings (serve with a side salad) or 8 if you're hungry.

cook 1/2 of 16 oz package of pasta of choice
3/4 jar Shaw's 'Culinary Circle' Three Forest Mushroom Pasta Sauce (you'll swear there's meat in it)
Bag of spinach (prewashed, baby-ish sized leaves), chopped
small .75 oz fresh basil, more finely chopped than spinach
Microwave spinach & basil in covered casserole, enough to cook, 3 minutes or so. Allow to cool and squeeze out excess moisture (there will be a lot) using a cheesecloth or trusty thin dish towel.

1/2 bar of cream cheese, 1/3 less fat
15 oz container part skim ricotta cheese, any excess liquid drained off
1 egg
Combine in a mixing bowl with a mixer, well. Add pepper, a dose of italian dried herbs and garlic powder. Add spinach-basil mix.

Grate 8 oz low fat mozzarella (Shaw's) and 4 oz Romano cheese (Stella)
Add half of each gratings to mixer and combine. Reserve appropriate remainder for topping.

Layer pasta sauce, pasta, cream mix, pasta sauce, pasta, cream mix, then top with cheese.

Bake in preheated 375º oven for 30 minutes. Turn up to 425º and cook 5 minutes longer. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving (yet allow additional 5 minutes to cool).

Make up salads (store salad bar comes in handy) to serve with Good Seasons Italian dressing.

Optionally, include pitted kalamata olives and parsley.

Very delicious- and an easy dinner for a couple other nights!

Microwave from frozen carefully, at half power then full, maybe even finishing in toaster oven.

Kid-Friendly Pineapple

I *love* pineapple! This time of year, it seems to be plentiful.
Know what a nice and ripe fruit smells like (very aromatic) and snag it!

You will know they're special when you walk by a display and the aroma brings you in closer. As pineapples fully ripen, almost to the point of spoilage, their antioxidant levels actually increase.

Check out this link about the benefits of pineapple.

Use a sharp knife to remove the outer skin and occasional small seeds.

The best way to remove the, grisly core from 1/4-1/2" thick slices was to use some small cookie cutters. Keep the cores, the edges are still good to gnaw on. Yum!

Mom's Meatloaf

Mom's Meatloaf

Recipe courtesy Charity Boyd of the South Side Soda Shop and Diner, Goshen, IN

Food Network Show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
This show is a favorite of Alex and mine lately. Really lots of great ideas. This meatloaf is good, the only change I would make next time is to saute the onion. This seems to help reduce the 'onion burps' afterward.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
  
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground beef (80% lean)
  
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 cup bread crumbs (I used more like 1/2 cup Panko)
  
• 1 cup ketchup (also used less, just enough to top it)
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together the horseradish, mustard, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

In large bowl, mix ground beef, onion, egg, and Worcestershire sauce. Add contents of small bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the bread crumbs and combine well.

Place mixture into a 1-pound loaf pan. Pour ketchup over top and place in oven.

Bake uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes.

Almost-Famous Soft Pretzels

I've always loved Auntie Annie's pretzels. It's been a desire of mine to somehow recreate them at home. This recipe is pretty dead-on. The only thing I didn't work out yet is a good honey-mustard dip. I had mine with mustard, Andrew ate his with honey and Alex had his, straight up. I froze the remaining 3, hoping they should reheat well for a snack sometime.
My biggest challenge was actually forming the pretzels. Check out some youtube videos to get the knack of it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk (low fat is fine)
  
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt

Directions

Make the pretzels: Warm the milk until it's about 110-120 degrees; sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour. I used a stand mixer with a dough hook but you could also mix by hand with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. I found it necessary to add a lot more flour to this sticky dough. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. I used two sheets, three pretzels on each. Be careful not to over salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Brush on some melted butter so it's glistening.

Red Pepper Asiago Gougère Bites

Red Pepper Asiago Gougère Bites

Gougère, a cream puff-like pastry, is easy to make. These warm, savory mini bites are a perfect holiday appetizer.

15 min.prep time
1:35 total time

50-72 gougere bites

1 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) finely shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese (or any cheese you love)

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (next time I may try chopped kalamata olives)

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp dried. (May substitute other herbs- I used marjoram)

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure parchment is cut within the sheet (I had trouble with burning paper at the edges). Set aside.

Place water and butter in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil (6 to 8 minutes). Reduce heat to low; stir in flour and garlic salt vigorously until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is smooth. Stir in 1 cup cheese, bell pepper and basil.

Immediately drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. The dough is very sticky. Use your right hand to scoop with the measure and the other hand, dipped in a bowl of flour, ready to scoop the glop and put it on the sheet. Sprinkle each with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

English Muffin Pizzas

Very humble, I know. The taster wanted pizza for dinner and I didn't have dough on hand! But in a pinch, english muffins are fine. They also are good for portion control.

Royal Icing

I finally conquered royal icing! For years I have admired beautiful confections and while intrigued by them, the internet did not exist like it does now. Google search royal icing and you will come up with many variations. I attempted this before and on a couple occasions spent unnecessary dollars on powdered egg whites. What I've learned: for real glue strength, save the expense and use the real thing. Fear not salmonella. Your glaze will dry hard and no bacteria can survive there. It took some internet research for me to to trust and feel comfortable with this notion.

Two months ago I made some gingerbread cookies and saved the remaining dough in the freezer. Perfect! I also 'cheated' and used Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (just add 1/2 stick butter & 2 Tb water) to make additional cookies. The mix was fine, you just need to really chill the dough (pop it in the freezer for a few) and flour it as you roll it out, much like any other dough. I let Andrew help with this part, he really wanted to roll. Little does he know, Santa is giving him a mini alligator rolling pin for Christmas!

This recipe is for the glue that holds gingerbread houses together. I suggest when making a cookie glaze or paint, make this first then thin by adding lemon juice and/or water. You could experiment by adding water and a flavored extract (vanilla, almond, orange, etc.). A decorated cookie always tastes better!

1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar (helps stabilize egg whites)
3 egg whites from large eggs

Beat with a whisk on low speed until well blended, then beat on high speed until it holds stiff peaks, 7-9 minutes.
Use a spatula or other scraping device to divide mixture into two or more sandwich bags or piping bags. Seal the bag well, any air will cause hardening. When using from a baggie, you can control the flow. Be aware of this as you snip a triangle off a corner. It is better to cut a small piece off. I found it helpful to pinch and tape the end shut or else fold over the side to keep air out. I used my prepared icing over a couple days of cookie making, just keep unused portions in the fridge.

I had a lot of fun with this, using food coloring, a plastic (washable) paint palette and new brushes. You could just use small plates and small spoons. Later I learned it was easier to just dip the cookies in the glaze and touch up with s dipped spoon if necessary. The fun part is putting sprinkles on!

My sidekick chef Andrew and I decided that Christmas cookie-making be our new annual tradition, for sure!