HOMEMADE PASTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That looks like professional pasta doesn't it??? OH YEAH!  That's right folks, I, Paige Cashman made my very own homemade PASTA!  There have been a lot of cooking firsts for me lately, how exciting!  So about a month ago I received a package in the mail which contained my very own kitchen aid pasta making set.  This package was sent from my mom, but the gift was from my uncle Dug who had this in his kitchen but had never used it.  THANKS DUG!!!!  I finally got around to trying it out and OH MAN is it ever fun AND easy!   I would have never dreamed it would be so easy to make homemade pasta, thanks Kitchen aid!  So I will include the pasta dough recipe in here as well as the recipe for this amazing linguine and sausage pasta, which was seriously to die for. 

Ok so while pasta making with this tool is SUPER easy, I did make one mistake that I will warn you about.  The first time I made the linguine noodles I did not lay them out flat to dry and therefor they stuck together and then I made another mistake in putting them into hot water BEFORE it was boiling and they basically turned into one big mush.  So I then made a second batch, in less than 10 min, of white pasta, fixed the mistake and they were perfect!  

Here is the recipe and some pics of my first pasta making experience!

Wheat Pasta

21/2 cups wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

4 eggs

2 T water

1/2 tsp salt

White Pasta

2 cups all purpose flour

2 eggs

4 T water (more or less as needed)

Mix all ingredients together in kitchen aid mixer.  If too wet add flour, if too dry add water.  The dough should stick together when pinched between two fingers, but should not stick to your fingers.  Divide dough into 8 balls.  Flatten one ball to about 1/2 in thick and feed through your pasta roller (set on number 1).  The first time it will seem like its not working, thats because you are basically kneading the dough and the gluten needs to break down in order to become a smooth dough.  Run the dough through (folding in half after each time) at least 5 or 6 times.  After it looks like a smooth sheet of pasta, switch the setting on your roller to 3 and run dough through once.  Depending on what kind of pasta you are making will determine what thickness you want.  For linguine after number 3 you will change setting to 5 and run through once.  For lasagna you would go one more time through a 6 setting.  There are instructions regarding this that come with the set.  Now change out your pasta roller and put in the linguine cutter, feed each sheet of pasta through the cutter, TADAH PASTA!  Now MAKE SURE you catch the pasta as it comes out and lay it flat onto a baking sheet or dish towel to dry.  There are also really great youtube videos explaining this exact process so check those out if you are having trouble. 

Linguine with Sausage and Peppers

S&P

1 lb linguine

1 lb turkey sausage

6 garlic cloves

4 yellow peppers (I only used 2 and it was plenty)

4 tablespoons butter (I only used 2)

4 cups arugula (I used spinach)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta water.

Meanwhile, cook sausage and 2 T water in large covered skillet over medium for about 5 min.  Uncover; raise heat to med-high.  Brown the sausage breaking it up, about 7 min.  

Add garlic, bell peppers, and 1/4 cup pasta water; cook until peppers are soft about 6 min.  Add 3/4 cup pasta water and butter, swirl to combine.

Transfer to pot.  Add arugula; season with S&P.  Toss; add more pasta water as desired.

Serves 6.

Logan Rating: *****

Still Cooking...seafood!

I feel like I'm back on track with this blogging thing and then in one week I'll be off jet setting again and then school starts, ugh hopefully I can keep this up.  If the meals continue to be this quick and easy, I'm sure I can. This one was especially quick and I swear even a "spaghettios only cook" could do it.  It took me less than 20 min to complete the whole meal and took really no skill at all.  I absolutely love chili powder, it adds such a nice smoky bite to this dish.  Make sure to try the corn salsa with the fish, it really helps round out the flavors! ENJOY!

Chili-Rubbed Salmon with Zucchini and Sauteed Corn

4 Skinless Salmon fillets (6oz each)

S&P

2 tsp chili powder

1 lb medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise,cut crosswise into 3 in spears

1 T olive oil

10oz frozen corn

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1 cup prepared fresh tomato salsa

Lime wedges, for garnish (optional)

Heat broiler, set rack about 4 in from heat.  Rub salmon all over with s&p.  Arrange on rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle top of fillets with chili powder.  Arrange zucchini around salmon and sprinkle with remaining chili powder and season with S&P.

Broil until fish is opaque throughout and zucchini is tender, about 8-10min.

Meanwhile heat oil over high heat in a skillet.  Add corn and garlic, cook, tossing until corn is tender and beginning to brown, about 5 min.  Remove from heat and stir in scallions and salsa, season with S&P.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ****

Back to the challenge, food on the grill!

So back to the challenge.  I have had quite a busy month of August so far and the craziness is not over yet.  The soon to be in-laws were in town for about 5 days this past weekend and while I probably should have been cooking, we ended up doing a lot of eating out.  In my defense we were gone for the weekend as you know if you read the last post.  Well now I have less than 2 weeks left in the countdown to school and we are leaving for Florida to visit the in-laws next week.  YIKES, I'm nuts!  Anyway, I'm going to try to get some serious cooking done in the next week, before we head out AGAIN!  So this is the beginning of that, a very EASY grilling meal, which is definitely my go to this time of year.  This was exactly what we were craving last night and it was seriously so easy, I made it while watching the Twins game and I hardly missed a pitch.  Try it out and let me know what you think...before the snow falls and you can't grill anymore, its coming people!

Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

2 T chopped fresh rosemary or 1 T dried

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

S&P

1 chicken cut into 8-10 pieces (or you could use breasts or whatever you want)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Heat grill to medium.  In a saucepan bring 1/3 cup water and rosemary to boil; remove from the heat cover and let steep for 5 min.  Transfer to blender; add oil and garlic season with salt and pepper.  Puree until smooth.

Combine chicken and rosemary oil in shallow dish and turn to coat.  Cover at room temperature for 15 min or overnight in fridge.  Remove chicken from marinade and place on the grill.  Cook basting frequently with lemon juice and turning as needed to prevent burning.  Cook 20-30 min.

Grilled Zucchini and Squash

2 zucchini

2 yellow squash

2 yellow peppers

1/4 cup olive oil

S&P

1/4 cup thinly sliced basil

Heat grill to medium.  Slice zucchini and squash 1/2 in thick on the diagonal.  Quarter the peppers and toss everything with olive oil and S&P.  Grill until tender 6-8 min per side, return veggies to bowl and toss with basil.

I actually used a grill basket to do these veggies, as you can see from the picture and I added an onion.  You could do any kind of veggies that you want, I though mushrooms would have been really good also. 

Enjoy this one, we did!

Logan Rating: ***

Wedding Pie!

Hello fellow bloggers!  I am back from a whirlwind weekend of fun.  Our GREAT friends Kate and Dave aka Mr. and Mrs. Whisenand were married just outside of Whitefish this past weekend and it was BEAUTIFUL!  We were so happy to take part in such an amazing celebration and we had such a wonderful time.  They did a very unique thing for their dessert, instead of a cake they had a few of their friends make pies and bring them along.  It fit perfectly with the outdoor MT themed wedding and they were all a HUGE hit.  I myself made a pie and well it was MY FIRST real pie experience and I'm very happy with the way things turned out.  I got the crust recipe from my friend Emily, who was a lifesaver because this recipe was so easy.  And I found the filling recipe online.  It turned out perfectly and it was actually quite easy, so I say GO make a pie all of you! :-)
I wish I would have had my camera at the actual wedding so I could have taken a picture of the pie table, it was absolutely beautiful!

The crust recipe is as follows...

1 cup flour

1tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 T ice water (must be ice water!!)

8T butter

Mix flour, salt, sugar in food processor.  Add butter and mix in food processor until a cornmeal consistency.  Add ice water and mix with hands until no too sticky/dry (add more flour or water if necessary).  Make into a ball and freeze in plastic for 10 min or refrigerate up to a week.

Roll out dough on floured surface to 2in larger than pie plate.  Drape over greased pie plate; press down to fit.  Here you could add fork designs if you aren't doing a top crust. 

Freeze for 10 min.

Prebake if filling is wet, otherwise follow pie instructions.

Repeat and make another ball of dough if you are doing a top crust. I made a braid around the edge, which I found the instructions to online as well.  

Filling recipe is from this website, she also lists a crust recipe that you could follow...

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/06/strawberry-rhubarb-pie-improved/

ENJOY!

As this is not a part of the actual challenge there is no logan rating and it does not count towards my number of recipes.  I was just really excited about it and wanted to share!!! :)

Some more Pig.

Alright people this is one of those really simple, set it and forget it meals, which I absolutely love.  You can make the bean salad ahead of time and then it is even faster and easier meal.  This is a great go to quick meal, with a super easy spice rub, no marinating necessary.  I really liked the salad, but Logan not really being a bean guy was less impressed, just so you know.  I will keep this short and sweet, because my soon to be in laws are in town and I should probably be entertaining instead of blogging. :)

ENJOY!

Roasted Pork

1 T paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

S&P

2 pork tenderloins (10-12oz each)

1 T vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 450.  Combine paprika, thyme, cayenne, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper; set aside.

Place pork on rimmed baking sheet; rub with oil.  Sprinkle all over with spice mixture, patting in gently.  Roast until a meat thermometer reads 150, about 20-25 min, let cool.

Black Eyed Pea Salad

1 tsp dijon

2 T cider vinegar

2 T vegetable oil

1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 package (10oz) frozen corn kernals, thawed

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced 

S&P

Whisk mustard, vinegar and oil.  Add vegetables, season with S&P and toss to combine.  

Logan Rating:

Pork: ***

Salad: *

Marathon Meal!

Ok so maybe this doesn't look like a marathon of a meal to you, but it was!  I felt the time crunch and I may have tackled a bit too much, but it turned out great.  We had somewhere to be at 6, but I decided at about quarter to five that I MUST make this meal that I had planned.  I guess it's the neurotic blogger in me.  Anyway, so I started, not realizing what i was getting myself into and about an hour later I was quickly snapping photos for the blog while Logan was shoving his face! :)  I think this was the fastest and most efficient I have ever been in the kitchen, we even managed an entire cleanup before heading out the door.  SUCCESS!  Anyway, while it was stressful and we probably weren't able to enjoy it to the fullest, this was an awesome meal.  Kudos again to you Martha, this woman just can't go wrong.  :)

So this meal consisted of three parts, rum glazed shrimp and mango, bok choy slaw and the most amazing grilled sweet potatoes on the face of this earth!  I'm telling you they are AMAZING!  I have discovered a new grilling side and it will be a new staple of mine from now on.  You are actually supposed to toss the sweet potatoes in butter and cut them up a bit with a spoon after they come off the grill, but Logan loved them so much right off the grill he refused to allow me to tamper with them any further.  I guess the man knows what he wants.

Well enjoy these recipes, we are now well on our way to being done with 100!!!!  So lets see that puts the end of this challenge at about...2 more years!  hahaha I WILL DO IT!

Rum Glazed Shrimp and Mango

1/4 cup plus 1 T fresh lime juice (3 limes)

1/4 cup dark rum

3 T dark brown sugar

1 T fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

32 medium shrimp

S&P

1 ripe but firm mango, peeled and sliced lengthwise into 8 slivers

2 T vegetable oil

2 bunches watercress ( I skipped this)

Make glaze; combine 1/4 cup lime juice with rum sugar and ginger in a saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce to simmer, whisking occasionally until slightly thickened, about  3 min.  In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1 T water; stir into lime mixture, cook about 30 sec, until thickened.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Thread shrimp onto 8 skewers.  Season with S&P.  Thread mango slices onto 4 skewers.  Brush all over with glaze.

Heat grill to medium high, oil grates.  Place shrimp and mango on the grill; cook turning once, until blackened on spots and shrimp is opaque throughout, 3-4 min.  

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining lime juice with 2 T oil, season with S&P, toss with watercress.

Serves 4.

 Logan Rating: ***

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Scallions

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 in pieces

3 T olive oil

1 tsp dried thyme

1.4 tsp cayenne pepper

S&P

2 T butter

2 scallions thinly sliced

Heat a grill to medium.  Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, thyme and cayenne pepper; season with salt and pepper.

Grill the potatoes, turning frequently, until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 30 min. 

Return the grilled potatoes to the bowl; add the butter, and break the potatoes into large pieces with side of a spoon.  Toss in the scallions, and serve.

Serves 4.  

Logan Rating: *****

Bok Choy, Carrot and Apple Slaw

1 lb baby bok choy ( I had regular), halved lengthwise

S&P

1 apple, peeled and cut into matchsticks

2 large carrots, shredded

3 T fresh lemon juice

1 T vegetable oil

1 tsp fresh ginger

Rinse the bok choy under cold water to remove grit.  Cut crosswise into thin strips; place in a large colander, and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt.  Toss to coat.  Top with a plate that fits inside the colander, weight with a heavy object.  Set aside in sink to drain.

In a large bowl, mix apple, carrots, lemon juice, oil and ginger.  Add bok choy; season with salt and pepper.  Toss.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ***

Super Simple Sloppy Joes

Back on the cooking bandwagon everyone!  I decided to start out with something quick and easy, because while I am home, we are super busy.  This meal definitely brought back some childhood memories.  While it was really good and tasted significantly lighter and fresher, I don't think anyone could top my mom's sloppy joes...probably because she puts so much love in them! hahaha barf right?!  But really, kudos mom, you can cook a mean sloppy joe!  Don't get me wrong people, this is a delicious recipe, so try it out!  I used ground turkey instead of beef, because its leaner and well it's what I had in the freezer.  ENJOY!

Sloppy Joes

1 T oil

1 medium onion finely chopped

1/2 green pepper, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

S&P

1 lb ground beef

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)

1/4 cup ketchup

1 T worcestershire

4 hamburger buns

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently until veggies are softened, 5-7 min. 

Add ground beef to skillet, cook, breaking up meat until it is no longer pink, 6-8 min. 

Stir tomato sauce, ketchup and worcestershire into beef mixture.  Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, 6-8 min.  

Season mixture with more salt and pepper, as desired.  Spoon onto buns and serve immediately. 

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ***

Custard!

I have another dessert to share with you.  This was really simple and I dare you all to try it, such a delicious and light dessert!  I was really just excited to use the custard cups that came with my baking dish set for the first time.  I am definitely not a baker, but am becoming more and more surprised with just how easy it can be.  Really give these a try they are so simple and REALLY delicious!

Lemon Custard Cakes

Unsalted butter at room temp

3 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 T all purpose flour

2-3tsp grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.  Set kettle of water to boil.  Butter 6, six oz custard cups, and place them in a roasting pan or baking dish lined with a kitchen towel.

In a large bowl whisk together egg yolks and granulated sugar until mixture is light; whisk in flour.  Gradually whisk in lemon zest and juice, then whisk in milk.

With an electric mixer beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.  Add to the lemon mixture; gently fold in with whisk.  (batter will be thin).

Divide batter among the cups.  Place the pan in the oven and fill with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the cups.  Bake until the puddings are puffed and lightly browned, 20-25 min.  Serve warm or at room temp, dusted with confectioners sugar. 

Logan Rating: ****

Lost blog...black beans and rice.

I was just going through the recipes I have done in my cook books and realized that I forgot to blog a recipe.  This was about a month ago, when a good friend was in town and I totally forgot to take pictures.  Therefore I also forgot to blog it!  Anyway I really wanted to get this recipe up here to make sure my count is accurate, have to make sure I get credit for EVERY recipe! :)  Anyway this was an awesome recipe!  I have never heard of putting beets in black beans and rice, but this was such a refreshing delicious meal.  If you love beans and rice you have to try this recipe.  I know I will be making this again.  ENJOY!

Brazilian Black Beans

3 medium beets, scrubbed and trimmed

1 bag (1lb) dried black beans, rinsed

S&P

2 garlic cloves

2 T vegetable oil

1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro

cooked rice and lime wedges for serving

shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

In a dutch oven or heavy 5 qt pot combine beats, beans and enough water to cover; season with S&P.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 min to an hour.  (add more water as needed to keep covered)

Transfer beets to a bowl; when cool enough to handle, rub off skins with paper towels, then cut into dice.  Continue to cook beans until tender, about 1 hour more, pour off any excess liquid.

On a cutting board, finely chop garlic and sprinkle with salt.  Using a chefs knife, press flat side of blade back and forth across garlic to make a paste.  In a small skillet, heat oil over medium; add garlic paste, scallion and cilantro.  Cook about 2-4 min.

Stir scallion mixture into beans; cook over medium about 5 min to allow flavors to meld.

Serve beans and beets over rice, with lime wedges.  Garnish each portion with cheese, scallions and cilantro.  (sour cream is really good too).

Logan Rating: ***

I'm BACK!

Hello blogging world!!!  So sorry it has been so long!  I just returned back to Montana from traveling all over the country.  What a blast I had spending time with family and friends.  While I did little to no cooking on my vacation, I did it a ton of great food and I'm sad to say I took no pictures of any of it!  Well you will just have to trust me, it was great! :)
So lets do some food blogging!  I will share with you the few recipes, but didn't have time to blog before I left.  Then I promise I'll be back on track for a little while.  I'm headed to the grocery store in just a little bit and can't wait to get back into the kitchen!
So here is an awesome enchilada recipe I made a few weeks ago, hope you like it.

Ok so these enchiladas were made from the leftover pork that I had from the roasted pork loin with apples and leeks.  I had plenty of leftover, until my dog Rylie decided it looked very appetizing sitting on the counter all juicy and perfectly shredded.  I stepped out of the room for about 10 sec and came back to her on the counter chomping on some of my shredded pork!  I guess I can't blame her, it was delicious! :)  Anyway I still  had enough pork, but the enchiladas were just a little less packed than normal.  These were pretty awesome, however Logan and I decided that we still like the usual red sauce enchiladas better.  But give this one a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Pork Enchiladas with green sauce

2 T olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 lbs tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed and coarsely chopped

3/4 cup water

S&P

1 lb roasted pork tenderloin shredded

1 cup frozen corn kernels

12 corn tortillas (6in)

2 cups coarsely grated white cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450.  Heat oil over medium and add onion and garlic.  Cook stirring until onion softens, about 5 min.  Add tomatillos and water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer; cook until tomatillos are soft, about 5-7 min.

Transfer tomatillo mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth; season with s&p.  Combine pork with 1 cup tomatillo sauce and the corn; mix to combine.  Transfer remaining sauce to shallow bowl.

Hold each tortilla with tongs and heat over a gas burner until lightly charred (or heat is skillet).  Wrap tortillas in kitchen towels to keep warm.  

Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in sauce, place on work surface, and fill with 1/4 cup pork mixture and 1 T cheese.  Roll up and arrange seam side down, in a 9x13 in baking dish.  Top with remaining sauce, pork mixture and cheese, cover with aluminum foil.

Bake until sauce is bubbling, about 15-20 min.  Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is browned, about 15 min more.  Let cool 10 min. Serves 6.

Logan Rating: ***