Basic Pasta Recipe

Putting this in a safe place for my hubby! ;)

1 1/2C Bob's Semolina Flour (guess where we got the recipe?)
1/2 tsp salt, optional
2 eggs or 3 egg whites, beaten
2 TBSP Water
2 TBSP Olive Oil

Combine Semolina Flour and salt.  Add beaten eggs (or egg whites), water and oil.  Mix to make a stiff dough.  Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic.  Wrap dough in a towel or place in a plastic bag and let rest 20 minutes.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out to desired thickness and cut as desired.  Bring large pot of water containing 1/2 tsp oil to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until tender.  When making lasagna, no need to boil noodles.  Add directly to your recipe.  Serve with your favorite sauce or pesto or toss with olive oil or butter, pepper and Parmesan cheese.

** Note from package:  Many People prefer making pasta using 50% Semolina & 50% Unbleached White Flour. **

Curried Squash Soup

I modified the recipe I found here... at Simply Recipes

Curried Squash Soup Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes (prepping my butternut squash took more than 15 min ;)
• Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 2-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch cubes, yielding about 6 cups of cubed squash (see how to cut and peel a butternut squash)
• Olive oil
• 1 stick of butter
• Salt
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped  (I used about 1/4C dehydrated because I didn't have fresh on hand)
• 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
• 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds (if you substitute ground mustard, only use 1/4 teaspoon)
• A dash of ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 4 cups chicken stock (instead of chicken stock I use 1/2Tbsp to 1C water of Kirkland organic no salt seasoning)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 cup sour cream (can substitute plain yogurt)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (can substitute parsley) (I didn't have either on hand and I think it would be even better with them, if you have them, I did use dried Cilantro)
• I also added about 1/8-1/4C cream of coconut, I think you could add a lot more.

Method

1 Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed stock pot on medium heat. Add a dab of butter to the olive oil. Working in two batches so as not to crowd the pan, add the cubed butternut squash to the pan. Toss to coat all sides with oil. Sprinkle a little salt over the squash. Then spread out in an even layer and let cook, stirring only occasionally, so that the edges and sides get lightly browned. You may need to adjust the heat up to ensure browning, or down to prevent burning or drying out. Add more oil and butter for the additional batches. Remove from pan and set aside. (I didn't remove from pan)

2 Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the pot, on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring now and then, until softened. Add the curry powder, mustard seeds, cumin, and fresh ginger, and cook for a minute or so longer. Use a flat bottomed wooden or metal spatula to scrape up any browned bits.
3 Return the butternut squash to the pot. Add the chicken stock and a teaspoon of salt. Increase the heat to bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer, cover the pot. Cook for 40 minutes until squash is completely tender. Use an immersion blender (or a stand up blender in which case work in batches, I like the blender better, I don't like the texture I end up with when I use the immersion blender) to blend the soup smooth. Add more salt to taste if needed.
Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped cilantro.

This was delicious!  My 10 yr old and 1 yr old enjoyed it, I loved it, and when my hubby gets home I am confident he will enjoy it.  :)

Black Bean Chicken Chili

Adapted from Our Best Bites - Mormon Moms in the Kitchen (White Chicken Chili)

I cooked up 4 Chicken Breasts with 5 pepper blend & garlic salt and some Chicken Broth.  I mixed this in the Kitchen Aide to shred it.

In a large pot I combined
64 oz Chicken Broth (or water and Kirkland Organic No Salt Seasoning, my replacement for Chicken Broth when I am out or don't have enough on hand)
6 cans Black Beans Drained
Shredded Chicken
2 can green chilies
2 tsp Cumin
1 med onion diced (or about 2 TBSP dried)
2-3 TBSP chopped Garlic (to taste)
2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Dried Cilantro (a handful of fresh would be even better!)
1/2 tsp 5 pepper blend or more to taste
1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
1/8 - 1/4 C Lime Juice

combined and bring to a boil and simmer 15-20 min and then enjoy

Topping Ideas:
Sour Cream
Cilantro
green onions
Shredded Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack Cheese
Avacado
Tortillas or Chips
Lime Wedge

Making Crumbs... bread, & cookie...

Info that is good to know where to find!  :)

Making cookie crumbs

To make 1 cup of finely crushed crumbs, use the following amounts (amounts are approximate)... 

14 Oreos 

14 graham cracker squares 

15 gingersnaps 

28 saltine crackers 

22 vanilla wafers 

24 Ritz crackers 

breadcrumbs = bread crumbs   

Equivalents:  1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs = 4 slices bread; 

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs = 3 slices bread.

Heavenly Hummus

Take 1/8C sesame seeds, 1tsp cumin seeds if you have them, 1/4C water, dump that mixture in a bullet or similar blender, Blend this to a milky like consistency.

1 Can Chickpea, drained
Sesame Mixture from above (my replacement for tahini)
1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 tsp chopped garlic (I used the big preminced jar from walmart)
1/8C Lemon Juice (fresh is great but I usually use the big bottle of lemon juice)
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP Cumin (omit if you used cumin seeds in sesame mixture)
2 tsp McCormick Perfect Pinch Roasted Garlic & Bell Pepper

Blend everything together in the blender until smooth!

Optional: try adding some avocado if you do you can leave out the olive oil

I use this on sandwiches instead of dressing.

Juicy Turkey

we kinda followed the citrus brine with this recipe from allrecipes

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
3 Hrs

Ready In:
3 Hrs 20 Min

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons ground dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons rubbed dried sage
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• (we used fresh rosemary, sage and thyme and rubbed under the skin with butter)
• 1 (15 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 orange, cut into wedges
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne
• (we skipped the carrots & celery and stuffed the bird with peeled oranges, wedged, & a peeled chopped onion)
• We dumped one bottle of sparkling grape juice over our turkeys and didn't even use the chicken broth.

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey.
2. Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs.
3. Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Citrus Turkey Brine

I got this recipe here at Allrecipes

we made this brine for our turkeys this year and "soaked" them for 2.5 days, in my opinion brine-ing is a MUST and turns our wonderfully juicy turkeys!

Prep Time:
10 Min

Cook Time:
15 Min

Ready In:
2 Hrs 25 Min

Original Recipe Yield 1 1/2 gallon

 

Ingredients

• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 lime, sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 1/2 gallons water

Directions

1. Combine the orange juice concentrate, orange slices, lemon slices, lime slices, thyme, pepper, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and water in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator. Allow turkey to marinate 1 to 2 days before cooking. Remove the turkey carefully. Drain and discard the excess brine and pat dry.
3. Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster.