What's for Dinner #6

This is Mario Batali's Spaghetti alla Carbonara

• 3 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 8 ounces Guanciale (I received mine from the butcher prepared)
• 1 pound Spaghetti
• 1 ¼ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (I used fresh parmesan cheese)
• 4 large Eggs, separated
• Freshly ground Black Pepper

Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salts.
Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and guanciale in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan set over medium heat, and cook unti the guanciale has rendered its fat and is crispy and golden.

Remove from the heat and set aside (do not drain the fat).

Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until just al dente. Scoop out ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
Add the reserved pasta water to the pan with the guanciale, then toss in the pasta and heat, shaking the pan, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add 1 cup of the Parmigiano, the egg whites, and pepper to taste, and toss until thoroughly mixed.

 

 

Divide the pasta among four warmed serving bowls. Make a nest in the center of each one, and gently drop an egg yolk into each nest.

Season the egg yolks with more pepper and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup Parmigiano over the top. Serve immediately.
Words from Mario:
"A true carbonara has no cream, and it can be slightly tricky in its execution. The key is to toss and thoroughly mix the cooked pasta off the heat with the cheese, eggs, pepper, and pasta water, to create a creamy yet not overly thick sauce. I like to separate the eggs and present the individual egg yolks in nests of pasta; then each guest stirs the yolk into the pasta to cook it and form an even creamier sauce. Be sure to use the best—quality eggs you can get."

A Very Cranberry Thanksgiving Part II

Continuing on from Sunday's post, here we go with Part II: The Cranberry Citrus Salad.

What you'll need:

2 c cranberries, divided
Zest of one orange
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 pears, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1/2 c splenda

In a 2 qt saucepan, add just enough water to cover the bottom and 1 c cranberries

 

Cook over medium heat until the berries pop. 

 

Add orange zest and splenda

 

When splenda is mixed in, add pears and remaining one cup cranberries

Cook until pears are tender. Remove from heat and toss in mandarin oranges. If too much water/juice has cooked out, add some of the juice from the can of mandarin oranges.

 

Serve chilled.  The liquid should gel up in the refrigerator, but it will not be firm. 

This was a great alternative to the traditional cranberry salad recipes we've had before.

A Very Cranberry Thanksgiving Part I

What's Thanksgiving without cranberries? Just not right. But I'm not  fan of traditional cranberry sauce, so this year, I brought a couple of different cranberry dishes to my family dinner. And since we have a diabetic in the family, these are made with splenda instead of sugar.

Cranberry Bake

What you'll need:
2 pears (peeled and chopped)
2 sm apples (peeled and chopped)
2 c cranberries (fresh)
1 c splenda

topping:
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/4 c butter, melted
1/3 c flour
1/2 c splenda

In a 9" pie pan, add cranberries, apples and pears.

Stir in 1 c splenda.

Mix the topping until it forms a ball. Break of pieces and sprinkle over top of fruit. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes, or until fruit is soft.

Guest Post: Attack of the Whiny Monster

Meet Amanda:
So, before we get started, I have to say this blog thing is weird to me. I’ve never done it before, so thanks to Jen for helping me to get started! A little background on me: I’m married to the best man ever, and I have two great kids, aged 8 and 5. I work as a call center trainer, and I usually work around 50 hours a week or so, plus driving time, which is about an hour each way.





This is my usual evening: I pick up the kids, and I’m immediately attacked by the Whiny Monster of I’m Hungry. The Monster attacks every night, and while I can sense his presence, I’ve not yet found a way to silence him in the car. We get in the house, where Whiny Monster is distracted by the TV (thank God) so I can cook. I know my time is limited, because once Whiny Monster comes back….he’s back with a vengeance.

So what’s a Mom to do? Well, I have a go-to list of foods I make that take about 15-20 minutes to make. And I have to confess, they use convenience foods. There is no reason to avoid them, unless you have a food allergy. God bless green can Parmesan cheese and pre-made tortillas.

If you have a Whiny Monster at home, or just a regular hungry person, here are some ideas for you.

Cheese quesadillas with salsa and sliced oranges. You can add refried beans to the quesadillas unless Whiny Monster will morph into Picky Monster.

Egg and Cheese quesadillas with fruit: Make eggs to your preference. Heat a skillet and add one tortilla. Top with cooked egg and cheese of your choice. Top with tortilla. Flip when brown.

Breaded Tilapia with potato cubes: Take thawed tilapia filets and sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper, dried basil, and parmesan cheese. Cut potato into medium sized cubes. Sprinkle with the same mixture and spritz with cooking spray.  Put potatoes into a 400 degree oven first, then add fish 15 minutes later. Bake until both are lightly browned. Serve with some sort of vegetable that they won’t eat anyway but makes you feel better as a mom.

 Photo by David Stephensen

Cold cereal- Hey, it has vitamins. And minerals. And they eat it.



Turkey smoked sausage with macaroni and corn. Turkey smoked sausage is better for you, and it’s usually cheaper too.

Parmesan Crusted Fried Chicken, noodle-y things from a bag, and veggie:
Four chicken breasts
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 egg

Beat egg and dip chicken pieces into it. Dredge in Parmesan cheese mixed with garlic powder. Take 2 tablespoons of oil and heat it in a skillet. When hot, add breaded chicken and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Don’t turn the chicken until it lifts easily from the pan.

Hope this helps you be prepared for when your own Whiny Monster of I’m Hungry attacks! Thanks for letting me visit, Jen.

From the Farm Dinner

With the varied tastes in our house, it's very hard to find something we all like for dinner. One of our household favorites is breakfast for dinner.

 

We picked up our half a hog a week ago, and have been enjoying the tasty meat ever since! The sausage is amazing and makes the best gravy! (Oddly enough, I don't like gravy, but I can make it like nobody's business)

We get our eggs from my aunt. Let me clarify...we get our eggs from her chickens. You may notice they're a little more yellow than normal. We call them the radioactive eggs! 

You may notice that our pancakes are green. You see, in our house we don't do boring pancakes. Mostly because I don't like them. Yes, I do not like pancakes. I know, weird. Anyway, sometimes it's chocolate chip pancakes (which I DO eat because, well, they're chocolate) and sometimes it's strawberry banana pancakes. If I'm short on fresh fruit, we do colored pancakes. It's always a big deal on who gets to choose the color.  Being the lazy mom I am, I make it an all day competition. The kid who is the most polite all day gets to choose. Tonight, Thing 3 won the honor and we have green pancakes. It really does not take much to amuse these kids. A few drops of food coloring can make an evening. 

On another note, we finished up the Christmas tree last night.

 

 

Can you tell this house is ruled by girls? I found purple lights to match my purple beads this year, so obviously, I had to go buy pink and purple ornaments!! I'm trying to get into the Christmas Spirit for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Check out those links to Overstock.com. If you find something you like, enter the promo code 121728 for 10% off all Overstock.com products or 202234  ** - free shipping promo code for electronics. 

Note:

All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code from Overstock.com

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

The husband got four teeth pulled on Friday. Yay...let me tell you how much fun this has been. It started Friday night when I went to sleep. I was awoken by him asking me if I "found it". After several minutes of trying to figure out what he lost, I realized he was asleep. Yep, he woke me up talking in his sleep. Of course I couldn't get back to sleep. So I turned the TV on and laid awake. About an hour later, he sits straight up and asks me if I'm awake. Well, duh. He figured out he woke me up talking in his sleep. He lays there for a minute and asks me how long I'd been awake. I told him for a little bit. He then informed me that he woke me up around 6, (Keep in mind it's midnight) and in his narcotic induced sleep, it was 7. Even after I showed him my phone and another clock, he was still convinced it was 7. That was what convinced me he was still asleep. Realizing I was not going to get any sleep, I decided to get up and make him breakfast. Since he's down 4 teeth, I knew the next few days were going to be soft food days. (Will someone bring me some chips, raw carrots, and anything else that's crunchy? I'm dying here)

Breakfast Casserole

What you'll need:
1 lb meat (sausage, ham, bacon, whatever)
6 eggs
8 oz package cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
Milk

So I'm in the kitchen at midnight, cooking some sausage we just picked up from the butcher

While that's cooking away, spread around the cream cheese in an 8x8 pan

Mix in the eggs and a splash of milk







When the sausage is cooked, drain and mix into pan

Refrigerate at least two hours. Place into 400 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then turn oven down to 350 and bake an additional 40 minutes, or until eggs are cooked in center.

This is where I'd normally have a picture of the finished product. However, the husband woke up right as I was pulling this out of the oven and was oh so grateful for a hot breakfast and a full night's sleep. Myself on the other hand, not so much. His night time chatter went on through the whole night. I ended up trying to sleep on the couch with the TV on. Even that, the bedroom TV and the bedroom door closed was not enough to drown out his incessive talking about whatever it was he lost. On a brighter note, even on less than 2 hours of sleep, I kicked butt at the craft fair, selling enough to pay for my booth AND the stuff I bought from other vendors!

Quest for the Perfect Hot Chocolate

As the temperatures drop, one thing is always on my mind; Hot Chocolate. The foodie in me wants something other than a Swiss Miss packet with some hot milk. So today begins my quest for the perfect hot chocolate recipe. Do you have one? Please share!!



I've found a few recipes to try out. First I found this one from AllRecipes.com

3 cups milk

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, grated

1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg

Directions

1.Put milk into a microwave-safe container and cook on High in microwave for 2 minutes. Mix in chocolate, sugar, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk an egg until smooth, then mix it into the chocolate mixture.
2.Return to microwave and cook on High for 3 to 4 minutes or until foamy (be careful not to let it boil.) Whisk until smooth and pour into 3 mugs. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.

I'm a little concerned about putting an egg in there, but maybe I'm wrong. Also, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to microwave it for 3 to 4 minutes without letting it boil.

That will be my next venture. But for now, I'll share some other trials we went through in my quest to find the perfect Hot Chocolate.

I had a few judges for this little showdown, so I'll tell you their scores (from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best) of each drink after the recipe


Pierre Herme's CHOCOLAT CHAUD

 
2 1/4 c milk
1/4 c water
1/4 c sugar
3 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate baking squares (chopped finely)
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 t chili powder






Melt all ingredients in saucepan on the stove. With an imersion blender, blend on low speed for 5 minutes until frothy. Pour into mugs and serve!

My judges gave this a 4 out of 5

Snow Flake Cocoa (From allrecipes.com)

1/3 c + 1 T whipping cream
1 c + 3 T milk
1/4 t vanilla
3 ounces white chocolate chips
peppermint pieces for garnish
Whipped Cream for garnish

Mix together all ingredients and heat over medium low on the stove until hot. Make sure not to boil!! Pour into mugs and garnish with peppermint and whipped cream.
My judges gave this 5 out of 5!


Xocolatl (Aztec Chocolate) (from allrecipes.com)

1 1/2 c water
1 green chili pepper
4 c water
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t vanilla

Bring 1 1/2 c water to a boil in a pot; add the chili pepper, seeds included, to the boiling water and cook at a boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Streain the chili pepper and seeds from the water; return the water to the pot. Add 4 cups water to the chili pepper infused water. Reduce heat to medium-low, and bring to a slow boil. Stir the cocoa powder and vanilla extract into the boiling water. Cook and stir until the powder dissolves completely, 5-10 minutes.

This was so horrible, I didn't even give it to my taste testers.

Fluffy Hot Chocolate (From Allrecipes.com)

8 t sugar
4 t baking cocoa
4 c milk
1 1/2 c mini marshmallows
1 t vanilla

In saucepan, combine the first four ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until the marshamllows are melted. Remove form heat; stir in vanilla. Ladle into mugs.

This received 3 out of 5.

Mayan Hot Cocoa 

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 1/2 c milk

1/2 c sugar

3/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

Heat milk in saucepan until hot to the touch. Add chopped chocolate and sugar, whisking until well blended. Add cinnamon and chili powder. Heat thoroughly over medium-low without bringing to a boil and serve.

This received 1 out of 5, with one person writing in "0" out of 5.


Vanilla Hot Cocoa 

3 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 c milk
1 c sugar
1 vanilla bean








Combine 1 1/2 c milk with vanilla bean in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium-low heat about 5 minutes, just below boiling point. Remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean and scrape ot vanilla bean seeds. Stir vanilla seeds into the hot standing milk. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Discar the pod. Meanwhile, break up chocolate and place in another saucepan. Melt with the remaining 1/2 c milk and sugar over low heat while stirring constantly. When the chocolate has melted, add the milk and vanilla bean seed mixture, stirring contstantly. Heat thoroughly. Pour into mugs and stir.  

This received 3 out of 5.

 


Just to make sure to cover all bases, the 7th cup of hot chocolate tried by my taste panel was Swiss Miss. Yep, that's right. I simply heated some milk and added a packet of instant hot chocolate. 

The Swiss Miss received 2 out of 5







So it seems our winner was #2...Snow Flake Cocoa!