Homemade Ravioli

I bought Chris a ravioli press.  We tried it out a few weeks ago.  This requires some patience as it is a manual process and we also used our pasta machine to roll out the pasta sheets.  We made a chicken and cheese filling.  They looked like this and were delish!!

Batch #1 waiting for a swim in the pasta pot!

Finished product

Cook them for longer than when they start to float.  Hand rolled pasta sheets are pretty dense.

Spicy Shredded Chicken

This might be a new taco filling to try.  Another from Taste of Home Feb/Mar 2014.  My magazines are often hit or miss...no good recipes or a bunch.  I think winter weather is going to be hanging around for a while...guess I'll have to keep cooking...twist my arm, right?

2 tbsp. olive oil
1lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs (when I try this, it will most likely be only chicken breast, that is just our preference)
3 C. reduced sodium chicken broth
6 green onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 plum tomato, chopped

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Brown chicken in batches.  Transfer to a 3 or 4 qt. slow cooker.  Add 1 C. broth to pan.  Cook stirring to loosen brown bits.

Stir in green onions and green pepper; cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in seasonings; cook 1-2 minutes.  Add  tomato and remaining broth; pour over chicken.  Cook, covered on low 4-5 hours or until chicken is tender.

When cool enough to handle, shred meat with two forks; return to slow cooker.  Cook, covered, on low 15 to 20 minutes longer or until mixture is heated through.  Serve with a slotted spoon.

Per serving: 202 calories, 10g. fat, 69mg cholesterol, 436mg sodium, 5g carbohydrates, 2 g. fiber, 24g. protein.

Sunday Pot Roast

I found this in the February/March 2014 issue of Taste of Home.  This is a twist on pot roast I wasn't expecting.

1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3-4lbs) trimmed (yes, I said pork)
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 small onions quartered (maybe a jar of pearl onions?)
1 1/2 C. beef broth
1/3 C. all purpose flour
1/3 c. cold water
1/4 tsp. browning sauce, optional

In a small bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients; rub over roast.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Place carrots, potatoes, and onions into a 6 qt. slow cooker; add broth.  Unwrap roast; place in slow cooker.  Cook, covered on low 8-10 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Transfer roast and vegetables to a serving platter; tent with foil.  Pour cooking juices into a small saucepan.  In a bowl, mix flour and water until smooth; stir into pan.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened.  If desired, add browning sauce.  Serve roast with gravy.

Elegant Pork Marsala

I have mentioned before about the pork roast issue we sometimes have in our house...I have become quite the butcher.  When Chris buys a 12lb.  pork roast, I often split into a couple of smaller loin roasts and pork chops.  Those chops will work perfectly here.

1/3 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. pepper
6 boneless pork loin chops, 4oz. each
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 C. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/3 C chopped onions
2 turkey bacon strips, chopped
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1 C. Marsala wine or additional reduced sodium chicken broth
5 tsp. corn starch
2/3 C. reduced sodium chicken broth

In a shallow bowl, mix flour and pepper.  Dip chops in flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off excess.

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, heat oil over medium heat.  Add pork chops; cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 145 degrees.  Remove from pan, keep warm.

In the same skillet, add mushrooms, onion and turkey bacon; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.  Add garlic, cook for 1 minute.

Add wine; increase heat to medium high.  Cook, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan.

In a small bowl, mix corn starch and broth until smooth; add to pan.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Serve with pork chops.

Per Serving: 232 calories, 10g. fat, 60mg cholesterol, 161mg sodium, 7g, carbs, 1g. fiber, 24g. protein.

Skillet Cassoulet

As January winds down, and what a January it's been....40+ inches of snow and more days than not with temps below zero.  I have been cooking like it is my job...it comforts me.  Somehow if there is plenty of good food to eat in my house, it doesn't matter that it looks like the Arctic Circle outside.  Spring will come...eventually.  In the meantime, I am going to keep cooking.

2 tsp. canola oil
1/4lb. smoked turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4lb. fully cooked boneless ham, cubed
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 celery rib, sliced
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15oz. can no salt added white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5oz. can no salt added diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. pepper
Crusty French bread, optional

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add kielbasa, ham, carrots, celery and onion; cook and stir until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender.  Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in beans, tomatoes, thyme, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until heated through.  If desired, serve with bread.

Herby Provolone Scones

Scones take me back to my college days when Sunday nights meant cappucino and scones at a little coffee shop in Lincoln Park.  I am going to date myself with my next statement...the scones we had were always sweet. It was a few years down the road before savory pastries became popular.  I wish I had the ingredients to make these tomorrow while I am home bound because of sub crazy sub zero temperatures.  Stay warm all and if you're in a place that is warm; send warm thoughts to Chicago...mother nature has dumped 3 months worth of winter in Chicago in the last week and it's pretty scary.

1 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt (if your provolone is especially salty, you might want to cut this back a bit)
1/2 tsp. paprika
4 C. all purpose flour
1 C. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8oz. provolone, grated
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
4 large eggs
3/4 C. heavy cream

Pulse baking powder, salt, paprika, and 4 C. flour in a food processor until combined; add butter and pulse until you achieve the texture of coarse meal with a few pea sized pieces of butter remaining.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl and mix in provolone, chives, rosemary, and thyme.  Make a well in the center; add eggs and 3/4 C. heavy cream.  Using a fork, blend eggs and cream, then slowly incorporate dry ingredients until a shaggy dough forms, being careful to not overwork dough.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into an 8" square about 1" thick.  Using a floured chef's knife, cut into 16 squares and divide between 2 parchment lined baking sheets.  Wrap with plastic and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 40 degrees.  Brush tops of scones with cream and bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through until golden brown on top and bottom; about 20-25 minutes.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

There are a lot of flavors going on here; many of my favorites.  I would probably serve this with rice.

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. garlic powder

3 tbsp. lime juice

In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley.  Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of the chicken breasts.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.  Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side.  Sprinkle with 2 tsp. garlic powder and lime juice.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

Mayonnaise Biscuits

This is a quick and easy Southern biscuit recipe.  I love biscuits...wish I could figure out a way to just eat one at a time!  These would be good with one of the many many soups on this blog.

2 C. self rising flour
1 C. milk
6 tbsp. mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, milk, and mayonnaise until just blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Potato Minestrone

Here is an interesting spin on minestrone.  I am going to make this over the weekend.  It looks good and hearty and will keep my insides warm when the temps are going to spend 3 days below zero next week.

2 14.5oz. cans chicken broth
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 16oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15oz. can garbanzo beans
1 14.5oz. can beef broth
2 C. frozen cubed hash browns thawed
1 tbsp. minced onion
1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1 10oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 C. frozen peas and carrots, drained

In a slow cooker, combine the first 13 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Stir in the spinach, peas and carrots; heat through.

Gumbo Style Chicken Creole

We just finished a 3 day snow storm today and the temperatures are going to be sub zero for 5 of the next 6 days.  I am looking to do some cooking.  Not sure if this is going to make the weekend lineup but I am planning to cook several different things this weekend and either soupy or spicy is going to be the underlying theme.

1/4 C. oil for frying
1/4 C. all purpose flour
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 C. cooked chicken breast meat
1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
1 4.5oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 dashes hot sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until mixture is the color of a copper penny.  Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper and onion.  Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken, tomatoes with green chiles, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce.  Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.