Day ????: Tagliatelle and Steak Pizzaiola

So I have not updates in what seems like years! Needless to say, Thursday nights are the only night I can make dinner for Jimmy except for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. With him working early in the morning and going to school late at night, all in Nashville, we hardly ever spend time together, and whats the point in cooking for one p

erson?! So tonight, I am going all out! :) I am making recipes from Teresa Giudice's cookbook, Skinny Italian (for those who watch New Jersey Housewives on BRAVO! Tv). All her recipes sound delish! Apparently making spaghetti the "main dish" is an American thing. Italians usually have a meat as the "main dish" and spaghetti as a side dish. In fact, they eat like its Thanksgiving on every meal. You have an appitizer which could be meatballs in sauce, or as the Italians call: Gravy. You go and watch tv with a glass of wine, and the women continue cooking. You would come back to the table, have a salad, maybe watch tv some more, and t

his process seemed to repeat. That works for me! Though, I don't know if I could get used to calling sauce, gravy. "Give me a angel hair pasta with gra

vy please". Nope, when I hear gravy, I think of biscuits and gravy. I will stick to pasta SAUCE. :)

Steak Pizzaiola

Two 12-ounce shell (strip) steaks, each about 3/4 inch thick

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons EXTRA virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 ripe plum tomatoes, corred, seeded, and diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand at room temperature while making the tomato sauce.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the hot pepper, if using. Stir in 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the parsley. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, and clean the skillet!

3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks to the skillet and cook about 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Transfer to a carving board and let stand for 5 minutes.

4. Pour out the fat in the skillet. Return the tomato sauce to the skillet and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits in the skillet. Remove from the heat.

5. Hold the knife at a slight diagonal and cut the steak across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the steak slices on a platter. Pour the tomato sauce over the steak and serve hot.

Tagliatelle

1 pound tagliatelle or linguine pasta, preferably 8 ounces each plain and spinach

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (go ahead and make the investment, its healthy for you!)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced (I will be using Grandpa's HOMEGROWN garlic!)

2 tablespoons butter

5 ounces thick-sliced smoked ham, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup cooked fresh or thawed frozen peas ( i will go with frozen)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Time the pasta so it is done at about the same time as the sauce.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and melt. Add the ham and peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes more. Reduce the heat to very low to keep warm.

3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the sauce and the salt and pepper. Toss the pasta, adding enough of the pasta water to make a light sauce. Serve hot.

What we thought:

After not cooking an elaborate meal in a week, making these two together, at the same time, seemed a bit busy. After all said and done, I thought it was delicious! Both were very light and yummy! I could really taste the oregano in the pizzaiola. Jimmy rated the tagliatelle a 9/10 and the pizzaiola a 9.5/10. I had decent amounts of both and so far, im not overly full at all. I was very surprised!

Day 45: Pasta Salad

So today I am going to a Memorial Day party at my boss's house. I wanted to make a side dish since they will be cooking hamburgers, and I figured a pasta salad is kind of a no fail. Also what else is a no fail is Paula Deen's recipes! So you can only guess who's recipe I used :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 pound bow tie pasta
• 1 cup store-bought balsamic vinaigrettedressing
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Grated Parmesan, for topping

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta cook it according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinaigrette, mayonnaise, and sugar.

Drain the pasta well, transfer to a large serving bowl, and let cool. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, green pepper, salt, to taste, and the black pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the cheese, toss lightly, and serve.

Day 44: Job Chae (Take Deux)

When in Knoxville, I visited the Asian Supermarket, and if I could have I would have bought the whole store! I did end up buying rice noodles, sesame oil, bag of rice, and a sushi mat. I have been trying to recreate Job Chae that I previously have tried, except this time, I thought I had the correct noodles, that could possibly get the job done. Since I had just got done working, instead of using fresh vegetables, I just used frozen vegetables.

I basically followed the Job Chae recipe and instead of using spaghetti, I used rice noodles.

What we thought:

Jimmy would rate this a 7. Lets say he is much more generous that I am going to be. I would rate this a 1. I found it very bland, and for some reason, it lacked the flavor compared to the first time I made job chae. The noodles were different. I am usually very open minded about food, and usually i will try anything twice, even if I hate it, but these noodles lacked the texture and taste that I am used to. I probably did not make them correctly since this was the first time I even attempted to cook rice noodles. I will do more research on rice noodles, and maybe they will be great with different ingredients. I am still trying to perfect job chae. Any suggestions?

Day 41: Shrimp Pasta Salad

My mom called and recommended a recipe my sister Jasmine and I could make for the blog. I was very eager to try it! It sounded good, and healthy. I had it before at Gilligan's Bar & Grill in Harrisburg, PA. This is where mom got the idea from, I believe. It is very simple to make!

Ingredients:

1 bag of dole lettuce (the salads in the bag. Preferably either spring mix or mediterranean blend)

1-2 roma tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 pound of precooked shrimp with old bay on them, peeled.

Shredded mozzerella cheese

2 cups of corkscrew tricolored pasta cooked as directed

Salad dressing: recommend Balsamic Vinergerite Dressing

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed, once cooked through, chill in cold water, set aside.

Take shrimp if chilled and remove shell and cook just till warm (should already be precooked)

Arrange on plate:

Lettuce

Tomato slices

Cucumber slices

Cup of pasta

Shrimp

Cheese

Ashley's Thoughts:

Jimmy rated this a 7/10 (he's not a lettuce person). I would rate this an 8.5/10. The only thing I wanted was, was more spice on the shrimp. Maybe I am starting to like spicey foods more? Old Bay is still good. I get Old Bay on my mongolian grill chicken at this one restaurant. I forgot to top my salad off with cheese, but that saves the calories anyways. I would make this again for sure! It adds a twist to my regular salads!

Day 33: Job Chae (Korean stir fry noodles with vegetables)

I was looking through cooking videos on YouTube and found this woman with a website dedicated to cooking Korean dishes. Click here I had to give this a try since I am not familiar with Korean cooking as well as consuming Korean dishes.





Ingredients:

Starch noodles (“dangmyun”)
150 grams of beef

1 bunch of spinach

1 medium size carrot

1 medium size onion

mushrooms (5 dried shiitake and 1 package of white mushrooms)

3 cloves of garlic

7-8 green onions

soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and sesame seeds

How to prepare your ingredients before stir frying:

1. Soak 5 dried shitake mushrooms in warm water for a few hours until they become soft. Squeeze the water out of them and slice thinly.
   
2. Slice a package of white mushrooms (2 cups’ worth).


3. Cut a carrot into thin matchstick-shaped pieces 5 cm long.


4. Cut 7 -8 green onions into 7 cm long pieces.


5. Slice one onion thinly.


6. Slice 150 grams of beef into thin strips.

Now let’s start!

1. Boil 2 bunches of noodles in boiling water in a big pot for about 3 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and put in a large bowl.


2. Cut the noodles several times by using scissors and add 1 tbs of soy sauce and 1 tbs of sesame oil. Mix it up and set aside.
   *tip: Take one sample and taste it to see whether or not it’s cooked properly. If it feels soft, it’s finished.


3. In the boiling water, add a bunch of spinach and stir it gently for 1 minute. Then take it out and rinse it in cold water 3 times. Remove any grit or dead leaves thoroughly while rinsing. Squeeze it gently to get the water out, then cut it into 5 cm pieces.


4. Add ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sesame oil and mix it and place it onto the large bowl.
   *tip: When you drain the hot water from the pot, don’t discard the hot water. Put it back into the pot so you can cook your spinach quickly.


5. On a heated pan, put a few drops of olive oil and your carrot strips and stir it with a spatula for 30 seconds. Put it into the large bowl (don’t burn it!).


6. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your sliced onion. Stir it until the onion looks translucent. Put it into the large bowl with your carrots.


7. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add the sliced white mushrooms. Stir it for a bit and then put it in the large bowl.


8. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your green onions. Stir for 1 minute and put it into the large bowl.


9. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your beef strips and your sliced shitake mushrooms. Stir it until it’s cooked well, then add 3 cloves of minced garlic, ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds and then put it into the large bowl.


10. Add 2 tbs of soy sauce, 3 tbs of sugar, 2 tbs of sesame oil, and 1 ts of ground pepper to the large bowl. Mix all ingredients, then sprinkle 1 tbs of toasted sesame seeds on the top.


11. Serve with rice and Kimchi, or as a side dish.

What we thought:


Jimmy rated this a 10. I would rate this a 9. i did not use the mushrooms and I did not use seasme oil and the noodles. I could not find for the life of me the seasme oil nor could I find an Asian market for the noodles. Next time, i will do my homework and make sure I could find the Asian market so I could use the right noodles.

Day 31: Springtime Spaghetti with Baby Artichokes and Herbs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds baby artichokes, trimmed of outer leaves, stems, and tops of larger chokes trimmed, very thinly sliced, no more than 1/8-inch thick.

2 small ripe lemons, halved

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1/4 pound pancetta, cut into fine dice (optional)

4 large shallots, finely chopped

4 large cloves garlic, fine chopped or grated

Black pepper

1 cup dry white wine (chicken broth as substitute)

Salt, to taste

1 pound spaghetti

A generous handful mint leaves

A generous handful flat-leaf parsley

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a generous handful for tossing plus some to pass at the table

Yields: 4

Preparation:

Fill a large bowl with water. Squeeze lemons into the water and add them to bowl. Add sliced artichokes to bowl as you work so they dont turn brown.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta

Heat 1/4 cup EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta, if using, and brown a couple of minutes. Add shallots and garlic, and cook 3-4 minutes more.

Drain the artichokes, discard juiced lemon halves and add artichokes to pan. Season with pepper. Raise heat a bit and saute until light golden at edges, 6-7 minutes. Add wine, stir, and reduce by half. Cover pan, reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered, 5-6 minutes more. Season with salt to taste.

Meanwhile, salt the boiling water and cook pasta to al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of cooking water before draining pasta.

While pasta cooks, finely chop the mint with parsley. Stack up the basil leave, roll them into a log and thinly slice the logs of leaves across.

Uncover the artichokes and stir in the reserved starchy water. Bring sauce to a bubble , add drained pasta, mint and parsley. Toss to combine, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. Add a handful of cheese and basil to pasta and toss again to combine, serve immediately.

What we thought:

We would rate this 8/10. We didn't have baby artichokes in the grocery store yet, so I used canned artichokes. I did not use pancetta, nor did i use the water with lemon because the artichokes were already in a jar. With that said, this was really easy to make, it took less then thirty minutes, and I enjoyed this hott the day I made it, and I enjoyed it cold the next day as leftovers. When we get artichokes in the grocery store, I will retry this again, because I think it was taste a little bit better with fresh ingredients.

Day 30: Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients:

Pasta Shells

Spaghetti sauce

meat if you wish

Cheese filling:

2 lbs ricotta or cottage cheese

1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese, grated

2 eggs

1/2 c Parmeasan, grated

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp parsley

Directions:

Cook pasta shells according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare cheese filling. Beat eggs; add ricotta, Mozzarella, and Pameasan cheese; mix in seasonings. Using a large casserole dish, layer sauce, meat and pasta shells which are stuffed with the cheese filling. Bake 45 minutes.

What I thought:

I did not want to use meat. What I did instead was just pour a little bit of sauce on the dish, then put the stuffed shells ontop, then top off with more sauce. Jimmy always rates this a 10/10. I would rate this a 9/10