Tasty Tuesday

We love baked ziti in our house, and with the 20 boxes of pasta I got for free from Kroger, this recipe fit the bill. I liked the fact that this recipe only used one pan, making easy cleanup for a weeknight meal.

Skillet Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 12 ounces ziti pasta ( 3 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream *I used half and half*
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, minced *I left this out, since it's not basil season*
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 475.
2. Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet and saute over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. (If your skillet is not ovensafe, transfer the pasta mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish before sprinkling with the cheese and baking).
3. Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15-18 minutes.
5. Stir in cream, Parmesan, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes. Serve.

Yes, I made homemade crackers. Ryan was skeptical, but changed his mind once he tasted them. I had all the ingredients and figured why not give it a try. It was easy to mix up in my food processor.

Homemade Wheat Thins Style Crackers

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold butter, sliced
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Salt, for topping

Instructions:

1. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, and paprika in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender, until small crumbs form. Or, combine the dry ingredients and butter in a food processor bowl and pulse until crumbly.

2. Make a well in the center, and add the water and vanilla. Stir to mix, then use clean hands to knead a few times, just enough to form a ball of dough. (Add just a tad more water, only if needed.) Divide dough into two pieces and cover with a clean towel.

3. Lightly grease two 11x15-inch baking sheets and sprinkle lightly with salt. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. On a lightly floured counter, roll each piece of dough into a thin rectangle approximately 11x15 inches. (Be sure to lightly flour the dough as you roll, so it doesn't stick to the counter!)

5. Transfer the sheet of dough to the baking sheet. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut dough into squares. Trim edges if desired. Sprinkle tops with salt.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until crisp and lightly browned. Crackers will become more crispy as they cool, so don't over-bake! (Remove edge crackers that are getting too dark if the middle crackers aren't quite done yet, and continue baking.)

7. Remove baked crackers from sheets and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cool, plain or with dips or and store leftover crackers in a sealed bag or container.

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

Make this soup! It tastes amazing and is really simple to make. We loved it. Next time I will double it, because there was not much leftover. I didn't have any bacon, but I did have some bacon fat in the fridge, so I sauteed the onions in that. I think it was the first time I've ever eaten kale, don't be afraid of it!

Spicy Tuscan Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound Spicy Breakfast Sausage *I used hot Italian sausage*
  
• 1 whole Medium Red Onion, Diced *I used a yellow onion*
  
• 2 slices Bacon, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 whole Medium Potatoes
• 1 quart Warm Water
• 3 cubes Chicken Bouillon
• ¼ bunches Kale, Roughly Chopped
• ½ cups Heavy Cream *I used half and half*
  
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain and set the sausage aside.

Chop onions and dice bacon; add to the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are clear. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices. Add warm water, bouillon cubes and potatoes to the Dutch oven and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are almost done.

Add remaining ingredients as well as the sausage and simmer for 5 more minutes.

This bread goes great with the soup. It makes 2 huge loaves, the extra loaf is great for french toast or paninis!

Easy Homemade French Bread

Ingredients

• ½ cups Warm Water
• 2 packages (7g Packet) Dry Active Yeast
• 2 cups Very Hot Water
• ⅓ cups Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 6 cups All-purpose Flour

Preparation Instructions

1. Combine the warm water and the dry active yeast. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the hot water, oil, sugar, salt and half of the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Add yeast mixture and stir.
4. Add the remaining flour and stir. Leave spoon in the dough.
5. Let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Stir and let rest for 10 minutes again.
7. Repeat rest and stir process three more times (for a total of five times).
8. Divide dough in half.
9. Turn out one half on a floured surface. Press out to a rectangle. Roll up (like making cinnamon rolls) and place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the other half.
10. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
11. With a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal slashes across each loaf. Brush with egg white.
12. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a cooling rack.

Tasty Tuesday

I've been wanting to make Barbacoa for awhile, and finally got it on the menu. It had a great flavor. We had friends over and had a burrito bar with the barbacoa, black beans, cilantro lime rice, sauteed peppers and onions, fresh salsa, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. It was a hit and I'm looking forward to the leftovers this week!

Barbacoa

Ingredients

• 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/4-1/3 cup ground dried ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vinegar ( cider vinegar is common in Mexico)
• salt
• 3 lbs bone-in chuck roast *I used a boneless sirloin tip*
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white onions, for garnish
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
• 1 limes, cut into 6 wedges for serving

Directions

1. Cut a slit in the side of each garlic clove. Place them in a microwaveable bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke holes in the top and microwave for 30 seconds on high. Cool until handleable, then slip off the papery husks.
2. One by one, drop the garlic cloves into a running food processor, letting each get thoroughly chopped before adding the next. Add the chile powder, cumin, black pepper, vinegar, 1 teaspoons salt and 1/2 cup water and pulse to blend.
3. Place the meat in a large crock pot. Scrape the marinade onto the meat, then spread it sloppily over the top and sides. Pour enough water into the slow-cooker to cover the lower 1/2 inch of roast. Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours or until meat is tender. Carefully remove meat with a slotted spoon onto a large plate, pulling away the bones.
4. Degrease the cooking broth and boil it down in a saucepan to concentrate the flavors. Ladle it over the meat and garnish with the onions and cilantro.

I've been waiting for this moment...

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

Here's a couple breakfast recipes featuring oats. I picked up some steel cut oats on our last Trader Joes run. I've been wanting to try them since I started my oatmeal kick this winter. This recipe is super easy to stick in the oven before I take a shower and have it ready when I'm done getting ready for the day. I made just regular oatmeal this morning and the boys were disappointed it wasn't the steel cut oats!

Baked Apple & Peanut Butter Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients

• ½ whole Apple
• ¼ cups Steel Cut Oats
• ½ cups Milk
• 1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1 pinch Ground Cinnamon

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut apple into small pieces and place in the bottom of an individual-sized oven proof dish.

3. Pour steel cut oats over the apple, then pour milk over.

4. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and top with peanut butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Enjoy!

And here's an oatmeal waffle recipe. These had a nice crunch to them.

Oatmeal Waffles

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup cooking oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in oats. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl beat eggs slightly. Stir in milk and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir until combined.
3. Pour a generous cup of batter onto grid of a preheated, lightly greased waffle maker. Close lid quickly, do not open during baking. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. Use a fork to lift baked waffle off grid.
4. Repeat with remaining batter. If desired, sprinkle waffles with powdered sugar, serve with maple syrup, or top with fruit and yogurt.

And here's the flan recipe I made for family day. I used a regular round cake pan and not a springform. It turned out perfectly!

Mexican Flan

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon orange rind, grated
• sliced fruit ( Strawberries, Kiwi or other fruit)

Directions

1. Heat 1/2 cup sugar in a heavy skillet or saucepan, stirring constantly until it melts and turns a dark golden color.
2. Remove from heat and immediately pour into a 4 1/2 cup metal ring mold, swish it around so it evenly coats the bottom of the ring mold.
3. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
4. Stir in milk,1/2 cup sugar, vanilla and orange peel.
5. Place caramel coated ring mold in another pan and place on an oven rack.
6. Pour egg mixture into the ring mold and pour the hottest tap water possible around the ring mold to a depth of 1 inch.
7. Bake at 325Ffor close to l hour or until a knife comes out clean.
8. Cool flan on a wire rack, Chill for at least 3 1/2 hours.
9. To unmold the flan loosen edges with a spatula, slip spatula down the sides to let air in.
10. Place the serving platter over the mold and flip to allow the flan to slip onto the platter.
11. Spoon the caramel that may remain in the mold on top of the flan.
12. Pile sliced fruit in the center and serve.