Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Ragu

Last night i made Gnocchi. Its like a soft little pillow of yums! Its texture is so soft and its not a texture that any other food really has. Its pretty unique and its not hard to make at all. I made mine from scratch.

I got this recipe from the Food Network Magazine: August 2010. The magazine supplies you with pictures on how to make it -- heres the link. Its alot tastier to make your own fresh because sometimes frozen dough can taste a little gross when it sits for a while.

The sauce was insanely delicious. Had such a good flavor. I want to try to make it with maybe ground beef and add regular pasta to it. Its a really hearty sauce. DELISH!

Heres the recipe for the sauce and what you'll need for the gnocchi.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 pounds wild mushrooms, stemmed and diced if large
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup canned whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh gnocchi (4 russet potatoes, 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1 large egg, salt and pepper to taste, 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour)
• Mascarpone and/or fresh mint, for topping

Preparations:

Use the simple, step-by-step instructions for making homemade gnocchi.

Heat half of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add half of the wild mushrooms and cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then push to the edges of the pot. Add the remaining olive oil and wild mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 more minutes. Add the cremini mushrooms and cook 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add the wine; cook, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 cups water, the bay leaves, coriander, fennel, red pepper flakes, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat, about 30 minutes (thin with water if needed). Season with salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, stir and cook for 1 minute after they float, about 3 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the pot with the sauce and gently stir over low heat. Serve topped with mascarpone and/or mint.

So since fall is here, its time to make warm and comforting food. This recipe is a great start!

Its pumpkin season so look forward to a few recipes including them. Not going to be cooking this week; ran a little low on funds again! I will be back around the first week of October or so.

Enjoy!!

Sushi + Avocado Egg Rolls

I have grown a love for sushi ever since i was in high school and ive always wanted to take that scary risk of making it at home myself. So when my Food Network Magazine had a recipe on the HOW TO's for sushi, i decided i wanted to try it finally.

The recipe was for vegetable rolls but my favorite rolls are Philadelphia rolls and California. So i choose to do those 2. Its a little harder than i thought. Yes, in essence its just doing a roll, but the seaweed is so delicate that too much sticky rice can tear the seaweed very easily and in turn making your sushi roll well, not a roll. I had this happen with one of my Philadelphia rolls; a Philly roll is with the seaweed on the outside so that means the amount of sticky rice you put inside has to be a small and thin amount. I did the opposite and it tore my seaweed and ruined my roll. Failure #1. Failure#2 was when i was making my California rolls (rice on outside) i packed on TOO much rice again and the rice didnt adhere to the seaweed and it completely fell apart.

Lesson learned: NOT ALOT OF RICE ON INSIDE OR OUT.

Its a little hard to explain how to make a roll in words. Videos on YOUTUBE and other sources online like pictures of step-by-step's are what helped me get started.

Ingredients

Philadelphia and California Rolls:

*Proportioned to amount of rolls your going to be making: usually each roll gives about 6 pieces

• Nori sheets
• Crab meat
• Mayonnaise
• Smoked salmon
• Cream cheese
• Cucumbers
• Avocado
• Red onions

For the rice:

• 3 cups short-grain Japanese rice, rinsed
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Salt

Preparations: (Rice)

Make the rice. Combine the rice and 3 1/4 cups water in a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. A rice cooker is the best way to get perfect sticky-firm rice, but if you don't have one, just use a saucepan.

Fold in the vinegar. Combine the vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Transfer the cooked rice to a large wooden bowl (traditionally, a wooden tub). Drizzle a quarter of the vinegar mixture over a wooden spoon or spatula onto the rice. Fold the rice gently with the spoon to cool it and break up any clumps; be careful not to smash the grains. Fold in the remaining vinegar mixture and let the rice sit 5 minutes.

Like i said you can always find videos online on how to make the rolls themselves. Since i got the recipe from the magazine, i had the pictures to help along the way.

So out of the 5 rolls i made i only managed to salvage 2. But it was a good first attempt. Bobby made one and i made the other.

On to the next dish....

I love the avocado eggrolls at the Cheesecake Factory. The first time i had them i was immediately hooked and that sauce, its so amazing and different. I never had something like it before. Its sweet and a little spicy but its not a typical sauce. You really have to try it.

I googled the recipe for a COPY CAT version of it and i must say its pretty spot on. I got the recipe from HERE. It doesnt give a way on how to cook the eggrolls but i followed the directions on the back of the package of egg roll wrappers and they came out perfect.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 2 green onions
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp
• 1/2 cup honey
• A pinch of powdered turmeric
• 1/2 a cup of chopped cashews
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon minced red onions
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• Pinch of salt
• 3 egg roll wraps
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

Preparations:

Stir together vinegars, tamarind, honey, and turmeric in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute.

Stir until tamarind is dissolved.

In a blender, puree tamarind mixture, cashews, 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, and cumin.

Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in oil.

Set aside.

Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt.

Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.

Follow directions on back of package on how to fill correctly and cook.

Serve with sauce.

You wont be disappointed. I must warn you though, EXTREMELY addictive! The sauce pairs so well with avocados and the sweetness isnt overbearing at all. Such a good recipe and great appetizer... ENJOY as always....

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Warm soft chocolaty cookies! LOVE!

Bobby, my mom AND my dad are peanut butter fanatics! So i decided to make this yummy treat especially for them.

Bobby got me this book for our anniversary called The Golden Book of CHOCOLATE; its literally like 700 pages and its truly a chocolate bible. Everything in this book has chocolate incorporated in the recipe some how. Ive been thinking on making every recipe in this book but i think way too highly about being healthy and not being an obese lady; even though the process may be amazing the end result wont be something to look forward to. So much to my dismay, ill make them a little at a time and probably not every single one.

This recipe makes a batch of about 16 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter; softened
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 4 oz semisweet (dark) chocolate; coarsely chopped

Preparations:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Butter a baking sheet.

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until creamy.

Beat in the peanut butter.

Add the vanilla and egg to the wet mixture just until blended.

With the mixer on low speed, add in dry mixture a little at a time, followed by the chocolate.

Shape into small balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

Bake until just golden at the edges, 10-12 minutes.

Cool on baking sheet till cookies firm slightly, about 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These cookies came out so delicious. So soft and peanut buttery, a new favorite type of cookie. The raw sugar creates like a crunchiness but not a hard crunch just a little texture. It was really good. Perfect cookie for a tall glass of milk.. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Pork

My parents went away for a week so i only cooked for them when they came back and during the majority of the week me and Bobby ate junk food.. it was great to be a pig! Anyways, i decided to make something simple to make. So i got out one of my Food Network Magazines and found 11,375 Stir Fries! They give you a list of proteins you can use, 3 cups of different vegetables and your sauce. So me and Bobby choose pork as our protein and for our 3 cups of vegetables we choose carrots, bell peppers and scallions and from the 5 different sauces we choose sweet and sour. The procedure is simple and you can pretty much use anything in a stir fry.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

*Whisk together and toss with protein.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 ketchup
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sesame oil

*Mix together.

Preparations:

First, marinade your protein for an hour in the refrigerator.

After your protein has marinated your going to set up your stir fry. Line up your protein, vegetables and sauce in order of how they will be added into your wok, leaving the sauce for last and arranging your vegetable from slowest cooking to fastest.

Then add 2 tbsp of peanut oil and heat on high. Remove protein from marinade and add to wok; constantly stirring. Cook until protein has become opaque; remove from wok and set aside. Clean off wok of any juice/oil.

Heat on medium-high and add 3 tbsp of peanut oil. Add the slowest cooking vegetable first. When vegetable get slightly tender, add the rest of the vegetables. When vegetables have reached your desire, add protein back in and stir with vegetables; about 2 minutes. Then add your sauce and heat until thickened; about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with cilantro, peanuts, sesame seeds or hot pepper flakes.

It was super filling and very delicious. My parents came home to a good meal. I bought some white rice from a Chinese food place and plated it with my stir fry. Definitely going to try other combinations seeing as there are 11,375! Enjoy!

German Chocolate Cupcakes

With my seafood night, i wanted to finally make cupcakes! CHOCOLATE ONES!

I found a good recipe for German Chocolate Cupcakes online at chocolatecupcakes.net. They were beyond scrumptious! They were so moist and soft and creamy with that coconut topping. Perfect way to end a good meal. My dad loved them. He had like 4!! This recipe made about 24.

Ingredients:

Cupcake:

• 1/2 c water
• 4 (1 ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 c butter, softened
• 2 c white sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 c buttermilk
• 2 1/2 c cake flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 4 egg whites

Preparations:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Insert cupcake liners into a muffin pan.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and then set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the water and 4 ounces of chocolate until completely melted.

Remove from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool.

In a large bowl, cream 1 cup of butter and 2 cups of sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time.

Blend in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla.

Beat in the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.

In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, and then quickly fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain in the batter.

Pour or spoon the mixture into the lined muffin pan.

Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn out the cupcakes onto a wire rack.

Frosting:

• 1 c white sugar
• 1 c evaporated milk
• 1/2 c butter
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 1/3 c flaked coconut
• 1 c chopped pecans
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t shortening
• 1 (1 ounce) square semi-sweet chocolate

Preparations:

In a saucepan, over low heat, combine 1 cup of sugar, the evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of butter, and 3 egg yolks.

Stir constantly until thickened, and then remove from heat.

Stir in the coconut, pecans and vanilla.

Cool until thick enough to spread.

Spread the frosting onto the tops of the cooled cupcakes.

In a small saucepan, melt shortening and 1 ounce of chocolate.

Stir until smooth and then drizzle across the frosted tops.

If you like coconut and chocolate cupcakes, this is the perfect recipe for you..

Seafood!

Its been a while since ive been on here but ive been doing alot...

This past weekend was Labor Day Weekend so i decided this was my chance to finally do my seafood thing. I decided on making Cherrystone clams (which are huge by the way), mussels and shrimp. I combined the shrimp and mussels together in a savory sauce with white rice and i made baked clams.

Seafood is not as easy as it seems. Its very tedious and very time consuming. You always need to make sure your dealing with fresh seafood because it can make you sick. You must make sure all shellfish are cleaned properly and tightly sealed shut when buying and when your about to cook them. Remember shellfish is alive before you purchase it so it may be that the shellfish may open and then close but if it doesnt close at all; its a dead one and not edible.

Cleaning them also on the inside and out buy letting them soak in cornmeal or salt allows the sand to be spit out by the live shellfish leaving you with sand less clams and mussels. Another thing is to make sure you have the proper tools necessary in opening your clams if your not going to cook them to open them. Sharp knives will only end up chipping the shell and damaging the knife, a dull knife or an oyster knife will work fine. Make sure you also hold your shellfish with a towel so that you dont slip and cut your hand.

Here are the recipes for the clams and mussels:

Baked Stuffed Clams (foodnetwork.com):

• 3 pounds Littleneck/Cherrystone clams
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 3 cups bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 pound clarified butter

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place clams in a bucket of cold water with cornmeal and salt. Set aside.

Place bread crumbs, Parmesan, lemon juice, zest, garlic, pesto, parsley, and olive oil in a bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together with half of the clarified butter. Mix together until moist but not too wet. Use additional butter only if needed.

Open each clam and place mixture on top. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Thai Steamed Mussels and Shrimp: (allrecipes.com)

• 5 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 2 pounds fresh medium sized shrimp, deveined and shelled
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 (13.5 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

Preparations:

In a large stock pot, combine the lime juice, coconut milk, wine, curry paste, garlic, fish sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and curry paste and bring to a boil over high heat.

Boil for 2 minutes then add mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels are opened, 5 to 8 minutes.

Once mussels are opened, add shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and discard any unopened mussels. Pour mussels and liquid into a serving dish and toss with cilantro.

Serve over white rice.

The clams were good but i was a little heavy with the breading. The Thai sauce with the shrimp and mussels was so good. It had such a good flavor, i was a little upset that it went so quickly. The mussels were rubbery or overdone and neither were the shrimp. DELICIOUS. I am definitely going to try this again.

Yes, shellfish can be time consuming but i think you can have your shellfish cleaned up and opened on a half shell if your looking to stuff them by the fish butcher. Thats definably a big recommendation if your trying this for the first time at home. Enjoy those yummy flavors..............