I recently saw a blog post for making your own vanilla extract so I thought I would give it a try. It was really easy to make.

I decided to make enough to give people as gifts so it ended up being a little more expensive than I was expecting. I am hoping the end product is worth it.

Today I picked up my first Bountiful Basket at 7 AM this morning. A little early to get up on a Saturday (when I don’t have to work and when E is still sleeping) but I am happy with what I got.

Fruit: bananas, cantelope, pineapple, 2 containers of blackberries, 6 fugi apples, 12 plums

Veggies: spinach, cabbage, 6 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, 12 mini peppers, celery, lettuce

That’s a lot of food for 2 1/2 people but I definitely plan on getting another basket (and possibly sharing with someone).

Yesterday a package came for Joey and I called to let him know it came. I asked him what was in it and he told me to open it and this is what I found:

I was shocked. He then told me that he pre-ordered the book a month or so ago. What a nice surprise.

Many people who know me, know that I love to cook and try new recipes. Since being home on maternity leave I have done a lot more baking. I have found that I enjoy baking muffins. They don’t all come out the same size (which is probably the number one reason I don’t like to bake – I don’t have the patience or skill to have nice looking baked goods) but they all have been pretty tasty.

Recently I tried a new cookie recipe (Apple Cookies with Caramel) and I didn’t want to make 3 dozen like the recipe called for (again, because I don’t have the patience – cookies are the worst) so I cut the ingredients in half. While I was putting the cookies on the cookie sheet I thought to myself “these look really runny” . Then I started thinking about why they would be runny and realized I used 2 eggs instead of 1. Opps. I don’t know how I messed that up. Anyway. The cookies came out looking horrible but they were (very) moist and edible. In retrospect, I should have just poured the batter into an 8X8 pan and called them Apple Bars.

Well, tonight Joey was nice enough to sit with E while I attempted to make another new recipe, Ricotta Gnocchi, a recipe I saw on “Cook Like an Iron Chef with Michael Symon” .

Here is a picture of the gnocchi I made from scratch:

and the finished product (swimming in butter – how could it not be good?):

Well, I tried a bite, like every good chef does before serving their food, and learned that I am not even close to Iron Chef material. It tasted awful! I must have used too much lemon zest or got some pith (the white stuff under the peel) in the dish. The gnocchi was bitter! Yuck.

Joey didn’t believe me, so he tasted it and he agreed. Then he asked me how we could fix it.

I was heart broken. I had no idea how to fix it. I ruined dinner and wasted money. Good thing Little Caesars is close (and cheap) so I asked Joey if he wouldn’t mind getting us a pizza. He was gone longer than I thought he would be and this is what he came home with:

The card reads:

Sweetheart – I love how hard you work to make us delicious food. It’s okay to get it wrong once in a while. Hope these cheer you up.

I got tears in my eyes. What a great (and understanding) husband I have.

Do I dare attempt gnocchi again?

Sunday I spent 4+ hours in the kitchen making a homemade lasagna. I made the sauce and noodles from scratch and it was tasty! I also attempted to take pictures as I was cooking. Not an easy task and they don’t look anything like my friend Alicia’s but I tried.

Classic Bolognese Sauce
3 TBSP unsalted butter
2 TBSP each minced onion, carrot and celery
1/4 lb each ground beef chuck, ground veal and ground pork
1 Cup whole milk
1 Cup dry white wine (or beef stock)
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes packed in juice, finely chopped, with juice reserved

1. Heat butter in large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat; add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes.

2. Add the ground meat and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Crumble the meat into tiny peaces. Cook, continuing to cumble the meat, just until it loses its raw color but has not yet browned, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the milk and bring to a simmer, continue to simmer until the milk evaporates, 10-13 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer; continue to simmer until the wine evaporates, 10-13 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and their juice and bring to a simmer; reduce to heat to low so that the sauce continues to just barely simmer with an occasional bubble or two at the surface, until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 hours.

Bolognese Sauce initially:

Bolognese Sauce almost done:

Bechamel Sauce
2 Cups whole milk
4 TBSP unsalted butter
3 1/2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until hot but not scalded or boiling.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it is foamy, whisk in the flour. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Do not let the flour brown.

3. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add 2 TBSP hot milk and whisk vigorously. When the mixutre is smooth, whisk in another 2 TBSP, and then another. Return the pan to very low heat and slowly whisk in the remaining milk, at first in 1/4 cup increments and then in 1/2 cup increments until it is all incorporated.

4. Raise the heat to medium-low. Add the salt and cook, whisking often, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick heavy cream, 7 to 10 minutes.

5. Remove the pan from the heat. Use immediately or cool to room temperature and whisk until smooth before using.

Slowly adding the milk and whisking away:

The finished sauce, after a lot of vigorous whisking:

Lasagna
Fresh Pasta
Bechamel Sauce
Bolognese Sauce
1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook noodles until al dente, then gently retrieve the noodles and transfer them to a bowl of ice-cold water for 30 seconds. Then drain the noodles and lay them out on kitchen towles for up to 1 hour.

2. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray. Smear several tablespoons of bechamel sauce across the bottom of the pan. Line the pan with a layer of pasta, making sure the noodles touch but do not overlap. Spread a scant 2/3 cup bolognese sauce evenly over the pasta. Drizzle with 3 TBSP bechamel and sprinkle with 2 1/2 TBSP Parmesan. Repeat the layering of the pasta, bolognese sauce, and cheese 4 more times. For the sixth and final layer, coat the noodles with 6 TBSP bechamel sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 3 1/2 TBSP cheese (or more if you want).

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until the cheese on top turns golden brown in spots and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan and let the lasagna rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipes Courtesy of “The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles” by Cooks Illustrated

And since I wasn’t busy enough, I made Orange Cookies while I waited for the Bolognese sauce to simmer down:

And of course the pasta:

But unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of the pasta. I was covered in flour for the rest of the pasta making process and forgot to ask Joey to take some pictures.

Next time I make lasagna, I’ll let you know in advance so you can make a reservation.

This weekend I had some extra time so I decided to make fresh spaghetti for dinner.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Farmer’s Market and tried a sample of fresh pasta with a seasoning called “Tuscan Dust”. It was so tasty. The guy giving out the samples tried to sell me the seasoning and his fresh pasta but I only bought the seasoning. I told him I’d make my own pasta. He probably thought I was lying but I wasn’t.

Here’s a picture of the Tuscan Dust (it has salt, oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary, sage, garlic, black pepper and lemon):

and the yummy pasta with the Tuscan Dust on it:

It was a delicious dinner. I am glad I bought that seasoning.

A couple of weeks ago I asked my Grandmother what some of her favorite recipes were and she mentioned Rouladen. I’ve heard her talk about Rouladen before but I’ve never eaten it so my mom and I decided to make it for her.

Rouladen is a German meat roulade usually consisting of bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped in thinly sliced beef (flank steak) and then cooked. Instead of pickles we used carrots because that’s how my Grandmother made it.

With my Grandmother’s help and this recipe, it turned out delicious. You should give it a try.

Here is the Rouladen all rolled up and ready to be put in the pan:

After we browned all the sides, we added water and a bouillon cube and let it simmer for about an hour:

Then we made a gravy:

And it was ready to be served with mashed potatoes and cooked red cabbage. (You don’t see red cabbage on my plate because I don’t like it):

It is definitely not a low calorie meal but maybe that’s why it’s so tasty. I think I will make it again sometime.