Homemade Pasta for Everyone!!!....

.....And by "for everyone" I really just mean everyday (i.e., homemade pasta everyday!).  I recently got back my pasta maker and love making homemade pasta!  It is extremely satisfying and I love pasta.  I think I found a new hobby!  I am still trying to find a recipe I really like, so I will post that when I figure it out.  So far I have played around with different amounts of flour and egg, white and semolina flour, and tomato paste as a flavouring.  Soon will come stuffed pastas.

First was spatzle with an olive oil chili sauce (with rapini and summer sausage).  This was not made with my pasta maker, but rather with my spatzle maker.

Second was tagliatelle with a tomato clam sauce.

Third was linguine with a pesto sauce.

Fourth was a tomato-flavoured tagliatelle alla carbonara.

Stove Top Rice Pudding

I found a new recipe today for rice pudding and threw out my old one (actually, I recycled it).  This one is so much better - much creamier and richer tasting.  It is made on the stove top instead of baked, which is one of the reasons I think it is so good.  It is adapted from allrecipes.com, and it says it is Erica G.'s Mom's recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked white/brown rice 2.5 cups milk 1/3 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten 2/3 cup golden raisins 1.5 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

	In a saucepan, combine cooked rice, 2 cups milk, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, and raisins; cook 2 minutes more, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.  Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

Avocados Filled with Shrimp

I love avocados, so I obviously really liked this recipe.  It is adapted from a cookbook called "Eva's Kitchen" - Eva, as in Eva Longoria.  I haven't made too many recipes from it, but hope to soon.  It's a great book with beautiful pictures and some unique recipes.  This dish is really more of an appetizer, not a main course, which is how I tried to serve it. 

1 pound shrimp (use smaller ones than the ones I used), cooked and chilled
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
Seasoning (e.g., salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder)
4 ripe avocados

In large bowl, mix shrimp, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, lime juice, and seasoning.  Cut avocados in half and remove pits.  Fill each half with filling.

Fish en papillote

I like my fish very moist and therefore prefer cooking techniques such as poaching or steaming.  Cooking en papillote is a great method as well.  I like it because it looks and feels fancy, but is extremely easy.  Bonus:  It is a good way to dazzle guests. 

1) Place fish on parchment paper (any kind of fish works well)
2) Thinly slice vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, carrots, green onion, shallots and place on top of fish (although I have seen them placed under the fish, which may actually work better for even cooking of the fish)
4) Dress with herbs and seasoning (e.g., dill, salt, pepper)
5) Add 3 tbsp liquid (e.g., white wine, chicken stock)
6) Bake for about 15 min (until fish is done)
7) Impress guests by opening papillote in front of them and by calling it a papillote

Buttermilk Pancakes

This is a great recipe from allrecipes.com, adapted to make 4 large pancakes (instead of 12) - which is why the measurements are a bit funny.  We've tried a few different recipes and this one is definitely my favourite.  It is the best with the fresh buttermilk that comes from making the butter (see earlier post), but is still good with a buttermilk substitute (1 tbsp white vinegar in 1 cup of milk, let stand for 5 min).

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons milk 1 eggs 1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2.	Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over-stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.