Lemon-Basil Pasta

I love a good lemon sauce. It goes with so many of my favorite foods, fish, chicken, pasta... Bacon.

I love basil - I could eat it with toast and butter everyday. But my family is looking for something a bit more substantial for dinner.

In one of my lemon sauce moods, I threw in the basil and crisped up some bacon - and Wa-lah. Dinner was served.

Here's the basics for the sauce:

1 Lemon, juiced and zested & another lemon for a fresh squeeze over the top in the end

4 T butter

4 T olive oil

A handful of Basil leaves

Crumbled Bacon

Parmesan Cheese, grated or shredded for topping.

Cook up some Pasta & reserve some water. (I used linguine)

Over a low heat, melt butter. Combine olive oil and slowly add lemon juice and zest. Making sure to stir between each addition.

Pour the sauce over the linguine - this is where you add some reserved pasta water if you feel the noodles are sticking. Just add a tablespoon at a time - you don't want to water the sauce down. Then sprinkle in the chopped basil. Stir to evenly combine.

Spoon portions into a pasta bowl, and top with more fresh basil, bacon and parmesan cheese. And squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top for a fresher tasting pasta.

Try it as a light dinner with some crusty bread. Or add a grilled chicken breast or your favorite fish to make it more substantial.

Enjoy!

Peach and Strawberry Soda

I watched this episode the other day and this sounded so good. I made it using just the Strawberries, as I was making it from memory. Oops. Either way, this was really good! A fun treat for my daughter. I plan on making this all summer long for the kids, as I believe it's a great substitute for "real soda". You can cut back on the sugar, and use fresh berries/fruit when available. I did and it was great (and pretty too!)

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup (6 ounces) frozen and thawed peaches (preferably with no sugar added) or 2 fresh peaches, peeled and pitted - Didn't use
1 cup (6 ounces) frozen (preferably with no sugar added) and thawed or fresh strawberries - I used fresh
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon zest (from1/2 large lemon) - I forgot! didnt use
1 cup sparkling water
Ice

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
In a blender, combine the cooled syrup, peaches, strawberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Blend until smooth. Add the sparkling water and pour into an ice-filled pitcher.
Recipe: Giada De Laurentiis

Menu 62

Monday: Meatball Sliders

Green Salad

Tuesday: Skirt Steak

Stir Fry Vegetables

Brown Rice

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken

Lemon-Basil Pasta

Thursday: Taco Salad

Friday: Caramelized Onion & Proscuitto Pizza

Green Salad

Tom Colicchio's Braised Short Ribs

Made these for dinner the other night. Delicious!!! The recipe calls for marinating overnight Doh! What if you don't have overnight? I marinated mine for about 5 hours during the day. They were still superb!

I served them with PW's Creamy Herbed Potatoes- which totally deserves a post of its own. Heaven on a plate.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 flanken-style short ribs with bones, cut 2 inches thick (about 4 pounds); see Note (I used regular short ribs and they were great!)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
4 thyme sprigs
3 cups chicken stock- I used beef because thats what I had.

Directions
1.In a large skillet, heat the oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned and crusty, about 18 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a shallow baking dish in a single layer.

2.Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Add the wine and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour the hot marinade over the ribs and let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning the ribs once.

3.Preheat the oven to 350°. Transfer the ribs and marinade to a large, enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the lower third of the oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Uncover and braise for 45 minutes longer, turning the ribs once or twice, until the sauce is reduced by about half and the meat is very tender.

4.Skim off as much fat as possible, serve

Make Ahead:
The braised short ribs can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Notes: Flanken-style short ribs (short ribs cut across the bones instead of parallel to them) can be ordered at butcher shops.

PW's Sesame Noodles

I've made these noodles a few times now, after my mother-in-law recommended them to me.

The first time I made them, the kids were raving over the aroma of them. They continually asked, "When is dinner, mom?" And, "What are you making???" I believe this is the night that my middle child announced that she wants to be a 'cooker' when she grows up, just like me.

Then we sat down to eat.

My oldest loved them. I mean, looooovvveed them. Like, face-to-plate, sucking these noodles down.

My middle-est, not so much. She took one look at those scallions and decided it was gross.

My youngest thought they were ok. She ate a few bites, picking all green things out, and announced that she did NOT, after all, like these noodles.

Sigh. Most nights, though, are like this.

I decided to be brave and try them again. This time, not so much chili oil (the spice was too much for them) and put some aside sans scallions for the girls. But, again, the girls wouldn't eat them because they had already 'tried' them and the verdict was already in.

Jayden devoured his. And theirs.

But most nights are like this. It's always a fun-filled evening of, "Sit down and EAT!!"

So, after giving you all of that information, I have to tell you that I loved them. I think they are light and flavorful and such a great way to get the whole wheat noodle a spin. And most people who know me well, know that I am not a huge fan of asian cuisine. I mean, I like PF Changs, Pick Up Stix, Pei Wei, you know, the American-ized versions of these dishes. I enjoy making a stir fry every once in awhile. And I like white rice with soy sauce. Does that count? I liked fried rice, til I found out they put an egg in it. I liked egg-drop soup til I found out that it, too, has an egg actually dropped in it. (By now you are thinking, "Why is she surprised her kids don't like this?")

So, anyway, I knew I wanted to post this recipe as soon as I could smell them cooking. I knew it again, when it took like 5 minutes to throw together. And I knew it again when they looked so amazing sitting next to my oriental veggies and the skirt steak I prepared to go with it. And, finally, I knew it when I tasted them and their spicy, savory delicious-ness.

So, here it is (my notes are in parentheses & italicized):

PWs (Pioneer Woman's) Simple Sesame Noodles

• Ingredients
• 12 ounces, fluid Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained (I used whole wheat angel hair)
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• ½ teaspoons Hot Chili Oil (This is where I held back the 2nd time. It didn't seem like a lot when at the time, but it was...)
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Water
• 4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

(I had some sesame seeds that I toasted, just for kicks.)

Preparation Instructions

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions (and sesame seeds!) and toss.
Serve in a bowl with chopsticks. Yummy!

Menu #58 - 61

Menu #61
Monday: Caramelized Onion & Proscuitto Pizza
Salad
Tuesday: Skirt Steak
Sesame Noodles
Wednesday: Tequila Lime Chicken
Rice & Beans
Thursday: Hamburgers & Potato Chips

Menu #60
Baked Rigatoni
Garlic Bread

Chili & Cornbread

Chicken & Brown Rice in Cream Sauce

Menu #59
Monday: Spaghetti
Garlic Bread
Tuesday: Rolled Tacos
Guacamole
Rice & Beans
Wednesday: Chicken, Broccoli & Potatoes
Thursday: Black Bean Soup With Andouille Sausage
Brown Rice

Menu #58

Monday: Chicken & Couscous

Roasted Broccoli

Tuesday: Chili & Cornbread

Wednesday: TFs Sicilian Style Spaghetti

& Eggplant

Garlic Bread

Thursday: TFs Ultimate Beef Stew

Peasant Bread

Friday: Out

Burgundy Mushrooms

This recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman's "Burgundy Mushrooms". Look, I even stole her picture. Please don't be mad, PW.  Why adapt a PW recipe you may ask? Everything she makes is perfectly delicious! True, I say- but I didn't have the Burgundy wine, and neither did my grocery store. I desperately tried to talk myself into driving to the local wine store.. and then I didn't have any fresh Dill, but I had some other herbs.. so I went for it. And they turned out AWESOME!
I will post her original recipe and put in (Italics) what I did.

4 pounds White Button Mushrooms
2 sticks Butter
1-½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 liter Burgundy Wine (other Reds Will Work) (I used a liter of Cabernet Sauvignon, along with 2 TBS brown sugar to add the sweetness I was loosing by not using a Burgundy)
1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 cups Boiling Water
4 whole Chicken Bouillon Cubes (I used 1 TBS of chicken "Better than Bouillon")
4 whole Beef Bouillon Cubes (I used 1 TBS of beef "Better than Bouillon")
teaspoon Dill Seed (I used 1 large sprig of Rosemary, 2 med sprigs of Thyme- Just throw the whole thing in. Be sure to pick out stems before serving)
5 cloves Garlic, minced (I also added a large shallot, minced)
teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Thoroughly wash the mushrooms and throw them into a large stockpot. Add all the remaining ingredients except the salt. Stir to combine.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for six hours. (At this point, I transferred all of this into a crockpot and cooked on low for 6 hrs)

Remove the lid, then continue cooking, uncovered, for three hours. (I did this as well, I noticed it helped reduce the juices and thicken up a bit)

Add salt to taste at the end if desired. The mushrooms will be very dark in color. Simmer until needed. Server straight from the pot or in a serving bowl. Dip crusty bread in the juice—yum!

(The juice also makes an AWESOME Gravy base for your Prime Rib roast this holiday. Just freeze the left over broth. When you are ready, thaw and use it in place of your stock, along with drippings from your Prime Rib- amazing!)