Fresh Pasta

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 extra extra large eggs

Preparation

1. Mound the flour in the center of your counter.  Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs.  Using your hands, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well.  As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy).  The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.
2. Start kneading the dough with both hands.  Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.  Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove dough from the board and wrap in plastic wrap.  Set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature.
3. Cut the dough into 8 pieces.  One at a time, feed each piece into your pasta maker on the largest setting.  Do this 6-8 times, folding in half once each time, for all 8 pieces.  The dough may seem dry/holey/tough at first, but it will soften up as you feed through the pasta maker.
4. With each piece, feed through the pasta maker on incrementally smaller settings until you have reached the smallest.
5. Choose the cut that you want and feed each sheet of pasta through the cutter.
6. Hang on a drying rack for at least 30 minutes.
7. Boil in water for 3-4 minutes.  Drain.
8. Add to whatever pasta sauce you like.

Notes:

1. We doubled the recipe to have pasta left to freeze for future use.
2. We also didn't have extra large eggs, so for each single recipe added an additional large egg.

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

Biscuits:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup vegetable shortening (I only had butter, so I used that)
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups buttermilk, plus additional for brushing

Filling:

• 2 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• sugar or splenda to taste (I just sprinkled a little bit over the cut strawberries and stirred it in) 

 Topping:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp granulated white sugar 

 Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in your stand mixer (or bowl if you don't have one).  Cut the chilled butter into small squares and add to the mixer.  Mix until resembles coarse crumbs (if not using mixer, cut with pastry cutter, forks, or break up with hands).
3. Add buttermilk slowly until the dough starts to come together.  It will be sticky and not entirely mixed together.  I ended up only using 1 1/2 cups.  Finish the mixing process with your hands until it comes together as a dough.
4. Break off chunks of dough into the size biscuit you want (or roll out and use a cookie cutter if you have one).  This made 6 large biscuits for us.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden brown.
7. Meanwhile, wash and slice strawberries.  Add sugar/splenda to bowl.  Let set until ready to use.
8. When ready to eat, add whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar to stand mixer.  Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
9. Cut the biscuits in half.  Layer strawberries and cream on bottom half.  Place the top half on that and layer again.
10. ENJOY!!!!

 Notes:

1. The first time I made strawberry shortcake, I used a scone recipe, which was made with light cream instead of buttermilk.  While at the grocery store today, I tried to remember the recipe off the top of my head and bought buttermilk instead, so I improvised with buttermilk biscuits instead of scones.
2. I freaked out initially after I already had the biscuits formed and on the cookie sheet when I realized I hadn't added any sugar (which the scone recipe had).  I thought I forgot something, but realized this recipe didn't call for any.  B was initially worried it wouldn't work as a dessert, but with the sweetened whipped cream and strawberries, it turned out great.

Almond Milk Butter

This recipe is incredibly easy, just takes a little bit of patience and trust.  It may seem like the almonds won't ever turn to butter in your food processor, but keep blending and they will eventually smooth out. You can either leave it as straight almond butter, or if you like to eat as much as I do and want to stretch it out, you can go to the next step and add almond milk.  Both ways are delicious!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almonds (Or any amount you want, really.  Just use equal parts milk)
• 2 cups almond milk

 Preparation:

• If almonds are not roasted, put them in a dry saute pan over medium-high heat.  Toast until you can start to smell the almonds and they become light brown in color.  Or you can put them on a sheet tray and bake in the oven at 425 degrees F until you can smell them.  Just make sure to keep an eye on them so that they don't burn!

• Pour the almonds into your food processor and turn on.  The almonds will quickly turn to a cornmeal-like texture and begin to stick on the sides of the bowl.  Scrape down the bowl as necessary and keep blending.  After 5-8 minutes, depending on your food processor, they will begin to clump together and eventually turn into butter.

• Measure out your almond milk and slowly pour into the food processor as it is blending.

• This will seem pretty thin at first, but it thickens as it cools in the refrigerator.

I love dipping apples in this and I bet bananas would be delicious as well!  I, too often, eat this just with a spoon right out of the container :)

Romesco Sauce

This sauce can be used for just about anything.  I originally made it to top baby artichokes, like the dish I had at a tapas restaurant.  I found, though, that it was also delicious with the chicken I made with the meal.  I would imagine it could be tossed with pasta or eaten with shrimp and seafood.  A delicious, light sauce!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1-inch thick slice of crusty bread, torn into pieces
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped or slivered
• 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 15-oz can of crushed or whole tomatoes, including the juice
• 1 8-oz jar of roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preparation:

•  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, saute the bread and almonds, stirring often, until they just begin to brown.  Add the garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes, stirring once or twice.

• Place the contents of the saute pan in a food processor with the remaining ingredients - salt, tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, smoked paprika and vinegar.  Puree until smooth.  Spread the sauce out on a rimmed sheet pan and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges begin to caramelize.  Allow to cool and scrape into a container to store.

Speltberry Salad

I love throwing recipes like this together because you can really pick and choose whatever ingredients you want or have around the house.  You can tailor the dressing any way you would like as well - whatever flavors work for you!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked speltberries (You can use any grain you have - wheatberries, rice, couscous, quinoa, etc.  The speltberries make this gluten free, but it is just as good with anything else)
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 1/3 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 2/3 cup craisins
• A few handfuls spring lettuce mix
• Juice from one lemon
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Dried basil
• Dried tarragon

Preparation:

• Cook the speltberries according to the package.  Mine simmered in water for 90 minutes.  After cooked, rinse under cool water to bring to room temperature and remove some of the starchy liquid left behind

• Add in all the ingredients that you have chosen to use.  I think that red bell pepper would have been great in this, but I didn't have any.  Also feta cheese would have been delicious!
• Add the liquids to all your ingredients and stir to combine.  If you want, some olive oil can be added to the dressing.

Blackberry Cobbler Bars

Ingredients


Crust and Topping

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled

 Fruit Filling

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup flour
• pinch salt
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 16-oz packages frozen blackberries, thawed and drained

Preparation:

• To make the crust and topping, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan
• Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.  Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the flour mixture.  Mix together with hands, while breaking up the butter into small pieces.  Mix until butter is evenly distributed but mixture is still crumbly.  (This can also be done in a food processor if it has a large enough capacity).

• Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to use as the topping.  Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Bake 12-15 minutes.  Cool for at least 10 minutes.

• To make the filling, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, lemon zest, and almond extract.  Gently fold in the berries and spoon the mixture over the crust.  Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture evenly over the filling.  Bake 45-55 minutes.

• Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars, or scoop out of the pan to serve cobbler-style.

White Chocolate Coconut Blondies

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces white chocolate chips
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.
• Put the white chocolate and butter in a saucepan and melt together over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.  

• Turn off the heat and add the sugars.  Whisk until completely combined.  Remove from burner and let cool slightly (I transferred to a big bowl).
• Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk until combined.  Add the vanilla.

• Sprinkle the flour, salt, and coconut over the chocolate mixture.  Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour and coconut into the chocolate until combined, but not over-mixed.

• Pour the batter into the pan and place in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  A toothpick inserted into the center of the blondies should come out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.