Linguine with Spinach Pesto Sauce

Linguine; (often written erroneously linguini in English, yet consistent with its usual English pronunciation) are a form of pasta — flat like fettuccine and trenette, but narrow like spaghetti. The name linguine means "little tongues" in Italian, where it is a plural of the feminine linguina. While spaghetti traditionally accompany meat and tomato dishes, linguine are often served with seafood or pesto.


Along with our gorgeous spring weather comes my craving for carbs and I've served pasta three times in the last two weeks and I'm ready for more! Digging through the 100's of pasta recipes I have and trying to decide which one I want to make is a tedious chore. So I narrowed down my search and took the easy way out with Eeny Meeny Miny Moe! I am so glad that Moe was the Spinach Pesto because it was delicious and very easy!





Linguine with Spinach Pesto Sauce
Recipe inspired by Southern Food

1 LB of Linguine, cooked to package directions
4 c washed, torn spinach leaves, stems removed, well packed, 16 to 24 ounces
3 garlic cloves, halved
1/4 c pine nuts (I used Pecans)
1/2 tsp dried leaf basil, crumbled
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, add more if you need to thin the sauce
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Optional: 8-9 Sun dried tomatoes, diced


Place a few spinach leaves, garlic, pine nuts, basil and a little oil in blender or food processor container. Cover and puree until leaves begin to look crushed.

Continue adding spinach leaves a few at a time with small amounts of oil to blender, using a rubber spatula to help to combine pureed mixture.

Add Parmesan cheese and 1/8 tsp. salt.

Cover and process until spinach pesto mixture is smooth. If the pesto is too thick add 1-2 TBL of Olive Oil until pesto reaches desired consistency.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain in colander. Toss with the spinach pesto sauce. While tossing add the diced sun-dried tomatoes. Serve.








All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Potato Chip Cookies

My Mom was not an ordinary 1960's cook or homemaker. She would not allow TV Dinners although we begged her to buy us those yucky things every time we were at the grocery store. Mom would not let us eat sugary foods for breakfast like Fruit Loops or Captain Crunch, it was either Cheerios, Corn Flakes or Oatmeal! And she never, and I mean never, made anything from a box. My Mom also canned all summer long, made bread several times a week and sewed the majority of our clothing. I know most people have fond memories of their Grandmother kneading bread dough and canning Strawberry Jam but this was my Mom! And my sister and I cook just like my Mom did and in turn so do my nieces and yes we all sew and knit and the list goes on. "My Mother, Myself" is coming to mind which I think is a title of a book that I read sometime way back when.

But sometimes you just have to make something because it sounds like fun and that's how I feel about the Potato Chip Cookies. Although this is my Mom's recipe, I don't remember her ever making them. And when I asked her about it, she outright said and in a rather disgusted tone of voice "No and I don't think that's my recipe either." But one thing I did before I left Michigan was to copy, one at a time, all of my Mom's recipes in her handwritten 3" by 5" card file. And I know that I copied this recipe because I dated it and it has "Mom" written on the top line! LOL!

I've wanted to try the Potato Chip Cookies for a long time now but I honestly did not think I would like them. But they actually were a very buttery, rich cookie that tastes great with my afternoon latte! I put the cookies in my Great Grama's Cookie Jar that always sits on my kitchen counter and the jar was empty within three days! So I wasn't the only one that thought they were good!






Potato Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup crushed potato chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.

Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix in the crushed potato chips and pecans. Gradually stir in the flour until just blended.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls on a parchment lined baking sheets. Criss-cross the top using a fork dipped in water.

Bake until edges are lightly browned. Cool on racks.







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Welcome to the 9th HBinFive Bread Braid

This week for our HBinFive Bread Braid we made Gluten-free Bread. I have to say that this was the strangest bread recipe I've ever made and I've made quite a bit of bread! The bread did not taste badly at all and was actually good toasted with lots of butter and if we were having guests that had a wheat restrictive diet, I would not hesitate to make this bread! Mr. Tastebuds said that "it tasted better then Wonder Bread"

Like I said the taste was not that bad but the texture was dry probably due to the amount of cornstarch in the recipe. But I'm going to play around a bit and substitute some of the bean and nut flours and maybe add butter or sour cream just to see if I can improve the texture a bit. But I am certainly more sympathetic to people with Celiac Disease and food allergies now. The dough rose and baked beautifully as you can see from the below photo.

I did make some changes to the recipe. For 3 1/2 c. cornstarch I used 2 1/2 c. cornstarch and 1 c. Garbanzo Bean Flour. I skipped the xanthan gum altogether and I used Fresh Yeast.







And I made my very favorite bread, Italian Semolina, from "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" which made scrumptious Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!


Grilled Cheese...The Ultimate Comfort Food





If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address.

Please leave a comment. Every once a while Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge in your Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. Or you can mention HBinFive but your blog post must be identified with HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up to the Bread Braid Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.


Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!








All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Grilled Cheese..the Ultimate Comfort Food!

Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese month? Well, I didn't know that either until Kathy of Panini Happy filled me in when she hosted her first Grilled Cheese Pageant last year. And of course I had to enter again this year being that Grilled Cheese is one of my very favorite sandwiches.

Although I do have cookbooks on nothing but gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, I tend to enjoy a simple sandwich of just cheese and homemade bread, slathered with butter and grilled to a perfect toasty goodness so that every bite is a crunch!

This year was no exception for a simple sandwich. Mr. Tastebuds wanted Mild Cheddar, Mozzarella, Bacon and Ham with Tomato and I made mine with Horseradish Cheese and Bacon and both sandwiches were on homemade Semolina Bread. Although I used the Semolina Bread recipe from "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" that recipe is under copyright and can not be reproduced. But below is another favorite Semolina Bread recipe that I make often and it is just as good!





Semolina Bread
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Starter:
1/4 cup warm water (105°F. to 115°F.)
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
3/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons water, room temperature
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Bread:
2 1/2 cups warm water (105°F.°F. to 115°F.)
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
3 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3 3/4 cups finely ground semolina flour
2 teaspoons sea salt

Additional semolina flour

For Starter:
Combine 1/4 cup warm water and yeast in medium bowl. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons room temperature water. Add flour in 3 additions, stirring well after each addition Stir until mixture has consistency of thick sticky dough, about three minutes. Light oil large bowl. Transfer starter to a bowl. Cover with plastic; let rise at cool room temperature until tripled in volume (starter will be slightly wet and thick), at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Stir down starter, cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

For Bread:
Pour 2 1/2 cups warm water into large bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over; let stand until dissolved, about 10 minutes. Measure 2/3 cup starter (reserve remainder for another use). Rub between fingers, allowing starter to drop into yeast mixture (starter will be stringy). Beat until some of the starter dissolves. Combine flour, 3 3/4 cups semolina and salt in large bowl. Add to yeast mixture in 3 additions; beat until incorporated. Turn out unto floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes.

Oil large bowl. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic. Let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. Punch down dough. Divide into 4 pieces. Cover 3 pieces with clean towel. Roll remaining piece on floured surface to 14x8 inch rectangle. Starting at 1 long edge, roll up dough jelly roll style. Press ends and seam to seal. Bend dough into half-circle. Using sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch-deep incisions every 1 1/2 inches in the top of the dough. Sprinkle with additional semolina. Place on a prepared sheet. Repeat rolling and shaping with remaining dough pieces.

Cover shaped dough with clean towel. Let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 45.

Meanwhile, position 1 rack in bottom third. If available, place baking stone on rack and preheat oven to 450°F. Let stone heat at least 30 minutes.

Place 1 baking sheet on each stone. Bake until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, alternating sheets between racks halfway through baking, about 25 minutes. Cool bread on racks.







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Bluebird Cupcakes!

We moved to our present property in 2000 and although our new home was only a twenty minute drive from our previous property, the geography is totally different. We now lived adjacent to about 500 acres of county forest preserve and natural springs bubbled up out of the ground in the most curious places! Being an avid birdwatcher I was excited to see what unique birds were on our new property. Well, I was not disappointed in the least. Within the first month, Indigo Buntings, Bluebirds, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Barn Shallows and Purple Martins were regular visitors to our property. I was thrilled!

The next Spring, I installed five Bluebird houses and waited for the little darlings to arrive. I know spring is on the way when the Bluebirds start flitting around our pastures and claiming their home for the new babies to arrive. The first spring I had two boxes of baby Bluebirds and each had a second nesting so we had eleven new babies! Since 2001 we've had at least ten new baby Bluebirds yearly. This year to celebrate the arrival of my treasured Bluebirds I made some cupcakes!





Carrot Cupcakes

1 c flour
1 c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
5/8 c. light oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. shredded carrots
3/8 c. nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1 c diced apple

Makes about 15 regular sized cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt and baking powder in medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat sugar and oil until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time and beat until well blended.

Gradually add flour mixture to sugar/oil, stirring continually just until blended.

With a spatula fold in grated carrots, nuts and diced apple.

Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3s full.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool.





Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Sprinkle's Cupcakes

8 ounces cold cream cheese
1 stick butter, firm but not cold
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. Add vanilla.



Baby Bluebirds and Nest:

1 c. coconut, toasted
Baby birds eyes: melted chocolate, black/brown nonpareils, black sesame seeds. See **NOTE
Baby birds beaks: yellow frosting, confection cut to form triangle. See **NOTE


To Assemble:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan once. Set aside to cool.

Lightly frost cupcakes; Sprinkle with toasted coconut to form each nest.

Tint 2 tablespoons reserved frosting pale yellow; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #349 leaf tip; set aside. Tint remaining frosting light blue; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #11 Ateco plain round tip, and pipe three bluebird heads, 3/4 inch in diameter, onto each cupcake. Using leaf tip, pipe yellow beaks. With a toothpick, add melted-chocolate eyes.

**NOTE: I used yellow dot confections for the beaks and just cut them into triangles. For the baby birds eyes I used black sesame seeds.







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Vignarola, Vignole or Spring Vegetable Stew

My Italian friends are going to be proud of me, I've blogged two Italian recipes in one week! Vignole is not something I would normally make without at least a recommendation. It's not that I don't like vegetables but I don't crave them like I do pasta or a crunchy apple! But when I read the Vignole recipe, it just sounded so good to me, especially with the touch of fresh mint! Vignole can be served as a vegetable stew by adding chicken stock or vegetable stock for a vegetarian version. And it can be made sans the stock altogether and served over pasta.

The recipe does call for Prosciutto but I don't care for Prosciutto, but I could use some leftover Easter Ham that I had frozen. I also substituted Green Onion for Leeks which I always do and added a little White Wine. And the recipe called for a "small bunch of mint" but just how much is a small bunch of mint? So minced up about 1/3 c. and it worked out well, but next time I would add a little bit more mint. And I do think that Garbanzo Beans would be a great substitute for the Fava Beans.

All in all the Vignole was absolutely delicious! And serving it with some freshly made Italian Bread made the best dinner! I definitely will be making Vignole again and again and again.






Vignole

4 small artichokes
1 c. podded fresh Fava Beans, about 3/4 lb of fresh Fava Beans
3/4 lb fresh Spinach, cleaned and stemmed
2 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6-7 Green Onions, chopped
1/2 c white wine
2-3 c Chicken Stock
1 c podded fresh Peas, close to a lb of fresh Peas
4 thick slices of prosciutto (I used about 1 c diced leftover Easter Ham)
1/3 c. minced fresh Mint
1/2 c. minced Parsley
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Fill a sauce pan with cool, salted water. Add the whole Artichokes and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes or until tender and drain. Allow to cool, then peel back the outer leaves and discard. Remove the choke with a knife and cut the Artichoke heart into quarters. Set aside.

Heat a large saucepan, big enough to hold all the ingredients, and add a good splash of oil. Cook the onion very gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the Chicken Stock, Ham, Peas and Beans and bring back to the simmer. Add the wine and Spinach and simmer until wilted about 5 minutes. Add the minced Parsley and Mint.

Serve with some freshly baked Italian Bread. Enjoy!








All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Cavatappi Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

Do you like to use fun shaped pasta? I do which is exactly why I bought a bag of Cavatappi Pasta. Who can resist those cute shapes? Don't you love it!

We thoroughly enjoy pasta any way, shape or form and could easily eat pasta several times a week but we don't. My husband is diabetic so I do have to watch the carbohydrates and sugars so maybe we'll have pasta once a month. And I always make his portion with Whole Wheat pasta which is a bit better for him.

I found the Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream on a cooking forum years ago and I believe it is my favorite pasta to date. I do make it with my Homemade Sausage but you can use any brand of Sweet Italian Sausage.





Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

2 TBL Olive Oil
1 LB Sweet Italian Sausage sweet
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I use 1/4 tsp Hot Hungarian Paprika)
4-5 Green Onions, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can Italian diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c whipping cream (I use light cream)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 lb shaped pasta
3 TBL fresh minced Basil

Topping: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage, crumble and cook in oil with crushed pepper until sausage is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.

Add onion and garlic and cook another 5-7 minutes until tender. Drain tomatoes, chop coarsely and stir into sausage along with cream, salt and basil. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.

In a separate pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta al dente. Drain pasta and add to simmering sauce. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley.

Enjoy!







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

A Breakfast Bruschetta

Let's face it I am not a morning person and never have been. I wake up early but I don't get on with my day until I have my second cup of coffee around 10 am! I wake up in a good mood now, but I wasn't always that way, I used to be a real grouch in the morning. When I was growing up, it was my Dad's job to wake us up for school but he would just enter my bedroom and wiggle my foot until I woke up. I think he was afraid to come any closer!

Sunday is a special day and we have an unwritten rule that Sundays are personal days. On Sundays every one gets to do whatever they want as long as it doesn't interfere with anyone else's personal Sunday plans. And I always wake up in a very good mood on Sunday! Sometimes I just work on my genealogy research, catch up on my reading or watch reruns of Bonanza or Gunsmoke. But once in a while I am ambitious and make Sunday Brunch.





Breakfast Bruschetta
Recipe by BigBlackDog

3 whole English Muffins, split
2 c. fresh Spinach, cleaned
1 small tomato, diced
1/3 c. fresh Sweet Red Pepper, diced
4 Green Onions, chopped
1 clove of Garlic, minced
2-3 slices of bacon, crispy fried
3 eggs, scrambled
1 TBL EVOO, (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 c shredded Mozzarella cheese or any white cheese
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
Tad of Hot Hungarian Paprika, Basil or Tarragon

1. Break up the Crispy Bacon into 1/2" pieces
2. In a skillet heat the oil. Add spinach, bacon, garlic, sweet pepper, tomato, onions, Paprika and Tarragon or Basil and saute until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach mixture and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, scramble the eggs until just fluffy. Set aside.

To assemble the Breakfast Bruschetta:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the split muffins on the sheet.
2. Put 2-3 TBL of Spinach mix on each English Muffin
3. Place 2 TBL of Scrambled Eggs on top of Spinach.
4. Sprinkle with shredded Mozzarella
5. Pop the baking sheet under the Broiler until the cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes.





Sourdough English Muffins
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

Makes about 12 regular sized muffins

1/2 c. sourdough starter (You could use 1 pkg yeast)
1 c. scalded milk
2 3/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 TBL honey
1 tsp baking soda

Semolina or cornmeal, for dusting

In a small sauce pan scald milk and set aside to cool.

Combine sourdough starter and cooled milk in a large bowl. Gradually add 2 c. flour. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and leave out for at least 4 hours or you can make it the night before and let it rise over night. The longer the rise, the stronger the sourdough flavor.

After the rise add salt and baking soda and mix well.

I form my English muffins free hand. Just taking a slight 1/2 c. of dough, forming it into a muffin shape and flattening it with my hands. Or you can roll out to 3/4" and cut with a biscuit cutter into rounds.

Spray griddle or skillet lightly with spray oil and sprinkle with semolina or cornmeal. Heat to medium, 350 degrees, and cook muffins for about 6-10 minutes on each side depending on how large you made your muffins, or until browned on the top and bottom and cooked through.

The muffins will rise while on the griddle, after the first turn I flatten them a bit with a spatula.







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Chicken Pancakes....So Good!

When I was growing up one of my very favorite meals was Potato Pancakes with lots of butter, bacon and a small dish of apple sauce. I can remember calling my Mom at work and asking her if she would make Potato Pancakes for dinner. By the time I was older I had learned that if I shredded the potatoes, my Mom would always make the potato pancakes. Consequently, by the time I was in high school I was an expert potato shredder!

Sometimes my Mom would mix chicken or pork into the potato pancakes which gave the pancakes another level of flavor. I especially like chicken mixed right in the potato pancakes and I just happen to have some leftover chicken in the refrigerator! I served the Chicken Pancakes for Sunday Brunch with over-easy eggs and crispy bacon and it was delicious!





Chicken Pancakes
Recipe developed by my Mom

2 medium chicken breasts, deboned and sauteed OR you can use leftover chicken
2 c shredded potato
4 green onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons flour
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 TBL Olive Oil
1 TBL Butter

1. Saute the chicken breast in 1 TBL of olive oil. When the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork, remove and set aside. When cool finely dice breasts.

2. While chicken is cooking, shred potatoes. Make sure to squeeze as much water out of the potatoes as posssible. I lay the shredded potatoes on doubled paper towels and twist the towels. Change the paper towels and repeat at least 2 more times. Mix the dried potatoes with the chopped onion, salt, pepper. Then add the eggs and flour and mix well.

3. Add the diced chicken to the potato/egg mixture and blend well.

4. Heat 1 TBL Olive Oil and butter in a frying pan.

5. When the oil/butter is hot, with a large serving spoon, take a scoop of the chicken pancake mixture and place it in the frying pan. Pancake should be about 3" in diameter and at least 1/2-3/4" thick. Fry until golden brown on both sides.








All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog