Homemade Noodles

Every now and then, when I'm making chicken noodle soup, I like to fancy it up and make homemade noodles. They are not hard to do, and only require a little planning ahead. As I was cutting mine out this morning for dinner tonight, I thought they looked so pretty all hanging over the side of a mixing bowl that I just had to take a picture. There's something Christmas-y looking about them, isn't there?


2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, optional
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c water
2 tsp olive oil


Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat eggs well with a fork, then add water and oil. Make a well in the center of the flour mixure, and pour liquid mixture into the center. Combine ingredients well. Flour a surface with about 3-4 T additional flour, and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.

Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Then divide dough into four equal portions. On a very lightly floured surface, roll out each portion into an approximately 12" circle (very thin). Cut into strips, or little raviolis, or bowties, or whatever shape desired. Allow noodles to dry overnight, or all day until they are completely dry. (If you're really short on time, you could put them in a very low oven, 200 degrees, for a little while to help them dry out faster. But letting them dry on their own is ideal.)

Boil them in water as you would store-bought pasta; their cooking time really depends on how thick they are. Keep in mind when you're cutting them that they will expand in size when you cook them (I always end up making my noodles too wide).

For my chicken noodle soup, I cut them into thin strips with my cute rotary pasta cutter, and let them dry over the side of a bowl. Later on I will cut them into about 1 1/2" lengths to go into the soup. Yum!

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

I'm so sorry; no picture! My family loves spaghetti (who doesn't?) and this turned out to be a fun twist on an old favorite. We were in a hurry to eat tonight (and my camera was nowhere in sight) but I will definitely make this again, and take a picture next time.


8 oz spaghetti noodles
1 24-oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, or homemade (see below)
1/2 lb Italian sausage or ground beef, browned
2 c shredded mozzarella
1/3 c grated parmesan

Cook noodles in salted, boiling water until tender. Drain thoroughly. Combine cooked meat with sauce. Turn on oven to 375 degrees.

In a 2-quart casserole dish, evenly spread half the noodles. Spread half the sauce over the top of them, followed by half the cheese (both kinds). Then repeat: noodles, sauce, cheeses. In a round, deep casserole dish, you can do this in three layers instead of two. Make sure that your top layer of noodles is covered well with sauce, or else any "exposed" noodles will cook too crsipy.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese on top starts to brown, and is bubbly. Serve with salad and garlic bread!


Now, tonight I made two batches of this (one to give away) and I only had one jar of spaghetti sauce on hand. So for the second batch, I whipped up my own spaghetti sauce and it was equally delicious.

2 T olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano

In a medium skillet on medium heat, sautee onion with olive oil. When the onion is tender & nearly translucent, add the garlic. Be careful not to overcook the garlic or it will taste bitter. After the garlic has cooked with the onion for a minute or two, add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add dried spices and bring it to a simmer. Add 1/2 pound cooked sausage or ground beef if you want (I always do; I like a nice chunky red sauce) and continue to simmer while your pasta is cooking. By the time your pasta is done, your sauce will be too!

Creamy delicious alfredo and chicken

I made this last night for a church party and several people asked me for the recipe! It was the first time I'd made it and it really was delicious. I got it from my cousins' food blog, who in turn got it from Kevin & Amanda's Recipes. I have been making homemade alfredo sauce for years but it has never turned out this good; I will be using this recipe from now on!


chicken:
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts

chicken coating:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tbsp steak seasoning

when cooking the chicken:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil

pasta:
1 lb linguine noodles
1 tbsp salt

alfredo sauce:
1 scant cup chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Layer chicken between wax paper and pound breasts to even thickness. In a small bowl, mix the egg, milk, lemon juice and garlic powder. Pour mixture into ziploc bag with chicken. Seal and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours. After marinating, whisk together flour, bread crumbs, salt, baking powder, and steak seasoning in a medium bowl. Remove chicken from milk mixture, shake off excess, and coat in flour mixture. Add 1 tbsp of salt to a large pot of water and bring to boil. Boil noodles according to package. Then, in a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth over medium high heat, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in heavy cream, cornstarch, and garlic. Bring to a soft boil and stir for one minute. Reduce heat to low, add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 mins to melt cheese, let thicken, and incorporate flavors. Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter just starts to turn brown, arrange chicken in skillet. Cook 4-5 mins each side until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through. While chicken is cooking, chop fresh herbs and stir into Alfredo sauce right before serving. Serve sauce over pasta and chicken.


Tips:

• Real grated parmesan cheese melts better (and tastes better).

• To "chiffonade" the basil: stack the leaves on top of each other, and roll them up into a tight roll. Then, slice the roll thinly with a sharp knife, so that you end up with very thin strips of basil leaves.

• Last night I doubled this recipe (which made a TON but it was just right for the occasion) I used a 15 oz. can of chicken broth, which was just right, since 16 oz is 2 cups and the recipe calls for a scant cup.

Picture and recipe courtesy of Kevin & Amanda's Recipes

Pasta Salad

• 1 pkg rotini


• 1 bottle italian dressing (small-medium)


• 1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix

• parmesan cheese

vegetables as desired:

• cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved


• broccoli


• sliced black olives


• bell peppers: green are cheapest but yellow & red look pretty!


• zucchini


• red onion, chopped small

Cook pasta; drain & cool a little. Mix ranch packet with about 2/3 of the Italian dressing; toss mixture into the pasta. Add all vegetables, then add as much more Italian dressing as it needs to be moist. It depends on what you prefer, and how big your bottle of dressing is! Last time I used the whole bottle but I had done a little more than one pkg of pasta. Sprinkle on as much parmesan cheese as you like. Not hard to make, and great for luncheons or showers!

Recipe courtesy of my mom