Homemade Pasta

Yeah!  I did it! I made homemade pasta for the first time.  It was so much fun and easy to make.  My sister  Christine gave me a pasta maker for Christmas and I have been itching to use it.  I actually screamed when the pasta came out the first time.  It was so exciting!  Next week I am going to make raviolis.  

You only need 2 ingredients - flour and eggs.  

I used 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour.  

You can use any kind of flour... experiment.  

Make a bowl with the flour and crack 4 eggs into it.  

I had little helpers in the kitchen with me.  

Children are so much fun to cook with,
especially with a recipe like this that is so hands on.  

Break the yolks with your fingers. 

Then start to form the dough into a ball.

It gets messy, but boy is it fun! 

The boys loved it.  

Once the dough is in a ball you need to knead it. 

See how this dough has a rough texture. 

As you knead the dough it will get smooth. 

That is how you know it is ready.

Throw some flour down and begin to work the dough.

Knead the dough until it is smooth. 

See the difference in texture?

This dough is much smoother.  

Let the dough rest.

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Here it is...my pasta machine!  

Thanks Christine.  

If you don't have a pasta maker 

you can roll out the dough

 and cut into long strands or any shape you like.

I sectioned the dough to make it easier to work with.

Place the dough in the machine and start cranking. 

Wow!  I didn't scream yet.

You put each piece through the machine several times and keep upping the level.

  This makes the pasta thinner and longer.  

We did each piece 6 times and went up the the 6th level.  

Viola! This is when I screamed! 

There are different settings for pasta size. 

One of my helpers.  

The other one left to watch the Bulls v Heat game.  

Cook the pasta.

Then add some homemade sauce and meatballs 

and you have yourself an incredible Sunday night dinner.  

Instead of a salad I roasted cauliflower, carrots and brussels sprouts.  

So tasty! 

All homemade!  

Another one of my favorite things... my pasta plates. 

Do you have different plates for when you serve pasta?  

I bought these plates 7 years ago from Williams-Sonoma and still love them.

 I cherish the tradition of having pasta Sundays with my family 

and these plates just make it a little more special.  

 When I was growing up my mother always had a table cloth on the dinner table. When I visit her I love helping her change the table linens.  It is that simple childhood memory that I still hold in my heart today.  She always took pride in her table settings.  Which was hard to do with 9 kids spilling drinks left and right at the table.  My mother-in-law is the same way.  She has a collection of place mats and cloth napkins that bring a simple elegance to a table.  What I take from both of my mothers is that a table should be set, even if you are about to serve red, messy sauce to 2 young boys that will drip it all over.  A load of laundry is worth the effort.  So the boys are responsible for picking out the place mats and napkins for dinner and take pride in preparing the table for a nice meal together.  Thanks to both my moms. 

Lastly, our Sunday wouldn't be complete without a fire.  

My husband grew up with fires every Sunday in the winter.  

Everyone in my family loves taking a rest and sitting by the fire.  

I can't wait to do it all over again next week. 

Blueberries, Baby Boy and Brooklyn

My friend Brooklyn is having a baby boy.  So a group of us wanted to throw her a little breakfast baby shower.  It was so much fun to plan.  I made it a blueberry theme and went wild.  We all got our antioxidants for the week! Congrats again Brooklyn!

First I wanted to make a fun breakfast "mocktail" for us all to enjoy.  As I was shopping for blueberry juice, I saw this great Naked Juice called Blue Machine.  So I thought why not just use this as the "mocktail" and save time making one less recipe.  

I usually buy their Green Machine juice, but this was just as delicious! 

 

 These fruit cups were so easy to make.  I just layered blueberries, strawberries and blackberries. Then  I added a spoonful of strawberry Greek yogurt and a sprig of mint on top.  So good!

The Blueberry-Kiwi tarts were a crowd favorite!   

I was inspired by a recipe I found on Redbook,

but I changed it to make it easier and healthier.  

Their recipe made a tart dough as the base. 

 I just used mini fillo shells and added a teaspoon of honey instead of 1/4 of sugar.  

So I skipped the first part of the directions below.  

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Ingredients
2  recipes Processor Tart Dough, (see tip below)
3 1/2 cup(s) blueberries
1/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
2 tablespoon(s) seedless blueberry jam
1 tablespoon(s) fresh lime
juice1/2 teaspoon(s) grated lime zest
2  kiwis, peeled, sliced

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Directions
Divide two recipes-worth of tart dough into 4 pieces. Press evenly over bottoms and sides of four 4 1/2-inch round tart pans with removable bottoms. Prick each with fork; freeze 15 minutes.
Place oven rack in bottom position; heat oven to 400 degrees F. 

In a medium bowl, toss 2 1/2 cups of the blueberries, granulated sugar, jam, lime juice, and lime zest. Fill shells with berry mixture; place on baking sheet.

Bake until crust is golden and fruit is bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Cool tarts in pans on wire rack. Remove sides of pans. Top tarts with 1 cup blueberries and kiwi slices.

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Tips & Techniques
To make the dough, refer to our easy Processor Tart Dough recipe. You'll need a double batch to make four 4 1/2-inch tarts -- we'd recommend making this recipe two times instead of doubling for an optimal result.
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    Here are the shells I used.  

I also looked at all the blueberry preserves in the store.
I tried to find one with the least amountof ingredients
(preferably under 5) and less than 10g of sugar.

Smucker's won! 

This spiced Blueberry Soup had a nice kick of flavor to it.
I found this recipe on Delish.  

Link to recipe

Allrecipes had a yummy recipe for Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes.
 Link to recipe

 Blueberries with Lemon Cream
Another easy recipe from Delish.
Just 5 ingredients :
low fat cream cheese, plain greek yogurt, honey, lemon zest and blueberries.
The lemon cream was so tasty!

Link to recipe

I love Tevana teas.
So I picked up some herbal Blueberry Bliss tea.
It was sweet and delicious.

 One of my favorite things... my Tevana tea set.
The boys gave it to me for Mother's Day last year.
I use it daily!
It was nice to share it with my company.

True Blue Spa lotion and antibacterial soap from Bath and Body Works was the perfect favor for this shower.  Not to mention they were 70% off because they are changing the packaging!  Lucky me!

My friend Karen made this amazing diaper cake!
 You are awesome Karen!

The beautiful momma-  Brooklyn !

I just love this loaf cake.
My friend Severine from France always makes this loaf for all of our get togethers.
It is delicious.  She even added some blueberries to it this time.

I have a friend who loves to cook as much as I do.  

Neveen made this yummy coffee cake.

 I had some for breakfast again this morning!  

Oh Paula, your pound cakes were so sweet and savory.  

The boys couldn't stop eating the leftovers after school.  Thanks! 

 Lastly a quick game of Guess the Poop!

Cynthia and Sheila really sniffing it.  

Butternut Squash Soup

So good!  Looking for something sweet to warm you up this winter?  

Then you must try this butternut squash soup recipe from Whole Foods. 

 My kids kept asking if it was apple sauce as they gobbled it down.    Yum!  

I also made quesadillas with the leftovers from our Tuesday night salad bar. 

 It was the perfect combination.  

Link to Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

I baked the squash first.  In the recipe theycooked it in soup.  Either way would work.  

The Beet Gene

Have you ever heard that there is a gene that determines your like or dislike for beets?  About a year ago, First Lady Michelle Obama was interviewed by Ladies Home Journal and talked about her belief in a beet gene.  She said, " Beets, I am a believer that there is a beet gene. People who love beets love them and people who hate beets can't stand them. Neither the President nor I have the beet gene."   If there is a beet gene than I have it because I love beets!  At dinner last night I polled the rest of the family and it was 1 - loves beets and 3 - hates beets.  I guess that means more beats for me.  :)  

Click here to read the Ladies Home Journal article, "Michelle Obama's New Mission".

Last week Gwyneth Paltrow posted this wonderful beet salad in Goop - her weekly newsletter.

I made it yesterday for lunch. It was delicious, if you like beets!  

Check out the recipe below...

Inspired by Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Beef Carpaccio with Marinated Bean Salad featured in Jamie at Home, we swapped the beef for beets and added some toasted pine nuts for protein to create a beautiful and nutritious treat. This works great as a healthy appetizer or served with a non-gluten grain or starch for a cleanse-friendly meal option. Makes 4 4 medium beets ½ pound green or mixed beans, trimmed 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 2 shallots, finely chopped 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil sea salt freshly ground pepper Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash beets well and remove green tops if necessary. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place the beets in the pan. Coat them with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cover the beets with aluminum foil, place in the oven to roast for about an hour or until tender. Beets are done once they can be easily speared with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool. Alternatively, if you have a steamer or steam extension, you could steam the beets for about 40 minutes, or until soft. Meanwhile, mix the shallots in a large bowl with the parsley, mustard and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the rest of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the beans and let them cook for about 3 minutes. You just want to blanche the beans, not cook them through, so that they stay firm and beautifully bright green. Remove beans from the water and add them to the marinade. Once the beets have cooled, slice them as thin as you like, season with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer over 4 large plates. Top with green beans, spooning any leftover marinade on top, and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

  

I didn't have white wine vinegar or shallots.  

I used red wine vinegar and ommitted the shallots.  

Mix the dressing while the beets are cooking. 

Toast the pine nuts...so good! 

Marinade the steamed green beans in the dressing.

Slice the beets.

Enjoy!