Food goodness

This is barely a recipe — just the way I’ve started to make ravioli bc L always asks for it, but I really don’t like boiling it, and I want to put some extra cheese and meat/fake meat with it to make it a little heartier.   Saute a pound of meat product of your choice. Add a chopped onion, some garlic, and whatever spices you like in your pasta sauce — oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, whatever. You can also add some spinach or chopped tomatoes or other veggies, but make sure you cook it down a lot bc you don’t want watery sauce.    Take a large casserole dish and spread a little sauce on the bottom. It can be plain jarred marinara or your own sauce from frozen or whatever. Add the rest of the jar or container to the meat mixture   Put down a single layer of refrigerated raviolis. (I think you can do it with frozen, but I’ve never tried.) You should have at least 3 small packages of these. Spread a layer of sauce over it.  Spread a layer of mozzarella c...

Best way to use our leftover smoked turkey from Thanksgiving. Adapted from this recipe .  Sauté 2 cloves garlic and 1 chopped onion in olive oil until translucent.  Add 1t each of poultry seasoning or thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder, plus some salt & pepper. Add a few rough-chopped carrots and celery stalks. Cook for a couple minutes. Cut the meat off of 2 smoked turkey legs — making sure to avoid the gross parts — and add it to the pot. Cook 3-5 minutes. Stir in one can of white northern beans, drained & rinsed.  Add 4-5c of chicken broth and bring to boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Cover with lid and simmer 45 minutes or longer (in slow cooker on high, or in regular stovetop pot).  Serve with cooked rice or pasta.

Now that I've made this recipe, I kick myself for not doing it sooner. I guess I was put off by the idea that cooking it with a pkg of Hdden Vlley Rnch powder would make it taste ranch-y? But this is the MOST delicious thing I have eaten in a long time and, even tho we don't eat that much beef, I already want to make it again. It's super easy to make in your slow cooker or in the oven (like I did): Here's what you need: 4 lb+ chuck roast (srsly, you want leftovers, don't get a small roast)  1 pkg McC0rmick's aus jus powder 1 pkg ranch powder 12 or more pepperoncinis plus about 1/4C juice 1 stick butter, UNSALTED 1 large onion, sliced Sear the roast on both sides and place in slow cooker (if using) or leave in your dutch over. I added an onion because, duh, it's a roast and seemed weird not to use one. Sprinkle on the seasonings and top roast with butter pats. I know it seems really decadent, and it is, but trust the process. Toss in the pepperoncinis and sp...

This is a delicious late summer dinner , and a one-pot meal at that, if you're willing to turn on your oven. I tweaked a lot of the amounts in the original recipe — the biscuits get really puffy and there weren't enough veggies the way it was written imo. Also for the record, I've tried adding zucchini to this but I don't recommend. INGREDIENTS    3 pints  cherry tomatoes, not cut, any kind (you can also chop big tomatoes in here but take out the pulp and seeds so it doesn't get too watery) 6   ears' worth of fresh corn kernels 1   bunch green onions whites and greens, chopped handful of fresh basil, chopped For the biscuits: 1½   cups  AP  flour 2 1/2   teaspoons   baking powder 3/4   cup   shredded cheddar or swiss cheese, or probably anything a little sharp is fine 3/4   cup  milk with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice (recipe calls for  buttermilk but I haven't been able to tell a difference) ⅓   cup ...

This is my cousin's recipe and it's perfect! I'm afraid it will disappear from her website someday, so I'm copying it here. Best Challah Ever Ingredients : 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast (note that this is more than 1 packet – measure it, please) 1 cup warm water 4 1/2 cups bread flour (I have no idea what the difference is between this and regular flour, but I’ve tried both and the bread flour is better, by a mile.) 3 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 Tablespoons salt 6 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus a little extra for greasing the bowl. 1 egg, beaten Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or both The one on the left was stuffed with apples, and it was divine. Directions : Use two sheet pans or baking sheets, so the bottom of the challah doesn’t get too brown. Put a piece of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray on the top pan, and then simply stack the two pans. Mix yeast with the cup of warm water and let it sit until it is nice and foamy (about 10 minutes). In the bowl of a stand ...

I've found baking with my bread machine -- I have this one -- to be a lot harder than I anticipated. For me, it's harder to get bread right using the machine than using the traditional way, especially if you want to make anything except plain white bread.  Challah and sourdough are non-starters (haha look at my sourdough joke there). My mix-ins never distribute right, and I've never had any success at all with rye or whole wheat or any kind of whole grain. The moment you sub in any other kind of flour, it all goes to hell and I wind up with an extremely dense, totally inedible doorstop. Also a lot of bread machine recipes use milk powder, which I never have and never can remember to buy.  This King Arthur recipe , with slight tweaks below, is the best one I've found and reliably produces solidly A-/B+ bread. The only mishap I've had is that once, on a really hot day, making the large loaf (which I'd made before just fine!!) created a huge rise that spilled out ...

From Epicurious. L loves these, and I’m always losing this recipe, so putting it here — it’s a good way not to have to turn the oven on in the summer. Ingredients :  18 jumbo pasta shells (about 6 oz.) 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth 5 oz. baby spinach 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 3 cups marinara sauce 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 2 cups whole-milk ricotta 3 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about 1 cup), plus more for serving 3 Tbsp. finely chopped oregano, divided Preparation Step 1 Cook shells in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 9 minutes; drain. Run under cold water to stop the cooking; drain again. Step 2 Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release juices, then are dry again an...

This is my Rhinebeck friend E’s recipe. It makes two big baking dishes or trays — one for you, one for the freezer or someone else who needs it. Boil 2 boxes of pasta until it's not quite done, then drain. Mix 4 eggs, about 15 oz  sour cream, about 2.5 lbs of shredded cheese (yes that’s pounds and not cups). In my experience, sharp cheddar should make up at least half of that.  Sprinkle on some more cheese (I usually put some shredded Parm in this part) until covered. Add the hot pasta. Bake at 350 until it’s golden, at least half an hour. 

 Not often I say this, but this recipe really is better with meat (fake or real!) in it. Saute a package of chicken sausage (the best), ground whatever, or Impossible ground whatever with a big shake of oregano and/or Italian seasoning. (I wait until the end for salt & pepper.) Saute in your IP with some olive oil until mostly cooked through. Chop any combination of peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and whatever in your fridge, plus a large onion and a few cloves of garlic. Add this to the saute and cook another few minutes. Turn off the heat and add 2 28-oz cans of crushed tomatoes, plus any fresh ones you have left over and want to use, and a pinch of sugar. Cook on low for 6-8 hours at least. Come home, add s&p, and serve over pasta with Parm. - You can also do this same thing in the IP -- after the sauteeing, set it on manual for 3-5 min. Wait at least 20-30 minutes before releasing the pressure, though, so you don't splatter your whole kitchen with hot spaghetti sauce.

 I love you, lemon curd. Adapted from this recipe , which also has links to a lot of other flavors, but none are as good as this one. Mix together: 1/2 cup oats (can be quick-cooking or traditional; texture is better with old-fashioned) 1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular works fine; honey or maple is also delicious) 1/4 cup oat or other milk big shake of chia seeds nice dollop of lemon curd   smaller dollop of whipped cream cheese -- this is not strictly necessary imo, but if you're going to do it, make sure it's whipped cream cheese and not the regular kind. I've also used cottage cheese and it's passable. If you skip this ingredient, add a little more yogurt. Put it in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight. Serve with a little more lemon curd and/or berries on top.