PESTO SPAGHETTI

 

 

 This is so easy that you will fix it often.

 Mix 3/4 cup of virgin olive oil with 4 tablespoons of Pesto, set aside.

 Boil one package of spaghetti and drain. 

Place in a large serving bowl.
Stir the oil and pesto mixture into the spaghetti. 

 

Garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese.
 

With a side salad you have a scrumptious meal

that took only the time to boil spaghetti.

How to Boil Spaghetti

 

Bring 2 quarts of water to a fast boil,

drop in spaghetti and stir, bring back to a fast boil,

cover and turn off heat.

Let sit 12 minutes.

Taste test and if it is to your satisfaction, drain.

Optional: Add cut up black olives or olive mix and/or cherry tomatoes.
Bon Appetit!

Homemade Corn Bread

1 Cup of Cornmeal

1 Cup of All Purpose Flour

4 to 6 TB of Sugar

4 teaspoons of Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon of Salt

1 Cup of Milk

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt

3. Add milk, egg and oil. Beat until smooth, about a minute.

Bake in a greased 8 inch square pan 20 to 23 minutes

or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Bon Appetit!

Old Fashion Strawberry Preserves

A vintage recipe for strawberry preserves with or without added pectin.

Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 quarts red, ripe strawberries
· 5 cups sugar
· 1/3 cup lemon juice
Preparation:

Wash and hull strawberries. Combine berries with sugar in a large stainless steel pan; let stand for 3 to 4 hours.

Bring strawberries to a boil slowly, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and (optional) 2 TB of pectin. Cook rapidly until strawberry mixture is clear and syrup is thick, about 15 minutes.

Pour mixture into a shallow pan and let stand, uncovered, while you prepare the jars.

Ladle strawberry mixture into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Makes four 8-ounce jars.

Recipe can be doubled/tripled.

A vintage recipe for strawberry preserves with no added pectin. Bon Appetit!

Pork Neck

So, I decided to cook something that I had never prepared before...I found this very cheap piece of pork...three bucks for a pile of pork neck bones...mmm what can I do with this...

First of all I prepared the meat by rinsing and then lightly drizzling olive oil on the meat, I dusted them with all purpose flour then seasoned with cracked ground pepper, coarse salt and a drizzle of barbecue sauce...I placed the prepared meat in a Le Creuset dutch oven with pearl onions and added a cup of water. 

Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Unbelievable taste!  I served the dish with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. 

When you look at this meat packaged at your grocer try to purchase more meat than bones...It was an unbelievable rich taste for a mere "3 buck package" of pork neck bones!  Bon Appetit!

My Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

I am not Italian but sometimes I get this feeling that somewhere, sometime, and maybe in another life, I was Italian.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly grease a springform pan

Ingredients:
1 lb of Ricotta cheese
1 lb of Philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
6 eggs
6 TB all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pint of sour cream
3/4 cup of white raisins

Mix Ricotta and Philadelphia cream cheese together at room temperature
Stir in sugar, eggs, flour, lemon juice and vanilla
Fold in sour cream and then white raisins

Pour into springform pan and

Bake in preheated oven for one hour, turn oven off and leave in oven for 1 hour.

Cool completely in refrigerator before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

Zest of six lemons
Cut six lemons in half and squeeze to 1 cup of lemon juice, set aside
1/2 cup of softened butter
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs
 

Preparation
 

With mixer on low, cream butter and sugar, add one egg at a time to mixture
then add lemon juice slowly to the mixture (it will look curdled)

Pour this mixture into a large microwave safe mixing bowl, microwave 5 minutes on high setting, stirring every minute

Then at least 2 more minutes, stirring after each minute, until it becomes creamy and makes small peaks.

Cover the top of the warm lemon curd with plastic wrap so it doesn't form a film,

Cover tightly and refrigerate for four hours before use.

This can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

This curd can be ladled on anything such as broken up angel food cake and then topped with whipped cream, lady fingers in short glasses and spooned into the middle topped with rasberries.

Bon Appetite!

Enchilada Taco Chip Casserole

Ingredients:
1 large bag of Tostido taco chips
1 can of cream of chicken soup
2 lbs of ground meat
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound of grated sharp cheddar cheese
6 slices of mozzarella cheese
1 can of enchilada sauce
1 small can of green chilis

Instructions:
Spread tacos in a 9x13 glass pan
Brown ground meat with diced onions
Add cream of chicken soup, enchilada sauce and green chilis (undrained)
Simmer about three minutes
Add grated cheese and stir until cheese is melted
Pour over taco chips, cover with the slices of mozzarella
Bake in a 350 degree oven until bubbly.
Bon Appetit!