Herbed Potato Gnocchi

The first time I went looking for pre packaged Gnocchi, I had the store attendant stand there looking blankly at me. Never before had this store in far West Texas ever heard of this classic Italian staple. After shopping in 3 different stores... in two different towns, I did finally find some... at a HUGE price. Almost 5 dollars for a pound! This just simply won't do. After all, it has all of 3 main ingredients.

Back to the internet for me. I found many versions of it, but none that had my mouth watering, so I finally figured I was going to have to come up with my own, Texas version of it. The recipe below makes about 4 servings.

2 Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp Basil, chopped or dried
1/2 tsp Sage, ground
1 tsp Rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp Thyme, ground
1/2 tsp Oregano, dried

1) Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain, mash and let cool completely.

2) Combine cooled potatoes, flour, egg and spices. Knead until dough begins to hold form. Add more flour as needed.

3) taking only small amounts of dough, begin shaping into long "snakes" by pressing from the center out. You want it to be about 1/2" across the top by about 1/4" thick. Then slice into 1/2" pieces.

4) Bring a pot of salted water to boil and drop in enough gnocchi pieces to cover the bottom in one layer. Let these boil for 3-4 minutes until they float to the top. Remove one and cut into it to make sure it has cooked through.

I serve this with an Italian Red Sauce, Pesto Sauce or plain Garlic Butter. Enjoy!

Kielbasa With Polish Sauce over Pasta

My family loves a good sausage dish. So while taking a trip over the internet to find new and interesting recipes for sausage, I found this one that only had a few ingredients I was unable to find. But no fears... I AM the master (or mistress?) of improvising! Enjoy this Polish turned West Texan dish! Serves about 4.

12oz Dark Beer

1 1/2cup Water

2 tbsp Garlic, minced

1 lb Kielbasa

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Flour

2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar (Plain White Vinegar works too)

1 tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Corn Starch

1 tsp+ Water

2 Tbsp Parsley, dried

2 cup Pasta, cooked and kept warm

1) In saucepan over medium heat mix beer, water, garlic, kielbasa, red pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer about 25 minutes. Turn meat periodically, to coat. 

2) Remove meat to plate and let cool. Slice meat into 1" slices.

3) In large skillet melt butter, making sure not to burn it. Add flour and cook 4-6 minutes, stirring constantly, until light brown. Add vinegar and sugar, stir. Add remaining beer mixture and more salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer. 

4) In small bowl mix corn starch and remaining water, add to beer mixture and whisk well to incorporate. Simmer mixture until it coats the back of a spoon, about 10-15 minutes. Return sausage to pot and cook another 5 minutes.

5) Garnish with parsley. Serve over any variety of cooked pasta. The sauce works best with a ridged pasta... something that can grab and hang on tight to the sauce.

5 Minute Omelets

Here's breakfast for all those who wake up late in the morning. Its so easy my own daughter can do this one! The ingredients are interchangeable which really makes this a great recipe! Just like the 5 Minute Cake, all you need is a fork, mug and of course, thee microwave! Perfect for dorms too!

2 Tbsp Onion, diced

2 Tbsp Green Pepper, diced

***The Ingredients can vary depending on your flavor***

2 Eggs, beaten

2 slices Sandwich Ham, chopped

2 Tbsp Cheddar, shredded

1) Spray mug with cooking spray. Butter flavor works best!

2) Place onion and bell pepper (or which ever veggie you choose to use) in mug and microwave for 1 minute on high. Remove from mug and blot with paper towel.

3) Add egg to mug and microwave 1 minute. Replace onion and pepper to egg, fluff with fork and add ham and cheese. Microwave 1 minute more. 

4) Pour out onto plate and top with extra cheese! Yum!!!

Banana Nut Bread

Oh my... the smell of Banana Nut Bread baking... it just fills the house with such pleasant aromas! It reminds me of days long gone, growing up with a baker across the street from me. I'm surprised I made it out of childhood without weighing a ton! That woman could really bake! Not sure how I came out not being able to bake if my life depended on it though.

It seems that up until just recently, every time I tried to bake ANYTHING, it would come out hollow, burnt, raw or so nasty the family dog wouldn't touch it. This is using pre-boxed treats like cookies, brownies, cakes. I even tried using a bread machine (5 different kinds) to come out with hollow breads.

In the last few months though, it seems all those early years are finally catching up with me. I have come up with a wonderful bread that isn't hollow and even tastes fantastic. A good friend of mine has even used the recipe to create it in her own home. I'm so surprised that it came out well (like Ive said before, I'm SO NOT the baker) that I thought my readers would like to give it a go.

2 1/4 cup Jiffy Baking Mix (Bisquick works as well)

8oz Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Butter, softened

1 cup Banana, mashed (about 2) ( my family likes it with more banana so I will use 2 cups!)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup Nuts, chopped (use an extra cup for those nutty folks in the family tree!)

1) Preheat oven to 350. Grease pan(s) and set aside.

2) In large bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar and butter. Add banana then egg. Mix in remaining ingredients. Blend well. 

3) Pour into pans and bake uncovered:

Large Loaf: 55-70 minutes

Small Loaf: 40-55 minutes

Until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool completely on wire rack.

OPTIONAL

Smother top in icing, let set before slicing.

Basic Icing:

Pour about a cup of powdered sugar into medium bowl. Add a tablespoon of water at a time,  while whisking, until you get the proper consistency needed. Play around with sugar and water amounts to fit your needs. If you want a good twist, add in a dash of vanilla or orange extract!

5 Minute Orange Kissed Chocolate Cake!

There is an EVIL woman with whom I call mom who sent me this devilishly good recipe for a five minute chocolate cake. Yep, there goes the diets ladies! No more pulling out the mixers. All the equipment we need now is a fork and a mug and of course... a microwave.

I have never been a fan of cooking in the new age box, its only been good for reheating my coffee... until now. Thanks to my evil mother, I can bake a cake for two (only if your partner wins at dueling forks that is) while I'm finishing off the diner dishes.

For my first attempt I went ahead and used a cream cheese frosting, but we found it way too sweet for that. If anything, on my next attempt I will only use a powder sugar glaze. It really is pretty sweet without anything.

Heres everything you will need:

4 tbsp All Purpose Flour
4 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 Egg, beaten
3 tbsp Milk
3 tbsp Oil
3 tbsp Chocolate Chips
Dash Vanilla Extract
Smidgen Orange Extract

Below are some pictures to help you on your way:

1) Mix all the dry ingredients in a large coffee mug.

2) Using fork, mix in egg, milk and oil. Then add the extracts and chips.

Not pretty, but bare with me...

3) Now, place the mug in your microwave for 3 minutes on high (1000 watts). Do not freak out when you see the cake begin to grow up and over the rim of the mug. I panicked to no avail. Its not going anywhere.

4) Leave the mug in the microwave for about 2 minutes, then set it on your counter to cool. I gave mine about 5 minutes.

5) Run a knife along the edge to help the cake slide, hold the mug upside down on plate and let the cake slide out. Be careful, its still really hot!

Its hard to tell in this pic, but the steam fogged up my camera. So again, it is REALLY hot when it comes out.

6) For those who like things really sweet, go ahead and frost this baby. As stated before, I used a cream cheese frosting and the back of a spoon.

OK, ya'll can stop laughing now. We all know I am so NOT the baker!

Shells with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce

Here is a light dish that packs a lot of flavor. It's one of those in which you can swap out different ingredients to make it your own. I prefer using a pasta that will "grab" the sauce such as shells or even rigatoni, but in truth, any will do.

This delightful dish serves about 4 depending on how hungry your crew is.

Pot of boiling Water
2 tbsp Salt
1 cup Pasta (any will do, I prefer shells with this one)
5-6 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Basil, dried
1 tsp Parsley, dried
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper (or to taste)
1/4-1/2 cup Summer Sausage, diced
3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup frozen Broccoli (or any frozen vegetable)
2-3 tbsp Parmesan Cheese

1) Drop pasta and salt in boiling water and cook to package directions.

2) In large skillet, melt butter and saute garlic, basil, red pepper and parsley about 5 minute on med-low heat. Do not let butter burn.

3) Add meat and balsamic vinegar to skillet when pasta is about 3 minutes to done.

4) Drop frozen vegetable in pasta water about 2 minutes before pasta is done.

5) Drain pasta and add to  skillet. Cook another 2 minutes and remove from heat.

6) Sprinkle with parmesan cheese just before serving.

Roasted Tomatoes with Gorgonzola & Cheese

I'm not sure where I first found this recipe, but it was just so darn good I had to pass it along. It calls for Gorgonzola but you try to find that around here... at least for a price that doesn't deplete your bank account!

I have used a mixture of Havarti and Blue Cheese and it came out wonderful! But go ahead and try to switch it around with local cheese in your area.

This recipe makes 16 single servings.

8 Roma Tomatoes

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

3/4 cup Bread Crumbs

1 cup Gorgonzola (or in my case 1/2 cup Blue Cheese crumbles and 1/2 cup Havarti chopped)

2 tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

Fresh Parsley

1) Slice tomatoes in half, remove seeds and place cut side down on paper towel to drain.

2) In large bowl mix together olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add tomatoes to marinade and coat well.

 

3) In small bowl mix together bread crumbs and gorgonzola (or other cheeses) and the basil.

4) Place parchment paper on baking sheet (if you do not have parchment paper, use foil and cover in an Olive Oil Spray like Pam). Lay tomatoes in one layer, cut side up. Top with bread crumb mixture then sprinkle with a drizzle of olive oil. Bake @ 375 for about 20-25 minutes until golden on top.

5) Just before serving top with fresh parsley.