Baked Penne with Spinach & Ricotta

I had pasta sauce in the jar left-over from a previous meal and about 1/2 a small container of ricotta cheese and fresh spinach so I put this together for a meal for two.

Ingredients:

half box of whole grain penne pasta (boiled in salted water, slightly undercooked)

1/2 small container of ricotta cheese

dash of dried basil and oregano

dash of salt and pepper

1 egg, slightly beaten in a small bowl

1/2 jar pasta sauce of your choice

two handfuls of fresh baby spinach

Directions:

While pasta is cooking prepare other ingredients. Do not pour pasta water down the drain, spoon pasta out with a strainer and set aside when it is done.

Spray one medium size baking dish (or two large ramekins) with vegetable oil.

In small bowl with egg, add ricotta, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir with fork to combine and set aside (you could add parmiggiano reggiano to it at this point if you like).

Drop two handfuls of fresh spinach into hot (almost boiling) pasta water and allow to blanch while you  add pasta sauce to cooked pasta and stir. Place half the pasta and sauce in bottom of baking dish. strain spinach and place on top of pasta with sauce. Then add the ricotta mixture. You can also add grated mozzarella cheese at this time or on top. Add the rest of the pasta covered in sauce and top with cheese of your choice (I added a little grated parmiggiano reggiano and a slice provolone).

Place ramekins on a baking sheet (or place larger baking dish directly on oven rack) and bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. Allow to rest slightly before serving. Quick yummy meal for two, perfect with a glass of red wine of your choice.

St. Patrick’s Day Shortbread

Shortbread

Ingredients for 12

1 cup (1/2 lb) butter, softened

1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white rice flour (or more all-purpose)

Look for rice flour in health food stores if not available in your grocery store.

In a food processor or large mixing bowl, whirl or beat butter with the larger amount of sugar until smooth. Gradually add all-purpose and rice flour until well combined. Spread in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Bake in a 275 degree oven until pale golden, 55-65 minutes. Place on wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with 1 Tablespoon sugar, then cut into 24 bars. Let cool completely. Serve, store in airtight container up to 3 days or freeze.

I no longer remember which magazine I ripped these pages from that include the whole St. Patrick’s Day Dinner but this shortbread was actually called ‘Elaine’s Shortbread’ and the article was written by Elaine Johnson. (I was probably a Sunset Magazine from the 80′s or possibly Glamour)

Italian Vegetable Soup, with ground turkey (adapted from Sunset All Time Favorite Recipes ‘Garden Fresh Vegetable Soup’)

Ingredients:

4 slices center cut bacon, uncooked, diced

1/2 lb ground turkey (or hamburger) optional

3 Tablespoons butter or olive oil (if not using bacon)

1 large onion, chopped

2-4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

6 cups of prepared vegetables (such as diced or sliced celery, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, potatoes, peas, corn, zucchini, or yellow squash, etc)

2 quarts beef broth

1 can (15 oz. kidney beans) (I didn’t use these)

1/2 teaspoon each dry basil, dry oregano and dry rosemary leaves (I used smaller amount of dry and added fresh of each of these at the end)

1 can tomato sauce (I used half a small can of tomato paste instead, it was left from another recipe)

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I used one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes in their own juice)

2/3 cup dry elbow macaroni (I used dry whole wheat angel hair pasta broken into small pieces)

2 cups shredded cabbage, chard or spinach (I used 2 large handfuls of large spinach leaves roughly chopped)

salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook minced bacon over medium/low heat to render fat, remove when crispy and set aside leaving fat in bottom of large soup pot.

Add ground turkey and break up as it begins to cook. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and stir as they saute and begin to brown over medium/high heat. Add the rest of the vegetables and saute a few minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to loosen browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add broth, dried herbs and reserved bacon and beans if using, and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and pasta cook for another 10 minutes. Add cabbage or spinach and cook until wilted. Add fresh herbs (if using) and remove from heat. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

To serve, ladle into bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan Cheese. Great with crusty french bread and red table wine.

Tuscan Beef Stew (From The Wine Lover’s Healthy Weight Loss Plan)

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 lbs boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

2 large onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

2 Tablespoons tomato paste (mine had Italian herbs in it, a mistake but it worked)

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

2 cups tomato sauce

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, as garnish

1/4 cup grated Parmesan, as garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat large (large enough to hold all the meat in one layer) ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When ready to start browning meat add the oil then cubed meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the juices have evaporated and the meat is browned, 20-25 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and stir in onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is soft but not brown, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, cook for 1 additional minute. Add the wine; bring to a boil and over tightly.

Bake in the oven until the meat is tender and almost all of the wine has evaporated, about 1 hour. Stir in tomato sauce, sage, and oregano; return the pan to the oven. Continue baking until the meat is soft enough to cut with a spoon, about 1 hour longer. (You may add assorted seasonal vegetables this last hour of cooking. I added 2 potatoes peeled and cut in large cubes and 3 carrots peeled and sliced in large chunks.)

Serve garnished with parsley and cheese. Serves 6

Notes: Serve with creamy polenta or whole wheat pasta and sauteed greens. Use leftovers as a pasta sauce.

Recommended Wine

Barolo Sarmass 1999

Brezza Giacomo e Figli, Barolo, Italy

Alternatives

Nebbiolo or Sangiovese

We enjoyed a table red blend from Guglielmo Winery in Morgan Hill, Ca; Cavalcade California Cellar Red, Cork Equity #32 May 21, 2011 affectionately called Wedding Wine because it was left over from our daughter’s wedding reception in November 2011.

While The Biscotti Bakes

I have a lot of choices while the biscotti bakes. I could start laundry, do the dishes, pick up around the house, read facebook posts, or even watch tv. But today I decided to write in my journal and read a little. At one point I looked out the window and had to write about this.

I’m reading ‘Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places’ by Eugene Peterson. Today’s chapter is titled ‘Exploring the Neighborhood in History’. The first paragraph reads:

“When we first look around the neighborhood we are struck by the sheer profusion of life – a rose in blossom, a red-tailed hawk in flight, a cat on the prowl. White oak and blue whale, amoeba and giraffe give fresh and eloquent witness to a mystery that ever eludes us but never, if we take the time for it, fails to put us on our knees in adoration. This is especially the case with human life. Every time a baby is born the gospel is preached. The virgin birth of Jesus provides the *kerygmatic center to all this world of experience in which we receive the revelation of God as Christ plays in creation.”

With Christmas approaching these were good words to ponder. I also had a conversation with a friend yesterday that bought a new perspective on these words. I thought about those involved in birthing human life and their role in this kind of preaching of the gospel.

This is what I’m thinking about today, while the biscotti bakes.

I had to look this up: *kerygma definition noun

1. preaching of the Gospel
2. emphasis on the essence and spirit of the Gospel, as in preaching, catechesis, etc.

Related Forms: kerygmatic adjective

Staking Plants

While placing the last of the biscotti dough on a pan to bake, I noticed through my kitchen window a small tree with a stake next to it. The stake was placed there to keep the tree upright as it grew. There was a stretchy plastic tie attached at one time but it’s no longer there.  The tree seems to be standing on its own so I was thinking maybe I should remove the stake now. But then I thought, “What if a strong wind storm comes and there is nothing in the ground to tie it to?”  I decided to leave the stake in place maybe just one more year.

Plants that are left to grow ‘naturally’ don’t need to be staked. This particular tree is actually a shrub forced to be a tree. It has pink blooms in the spring and it’s been pruned to be shaped like a lollipop. I don’t think there is a tree that naturally grows in the shape of a lollipop.

As I was thinking about this I thought about how similar parenting seems to be. When our children were very young we were firmly planted close enough to keep a strap attached tight enough to keep them from falling over but loose enough so that their own roots would become strong. As they grew the strap was lengthened and stretched out from the pulling away they and the elements necessitated.

One child’s stake has been removed from the soil but it’s still in the same yard, back by the trash cans. The other child’s stake is still close beside him but there is no strap attached. It’s almost time to remove the stake but I keep thinking, “What if a strong wind storm comes?”

Truthfully if and when the strong wind comes it will most likely be in the dark of night with me asleep in bed. It is doubtful that I will run down in the rain and wind and place a plastic tie on this shrub turned tree. And our adult child will most likely chafe against any ties designed to keep his trunk straight in the wind.

At some point the stakes must be removed and the tree is left to either grow or be knocked down. Most trees don’t really fall all the way to the ground (although some do), most trees just lean if they’ve experienced repeated strong winds. But every gardener places these plants with their future beauty and maturity in mind, so it makes sense to start out with the stake and plastic tie.

A wise gardener prunes each plant based on it’s species, learning it destined shape rather than forcing it into a shape that will require life-long attention. We tried to do this with both our children, discover their God given shape and as they grew giving them freedom to live out the shape they choose. But it’s not easy to remove the stake completely, especially when the leaning starts to show and the sucker branches grow up from the roots keeping the top from flowering.

I’ll watch from the window and see what’s in store for these little trees. I anticipate the Spring when I’ll enjoy the flurry of pink blossoms. I choose to enjoy their beauty and not worry about the coming storms, misshapen form or possible uprooting. It’s time to remove the stake.

Cranberry Orange Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

2 T. sugar

1 T. grated orange zest

½ cup butter, room temperature

2/3 (or more) cup buttermilk

1 cup (or less) dried cranberries

Glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar

1 T. fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk or sift together. Cut in butter with pastry blender until crumbly. Add orange zest and cranberries, stirring to loosely mix together. Add buttermilk in the center and stir until all is moistened. Add more spoonfull at a time if it doesn’t stick together. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead just until it forms a smooth ball (2 or 3 three turns, don’t overwork it will be tough).

Shape into one or two discs (one for large scones, two for smaller scones) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Cut into 8 wedges each and pull 1 inch apart for crunchy edges and leave closer together for soft edges. (They can be frozen at this stage and then allowed to thaw about 10 minutes before baking Christmas morning, may take longer to bake.)

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool on wire rack.

Glaze: Mix powdered sugar with orange juice to desired thickness, drizzle over scones (if they are still warm make glaze thicker or it will just melt off). Serve warm or room temperature. Makes 8 large or 16 small scones.

Blessed

Our family at the beginning of Wedding Weekend….blessed.

 

My husband walking our daughter down the isle on her wedding day; she was relaxed, happy, beautiful, gracious, full of love and sparkle…blessed.

Our daughter and son-in-law enjoying the reception as the new Mr. and Mrs. Block….blessed.

Tara in Wonderland Bridal Shower, Part I: The Bride and her Maids

The Bride-to-be at her first Bridal Shower

Friends, balloons, pink heart shoes, photos, yummy food, cute decor, gifts,.....excited!!!

Pink Heart Shoes!

Bridesmaid Lisa, Tara and Bridesmaid Heather share the love.

She might get carried away.

These photos were taken by Lisa Pearce, well, except the one that she is in, TJ took that one.

The balloons were from Tara’s engagement photo shoot the day before.

Mother of the Bride: Shoes

I’m considering these shoes (I did purchase them on sale at Steve Madden) as a Mother of the Bride option for the wedding. That is if I go with a neutral colored dress (silver, gray, champagne, etc). If I go with a brighter dress then I’ll probably go with a neutral shoe. It’s starting to get close enough that I need to do some more serious shopping, ugh, I hate making clothing decisions.