Alfredo Sauce

Got this off All recipes from the Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce. The original recipe used garlic powder but I prefer the real thing. Its wonderful with Roasted Red Peppers or Sun Dried tomatoes added in!

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 garlic cloves minced
2 cups whole milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic, stirring with whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Pizza Sauce

With all the Friday night Pizza we have been having I haven't really been satisfied with canned Pizza sauce. I got a recipe off of All recipes for Exquisite pizza sauce and then changed it for our tastes and this is what we came up with and its really good!

1 (6oz) can tomato paste
6 oz of warm water
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 med garlic cloves, minced
1Tbsp honey
! Tbsp Marsala cooking wine
3/4 tsp chopped onion flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper

In a small bowl combine all ingredients and make sure to break up any clumps of cheese. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to let flavors blend. This was enough to do 2 full pizzas. Next time I make it I think I will double it and split into 4 and freeze 3 of the containers of sauce.

Pesto!

Pesto is not a hard thing to make but my Aunt Linda was the one who introduced me to Pesto and gave me a lot of the love for cooking that I have. I have tried countless Pesto recipes and they are always disappointing so I went straight to the source of Pesto goodness and last night we feasted! So here is the best Pesto ever!

2 cups basil cleaned and dry
3 cloves garlic
2/3 Tbsp olive oil

Place basil and garlic in a food processor and start to process, then start to drizzle olive oil through the top and mix until combined.

Here is the secret. In a saucepan melt 2-4 Tbsp butter and add 1-2 cloves garlic depending on how spicy you like it. Saute garlic in butter until just starting to brown and add pesto. Let simmer for a minute or two.

Toss sauce with noddles, pine nuts, and lots of Parmesan! Its heaven!

Mozarella, Tomato, and Basil Salad

It does not get better than THIS salad! Happy Summer!

Mozzarella cheese
Basil
Tomatoes (I wont lie, home grown make this about a million times better)
Salt
Olive oil
Kalamata Olives (optional)

This is the easiest and best salad for the summer. Usually its best to use fresh mozzarella but I didn't have it and I had the other kind and it still works. Slice tomatoes and cheese and then for the basil I think the easiest way to cut it is to roll the leaf up and then slice. Then it unrolls the perfect size for this salad. Layer the tomatoes with cheese and sprinkle very lightly with salt. Add basil and just continue to layer in that manner. When you are done with your layers drizzle with olive oil and we garnish it with the olives because they add a lot of flavor and are so yummy!

Homemade Pasta

I know some people think this is to hard but its really not. There is nothing like homemade pasta especially with the Chicken Scampi!

2 c flour
pinch salt
3 eggs

Place flour and salt in food processor and crack eggs in through the top while the processor is going. Process until it forms a dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and either roll out by hand until it resembles a thick sheet of cloth or put through a pasta machine. It can be tough to roll out but the thinner the better. Take pasta sheet and drape over the oven handle or back of a chair to dry out for 15 minutes. Either roll it into a long roll and then cut to make noodles (like you would a cinnamon roll), or use a ravioli cutter to make ravioli. The noodles do get bigger when cooked so cut a little thinner than you would like them to be. Cook pasta in boiling water for 2-5 minutes or until it gets a lighter color and floats.

Gnocci

This sounds weird but its so yummy! I first had gnocci in Pisa Italy and I had never tasted something I like liked so much. Its soft and doughy pasta which is a huge hit for me. You can put whatever kind of sauce you like over it but I recommend either a pesto or some sort of cream based sauce.
1 c ricotta
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
1 egg yoke
2/3 c flour

Mix ricotta and egg yolk first then add in the grated Parmesan cheese and mix again. Last add in the flour and mix again. Roll dough into two long round strips, about and inch wide. Cut strips at inch intervals into pieces. Place little balls in boiling water all at once and cook until they all are floating, 2-3 minutes. Remove and drain.

Garlic Pork Balsamico

10 cloves garlic
¼ c balsamic vinegar
Boneless pork chops
2 Tbsp honey mustard
2 tsp dried rosemary, finely chopped

Place unpeeled garlic cloves in a small skillet a cup of water. Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Drain but save 2 Tbsp of the water, let cloves cool slightly and then peel and set aside. Trim fat from pork and press rosemary into the pork. Heat about ¼ c olive oil in a skillet, add garlic and pork in skillet and cook until pork is done, about 12 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add the balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp of the water, and honey mustard to pan (if I don’t have honey mustard I add 1 Tbsp honey and 1 Tbsp mustard). Heat until boiling. Place pork on plate with a few garlic cloves and spoon sauce over.

Chicken Scampi

My friend Stefanie brought this to me after I had my second son...life has been so much sweeter since then!
1 cube butter
2 roma tomatoes
2-4 chicken breasts
linguini noodles
green onions
½ c Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper

Heat butter in a skillet and add thinly sliced chicken, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook pasta and drain when done. When chicken is done add tomatoes and green onions and heat for another minute. Toss with pasta and cheese.

Italian Skillet

So fast and so easy from my friend Chenao. I'm not a huge fan of boxed things like this but this is actually really good!

1/2 lb mild Italian Sausage
1 Pkg Garlic and Olive Oil Vermicelli Pasta Roni
1 med zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Roma tomatoes
mozzarella cheese

Place sausage in skillet; brown and crumble until cooked. Add 1 3/4 c water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and seasoning packet. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Take cover off and add zucchini and let simmer for 3 minutes or until cooked to your preference. Stir in tomatoes, remove from heat, and serve with cheese on top.