Where Would You Love to Cook Today?

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Ok I have to admit todays kitchen was picked for the recipe. 

Usually I love to find the kitchen then pick the recipe but the recipe below was todays inspiration. 

The kitchen is beautiful but I really think what makes it is the dining table and chairs. 

Makes you just want to sit down and eat.

When you see this recipe you will want to stay all day for seconds.

Lasagna Soup

This Yummy recipe came from one 

of my favorite food sites:

http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Lasagna Soup
Recipe Adapted from 300 Sensational Soups, as seen in the February-April 2011 edition of At Home with Kowalski’s magazine from Kowalski’s Markets and found on the blog A Farm Girl Dabbles.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs Italian Sausage (I use Italian Turkey Sausage)
3 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
optional: 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
28-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
8 ounces fusilli or mafalda pasta (or other pasta of your choice)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, or a heaping tablespoon dried basil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

8 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
a few cracks of black pepper

optional: shredded mozzarella for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.   If you’re using dried basil, add it at this point.  Cook for about a minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  You can add the dry pasta to the soup in the last 8-ish minutes of cooking, or do as I prefer, and cook the pasta separately and add to individual servings. Right before serving, stir in fresh basil if you’re using fresh, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a generous dollop of the ricotta mixture in each soup bowl, add pasta if you cooked it separately, and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.  Let it sit for a minute for the cheese to get all melty, sprinkle mozzarella on top if desired and eat up.

Where Would You Love to Cook Today?

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Love it!

Blue and Yellow have always been one of my favorites! 

And this kitchen brings them together perfectly.

This is a small kitchen but you can't tell. I love the combination of the way they 

did some cupboards yellow and some blue. 

So Sweet.

But this feels like Brunch cooking to me...

so how about:

Ham and Egg Strata

From: http://southernfood.about.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped asparagus, divided
• 6 cups cubed French bread or sourdough bread, divided
• 1 1/2 cups diced ham
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Blanch asparagus briefly in boiling water; drain well. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the bread cubes into a buttered 2-quart casserole. Scatter half of the asparagus over the bread. Top with another 1 1/2 cups of bread cubes. Cover with the 1 1/2 cups diced ham. Top with another 1 1/2 cups bread cubes then layer remaining asparagus over that. Cover asparagus layer with remaining 1 1/2 cups bread cubes. Whisk together the eggs and milk; season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly over the strata. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight to cook and serve the next morning. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Poor over the top:

Spicy Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper
• hot pepper sauce, to taste

Preparation:

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; stir in flour and mustard until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Do not let mixture brown. Gradually add milk; continue cooking, stirring constantly, until thickened and boiling. Boil 1 minute. Add cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.

Another great recipe site! I do favor this one...

Where Would You Love to Cook Today/

Don't you just love everything about this kitchen!

I found it at:

http://www.hgtv.com

Look at the detail of the island and the corners of  the cupboards.

The color is so calming. and I think this is going to be a great one to cook in today!

The chandelier brings it all together.

I can smell 

                  French beef stew

From http://laylita.com

Ingredients:

4 lbs beef shank, with or without bones, cut in large chunks

1 ½ large red onions, sliced

3-4 tbs olive oil

10 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced, or 2 cans of diced tomatoes

6-7 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 ½ – 2 cups red wine

1 tbs herbes de Provence, or mix of dried thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary, basil, etc

1 tbs whole anise seeds

Salt and pepper

Serve with – Pastas

Preparation:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, add the meat chunks and brown them on each side.
2. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside for later.
3. Add the onions slices to the pan and cook until caramelized.
4. Add the browned meat chunks back to the pan with the onions
5. Add the tomatoes, carrots, wine, herbs, anise seeds, salt and pepper.
6. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened.
7. Serve with warm pastas.

 

 

 

 

 

If you love food with a lot of flavor then stop by this site.

Another one I love to visit when I want something different but wonderful!

There are so many choices you will want to cook everything!

Where Would You Love to Cook Today?

Oh my gosh ....Wouldn't you just die to have this kitchen.

So cute and look at the top of the island...to cute!

I found this kitchen over at:

http://hookedonhouses.net

I love that site.It is always so fun to see all the homes from the movie sets.

I am so excited to cook here today..

Lets see what should we cook....

I know how about something from Frieda;

www.friedalovesbread.com/

I love her site! it is one of my favorites to go too and you can get to on my side bar too.

She always has the best recipes and they always turn out!

I copied this right from her site so the links will work if you click on them.

Dinner Rolls

I got this recipe from Better Homes & Gardens, my most favorite cookbook that I got for my high school graduation as a gift. This is one of the most versatile recipes that I have ever used. If you have ever used Rhodes roll dough, this is it! For me, this is sooooo much better; I don't have to wait to thaw it out.  




Roll Shape Variations here

More Roll Shapes Here!

Dinner Rolls

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

4 1/4 - 4 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 T. active dry yeast
1 T. vital wheat gluten
1 c. milk
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. butter, margarine or shortening
3/4 t. salt
2 beaten eggs, room temperature**

Put 2 c. flour in mixing bowl. Add yeast, gluten and salt. Mix well. **Put UNCRACKED, WHOLE eggs in a drinking glass and fill up with hot tap water; set aside. This will bring the eggs to room temperature.  In a microwave safe bowl, combine milk, sugar, butter and melt on 1/2 power (50 or 50%) in microwave for 3 minutes or until butter is almost melted. Stir until butter and sugar is dissolved. Drain water from eggs. Crack eggs and add eggs to milk mixture. Pour into flour mixture and mix well. Allow mixture to sit, or "sponge" for 10 minutes.

Add rest of flour, one cup at a time until dough clings to hook and almost cleans the sides. Touch dough lightly. Add more flour if dough sticks to your fingers. Knead for 3-4 minutes. Dough should be soft, smooth, elastic, wet, and not sticky. Scrape down sides of bowl, oil the top, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise to double in warm, draft free place (in oven with pan of hot tap water underneath) for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 2 piles. Shape into balls and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rest for 5 minutes. Shape as desired (into 24 rolls, total) and place on greased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, allow to rise for 20-30 minutes.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.

Variations:
Herb-Onion Dinner Rolls
Add 1 T. dried minced onion and 1/2 t. dried basil, oregano, or Italian seasoning, crushed to milk mixture.

Rye-Caraway Dinner Rolls
Add 2 t. caraway seed to milk mixture and substitute 1 1/4 c. rye flour for 1 1/4 c. of the all purpose flour that is added in after the sponging process.

Batter Dinner Rolls
Reduce the all purpose flour that is added in after the sponging process to 1-1 1/4 c. Use a total of 3 1/4 c. flour. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups, filling half full. Cover and let rise in a warm place till nearly double (about 30 min). Brush roll tops with milk, and if desired, sprinkle with poppy or sesame seed. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 min. or till golden brown. Makes 18 rolls.

Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns
Divide dough into 12 piles. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. For hamburger buns, shape each portion into a circle, tucking edges under. Place on a greased baking sheet. Using your fingers, slightly flatten circles to 4" in diameter.
For Hot dog buns, shape each portion into a roll about 5 1/2" long, tapering ends. Place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

Make Ahead Directions
Cover shaped rolls loosely with plastic wrap, leaving groom for rolls to rise. Chill 2-24 hours.Uncover; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake as directed.

Brown & Serve Directions
After shaped rolls have risen; bake at 250 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool on the pan for 20 minutes. Keep in plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bake rolls at 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.

Where Would You Love To Cook and Sew Today?

So Cozy! Well I have to admit I want to sew not cook here. I want to pull out my sewing machine and work on a few traditional quilt blocks. I found this dining room at:

http://www.countrysampler.com/

So I am going to bring my crock pot and my sewing machine.

Where better to get a great recipe than over at 

A Year of Slow Cooking

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Let see what can go into the Crock pot:

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup Recipe

We all really liked this soup---the kids ate a ton, and we have a bunch leftover. I made a big batch so we'd have leftovers in the freezer. I'd guess this serves 10.

The Ingredients.

--5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
--1 teeny onion, diced
--4 cloves garlic, minced
--1 teaspoon seasoned salt
--1/2 teaspoon black pepper
--1/2 teaspoon red pepper
--2 quarts chicken broth
--2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end
--crumbled bacon and green onion or chives as garnish (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender. I suppose you can also leave the potatoes in chunks, if you really wanted, but I wanted a smooth soup.

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and I'd assume cheddar cheese would be just delightful.

This really is a fun blog. She used her Crock pot for 365 days and even has a verdict of weather or not her family liked the recipe or not.

And while this cooked I am going to go over and visit Amy Smart at:

http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/

'Peppermint Pinwheel' Dresden Block

Amy has the best Tutorial at:

http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2012/06/peppermint-pinwheel-dresden-block.html

I can't wait to get sewing and smelling that wonderful Crock Pot recipe.