Friday, February 10, 2012

Quick Pasta w/ egg goodness, serves 3-4

You will need:
A big pan, I use a wok.
2 cups of dry tricolor pasta or fresh pasta (check box for serving size)
2 slices of 1/4 inch thick pancetta from the deli
1 tomato
1 clove of garlic
2 - 3 eggs
1/3 cup of half & half
3/4 cup of shredded cheese: best with parmesan is best, italian mix works too.
salt, pepper and basil


Boil your pasta with a little salt. Drain, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, half & half and the cheese. Season with cracked pepper. Set aside.
Dice the pancetta. On medium heat, sautee it in a little olive oil until it browns, drain the excess fat.
Put the pan back on the stove and add your pasta and then your egg/cheese mixture. Stir and cook until eggs are cooked and the cheese is melted. Then add your tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with a little salt (pancetta is very salty) and basil.

Pot Roast (Crock Pot) - Serves 6

You will need:

A crock pot.
A big piece of Beef Chuck (1-2 lbs)
2 stalks of celery
2 long carrots
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 handful of mushrooms, washed or peeled (fresh)
2 big juicy tomatoes (or a can of diced tomatoes)
3-4 medium sized potatoes
beef bullion (I am a "better than bullion"-fan!)
1 cup of red wine (optional)
2-3 cups of water
jalapeno (optional)

Cube your beef. Don't cut out the fat, just leave as is. Brown it in a pan with a little olive oil over high heat. Just brown it quickly, don't cook it through. This should only take 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the fat, and set aside.

Finely dice the tomatoes, onion, garlic, celery, mushrooms and carrots. Cube the potatoes. Layer everything in your crock pot. I put the tomatoes first and the meat last. Add 2-3 cups of water (just half way covered) and if you like a cup of red wine. Don't add the bullion yet. Cook on high for 6 hours. You know it's done when your meat falls apart. Then add bullion to taste. Add some red tabasco if you like it spicy or throw in a cut up jalapeno at the very start. Enjoy!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

You can serve this as an appetizer or a side dish. I served it with Steak and Couscous. If you like it spicy, use jalapenos instead.

Depending on how many peppers you have, and their size, for 8 I used:

Half package of cream cheese
1 tablespoon of mayo
1 fresh garlic clove
1 small jalapeno
1 handful of fresh herbs (I used parsley and cilantro, but chives are good too) 
salt & Pepper
Just a little milk to mix everything smoothly.

You don't want it too liquid. Mix all ingredients together. Cut of the top of the peppers, take out the seeds without cutting them any more, rinse them out to catch all the seeds. Then stuff them with you filling. You have to grill/bake them standing up for about 15 Minutes. Even if they get a little dark on the bottom it still tastes delicious.