Homemade Truffle Gnocchi

This year Tres and I took a trip to Italy with our friends Ginger and James. While we were there, we went truffle hunting, and a sweet little dog, Nebia, found us 5 truffles! We took them back and the wife of the truffle hunter taught us how to make authentic Italian Gnocchi, and we used the truffles to shave right over the dish... Omg it was amazing! Honestly, it was one of the most authentic experiences we have ever had in another country, and I brought the recipe back with me! 

SEE THE VIDEO HERE!!! 

Grocery list (4-6 servings)–

• 1 lb russet potatoes (about 4 potatoes)

• Kosher salt

• 2 eggs – lightly beaten

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

• 1 ½ all-purpose flour – plus extra for dusting and rolling

• 2 tbsp truffle butter

• ½ cup heavy cream

• ½ tsp truffle salt (or Kosher)

• ½ cup parmesan – freshly grated, plus more for serving

• 1 tsp corn starch – optional

• Fresh truffles or truffle oil – optional

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke small holes all over the potatoes with a fork and place them on a baking sheet, lightly covered with Kosher salt. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until slightly overdone. Let cool then cut in half longways. If you have a ricer, you can push the potatoes through the ricer. If not, using a cheese grater, grate the potato on the smallest grating side until the entire potato, aside from the skin, has been pushed through the grater. Discard the skin or any rough part of the potato. The texture of the grated potato should be fluffy.

2. Pour the egg mixture over the grated potatoes, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Cover the potato mixture with about ¾ cup of the flour and start to combine lightly with your hands (the key to fluffy gnocchi is lightly handling the dough and not overworking it). Once combined and as the dough becomes sticky or sticks to the board, add more flour. Continue to add more flour as you lightly mix it together. You will know when it’s finished when it holds together and is not too dry or not too sticky.

3. Cut the dough into 4 even pieces and roll each of the 4 pieces into a ½ inch rope, lightly flouring the pieces as needed. Cut the dough into ½ inch piece gnocchi, flouring the dough as you cut them and keeping the gnocchi on a floured baking sheet or work surface.

4. When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Begin to prepare the truffle sauce by heating a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter and let melt. Add the cream and salt, and let come to a slight boil. Simmer the sauce until it thickens. For thicker sauce, whisk in the corn starch. Add the grated parmesan and grated fresh truffles if using them.

5. Boil the gnocchi for about 2 minutes or until they float to the top of the pot. Using a pasta strainer, add them directly into the cream sauce and stir to combine. Add more parmesan to the top and fresh sliced truffles or truffle oil if desired.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Creamy Butternut Lasagna

Something about a little chill in the air makes me want to eat comfort food like its going out of style. Soups, casseroles, hearty meats and veggies - I have been making it all. Traditional lasagna was always a Thanksgiving staple for my family every year, so I thought why not throw a whole lot of fall into it with a butternut squash sauce?! There's nothing more comforting than the combo! 

Grocery list: 

• 1 large butternut squash - peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• Kosher salt

• Pepper

• 1 small onion - finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove - minced

• 2 tsp sage leaves - minced

• 1 tsp all spice

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flake

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 1/2 cups half and half

• 15 oz ricotta cheese

• 4 oz goat cheese

• 1 egg

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• Butter for greasing pan

• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Store bought or Homemade lazagna noodles (recipe follows), boiled about one minute or until al dente

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 425. On a large baking sheet, toss butternut squash pieces with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until soft. While the squash is roasting, heat the other tbsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and pepper and cook until caramelized - about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, all spice, and red pepper and cook for one more minute. Transfer the mixture to a blender, along with the cooked squash, maple syrup, and half and half. Blend until smooth. 

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, goat cheese, nutmeg, and a dash of salt and pepper until smooth. 

3. Turn oven temperature down to 400. Butter the bottom and sides of a large casserole dish. Ladle a layer of the butternut squash sauce into the bottom of the dish, covering the bottom. Layer noodles, butternut squash sauce, ricotta mixture, and Parmesan cheese in that order. Repeat three times. Finally, top with about 1/2 cup of the remaining Parmesan cheese. Drizzle olive oil over the cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden and bubbly. 

Homemade Lasagna Noodles: 

Grocery list: 

• 1 cup cake flour

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions: 

1. Pile the cake flour and all-purpose flour onto a clean work surface. Sprinkle salt over the top and make a hole in the center of the flour mixture with your hands. Add the eggs and olive oil to the center and beat together with a fork. 

2. Slowly, begin incorporating the flour from the sides into the egg mixture. Add a tbsp of water at a time, continuing to mix with the fork until the dough starts to come together. It will take approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water to come together. 

3. When dough roughly comes together, begin kneading with your hands for 8 to 10 minutes. Add more flour if it's too wet, more water if it's too dry. The dough consistency will be smooth and elastic when it's ready. 

4. Cut into four pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough out and run through a pasta machine about five times or until thin, about 1/8 inch. Cut each thinned piece in half, the shape of traditional lasagna noodles or to fit the casserole dish you are using. For this recipe, you'll have one of the four pieces of pasta dough leftover. Save and make another pasta dish. 

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!! 

Baked Skyline Chili - University of Cincinnati

Oddly enough right here in Memphis, we have a group of friends from Cincinnati, and it just so happens they all went to UC! It's become a tradition for us to tailgate together and attend the Memphis vs. UC games every other year when the Bearcats come to town. So this year, we will be eating my Baked Skyline Chili.  Thanks to these great friends, I was introduced to Skyline Chili a few years ago, and being a chili lover, I've been absolutely hooked ever since. So I thought I would try to replicate the recipe (I have to say it's pretty spot on), but I gave it a little makeover by baking it, casserole style. This makes it easy to transport and serve at tailgates and gameday. I promise, you don't have to be a Bearcat to fall in love with this dish! 

Grocery list: 

• 2 lbs ground beef (80/20)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 medium onions - finely chopped

• 3 garlic cloves - minced

• 4 cups beef stock

• 12 oz chili sauce

• 8 oz tomato sauce

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 cup chili powder

• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1/2 tsp cayenne

• 1/2 tsp all spice

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 lb spaghetti noodles

• 1 sweet onion- finely chopped

• 8 oz sharp cheddar - finely grated

Directions: 

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. One half pound at a time, finely ground the beef in a food processor or blender on low speed. When the meat is completely chopped, dump it into the sauté pan. Brown all meat and continue breaking up with a wooden spoon. Drain completely and set aside. 

2. Heat the olive oil over medium in a soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and sautee for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add the drained beef, beef stock, chili sauce, tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, Worschestershire, chili powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt, cayenne, all spice, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring to a heavy boil then let simmer for 2-3 hours until it thickens. The consistency should be nice and thick. 

3. Boil the spaghetti noddles in a large pot of salted water for about 8 minutes or until al dente. Butter a large casserole dish and put the spaghetti in the bottom, top with the chili, the onions, and half the cheese. At this point, the dish can be refrigerated until ready to bake or baked immediately. 

4. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the Skyline for 15-20 minutes. Top with extra cheese when it comes out. 

CHEERS TO FOOTBALL SEASON!!!

Spaghetti with Gouda Mornay & Toasted Crunchies

My husband, Tres, travels a lot for work, and spring happens to be his busiest time of year so I often fly solo when it comes to my meals. As much as I would rather have Tres around to hang out with and eat dinner with (since we ARE the two best friends that anyone could have :), I happen to enjoy my "me" time quite a bit. I do all kinds of things alone: I'll go for long walks on the river. I'll find a coffee shop, beer joint, or wine bar, take a book and read for hours. I'll grab a table on a patio and have lunch, soaking up the sun. Last week, I even went to a nice reataurant for dinner, had a glass of wine and a fancy meal - all by my lonesome! The possibilities are endless when it comes to "me" time!

What I mostly think of, though, is curling up on the couch and watching a good movie with a dinner I've cooked for just myself. It can be difficult cooking for just one person but in my opinion, a good answer is always pasta! It's typically always in my pantry, I can measure it out to be the perfect portion for one person, and I can add anything to it that I want and it makes a complete meal! I came up with this recipe one weeknight when Tres was away, and I thought it'd be the perfect recipe to feature for ONE! 

WATCH FULL VIDEO HERE!!!!!

Grocery List (for ONE): 

• 1 1/2 tbsp butter

• 1/2 tbsp flour

• 2/3 cup milk - warmed

• Dash of salt

• Dash of white pepper

• Pinch of nutmeg

• 1/4 cup good quality gouda cheese - freshly grated

• 3 oz spaghetti (or whatever pasta you want to use)

• 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs

• Parmesan cheese (optional)

• Parsley (optional)

Directions: 

1. Melt 1/2 tbsp of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for several minutes, but don't let the roux turn brown. You want the roux to stay white while the raw taste is cooked out of the flour. 

2. Slowly add the warm milk, constantly whisking until it all comes together. Bring sauce to a slight boil and simmer, letting the sauce thicken. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Add the grated cheese and whisk until melted and smooth.

3. Add pasta to a pot of boiling, salted water. Let cook according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain pasta and reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss as much sauce into the pasta as you like, and add a little pasta water if you want to create a thinner sauce. 

4. Melt the remaining 1 tbsp of butter in a small sauté pan. Add the Panko breadcrumbs and toast until lightly golden brown. Top pasta with the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan and parsley if you wish. 

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!! 

Spicy Carbonara with Shaved Asparagus

This weekend was a girls weekend. I spent time with two of my best girlfriends, and we had the grandest time!! The grandest time to us usually means food, and we didn't skimp out once this weekend. We visited a local Memphis Italian restaurant, Bari Ristorante, not once but twice for dinner - Saturday and Sunday - and ordered the pasta carbonara. Since it was so good, I insisted on having it again Monday night, but this time I was the chef! I had never cooked it before so I said, what the heck, and added a little spin on the traditional dish. A little spice and a little asparagus never hurt anybody! 

Grocery List: 

• Kosher Salt

• 1/2 lb spaghetti 

• 1 tbsp olive oil 

• 2 strips thick cut bacon - cut into small pieces 

• 3 garlic cloves - minced 

• 1 tsp red pepper flake 

• 1 bunch asparagus - ends trimmed and discarded, tops shaved with a vegetable peeler

• 2 eggs 

• 3/4 cup fresh Parmesan - grated

• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper 

• 1 tbsp butter 

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, heat water to a boil with a handful of salt. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add bacon and sauté until crispy. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. 

2. Turn the heat down to medium low (so the garlic doesn't burn) and add garlic and red pepper flake to the bacon fat. Cook for one minute or until fragrant. Add the shaved asparagus and sauté until soft. 

3. When salty water comes to a boil, cook the spaghetti. Cook for about 6-7 minutes or until al dente. 

*** Do not drain the spaghetti. You want to reserve the pasta water for the sauce, and the hot spaghetti will help cook the sauce. 

4. Whisk together 2/3 cup of the Parmesan, eggs, salt, and pepper. As soon as the spaghetti  is done cooking, using tongs, immediately add the noodles into the asparagus mixture, take off the heat, and pour in the egg mixture. Stir the eggs into the pasta as fast as you can for several minutes. *** you want the hot noodles to cook the eggs, but you don't want the eggs to scramble. 

5. Add pan back to low heat, add 1/4-1/2 cup of the hot pasta water, depending on how thick or think you like your sauce. Then stir in the butter and the bacon pieces. Top with the remaining Parmesan. 

Ziti a la Vodka

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When me and my brother were kids, we hated traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas food. No turkey, ham, dressing, or green bean casserole for us... We wanted pasta!!! So every year, my sweet mama made sure we had a delicious, cheesy, bubbly dish of comforting baked pasta. She usually cooked lasagna but there were a few times baked ziti was on the menu, and I absolutely loved the dish! Here I have taken the traditional vodka sauce and put it into another form.. Baked ziti! A perfect dish for Christmas or any of these cold days! Every time I eat baked pasta, I can't help but think of it as Christmas food.

Grocery List:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1/2 cup shallot

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/2 cup vodka

• 26.46 oz Dei Fratelli Finely chopped tomatoes

• 2 cup cream

• 1/3 cup chopped basil

• 1 tbsp salt

• 8 oz mozzarella

• 4 oz Parmesan

• 1 lb penne pasta or similar

• 1 tbsp good, fruity olive oil

Directions:

Step 1:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

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Heat olive oil and butter in a large sautée pan over medium heat. Sautée shallots until they begin to brown. Add garlic, seasoning, and red pepper and sautée for one minute or until fragrant.

Step 2: Add vodka and scrape up brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Let vodka reduce by half. Stir in tomatoes, cream, basil, and salt. Let sauce cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes.

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Step 3: Bring a large pot of water with a handful of Kosher salt to a boil. Add pasta and cook until almost al dente but not quite (about 1-2 minutes less than package says). Drain pasta and set aside.

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Step 4: Add mozzarella and pasta to the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Transfer to a casserole or baking dish. Top with Parmesan and olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melty and bubbly. Top with more basil if desired.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Farmer's Market Pasta

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Any cooking story with mama is a great one. I love being in the kitchen with my mom. It can be the middle of summer, and for some reason cooking with mama makes it seem like it's Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's just so festive and fun. My earliest cooking memories with her were right around the holidays so a day in the kitchen with her always seems like a special occasion. We often go to the farmer's market together on Saturday mornings. One Saturday last summer, we went and I told her whatever we found, I'd make up a recipe with it when we got home. We just so happened to find the most beautiful and unique zucchini, squash, and eggplant - such odd colors and shapes - so when we got home I cooked up a pasta for my parents. They said it was the best pasta they ever had, so I wrote down the recipe and called it my Farmer's Market Pasta!

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 SEE THE VIDEO HERE! 

Grocery list:

• 2-3 cups of fresh veggies (any will work but I use eggplant, squash, zucchini, tomatoes)

• 4 slices of bacon + the bacon grease

• 1 tbsp olive oil 3 garlic cloves - minced

• 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

• 1 tsp pepper

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese - fresh grated

• 1 lb penne pasta (or any bite sized pasta)

• Basil - chopped

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp garlic - minced

• 1/2 a lemon - juiced

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1/2 cup good, fruity olive oil

Directions:

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Step 1:

Heat oven to 450.

Fry bacon and set aside the bacon strips and the grease.

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Step 2:

Cut the veggies into 1 inch cubes and place on a baking sheet. Toss together with bacon grease, olive oil, minced garlic, Kosher salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

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Step 3:

Boil pasta in a large pot with water and a handful of salt. Boil for 6-7 minutes or until al dente. While pasta boils, make dressing. Combine the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil.

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Step 4:

Put cooked pasta directly into a serving bowl with about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Crumble bacon directly into the pasta. Add Parmesan, roasted veggies and all their juices, and dressing. Toss together to combine. Top with more Parmesan and chopped basil.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Spaghetti with Mascarpone Marinara and Pork Crunchies

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Sometimes there’s more than one cooktale for a recipe. If it’s good, you’re going to make it again and again with more stories to follow the first one. This is one of those recipes. I’ll start with the tale of the first time I made it.

There’s nothing like cooking when you’re out of town – particularly in a different country. You’re completely out of your element at the grocery store and quite frankly clueless of what half the ingredients are that you lay eyes on when you walk in the place – or so I discovered. However, it’s a great time to experiment with your culinary skills. The first time I created this dish it was completely by accident. It was my 30th birthday and New Year’s trip in Costa Rica with my best gal friends Ginger, Tracy, and Amy Claire, as well as my husband, Tres and Ginger’s husband, James. We rented a spectacular house in the mountains with an ocean view and the plan was to cook, cook, cook it up the entire trip. I had my recipe ideas written down and a grocery list ready to go, but as soon as we walked in the grocery store I realized no “planned” recipe was going to happen, as the store had none of the ingredients I needed. So, with help from the guys and gals, I just started grabbing whatever looked familiar that could potentially be put together and become meals. When we got back to the house, it was time for me to play Food Network’s “Chopped,” as our shopping trip ingredients had turned into one of those mystery baskets. That’s where this recipe came from, and I’m quite happy about it because it turned out G-O-O-D! Most of the meals we had that trip were a success, and I have to say it’s the first I ever played the game “use up everything in the fridge before we go home” and actually won at it!

I’ve made this pasta dish twice since Costa Rica. I made it for a group of 15 people when Tres and I were in Destin last month. We stayed in a condo on the beach, complete with a kitchen. Knowing it would be the biggest group I had ever cooked for, I thought what better to cook than pasta? It was a hit again, so I made it for Mother’s Day this past weekend. Surprise ingredients from a grocery store in Costa Rica became a staple, go-to meal for travel cooking and at home, and it’s now the first post on my blog.

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Grocery List:

• 1 package of large pepperoni slices

• 1 package of large salami slices

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion – chopped

• 3 garlic cloves – minced

• 2 tsp fresh thyme – chopped

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 2 tsp red pepper flakes

• ¼ cup red wine

• 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce

• 8 oz container mascarpone

• 1 lb package spaghetti

• 1 ½ tsp salt and more to taste (for sauce) and a palmful of salt (to boil the pasta)

• ¼ cup fresh basil – chopped or torn

• Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spread the salami slices on one and pepperoni slices on the other. Bake until crisp for about 8-10 minutes.

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Watch meat carefully when it’s in the oven… Ehh umm, this is a picture of what NOT to do. Yep, it happens.

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When salami and peperoni are crisp (not burned), take out of the oven, let cool, and crumble into a bowl. Set aside with the basil and parmesan

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2. While the meat is baking away in the oven, start the sauce. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add onion and a dash of salt (dashes of salt help soften veggies and increase flavor along the way). Let cook down and get slightly brown for 5-7 minutes.

Turn down heat to medium-low and add garlic, thyme, oregano, and pepper flake.

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Stir and cook for two minutes. Add wine, scrape any brown bits created on the bottom of the pan, and let wine reduce by half.

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3. Add marinara and let heat 2-3 minutes. Stir in mascarpone until sauce becomes light in color and cheese is dissolved. Add 1 ½ tsp of salt or more (to taste… this is a preference thing. I cannot emphasize this enough. If I am ever vague in my salt measurements on any of these recipes it’s because I am a strong believer in tasting your food before you serve it. Salt can make or break a recipe – it’s very possible for it to have too little or too much. Add with caution and taste before you add more. You’ll know if it needs more. A dish is at its fullest of flavor when it has enough salt).

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4. Boil pasta. Heat a pot over high heat with a palm full of salt. When it comes to a boil, add the pasta. Cook for 8-9 minutes or until al dente (cooked well but firm to bite). Drain pasta but leave a little pasta water (about ¼ cup) in your noodles (this helps the sauce stick to the noodles and gives the dish a hint of that starchy pasta flavor). Combine the noodles and sauce or put sauce on top of the noodles.

Top with salami and pepperoni crunches, basil, and parmesan.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!