"Lasagna" soup!

I made something a bit different for dinner last night... sort of a lasagna soup, but using penne instead of flat noodles. I used sweet Italian sausage, tomatoes, green pepper, marsala wine, vegetable broth, of course onion/garlic, and a hefty amount of seasonings... then I served it with some baked, herbed ricotta cheese on top. It was really tasty!

Vegetarian copycat Beefy Fritos Burrito (Taco Bell)

I made what I call "Campfire Tacos" to start with... this is actually vegetarian and easily made vegan (serve without cheese or with a vegan cheese substitute to make vegan).  

I start with the Pure Farmland protein starter (if you had my vegan goulash that I entered into the chili cook-off recently, I used the same protein, which is available at Kroger).  I saute it with some oil, garlic powder, and onion powder (it browns just like ground meat).  I then add shredded cabbage... I know, it sounds weird, but it's an easy way to add texture and nutrition!  Then I add taco seasonings (chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, etc) and some veggie broth and allow to simmer.  

I usually like serving this in little bags of Fritos or Doritos to make walking tacos (perfect for camping), but this time I made a copycat of the Beefy Fritos Burrito from Taco Bell and it was honestly amazing.  

Pasta Giardino - better than Olive Garden!

Being Italian myself, I am not the biggest fan of Olive Garden.  The food tastes fine in general, but not all the dishes and recipes are totally authentic.  I'm definitely not saying the place is bad though... the breadsticks are wonderful, and the fried lasagna roll-up things are delicious.

While there recently, I had the Chicken Giardino, one of the relatively lighter options available.  I have to say, it was actually really tasty... it was essentially pasta, chicken, and lots of veggies in a scampi-style sauce.  But it inspired me to try and make my own version!  Also, this is super easy to make vegetarian or vegan!

Ingredients:
- ~2/3 stick butter (I actually used Miyoko's cultured vegan butter!)
- one small onion, diced
- ~3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 1 small zucchini, cubed
- ~1 cup shredded carrots
- juice of one lemon
- ~1/2 cup white wine
- ~1 cup grilled chicken (obviously, omit or substitute vegan chik'n if vegan)
- ~4 cups cooked pasta
- ~1/2 cup grated cheese (I used asiago... omit this for a vegan option)
- parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

Procedure:
1.) Heat a large, wide pan over medium heat.  Add butter and allow to melt.  When it begins to bubble, add onion and garlic... sauté until onions are transparent.

2.) Add zucchini, bell pepper, carrots, parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Stir fry until the garlic begins to brown.  Add cooked chicken, if desired.

3.) Add lemon juice and wine; cook until bubbly. 

4.) Remove from heat.  Add cooked pasta, remaining butter, and grated cheese. 

5.) Garnish with more fresh parsley and grated cheese before serving.

Notes:
- Other veggies that would go well in this would be mushrooms, asparagus, yellow squash, broccoli, peas, and spinach.

Easiest & Cheesiest One-Pot Mac & Cheese!

It's probably pretty safe to say that you're a mac & cheese fan... who isn't?  Better yet, who doesn't like extra-cheesy mac & cheese?  Even better yet... who doesn't like only using one pan to do it?!  This recipe is also easily made vegan (see below).

Here is what you need:

• 1 lb pasta (I used cavatappi)
• 1.5 pints (24 oz) heavy cream + 1 pint water, or 2.5 pints milk
• For a vegan option, use 2.5 pints (40 oz) of any non-dairy milk
• 12 oz cheese (I used original Velveeta this time, but next time I will try white cheddar!)
• For a vegan option, Daiya cheese substitutes are awesome!
• ~4 tbsp butter or margarine
• For a vegan option, Earth Balance spreads work wonderfully!
• salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste (if desired)

Simple instructions:

1. Combine pasta and liquid(s) (cream + water / milk / non-dairy milk) in a large non-stick pan.  
2. Heat on high until boiling, then reduce heat so that liquid still boils consistently without frothing over.  Boil for about 10 minutes or until pasta is at desired tenderness, stirring often.
3. Once pasta is at desired tenderness, turn off heat and add remaining ingredients.  
4. Stir constantly until combined well (don't worry if it takes a few minutes for the cheese to melt).
5. Serve immediately.
    

That's it!  Super easy, super cheesy, super delicious.  Cooking the pasta in the milk is an awesome way to make sure the final product is perfectly creamy.  

Also, upon zooming in to the picture above, I created an awesome phone wallpaper for true mac & cheese fanatics:

Pretzel dogs - meat or vegetarian!

I have been craving both hot dogs and soft pretzels for weeks... so this was the perfect opportunity to put them together!  Even better, they are easily made vegetarian by using veggie dogs... those are actually the ones in the picture below!

This recipe was taken from The Slow Roasted Italian... if you haven't heard of her, go check out her other recipes and follow her on her Facebook page!  My sister Brittany and I made these together.  We made a couple minor adjustments to her recipe as we were making these; what we ended up doing is below.  Her original recipe can be found here.

These really came out delicious, although they took much longer to make than the estimate said.  For some reason, our dough took considerably more time and flour to come together.  It was definitely worth it in the end!  Here is what they looked like... recipe below.  

Pretzel Dogs 

by the Slow Roasted Italian;

minor changes by Brandon and Brittany Signorino

Ingredients:

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (~1 packet)

12 ounces warmed beer (110°-120°F)

2 tablespoons honey

4+ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup baking soda (for water)

1 large egg + a splash of water

coarse salt for topping (I used Hawaiian black salt)

8 hot dogs, regular or vegetarian

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Pour beer into the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle yeast over top, add honey, and stir.  Allow yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes.  Once it is nice and foamy, it is ready.

Fill an 8-quart pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  In a small bowl beat egg and 2 tablespoons water with a fork.  Set aside.  Wash a section of counter top for rolling out dough.  Do not flour the countertop or it will be harder to roll out the dough.

Add flour and salt to mixer.  Knead until the dough comes together in one ball.  Add more flour a tablespoon at a time as needed, if bread is too sticky to come together.  Dough should be tacky when you pull it out of the mixer, not sticky.

Place dough on counter top and form dough into a ball. We are going to cut this ball into 8 (somewhat) even pieces.  First quarter the ball of dough.  Then cut each quarter in half.  Roll each piece into a 12” strand. 

Place end of dough strand on the end of the hot dog pinching the end together, and then wrap it around the dog until all of the dough is wrapped around the dog.  Pinch the ends so they stay together.

Carefully, add baking soda to boiling water.  USE CAUTION:  IT WILL BUBBLE UP.  Place hot dogs into boiling water about 3 at a time.  Remove with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds.  Place on parchment paper to cool and repeat until all hot dogs have been boiled.

Arrange all pretzel dogs on parchment so they are not touching.  Brush egg wash onto each one and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake for 11-13 minutes until the tops are browned.

COOK’S NOTE:  

- We microwaved the beer in a glass microwave safe measuring cup, 15 seconds at a time until it was 110-120 degrees as measured by a thermometer.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian 

Copyright ©2014 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

Carbonara Alfredo Sauce

I participated in the 2017 North Central Latin Club Spaghetti Sauce Cook-off, as I have every year for about 10 years now, since I helped start the event when I was a student there.  As well as participating in the event itself and providing music entertainment, I also made a sauce.  You may remember that I won it one year, when I made my grandmother's traditional alfredo sauce.  This year, I decided to try something completely new, that I had not seen anyone else attempt.  I made a carbonara alfredo sauce... basically my version of a combination of two delicious sauces.  I mean, what could be better than copious amounts of both bacon and cheese?!

I forgot to get a picture of the sauce when it was finished, so there won't be a picture with this one... but it really did come out tasty.  I encourage you to try it and let me know how it comes out!

Carbonara Alfredo Sauce

by Brandon Signorino

Ingredients:
- ½ lb bacon, chopped into 1-inch strips
            `-> (pre-cooked bacon works well in this recipe, but fresh is obviously fine!)
- olive oil, if using pre-cooked bacon (just enough to crisp the bacon and sauté onions)
- ½ small onion (thinly sliced – I used a mandolin)
- ~3 tbsp garlic (minced)
- ~1 qt half & half (use heavy cream if you want a thicker sauce)
- 1-2 cups grated romano cheese
- 5 egg yolks (have them already separated into a medium mixing bowl)
- ½ lb frozen peas, completely thawed (canned works, if necessary)
- salt, white pepper, and dried parsley (to taste)

Procedure:
1.) Heat a large saucepan over med-high heat.  If using pre-cooked bacon, add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of the pan, then crisp the bacon.  If using fresh bacon, simply cook the bacon.  You will use the rendered bacon fat to sauté the onions.
2.) Once the bacon is crispy, add onions & garlic and sauté until the onions are soft and the garlic is lightly toasted.
3.) Add the half & half, and heat until it is simmering, stirring frequently.  Once bubbles begin to appear, turn heat to low.
4.) Slowly add grated cheese, stirring constantly.  Make sure there are no lumps of cheese.  Once the cheese is incorporated, keep heat on very low and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning.
5.) Have the bowl of egg yolks ready, as well as a whisk; this next part must be done very efficiently, to avoid overcooking the eggs.  After letting the sauce simmer, turn the heat off.  Take a ladleful of it and add it to the mixing bowl with the egg yolks.  Immediately whisk to combine.  Move over to the saucepan, and gradually add the egg mixture to the sauce, whisking to incorporate.  Do not stop moving the whisk.  This part is very important, as you are tempering the eggs without scrambling them.
6.) Once the egg has been incorporated (you should not see any floating bits of egg yolk), add the seasonings and the peas to the sauce and combine well.  Serve over any pasta.

Notes:
- Try this recipe using bacon Spam diced into small cubes instead of real bacon… it crisps up the same way and is less messy than bacon, plus it is delicious.  Try it, and I promise you will be surprised how good it is!

Pasta carbonara!

Made pasta carbonara tonight... It didn't end up beautiful, but it is delicious!

Cook pasta.  Sauté bacon, garlic, then peas.  Mix two eggs (beaten) with a cup of parmesan.  Drain pasta, reserving half a cup of pasta water.  Turn off heat on sauté pan and add pasta immediately to it.  Add eggs mixture, and mix well until eggs are cooked.  The heat has to be turned off to avoid scrambling the eggs.  Very tasty!

Chicken, Spam Bacon, and Ranch Pasta!

Yes, you read that correctly... we made a CBR pasta, but with Spam Bacon instead of regular bacon!

Before you turn your nose up at the mention of Spam, let me explain why I like to use it.  First off... I really hate cooking bacon; it splatters everywhere, it leaves a strong lingering smell, and even baking it leaves a cookie sheet an absolute mess.  It tastes great, but it really is not worth the hassle for me.  

If you have ever had the bacon-flavored Spam cooked to crispy perfection, you know fully well how perfectly bacon-y it tastes.  There are numerous benefits besides the taste: it's easy to slice; it stays flat on the pan; it makes its own fat to cook in the pan as it heats up; when it's got just a little char, it has a wonderful texture (and I honestly prefer the texture over regular bacon).  What it lacks is all the hassle associated with bacon: it does not curl up and cook unevenly, the fat rendered in the pan is not excessive and does not splatter everywhere, and it is quicker and easier for both prep and clean-up.  Also, the perfect texture is achieved when cooking it in a cast-iron skillet:

Now, on to the dish at hand.  It was relatively easy, and it was adapted from this recipe.  I was looking for a dish that would highlight the often-overlooked wonder that is Spam and dispel the stigma that it seems to carry with some people.  This dish definitely succeeded!

Ingredients:

• Margarine (use as needed)
• 1 container SPAM Bacon
• ~1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (excess fat trimmed off)
• seasonings to taste
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 packet ranch seasoning mix (2 packets if you want extra flavor)
• ~2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded cheese

First, dice most of a container of Spam Bacon and add it to the preheated cast-iron pan, with just a tablespoon of margarine for a little extra fat (it helps keep any of the Spam from sticking to any portions of the pan that aren't as seasoned).  Stir it frequently, to make sure all sides of each cube get browned.  Once you see some nice charring, remove from heat and let rest in the pan.

Next, take some boneless, skinless chicken thighs and coat them on both sides with a blend of seasonings of your choice (we used oregano, basil, rosemary, and garlic powder).  Heat a large skillet with four tablespoons of margarine, and cook the chicken until done... do not hesitate to add more margarine as you cook, to keep the chicken nice and juicy.  Remove from heat and let rest in the pan.

Next, cook about 3/4 lb of a pasta of your choice (any will do fine) al dente; drain and set aside.

Return the chicken to heat.  Sprinkle on the flour and ranch packet(s).  Add the heavy cream along with about a half cup of water and stir well.  Once the mixture is bubbly, add the cheese (we used shredded white cheddar) and about half of the Spam.  Once the cheese is fully incorporated and the sauce is bubbly again, add your pasta to the skillet (if the noodles have begun drying and sticking to each other, give them a quick rinse to loosen them).  Combine well and top with the rest of the Spam.

Last step is to enjoy!  If you are skeptical about using Spam Bacon in place of regular bacon, please give this dish a try.   It was truly tasty and satisfying!

Fruity Pebbles Cheesecake!

We have our annual summer company picnic this week at work, and I usually participate in the bake-off.  Last year I made my beer bread, which ended up tasty, but this year I wanted to make something more like a dessert.  I decided I would try something new and make a cheesecake for the first time ever... and I thought it would be a good idea to try making a Fruity Pebbles cheesecake!

It came out really nicely, especially for this being my first attempt at a cheesecake!  It may not look quite as pretty as what you would expect at Cheesecake Factory, but it really tastes wonderful and has a nice texture.  The recipe I came up with is below!  It is basically a classic New York cheesecake with my own modifications.  It is not too heavy or dense... the texture is actually relatively light and the fruity pebbles give it a nice brightness!

For the topping, I made the last-minute decision to prepare a glaze with the fruity pebbles... a touch of butter, some water, and confectioner's sugar, all reduced to a syrup in a small skillet, then I tossed some fruity pebbles into it.  It sort of made a brittle/crumble kind of topping.

Fruity Pebbles Cheesecake

Prep               30 m

Cook              <1 h
Ready In        overnight

Yield               2 pie pans +extra

 

Ingredients

½ cup graham cracker crumbs, x2
¾ cup crushed fruity pebbles, x2
4 tablespoons butter melted, x2
1 heaping cup additional fruity pebbles
30oz cream cheese
1 1/3 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 9 inch pie pans.

2.)  In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and crushed fruity pebbles with melted butter. Press onto bottom of pie pans.

3.)  In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla, flour, and ½ cup fruity pebbles until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crusts.  With the leftover, I poured the rest into a muffin tin prepped with cooking spray, and it was just enough to fill each portion of the pan.

4.)  Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 min (take out muffin tin about 15 minutes early).  Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed overnight; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

My Google Local Guides food crawl in Indianapolis was a success!

For Google Local Guides Meet-Up Day on 18 June 2016, I organized a food crawl on the north side of the city.  The group had a great time... we all got to enjoy some awesome food and hospitality!

 

 

We got to Big Mike's Café and they already had plenty of space ready for us.  As always, Katie greeted us as if we were family and took great care of us as we waited on the others.


 



 

As we waited for others to arrive, we started off with an order of the garlic parmesan bread knots... these things are absolutely addictive.  Also, the other cool thing about them is that I got them for free!  The restaurant uses SpotOn, a rewards app where guests get a point each time they check in at the counter.  Only 5 points gets you a free order of the bread knots, so this was a great way to start!

 

Jesse and I decided that we wanted to share the Mom & Pop specialty pizza... it had a buttermilk ranch base, gouda, cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, and bacon all on top of their fresh house-made dough.  This pizza was unbelievable!  I also added green peppers to my side, and that made it even better.  It was perfect with a glass of sweet tea... another cool thing is that all beverages are served in mason jars!

Here is a picture of the whole group!  Katie and everyone else at Big Mike's did an amazing job... delicious food, friendly service, and an overall pleasant dining experience.  We had a great time with dinner, and most of us decided to continue hanging out at the next place.
















We all went to the The Quirky Feather Confectionery and were greeted very warmly.  They were excited to see us and were extremely helpful with the new faces we had brought in.  We all got our respective desserts (I got the peanut butter cup cheesecake... so good) and beverages, got a table together, and played the Mars Attacks dice game.

 

 

 

All-in-all, this was a delicious evening with some great company.  We would all like to thank both Big Mike's Café and The Quirky Feather Confectionery for helping make this food crawl a success!  We hope that, next year, we can get even more people involved!

 

#Google #LocalGuides #Indianapolis #Indiana #local #Indy