Monthly Archives: October 2011

Pappardelle with Baby Spinach, Herbs, and Ricotta

Pappardelle is a wide-ribbon pasta that I finally found at my local Trader Joe’s and is the main ingredient in Pappardelle with Baby Spinach, Herbs, and Ricotta.  It’s basically a wider version of fettucine so if you can’t find pappardelle, fettucine can easily be substituted.  This fairly light and herby pasta dish is made with baby spinach, fresh thyme, parsley, dill and ricotta.  Once you’ve prepped all the herbs, the whole meal can be made in about 15 minutes.  The ricotta is mixed with reserved pasta liquid so you can make it as thick or thin as you like.  The heat of the pasta slightly wilts the spinach and brings out the fragrance of the fresh herbs.  I left out the chives since my grocery store was out of it but I think the hint of onion would have been nice.  If you like the flavor of fresh dill, this will be a good one to try.

The ingredients:

Cook the pappardelle according to package directions and drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

While the pasta cooks, remove any stems from the spinach and chop the fresh herbs.

In a blender or food processor, mix together ricotta cheese and reserved pasta water.

In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, ricotta sauce, spinach, fresh herbs, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Wrap around your fork (or forks if you have one in each hand!) and enjoy!

Additions:  None

Omissions: 

  • Chives

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Kale, Bean, and Sausage Soup with Parmesan Cheese

The temperatures are dropping into the 40s this week which puts me in the mood for some warm soup!  Kale, Bean, and Sausage Soup with Parmesan Cheese to be exact.  The recipe actually calls for escarole but my grocery store didn’t have any so I used kale instead.  Normally, the old me wouldn’t have even looked for escarole and would have automatically reached for spinach instead.  But part of the point of this blog is to try new things and expand my palette so instead of taking the easy way out with spinach, I turned to kale, which I don’t think I’ve ever eaten before.  A nutritious leafy green, kale wilts easily like spinach so it works well in soup like this.  Mixed with sweet turkey sausage, fennel, and cannellini beans, this soup is satisfying and exactly what I want on a chilly evening.

The ingredients:

Cook together onion (I used shallot because it’s what I had on hand), fennel bulb, garlic, and sausage in olive oil.

When the sausage is browned and the vegetables tender, add in chicken broth, water, and beans.

While the soup comes to a boil, wash and chop the kale.

Add the kale into the soup and cook until wilted.

Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Kale for escarole
  • Shallot for onion

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Buttercakes with Sour Cream Frosting

Because MLB playoffs are in now full swing (bahaha! pun intended!), I made these Buttercakes with Sour Cream Frosting with the sole purpose of celebrating this time of year that we in Philadelphia call “Red October” (it’s a Phillies thing).  While I would love to tell you about the amazing Phillies game I witnessed in person on Saturday evening, I’ll tell you instead about these yummy, baseball-themed cupcakes.  They really are nothing more than frosted yellow cupcakes but the cake batter smelled so good, I wish I could’ve stuck a wick in it and called it a candle.  Having never tried sour cream frosting before, I was a little skeptical.  But the sour cream toned down the sweetness of the powdered sugar, similar to cream cheese frosting, and I loved it.  Whether you want to make cupcakes to celebrate a birthday, a shower, or your favorite team, these cupcakes are winners!

The cake ingredients:

First, cream together the butter and sugar.  Make sure the butter is room temperature – it’ll blend better.

Next, incorporate the eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla.

Carefully add the dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, until fully blended.

Look at the adorable baseball-themed cupcake liners I found!

Fill the liners 2/3 full and bake at 350ºF.

The frosting ingredients:

Cream together the butter and sour cream.  Again, use room-temperature butter.

Slooooooooowly, add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.

If you don’t have a pastry bag to frost the cupcakes, you can use a freezer bag with the corner cut off (like I did!), or spoon it on.  Just make sure the cupcakes have cooled completely first.

Decorate as you wish and enjoy!

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Reduced-fat buttermilk

 Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

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