Pasta Salad (w/ Feta)

I needed something to take to a potluck - some kind of side dish.  I'd seen a recipe on GMA for a pasta salad, and the only ingredient I remembered was feta -besides the pasta, of course.  I found that recipe, but I didn't have all the ingredients or it wasn't what I was wanting, so I went looking for a pasta salad with feta.  I found a whole list of them, but I decided to go with this one, kinda.

Pasta Salad w/ Feta and Olives

Ingredients:

• 16 ozs bow tie pasta (farfalle)
• 2 cups broccoli florets 
• 15 ozs kidney beans (drained)
• 4 ozs black olives (sliced, drained)
• 1 bell pepper (seeded and diced) 
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 4 ozs feta cheese (crumbled)
• 1 cup Italian salad dressing

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add broccoli florets to the boiling water during the last 2 minutes. Drain, and run under cold water to cool.
2. In a large serving bowl, stir together the kidney beans, black olives, bell pepper, tomatoes, feta cheese and Italian dressing. Stir in the pasta and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Chill and serve.

This would be great with fresh broccoli and tomatoes, but I didn't have any so I used frozen broccoli and canned tomatoes.  I used an orange pepper, because that's what I had, and I think it added a nice color to the salad.  I also forgot to run cold water over the pasta and broccoli, so I mixed it in hot, but I'm thinking that might help blend the flavors better - or at least that's what I'm telling myself.  I'll probably use the cold water next time, if I remember.

The salad is chilling now, so I haven't tasted it - except to sample a couple pieces of pasta, and those were great.  It smells amazing, and it will make a nice cool side-dish this weekend.

Cream Cheese Pesto Dip

This dip is really easy to make, and so good!

Cream Cheese Pesto Dip

Ingredients:

• Cream cheese
• Minced garlic
• Pesto
• Feta
• Diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Layer all ingredients - no measurements, just whatever looks/sounds good to you.
2. Warm 10-15 minutes at 350°
3. Serve with bagel chips.

Yum!

Seriously, it is hard to stop eating this stuff.  I use a block and a half of cream cheese - because that's what fits in the dish I want to use.  Then I layer lots of garlic, pesto and feta on top, and cover it with diced tomatoes (from a can - not the whole can, though, just enough to cover).  I used pesto I made last summer and froze in a 1/2 cup Rubbermaid container.  I just thawed it out and spread the whole thing on top of the garlic.  (Time to plant some more basil!)


You can serve this cold, but it's so much better when warmed up. You're not really cooking it but just warming it up so that the cream cheese gets all soft and all the flavors blend.  Also, it's good with other crackers or chips like Pita chips, but it is best with the New York Style Sea Salt Bagel Crisps - trust me on this!  They just go together perfectly -and those bagel crisps can hold a lot of dip.

Happy Hummus Day!

Vitamix posted this recipe on Facebook today - in honor of National Hummus Day. Did you know it was National Hummus Day? Me either, but I love some good hummus, so I thought I'd grab the recipe.  I know there are plenty of hummus recipes available online, but so many of them call for tahini, and I haven't been able to find it.  Should it be in my local grocery store?   This recipe doesn't call for it, so I'm gonna give it a try.

Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chick peas (garbanzos), one drained, one with liquid
• 1/4 cup (35 g) raw sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt

Directions

1. Place all ingredients, except salt, into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
4. Blend for 1 minute, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades.
5. Season to taste with salt.

  Of course, I'll have to use my Ninja, since I don't have a Vitamix, so no Variables, but....

Do you have a favorite go-to hummus recipe?  Please share!  Know where to buy tahini?  Share that too.   Maybe I should have though to buy Tahini on Amazon! because there's plenty available. Now to figure out which one...

Angel Hair with Broccoli and Bacon

I adapted this recipe from one I saw on The Chew for Michael Symon's Angel Hair Pasta with Pancetta and Broccoli.  I used turkey bacon and walnuts instead of the pancetta and pine nuts he used.  I had some bacon and broccoli that needed used, so...

Angel Hair with Broccoli and Bacon

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound Angel Hair Pasta
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 bunch Broccoli, cut up
• 1/2 package Turkey Bacon
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Garlic clove (sliced)
• 1 teaspoon Chile Flakes
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Drop pasta into boiling salted water
2. Cut up bacon slices and add to saute pan with 2 T olive oil over medium heat
3. Add broccoli to pan
4. Add walnuts to pan and move contents in the pan to one side and add another tablespoon of olive oil and the sliced garlic. You want the garlic to toast but not burn.
5. Ladle in 2-3 spoonfuls of the pasta water to the pan and mix to incorporate.  Reserve some of the pasta water before you drain it in case you need more.
6. Drain the cooked pasta and add to the pan and season with chili flakes. Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan and toss to coat.  Top with Parmesan and serve. 

Overall, it was pretty tasty and easy.  I added 3 spoonfuls of the pasta water to the bacon and broccoli mixture and then added more once everything was mixed together, just to give it a bit of moisture.

I think I would like to try this with a different pasta next time - something a bit closer to the size of the broccoli pieces.  I think Michael used angel hair because he was trying to pull the whole dish together in 5 minutes, and angel hair cooks very fast, but I think another pasta would go better.  Maybe bow tie?

Sourdough Biscuits

I'm getting my Sourdough Starter going again, and since part of the process is pouring some out so there's room to add more, I've been looking for things to do with the part I need to pour out.  I decided to try some biscuits, and this recipe was the first on the search list.  So, I tried it.  Well, not exactly - I did not mix it up on the counter; it was just too messy for that.  But I mixed them up, rolled them out - skipped the bacon fat part, let them sit/rise in a warm oven, and baked them.  They kind of spread out - I had to use a cookie sheet because there were too many to fit in the 9" pan the recipe called for.  They tasted OK, but they were kind of tough and chewy and nothing special.  Not bad warmed up a bit with some butter and honey, so I've been eating them for breakfast, and as snacks.

But I didn't really plan to make them again - and then I read through all the comments and the last one pointed out something that should have been obvious, considering I've been baking with sourdough starter for several years now, but I was thinking biscuits which usually means quick, instead of thinking sourdough, which means it takes time - "This recipe, and several others like it on the internet, leave out a critical step – what to do with the milk. I finally found one that had that step. First critical step is: The night before mix starter, milk, and 1 cup of flour. Cover and let stand at room temp." So, of course I had to try them again!

I mixed the starter and milk with a cup of flour and let it sit on the counter overnight.  This morning it was nice and bubbly and ready to use.  I continued with the recipe, mixing the remaining ingredients in the bowl and then kneading lightly before rolling out on the counter.  I rolled them just a bit thicker this time and didn't even try using my biscuit cutter - I just cut them into squares.  This time I rolled them in melted butter - instead of the bacon grease, and I didn't roll them in anything last time, just brushed the tops with butter when they came out of the oven.  So there were some slight differences, but the main one was letting the starter, milk and flour work overnight.  It changed the whole feel and texture of the dough, and this time it worked!

Sourdough Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• melted butter for dipping (or bacon fat, if you want)

Directions:

1. Mix starter, milk and 1 cup flour; cover and let sit overnight.
2. The next day, when dough is nice and bubbly, mix sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into 1 cup flour and stir it in.  Mix in as much of remaining 1/2 cup flour as you can; turn out onto floured surface and knead lightly.  Knead just till the dough is mixed. Do not over knead. 
3. Roll out the dough to a 1/2 inch thickness.  Cut out biscuits.
4. Dip the cut biscuits into the melted butter on both sides and place into a baking dish - 13"x9" would probably work best. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1/2 an hour. 
5. Bake in a 375°F oven for 30 -35 minutes.

  What a difference that one little step makes!

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it looked so good and so easy that I just had to try it.  Plus I had a couple red peppers and a green pepper that needed used...  I added some garlic and used fresh lime juice, but otherwise followed the recipe.  Here's mine with those slight changes:

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 3 sweet peppers, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1lb. boneless chicken breast or thighs
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Combine sliced onion, peppers and garlic in the bottom of a crockpot. Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour chicken broth over top. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder. Squirt the lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. 
2. When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve on tortillas with your choice of fixings.

Fixings:

• shredded cheese
• salsa
• sour cream
• cilantro
• sliced green onions
• other (whatever you like on your fajitas or tacos)

Seasonings on top

Let me just say that these are amazing!  A-MAZING!  They are so easy, and they taste so good.  I'm not completely sure I'd call them fajitas, but they do have the sliced onions and peppers that are traditionally in fajitas, so we'll just go with it - and that's what the original recipe was called.  I served them with some Cilantro Lime Rice - stir chopped cilantro, lime juice, and a drizzle of olive oil into cooked rice - and they were perfect!
 

After the chicken has been shredded

Then I stirred the leftover chicken mixture into the leftover rice, and we had that a couple days later - again wrapped up in tortillas with all the fixings.  Oh, and I stirred some black beans in - perfection!!

I will definitely be making these again.  YUM!!

Caramel Rolls

I was looking through some old pictures today - searching for something completely different - when I came across some pictures and a link to this recipe.  I can't believe I never posted it here!  Of course, it is really pretty on tabblo, see for yourself - Caramel Rolls.  I wish I could embed it full-size here, but I'll just copy and paste the recipe, and if you want to see the completely illustrated version, just click the link.

Caramel Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 loaf frozen sweet bread dough (cut into pieces)
• 1 pkg. butterscotch pudding (not instant)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Grease large Bundt pan.  Mix together pudding, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.   Put pecans in bottom of the pan, then the pieces of dough.  Sprinkle pudding mixture over the top and drizzle with the melted butter.
2. Leave it on the counter overnight (uncovered)
3. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350° and bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and invert onto large platter.  Serve at once. 

I've never bought the frozen sweet bread dough, though that's certainly an option.  I just make the sweet roll dough I use for my Cinnamon Rolls and freeze it in zipper bags.  When I want to make these rolls, I pull it out and let it sit for a few minutes, to soften it enough to cut into pieces then follow the rest of the recipe.

These are easy and yummy!  Try them for yourself and let me know what you think.