Fettucini All'amatriciana with Mozzarella Meatballs

I saw this recipe on an episode of Giada, and decided to make it for dinner since we kind of had all the ingredients. Well almost, I made some changes.

Here's the recipe adapted from Giada.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cooking Time: 1 hour | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 3

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
6 ounces Bacon, diced
1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 (14-ounce) Can Crushed Tomatoes (I used fresh tomatoes, because we had them)
½ tsp Kosher Salt, plus more for seasoning
½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper, plus more for seasoning
½ cup Grated Pecorino Romano
Meatballs:
1 small Onion, grated¼ cup Chopped Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley
⅔ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus ¼ cup
⅓ cup Italian-Style Bread Crumbs
1 large Egg
2 Tbsp Ketchup
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Kosher Salt, plus more for seasoning
½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper, plus more for seasoning
16 ounces Ground Beef
2 ounces Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, cut into 16 (½-inch) cubes
1/2 pound Bucatini Or Other Long Pasta (I used fettucine)

Directions:

1. For the sauce: In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and reserve. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and the cooked pancetta. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

2. For the meatballs: Position an oven rack in the lower ⅓ of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. In a large bowl, combine the onion, ½ cup parsley, ⅔ cup Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the beef and veal. Using your hands, combine all ingredients gently but thoroughly. Shape the meat mixture into 16 (1 ½-inch-diameter) meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Make a hole in the center of each meatball and place a cube of mozzarella inside. Reform the meatball so that the mozzarella is completely covered with the meat mixture. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until cooked through.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the meatballs and sauce. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and Parmesan.

Chicago Fire vs. Pizzeria Classico

In my hometown, there's a bit of a pizza competition going on. In Old Town Folsom, on Sutter St., there's two amazing pizza places right next door to each other. So, of course there's a fierce rivalry between the two: Chicago Fire vs. Pizzeria Classico. I've been to both of them and loved them each for different reasons, but decided to revisit them both in one week to decide which I like better.


Chicago Fire: At Chicago Fire, I ordered the small Caesar Salad. The dressing on the salad was too acidic and the lettuce didn't seem all that fresh. My mom and I shared a small Traditional Thin Crust Pizza, which was topped with fresh tomato, basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. The thin crust pizzas are cracker thin and have a nice crunch to them. The pizza tasted like a margarita pizza, and was perfect with a little crushed red pepper sprinkled on it. The pizza was amazing, and as I ate at Pizzeria Classico, I was thinking about this pizza!

We also ordered dessert, which was an item our server recommended that isn't on the menu: donut holes with a chocolate and caramel dipping sauce. Sadly, they weren't as good as I had hoped, the donuts weren't light and fluffy, but instead dense and probably made from pizza dough. Another advantage to Chicago Fire, is that there are multiple locations, and another to open at the Palladio Folsom in November of this year. 


Pizzeria Classico: A couple days later I went to Pizzeria Classico, and I knew the thing to order is their garlic chips, which are basically cheese breadstick slices.

Garlic Chips, dipped in ranch, were amazing!

I've heard this is the one thing to order when you go to Pizzeria Classico, or the half garlic, half pesto chips, which I have yet to try. We decided on the Rosemary Garlic Chicken pizza with the thin crust. It's made with roasted potatoes, chicken, rosemary, garlic, and alfredo sauce.

I thought the pizza would have been better with some roasted garlic cloves on top and the alfredo sauce couldn't be tasted. It was an interesting flavor combination, but I thought there were so many ways to make it have more flavor, and be less tasteless. Definitely will order a different pizza next time. Our service here was also not as good as at Chicago Fire. There weren't many of people there at the time, but our server took quite a while to take my card to charge it, and another server was the one to actual process it. Instead, most of the servers could be seen in the kitchen texting or chatting most of the time. I would prefer the service we had at Chicago Fire instead of Classico.


The pizza at Chicago Fire is a little cheaper, and I definitely liked what we ordered at Chicago Fire better. I did like that Pizzeria Classico has so many interesting flavor combination pizzas, with names like Stinkin' Rose, Marky Mark, and Club Med. Classico doesn't really have the classic flavor combos on their menu, you would instead have to make it yourself. Chicago Fire has less of these interesting combinations, but they have the classic ones on their menu. They also have stuffed pizzas on their menu, which I'll have to try sometime. Classico has pasta dishes on their menu, while Chicago Fire does not. 


I think for now, if I have a choice, I'll chose to eat at Chicago Fire. I'll need to go back and order the exact same pizza to really figure out which I liked better. Also, I need to try and compare their deep dish pizzas another time!

Swiss Cheese Fondue

I love going to the Melting Pot fondue restaurant and I wanted to make some tasty fondue at home. I found a copycat recipe for the Swiss Cheese Fondue at the Melting Pot and re-created it at home. It turned out amazing! It tasted just like the Melting Pot version! I just served it on the stove with some fresh veggies, apples and bread.

Shredded Gruyere and Emmenthaler cheese

Melted cheese on the stove

Yummy!

Here's the recipe adapted from Copykat Recipes.


Prep Time: 10 min | Cooking Time: 10 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 3-4


Ingredients:
8 Oz White Wine
1 Tsp Garlic, chopped
Squeeze Fresh Lemon
2 C Emmenthaler Swiss Cheese, grated
2 C Gruyere Swiss Cheese, grated
2 Tbl Flour Or Cornstarch
5 Turns Fresh Ground Pepper
5 Dashes Nutmeg
~ Breads, cubed (French, Pumpernickel, Rye)
~ Granny Smith Apples, chunked & washed in citrus water to prevent browning
~ Vegetables, cut (Cauliflower, Broccoli, Carrots & Celery)


Directions:
1. Mix the flour, Gruyere, & Emmenthaler cheeses together. The flour will help keep the creamy texture.

2. Heat the white wine in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the garlic and lemon.

3. Slowly add cheese mixture while continuously stirring with a fork.

4. As the cheese melts add more until you achieve the proper consistency (warm honey).

5. Once the cheese is creamy, sprinkle nutmeg sparingly over the top.


6. Turn the heat down to low, and start dipping!

Homemade Marshmallows!

I was supposed to go camping this week, and it ended up not working out, but I had made these beforehand. I still haven't tried making s'mores with them, but they are pretty tasty all on their own. They were surprisingly easy to make and it didn't take too long to make during the actual cooking process. They do have to sit for a few hours before you can cut them, but that was no big deal.

Here's the recipe adapted from Alton Brown.


Prep Time: 35 min | Inactive Time: 4 hours | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: ~48 marshmallows


Ingredients:
3 packages Unflavored Gelatin
1 cup Ice Cold Water, divided
12 ounces Granulated Sugar, approximately 1 ½ cups
1 cup Light Corn Syrup
¼ tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
¼ cup Confectioners' Sugar
¼ cup Cornstarch
Nonstick Spray


Directions:
1. Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with ½ cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.


2. In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½ cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.


3. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

For regular marshmallows:
4. Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.


5. When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.


6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Chipotle Steak and Side Salad

For this meal, there wasn't really a recipe. My mom threw together the steak and my dad grilled it. I made the salad based on another recipe but without some major components. So I'll just post some pictures for your food porn pleasure.

Petits Pain au Chocolat

These turned out really good! They were so simple to make too! Have to tell you though that they are really small, and you will eat too many of them! If you are making more than you can eat, you should make them and then only bake what you will eat. Throw the rest in the fridge and bake them off as you need them.

Here's the recipe adapted from Dana Treat.

Prep Time: 30 min | Cooking Time: 15 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 12 pieces

Ingredients:

1 Sheets Frozen Puff Pastry (Half 17.3-Ounce Package, thawed), cut into 12 squares
1 large Egg Beaten To Blend With 1 Tablespoon Water (For Glaze)
2 3.5-ounce Bars Imported Bittersweet Chocolate, each cut into six 2×¾-inch pieces
Sugar

Directions:

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the top of each puff pastry square with egg glaze. Place 1 chocolate piece on edge of 1 pastry square. Roll up dough tightly, enclosing chocolate. Repeat with remaining pastry and chocolate. Place pastry rolls on baking sheet, seam side down. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover pastries with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate remaining glaze.)

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush tops of pastry rolls with remaining egg glaze. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until pastries are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cheddar and Bacon Potato Salad

I decided to make this yesterday to take to work for my lunch. I've never made potato salad before, and this turned out pretty good! I actually liked the taste of it better when I just made it, as opposed to later after it had been in the fridge. But it was still pretty tasty!

Here's the recipe adapted from the Divine Dinner Party

Prep Time: 20 min | Cooking Time: 25 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 4


Ingredients:
4 medium Potatoes
½ tsp Seasoning Salt
7 slices Bacon, cooked crisp, drained, crumbled
4 Green Onions, sliced
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
8 Oz. Sour Cream
½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
⅓ C. Mayonnaise
½ tsp Garlic Salt
1 tsp Prepared Mustard


Directions:
1. Boil potatoes until perfectly tender. Drain and allow to cool to warm-- they shouldn't be hot enough to melt the cheese.

2. Peel (if desired-- I like to leave the peel on) and cube potatoes and place in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Mix gently.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the sour cream, pepper, mayo, garlic salt, and mustard.

4. Add bacon, onion, and cheese to the potatoes. Mix gently. Stir in the dressing mixture.

5. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Thai Paradise

I've been to Thai Paradise before, only once, but remembered it was good and the Thai Iced Teas were really good. B and I decided to try it when he came over this weekend. We both got Thai iced teas, and I got the Spicy Fried Rice w/ chicken, and he got the Spicy Curry Noodles w/ chicken. I love that their Thai iced teas come with refills, but you have to ask, they don't really just refill it. My fried rice was really really spicy, but so good! I kept biting into these little pieces of soft, roasted garlic that made each bite so delicious! Definitely not a dish for those who can't handle hot food. I didn't get a chance to try B's dish, but he said it wasn't as spicy as mine, and just more of a curry flavor. Here's what we ate!

Thai Iced Tea 

Spicy Fried Rice

Spicy Curry Noodles

Roasted Chicken Purses and Panzanella

Because I used part of a rotisserie chicken for my Chicken Salad Sandwiches, I decided to try and get another recipe that I could use the rest for. I found this dish, Roasted Chicken Purses, and made a simple Italian salad to go with it. I did have some trouble with the purses opening in the boiling water, but I think it was mostly because I was in a hurry and didn't seal them well. So, make sure if you make this dish, take the time to seal the wontons well. I think they seal better with water than with egg, which is what the recipe called for. Here's how they looked...

Roasted Chicken Purses

Panzanella

Roasted Chicken Purses
Here's the recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time: 30 min | Cooking Time: 20 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 4


Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups Shredded Roasted Chicken (Or Any Leftover Chicken, light and/or dark meat)
¾ cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
½ Lemon, zested
½ tsp Chopped Fresh Thyme Leaves
½ tsp Salt, plus more for sprinkling
¼ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper, plus more for sprinkling
32 Small Square Wonton Wrappers
4 Tbsp Butter
¼ cup Grated Parmesan
Water, for sealing wontons


Directions:
1. In a small bowl combine the chicken, ricotta cheese, lemon zest, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.


2. On a dry work surface place 8 wonton wrappers. Place a rounded teaspoon of the chicken mixture in the center of each wrapper. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash around the chicken mixture. Bring four corners of the wonton square together over the filling to form a purse. Press the edges together tightly to form a seal. Wipe the board with a towel until dry and continue making batches of 8 with the remaining wonton skins.


3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. 


4. Add the purses and cook until they float to the surface, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the ravioli.


5. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet. Turn off the heat, add the cooked pyramids and gently toss. Transfer the pyramids to 4 serving plates. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.


Panzanella
Here's the recipe adapted from Ina Garten


Prep Time: 15 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 4-6


Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Good Olive Oil
1 small French Bread Or Boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2 Large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 English Cucumber, unpeeled, and sliced ½-inch thick
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
½ Red Onion, cut in ½ and thinly sliced
10 large Basil Leaves, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp Capers, drained
For The Vinaigrette:
1 tsp Finely Minced Garlic
½ tsp Dijon Mustard
1 ½ Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
¼ cup Good Olive Oil
½ tsp Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper


Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.


2. For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.


3. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

My mom has been out of town for a week, and left me some money to get food to feed my dad and me. The food that I made will be my topic for the next few posts. I bought a rotisserie chicken to use for this sandwich and then the next post. I love using a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking a chicken myself, because it's so much easier and tastier. So, I made chicken salad sandwiches with some of the rotisserie chicken. Check it out!

Here's the chicken salad mixture...

...and the chicken salad in sandwich form!

Here's the recipe adapted from the Food Network Magazine.


Prep Time: 20 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 3-4 sandwiches


Ingredients:
1 cup Chopped Rotisserie Chicken, skin removed
¼ cup Diced Celery
2 ⅔ Tbsp Diced Carrot
2 ⅔ Tbsp Diced Red Onion
¼ cup Mayonnaise With Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
½ tsp Celery Salt
½ tsp Granulated Garlic
Pinch Of Paprika
Freshly Ground Pepper
3-4 Kaiser rolls, split and toasted
Lettuce And Tomato, for topping


Directions:
1. Combine the chicken, celery, carrot, red onion, mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt, granulated garlic, paprika and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Mix until combined.


2. Serve the chicken salad on the toasted rolls with lettuce and tomato.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Version 2

I was never really given macaroni and cheese as a kid, so I've been binging on it as an adult. I've been watching the new Pioneer Woman show on FoodNetwork, and she made her macaroni and cheese, and got me craving it again. So I whipped some up for a snack. I made a few changes, just to add some extra flavor, but it turned out creamy and crunchy on the top. It was so tasty! My mom even ate some, and she usually makes a face every time I make it.

Here's the recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman.


Prep Time: 15 min | Cooking Time: 25 min | Difficulty: Easy | Serves: 3


Ingredients:
2 cups Dried Macaroni (or other spiral pasta)
½ Whole Egg Beaten
⅛ cup Butter
2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 ¼ cups Whole Milk (I used 2% since we always have that on hand, but would be better with whole)
2 tsp (heaping) Dry Mustard
8 ounces Cheddar Cheese, Grated
¼ tsp Salt, More To Taste
¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
¼ tsp of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
Paprika, to sprinkle the top with


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.


2. In a small bowl, beat egg.


3. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.


4. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low. Add cayenne pepper and nutmeg. 


5. Take ¼ cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.


6. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.


7. Add in almost all of the cheese and stir to melt. Leave enough to top the macaroni before it goes in the oven. 


8. Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.


9. Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.


10. Top with extra cheese, sprinkle the top with paprika, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.


11. Let cool for a few minutes and then serve. 

Italian Lentil Salad, Roasted Chicken and Toasted Bread

Occasionally I'm recruited to cook something my mom picks out and buys the groceries for. This was the case last night, with an Italian Lentil Salad. But I was able to pair it with some juicy roasted chicken, and crispy toasted bread with olive oil. The lentil salad had great flavors, but I'm just not a big fan of the texture of lentils. So, I ate everything else in the salad but the lentils! Anyways, here are some photos!

Italian Lentil Salad
Here's the recipe adapted from Giada.


Ingredients:
1 pound Green Lentils (Recommended: Sabarot)
2 Scallions, chopped
1 cup Halved Seedless Green Grapes
1 cup Halved Seedless Red Grapes
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
½ cup Coarsely Chopped Pistachios
2 tsp Lemon Zest (From About 2 Lemons)
Vinaigrette:
⅓ cup Fresh Lemon Juice (From 1 To 2 Lemons)
⅓ cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
½ tsp Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper


Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool for 5 minutes. Place lentils and remaining salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.


Roasted Chicken


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use either chicken breast or thighs, placed in an oven safe dish, and rub with olive oil. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Cook for 35-40 minutes. 


Toasted Bread


Directions:
Drizzle bread slices with good olive oil. Place in the broiler until golden brown. Sprinkle with salt.