pasta date night!!!!

Last Friday we hosted a wonderful pasta making date night...we made new friends and enjoyed everyone's company.  Take a look:

Here's some delicious recipes you can try at home:

Homemade Pasta: 

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semolina flour
• 1 pinch salt

• 6 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Thoroughly sift together all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and pinch of salt. On a clean surface, make a mountain out of flour mixture then make a deep well in center. Break the eggs into the well and add olive oil. Whisk eggs very gently with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the sides of the well. When mixture becomes too thick to mix with a fork, begin kneading with your hands.
2. Knead dough for 8 to 12 minutes, until it is smooth and supple. Dust dough and work surface with semolina as needed to keep dough from becoming sticky. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Roll out dough with a pasta machine or a rolling pin to desired thickness. Cut into your favorite style of noodle or stuff with your favorite filling to make ravioli. Bring water to a boil in a large pot, then add 4 teaspoons salt. Cook pasta until tender but not mushy, 1 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Drain immediately and toss with your favorite sauce.

Homemade meatballs:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1 clove,garlic

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1/3 Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

marinara sauce

Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic, parsley, basil in a food processor and puree. 

 In large bowl, combine, pureed mixture, meat bread crumbs, egg and Parmesan, 

Form mixture into balls.

put oil in frying pan and brown balls on all sides.

finish in oven for 20 minutes.  Let simmer in marinara sauce up to an hour or all day. 

Marinara Sauce recipe: 

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIA AND LAYLA

We recently celebrated a birthday in unicorn style...making unicorn slime and unicorn dream catchers...along with face painting and decorating cupcakes...it was all part of Mia and Layla's big birthday celebration....take a look:

Moms and Sons Valentine Dinner Dance!

Moms and Sons share special bonds....and that was quite evident last night at Cook n Craft Academy.  Such a fun night... We enjoyed a Mother Son Valentine Dinner Dance.  We dined on Chicken Paprikash, Chicken Fingers, Mashed Potatoes, Garden Salad, Rolls, and various desserts including an ice cream Sundae bar......take a look:

Heres the recipe for Chicken Paprikash:

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks, or whole chicken legs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow or Spanish onion, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika, sweet or hot, or a combination
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes or 1 large ripe tomato, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or, if not, low-sodium 
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• ¾ cup sour cream 

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400. Season the chicken aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy, oven-safe sauté pan or Dutch oven set over high flame, until the butter is foaming. Sear the chicken in batches, skin-side down, until it is golden and crisp, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Then turn the chicken over, and repeat on the other side, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
2. Pour off all but a tablespoon or 2 of the accumulated fat in the pot. Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently with a spoon to scrape off any browned bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and gone translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir again, cooking it until it has softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika and the flour, and stir well to combine, then cook until the mixture is fragrant and the taste of the flour has been cooked out, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and broth, whisk until smooth and then nestle the chicken back in the pan, skin-side up. Slide the pan or pot into the oven, and cook until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Add the sour cream to the sauce, stir to combine 

Dads and Daughters and a special breakfast!

Dads and Daughters....share a very special relationship....I often think of a special quote when I think of this...

As a daughter I know I look up to my dad with love...for all the times he is there for me, offers advice and just loves me unconditionally.  And it is true what they say about marrying someone just like your dad..my husband Robert who is dad to our 5 daughters and son is just like my dad---loving, caring, kind, sincere, and strong. And my wish for my daughters is to find a partner to share their lives who is the same.   But of course let's not rush things and take time to enjoy the special memories of today.  Some of these special memories took place Saturday at Cook n Craft.  We shared a special Daddy Daughter Valentine Breakfast.  The daughters prepped our food, the dads cooked it...and we had a wonderful time...take a look.... 

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