Sardinian Spaghetti

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian fennel sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained, seeded and halved, with 1/2 cup juice reserved

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, torn

Kosher salt

3/4 pound spaghetti

1 cup shredded pecorino cheese

Directions

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown, about 7 minutes. Push to one side of the skillet and increase the heat to high. Add the tomatoes, stirring to break them up a bit, and cook until the edges brown and the oil turns red, about 6 minutes. Stir the sausage and tomatoes together.

Add the garlic, bay leaves, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes to the skillet, then scatter the saffron over the mixture. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, 1 cup basil and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Remove and discard the bay leaves.Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted walter until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add spaghetti, cooking liquid and reserved tomato juice to sasuage sauce and toss. Top with cheese and remaining 1/2 cup basil.

A DIFFERENT LASAGNA

Adapted from "Giada's Family Dinners" Cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis
6 Main-Course Servings



I made this for dinner the other night, and I was so impressed with how delicious it turned out...I just had to share it! It was relatively easy, yet well worth the effort, especially when served with green beans, garlic bread and a basic salad. Although I did make some slight adaptions, I must give credit to Giada De Laurentiis, as I found the recipe in her cookbook "Giada's Family Dinners". Enjoy!



Quick Marinara Sauce
(makes 3 cups; you will only need 2)
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes in Juice
1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In food processor (or blender), puree the tomatoes with their juice and the basil until almost smooth. Set the puree aside.


Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over med heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until very tender (about 12 mins). Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over med-high heat. Decrease the heat to med and continue simmering until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 mins. Season the sauce to taste w/salt and pepper.


Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups Whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg

Lasagna

1 15 oz. container ricotta
10 oz fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large Egg, slightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 dried lasagna noodles
Butter, for baking dish
2 cups quick marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

To Make the Sauce

Melt the butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 mins, whisking continuously. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to med-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 mins. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the cream sauce.

To Make the Lasagna
In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, egg, the 3/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper until blended.

Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Ad the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking together.


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass baking dish. Spread the cream sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish.


Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll the noodles up and arrange the rolls, seam sides down and not touching one another, atop the cream sauce. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 2 cups of the marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake until the rolls are heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 mins. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top is golden, about 15 mins longer. Let stand for 10 mins.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Here are some of the benefits of making your own laundry detergent:

1. Save Money: The cost of making the below recipe is $0.71 cents. With this 2 gallon size recipe you will have enough to do 64 loads of laundry. That translates to about $0.01 cent a load.

2. Better for the Environment: Where do I start?! A homemade detergent uses far fewer scary chemicals. Store bought detergent comes in thick plastic bottles which never biodegrade. Transporting store bought from the factory to the store to your home uses a lot of fuel. Store bought detergent can have dangerous fragrances.

3. It works: I’ve been using this for a few weeks now, and our clothes are clean!

4. Its fun: Admit it -- its kinda cool to know how to make something like this. And in times like this its nice to do something to save a little money and be kinder to the environment.

5. Its easy: total active time for me was about 8 minutes!

The Recipe

1 bar Ivory Soap

½ cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda*

½ cup 20 Mule Team Borax**

A small bucket (about 2 gallon size) – I found a good one with a lid in the painting department at Home Depot

-Grate or very finely chop the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and, stirring often, heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat.

-Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket. Now add the hot soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. Stir well. The consistency of this soap is different from store-bought detergent. It is a liquidy gel. Use ½ cup per load.

-Note that this is a low sudsing formula, so don't expect to see a lot of bubbles. But, suds are not what clean the clothes so don't worry!

*Arm & Hammer Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. I’ve heard that it can be found in the laundry section of a grocery store, but I bought mine from drugstore.com (I think it is also available on Amazon.com)

**20 Mule Team Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. Its purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle, but I bought it from drugstore.com.

Mom's (Mary's) Black Eyed Peas

For one pkg of produce black eyed peas :
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sm shallot, minced
1/4 C celery, diced
1/4 C carrot, diced
1/4 C green onion, thinly sliced
1 T dijon mustard
2 T red wine vinegar
Additional olive oil

Saute garlic and shallot over very low heat until softened. Add celery and carrot. Cook 2 mins. Remove from heat, add mustard. Toss beans w/vinegar and at least 3 T olive oil. Add sauteed ingredients. Toss in green onions and serve warm or at room temp. Add salt and pepper to taste.

"Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen"

Thought this article from the New York Times was a great refresher on what to keep around the kitchen!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07mini.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2

Pappardelle with Vegetable "Bolognese"

I adapted this recipe from one I found on epicurious.com. I think my version is a little heartier!

2 medium carrots, quartered lengthwise, then cut into 1-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 medium shallots, quartered lengthwise
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
package of baby portobello mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
1-2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 lb dried pappardelle
1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup) plus additional for serving

Pulse carrots, celery, shallots, bell pepper and mushrooms together in a food processor until chopped.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chopped vegetables, rosemary, salt, and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, about 12 minutes.

Add tomato paste to skillet. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until wine is reduced by about half, about 2 minutes.

While sauce is cooking, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water in a heatproof measuring cup, then drain pasta in a colander.

Add chicken stock to sauce and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water to sauce, tossing to coat (thin sauce with additional cooking water if necessary). Stir in cheese and serve immediately.

Baked Egg Strata

Original recipe was given to me from Gail Sherva when we lived on Bristol in Arlington Heights. Always a Christmas morning favorite!

16 slices white bread, crusts trimmed
8 slices each: ham, turkey, cheddar and swiss
6 eggs
3 C milk
1/2 t onion salt
1/2 t dry mustard
2 C Cornflakes cereal, crumbled
1 stick butter, melted

Make single layer of bread in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Top each slice with ham turkey and cheeses. Top with remaining slices of bread. Mix eggs, milk, onion salt and dry mustard. Pour over "sandwiches". Refrigerate overnight. Before baking next day, top with mixture of Cornflakes combined with melted butter. Bake at 350 for 1 1/4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.