it's hot outside OR simple slowcooker supper

It's summer and man, it's HOT!

I never love turning on my oven, or even my stovetop in the heat.  We do grill quite a bit out on the deck, but sometimes it's nice to have everything done right inside my cool, air-conditioned kitchen!  So as a quick dinner we have slow cooker meals quite often in the summer.  This is one of our favorites and an easy one to add to your dinner rotation.

Slow Cooker Pineapple Pulled Pork

1 large package country-style boneless pork ribs
1/2 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 can of pineapple tidbits


Combine in your slow cooker on Low 6-8 hours.  Shred with a fork, when tender, and serve on slider buns with a slice of pineapple on top.  To make this truly decadent, we grill pineapple spears to go along side with a mound of coleslaw- yummage!

only in Montana OR fresh pasta

There are a few special dishes that families only make once a year.  Sometimes they are so time intensive that it may be impractical to make the dish more often.  Some things are associated with specific holidays or celebrations.  Some dishes may just seem out of place if they are made anywhere else or at any other time.

Fresh pasta is that way for me.

Rolling out pasta dough on the oversized well-worn bread board at our cabin in Montana is how you make pasta.  Grammy and I mix the eggs and flour in the butter-yellow pyrex bowl that has been there since the fifties.  Then we dump the floury, shaggy dough onto the board and knead it until it is smooth and elastic. We laugh and talk and take turns with the rolling pin when our arms give out.   After slicing the pasta thin with a pizza cutter, we let it dry out on the board.  Usually, our noodles get tossed into a massive pot of turkey noodle soup. 

Oh, I've made pasta plenty of times at home.   My husband loves it!  My kids like helping me mix the dough.  I have a nifty pasta roller that clicks on the counter and my girls help me churn.  I have tried several different recipes and we even make filled pasta sometimes. 

But to me, the real way to make pasta is in Montana on my great-grandma's bread board.


Fresh Pasta
by Mario Batali

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 eggs

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy). The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2-cup increments, if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Roll and form as desired.

Note: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.

cold comfort OR cauliflower potato soup

Baby, it's cold outside.
I love the winter with it's crisp white snow, cold air and lots of blankets inside.  Winter, after all, is the month of hot bread out of the oven, all day dinners in the crockpot and lots and lots of soup!  I love this Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup from one of my favorite food blogs, Butter, with a side of Bread.  I adjusted this yummy recipe just a bit by adding some potatoes to the soup.  In this soup, I find that the immersion blender is a lifesaver.  I love my immersion blender!  I didn't tell my family there was cauliflower in the soup.  They had no idea!  It really tastes just like a delicious chowder.

WISCONSIN CAULIFLOWER SOUP
adapted from Butter, With A Side of Bread

2 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk**
1 1/2 cups water**
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 large russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

**Can substitute 1 can {12 oz} evaporated milk and 2 cups water for the 2 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups water.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour and salt. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and water.  Add cauliflower and potatoes, heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. {Don't let this step deter you from making the soup! Blending it is really easy and so worth the extra 3 minutes. The most annoying part are the added dishes!} If you have an immersion blender, use it- it literally takes less than a minute to blend. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Serve soup with remaining cheese as a garnish.

leftover magnet OR fried rice

One of the complaints I hear most is, "We just don't ever eat leftovers."  I say, why eat leftovers when you can have fried rice?!  Or scrambles?  Or chicken pot pie?  These are the re-tooled dishes I like to call leftover magnets.  Toss in a few fresh ingredients, mix with your last night's dinner and volia!  It's a quick dinner that disguises those leftovers into a delicious meal.  Fried rice is one of our go-to meals.  I learned to make a version of this from my roommate in college.  She would use a bag of frozen stir fry veggies, ham from the deli and white rice- it always turned out yummy.  At our house I usually have leftover asparagus or onion or shrimp that can get tossed in.

 My five-year-old daughter loves making this when it's her night to cook.  (Yes, my five-year-old likes to cook dinner!)  With a little adult supervision, stirring the veggies, cracking the eggs and shaking in the soy sauce is a great meal that my daughter can make herself.  Of course, she has to wear her protective eye wear so her eyes don't water while the onions cook! 

Because this is more of a method than a recipe, you can customize this to whatever veggies and protein that your family likes.  I like to make a big batch of rice when I cook it and save half for fried rice later in the week.  So clean out your fridge and enjoy some fried rice tonight!

FRIED RICE
this serves our family of 4, but could easily be doubled for a crowd

4 cups cold cooked rice
4 green onions, chopped (or whatever onions you have in the pantry)
1 clove garlic (or if your family loves garlic, like us, add 4 cloves)
1 cup cubed ham (or sausage or chicken or shrimp, etc.)
1-2 cups cubed veggies (celery, bean sprouts, peas, carrots, pineapple- anything!)
4 beaten eggs
3-4 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tb-ish of red pepper flakes (optional)

In a wide skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions and garlic in two tablespoons of oil for about 1 minute.  Add the ham, veggies and rice and stir fry until slightly browned and heated through.  Add the beaten eggs to the rice mixture and stir well- scrambling the eggs in to the rice.  Add soy sauce and stir.  Add red pepper flakes to desired heat.  Serve immediately.

I am the "sister chef" OR Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

When my sister Brynn was in college, I was debating on what to get her for her birthday.  As a college student, I knew she didn't have much room in her shared apartment for much "stuff".
 Book?  To be read after graduation probably.
Money?  Pretty impersonal for my sister.
Movie or gift card?  I'm sure it would have been appreciated since movie/date money is hard to come by for a college student, but it didn't feel right.
Food?  Ah, yes.
 Is there anything that tastes better that "home food" when you have been living on cold cereal, bagged salad and string cheese for a whole semester?  I think not.  That year, Brynn got a big brown paper sack full of homemade frozen stir-fry dinners, pasta dishes and quick breads.  I kept the thank you note from her that had more exclamation points than I've ever seen describing how great this gift was.  I love that.
After Christmas break, when my youngest sister, Bailey, wanted to make a few things to take down to SUU with her for the next semester- I was happy to oblige!  Brynn, Bailey and I looked through my well-worn recipe book, made our list and headed off to the grocery store.  We loaded our cart with the makings for Lasagna Roll-Ups, Nana's Stuffed Peppers, Honey-Oat Granola Bars, Meatballs and Baked Chicken.  We chatted, chopped, laughed, sauteed, mixed and pretty much had a grand time being together.  Both my sisters have called to tell me how great it's been to have a meal ready to go from the freezer.  I know the feeling.  I love being able to pull out a pan of Lasagna Roll-Ups, toss a salad and enjoy dinner with my family.  Freezer meals are enjoyed at my house at least once a week and this is one of our favorites.

SPINACH LASAGNA ROLLS
from Skinnytaste-  my comments/adjustments are in blue

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked   (might as well cook up the whole box and make two pans!)
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained   (fresh, washed leaves work well, too)
• 15 oz ricotta cheese   (I have used small curd cottage cheese with great success)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh pepper
• 32 oz tomato sauce  (homemade is best!)
• 9 tbsp (about 3 oz) mozzarella cheese, shredded   (we like it a little cheesier at our house)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.