Nicki's collection of recipes, open for all friends, family, and anyone who wishes to share from his/her own collection!
Recipe Source: thespicebarn.com
Prep/Cooking Time: prep time: 10 minutes / cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups flour
Directions:
Cream together the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Then add the other ingredients. Mix together but do not over work mix.
Spoon out onto cookies sheet.
Bake at 300°F for 10 minutes.
Makes 2 dozen.
Recipe Source: thespicebarn.com
Prep/Cooking Time: prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
3 fresh jalapenos (finely chopped) or 2 tsp dried jalapeno
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 med tomtoes (finely chopped)
2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (minced) or 2 tbsp dried cilantro
Directions:
In a glass bowl, combine all the ingredients together and let sit for at least an hour to marry together all the flavors.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Recipe Source: foodnetwork.com
Prep/Cooking Time: Prep Time: 15 minutes / Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds penne rigate pasta
Parsley Pesto:
2 cups Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 (3-ounce) jar or 1/4 cup pignoli nuts
1 clove garlic, cracked away from skin
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Tomato-Basil Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes,
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper
20 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
3/4 pound gorgonzola cheese, cut into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Put large pot of water on to boil for penne. Salt boiling water and cook penne to al dente.
In food processor, combine parsley, pignoli, garlic. Process and stream in about 1/4 cup evoo. Remove parsley paste to a large serving bowl. Stir in pepper and grated cheese. Add remaining evoo, stir to combine.
Heat a medium pot on stove top over medium low to medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, garlic and onion for the tomato basil sauce. Let onions cook with garlic slowly over 15 minutes, be careful not to brown onions — just keep an eye on the hat and stir the onions frequently. After 15 minutes, stir in tomatoes and raise heat to warm tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and wilt it into the sauce. Remove sauce from heat. When ready to serve, place sauce in the bottom of a large serving bowl to toss with hot pasta.
In a second medium pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in wine, reduce 15 to 20 seconds. Whisk in stock, then cream. Add sage, then pieces of cheese. Stir until cheese melts into sauce. Simmer over low heat until ready to serve. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Place 1/3 drained pasta in bowl with pesto, 1/3 with tomato basil sauce and 1/3 in another serving dish. Combine pasta with pesto, then coat and toss the second bowl of pasta with red sauce, to the last bowl, pour the gorgonzola sauce down over the pasta and toss.
Serve the three pastas family style or buffet style, immediately.
Recipe Source: foodnetwork.com
Prep/Cooking Time: Prep Time: 15 minutes / Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound small shell pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
3 large cloves garlic
1/2 small to medium yellow onion
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes, any brand
1/2 cup, 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Salt and pepper
1 cup store bought basil pesto sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell pasta and cook the pasta to al dente doneness which means that the pasta will still have a bite to it or be a little chewy. The pasta will soak up more juice and keep on cooking after we drain it, so we need it to be a little under cooked. The shells will probably cook about 9 or 10 minutes.
Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
Place garlic on the cutting board and place the flat of your knife on top of each clove. Carefully give the garlic a whack with the palm of your hand to separate the cloves from the skins. Throw out the skins and chop up the garlic. Remember to keep your fingers curled under and the edge of your sharp, chef’s knife tilted slightly away from your body.
Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan by pouring a slow stream of it twice-around-the-pan. This will be about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Do not let the oil pour out too fast. You are looking for a slow, steady stream. Add the garlic to the oil. To chop the onion, cut the ends off and cut the whole onion down the center. Wrap half and save it. Cut the other half into thin slices then twist the slices a quarter turn and chop them again. Hold the tip of knife on the cutting board and lift the back of the knife up and down over the onion to make the pieces really small. Add the chopped up onion to the garlic and oil. Cook, stirring a lot, 5 minutes until the onions are mushy and look cooked.
Add the tomatoes to the onions and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low. Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and peppe, to your taste.
Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.
Drain pasta shells. Add them to a casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a handful of grated Parmigiano, too. Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheeses. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve a little extra at the table, to pass around. Shred up some mozzarella cheese with a grater and scatter it over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of Parmigiano to the mozzarella as well. Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10 to 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 to 5 minutes.
Recipe Source: foodnetwork.com
Prep/Cooking Time: Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 1 minute
Ingredients:
2 cups crumbled ginger snap cookies or crumbled cinnamon graham crackers
2 pints butter pecan ice cream
1 cup caramel dessert sauce
1 canister whipped cream
1 (2-ounce) pouch chopped pecans
4 maraschino cherries
Directions:
Put a handful of cookie or graham cracker crumbles into a goblet or sundae bowl. Top with a scoop of the ice cream then add more crumbles and another scoop of ice cream. Take the metal lid off the dessert sauce and heat in microwave oven on high for 1 minute. Pour caramel sauce over the ice cream and top with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry.
Recipe Source: foodnetwork.com
Prep/Cooking Time: Prep Time: 2 minutes / Cook Time: 2 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup hot fudge sauce
2 pints vanilla ice cream
4 wafer cookies or pirouline cookies
Directions:
Place peanut butter in a small pan and melt gently over low heat. Remove lid to hot fudge sauce and place the jar in microwave to heat through. Scoop vanilla ice cream into small dessert bowls or glasses and top with even amounts of peanut butter then fudge sauce. Garnish sundaes with wafer or pirouline cookies.
Recipe Source: zatarain.com
Ingredients:
1 lb red beans, soaked in about 2 quarts water overnight
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tblsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package smoked sausage, cut in 1/4-inch thick slices
Directions:
Rinse and drain soaked beans; place in a 5 to 6-quart pot and add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are tender.
Stir occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and salt to taste; simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add water as necessary.
Serve over hot rice.
Recipe Source: 101cookbooks.com
Ingredients:
Salt
One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) with their liquid
1 pound penne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled
Crushed hot red pepper
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil for finishing the sauce, if you like
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing if you like
Directions:
Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.
Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into the work bowl of a food processor. Using quick on/off pulses, process the tomatoes just until they are finely chopped. (Longer processing will aerate the tomatoes, turning them pink.)
Stir the penne into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add them to the hot oil. Cook, shaking the skillet, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Lower the work bowl with the tomatoes close to the skillet and carefully ? they will splatter ? slide the tomatoes into the pan. Bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and generously with crushed red pepper, and boil 2 minutes. Pour in the vodka, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and simmer until the pasta is ready.
Just before the pasta is done, fish the garlic cloves out of the sauce and pour in the cream. Add the 2 tablespoons butter or oil, if using, and swirl the skillet to incorporate into the sauce. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt and red pepper if necessary. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and boil until the sauce is reduced enough to cling to the pasta.
Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cheese over the pasta, and toss to mix. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese if you like.
Makes 6 servings.
Recipe Source: 101cookbooks.com
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 slices bread
Directions:
Beat egg; add milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Cut bread into triangle, dip into egg and milk mixture. Brown on both sides on a well-greased griddle or frying pan. Serve with soft butter and maple syrup.
Heidi’s Notes:
I used a Hawaiian sweet bread sliced about 1-inch thick (and cut it into heart shapes). Choose your bread wisely – challah or any eggy or sweet bread would be equally good. I like to slice my French toast thick – it tends to collapse down a lot as it gets dunked and cooked. It will serve 2-4 depending on how hungry people are. I recommend a double batch!
This is just like what my grandmother used to make!
Recipe Source: oldfashionedcooking.com
Prep/Cooking Time:
Ingredients:
8 medium-sized potatoes
1 large onion
herbs, salt and pepper to taste
milk
butter
Directions:
Peel and boil potatoes with onion sliced, some herbs, salt and pepper; press all through a colander; then thin it with rich milk and add a lump of butter, more seasoning, if necessary; let it heat well and serve hot.
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