Super Quick Pasta for One

This is just a small post about a super quick pasta dish for one, it's an healthier option if your craving some hearty noodles without the heavy sauces.

Ingredients:

-Pasta (Penne Pasta)

-3 Medium/Small Tomatoes

-Your Favorite cheese
-Balsamic Vinegar
-(Optional: a splash of dry white wine)

Pan of choice: small pot
Serves: one

1. Boil your pasta,  if you have a box of penne, just boil half.  Drain and set aside.

 2.  Dice up about three tomatoes and add it to your pasta

3.  For the simple sauce drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, (optional: any dry white wine you like) onto the pasta and tomatoes.  Toss to coat evenly. 

4.  Then I took regular shredded cheese and added about 3/4 cup of it to the pasta.

5. Add some pepper to taste.

5.  Stir up and enjoy!

Yummy and super simple!

SORTED - Pasta Carbonara dish!!

SORTED has become a weirdly addictive/obsession of mine lately and I've finally come around to making my first SORTED dish!!

I  converted the recipe into american measurements and also doubled the recipe so it would serve four.

1 Package of Dried Spaghetti
1 Package of Italian Pancetta (3 oz.)
1/2 Package of Smoked Bacon
4 Eggs
4 Egg Yolks
200ml of Cream (I used heavy whipping cream)
1 cup of Parmesan Cheese\
Black pepper (to taste!)
Texas Toast (lol definitely cheated! My oven doesn't work!)

PAN of choice:  Large pot, and small pan.

1.  Boil your pasta, 7-10 mins. Cook till al dente! Drain the pasta, then put it back in the same pot, and set aside for later.

2.  Dice the pancetta and bacon, and fry it up in the small pan until golden brown.  Adding bacon seems like a very american thing to do...but my family tends to like hearty proteins in their dinner.  Plus, YOU WILL NOT REGRET the addition on bacon (well, if you like bacon)!! But, buying pancetta in large amounts, can be a bit pricey and scarce.

 3.  Mix the eggs, egg yolk, cream, chesse, and alittle bit of black pepper!

 4.  Add the Pancetta/Bacon and the sauce to the awaiting Spaghetti and mix!

5. Toast up some Texas toast, and crumble the yummy crumbs all over!!

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!!
(Leftovers are also the best!)

mmm..

I found it absolutely amazing!! I think I made it cheesy-er than it needs to be; but it totally reminds me of that famous dish from Yard House (Mac&Cheese'squared') without the truffle oil!! The bacon definitely gives it an intense hearty bacon flavor, whereas the Pancetta is much more complex and subtle.
 This is now a must have staple!!! 

{OPTIONAL: Give your dog Bacon!}

Breakfast Time: Eggplant Torta!!

This dish has to be one of my favorite dishes, I'm always pushing my dad to cook this for me!  Then he FINALLY taught me how to make it!  It's a traditional healthy eggplant dish for breakfast, it's very much like an omelette using scrambled eggs.  

Ingredients:

4 Medium Eggplants
8 Eggs
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Pan of choice: Wok
Serves: 4

Directions:

1.  Wash the eggplant and roast the eggplant over a stove or put the eggplant in the broiler, till it looks like this photo!   I just used the stove technique.

It might look funny but after this is done hold the stem of the eggplant and use tongs to peel away the top layer

2.  After, scramble two eggs and add it to the bowl and the eggplant, salt and pepper to taste. Using a fork, smash the eggplant into the egg.

I like to use a semi-shallow bowl, because when you put the eggplant in the pan you can just slide it in and it keeps its shape.

3.  Add a large bit of oil to the pan and slide the egg and eggplant in the pan.

4.  Flip the torta around and brown the otherside.

And there you have it!! Repeat the steps for more.. believe me it's addicting.  I definitely recommend adding a bit of ketchup!

mmm..

Cupcake Pops!!! ::Dessert Adventures w/ErikasJewels!::

Lately the greatest invention in the baking world has been these cake pops!  Of course 100% of the credit goes to baking genius Bakerella at bakerella.com.  The pops are 'popping' up everywhere! Many coffee shops are including them in there food section, and I was surprised to see them at Starbucks!  My sister and I decided to make these amazing cute cupcake shaped ones!!

Here is the recipe adapted from Bakerella using redvelevet cake and mini chocolate chips.

Cake Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake) & 1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.) 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips

Cake Pop ingredients:

Pink Candy Melts
Chocolate/Brown Candy Melts
Lollipop Sticks
M&Ms
Rainbow Sprinkles
Wax paper or plastic wrap (for easy clean up!!) 

Bite!!Yummery Goodness.

1.  First you bake the cake as directed.  After the cake is baked, cool the cake down and crumble the cake in a large bowl then mix in a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.
2.  Add 3/4 of the frosting and mix well.  If the mixture is not 'bunching up' from the frosting you can add a bit more.

    
3.  Roll the mixture into large ball, about the size of a mini cupcake.  We didn't have a cookie cutter to shape the bottom of the cake so we just shaped the ball into a 'cupcake' like shape.  Then we placed the cake in the refrigerator for two hours to harden.

4. After the cake has harden, then dip the smaller side of the cake into the melted chocolate melts.  After you dip the chocolate half way then insert the lollipop stick. It might help to dip the tip of lollipop stick first then insert it for maximum security!!

5.  After the chocolate has hardened, melt the pink candy melts and dip the other end of the cake so it covers the rest of the cake.

6.  Quickly place an M&M in the middle and sprinkle on the sprinkles!!  Insert the lollipop stick into a styrofoam block so the cake pop can air dry. 

Wrap in candy plastic to make it look AMAZING!!

Erikasjewels.etsy.com

.

AMAZING Beef Dish recipe using KETCHUP!!

Our father has made this dish for awhile now, it's kind of a special dish whenever we have some beef to cook.  It's a 'stew' like dish and uses only ketchup!!  Cooking with ketchup is super easy because all you do is simmer it down until it tenderizes the meat and the ketchup combo makes the stew extremely savory!  For this recipe you can use any kind of beef, but it's usually made with short ribs.        

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of Beef Short Ribs/ OR Beef Stew Meat (for this recipe I used Beef Stew but it's a lot easier with Short Ribs.
1/2 Medium Onion
1 Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Large Bottle of Ketchup (44oz bottle), You will use 3/4 of the bottle of ketchup.
2 tablespoons of oil

Pan of Choice: Wok
Serves: 4-5 people

1. In a large pan add the oil, and sauté the garlic and onion on medium heat until the onions are transparent.  

2. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and add the beef to the pan and create a light sear (till it gets brown).  If you are using short ribs make sure to do both sides, if your using beef stew, browning just two sides of the cube is fine.  


3.  Add the ketchup to the pan until it covers most of the beef. Lower the heat to medium/low heat and simmer the beef and ketchup. 

4.  The ketchup will start to get dark red and evaporate slightly.  Once the ketchup tastes less sweet and more savory then its about done!!

   


yum!!

The Forgotten Onion!! ::tear:: :D

Quick Grilled Chicken Seasoned with Soy Sauce!

Here is a easy grilled chicken recipe that has turned into a staple in the household.  With this, there is no need to marinate, just season and enjoy!

When using soy sauce, it tends to give a very distinct flavor to any protein.  So using it as one of the main components to this grilled chicken, you will soon find yourself adding it to everything!

• 2 garlic, sliced (depending on your taste, you can add more or remove the garlic)
• 9 Chicken legs and thighs
• Pepper or Everyday seasoning
• 1/4 cup of Soy Sauce
• 1/2 of a large onion
• A sliver of Ginger (optional)

Serves: 5

1. Slice the garlic and chop the onion and ginger.  Grab your grill pan and sauté the vegetables until the onion gets transparent and the garlic gets brown.
2. Meanwhile, place the chicken in a large bowl and add the pepper to taste.  Pour the soy sauce on the chicken and it should make the chicken slightly darker.
3. Move the vegetables to one side of the grill pan and raise the heat between ‘medium/high.’  Raising the heat will make a brown crust on the chicken. Place the chicken on the grill pan and once the chicken gets brown and crusty on both sides it’s finished!!
4. Tips: With large thighs, cutting the chicken in half ensures that it will cook all the way through.  Also, heating up the onion, garlic, and ginger, leaves flavor in the pan, and once you add the chicken it will pick up the flavor and infuse into the chicken making it extra tasty!  Soy sauce has the tendency to be salty if you add a lot, so you don’t really need to add regular salt to season the chicken.
5. Serve over a bed of rice or vegetables and nom nom (eat & enjoy)!!