When Anthony’s family came up to New Jersey to visit in July, he and his grandmother got to talking about how amazing their spaghetti was and they want to cook it sometime. The two of them finally got their wish and cooked some amazing spaghetti. Here are a few snapshots of them.
When my mom was in town last weekend, we got some gorgeous flowers at Trader Joe’s. They are Christmas colors and I felt it was appropriate to put them in front of our Christmas tree. I must say that I’m totally in love with the two lenses I purchased while in NYC last Friday. They produce that gorgeous bokeh that you see behind the flowers. Yum-o!
I was adventurous last week and made homemade red velvet cupcakes. The frosting I ended up using was a complete wash, so I gave them another try this week. I did a slight variation on her cream cheese frosting – and I’m proud to say this was my first successful attempt at homemade frosting/icing.
Red Velvet Cupcakes – from Apple A Day – originally from Cake Man Raven – I got 24 cupcakes
2 1/2 c. cake flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 TBSP cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. buttermilk
2 TBSP (1 oz.) red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
Preheat oven to 350°.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Divide batter evenly between 3 greased and floured 8″ round cake pans (or a lined cupcake pan).
Bake cakes, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 25–30 minutes. Let cakes cool 5 minutes, then invert each onto a plate, then invert again onto a cooling rack. Let cakes cool completely.
Sugar Cream cheese frosting – adapted from Joy the Baker
3/4 cups butter, softened
4oz cream cheese, softened
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2-4 cups powdered sugar
1-3 tablespoons milk
depending on desired consistency
Cream the cream cheese in an electric mixer for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and add the butter, beating for 1-2 minutes, or until incorporated. Be sure that the two are at room temperature. Cold cream cheese or butter can make your frosting lumpy.
Add the sugar, pinch of salt and vanilla extract, and beat until incorporated.
Turn off mixer and add 2 cups of powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on a low speed so the sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl. Slowly add more sugar alternately with the milk until you reach your desired consistency.
While making the weekly dinner menu, I came across this recipe in Giada De Laurentiis’ Everday Pasta. Oh my it was delicious! I highly recommend you try it out. Its very hearty and perfect on the cold, yucky evening we had last night.
Start out with the olive oil, shallots, carrots and pancetta. Make sure you get the pancetta crispy.
All the ingredients are in (minus the swiss chard) and it is almost done (took 20 minutes at the most from start to finish).
Look at that hearty bowl of soup! It made for great leftovers for lunch today also.
Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1-15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups of Swiss chard, chopped (1 bunch)
6 cups chicken broth
1 (9 ounce) package cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, shallots, and carrot and cook until the vegetables are soft and the pancetta is crisp, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, beans, chicken broth and bring up to a boil over high heat. Throw in the Swiss chard and let it wilt, about 3 minutes.
Add the tortellini and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the tortellini are tender, about 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
I eliminated the swiss chard and added parsley at the end. I made my own white beans the morning of in the crock pot and added the bag spinach & cheese tortellini that is found in the pasta aisle of most grocery stores. I hope you try this recipe out on a cold day.
