Gnocchi

One word: Gnocchi.  Delicious, filling pillows of awesomeness. (oh yea- pronounced roughly knee-aw-kee)

Gnocchi are basically Italian dumplings.  Traditionally made with potatoes, but also can be made with ricotta cheese (among other things).  They look intimidating, right? Wrong- probably one of the easiest pasta's you can make.  Have you ever watched that show that only needs 5 ingredients for her recipes? Well yea- this only needs 4 ingredients- FOUR- that is it.

It might not be the quickest dinner- but the whole process took me about 1-1 1/2 hours (and I was taking my sweet time).  That is also including boiling the potatoes.  You can eat the gnocchi straight from the water after boiling, but they are SO MUCH better fried in a bit of butter/oil after to get that crusty exterior. 

Have you ever bought fresh gnocchi in the store? Well you will never again- it probably cost me around $2 to make all this pasta- which would probably be around 3-4 store bought packages. Saving money AND making something downright impressive. Score.

To pair off the gnocchi I made quick blanched then sauteed string beans with pine nuts in garlic butter/oil sauce.  It is a good texture trade off and the flavors are clean and simple.

Best part is that if you have any left over you just lay out on a sheet tray, freeze them, then into a zip lock bag and you have a quick easy dinner ready to go whenever!  *Go ahead and pat yourself on the back after making this recipe*

**IMPORTANT**
Other quick thoughts: You don't need a ricer, I used a cheese grater (which I assume most people have- just use the larger holes because the smaller ones don't work as well), and if you really don't have a box cheese grater- you can always just mash the potatoes.  The potatoes I guessed on the weight- I have pics though. The flour will vary, I started with 1/3 of a cup then worked my way up to 2/3 cup, 1 cup etc.

I also skipped the "making ridges" part- which is a thing to do because the ridges hold sauce onto the pasta- butttttt the technique wasn't working with my dough- so for the first time making gnocchi I decided to cut my losses and not do the ridges.

Gnocchi

Ingredients

• about 2lbs of potatoes (use Russets)
• about 1 cup of flour
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions (also see pictures below)

1. Peel your potatoes. Put in a pot, cover with cold water, add a tbsp of salt to the water and bring to a boil. 
2. When the potatoes are tender, drain(time will vary on size of potatoes). You can tell when they are done when you can stick a fork in the potato and it slides off the fork clean.  (You can also bake in the oven, but I felt boiling would be faster).
3. While they are cooling, get your station set up- get a large pot of water to boil for later and also a large sheet pan dusted in flour to lay your gnocchi after you cut them.
4. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, grate them on the large holes of your box grater (or rice them, if you are cool enough to own one of these fascinating ricer devices).
5. Add the grated potatoes to a large bowl.  Add your salt and egg.
6. Then add the flour, I started by adding 1/3 cup at a time- you don't want to add too much flour, so start with a little, see the texture, then add more if it is still sticky.  Making this "dough" will seem odd and feel a little weird because it is potatoes.  But the dough will come together and finally be able to form a ball.
7. Turn out the ball onto a floured work surface and cut into 8 pieces (ya know- like you would cut a pizza).
8. Always make sure your surface is floured- So then take one section at a time and roll into a log, I would say roughly about a little fatter then your thumb.  Then cut into 1 inch pieces and then transfer to your floured baking sheet.  
9. Repeat will all sections of your dough.
10. When all your gnocchi are done, salt the boiling water and add in batches- don't over crowd the pot.  When they float to the top they are done!  When they float to the top be sure to take them out right away, if you leave them in the water too long they will disintegrate.
11. Serve with your favorite sauce!  Lighter sauces work better with these delicate pillow pastas.

I included the fork in the pic so you can see the size of the potatoes

Set up your workstation

Gnocchi w/ String Beans and Pine Nuts in a Lemon Garlic Sauce

• about 1lb of string beans cleaned and trimmed
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp of pine nuts
• 2 tbsp of oil
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 lemon
• pecorino cheese

1. In a small skillet, add the pine nuts and toast for a minute or so on med-low heat.  Remove from heat and reserve.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter. Smash the garlic cloves (but try and keep them intact) and add to the oil.  When lightly golden, remove the garlic cloves. 
3. Add the gnocchi in batches to the hot oil and pan fry until golden on one side then flip over and brown on the other.
4. Take out and let drain on paper towels, continue working in batches until all are browned.  
5. Blanch the string beans first (I just threw them in the left over pasta water for a minute) then add to the left over garlic oil and saute until tender but still crisp.  
6. Zest the lemon over the string beans and toss to coat.
7. Gently toss the gnocchi and string beans together.  Top with pine nuts and grated pecorino cheese.

Lemon Basil Penne

Oh this was so good.  Simple to make too. Serve along side some thin grilled cutlets for a quick weeknight meal!

Ingredients

• 3 lemons, juice (and zest of 2)
• 1 cup of cheese- I used pecorino, but you could use parm or even mozzarella
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp of butter (I used I can't believe it's not butter)
• 1/2 cup of low fat milk (I used 1%)
• 1 tsp of cornstarch
• about 1 lb of asparagus
• about 20 basil leaves, chiffonade (aka cut into ribbons)*
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb box of penne pasta (using whole wheat is even better!)

Directions

1. Get water boiling for your pasta.
2. In a small sauce pot add the butter and the garlic.  Cook that on low for a couple minutes to let the butter infuse with the garlic flavor.
3. Then add the lemon juice and zest. (Note: the garlic may turn green/blueish color- don't worry it is just reacting to the acid in the juice)
4. Side note: Never let this sauce come to a boil
5. While the lemon juice is heating through add the tsp of cornstarch to your low fat milk- if you are using cream or whole milk this step is unnecessary.  Stir until combined and then add to the pot while whisking. 
6. Quickly add the cheese and whisk until combined.  Taste it- see if you want to add more salt, add pepper if desired.  When that is all heated through and a creamy sauce consistency, turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
7. When the water boils add salt and then your pasta. 
8. Cut your asparagus into short pieces, similar to the size of the penne.  When the pasta is almost done add the asparagus to the water and let the pasta and asparagus finishing cooking together.
9. Drain pasta/asparagus and add to a large serving bowl.  Pour the sauce on top and add basil- mix until everything is combined.
10. You can add a bit of extra virgin olive oil and more cheese on top if desired.

*To chiffonade basil stack up all the leaves and roll them up into a little log.  Then slice.  You will end up with pretty ribbons.

Hummus

Totally had a hummus craving.  Luckily for me I have about 100 cans of chick peas in my pantry for some reason.  My girl Dee just posted her recipe up on her new blog Deeliciously Healthy Eats so feel free to check that out too for more inside tips, tricks and pointers about hummus and how to make it.  I also promised my sister's bff that I would post this for her.  (Don't worry Maria next time I will bring hummus for you). 

Hummus is an amazing snack in moderation because it is high in fat- boo.  (Vanessa: Sorry, you are right, I forgot to mention that they are good fats like in avocados and such) You can customize hummus in many different ways too- toss in roasted red peppers, spinach, salsa, chipolte, cayenne and the list goes on.  I actually grated up some seedless cucumber and added it.  So fresh and delicious.

Ingredients

• 5 tsp of tahini paste (this is ground up sesame seeds, look for it in Asian markets or in the international food aisle.  I have also spotted this where the jellys or nuts are sometimes)
• 1 can of chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 2 tsp of salt
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/2-1/4 cup of water
• extra virgin olive oil (for garnish)

Directions

1. In a food processor or blender add everything except the water.  Buzz it up until it breaks down a bit.  Add 1/4 cup of water to start.  Check consistency and taste.  Thinner just add more water.  The consistency will vary depending on how much lemon juice the lemon gave you or other flavor ingredients you used.  You can eat right away or leave in the fridge to let the flavors marry a bit more.  You can garnish by drizzling the top with a bit of oil, but that is up to you.

DIY Italian Bistro Lunch & Cocktails

So to celebrate my Mom's 39th birthday (again) she wanted some Italian themed food.  I like when the whole family comes to our house instead of going out- we can relax, stay as late as you want, drink as much as you want and most importantly watch the Giants game ;)  There are 6 of us usually and they come with the booze and I'll cook up the meal- having a great time + saving money + everyone pitching in = a normal family gathering for us.

My mom is a bruschetta fanatic- it is always a must have.  So to change it up I made homemade focaccia bread instead of just regular Italian bread- which came out perfect and is oh so good.  Here's the menu run down:

Appetizer

Homemade Focaccia with Bruschetta
Romaine and Fennel Salad
Raspberry Bellinis

Main Lunch

Paninis!
Caprese- Homemade pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes on Italian artisan bread
Proscuitto, arugula, and provolone on roasted garlic artisan bread
Genoa Salami, hot capicola, homemade roasted red peppers, provolone and arugula on whole wheat artisan bread

The last panini combo was the favorite!

Dessert

(Healthy) Lemon Semifreddo with raspberry and almond topping



Wow- this seems like such a lot of work when I actually typed it out! But it really wasn't- just some good planning and prep can make your party easy and enjoyable.

First things first: food shopping the day before.  I basically made the deli counter lady crazy.  I ordered all the meat and cheese pre-sliced so all I needed to do was put on the bread and fry.  I also picked up frozen bags of raspberries because they were on sale and of course all the other fresh ingredients I needed.

When I got home from food shopping I made the pesto, roasted red peppers (you can also just pick up a jar of them no biggie), and the lemon semifreddo.  By the way, semifreddo is like an Italian sherbet.

Fast forward to the day of- I made the focaccia in the morning (which you could have done the night before but I wanted it super fresh and it made the house smell wonderful), pureed the raspberries in the blender, and made the bruschetta (which could also have been made in advance).  When we were all done with the appetizers I just assembled the sandwiches and fried them up. Simple!

So the focaccia recipe is again Anne Burrell's but I this time I used a bit less flour and a bit more yeast.  Can't deny the fact that this is a great simple recipe.

Then you slice the small squares again through the middle and make a small little bruschetta sandwich!

Pesto

• 1 big bunch of basil leaves (about 1-2 cups)
• handful of parsely
• 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese (Or pecorino)
• 2-3 tablespoons of pine nuts
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 of a lemon, juiced
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Throw everything into a food processor or blender except the oil.  Get everything chopped then slowly add the oil to make a pesto as thin or thick as you like. Freezes wonderfully- but mine never makes it to the freezer ;)



Bruschetta Recipe

• 4 large tomatoes, diced (I have also used canned diced tomatoes before- just drain them well)
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 1 bunch of basil, torn or chiffonade
• Extra virgin olive oil- about 1/3 cup
• salt to taste

Combine everything and let sit to marry the flavors.

Romaine and Fennel Salad
I wanted something light and crunchy to go along with my focaccia and bruschetta

• 2 heads of romaine, sliced
• 1/2 bulb of fennel (aka anise), sliced paper thin- save a couple fronds for garnish (the green leafy stuff on the top of the bulb)
• orange zest (optional)
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper

To make the dressing combine the lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper, then whisk in the oil until it looks like a dressing.  Toss the romaine and fennel together and zest the orange on top for garnish as well as the fennel fronds.  I served the salad undressed, then had everyone pour the dressing on their own salad.  Just don't overdress the salad or it will make the lettuce heavy.  (I also made the salad ahead- if you do this definitely do not add the dressing).  Thinly sliced red onion would be nice in this salad too.

Raspberry Bellinis

So a Bellini is a classic Italian cocktail made with peach and prosecco.  I decided to change it up with raspberries. 

• 2 bottles of good Prosecco (or any sparkling wine/champagne)
• 1/2 bag of frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup of triple sec (this is really just to help the raspberries in the blender- you could omit or just use water or another flavored liquor)

Blend the raspberries with the extra liquid of your choice until it is a puree.  You can choose to strain out the seeds and pulp- I was in a rush and forgot but they were still good.  You can either make the drinks individually by adding a bit of puree to the bottom of each glass or (like I did) make a pitcher- one bottle at a time.

Panini

Panini is just a hot squished sandwich.  I do not have a panini press- but I do own a cast iron skillet.  If you don't own a heavy pan you can just weigh it down with whatever you have- a large can of beans or tomatoes etc.  One thing about paninis is that it is a good idea to make sure you have a piece of cheese directly on the bread on BOTH sides- so it acts like glue to stick everything together

Caprese: is the classic combo of basil, mozzarella and tomato.  Just slice the bread, slather both sides with pesto, top with cheese and tomato and put in a skillet with a bit of oil and pop the cast iron skillet on top of the sandwich to weigh it down. 

Prosciutto: I used sliced prosciutto, provolone and arugula in this sandwich on a roasted garlic bread. Same technique as before

Salami: This one was the best! And everything you can get right at the deli! Genoa Salami (which is a sweeter salami), Hot capicola is another type of salami-which is from the shoulder or neck- they even have sweet versions, Roasted red peppers , arugula and provolone.  Pile everything up, squish down and fry until the cheese is melty and delicious!



Did this the night before. Oh and check out my new magnetic knife holder I got for Christmas!

 Onto the dessert....

Ok so I basically followed Anne Burrell's Lemon Semifreddo recipe but of course I forgot to buy heavy cream- so I had to improvise (and pray it worked) and then when it did work out I got to call it "healthy" hehe.  This needs to set for AT LEAST 6-8 hours- so I suggest you do this the day before.

• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
• other half a bag of frozen raspberries left over from the bellinis
• 8 eggs- yolks and whites separated
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 3 lemons, zested and juiced
• 2 pinches of salt

Start by prepping the pan- take a loaf pan or even a small casserole dish and line with plastic wrap (for easy removal later!) then in the bottom (which will eventually become our top) coat with crushed raspberries and nuts. 

Separate the egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls- set the whites aside.  Add the sugar, lemon zest and juice and one pinch of salt to the yolks and whisk to combine.  Now we need to set up a double boiler.  In a sauce pot, that will snugly and comfortably fit your bowl with the yolks (obviously the bowl must be glass or metal), fill the pot with just an inch of water and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Put your yolk bowl on top and continuously stir the eggs until the temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.  This takes about 10 minutes.  DO NOT STOP STIRRING or you will end up with scrambled eggs.  When it reaches the correct temperature take off the heat and set aside. 

I didn't use a snug fitting bowl and it took SOOOOOO long- don't let the steam escape!

Back to egg whites: Add the other pinch of salt and beat until tripled in size and have stiff peaks.  You beat the eggs until it becomes like a whipped cream almost.  Stiff peaks refers to the fact when you dip your whisk in the egg whites, pull it out, hold vertical over the bowl for a second, then turn horizontal, and what is on the end of your whisk should look like small little mountain peaks of egg white foam.



Staight Old School- with Grandmas Hand Crank Egg Beater



Combine the egg whites with the egg yolks in three installments.  The first installment try to cut the whites into the yolks with a spatula.  Next two installments gently fold in the whites as to not let all the air out of them.

Fill your loaf pan- I had a bit left over- don’t worry I'll show you a dessert you can make right away with the extra for the cook ;) After you fill your loaf pan wiggle it around so there are no air bubbles and everything will freeze evenly.  Pop in the freezer over night until solid but still soft (like a sherbet!)

To serve- use the plastic wrap to help you pull it out of the pan and then slice and serve! Super delicious, refreshing and pallet cleansing!

Try one or try them all! Buon appetito!


Oh so back to the extra left over from dessert- now this is not brain surgery- but you are going to have to eye ball it- depending on how much egg mixture you have left- sprinkle some flour into the batter- mix as gently and as little as possible to incorporate the flour (sifting would really help here).  Mix until the batter looks like it has a thicker texture.

Now in another loaf pan or I used these cute ramekins- grease the pan, pour mixture in and top with raspberries.

Pop then into a preheated 375 degree F oven until golden on the edges.  Depending on how much flour you put in you might not be able to rely on the "toothpick method" but hey whatever comes out is at least going to taste good for a quick dessert.  It came out almost like a really moist sponge cake.  I think I baked it for about 20-30 minutes.

Before she went in the oven

Obviously we all had a great day!

Pan Fried Chicken w/ Arugula Pesto Pasta

Pesto is such an awesome basic recipe to know.  There are so many ways you can switch it up! It is great for fresh herbs that are about to go bad.  I had about 2 cups of arugula that was on its way out and some parsley as well, so I decided on pesto.  Classic pesto is a mixture using basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese blended with olive oil.  Essentially pesto means to crush or pound which is how it is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle.  Now-a-days food processors make easy work of it.  So here are the basic essentials when making a pesto of any kind:

-fresh herbs
-garlic
-a nut
-Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
-oil

Sometimes I leave out the nuts because I don't have any, not the end of the world.  I also love to add lemon juice and zest into my pestos too.  I like pestos because they are not rocket science, as you will see from the recipe I don't have exact measurements on a lot of things because I just throw everything in a food processor, taste at the end and if it needs more of one thing I just add it and blend up again, taste and repeat if necessary.  Also, pan frying chicken with a quick and easy pan sauce is impressive and tasty.

Arugula Pesto

• 2 cups of arugula
• handful of fresh parsley
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
• handful of almonds
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
• freshly grated pepper
• pinch of salt (easy on the salt, the cheese is very salty, taste to make sure)
• about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Combine everything in a food processor or blender and blend until a loose paste.  Sometimes I add just a bit of water to make it more loose (instead of using more oil)

Boil up your favorite pasta and top/toss with the pesto!

Pan Fried Chicken

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (butterflied in half to make them thin cutlets for quick cooking)
• 1 tbsp salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• about 1 cup of flour
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• oil

1. In a skillet heat some oil on medium low with the smashed garlic cloves and red pepper flakes.  Try and keep the garlic in large pieces so we can remove it easily later.
2. Don't let the garlic burn, keep heat on a low setting until we are ready with the chicken. 
3. While the oil is infusing with the garlic and chili flake, combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate or shallow bowl (I use the leftover Chinese take out containers, they work perfect). 
4. When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove the garlic from the pan and discard.  Turn the heat up to high/med-high.  Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excessive.  Put chicken in the pan.  We are cooking it only a couple minutes on each side, just until they are brown and golden.
5. When all the chicken is browned on both sides (don't worry it doesn't necessarily have to be cooked through) take out of the pan and reserve. 
6. Add about 2 more tbsp of oil to the pan and then add the onion.  Cook the onion a couple minutes until soft and translucent.  Then sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the flour left over from dredging the chicken on the onions (if you don't feel comfortable doing this, use fresh flour).  Cook out the flour for about a minute. 
7. Add the wine and stock to the pan and whisk until all combined.  Add the chicken back into the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Coat the chicken in the sauce and now you just have to keep warm until ready to serve.
8. Plate the chicken and top with some extra sauce.

I served this all alongside my Lemon Garlic Broccoli Sidedish Yum!

Margharita² (Lemon Margaritas & Margherita Pizza)

First of all I would like to thank TopShelf Network, Inc for giving me the opportunity to join the family.  I know only good things come from a compilation of great minds and ideas (and food recipes of course).  Check out their site for "entertainment on every level", from everything from fashion, to sports, to True Blood and more.  I wanted to feature this recipe combo first because I felt it would be appropriate to celebrate the cross promotional worlds of food and entertainment.

This blog is a fun combo of Margaritas and Margherita Pizza.  (And YES I know the title is spelled wrong- it is just a combo of both words).  This recipe would be so fun to use if you were throwing a cocktail party or just as an appetizer.  I mean, booze and pizza are a match made in heaven- but this makes it feel a bit posh while you're getting on your slosh. The lemon isn't overwhelming it pairs nice with the fresh light pizza.  I first learned how to make pizza because I felt the price for delivery pizza was truly outrageous (truly truly truly outrageous, oh oh oh).  Anyway, it turned out to be super easy, just something you need to think about an hour before hand- which turns out to be most likely the same amount of time you would wait for delivery anyway.  Margaritas are always fun, they have their own glass and you can make them straight or frozen (mmm frozen, perfect for summer!)  I absolutely love margaritas, and this won't be the only time you see them on my blog.  I already have tons of ideas floating around with what to pair them with.  Since we're having pizza, I wanted to keep it an Italian theme.  Limoncello is an Italian liqueur made with lemons, alcohol (traditionally grain alcohol or you can use vodka), sugar and water.  I'm not using Limoncello liqueur but I did want to let the lemon flavor really shine, without having to buy a whole bunch of different liquors.  Don't worry it won't be super tart, that's why we add sugar to the mix :) 

Margherita Pizza is a classic that was "first made in 1899 when Queen Marghereta visited Napels to escape a cholera epidemic in the north of Italy. The ingredients used to make a Margherita pizza, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil, imitate the colors of the Italian flag. Queen Margherata liked the pizza so much that she wrote a thank you letter to Esposito, who decided to name the pizza after the Queen." (http://www.recipepizza.com/toppings/margherita_pizza.htm)

We'll start with the pizza dough recipe.  If you are pressed for time, or just don't feel like getting your hands dirty, most supermarkets carry fresh pizza dough now, or you can always go to your local pizzeria and buy pizza dough for cheap. 

Pizza Dough Recipe
(this will make two thin crust 16" pizzas, or one thick crust and extra dough for garlic knots)

• 1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
• 2 cups of bread flour (if you don't have bread flour, just use 3 ½ cups of all purpose flour in total)
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 packet of dry active yeast (or about 2 ½ to 3 tsp if you buy in bulk)
• 1 cup of warm water (about 100-110 degrees if you want to get technical)
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

1. Pour the yeast into the warm water and stir to combine.  Let this sit for a couple minutes to reactivate the yeast.
2. In a big bowl combine the flour, salt and sugar with a whisk and make a small well in the middle of the bowl. 
3. Then add the oil and yeast water to the well and combine with a large fork until just combined then use your hands until a sticky ball of dough is formed.
4. If you need to add a little more flour, just add a little at a time.
5. Take out of the bowl and knead the bread for about 5 mins. (Anytime you knead dough you want to sprinkle the counter or work area with flour so the dough doesn't stick) Shape it into a tight ball. Then put back into the bowl and cover entire ball with some oil (I usually just spray it with cooking spray) and cover with plastic wrap where the plastic wrap is touching the dough- not tightly covering the bowl on top, we are just covering the dough from the air so it doesn't form a tough "skin".  You could even drape a kitchen towel over the top of the bowl instead.
6. Let sit for at least 45 mins in a warm place until it has doubled in size.  If you don't have a warm place, turn the oven on to 350 degrees for a couple mins then place the bowl with the dough in there (but obviously shut the oven off- we aren't cooking the dough yet)
7. When it has doubled in size, knead it again for about 5 mins and then divide the dough into two even pieces.  Roll out the dough into the shape of your pan (pizza pans are cheap- I have two: one from Waldbaums, and one from Wal-Mart, but before I had the round pans I just made my pizzas "Sicilian" or rectangle and put on a baking sheet.) *edit* Now I actually have upgraded to a pizza stone. If you make a lot of pizza or really want a quality pizza I HIGHLY suggest you go and spend the $20 on a pizza stone- it will change the way you make pizza, seriously. **  Transfer to your pan or stone and top with toppings.
8. Cook for at least 10 mins at 450-550 degrees.  (Basically crank your oven as high as it will go) Pizza cook time will vary on crust size and what you topped the pizza with.

Margherita Pizza Recipe

• 2 small ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1 lb of fresh mozzarella, sliced
• fresh basil leaves, about 10 (or about 1-1½ tablespoons of dried)
• salt
• extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Make the dough like I showed you before, and try to roll the dough out thin
3. Drizzle a little oil on the dough and cover evenly with your hand or a brush
4. Top with slices of mozzarella and tomato and basil leaves (if using dried just sprinkle the dried over the top)
5. Sprinkle on salt about a tsp or so
6. Put in the oven for about 10-15 mins. Keep an eye on it. When cheese and crust are all nice and brown its done.  I like to let the pizza sit for a minute or two when I take it out of the oven, I feel it helps set up the pizza a bit.  Then slice and serve!

Please use fresh mozzarella, it really makes a difference. And yea I didn't have fresh basil when I took the photos, sorry!

Frozen Lemon Margaritas
(This makes one serving for a standard Margarita glass.  If you need to make more just multiple the recipe by that number)

• 2 lemons (and the zest of one of them)
• 1 lime
• 2 shots (2 oz.) of tequila
• 1 shot (1 oz) of triple sec (or any other orange liqueur, and if you don't have any you could always use orange juice)
• 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar
• about 1-1½ cups of ice (I used 6 large ice cubes)
• salt or sugar for the rims

1. Zest one lemon into a blender
2. Before you squeeze the citrus- use it to line the rim of the glass and then roll the rim in either sugar or salt. I always prefer salt mmmmm.
3. Then add the juice of the lemons and lime into a blender
4. Add the liquor, sugar and ice. Then blend until slushy.

If it's too tart for your taste, add a bit more sugar. Want it stronger? Add more tequila! If no blender is available- shake it up and pour over some ice.  Oh, and believe me, you're gunna wanna make more than one serving  :) Buon appetito!

Asparagus with "Healthy Hollandaise"



Hollandaise is an emulsion (blend) of egg yolks and butter, usually seasoned with lemon juice.  It is also usually hailed as a difficult sauce to make because you don't want to scramble the yolks with the heat of the butter.  The sauce is very classic, but I feel it's so heavy and unhealthy plus it's a pain to make. So here is a fancy looking dish that is SUPER easy to make.  I actually just made it for myself for dinner tonight.  Serve with some toasty bread so you can soak up all the rest of the runny egg and lemon juice.  This is for ONE serving, so it's really easy to make for one or many.

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar (to help the egg whites coagulate)
• One egg
• 1/2 bunch of asparagus (about 1/2 lb)
• 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
• salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• Parmesan or peccorino romano cheese, shaved

Directions

1. Blanch and shock the asparagus.  (Boil in salty water for a couple mins until bright green, them drain and run under some cold water) Set aside for now.
2. In a small pan we are going to poach the egg, but first I wanted to infuse the water with a couple spices- smash 2 garlic cloves, the vinegar, 2 tbs of salt and a couple grinds of fresh black pepper.  (I threw in 2 small sprigs of fresh thyme-if you have it throw that in too, if not, don't worry)
3. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 5 mins.  Reduce the heat to low, where you just have a few bubbles, and poach your egg for 2-3 mins. Just until the egg sets, then turn off the heat and let sit for about a min.
4. Zest the lemon half and reserve.
5. Toss the asparagus with the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Plate them.
6. Top the asparagus with the poached egg- top with a pinch of salt and pepper and the lemon zest.
7. Top with pieces of shaved Parmesan or peccorino romano.

When you cut it open the egg runs and coats the asparagus. Use the bread to soak up all the extra sauce. It was seriously delicious, and it's a full complete meal- protein, veggie, and carb/starch.

Lemon Garlic Broccoli Sidedish

Yum broccoli- I used to hate broccoli when I was younger- now I love it.  You can roast it, eat it raw, steam it, stir fry it etc.  When fresh broccoli goes on sale, I buy a whole lot of it because I just bring it home and freeze it myself- it turns out to be cheaper than if I bought it frozen already (try and get it on sale like 99¢ a pound.  Not a bunch, by the pound!). 

First, start a big pot of water boiling.  Then while you wait for that to boil take your broccoli and cut it up into regular floret pieces and rinse them.  When the water boils we are going to blanch* them.  Dump them in the water and keep them there for about a min or so- when they turn a really bright green strain them and you can either run them under cold water (which I do because I'm lazy) or you can do it the right way and "shock"** them.

(*Blanching is boiling a vegetable for about a min or two to bring out all the bright green color, take away that raw taste, but still keep it crisp-ish.  It also helps to prep it for freezing.  I have tried freezing it raw- and believe me it just does not work)
(**"Shocking" is taking a blanched item and putting it directly into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process to keep that bright color and crisp texture)

Let the broccoli drain and cool, then pop in ziplocks and put in the freezer!

Then when you want to use them, you can either let them defrost and use however you want- If I'm roasting I using squeeze some water from them first.  Or you can just put them in a microwavable dish and enjoy steamed- just like from the frozen food section! And that is what I did with this super easy recipe:

Ingredients:

• About 2 to 3 cups of broccoli
• a lemon (zest* and juice)
• salt & pepper to taste (about a 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper)
• a clove of garlic peeled
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter (or the butter substitutes)
• extra virgin olive oil-EVOO (optional)

Directions

1. If the broccoli is frozen- put in your microwave dish and put in the microwave for about 4 mins to get them going. 
2. Pop the garlic out of its skin and lightly smash- trying to keep it intact- we are going to pull the clove out later, just using it a bit to lightly flavor the broccoli.  This dish really is about the clean lemon taste. Or you can just totally omit this step.
3. When the broccoli can be easily mixed up and is not frozen solid, take all the ingredients (except the oil) and mix all together.
4. Put back into the microwave and cook until done.  Drizzle with a bit of EVOO if you want and serve next to whatever's for dinner or all by itself! Just don't serve the garlic clove.

*Lemon Zest: what an awesome flavor booster- and you already bought the lemon, so why not use all of it.  The zest is where the essential oils are.  Use only the colored part, because the white part (the pith) is bitter and no good for eating.  You need a zester, but they are cheap and good for other things like cheese, nutmeg, garlic etc.  A zester was one of my very first kitchen gadgets. There are different types of zesters- try and get one that is a microplane one- because the citrus zester is (obviously) just for citrus. The one below is what I have- a microplane

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