Authentic (Quick) Italian Tomato Sauce for Pasta

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Spaghetti Sauce, Tomato Sauce

Authentic Italian tomato sauce for pasta, and best of all it’s quick. This sauce doesn’t have to simmer for hours to taste GREAT. Quick, easy and the best tomato sauce. you will want to make this time, and time again. Another great authentic Italian recipe from Christina Cucina. Meatballs Recipe

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (like De Cecco or Lucini)
• 4 or 5 cloves fresh garlic (not in a jar, dried, powdered, or frozen) preferably grown in USA
• small bunch of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1 (28-32 oz) carton/jar of chopped tomatoes or puree (like Pomi or Bionaturae) ultimately, fresh Roma tomatoes are best if you have them
• about 1 1/2 level tsp Kosher salt
• 3 or 4 large leaves of fresh basil

To enjoy with pasta as soon as the sauce is ready, put a large pot of salted water on the cooktop over high heat and cook the pasta (I prefer De Cecco)

Pour the oil into a large saute pan (not a deep pot) over medium high heat. Crush the garlic and add it to the oil. Sauté the garlic until it just starts to brown, then add the parsley.

Turn the heat up to high.

Now add the tomatoes, and quickly cover with the lid for about 30 seconds, until the squirting subsides. Stir with a wooden spoon and lower the heat a little. It is important that this sauce is cooked at a fast simmer, as it is cooked briefly.

Add the salt and continue to simmer at a fast pace, and stir often.

The sauce will thicken quickly, so do not overcook it, and have it become too thick; about 5 to 7 minutes should be sufficient.

Taste the sauce, if it doesn’t taste delicious, it probably just needs a little more salt.

Turn off the heat and add the fresh basil (I tear mine into pieces).

Also, unless absolutely necessary, do not wash your basil.

Wipe it with a damp paper towel instead, so the water doesn’t ruin the flavor and aroma.

Add sauce to the drained pasta (save some pasta water to add back into the pasta in case it’s too dry), and enjoy immediately with some freshly grated authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Spaghetti Sauce

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Spaghetti Sauce

Rich and meaty spaghetti sauce is surprisingly easy to make, and ready in just over an hour. Serve over any variety of hot cooked pasta (my favorite is angel hair pasta). This wonderful sauce is my go to recipe. Super easy and so worth making homemade instead of that glass jar stuff.

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1  28 oz. can Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes (Product of Italy)

1 cup tomato sauce

3 1/2 oz. tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon marjoram

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms or (1 small can)

Over medium heat brown ground beef, and drain  Add olive oil and the onions and garlic and saute until tender.  Add the can of whole tomatoes and chop into pieces.  Then, add tomato sauce and tomato paste and mix to combine.  Add all spices and adjust to taste. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, with lid on, for 1 hour – stirring occasionally.

Makes 6 servings.

Scalloped Potatoes

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Potatoes, Scalloped Potatoes

Here’s a great scalloped potato recipe that’s so easy and absolutely delicious. These potatoes are oh so delicioso and cheesy! A great side dish!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated cheese, to sprinkle on top
• paprika

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
2. Let sit for a minute.
3. Add all of cold milk, stirring with a whisk.
4. Season with salt and cayenne.
5. Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
6. Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
7. Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish.
8. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
9. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
10. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
11. Top with some paprika for color.
12. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F.

Grilled Asparagus

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Asparagus, Grilled asparagus, zucchini

My favorite way to eat asparagus is to grill it! Grilling gives your food a huge punch of flavor so you really don’t need to add tons of spices and other ingredients to make it taste yummy. Putting them on a skewer makes it a lot easier to handle.

All you need to do is drizzle the asparagus in olive oil, juice of ½ lemon, or to taste, Kosher Salt,  Freshly grated black pepper. Bam! You’re done.

Ready for the grill! Grill 3-4 minutes on each side of the skewers.

I like to do zucchini the same way!

Banana Bread

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Banana Bread

Super simple recipe for homemade Banana Bread that uses basic pantry ingredients and is so moist it melts in your mouth! Super moist, perfectly sweetened, and easy banana bread. I like to add a chopped cup of pecans, or walnuts.

2 cup all-purpose flour, 

1 teaspoon baking soda, 

¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

¹⁄₂ cup butter,

³⁄₄ cup brown sugar

2 egg, beaten

2 ¹⁄₃ cup overripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture just enough to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Firecracker Chicken

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Chicken, Firecracker Chicken

A wonderful combination of sweet and spicy flavors that tastes a million times better than take-out! This recipe has a perfect balance of sweet and spicy with a hint of the buffalo sauce. It’s called Firecracker Chicken, but my husband renamed it…[ DYNAMITE Chicken] it’s that good! He’s not a chicken fan, but loved this, and it’s my daughter’s new favorite. It’s always a good feeling to please your loved ones.

It’s so easy to make, and the taste is amazing. I saw the recipe on Pinterest many times, and finally made it. I’m glad I did, because this will be on the menu often.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the sauce

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Franks Hot Sauce, or more, to taste
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with non-stick spray.
• To make the sauce, whisk together sugar, buffalo sauce, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon water in a large bowl; set aside.
• In a large bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in cornstarch and gently toss to combine. Working one at a time, dip the chicken into the eggs.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; discard excess oil.
• Add chicken to prepared baking dish. Top with buffalo sauce mixture. Place into oven and bake until the sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes, turning over every 15 minutes to evenly coat the chicken.
• Serve immediately.

Don’t forget the fortune cookies 😉

 

How to Cook Perfect Rice

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Perfect Rice, Rice

A method to cook prefect rice. It took me a long time, and a lot of tries, to cook rice without ending up with a sticky, mushy mess. Thanks to Anetta at The Wanderlust Kitchen for sharing her technique (she has a secret weapon). For rice to be so simple, it’s hard to get it perfect. This method produces tender, fluffy rice like the kind they serve in Thai restaurants.

Step-by-step here

It’s an absolute MUST to rinse your rice properly before you put it over heat. Again, for instructions see Anetta’s original post.

Serves 5 cups

Ingredients

• 1½ c. long-grain white rice, jasmine rice, or basmati rice (no brown rice)
• 2 c. water

Instructions

1. Measure out 1 ½ cup of rice and pour it into a saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Move over to the sink and run some room-temperature water over the top of the rice until it covers the rice by about an inch. Use your fingers to swirl the rice and water around the pan. Drain the water off of the rice using a fine mesh sieve or through your hand if you don’t have one. Repeat the process of adding water, swirling, and draining three more times.
2. Once you’ve finished, measure 2 cups of water and add it to the pot. Stir the rice as you add in the water, but do NOT stir it again once you’ve turned the heat on – ever.
3. Set the pot over medium-heat and patiently wait as it comes to a boil. Let it boil until the water level drops below the level of the rice (the rice will be peeking through the top). Turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible, place the kitchen towel over the top of the pot, and cover the rice with the pot’s lid. Bring the edges of the towel up and twist around the handle of the lid so they aren’t dangling down near the heat element.
4. Set a timer for 15 minutes and walk away. Once that timer goes off, turn the heat off entirely and let the rice sit for 10 more minutes before taking off the lid. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve hot.

 

Classic Potato Salad

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Potato Salad

This recipe is a creamy, delicious potato salad. A favorite side dish at our house!

Ingredients

10 medium potatoes, cooked and diced

1 1/2 cups Hellaman’s mayonnaise

1 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 celery ribs, sliced (optional)

1/2 cup onions, minced

5 hard-boiled eggs

Paprika

Chopped sweet pickles

Directions

1. Boil peeled diced potatoes in salted water until done. Cool to room temperature.

2. Place diced potatoes in large bowl.

3. Mix mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper in
another bowl (mix well).

4. Add to cold potatoes. (I don’t use all the mixture, just the amount to coat potatoes good)

5. Add celery, sweet pickles, and onions and mix well.

6. Stir in chopped eggs.

7. Sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Unleavened Bread

 

Unleavened bread is bread made without leavening agents (ingredients that cause fermentation to occur) such as yeast, baking soda, baking powder. More people are becoming interested in baking communion bread for their congregation. This is a work the ladies can do and start a monthly rotation. It really is so simple, and this is a great recipe! Store in a paper bag! You don’t want moisture.

I use a pizza cutter to cut into pieces before baking.

Unleavened Bread Recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour

1-2 tablespoon butter (melted)

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift flour into bowl. Add butter, oil, and water. Stir all ingredients. Knead dough lightly. Divide dough into six pieces. Roll each ball to a flat disc on a floured surface. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and slice into pieces using a pizza cutter. Bake for 7-9 mins. Let it cool for 5 mins.

Store in a paper bag! You don’t want moisture.

Lo Mein

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Lo Mein

If you love Lo Mein in the restaurant, than you’re going to love this recipe. It’s so close to restaurant style, you can’t tell the difference.

3-4 servings

lo mein noodles – 1 pound

shredded carrots

bok choy

broccoli

onions

7 teaspoon Kikkoman soy sauce

6 teaspoon sugar

6 teaspoon cooking wine

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

5 teaspoon LKK oyster sauce

pinch or two of white pepper

1-2 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced green onion

In restaurants they also add 4 teaspoons MSG, but I leave that out.

Watch this video from The Art of Cooking for step-by-step tutorial on how to prepare this recipe.

 

 

Famous Japanese Restaurant-Style Salad Dressing

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Japanese Salad Dressing, Salad Dressing

This salad dressing is the closest I’ve had to the Japanese restaurant. It has lots of great taste sensations  – garlic, ginger, minced celery, ketchup, soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar and oil. You can easily tweak this recipe to your liking. My husband couldn’t stop eating it, and even said he could drink it from the bottle. I will be making this again soon!

1/2 cup chopped minced onion

1/2 cup peanut oil

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons minced celery

2 tablespoons ketchup (I substituted with cocktail sauce)

4 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons white sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a blender (I used my Nutri Bullet), combine the minced onion, peanut oil, rice vinegar, water, ginger, celery, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper . Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all of the ingredients are well-pureed.