Pesto Pasta

Totally not Thanksgiving, totally not turkey or mashed potatoes or stuffing. But totally delicious, and totally authentic Italian. Totally.

My friend Michelle is Italian. As in, grandparents live outside of Lucca, Italy. (sigh) I wish!

Luckily for me though, I still get to benefit from the Italian grandma via Michelle. My lovely friend served us this recipe during the summer and I begged her (I will be the first to admit, I am not above begging) for the recipe. She served it over pasta with some grilled mahi-mahi, salad and bread on the side. However, you don't need a second main dish, the pasta can stand alone as well. Bread is a must for me though, especially since there's usually some olive oil in the bottom of the bowl to soak up.

Warning: This is not low-calorie. Look the other way, make it in the dark, promise not to eat anything bad the following day. Do whatever you must, just don't miss out on this recipe!!

And, I hope you totally enjoy this one. We love, love, love it.

Pesto Pasta
from Michelle. Recipe below is exactly as she emailed it to me.

To feed about 4 people and a pound of pasta...

2 cups of basil leaves

1/2 cup of olive oil (fyi- Michelle says 'any kind of olive oil is OK', but I know from the source that she uses Classic Olive Oil for dishes like this. EVOO has too much of a 'bite' she says)

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 teaspoon of salt

2 tbsp of pine nuts

Mix all that up in the food processor until pretty smooth, then put in pan with 1/2 stick butter and 1/2 cup of cheese until mixed together.

You can freeze from there or even refrigerate. Play around, and sometimes I put less

butter if i'm watching fat or whatever but it really does taste best with the full fat flavors in there.....the key is FRESH pesto...it is wonderful on top of fish too or the kids like it spread on bread with crushed nuts on top.

Guten appetit! And a very Happy Thanksgiving to you.

* We'll be skipping Friday's post for the holiday. See you again on Tuesday.

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmellows ('Candied Yams')

Mmmm, yams. Mmmm, marshmallows.

Enough said for this post? I think so. We're keeping it short and sweet.

I love this dish. It came together quickly (use a can of yams to make it even faster), and is always a favorite at Thanksgiving. If you usually puree your yams, or you don't use marshmallows, I encourage you to try this recipe... delicious.

Wondering about the sad side with no marshmallows? That's Tim's end, he prefers the yams without marshmallow - crazy boy!

Candied Yams
from The Farm Journal Vegetable Cookbook

6 medium to large yams
1/4 cup margarine/butter, melted
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups mini marshmallows


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Scrub/clean yams under water, then bake until tender - approximately 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool, so you can handle them. Remove skins & slice or cube.

Grease 2 quart casserole (I used 'Pam').

Mix margarine, orange juice, ground cinnamon & yams. Pour into casserole dish.

Top with marshmallows & bake 15-20 min or until yams are hot & marshmallows are lightly browned. (After 20 minutes, my marshmallows weren't browned, but everything was warm. So I turned on the broiler for a couple minutes - done in a jiffy!)

Guten appetit!

Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Whipped Cream

Mama mia, this was good!

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I would like to eat candied yams, dinner rolls (preferably my mom's bran muffins, but homemade potato rolls are also delicious) and pumpkin pie. Hold all other dishes please, I don't need them. I can sufficiently stuff myself silly on these 3 items.

Last year (yes, last year - I obviously made this for Thanksgiving, so it was too tardy to post for last year's Thanksgiving), we were without family for the big meal, but invited some friends over. I made all the usual suspects: mashed potatoes, candied yams, green beans, a vegetable pot pie, and pumpkin pie. Typically, I would have made the same pie my mom makes... Libbys. Straight from the can, no muss, no fuss, always good. But for some reason, I had it in my head that the recipe called for sweetened condensed milk. Wrong. It calls for evaporated milk. Being a thrifty girl, I couldn't throw out the sweetened condensed milk and knew there must be a pumpkin pie recipe that uses it. Google to the rescue!

Yes, I like plenty of whipped cream! The more the better.
After reading the reviews, this was easily the winning recipe. I liked that it had a bit of spice to it, also carried through in the whipped cream. We were not disappointed! It's crazy delicious. Our guests asked us what was in the pie and whipped cream, all wide-eyed and excited after the first bite. They cleaned their plates and wanted the recipe. Yep, a keeper! This is our new family pumpkin pie recipe, I just can't go back. Sorry Libby.

Happy Thanksgiving and pie eating to you and yours!


Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Whipped Cream
from Epicurious/Bon Appetit (Nov. 2003)

1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust, pierced all over with fork (frozen is also ok)
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 large eggs
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Bake crust until browned, pressing bottom and sides of crust occasionally with back of fork, about 14 minutes. Cool crust on rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Whisk pumpkin, condensed milk, sour cream, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, vanilla, and allspice in large bowl to blend. Whisk in eggs. Pour into crust (some filling may be left over).

Bake pie until filling is puffed around sides and set in center, about 55 minutes. (Do not fear, the puffiness settles down!)

Cool pie on rack. (Can be made ahead. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours, or cover and chill overnight.)

Beat whipping cream, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger in bowl until peaks form. Spoon large dollops around edge of pie and serve.

Guten appetit!

Oh my...

Is it November?! Was my last post on October 27?! Goodness. I have been a lump on a log. Whoops!

What's new? (I'll go ahead and answer my own question, since this is for the most part a one sided conversation) First, we were fully wrapped up in Halloween:

Someone turned 9 months old. Amazing how time flies.

Then took a vacation to Hawaii (where our chef's helper started crawling!):

And now I've been procrastinating in getting back to cooking because what I want to cook is not what I should be cooking. I still have a couple recipes to make for our family cookbook (coming up on the deadline here, but I guess I've always worked better under pressure anyway), and I simply don't want to. They don't excite me. Plus, I'm still in post vacation bliss, where I want to continue to be a beach bum. Nothing wrong with that, right?

However, for your extra special holiday pleasure, I have a couple new recipes to share with you for Thanksgiving. And if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, that's ok. You should make the pie anyway, it was de-licious! Perfect for a fall family treat. Celebrate the cold mornings, the first fall of snow, or a day off from school.

Pie post coming on Tuesday!

Guten appetit, my friends.

Uncle Mark's Chocolate Cake

Let's hear it for Uncle Mark! Another of his family-favorite recipes turned out fabulous. I practically ate this entire chocolate cake myself.

It was dense, so a couple of people I served it to asked whether it was flourless. The answer is 'no'. It has a wee bit of flour in it. I can't help it, I find flourless bakery items odd. Or at the very least, a mystery. I can't recall ever having tried one, so it's all a preconceived notion in my head. HOW does one make a cake flourless? I bet it's actually easy, and just one of those things you need to do once to understand. However, I'm sticking with this cake and it's flour. It's my new go-to chocolate adult party cake.

Why 'adult party cake'? As you can see above, it has no frosting. Kids like frosting. Don't deny them frosting.

However, the cake is rich, moist, dense and delicious. It does not need frosting. When serving to adults.

I dusted it with powdered sugar for better presentation, but it doesn't need that either. Just pure chocolate-y goodness.

Marie-Claude Gracia's Chocolate Cake
from Food & Wine, via Uncle Mark

1 stick (4 ounces) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Lindt or Tobler, broken into pieces (I used Ghirardelli)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
5 eggs, separated
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using 1 tablespoon of the butter, generously grease a 9-inch springform pan.

In a double broiler*, combine the chocolate, remaining 10 tablespoons of butter, and the sugar. Cook over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, and about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

* Don't have a double broiler? Do what I do, and substitute a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water. Voila. Your own home-made double broiler.

Let the chocolate mixture cool for 10 minutes; then whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the flour just until blended.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites just until they form firm peaks; do not overbeat. Stir on-third of the egg whites into the chocolate batter until blended. Fold in the remaining egg whites until the mixture is well blended and no streaks of white remain. Spoon the batter into the springform pan.

Bake the cake in theh middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until firm and springy and a tester inserted near the center comes out clean.

Let teh cake cool on a rack for 2 hours (I did not do this. Mine cooled for about 30 minutes), then remove the sides of the springform. Let the cake cool completely, about 1 hour longer. Invert the cake onto a platter and carefuly remove the springform bottom. This cake is traditionally serve without icing. To garnish, dust the top with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar.

Serves 8-10.

Guten appetit!

Chili Rice

Did I mention that my dad's side of the family is making a cookbook of our favorite recipes? I bet you couldn't tell, since the last couple posts have been from my cousin and uncle.

The recipe book is quite the project, but something I have wanted to do forever. I don't want to miss my chance to know my nana's favorite recipes, or her mothers signature holiday dishes.

While this isn't from my Nana, nor a holiday dish, it was delish. Comming at ya from my Uncle Barrett, this is his family's favorite accompaniment to enchiladas... Chili Rice.


A nice combo meal idea. And one I expect to make often through the winter, as zucchinis stay well stocked in the market, causing me to make our favorite enchiladas on a regular basis.

This dish is fairly creamy, due to the sour cream (brilliant observation). But I wanted to mention it because that was why a couple of people said they really liked it (I served this at an informal gathering with a few of my sister's friends). Rice seems universally liked, so pair it with some cheese, sour cream and green chilis... and, ta da! A crowd pleaser.

Hope you like it too!

Chili Rice
from Uncle Barrett

2 cups of white rice
3/4 cup sour cream
1 large can diced green chilis
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Cook rice. You can use a rice cooker (like me), or stove top (Uncle B's directions below).

To make rice on the stove top, place rice in small to medium size pan. Rinse the rice in water 2-3 times, until the water is mostly clear. Add 3 cups of water to your rice pot and cover with a lid. Steam 20 minutes, then cool with the lid on.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread cooked rice evenly in baking dish.

Mix sour cream and diced green chilis in a small bowl, then spread on top of the rice. Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese on top of the rice/sour cream mixture.

Bake at 350 until cheese is bubbly and brown. Serve hot.

* This dish can be refrigerated up to 1 day before cooking.

Guten appetit!

Uncle Mark's Tortellini (Tortellini with Herbs and Sun-Dried Tomatoes)

Our little chef's helper has finally fallen from grace... he has his first cold. Welcome to the great big world, little man. It's a germ ridden place.

Surprisingly, he's taking his cold in stride. Still happy, smiling and eager to eat. His only complaint is when I wipe his nose. But in all fairness, would you like someone to wipe your nose?! No thanks. If he had better hand-eye-nose coordination, I would let him do it himself. 8 months is a little young for that though (wink)!

For the road to recovery, I'm sharing an absolutely delicious, healthy dinner that everyone should make this weekend. Fresh herbs, some cheese protein, some pasta carbs... what's not to like?!

It's pretty darn fast to make, and it will be eaten even faster. If you start feeling a little run down, this should perk you right up! Might not cure a cold, but it works wonders in other ways. Your tummy will thank you.

Tortellini with Herbs and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
from Uncle Mark

1 cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, and parsley)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (drained)
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces cheese tortellini
About 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, or to taste

In a large bowl, combine herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large covered pot. Add 2 teaspoons salt, if you like. Add pasta, stir, and partially cover the pot until water returns to a boil. Immediately remove cover, stir again, and cook pasta just until al dente.

Just before draining the pasta, ladel out 1/4 cup pasta water and pour over herb mixture. Drain remaining water from pasta.

Add drained pasta to herb mixture. Toss well with tongs or large spoons to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and toss again. Yields 4-6 servings.

Guten appetit!