Baked Gnocchi

Sometimes I don’t know if there’s anything more appropriate as winter food than baked pasta. It’s cheesy, its gooey, its hearty and it’s just delicious. Just thinking about it now makes me salivate… a lot.

Anyway, the reason I’ve been craving baked pasta lately is because of my sister in law Amy. My boyfriend and I went to visit her and my brother in Orlando over our winter break to see my new niece. During our visit Amy made baked rigatoni for dinner one night, and it was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a while. I kid you not. Since then I’ve been dreaming of different types of baked pasta: baked spaghetti, baked penne, baked ziti and recently baked gnocchi. (For those of you who don’t know what gnocchi is it’s basically a little pasta dumpling usually made out of potato, flour and a few other ingredients. If you’ve never tried them you should. They’re to die for.)

So I set out to make baked gnocchi and all things considered it was a success! It was a bit cheesy, but you’ll never hear me complain about that! Give this recipe a try, it’s incredibly simple and it’s perfect for weeknight dinners when you don’t want to put a lot of effort into dinner. It’s everything you could possibly want after a long day at work or in classes. It’s warm, its hearty, it’s cheesy, it’s satisfying, it’s a little sweet because of the tomato sauce, but it’s salty and creamy because of the cheese. You should try this recipe, it’s just that good.

What you’ll need:

• 1- 1 pound box of gnocchi
• 8 ounces of ricotta cheese
• 12 ounces of mozzarella cheese
• 12 ounces of tomato sauce
• Two tablespoons of parmesan cheese

First, cook the gnocchi according to the instructions on the box (typically when they’re floating you’ll know they’re ready.)

While the gnocchi is cooking, mix the 8 ounces of ricotta cheese, ¾ of the mozzarella cheese (8 oz) and ¾ of the tomato sauce (8 oz) in a bowl.

When the gnocchi is cooked place it in the bowl with the cheese and sauce and mix together with a spoon or spatula. Don’t use your hands since the pasta will be incredibly hot.

When the gnocchi, sauce and cheese are mixed pour into an oven-safe dish (I used a 9” pie dish, but you can use whatever you’d like.) Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella and the tomato sauce onto the top of the mixture and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Let it sit for a few minutes when you take it out of the oven and then serve. Add the parmesan cheese to taste.

Homemade Oreos

I’m in one of those slumps again—the “broke college student that would rather go to the dining hall and eat than cook things for her food blog” slump. You know the one… right? No? Oh, well I need to get out of it and not only cook things, but post some of them too! So here goes nothing:

The semester started up again last Wednesday on the 26^th but thanks to the lovely and wonderful weather in New England we had a snow day on the second day of classes. So of course I took advantage of this wonderful rare occasion and decided to bake something for my residents before our first floor meeting (granted, this was mostly to bribe them into actually showing up to the floor meeting) but at least it worked!

I found this recipe thanks to a habit of mine that I’m trying to break: hungry food blog roaming. That’s right; when I’m hungry the most productive thing I do is look at food blogs. I don’t do work, I don’t read for classes, I don’t fix things that are broken; I just look at food blogs. I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen a while back and I’ve been dying to use it. I love Smitten Kitchen, it’s one of the first food blogs that I started reading and one that I try to stay as up to date with, and everything that the writer, Deb, posts looks so amazing.

After reading her post on these homemade Oreos I knew I had to try to make them and I figured that there wasn’t a better time than my first floor meeting of the semester! All things considered the recipe is easier than I expected and everyone that tried them really seemed to like them. My friend and fellow RA Erin definitely did.

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the cookies:

• - 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• - ½ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder*
• - 1 teaspoon baking soda
• - ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• - ¼ teaspoon salt
• - 1 cup sugar
• - 1 ¼ sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
• - 1 large egg

For the filling:

• - ½ stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
• - ¼ cup vegetable shortening
• - 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt.

With an electric mixer mix in butter and then the egg.

Continue to mix until the ingredients fully incorporate and become dough.

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Roll into small balls and place onto cookie sheets that are lined with parchment paper. Flatten the balls of dough down with hand.

Place in oven and bake for about nine minutes. Turn the sheets around halfway through so that the cookies will bake evenly.

For the filling, place the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and mixing on low speed. Slowly mix in the sugar and the vanilla. When all of the ingredients are mixed together turn the mixer to high and beat the filling for 2-3 minutes so that it becomes light and fluffy.

Once the cookies are cooled take the filling and place about a teaspoon’s worth of filling onto one cookie and spread it evenly. Place a second cookie (without the filling) on top of the cookie. Continue this process for the rest of the cookies.

The cookies are a mix between oreos and whoopie pies. They’re delicious, but also incredibly rich. Enjoy!

*For those of you who don’t know what Dutch process cocoa powder is, this will explain it to you so you’re not trying to figure out what it is at the grocery store (it happened to me!)

Red Velvet Cake Balls

During the winter I tend to go a bit baking crazy. Maybe it’s because I’m always cold and hanging around the oven warms me up. Or it could just be my instincts telling me to bulk up for the winter. Regardless of what it is, something inside me tells me to make delicious, fattening, sweet, gooey, messy and wonderful goodies, and I happily abide. This winter, this recipe gives me good reason to go baking crazy.

Who doesn’t love cake? Anyone? Exactly. But I know for me, I like smaller pieces of cake since bigger pieces can get overwhelming. These red velvet cake balls are delicious, perfect, bite sized balls of cakey goodness that are a real crowd pleaser. I made them for a party my parents threw and when I say everyone asked for the recipe I’m not joking. Everyone asked for the recipe: men, women, people that love cooking, people breaking their New Years resolutions (because of these cake balls.) They were a hit. I even promised my best friend Kat some, but by the time she got to my house they were gone… this recipe makes about fifty cake balls and they had all been eaten. Did I mention that that they were crowd pleasers?

What you’ll need (recipe from Bakerella.com):

One Box of Red Velvet Cake Mix (You can make it from scratch, but I got lazy and just used the mix).

16 oz can of cream cheese frosting

Chocolate bark (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and Bakers semi-sweet baking chocolate)

Did I mention that the directions are super easy:

Bake the cake following the directions on the box. Once they come out of the oven (after you’ve inserted a toothpick in and it comes out clean) let them cool completely.

Once the cake is cooled completely crumble the cake in a bowl and mix with the cream cheese frosting. Make sure they’re completely mixed and then use a cookie dough baller (or your hands) and form the mix into balls.

Place the balls into the refrigerator for a few hours so that they can harden. I left them overnight because I frequently have difficulties being coordinated enough to dip things in hot chocolate, so I wanted them to be extra firm when I did dip them.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler (whether it be a makeshift one or a real one). When the chocolate is completely melted remove the balls from the refrigerator and start dipping them one at a time into the chocolate. After you've dipped them, place them on wax paper and let them cool. You can find an explanation of how to dip cake balls in chocolate here.

Let the balls cool and serve!

Egg Drop Soup - Stracciatella

My parents went out of town a few weeks ago and left me in charge of the house. This, of course, means cooking for myself. I don’t mind cooking, but sometimes cooking for one can be a pain. Sometimes you have so much left over you don't know what to do with it and other times you eat so much you end up in a food coma for the weekend.

While sitting at home, cuddling with my dog I was thinking about what I should make myself fod dinner that night. I was craving soup, but I wanted something simple and homemade. I decided to make myself some Italian egg-drop soup (also known as stracciatella). This is a very very simple soup that’s easy to make, whether it's for one person or four.

All you need is:

2 cups of low-sodium chicken stock

1/3 cup of parmesan cheese I used a lot of parmesan cheese for this recipe, but that’s because I love cheese (In my opinion the more cheese the better).

1 eggs

Salt and pepper

First, start by bringing the two cups of chicken stock to a boil and then lower to a simmer.

While the stock is boiling mix the parmesan cheese and the egg together until they’re completely mixed.

(this is before they were mixed)

Finally, while the stock is simmering, slowly pour the egg and cheese mixture into the soup and stir it while you pour it in. Let it cook for about two minutes and then add salt and pepper to taste.

For some variations on this recipe you can add peas, spinach, parsley or any combination of vegetables that you’d like. I chose to add a bit of nutmeg which added more depth to the flavor of the soup. But feel free to play with it, and enjoy!!

Muddy Buddies

It’s official. I’m the worst food blogger ever. It’s been what, five months since I’ve posted something? That’s unforgivable. But at least I have a reason… or an excuse rather. This semester has been crazy as far as school work is concerned But I promise I’ll get better about posting!!

Anyway, I’ve got a great really easy recipe that anyone can do. And believe me, I mean anyone. They’re called muddy buddies, and they’re delicious. Their name isn’t the most appealing, but that’s clearly just so that people that don’t know what they are stay away so that you can have more for yourself! Muddy buddies are basically just chex cereal that you toss with melted chocolate, peanut butter and butter and then coat in powdered sugar. They’re completely amazing. I must have eaten at least half of the recipe by myself, and my friends were more than willing to have some as well.

Here’s the recipe:

9 Cups of Rice Chex – I chose to use rice chex because their texture is light and fluffy, which makes a big difference for me

1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

½ Cup Peanut Butter

¼ Cup Butter

1 ¾ Cup Powdered Sugar

Step 1: Measure 9 cups of the chex and place them in a large bowl

Step 2: Measure the chocolate, peanut butter and butter and place in a medium sized microwave safe bowl.

Step 3: Microwave the chocolate, peanut butter and butter for about one minute on high. If you’d rather melt them over a stove top you can. If they aren’t melted after the one minute, stir them and place back into the microwave at 10 second intervals.

Step 4: Pour the melted ingredients in with the cereal and mix them together thoroughly. This step is kind of annoying, but you need to make sure that every piece is coated so that the powdered sugar can stick to them.

Step 5: When the melted ingredients and the chex are mixed completely put them into two separate one gallon freezer bags and pour half of the powdered sugar into each bag. If you pour too much don’t worry about it, once the muddy buddies are completely coated the sugar will just stick to the bag.

Step 6: Pour the muddy buddies out onto a piece of parchment paper and let them cool completely. Once they’re cooled you should put them in an airtight container so that they don’t get stale.

That’s it! They’re easy, delicious and definitely a crowd pleaser! Enjoy!!

Pasta-Salad-with-Cherry-Tomatoes-and-Green-Olivada

So, It’s been a while. I know. But I promise I’ll start updating more and more! Hopefully… Things have just been kinda crazy around here. I’ve been going back and forth between Boston and New York every few weeks and I’d frequently leave my computer behind. I do have a great recipe for you though!

It’s a pasta salad which I know is often overdone during the summer months but this has a pretty interesting twist on it—instead of using mayonnaise it uses a home-made olive Olivada (olivada is an italian olive spread). My only warning is if you don’t like olives I’d avoid this recipe; the olive based spread it makes the entire salad taste slightly of olives.

Here's what you'll need:

Adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2010

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 cups coarsely chopped pitted green olives (I used stuffed olives with red peppers on the inside)

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound gemelli, fusilli, or rotelle pasta (I used tri-color pasta)

2 pints cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved

1 8-ounce package small (cherry-size) fresh mozzarella balls in water

The recipe calls for a food processor but I used a blender instead.

Begin by placing clove of garlic (chopped finely) into the food processor/blender. Add half of the chopped olives, the capers, the white wine vinegar, anchovy paste, crushed red pepper and mustard to the blender. Pulse ingredients until mixed together coarsely. Slowly add the half cup of olive oil into the blender or food processor while the machine is moving. (I wasn't able to do this with my blender so I added a little bit at a time and then mixed it.) Once the olive oil is fully incorporated move the olivada into a separate bowl and refrigerate.

Next, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until it is al dente (tender but still firm), stirring occasionally. Once the pasta is cooked drain it in a colander and place in a large bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pasta and toss to coat.

Add the olivada, tomatoes and mozzarella and toss together.

All things considered the recipe is really simple, and I can't recommend it enough! It really is a great summer dish!

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

I know it may not seem like it from these posts, but I like to eat healthy as often as possible. But from time to time I can't help but eat junk food, sweets, excessive amounts of cheese, I just can't do it. So after moving to Boston for the summer I decided to make my roommates something that (almost) everyone enjoys, oatmeal raisin cookies. Sadly, I didn't have cookie sheets up with me and neither did any of my roommates, so instead I chose to make them into cookie bars.

All things considered, this recipe is incredibly easy-you can make the dough and throw it in the oven right then or you can put it in the refrigerator and let it chill (doing this makes the cookies chewier when you bake them.) It is a great recipe to learn off of and once you get more comfortable with it, you can experiment with food other than raisins. I like to use cranberries but other people prefer chocolate chips or different types of nuts.

I've had this recipe for years so I don't actually remember where its from, possibly a food blog or maybe a friends mother. If you recognize it, feel free to comment and tell me!

What you'll need:

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened

1 1/3 cup of light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon of salt (you can add up to a teaspoon if you enjoy very salty baked goods, but if you add more it'll be too salty)

3 cups of rolled oats (not instant oats)

1 1/2 cup of raisins

Like any recipe you start with creaming the butter and sugar together until they are fully mixed together. Luckily one of my roommates has a KitchenAid so that made the process of mixing much easier. Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar and mix those until they're fully incorporated.

Then place the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a separate bowl and mix them together with a fork. This allows for the dry ingredients to be evenly distributed so that when they are mixed in there is an equal amount of each ingredient being combined with the wet ingredients.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients; if you add them too quickly you'll send flour shooting all over your kitchen. I recommend using a quarter of a cup at a time, I know its tedious but it is a heck of a lot easier than cleaning it off of your cabinets later on.

Once the mixture is smooth start to add the oatmeal and the raisins into the dough. Doing this slowly will prevent your electric mixer from possibly shorting out due to having too much to do at once.

After all of the ingredients are mixed together butter an 9x13 pan and place the dough into the pan. Make sure to scrape out all of the dough from the bowl so that you are not leaving any behind. Then flatten out the dough into the pan and try to make sure it is even--doing this will ensure that the bars are all evenly cooked.

Cook the bars for 25-30 minutes at 350° F and let them cool completely before cutting them.