Summer Time Bacon, Tomato & Corn Pasta

Summer is almost here and our farmer's market is filled with colorful heirloom tomatoes, corn in shades of soft yellow and fresh fragrant basil. What's better on a warm summer day than a simple pasta dish filled with summer time veggies and bacon? This recipe is so simple and fast, it will soon become your favorite summer go-to dish. 

Enjoy!

 Recipe:

 1 tsp olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

3 slices thick cut bacon

1 lb heirloom cherry tomatoes

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 medium sized corn)

1 14.5oz can low sodium chicken stock (or 2 cups homemade stock)

8 oz pappardelle pasta (or pasta of your choice)

small bunch of fresh basil

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

2. Slice the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces. And mince the garlic. 

3. Coat your pan (I'm using a large cast iron skillet) with olive oil, drop in the bacon and cook on medium heat until slightly brown.

4. When the bacon is almost done, use a spoon and take out about half of the fat (I keep the extra fat in a container in the fridge and use it in other dishes).

5. Add in garlic and tomato and coat everything in bacon fat. 

6. When the garlic is starting to turn light brown, add in 1/2 can (1 cup) of chicken stock, and season with salt and pepper. Let the stock come up to a boil, then turn your heat to medium low and let the tomato cook for about 8 - 10 minutes. Some of your tomato will burst and some will stay intact. 

7. This is a good time to drop your pasta into your boiling water.

8. Cut the kernels off two medium sized corn, it should yield about 1 1/2 cups of fresh corn kernels. 

 9. At this point some of your tomatoes should have burst and your chicken stock is almost reduced down to nothing. Add in the rest of your chicken stock (1 cup) and all of your corn kernels. Bring to boil and let it simmer while your pasta finishes cooking. This is also a good time for you to taste and adjust seasoning.

10. Once the pasta is al dente, transfer it directly to your sauce. Don't worry if you get a little pasta water in your sauce. Do not throwout your pasta water just yet.

11. Toss pasta with sauce, and let the sauce and pasta simmer together for one more minute. If your pasta looks too dry, add in a little of your pasta water to loosen it up. 
 

12.  Turn off heat and use your hands to tear up a few basil leaves directly into the warm pasta. Toss everything together. The warm pasta will welt the basil, and its sweet fragrance will permeate the entire dish.

Bon Appetit!

 

XOXO

Yan

Raviolo al Uovo & the Glorious Egg Yolk

I absolutely love adding an over-easy egg on top of any savory dish, the runny egg yolk adds a wonderful richness and makes your dish extra yummy.  While watching Worst Cooks in America a few weeks back, I came across this recipe for Raviolo al Uovo….can someone please teach me how to pronounce this?!? The recipe called for adding an egg yolk on top of a bed of creamy ricotta filling, all wrapped inside a freshly made pasta. I'm a busy working mom, there will be very rare occasions where I will have enough time (and patience) to make my own pasta, but I still very much wanted to try to make this dish. So I went to our local grocery store and found pre-made potsticker wrappers...still patting my back for this genius substitute! Since these potsticker wrappers are a lot smaller than Chef Anne Burrell's version, I tweaked her original recipe a little as well. I also cut out the bacon completely (even though I love bacon!), and used low fat ricotta to save on a few (or more than a few) calories. Here's how I did it.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
8 leaves of Sage
1 tbsp of fresh thyme
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
1 large egg plus 4-12 large egg yolks *
1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chicken stock

Salt & pepper to taste
*the recipe for the filling can make about 10 – 12 raviolis, however I am only making 4 since we are a family of 3
 

Instructions:

1. Start by mixing together the ricotta , thyme, grated parm, 1 large egg, a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.

 2. These are the pre-made pot sticker wrappers. You can also use Wonton wrappers if you don't mind the square shape.

3. Add about a tablespoon of ricotta filling to the middle of the pot sticker wrapper.

4. Use a spoon and make a little dip in the middle of the ricotta filling. 

5. Separate the egg white in a separate bowl. The left over egg whites are perfect for a healthy breakfast scramble. 

6. Drop the egg yolk on top of the dip you made in the ricotta filling. 

7. We are a family of three, and Sofie won't be eating this, so I only made four total. The recipe for the filling can make between 10 to 12 raviolis.

8. Since the top wrapper needs to be bigger than the bottom to cover the egg yolk, I used a rolling pin to roll out about 1cm wider all around. Make sure to dust your rolling pin and counter with flour so it doesn't stick. 

9. Dip your finger into a little water and wet the edges of the bottom wrapper. 

10. Gently drop the rolled out wrapper on top of the egg. Use your fingers to gently press together all sides. 

11. Use a fork and press down on all edges with a little bit of force. You want to make sure all edges are tightly sealed so your egg yolk does not leak out. 

12. These little beauties are ready to be dropped in a pot of boiling salted water. 

13. Melt the butter in a small pan, and add in sage and chicken stock. Cook on medium heat until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half. Turn off flame and set aside. 

14. Very gently drop your raviolis into a pot of salted boiling water. Do not overcrowd them, you do not want them to stick. 

15. These raviolis will cook very fast. As soon as they float to the top, which is about 2 minutes, take them out immediately and set aside.

16. Drop each ravioli into the butter sauce to coat. 

17. Transfer to plate and add about a tablespoon of sauce on top. Garnish with leftover sage and top with grated parmigiano.

18. Cut into the ravioli and the egg yolk center should still be very runny. 

XOXO

Yan

Ultimate Snickerdoodle

Snickerdoodles are one of my husband's favorite cookies, he especially likes the ones from Speciality's because of their chewy consistency. Sundays are Mommy & Sofie baking days, however since I had to work part of this Sunday, I decided this was a good recipe to do in a short amount of time. I love these cookies because they are super soft and chewy (thanks to all that butter). I actually like to leave them out uncovered for overnight to 24 hours, they lose some moisture and become even chewier. Can you say YUM-O! Here is the recipe and step by step instructions. 

Enjoy!

Recipe:

2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temp (2 cups)

1 3/4 cup of sugar

2 eggs

3 cups of flour

1 tbsp of vanilla extract

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

small pinch of salt

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

 1. I don't know about you, I often find myself needing room temperature butter, but never have any available. Nuking butter in the microwave is tricky, one extra second can melt your butter instead of making them room temp. I found the best way to quickly bring cold butter to room temp is by cutting them into little cubes, break the cubes up with your fingers and drop them into a bowl, and leave out for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, gather all your other ingredients. Your butter should be ready by the time you have everything you need. 

2. Preheat oven to 375F. 

3. Combine your room temperature butter with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. 

4. Cream everything together with the paddle attachment for a couple of minutes until it's creamy and fluffy. Be patient!

5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking power and salt. Turn off your mixer, and pour in the flour content. Be sure to start your mixer at a low speed until the flour has been incorporated. Otherwise you will be covered in flour! 

6. While the flour is mixing with the butter. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with cinnamon powder in a separate bowl. 

7. The Snickerdoodle cookie dough should be fluffy and creamy, it is a pretty wet and buttery dough. 

8. Roll the cookie dough into a ball, about the size of a golf ball. This recipe makes approximately 23 cookies. 

9. Roll the ball of cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Make sure it is completely covered. 

10. Set the cookie dough about 1.5 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. I'm using a silicon cookie sheet, which are nonstick already.

11. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Meanwhile keep an eye on the cinnamon sugar mixture, it seems to disappear before the cookies are done. 

12. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle them with some more cinnamon sugar mix. Then set them aside on a wire rack to cool down.

13. EAT! These cookies are kids and husband approved! They are super soft and slightly chewy. If you like them really chewy (which I do!), leave them out uncovered for 12 to 24 hours.

XOXO
Yan

April Showers

They say April showers bring May flowers. As nice as that sounds, we still can't escape the wet, cold and gloomy days that never seem to stop during the month of April. It's not always easy to be practical and stylish on a rainy day. However, just because the weather is gray and drizzly outside, doesn't mean you should forgo your style completely. Until the sun decides shine upon us again, here are my favorite ways to dress for rainy weather, while still sticking to Spring's top three trends. 

Enjoy!

     Black & White                     Neon                        Floral

       Coat: Zara                    Coat: Uniqlo             Blouse: Aeropostale

     Blouse: ModCloth               Sweater: Oasis               Jeans: Boohoo

      Skirt: ModCloth               Jeans: J Brand             Rain Flats: Hunter

    Rain Boots: Hunter            Rain Boots: Hunter        Umbrella: LuLu Guinness

     Umbrella: Hunter             Umbrella: Nordstrom        Earrings: Stella & Dot

   Bracelet: Stella & Dot        Necklace: Stella & Dot     Bracelets: Stella & Dot

And lets not forget rainy day outfits for my mini-me! 

        Black & White                 Neon                          Floral  

        Coat:KC Parker             Coat: Boden                   Sweater: Gap 

       Dress: LLBD Shop            Dress: Gap                     Jeans: Gap

     Rain Boots: Walmart         Rain Boots: Boden            Rain Boots: Hunter

                                Jewels: Stella & Dot        Umbrella: Yellow Turtle

XOXO

Yan