Spring Pea Pasta #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

A few of us are working our way through the Kitchen Matrix Cookbook by Mark Bittman.  We post a recipe each Tuesday based on a section of the book chosen by one of the bloggers.  This month I am choosing the themes.

This week I asked the others to join me in preparing Pasta Primavera in honor of Spring.  Of course, Spring has not sprung here in Michigan yet.

I did not let that deter me though.  I had no fresh Spring peas so I used frozen baby peas.  That just served to make my life easier because there was no shelling involved.

Here is Bittman's Universal Instructions for making Pasta Primavera:

"Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, then add 1/2 to 1 pound of pasta.  (Vary the amount depending on your preferred pasta-to-sauce ratio; the quantity of sauce in the recipes that follow will sauce up to one pound of pasta, or enough to serve four at minimum).  When the pasta is tender but not mushy, drain it, reserving 1 cup of cooking water".

There you go.  I boiled my pasta to al dente and drained it.  I had placed the peas in the colander so that when I drained the pasta, it would warm the peas.  I  then added a glug of olive oil and a pat of butter to the pan I had boiled the pasta in and placed it over med high heat.  I added minced garlic and crushed red pepper to the oil/butter mixture and then stirred in the peas and pasta.   Seasoned with salt and pepper and it was ready to serve.

This would make a perfect Meatless Monday meal.  I served it on a Saturday so I plated it as a side dish with lemon chicken and paired it with a bottle of wine from Navarra, Spain.  I will be sharing more about this pairing on Saturday when I get together with my friends for Wine Pairing Weekend.  

That event is being hosted by my friend Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  Why is this significant?  Well, this Kitchen Matrix Cooking Project was Cam's brainchild.  You are welcome to join us and can find out all you need to know in this post of Cam's.

Here's the other Pasta Primavera being shared today

An InLinkz Link-up

Spring Pea Pasta
inspired by The Kitchen Matrix Cookbook

1/2 lb pasta
1 c. frozen baby peas, defrosted
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add your pasta and cook according to package direction.  Place your peas in a colander. When the pasta is cooked pour over the peas in the colander to drain.

Return the pot to the stovetop and turn the heat to med high.  Add the olive oil and butter.  When melted and sizzling, add the garlic and crushed red pepper, stirring to prevent over browning.  Return the pasta and peas to the pot, tossing to combine with the sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with grated parmesan cheese.  Print Recipe

Breakfast Cupcakes #BakingBloggers

Welcome back to Baking Bloggers the once a month group that bakes up something special as voted on by the members and shares it on the second Monday of each month.  This group is the brainchild of my friend, Sue of Palatable Pastime.

The theme chosen for this month is cupcakes.  Having just celebrated Easter, last months blog posts are chock full of desserts.  I really didn't want to make another dessert.  I was thinking about sitting this event out so imagine my delight when I was flipping through an old issue of Cuisine at Home and came across a recipe for Breakfast Cupcakes.

These cupcakes will be perfect for your Mother's Day Brunch.  Add some scrambled eggs and a fruit salad and it will be a feast fit for a Queen.  Your Mom deserves it.

They are relatively easy to make and they are totally delicious.  Be warned though that with the topping of apples and caramel that soaks into the cupcake, they are on the sweet side. When I make them for a Brunch I will make sure that the other dishes are savory to even out the flavors. You won't need to add any syrup to these cupcakes at all.

The cake is a combination of cornmeal and flour combined with sausage.  I used a mild pork sausage but I think perhaps a spicier sausage would have been better.  Frank, however, thought they were perfect with the sausage I used .  Personal preference is the key.

I adapted the recipe to use what I had on hand, substituting sour cream for the yogurt and light cream for the milk in the cake and heavy cream in the caramel.

Served with a dollop of whipped cream and a cup of hot coffee, it made a pleasurable breakfast for Frank and I.  The remaining cupcakes were refrigerated and warmed up nicely in the microwave for breakfast the following morning with our Little Miss.

Please stop by the links at the bottom of this post to see what cupcakes the others are sharing today.

Breakfast Cupcakes

adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue #73

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. cornmeal

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 T. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

dash of salt

1/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. light cream

2 T. canola oil

3 eggs

1/2 lb bulk pork sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained

1 apple (I used honey crisp), cored and thinly sliced

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/3 c. light cream

1/4 c. maple syrup

2 pinches of salt

Combine the flour, cornmeal, 1/3 c. brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sausage in a large bowl.  Whisk together the sour cream, 1/3 c. light cream, oil and eggs.  Add to the dry ingredients and combine just until moistened.   The batter will be stiff.  Set aside.

Whisk together the 1 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. cream, maple syrup and salt in a skillet placed over med high heat.  Cook and stir until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to med low and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.

Spray a jumbo muffin pan with baking spray.  Arrange the apple slices into the bottom of each cup and divide the caramel between the cups, pouring it over the apples.  Divide the batter between each cup and place on top of the apple/caramel mixture.  

Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center removes cleanly.  Immediately turn out of the pan and serve while still hot.  Print Recipe

Baking Bloggers

Cupcakes

• Boston Cream Cupcakes by The Redhead Baker
• Breakfast Cupcakes by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Dream Delight Cupcakes by Sneha's Recipe
• Red Wine Dark Chocolate Cupcakes by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Tiramisu Cupcakes by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Scallop Crudo #ItalianFTW

Our Italian Food, Travel and Wine group are celebrating Spring this month with Verdicchio wine.  This event is being hosted by my friend Cam, of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  You can read her invitation post here.

I was pretty excited a few weeks ago when I discovered a wine store only 20-30 minutes from my home that carries a great selection and will order up anything that they don't have in stock.

This is certainly much better than the alternative of 1 hr. each way to the wine store I was using and, not being strictly wines but an International Marketplace, wasn't conducive to special orders.

They did not have any Verdicchio on the shelves but he wrote down the varietal I needed and said he would contact his provider and find the best bottle he could in the price range I wanted, less than $30.

He provided me with this bottle of 2014 Verdicchio dei Cestelli di Jesi by Marchetti Vineyards.  I paid less than $20 for this wine.  My new friend, Gassan, owner of Keg & Kone also ordered a bottle for himself so that he could try it.  I'm anxious for my next visit with him so that we can compare notes.

Verde means green and some Verdicchio have green undertones.  Mine was more golden but did have a "grassy" taste to it so I guess that could account for the "green".  This wine was wonderful.

Grass and citrus undertones and a crisp bright finish.  

The website linked above provides information that this is a small bottling, only 900 cases.  The grapes are grown in clay, limestone and sand.  It is 100% verdicchio grapes that are free run juice meaning no pressing is used for this wine that is aged in the bottle for 4 months before sale.

Further investigation as to food and wine pairings with the Verdicchio varietal showed many suggestions for seafood of all sorts, including Sashimi.  I decided that an Italian wine deserved to be paired with an Italian dish.  The Italian version of raw seafood is called Crudo.

However, the recipe I used came from Marcus Samuelsson.  You probably know Samuelsson from television and cookbooks.  I got to know him a little bit better when his memoirs, Yes Chef, was assigned reading for our Cook the Books Club.

While Samuelsson was born and orphaned in Ethiiopia and adopted and raised in Sweden his culinary training took place in Europe, including Italy.

The pairing was absolutely perfect, in my humble opinion.  The crispness of the wine played off the "buttery" texture of the scallops.  And the scallops themselves?  In 10 minutes time, I had an impressive and delicious first course for our Easter dinner.  I allowed one scallop, sliced into 3 pieces, for each person at the table.  

Not everyone chose to partake of the scallops and they were still all eaten and enjoyed by the time the soup course came to the table.

You will find links to the others pairings with this wonderful wine following my recipe.  We will also be getting together on Twitter to discuss our pairings at 11 AM ET today. You will find us by following #ItalianFTW.  See you then!!

Scallop Crudo

adapted from  Marcus Samuelsson

6 large Sea Scallops

Juice of one orange

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

pinch of salt

2 sprigs of dill

thinly sliced red bell pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Slice the scallops into 3 even pieces, crosswise.  Combine the orange juice, lemon juice  and salt in a small bowl.  Ladle a couple of tablespoons of the juice mixture onto a serving platter.  Arrange the scallops over the juice on the platter.  Top with remaining juice, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the dill and pepper.  Serve immediately.  Print Recipe

Let's join the others and see what they are sharing

• Jeff at FoodWineClick! gives us a A Wine Pairing Lesson with Verdicchio.
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla pours Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica with a Panzanella di Primavera.
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm serves up Scallop Crudo with Verdicchio.
• Katarina at Grapevine Adventures offers a Multinational Spring Lunch with Verdicchio.
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares Verdicchio Paired with the Flavors of Spring.
• Nicole at Somm's Table posts Cooking to the Wine: Azienda Santa Barbara Verdicchio and Tuna Melts.
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish pairs Verdicchio and Roasted Vegetables: A Match Made in Heaven.
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest has A Spring Date With Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.
• Susannah of Avvinare listens as Verdicchio Sings of Spring.
• Jennifer of Vino Travels shares Verdicchio of the Marche with Tenuta di Tavignano.

Busy Day Blueberry Ginger Coffee Cake #FestiveFoodies

I'm hosting Coffee Cake Day with our Festive Foodies group today.  I'm delighted.  You know what my favorite thing is about coffee cake?  No frosting.  I love cake but I'm not huge on frosting.  I don't mind a bit of it but most of my frosting gets scraped off the cake and plopped onto Frank's plate.  He is more than happy with this arrangement.  He LOVES frosting.

This coffee cake that I'm sharing with you today is not the one I had originally planned.  You know how life goes though.....I had made these Easiest Ever Individual Cheesecakes and had half a can of blueberry pie filling in my refrigerator.  I thought I would use them as filling for crepes but hadn't gotten around to it when I had a woman coming over for to talk to us about an endeavor that we are working towards.

I was wishing I had something to offer her with coffee during our meeting and remembered that half can of blueberries.  I only had a little more than an hour before she was to arrive so I got moving.

This easy peasy cake was ready in no time at all.  We enjoyed it with our coffee and the meeting went very well.  We have a second meeting scheduled for next week and then I should be in a position to share some exciting news with all of you.

In the meantime, enjoy this easy peasy cake that could be made with any pie filling you might have on hand.  It makes a perfect addition to brunch. 

Make sure you stop by and see all the other wonderful ideas being shared in plenty of time for planning your Mother's Day Brunch.  You will find links to all of them at the bottom of this post.

Speaking of brunch we have a #Brunchweek event coming up at the end of the month.  This will be a sponsored event.  One of our sponsors, Lorann Oils, gifted me three bottles of flavoring.  I used some of the butter vanilla for this recipe and was pleased with the results.  You can use regular vanilla but I am anxiously looking forward to trying this butter flavored vanilla in more of my baked goods. I will be sharing more about this company in a couple of weeks but rest assured that all opinions in this and every post I share are strictly my own.

Busy Day Blueberry Ginger Coffee Cake

4 T. butter, divided
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1/2 t. butter vanilla, or regular vanilla
1 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 t. ginger
1 c. blueberry pie filling
1/4 c. flour
dash of dried cloves
dash of ginger
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
2 T. cold butter

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/4 t. ginger in a small bowl.  Add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk until combined.  Spread into a 9" pie pan that has been treated with baking spray. Add the blueberry pie filling by dollops and use a knife to swirl it into the batter.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 c. flour with the cloves, ginger and nutmeg.  Cut in the butter and sprinkle over the top of the batter.

Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 30-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center removes cleanly.  Print Recipe

More Incredible Coffee Cakes

• Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Coffee Cake by Girl Abroad
• Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Busy Day Blueberry Ginger Coffee Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Butter Crumb Coffee Cake from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Jam by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Chocolate Espresso Bundt Coffee Cake from Daily Dish Recipes
• Cinnamon Nut Coffee Ring from Family Around the Table
• Coffee Cake Donuts by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cookie Butter Coffee Cake from Strawberry Blondie Kitchen 
• Crumble Topped Nutty Coffee Cake by Culinary Adventures with Camilla  
• Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake by House of Nash Eats 

Where is Spring?? I'm going to serve it each day on my Weekly Menu

I think one of the problems is that Easter was so early this year.  I always tend to think of Easter as the beginning of Spring.  We actually have snow on the ground this morning.

We are in the middle of a remodel, where outside walls are coming down and new are being installed.  It is mighty cold in that room.  Luckily there is a door sealing it from the rest of the house that can stay intact until the walls are installed.

In the meantime, everything that was in that room (which included my pantry) is now scattered throughout the rest of the house.  Add to that, the fact that we are also rearranging sleeping quarters in two of our bedrooms and it makes for a confusing, busy household.

But we still gotta eat....so I am composing my Weekly Menu to share with you today.

Tomorrow we have a funeral service to attend.  A friend of ours lost her mother who had been battling cancer.  It was discovered in the form of an inoperable brain tumor.  After the funeral we need to take two of the mutts in for their rabies shots.

Sunday I will be attending the fundraiser that was previously planned to help pay medical expenses for my friend's mom.  Even though she is gone, they will continue with the fundraiser because the bills keep coming in.  It's going to be a sad weekend, I think.

Monday we get our Little Miss.  She has been signed up for swimming lessons so we will go right from her house to the pool on Mondays for the next few weeks.  After swim lessons we are meeting our daughter, Nicole and her husband, Pierre, for lunch.

Tuesday we will take a ride into the city to renew the dog's licenses and then in the evening we will be making our weekly visit to Aunt Irene after dropping the Angel Face off at home.

Thursday is choir and Friday we will be attending a Mexican Fiesta that our church is hosting for all of the parishioners who volunteer their time and services all year long.

Please stop by each day and see what's new on the Farm.  Monday I am celebrating National Cupcake Day with Breakfast....yep, a breakfast cupcake that is sure to be a hit at your next brunch.  Tuesday we are traveling the world with stops in Italy and Thailand.  Thursday I'm sharing a quick and delicious Asparagus Soup recipe.

Here is the Weekly Menu.  Any special plans for you this week?  Have you finished all those Easter Leftovers?

Saturday
Pasta Primavera

Sunday
Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken
Spring Risotto

Melody Monday
Japanese Steak Rolls
Garlic Lime Rice

Tuesday
Carry out at Aunt Irene's

Wednesday
Beef Sliders
French Fries

Thursday
Chicken Shawarma
Marinated Vegetables

Friday
Mexican Fiesta at Church

Homemade Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing #FoodieExtravaganza

This month's Foodie Extravaganza theme was chosen by Caroline of Caroline's Cooking.  She went over to The Nibble and learned that April is National Garlic Month.  We love garlic around here and I use it in nearly every recipe.

I even have a few in which garlic is the star ingredient.  These Garlic Pull Apart Rolls are so very delicious.  We also love smearing Lebanese Garlic Sauce onto hot pita breads. This scrumptious Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic is an easy crockpot meal.

We also enjoyed garlic as the star in this Soup with Noodles and Peas. You could serve them up with these Garlic Knots that are one of my husbands favorites and follow it up with Garlic Brined Pork Chops, which is one of mine.

Whenever we go out to dinner, my husband will ask for Creamy Garlic Dressing on his salad.  Rarely do they have it but every once in a while he gets lucky and then he is a happy camper.  Caroline announced this theme shortly after we had been to a restaurant who looked at Frank like he had 2 heads when he asked for Creamy Garlic dressing.  I decided that I was going to find a Creamy Garlic Dressing recipe that I could make for him to enjoy at home.

I greatly adapted this recipe that I found at the Taste of Home website.  The original recipe was made with low fat and no fat ingredients.  I didn't have those on hands.  We are also a Miracle Whip family but if you are a mayo person, have at it. I had no scallions so I omitted them.

The first day, I used it to dress a flat bread pizza.  That recipe will be forthcoming.  Since then Frank has had salad nearly every day.  I should have made this dressing ages ago.  After the third or fourth time he had it he told me that it was better than any Creamy Garlic Dressing he had ever gotten in any restaurant.  Of course, that comment had me running into the kitchen to make up another batch!!

I'm anxious to see all the rest of the Garlic recipes being shared today.  You will find links to all of them following this quick and easy recipe.

Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing

adapted from Taste of Home

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. Miracle Whip

1/4 c. milk ( I used 2%)

1 t. sugar

1 lg. garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  Print Recipe

More Garlicky Goodness

Today we're sharing our love of garlic for Foodie Extravaganza\

See all the tasty recipe ideas below:

• Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Alcachofas al Ajillo or Garlicky Artichokes by Food Lust People Love
• Cuban Cube Steak - Bistec de Palomilla by Caroline's Cooking
• Fresh Green Garlic Mince Bake by Sneha's Recipe
• Garlic Fried Calamari by Palatable Pastime
• Garlic Knots by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Garlic Loaded Tzatziki Sauce by Hardly A Goddess
• Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Homemade Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Spring Greens with Roasted Asparagus and Lemon Vinaigrette #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

I was given the opportunity to choose the recipes for this month's Kitchen Matrix Cooking Project.  The KMCP is a group started by Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla where we are cooking through the cookbook by Mark Bittman and sharing our recipes each Tuesday.

I'm starting off this month with Salad Greens +12 Ways.  Mark has 4 subsets in this chapter; tender, crunchy, sturdy and bold.  I was making a salad to start our Easter Dinner.  I had some artisan salad greens containing fresh red leaf and butter leaf lettuce. 

I had some fresh asparagus left from that bought for our soup that I will be sharing with you at a later date.  I tossed it with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted it in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.  

I had some dill left that I had needed for my Scallop Crudo that was served as the first course.  I decided to dress this with Bittman's Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette.  It was the perfect, light salad course to start our Easter Feast and will be the perfect start to your Mother's Day celebration next month.

Make sure you stop by and see the other salads shared below my recipe.  You can join us as we explore 8 ideas for Pasta Primavera next Tuesday.  Learn how at Cam's information post. 

Spring Greens with Roasted Asparagus and Lemon Vinaigrette

inspired by Kitchen Matrix by Mark Bittman

1 small head red lettuce

1 small head butter leaf lettuce

12 stalks asparagus

1-2 t. olive oil, salt and pepper

2 T. chopped fresh dill

1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small shallot, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Roast in a preheat 400* oven for about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Rinse the lettuce well and spin dry.  Tear into bite sized pieces and place onto a platter.   Sprinkle with the dill and top with the roasted asparagus.

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, salt and pepper.  Drizzle over the salad and pass remainder at the table with the salad for those who like more dressing.  Print Recipe

More Salad Greens + 12 Ways

An InLinkz Link-up