Homemade Pasta - For Chicken Soup, Butter, salt and pepper or Alfredo

Whenever I make homemade ravioli, I always look forward to saving a bit to make a favorite comfort food from my childhood; homemade pasta.  One of my all time favorite Fall foods!  This dough is a nice, hearty, filling dough I use for noodles and homemade ravioli.  I'll post my Grilled Chicken and Artichoke Ravioli with Smoked Gouda... but first, the homemade noodles that make my mouth water just thinking about them.


Homemade Pasta

2 1/4 c flour
1 t salt
1-2 t olive oil
3-4 eggs

In a food processor bowl, place the salt and flour.  Put the top on and while pulsing or running on low, add a teaspoon or two of oil and start adding eggs.  You probably only need 3 eggs so start with that.  Process until the dough forms a ball shape.  This happens fairly quickly within a few pulses.  If it hasn't gathered itself in a ball by the 3rd egg, you can add another teaspoon of oil or water or use a 4th egg.  Water or additional flour by the teaspoon will give you the texture you need for it to be a ball.

Let it rest 10 minutes.  Then either roll very, very thin with a rolling pin or use a pasta machine.  I use a manual, hand crank pasta machine and starting with number 1, I run it through to a number 4.  You can then cut into thin noodles.  Let set to dry and store or use right away.  Boil til tender.  Drain.  Serve as you wish; my favorite is simply butter, salt and pepper but these are equally awesome in homemade chicken soup!!!  

Make ahead for freezer if you wish.... ORANGE BREAKFAST ROLLS

The picture above is rolls in the pan before rising or baking.

I will be posting a 'finished' baked product photo of them but today's post is to show my kids (and anyone else visiting my site) that you can make these ahead of time when you have a little bit of free time and then put them into the freezer for a future date.

It's no secret I'm not a fan of cinnamon rolls - but I do make really, really yummy ones!  I'm not a fan of breakfast in general, but these rolls are so tempting even I will eat one!  Picture a Dreamcicle or a Orange Julius drink in a breakfast roll.

Orange Breakfast Rolls

Dough: You can use a loaf of store bought dough, thaw and roll out to a rectangle approximately 10X15 or make a simple dough like this one;

1 pk. dry yeast (about 2 1/4 t)
3/4 c warm water
1/3 c sugar
1 t salt
1/3 c oil
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 c evaporated milk
4 - 4 1/2 c flour
Real butter, soft
Orange juice concentrate
White sugar
Dried orange peel


Dissolve yeast in the water in a bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and knead either by hand or with the dough hook of your electric mixer.  Use more or less flour so the dough is the right consistency and not too sticky or wet.  Knead about 5 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and let raise until doubled.  Punch down.  Roll out on parchment paper or a floured surface to form a large rectangle.  Aim for about 16-18 inches across and 12-15 wide.

Spread with real butter.
Drizzle with orange juice concentrate.
Spread liberally with white granulated sugar.
Sprinkle with dried orange peel.

Roll up the long way.  Slice into 1 inch slices and place in a heavily greased baking pan or muffin tin.  I used a 'lasagna' pan which is slightly larger than the traditional 13X9" so I made 16 of them (4 across, 4 down).  You could make it into 12 - 16 depending on your pan and how thick you want them.  Place them into the pan.  Cover and let raise in a warm place until double in size (about 3 hours).  Bake at 350 degrees about 15-20 minutes until center rolls are done.  If you want to make them ahead and freeze; let rise about 1 hour and then cover and place in the deep freeze.  When you want to use them, remove from the freezer, let thaw and then let them raise about 1-2 hours past thawing until they double in size.  Bake as directed.

Let them cool a bit and then cover with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
One idea is this;

1 stick butter
4 c powdered sugar
1-2 t dried orange zest
2 T orange juice concentrate

Mix and spread on warm but cooled rolls.

Put into a greased bowl, cover and let rise

After rising and punching down, roll out to a large rectangle and spread with real butter

Sprinkled with dried orange peel

Drizzle with as much or little orange juice concentrate as you wish

 

Rolled up lengthwise and ready to slice into approximately 16 one inch slices to let raise and bake

Blueberry Bread - or Blueberry Pound Cake with Whipped Cream

I've stated before (and I'll say it again) this blog isn't about 'photo shoots' and being the prettiest pictures of food.  It's about food.  Real. Food. As you see it, as you eat it.

This site has been around since before 'food blogs' existed.  The word blog had just gotten started and most of America didn't know what it (blog) was.  Social media wasn't a coined phrase yet (they were debating what to call it and throwing a few phases around) -  And so... photos like the bread above - crumbs and aluminum foil and all are real. food.  Right before it's gobbled up.  No wasted pretty photo shoot food here!

Blueberry Bread

1 c butter
3 c sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t lemon extract
6 eggs
3 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 c sour cream
2 c fresh or frozen blueberries

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Beat in the extracts.  Add eggs, beat well.  Combine the flour and baking soda.  Add to the mixture alternately with the sour cream.  Fold in the blueberries.  Spoon into 2 greased or lined loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees 65 minutes or until the center is done when tested with a knife.  Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar crystals and let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.  This is best when wrapped in plastic wrap, then in foil, and refrigerated overnight.  You can slice and serve as is, or slice and serve laying down with whipped cream as you would a blueberry pound cake.

Pumpkin Recipes! Cake, bread, cupcakes, dip, seeds, griddle cakes and more

Autumn is here!  The perfect time to celebrate the awesome pumpkin.  Don't wait for Thanksgiving to make a pumpkin pie and call it 'done' for the season.  Here are over a dozen recipes from my website that I've posted over the years.  From cakes to cinnamon rolls, pasta to griddle cakes.  There is something here for everyone - as I even have an amazing pumpkin bread that can be served to those doing sugar free or low carb way of eating.    Enjoy!!


Pumpkin Cake with Broiled Coconut Topping
Perfect Pumpkin Bread
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin Cupcakes
Mexican Pumpkin Dip
Flaxseed Pumpkin Bread (sugar free and low carb too!)
Pumpkin Butter Pie
Pumpkin Pie with an Oatmeal Crust
Homemade Pasta
Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Griddle Cakes
Pickled Pumpkin
Pumpkin Dessert
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin Pie

Homemade Cream Puffs

Because I'm not a fan of sweets, I find I absolutely love cream puffs and cream horns.  The pastry with just a touch of sweetened cream or puddings is perfect.  Not a smidgen of chocolate or overly sweet sugary confections to be found.  Although you CAN fill them with chocolate pudding, or fill them with whipped cream and drizzle chocolate on top...  if you are a regular reader of my site you know I don't particularly care for chocolate so my filling of choice is usually homemade whipped cream or a mixture of whipped cream and vanilla pudding.

Unfortunately, I can eat 7 of these in one sitting!  Perhaps that is why I only let myself make them about every six months!  (And why I don't have a better photo to post...  they are gone now! Ha!).

Cream Puffs

1 c water
1/3 c butter (not margarine or spreads)
1 c flour
1/8 t salt
1 T sugar
4 eggs

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.  In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat/ let stand for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Place a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 and bake another 25 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely.  Fill with your favorite filling of choice.  I love to fill with whipped cream or a mixture of whipped cream and vanilla pudding.