Buca Di Peppo warm Tomato and Spinach Salad

1 red onion ( cut in wedges or slices)
4-6 roma tomatoes
16 oz fresh baby spinach
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Balsamic Vinagrette:

1/2 cup balsamic vinagrette
1 garlic clove (minced)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place vinager, garlic, and sugar in mixing bowl, whisk rapidly by hand while drizzling in olive oil, mix well. Store in fridge until ready.

Pecans:

1 cup pecans
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 350. melt butter in saute pan, add sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne pepper & pecans. Spread pecans on cookie sheet and bake about 5-7 minutes, (watching carefully not to burn) Let cool.

1)Place Red onions and tomatoes in med glass bowl. microwave 2-3 minutes

2)Place spinach on large platter. spoon tomatoes and onion to the side of the spinach. pour dressing over spinach and lightly toss. Sprinkle salad with pecans and goat cheese.

Ham w/ Mustard Glaze

This is a nice glaze that gives the ham a a wonderful flavor without being too sweet.

(for a 10-12 lb. Ham)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. frozen fruit juice

Combine ingredients and microwave for 1 min. Glaze ham 1/2 way through cooking, and continue to baste until ham is done.

Puertorican Rice (arroz con gandules)

3 T olive oil
1/2 cup fresh or frozen Sofrito - recipe in blog under seasonings/sauces
1 packet Sazon Goya - con culantro y achiote (can be found in latin markets. orange box)
1 T salt
3/4 can tomato sauce
1 can gandules w/water (also found in latin markets)
4 cups rice
5 cups water

coat bottom of large caldero (pot) with olive oil. add sofrito, tomato sauce, fry up for a few minutes to combine. add gandules with water from can, and rice, salt, and water. Bring to boil. then turn on low, cover and simmer for 20 min. making sure to keep the lid tight.

Broiled Asparagus

This recipe is super easy and a nice twist for asparagus - my favorite veggie. It comes out tender on the inside and kind of crispy on the ends - yum!

1 bunch of asparagus
olive oil
salt
pepper

heat oven to broil. Arrange aparagus on a cookie sheet..ends pre cut. drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for aout 10 minutes...checking often to prevent burn.

Sticky Carrot Pudding

So...I've been bugging my mom to send me her recipe for carrot pudding..it's a family recipe and is devine..she has procrastinated beyond belief..like a few years. So I decided to look for a similiar recipe and I found this one. although it doesn't compare to my moms, it was really good in a different sort of way...almost closer to carrot cake and the toffee sauce was incredilble ..I might have to substitute the sauce out for my moms.

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup boiling hot water
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teasoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup finely grated carrots
1/3 cup nuts (whatever you have on hand)

Preheat oven to 350. lightly butter 8 ramekins
soak rasins in hot water until plump, about 15 min, drain. Whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper, set aside. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 min. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in vanilla, Reduce speed to low. Mix in flour mixture. Mix in carrots, nuts and raisins. Pour into ramekins filling to 3/4 full. Bake on a baking sheet until just set, about 30 min. Transfer ramekins to wire rack and let cool slightly, turn puddings into dishes. top with toffee sauce.....

Toffee Sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

melt butter in med saucepan over med heat. open and scrape vanilla seeds out of bean. add seeds, add bean, . Whisk in cream, sugar and salt. Bring to a boi, reduce heat to med-low. simmer stirring occaisionally, until mixture is thickened, about 5 min.

Chicken Noodle Soup

The home made noodles make this recipe extra special. My kids always request this soup when they are sick. Sometimes I will throw in a fresh herb if I have it on hand. i.e. cilantro, tarragon, or basil, etc.

Chicken Pieces - or 1 cut up chicken
water (6 to 8 cups)
salt
pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1-1/2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cup chopped Celery
1 -1/2 cup chopped potatoes
1 - 1/2 cup chopped carrots
home made noodles (recipe follows)

Place chicken pieces in water in al large kettle to create broth and cook chicken. add teasppon salt. Remove chicken when cooked, let cool, then debone and remove meat. To water, skim fat off top if desired. then add veggies and let cook. Add noodles, then Add chicken back in pot, salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer till noodles get fluffy. serve with garlic bread or crackers.


Home made noodles:
2 cups flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

I use my kitchen-aid for this recipe. but I have done it by hand as well
kitchen aid - use kneading arm. put flour in bowl, make well in center - put yolks, egg and salt in well. Turn on knead on med high till mixed thouroughly, then add water a tablespoon at a time till ball is formed. then knead 10 more minutes. let rest. Roll dough out on floured surface and cut noodles. Dry about 2 hours. (sometimes i dont have time to let them dry and it still works fine)

By hand - measure flour into bowl, make well in center, and yolks, egg and salt in well, mix by hand until thouroughly mixed, and water tablespoon at a time till ball is formed. roll dough onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic. let rest 10 min. Roll dough, cut into noodles and dry about 2 hours. (sometimes i dont have time to let them dry and it still works fine)

Lemon butter Green Beans

From "60 minute gourmet". I cook these often

1/2 pound tender, very fresh green beans
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Juice of a lemon
salt and pepper

Cut off and discard the tips of the beans, Drop them into boling salted water and return to boil. Simmer about 7 minutes until crisp tender. Do not overcook. Drain.
sprinkle with salt, pepper, butter, parlsey and lemon juice. toss well and serve hot