By Miranda

Now that I have had homemade pasta, its hard to go back to a box.  The process has become fairly easy to me so that I can "whip up" a batch within a half hour.  The possibilities are endless - this can be used to make lasagna, ravioli, or just the normal noodle
shapes (if you have the right tools).  I am lucky enough to have the KitchenAid pasta attachments and can now make pretty much everything!  Although I am only like 1/16th Italian (wish I was more), I don't claim to be an expert on pasta or making it.  This is just the recipe that works for me and that I love.
Makes 3-4 servings

1 cup semolina flour
1 cup wheat flour (can use white too)
1 Tbsp gluten (a flour that will help make pasta stronger and more chewy)
1 Tbsp milk
3 eggs
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until it starts to come together.
 It will seem really dry but keep working with it. Eventually, dump it on the counter and knead it for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes a somewhat smooth ball.  
It may not absorb all the flour, or you might need a bit more flour (depending on the size of your eggs).  Cover the dough ball and let it sit for 30 minutes on the counter.  Then either roll/cut it out by hand or use your handy pasta maker.  
I put mine through a million times and keep folding it over until its a nice rectangle, then I start decreasing the width of the press and let it stretch out to the thickness I want.  
Usually I make fettuccine but tonight I wanted an egg noodle type pasta, so I just made lasagna noogles and then cut them into a bunch of wide crazy shapes with my pizza cutter.
Cooking:  Get a huge pot of water boiling (they need lots of space) and salt it well (like 3 Tbsp).  When the water is at a rolling boil, add your noodles and stir.  Fresh pasta will cook much sooner than dried.  Mine is usually done by 4 minutes.  Definitely test it at 3 though so it doesnt get overcooked.

Hope it turns out delish!

Note: My husband, who is super good at bread-making, thinks that the milk and gluten  counteract eachother, but I'm positive that they are perfect together.  The gluten makes the pasta stronger and more chewy, but the milk makes its a little more tender and delicate, despite the gluten.
 

By Emily

My husband Matt loves RISOTTO.  It's one of the 3 things he makes, along with burgers and lemon pound cake.  This is our basic risotto recipe originally from the Harry's Bar Cookbook ("the world's greatest Italian restaurant") but modified because they don't have wine in their recipe which shocks me, because it adds such great flavor to risotto.  Plus, this is my excuse to pour a glass wine to sip while I hang out over the stove for a half hour stirring the risotto (I mean it's out on the counter so I may as well not waste it).  I think that's why I love making risotto; there's something therapeutic about the stirring, sipping wine, and thinking of nothing for a few moments at the end of your day.  
Once finished, this is a rich dish that fills you up fast, so savor every tasty bite.  Yum.

You'll Need:
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine (use something good enough to drink)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small/medium onion, chopped small
1 1/2 cups short grain Italian rice, they suggest Vialone or Carnaroli but I've only used Arborio
3 Tbs butter
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Sea salt (I usually use about 1/2 tsp)
Fresh ground pepper 

Additionally you'll need:
-1 cup frozen small peas, at room temp or cooked separately and set aside
A few slices of pancetta (smokey Italian bacon).  Cook the pancetta crispy like you would bacon, and crumble on the top of your plate of risotto - you can substitute bacon if you can't find pancetta, however, pancetta is easy to work with and SO tasty so it's worth it to explore if you've never cooked with it before.

To Make: 
Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan and keep it at a bare simmer so it's hot.  In a separate large saucepan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion on medium heat until golden but not brown (maybe 5-7 minutes).
Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon to coat well with onion and oil.  
Turn heat up to medium high and add white wine, stirring constantly, then 1/2 cup of the stock.  Keep the mixture boiling softly, and add another 1/2 cup of stock as the liquid absorbs into the rice.

Keep stirring and adding 1/2 cup of stock, and sipping your wine : )

You may need to adjust your heat so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, yet keeps at a slow boil.  
Keep this up for about 20-30 minutes.  You know you're finished cooking the risotto when your rice looks creamy and is tender on the outside with each grain still firm on the inside.  
Test a bite to be sure it's a little firm inside and then you know your are done.  (It's overdone if there is no firm interior, which still tastes good, but not the way risotto is meant to be)
Remove the pan from the heat and vigorously stir in the butter and Parmesan, then taste and season with salt and pepper.  If you are using the Peas & Pancetta recipe, here's where you add the cooked peas, or whatever veggie you are using.  If it becomes hard to stir, you can also add a little more stock to soften up the texture and make it even creamier. It should not be dry or lumpy, but very creamy like the consistency of cooked oatmeal.  Serve immediately and garnish risotto with extra Parmesan, top with crumbled Pancetta if you are using that, and salt & pepper.  

Note: you can add pretty much anything to risotto.  This is just one variation with Peas & Pancetta, but you can do a mushroom or asparagus risotto, or anything you want to use up in the fridge... We also make the plain parmesan risotto recipe above (with no additions) pretty often to accompany a marinated meat or a more involved dinner that doesn't revolve around the risotto.  Also, the fresher and better your ingredients, the better your risotto.
 

By Miranda

I got this recipe off of a bed and breakfast website a long time ago but can't remember the name of it (shoot!).  It's one of my family's favorite breakfasts, so I have to share it.  
Makes about 6-8 depending on the size.

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped strawberries
2 1/4 cup flour
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold butter
2/3- 3/4 cup cold milk
Decorating sugar or raw cane sugar for the tops of the scones

Preheat oven to 425F.  Grease baking sheet or line with parchment paper.  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Cut in butter with pastry cutter or two knives (or you could pulse in a food processor) until there are no butter pieces larger than a pea.  
Add strawberries and toss to coat them.  Drizzle in milk and toss mixture just until all dry ingredients hold together.  Do not overmix.  Drop by large spoonfuls onto baking sheet (they expand slightly) and then sprinkle with extra sugar.  Bake about 15 minutes.  You can serve plain or with butter or cream cheese.
 

Recipe by Miranda, photos by Rachel

These muffins are so hearty and delicious, pretty healthy, yet really sweet.  Miranda gave me this recipe about a year ago and I have made them SO many times since.  One time she made them and accidentally doubled the sugar, finding out that 1 full cup of brown sugar actually makes the muffins super chewy and even more delicious!


You will need:
1 cup flour
1 cup wheat bran
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup mashed bananas (2 bananas)
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2-1 cups packed brown sugar (1/2 is the original recipe but we prefer 3/4 or 1 full cup)
1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 375F.  Grease or line muffin tin with muffin cups.  

Mix the dry ingredients and nuts in a large bowl.  
In an electric mixer, mix your bananas and butter.  Add sugar and egg and beat until well combined.  
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet into the dry.  Fold in until just incorporated (I was taught once that over mixing/stirring muffin batter makes muffins less fluffy and more dense).

Use an ice cream scoop, if you have one, to fill your cupcake tins.  
Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.


Note: Remember you can freeze any uneaten muffins for grilling/toasting later!
 

Recipe by our Mother, made & photographed by Rachel

This recipe comes from our one and only Chachi Momma (as we lovingly call her).  I have put it into my own words, because she knows this recipe so well she can make it with her eyes closed!  Her version still always come out better than mine, but mine is pretty darn good.  This recipe makes a lot of sauce, so you will need a very large pot, or you can do what I do and use two different ones.  

I made this for our 1st Anniversary dinner and it was fabulous - Ed even said that the meatballs were the best he'd ever tasted...sorry Mom, I took all the credit that night!  

I served this with regular old spaghetti since the sauce is pretty much a one-man-show, and this great semolina bread recipe that Miranda sent me a while back, that I broiled for a couple minutes with olive oil and fresh grated Parmesan.  And of course, we had to have dessert, so we followed this dinner with insane three layer brownies....
Shopping List:

Fat Back or Salt Pork: about four 1/8 inch thick slices.  If your butcher or grocery store does not carry this you can substitute olive oil for it.

Two cloves of garlic; cut up the garlic in thin slices, pour a teaspoon of salt on it and smash it up with a fork and set aside.

Two pounds of ground beef: You can use less meat if you want fewer meatballs, the thing to remember is for each pound of beef you need 1 egg to make the meatballs

Italin flavored bread crumbs: you will only need enough to soak up the egg, if you are using 1 pound of meat it's about 1/2-3/4 cups and if you use 2 pounds of meat you will need about a cup of bread crumbs.

Eggs; 1 egg per pound of meat that you are using for the meatballs

1 16 oz can of tomato sauce

Two 46oz cans of tomato juice

One 46oz can of whole or crushed tomatoes

One cup of water

Italian seasoning; my mother uses about 3 teaspoons, I use about 5 teaspoons

Parmesan cheese; anywhere from a 1/2-2 cups, depending on your taste, I use about a cup

One carrot, peeled and uncut

Two big onions, chopped/diced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

Heat the fat back in a deep fry pan until the fat begin turning to liquid.  Remember, if you couldn't find fat back/salt pork or you don't want to use it, you can use about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  

In a large bowl, mix the smashed garlic clove/salt mixture with the egg (s) and just enough breadcrumbs to create a wet looking, mushy consistency.  Add the ground beef to the egg/breadcrumb mixture and mix together well (I use my hands to mash it all up - it's gross but it works the best!).  Form small, golf ball sized balls, with your hands, being careful to not pack them too densely, otherwise the sauce will not be able to cook through them.

Add the meatballs to the pan of fat back/salt pork or olive oil, whichever you are using, and brown them on all sides.  Once they are browned on all sides, take them out of the pan and set aside.  
After all of your meatballs are browned, scrape the pan to loosen up the brown bits left from the meatballs.  Add the chopped onions to the meatball pan and cook until onions are tender, stirring often.

While the onions are cooking, fill a large, deep pot with the tomato sauce, tomato juice, whole/crushed tomatoes, water, Italian seasoning, parsley, and carrot.  Bring this mixture to a boil.
Picture
*I had to split mine up in 2 pots since my largest pot wouldn't fit everything...it spits and spatters a lot, so try to resist cleaning until it's done cooking!
Once the onions are cooked and the sauce mixture is boiling, add the onions and meatballs to the boiling sauce.  Simmer for about three hours, uncovered.  The sauce will cook down/thicken over time.  Stir every once in a while to ensure the sauce it not sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Towards the end of the three hours, add the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Remove the carrot and serve.  

Notes: 
The carrot is added to cut down on acidity, remove it when you are finished cooking the sauce.  When my mother learned how to make this sauce, the Italian woman named Stella who taught her would brown a few pork chops along with the meatballs, and cook them in the sauce as well, which also adds a lot of good flavor.  Another meat my mother has often added it sweet and hot Italian sausages. If you want to use sausage, simply brown them as you would the meatballs, and add to the sauce when the instructions have you add the meatballs.  

The real Italian way to serve this is to take out all the lumps before serving, by either pureeing or pouring the sauce through a mesh strainer after cooking.  Our family usually keeps the lumps and pieces in the sauce for a thicker, heartier sauce.

Have fun and make it your own, after, of course you try it our mother's way!
 

By Rachel

My husband and I celebrated our 1st anniversary this week and in an attempt to make the best dinner and dessert he's ever tasted, I made Emily's Salted Caramel Ice Cream AND Kevin and Amanda's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bars.  It was a true test of our heart health...and we survived!!  Warning though, this dessert was INSANE and should probably not be eaten on a regular basis!  

What you will need:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. 
Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. 
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
 

Recipe from Miranda, made this time by Rachel

I love semolina bread!  This recipe is Miranda's and it's soooo easy to make and really chewy and delish.  The recipe makes enough dough for 4 small loaves or 2 large loaves of bread.  You can refrigerate the dough for up to 14 days, so you don't have to make it all right away, but can make a small loaf at a time so you always have fresh bread!
You will need:
3 cups luke warm water
1 1/2 Tbs yeast
1 1/2 Tbs salt
3 cups semolina flour
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp sugar

Directions:
Mix the yeast, salt and water, add sugar and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add flour and stir or knead with a dough hook in an electric mixer.  Cover, but not airtight, and let sit at room temperature until the dough rises, about 2 hours.
At this point, you can keep the dough in the fridge, or continue to bake it.  

Pre-heat the oven to 450F.  If you have a pizza stone, put this in the oven while it pre-heats.  Dust a surface with flour and shape into a ball.  Let this sit for 40 minutes, while the oven gets nice and hot.  

After 40 minutes, shape the dough into the loaf by turning the dough into itself, like you are making a brain shape - stretching the top of the ball and folding the sides under and into itself.  Slice a few couple inch long slice on the top of the bread to breath while it bakes.

If you are using a pizza stone, sprinkle some cornmeal onto the surface and set the dough on the cornmeal, baking for 30-35 minutes.  

If you do not have a pizza stone you can use a baking/cookie sheet.  Set the cookie sheet on the middle rack in the oven and put another sheet underneath with a cup of water in it.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.
 

By Miranda

This is a dressing that I made after tasting a similar one on a salad at a sushi place up here.  You can find a similar one in the stores called "goddess" but I think this is better.  
Makes about 1 cup of dressing.

You will need:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp tahini
juice of half a lime
3 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp vinegar (i use cider but white will do too)
1 Tbsp brown sugar- loosely packed
1/2 tsp sesame oil
fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together or process in blender or food processor. 

Enjoy!
 

Recipe by Miranda, don't-do-it-justice-photos by Rachel

Miranda made apple crisp for a party my family had recently and it was so good, I was caught eating it by the spoonful out of the pan.  I wish I was a better photographer so you could actually see how awesome this is. All I have is the "out of the oven" shot since I made this to take with to a dinner party.  Just take my word for it...any baking recipe from Miranda is guaranteed to be incredible!  

You will need:
4 cups apples (peeled and chopped in big cubes so they can stand the cooking and not turn to mush)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350F.   Grease an 8x8 pan (I used an oval casserole dish that worked out just fine).  Spread the chopped apples in the pan.  In a bowl, toss together dry
ingredients first, then cut butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until mixture is crumbly, but well mixed. 
Sprinkle this over apples and bake for about 40 minutes.  This dessert is best served with whipped cream or ice cream.
 
I am all ready trying to get ready to host my first Thanksgiving this year and am trying to make as much as possible ahead of time so I am not freaking out on the actual day.  One of my two go-to canning books, "Complete Book of Home Preserving" had a recipe for homemade cranberry sauce, so I thought I would give it a try.  The sauce turned out so delicious, a lot sweet and a little tart.  I am so excited to use homemade sauce on Thanksgiving rather than the regular old jelly mold from a store bought can!
What you'll need:
4 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
Zest of one orange
Directions:
If you are canning, follow your normal routine to prepare your jars, water bath and lids.  

In a large sauce pan, combine the cranberries and water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover and continue to boil over medium heat until the skins on the cranberries burst.  Add orange zest.  
Remove from heat and cool for about 5 minutes.  Working in batches, transfer the cranberries, zest and water to your food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  

Return the mixture to the saucepan and add sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to high and boil hard until the sauce thickens to coat a cold, metal spoon.  (If you put a cold, metal spoon in the sauce the sauce should slowly fall off the spoon in large pieces/chunks - this is how you know it's thick enough).  

Save in your fridge, freeze or can the cranberry sauce.