Homemade Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Making pasta at home is EASY!  Make sure you have a small pasta machine to roll and cut your dough and you'll have meals in no time!

3 eggs room temperature
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)
2 cups whole wheat flour
(1/2 cup water) on the side if needed to form soft dough

Mound flour on a work surface or bowl.  Make a deep well and drop eggs into the well.  Add salt if you are using it.  Using a fork, beat egg mixture together.  Slowly add in flour and a circular motion until all flour has been incorporated.  If the dough is too thick or dry, add the water a little at a time until dough forms a soft and firm ball.

Kneed until smooth and elastic.  About 5-10 min.  Divide the dough into 4 parts and place in plastic bag to sit for 20 min.

Using 1 ball, flatten with your hands on a flour surface.  Feed through the widest roller setting on your pasta machine.  (0-1)  Flour dough and feed through a setting of 2 or 3.  Depending on how thick you want your noodles.  I like 3.  Flour dough well before feeding through the cutter.

Either lay pasta out in groups to dry or hang on a pasta dryer rack.  You can place in freezer bags to store or keep out on the rack and cook later that night!

Boil 4-5 min. in a large pot of water with about 1 TBSP Olive Oil.  It's not dehydrated so it doesn't take as long to cook.  Be careful not to overcook! 

To spruce up your spaghetti sauce you can dice up 3 tomatoes and add some fresh basil, garlic powder and chopped onion along with some meatballs if you'd like!

Makes enough spaghetti for a family of 8! 

Top with some fresh Parmesan or grated cheddar cheese!

THAT'S IT!!!

Latin Chicken - crock pot

Ingredients

3 pound(s) bone-in skin on chicken thighs
2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon(s) smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon(s) ground allspice
1 cup(s) chicken broth
1/2 cup(s) salsa
3 clove(s) (large) garlic, crushed with press
2 can(s) (15 to 19 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 pound(s) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks (yams are good too, or mix them up)
1 jarred roasted red pepper, cut into strips (1 cup)
1/3 cup(s) loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Lime wedges

Directions
1. Sprinkle chicken thighs with 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add chicken thighs and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Remove skillet from heat.
2. In same skillet, combine smoked paprika, allspice, chicken broth, salsa, garlic, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin.
3. In 6-quart crock pot, combine beans and sweet potatoes. Place chicken on top of potato mixture in slow cooker; pour broth mixture over chicken. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low 8 hours or on high 4 hours. Check it periodically as sometimes it finishes a bit quicker.
4. With tongs or slotted spoon, remove chicken pieces to large platter. Gently stir roasted red pepper strips into potato mixture. Spoon mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Wow! The flavor all those spices give to this dish! I used boneless/skinless thighs and added more red bell peppers. 

Cinnamon Rolls with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 24 cinnamon rolls

In a small bowl add the following and set aside:

1/2 cup war water
4 1/2 tsp yeast
1 TBSP sugar

In a VERY large bowl BLEND:

1 5.1oz box vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk

Mix in: 

1/2 cup butter melted
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp salt

Mix in: 

Yeast mixture

Add:

8 cups white flour 2 cups at a time
Fold flour in until a non-sticky ball forms, remove from bowl and kneed 5 more minutes
Grease the same large bowl (or butter) and place the dough in bowl.  Cover with towel.  Rise for 1 hour or until double in size. Punch down. Rise another 45 min.

Split the dough in half and roll 1/2 the dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle until no more than 1/4" thick.  (you will want to roll out very thin because the dough likes to move back together and become thick again)

With a spatula spread soft butter to cover the dough.  Sprinkle about 1/2 cup sugar over dough. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup brown sugar over dough. (brown sugar is optional). Sprinkle GOOD cinnamon to cover dough.  I like a lot of cinnamon so it's up to you how much.  I cover it a good layer.

Cut dough into 12 strips.  They should be around 1 1/2" - 2" wide.  The strips a good 6" high.  Roll and place 1"-2" apart in a greased/buttered cake pan or dish the same size.

Set aside to rise 30 min or rolls are full and touching each other.  Repeat for the second ball of dough.  While second batch is rising you can bake the first batch.

BAKE:  350  for 15-20 min or until golden

While your first batch of rolls are cooking you can make the frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz butter
8 oz cream cheese
4 cups powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Blend all together.

***Spread a LIGHT coating over rolls immediately after pulling them out of the oven***  the frosting will melt into the rolls and make them oh so yummy.  After rolls have cooled place desired amount of frosting over top.  ENJOY!

Sugar-Licious Sugar Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 lb butter softened (4 sticks)
2 eggs
3/4 c. sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
6 cups white flour

Mix all together except flour.  Add flour 2 cups at a time.  Chill 2-24 hours.  Roll out on flour surface and cut.  Bake 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Containers with different colored frosting and an assortment of candies to decorate with made for a fun Birthday activity! And you can't go wrong with sugar cookies vs. gingerbread.  Everyone loves sugar cookies!!

Ham Green Bean Casserole DELUX!

I looked in the fridge wondering what the heck to make for dinner.  I had fresh green beans that needed to be cooked (I like to bake them but didn't have that much time) a cooked ham steak and some muenster cheese.  Rather than just having boring ham and some green beans on the side as well as being short on time I decided to do the following and it turned out FABULOUS!!!! Not too sure how "healthy" this is but man was it GOOD and FAST!

2lbs fresh green beans
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (optional, use heavy cream as substitute)
1 onion chopped
1 package mushrooms cut them in half
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp rosemary
1 cup cheddar cheese
3-4 cups cooked diced ham
8-10 slices muenster cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400

In a large pot steam green beans (try to keep the beans all in the same direction so it's easier to place them in the dish making it easier to serve, see picture).  In a LARGE baking dish add cooked diced ham, chopped onion, garlic, rosemary, soup and mushrooms. Mix all together and spread evenly to cover the bottom of dish.  Top with cheddar cheese.  Once green beans are slightly tender (about the time you are done adding everything to dish 10-15 min) place them down the center of the dish.  Pile them high, all facing the same direction.  Place muenster cheese on top of green beans layering the cheese.  Bake until cheese is golden.  Everything is already cooked so this should only take about 10-15 min! Total time for this meal I'd say is 30 minutes! Can't beat that! I will have a picture of the beans in the dish the next time I make this... which should be pretty soon wink wink!