Puttanesca Sauce $6 dinner for Four in 30 minutes from start to finish

I have made this a couple of times over the last couple months, it is especially for Kui. It's been so crazy in my kitchen that I have a hard time cooking AND taking pictures lately, but today was relatively easy and I used my time to my advantage! Here below is a step by step for this sweet, fresh and herby "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" pasta sauce. If you are a fan of Anchovies you'll love this!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20

Servings: 4

Cost: $6.00

Ingredients: 

3-4 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. garlic

1/8 cup onion

2 oz. pkg, anchovies in olive oil

Sprinkle of each: (dried)

Oregano

Sage

Thyme 

Rosemary

1 15oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes

1 cup of bullion (I used Tomato Base)

Fresh Basil and Oregano about 1/3 cup each

1/2 tsp. Sugar

Salt and Pepper

1 lb. of Pasta (I used Rotini)

Saute chopped onion, garlic and anchovies in olive, don't forget the salt and pepper. (I add the oil from the anchovies as well)

These are the brand of anchovies I used. This 2 oz package was $1.39 at a local market near my home, and normally they go on sale for just $1.00.

I just used some dried spices from my rack, but if you can find these fresh it's a plus! I add these in once the onion, garlic and anchovies have cooked down a bit.

Add the whole can and of tomatoes and crush by hand or with a potato masher. Salt and Pepper again after adding the tomatoes.

Microwave or heat 1 Tbs of bullion powder in a cup of water and add it to the sauce.

Rough chop or rip off some fresh Basil and Oregano and toss it in!

Simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Add your tsp. of sugar and continue to cook while the pasta boils. Don't forget to salt your pasta water as well.

Puttanesca is a very thin sauce and is one that is the best a day later once the flavors have had time to marinate and meld together! I normally make this sauce with Spaghetti, which is traditional, but any cut will work great. Also traditionally this is a sauce with capers so if you love those little pickled bursts of flavor go ahead and include them as well!

ENJOY!

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Simple, RAW Pesto for 4 under $3

There is no need for cooking such a fragrant sauce. Again this is a cilantro improvisation for Kuizzy and Lazyflip's Monday Menu. It's really easy with only 6 ingredients and the 6th is cilantro. I have also made this sauce with JUST basil or basil and parsley. This is one of those meals that if I'm missing one component I can't easily adjust as long as the herbs are fresh. Usually pesto calls for "Parmigiano Reggiano" (Parmesan) but the Queso Fresco worked quite nicely. For all the Vegans, cheese can be left out completely, or you can use a vegan "cheese." Lazyflip (Angelo) is allergic to nuts so I never use them when cooking for him. pine nuts, walnuts even cashews would also work great and heavy cream can be added to make it a really rich and creamy sauce.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 0
Servings: 4
Cost (including pasta): $2.64

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh basil
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 - 3/4 cup olive oil
2 whole cloves garlic
1/4 cup "Queso Fresco" cheese (in place of Parmesan)

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend til smooth. Set aside and cook pasta, mix then serve.

ENJOY!

Blue Mac 'n' Cheese...NOT from the Box

I asked for requests on Facebook and this one came from Grampa Brian Bigler. I posted this picture in my 2014 update, but it wasn't accompanied by a recipe. 

Tyler hates blue cheese, and my sister Amanda as well. They both loved this. Amanda makes her own version now:)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. of Macaroni "mini" shells

1 8oz. pkg. of mushrooms, sliced

12 oz. of sausage (I used breakfast Sausage links)

1 cup Boar's Head blue cheese crumbles

3 oz. or about 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2-2 cups of milk

2 tsp. dried parsley

salt and pepper

Directions:

Saute mushrooms and set aside. Do the same with the sausage, although it wasn't ground so you have to do that yourself, drain the excess oil and set aside. Cook your pasta in salted water, drain and then begin your sauce. Turn the heat to medium on the low side and add your milk and the mozzarella. You'll need a wire whisk for this part. Whisk the cheese until it fully melts into the Milk and no longer sticks to the whisk. Once it's fully incorporated add the blue cheese, and again whisk until its blended. At the end I add a little parsley, salt and pepper.(to taste) Mix in all the other ingredients and you're done! I have found this is a dish that should be eaten right after preparation. It still tastes great later or tomorrow, but the sauce thickens and loses it's creamy texture. 

ENJOY!

Marinara (Sunday Sauce)

So typically Italian families do big Sunday dinners....mine wasn't the exception....and as kids going to our 'Nena's was like Disneyland. She is now past, but will live on as legendary for the amazing things she could do as a "COOK." 

I remember as a little girl pulling up in the driveway with my dad and sister after a long drive from San Diego to Palm Springs. The garage door was open, waiting for us =), and we ran in to be hit with the most amazing smell. A smell my Dad now says he remembers before he even got out of the car. But I think at 5-10 years old we were just excited to be in her company so the smell was secondary to being with the worlds "Poster Child" of Grandmothers. My father no longer had any rights, we could break things, drink all the soda we wanted....eat BEFORE dinner, and all he could do was watch...haa...sorry Dad....she was AMAZING! She was more excited to see us than anything in the world at those moments and I don't think I'll ever feel that loved again, but at least I did at one time, by her. The love she felt for all of us was what we tasted in her food, and it's indescribable. 

As her family I think we will all spend the rest of our lives trying to recreate those meals and memories saying to ourselves AND others, "Ugh...you just have no idea..." especially when they tell you how good it is. People are always saying how their "Italian" Grandmother is the best, blah blah blah...and I'm sorry guys....you will never have any idea. It was everything she ever made...EVERYTHING...The woman could take a Pot of water and a low grade piece of meat, 2 carrots, a potato, an onion and salt...and you'd be blown away...all and all she was a Pro. Self-taught, and I thank her everyday because I feel it was a gene, and I hope I got it. Below is a "Sunday Sauce" that will never be the same. but I hope she'd be proud.


So to start I used pork and beef and use cuts like chuck and shoulder with or without the bone. I used boneless which cooks down faster, and makes for a sauce that is done in 4 hours instead of 8.

Ingredients:
1.5 lb. of pork shoulder
1.3 lb. of beef chuck
2-3 Tbs. of olive oil (to fry the meat on both sides)
1/3 cup of yellow onion chopped small
1/4 of a carrot sliced thin
2-3 Tbs. minced Garlic
1 28 oz. can of tomato puree
another 3 Tbs. of olive oil for the carrots, onion and garlic
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. Sugar

Brown the pork and beef on both sides in olive oil, and don't forget to season the meat on both sides as well. Don't cook all the way through, and don't crowd the pan take your time and then set them aside to rest.

Once the meat has been set aside put remaining olive oil in the pot to saute the onions(I used scallions but this is usually done with yellow), carrots and garlic. Make sure to saute on MED as to not burn your garlic. 

Once the onions turn translucent turn down the heat and add the can of tomato puree. You can swish a little water in the can to get the sludgy left overs;) Here my Grandmother uses wine, but I've found it's just as good without wine when I have none. At this point add salt, pepper, sugar and the meat. Turn it up to a high simmer and then put the Lid on and turn it back down to low for 3-4 hours.

Cook your desired cut of pasta Al Dente (to the tooth) in salted water when your sauce is done.

Ladle only the sauce onto the pasta, serve the meat on the side. The consistency should be like gravy with layers of deep red oil on top:) Also there is no need to over sauce the pasta it should lightly coat not drowned it. 

 ENJOY!

Not my Gramma's Aglio e Olio!

I just noticed I used "Not" in my last posts' title also...oh well, this time it was more of a play on that show title, "My Grandmother's Ravioli," with Mo Rocca. Yesterday for Monday Menu Madness I made two different kinds of pasta for the boys. I'm only sharing one today and it's Kuizzy's. He doesn't have any real food allergies, but we take it easy on the dairy and since the other sauce I made was a cream on cream on cheese I chose a Kui version of something I grew up with. A traditional "Aglio e Olio" is a very basic sauce but jammmm packed with flavors and very easily modified...which I love since my cooking is a-my-take-on-your-food approach. The sauce is basically olive oil, garlic, and parsley. Kuizzy loves, LOVES, LLOOVVEESSS cilantro, so if you see a reoccuring theme of cilantro being where you might not think it should go BLAME him;)

This is for 1/2 pound of pasta, I used linguine. Again this recipe is modified for Kui since I have 4 bushelllllls of cilantro and love to improvise. Don't judge me Terracciano's!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves fresh garlic

1/3 cup cilantro

salt and pepper

Directions:

In a saucepan "quick" fry the fine chopped garlic and parsley add salt and pepper. AND quick cause garlic burns fast. Have your pasta drained and waiting for the sauce. And thats it, quick easy healthy and you can use Gluten Free, quinoa, or rice noodles if you can't have the regular. ENJOY!

Thank you Nena<3