Presto Pasta Night #220

Wow! It's July, so Happy Canada Day! Happy July 4th to my American Friends and Happy... whatever Day wherever you live. Hopefully some of these pastas will make it to your celebrations. Thanks everyone for some truly awesome sharing!

First in this week, Jeanette's Healthy Living and a great Pasta Al Pomadoro . What a simple and delicious lunch... or dinner, for that matter.Nilam of Grow In Kitchen did a lot of research to come up with her Ragu ala Bolognese and it looks wonderful. Our good friend Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Manor shares a book review (she was not so impressed) and some Tortellini Amatriciana (that sounds and looks very impressive).Deb at Kahakai Kitchen is another frequent PPNer and this time she shares a spectacular Fusilli in Saffron Chive Cream Sauce with Pistachio Basil Pesto. Who'd have thought vegans could enjoy "cream" sauces! This dish is brilliant even if you're a dyed in the wool carnivore (like me).Tina of Lavender and Lime is another PPN regular - lucky us! And this "cheat" dish - Tuna Lasagna is perfect for all those hectic days when there's no time for much kitchen work.Graziana of Erbe in Cucina, another regular at our weekly dinners shares a Gnocchi with Sorrel & Sunflower Pesto. I've never tried sorrel, but that's about to change.Mango Cheeks at Allotment2Kitchen shared a secret... not a fan of noodles...make that packaged, instant, seasoned soba noodles. That said, she's really a fan of soba noodles that she can make her own and this dish of Sesame Soba Noodles with Edamame Beans looks heavenly. Denise of Oh Taste N See has a non-nut pesto that looks fantastic. Pepita Pesto Pasta (try saying that 10 times) and I'm always up for trying new pestos, so thanks!Tigerfish at Teczcape always serves up gorgeous and delicious pastas. This one is a little different. Like me, she loves crab cakes and like me, thinks they are ridiculously priced. So check out her solution... Crab Cake Pasta.Debbi Does Dinner really does make "from scratch", healthy meals that are awesome, but every now and then the craving for Velveeta takes over and when it does, she makes some Southwestern Pasta Salad - still very healthy looking, if you ask me.And lastly - my latest Too Tired To Cook Pasta. I make variations often, since I frequently am too tired to even think about what to make for dinner. It was great hot for dinner and cold the next day for lunch - it would be terrific as part of a picnic.Thanks again, everyone for great dishes and don't forget that next week Helen of Fuss Free Flavours is back to host for the FOURTH time! Send your entries to helen (at) fussfreeflavours (dot)com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, July 7.

Already Wednesday - Picnics & Pasta - What's Next?

A short while ago I received this lovely Entertainment Basket from the people at Kraft Canada. My visit to Kraft Kitchens in Toronto back in the March was awesome. And their generosity in awarding giveaway packages to some of my Canadian readers was appreciated by the five winners.
So I was very excited when I received my "Entertainment Basket" of goodies... a thermal bag to keep my cold things cold, a red blanket for our favorite family outings... picnics anywhere the mood takes us in this gorgeous province. A pitcher and two stemmed glasses - perhaps for some Sangria Punch, some bowls and containers and more...
There's a bottle of Miracle Whip for half of the tuna sandwiches I whipped up yesterday (not everyone is a mayo fan) and a bottle of Bulls Eye BBQ Sauce that is my Honey's favorite condiment for steaks. I never knew it was a Kraft product. Coupons for some other great Kraft products - cheeses and dips and ... well, lots of options and my very favorite thing of all... the summer issue of What's Cooking. If you can't get a subscription, you can always get their recipes on line.
I did take some photos of our Shubenacadie Wild Life Park adventure, but none of them... with people.. worth sharing. That's the setting of the park... a perfect place for a picnic. Boaz did eat his peanut butter sandwich and Mommy and I did eat our wonderful tuna fish sandwiches - half with Miracle Whip and the other half with juice of half a lime and a little Olivado Omega Plus oil made of olive, avocado and flaxseed oils (not from Kraft, but an awesome Canadian Product) , chopped hard boiled egg, half red onion, finely chopped and some fresh oregano from my window sill.
Dov was too excited to eat anything. All he wanted to do was feed the ducks & swans.
Needless to say, by the time we finished wandering around chasing peacocks and checking out cougars, caribou and... check out this awesome Rhea and her egg, the size of an ostrich egg!
I digress... I was pooped by the time I got home with barely enough energy to boil water for pasta. But I had to share this one with Presto Pasta Nights. After all, I am this week's host. If you have a pasta to share, just write about it, mention Presto Pasta Night with a link, and email me your entry with URL to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by tomorrow night and check back for the roundup on Friday. And if you don't have a blog, just email me your recipe and I'll write one for you.
Too Tired To Cook Pasta:

• Boil some salted water. Add some asparagus spears and blanch for 2 minutes, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to an ice water bath.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water. Drain when al dente. Return to pot ... too tired to cook, means too tired to clean up.
• Add some chopped sun dried tomatoes, chop a handful of pitted cured black olives, blanched asparagus cut into 1" pieces, 1/2 -3/4 cup feta, crumbled, handful or two of baby beet greens, salt and pepper and a splash of Omega Plus oil (or a really good extra virgin olive oil).
• Toss, and if you're really to tired.. eat it right out of the pot.

Next adventure, perhaps I'll make a great salad... like this Veggie Pasta Toss, or Sesame Ginger Coleslaw, both from Kraft's What's Cooking. What would you take on a picnic? I'd love to add a new dish or two to my standards.

BBQ is the Way Even in Fog or Rain

Rainy?.... So what! Foggy?... So what! No matter what the weather, we couldn't resist putting a little Montreal Steak Spice on these beauties - strip loin steaks from Getaway Farms! I figured I'd better write about them now while they're on the BBQ because I'll be in a Heavenly coma after! What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill regardless of the weather?

How to Make Your Own Smoker Box

Since my daughter decided she wanted a smoker for her backyard, I've become obsessed with the notion... especially after watching so many TV chefs creating their own smokers on their giant BBQs and reading some article online (if only I could remember where) about making a smaller version at home.

Naturally, the article I read recently is now lost in the vast ethernet. So I did a google search... "How to make your own smoker box" and the funniest thing happened... Third suggested link... AskRuth... which is also... ME!... had the answer I wanted and I wrote it back in 2006. Another great reason for me to write blogs! I had forgotten all about it.

Perhaps I didn't use enough wood chips... I just have a small Weber Q with one rack and thought one cup of soaked apple wood chips would do. It wasn't very smokey and it did take longer to reach a hot temperature, but ... with the help of Peter of The Fish Shop at Pier 20 (the Seaport Farmers Market), his heavenly salmon fillet and his own Maple Sugar Rub with secret spices... it was still delicious, served with some grilled asparagus from Noggins Corner Farm Market.

And did I mention that it took no sweat at all in the kitchen! So, so flavorful with so little effort? Perfect for the hot smoldering summer nights to come. By then I'm sure I'll get the "smoking" down pat. Any suggestions from those who've done it successfully on a little BBQ, please leave me a comment.

Great Ingredients Make for Easy Cooking

I'm in training for summer cooking... those over-the-top muggy hot days when I know I won't want to actually cook anything. We finally had a day or two of nice weather... warm and sunny and so with a lot of help from my favorite guys at the market... easy suppers with no recipe .. or much work.. required. somehow, it's even hard to find the energy to read when it's hot! Ridiculous, I know, but hey... thank goodness for Getaway Farm's grass fed, super tasty steaks (this one is a skirt steak) that needs nothing more than a spice rub. This past weekend I bought a "grilling kit" from the Spice Man, with six incredible spice blends from Epices de Cru and I used the Tlalelolco Rub - "a blend of heat and smoky aromas ... made with native Mexican spices"... in a word...AWESOME! and it only took me a minute to coat the steaks before my Honey cooked them on the grill.

While the steak was grilling I whipped up a simple salad of mixed greens from Noggin Corner Farm Market and my standard vinaigrette that I could do blindfolded. Ahhh, the joys of summer cooking!

The Grilling Kit had another blend I couldn't resist - the Classic BBQ Blend that really did smell like a bag of BBQ chips, but this blend has no sugar, no salt and no chemicals that you can't pronounce. Just lots of chile, smoked paprika, mustard seeds,.. and so much more.

Everyone has their own vision of "BBQ Chicken" - my mother made hers in the oven with a wonderful tomatoey BBQ sauce, which I also love slathered on ribs; or I think of rotisserie chicken - my favorite being Portuguese Churrasqueira chicken grilled over a charcoal fire. But lately, I'm in love with Roasted Spatchcock Chicken made in a super hot oven - a whole chicken in 45 minutes - perfect! If you make it in the morning (turning the oven up to 500F/260C would be a disaster at the end of the day) you won't even break a sweat.. not to mention how amazing your house will smell.. but I digress... This time I rubbed the BBQ blend under and over the skin. This time the word...FANTASTIC! Now I have chicken for salads, sandwiches and pasta - what could be easier!

And last but not least, Exotic Roasted Lamb Neck & Bean Stew (because, even in the summer there are some damp and dreary days that need some slow cooking) . I mentioned before that Bill Wood of Wood 'n Hart farm gave me some lamb neck bones saying "I figured you'd know what to do with them". This time the other magic ingredient from The Spiceman... my Aleppo Seven Spice Blend (still one of my favorites). Probably one of my best stew creations yet... if I do say so myself. I'm glad I only used half the bones and saved the rest in my freezer, because I know I'll be wanting some of this once Fall rolls around.

I served it over steamed couscous seasoned with nothing more than some fresh mint and green onions. Which makes this last dish perfect for Presto Pasta Nights. This week Simona of Briciole will be hosting for the first time. To join in the fun, just write about your pasta, mention Briciole and Presto Pasta Nights with links, and send your entries to simosite (at) mac (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by tomorrow night (Thursday, June 23) and come back for the roundup on Friday.

Jarritos Sodas - Delicious & a Chance for a Giveaway

I'm approached frequently to promote some product or other here. Usually, I say "No thanks", after all, this is a place where I talk about things I really enjoy... recipes, books, people, places. Hopefully, those reading get to share some of the joy.

But occasionally, there are some promotions that sound really tempting.... and I say "Sure!" Sometimes, those don't turn out to be quite as good as I expected. In that case, I write to whoever and say, "sorry, but I won't be writing about X". That's because my dad used to say "if you have nothing nice to say... say nothing." and my mom thought lying was the worst thing a person could do... "slippery slide to stealing, and even murder".... seriously, we heard that repeatedly. I don't quite think it's true, but am too scared to tempt it.

And why all this preamble? Because I did say yes to the people at Jarritos - leading brand of Mexican sodas sold in the US. The box of eleven bottles plus a t-shirt and CD arrived today and I've already popped the cap on the "naturally flavored Grapefruit soda, which is tangy and delish over ice. In fact, I might just share with my daughter and son-in-law if they invite me to spend a sunny summer day on their dock anytime soon... or else they'll all be gone!

So the good news... if you like sodas... these are great. Very sweet - using "100% natural sugar and no high fructose corn syrup", so I might end up diluting mine with some soda water. Some are naturally flavored, some are artificially flavored so the choice is up to you... some flavors we all know - strawberry, lime, mango and those that are more exotic in flavor, like Jamaica, Tamarind, Mango & Mexican cola.

The bad news... they're not readily available in Canada... sigh! But... more good news...the cool people at Jarrito Nation are kind enough to share a case their delicious sodas with one of my readers... as long as you live anywhere in North America. All you have to do is to leave a comment as to why that lucky someone should be you or tweet @JarritosNation and leave a direct link to the tweet in the comment section of this post. This giveaway is open until the end of the month (June 30). Good luck!

Late But Fabulous Market Visit

Two weeks in a row, sleepovers with little boys have made me very late for the markets. I didn't even go to the Seaport Market this week. It was about 11:30 AM as we drove by and the tons of people I saw from the road, meant the crowds would be insane. Of course, those loving crowds and shmoozing with little care to actually shopping, love that time. Mental note to self... sleep-overs can't happen on Friday nights.

I did get to the Historic Farmers Market though, not expecting much but hoping for better luck than last week when Hutten Farms had very little left, and Wood 'n Hart's Bill had already closed up shop for the day.
So I was pleasantly surprised at the finding gorgeous Japanese turnips and
two varieties of young beets and greens at Hutten Farms. I did a quick peek at Wood 'n Hart and the case looked pretty bare, so I kept on going hoping against hope that Costas & Ruth, distributing for Epics de Cru would still have the fantastic grill collection of spice blends.
The six blends are so wonderful, I don't know which one to start with...Classic BBQ Blend with no salt or sugar; Tlalelolco Rub made with Mexican spices; Masala Grill Blend; Steak rub; Satay spice blend and Classic Spicy Rub. You can find out all about them HERE.

And to yet another reason, I love about developing relationships with local farmers... while I was talking to Costas about spices, I got a tap on the shoulder and there was Bill Wood... with two pounds of lamb neck bones. Turns out he had seen me peek around the corner and wanting a cleaned out case, he found me and gave me the bones! AWESOME!

Since I'm too pooped from the sleepover to do too much, I plan on spending the afternoon with my feet up and my trusty iPad with a ton of foodie apps to find the perfect recipes to enhance my finds.

What's your favorite thing about supporting local farmers markets?

A Great Post to Bookmark if you're looking for Events to Join

It is always nice to be noticed, so thanks to The Bz House That Love Built for mentioning Presto Pasta Night Weekly Roundups.

We're not the only ones listed. What a monumental task of putting together roundups/carnivals/theme parties ... over 100 this time. They're organized by frequency - annual, monthly, weekly... even by days of the week! Kudos to Brian and Cheryl.

And on that note... a reminder that Presto Pasta Night was hosted by Juli of Pictures of all my Princesses this week and that Simona of Briciole will be hosting for the first time this coming week. To join in the fun, just write about your pasta, mention Briciole and Presto Pasta Nights with links, and send your entries to simosite (at) mac (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, June 23. Check back for the roundup June 24. If you don't have a blog, you can email me or Simona your favorite recipe and we'll print it for you.

Presto Pasta Nights

I started Presto Pasta Nights on a whim back in 2007 and, much to my amazement and delight, it just keeps getting better and better. Not only do I get to have a bazillion pasta choices at my fingertips... (I keep every single roundup HERE) , but I get to meet new friends, find new inspirations and keep in touch with those I've come to feel as family over the years of blogging.

To all of you.... a GIANT THANK YOU! But enough... you really want to see what this week's roundup brings, thanks to Juli at Pictures of All My Princesses, despite her computer demons.

Presto Pasta Night #218

Next week, Simona of Briciole will be hosting for the first time. To join in the fun, just write about your pasta, mention Briciole and Presto Pasta Nights with links, and send your entries to simosite (at) mac (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, June 23. Check back for the roundup June 24. If you don't have a blog, you can email me or Simona your favorite recipe and we'll print it for you.

Surprise Baked Mac 'n Cheese Collision of Goodnes

It's hard to see the stringy, cheesy goodness of my Surprise Baked Mac 'n Cheese, but trust me, it was there in spades... not to mention the the creamy factor and lots of crunch from the crisp panko topping. Perfect comfort food for our continued rainy, dreary weather.

I do love it when good things collide. My new iCookbook app with lots of cool features had a lovely baked mac 'n cheese ( that's what brought the gooey, stringy factor) and a couple of my own additions, the left over Roasted Herb & Garlic Spatchcock Chicken and the last of my sweet potato panko crumbs from the market, took it to a whole new level.

It's perfect for this week's Presto Pasta Night hosted by Juli of Pictures of All My Princesses. You still have time to send her one of your favorite pastas for tomorrow's roundup. Just write a post, mention Presto Pasta Nights and Pictures of All My Princesses and send the link to jules (dot) i (dot) m (at) gmail (dot)com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by midnight tonight.

First Steps to Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

Last week I wrote about a very cool app for moms (and grandmas too) by Annabel Karmel, who's been inspiring moms for a long time. I was particularly excited about a recipe for fish cakes. The truth is, neither of my grandsons will eat fish. But look how cute that Nemo like fish looks with radish bubbles, "ocean" peas, half a sweet pea pod mouth and slice of egg eye. I figured they'd never be able to resist. My daughter just gave me a look that said... "are you serious?" and added "I do hope you have a back up plan".
I even had my chef extraordinaire - Boaz, do the plating... which he thoroughly enjoyed, wearing his favorite chef apron. So I was hopeful when we reached the table. Perhaps my first mistake was calling them "fish" cakes. Perhaps I would have had a better chance if I said "salmon" cakes or just "nuggets that swim in the ocean" cakes. They do love chicken nuggets.

Kid Friendly Salmon Cakes

At least Dov, the little one, put some in his mouth before spitting it out. And they both did eat the white part of the egg - rejecting the yolk, but Boaz, wouldn't even try the cute fish he made. Good thing there's always ingredients for grilled cheese sandwiches around here.

That said... my Honey, my daughter and I loved them. And hopefully, one day soon the kids will love them too. In the meantime, I'll just make them as patties without the bubbles and sea floor of peas... and I will be making them often.

What do you do to get your little ones to try new things?

Pasta Perfect = Presto Pasta Night #217

No waiting this Friday! Kirsten did an awesome job (it's her fourth time!!!) hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup. I love her intros almost as much as I love the dishes. But enough from me.... Dig in!!! Thanks everyone for making this week so special.

Presto Pasta Night #217

Next week Juli of Pictures of All My Princesses is hosting her first PPN. So send her lots of perfect pastas by Thursday, June 16th - email: jules (dot) i (dot) m (at)gmail (dot)com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Time to Talk about Toys - My Kitchen Toys

I can't believe I haven't written about my new Cuisinart Elite Collection 12-Cup Food Processor. My old one died after living a long and useful life. So I had to buy the newest version... of course! It's got two bowls! A large 12 cup bowl (big enough for a huge coleslaw or anything else you might be thinking about) and smaller bowl for those little jobs... four cups, which is perfect for chopping nuts or an onion or two without larger pieces stuck to the sides of the bowl and a paste forming at the bottom for the rest of the ingredients. It also has a slicing blade that's adjustable so it slices from 1-6 mm. And a reversible shredding disc as well as a dough blade. The large bowl and shredding & slicing blades made the prep for this Indian Spiced Coleslaw a snap. But the food processor isn't the only tool to make it out of the cupboard. The Cuisinart SPB-600 SmartPower Deluxe Blender has been dusted off and makes my morning fix of Handfuls of Sunshine Smoothie. And the Microplane Professional Series Large Shaver now slices garlic and ginger so thinly, it just melts into the dish. I can't remember which TV chef I saw use a mandoline for the same thing, which was too scary for me, but the microplane is perfect. Check out my Lemony Shrimp & Garlic Pasta that I made last night... which will obviously be my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Night, hosted by Kirsten of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours.... for the FOURTH time, I might add! With or without lots of kitchen toys, please send your entries to kirstenmlindquist(at) gmail (dot)com cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, June 9.... but I digress... the kitchen toy used... the microplane for the garlic.
One last toy... I forgot to take a photo, but now that I discovered Spatchcocking.... my kitchen shears, sharp enough to cut the backbone out of the chicken have come out of the back of the tool drawer. This Roasted Herb & Garlic Spatchcock Chicken is... as Jamie Oliver would say...BRILLIANT!

And because all these tools and all these dishes make me feel good... right to my soul... I thought I'd share them with Hearth and Soul's Blog Hop, over at A Moderate Life.

Now that I've shared my favorite kitchen toys with you... what are some of the ones you choose to play with in your kitchens?

A Perfect Sunday

Actually, my perfect Sunday started on Saturday... I was too lazy to get out of bed at the crack of dawn to go to the market (naturally I'm regretting that now... with a mostly empty vegetable bin and other market staples... oh well, there's always next week and perhaps I can find what I need at Local Source Market that carries lots of fresh local produce). But I digress.... we got to do our other Saturday ritual... breakfast at The Canadiana Restaurant - diner, family style cooking with a big aquarium and a DVD store attached to entertain the boys while we grown ups chat.
Later, my Honey and I took advantage of decent weather and wandered around downtown Halifax, checking out new shops and found The World Tea House where, since I couldn't decide between the two ... picked up some Spring Jasmine tea as well as Blueberry Jasmine Green tea. Brewing a pot of loose tea is my favorite pastime, especially on a dreary afternoon. I don't remember where I read the quote, but I loved it...

"Tea is to procrastination as coffee is to work"

But back to my perfect Sunday....yesterday we ended up going on an adventure with our two little grandsons - Boaz & Dov, 4 1/2 & 2 1/2, respectively, giving both my son-in-law and my daughter a day of rest to recuperate from her cold and a great excuse for a play date with the boys.

One of the best things about Nova Scotia is the easy access to awesome beaches within minutes from our door. We chose Cleveland Beach, along the Lighthouse Route (winding roads pass fishing villages, coves and beaches from Peggy's Cove all the way south along the Atlantic coast side of Nova Scotia). Just check out the fine, white sand on this pristine beach that seems to go forever (top of post).

Finally starving, we landed in Lunenburg for lunch. It's a quaint town, home of the famous Blue Nose II Sailing Ship and typical Nova Scotian houses.
One of the boys' highlights was playing at the Lunenburg playground before we headed home.
Needless to say, Poppa & Grandma were pooped out by the time we got home. Good thing I prepared most of dinner the night before. All I needed to do was have my Honey fire up the BBQ for the kebabs, take the coleslaw out of the fridge, and whip up the chickpea salad, which took less time than grilling the lamb.

Indian Lamb Kebabs

Indian - Spiced Coleslaw

Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Parmesan & Fresh Herbs

I may have missed out on the market this week, but the lamb is from Wood 'n Hart Farms via my freezer, the Kashmiri garam masala is from Epices de Cru, the herbs from River View Herbs - pots sit on my window sill.

How did you spend your weekend? I hope you had as much fun as we did.