Brown Butter Romano Pasta

I had Spaghetti Factory's Mizithra Pasta last year for the first time. It was so incredibly delicious. I wanted to make it, but because Mizithra cheese is hard to find, I decided to make it with parmesan/romano cheese.  The result was not disappointing! It is the browned butter that gives it the nutty flavor and the parmesan/romano is a great choice! I have now made it with both cheeses and prefer the Parmesan/Romano to the Mizithra. I think everyone needs to try this recipe to really understand what I mean when I say that this pasta kicks some serious @$$!

Brown Butter Romano Pasta

1 pkg spaghetti noodles

1 cube (1/2 cup) butter

1/2 cup Parmesan/Romano cheese(or more...you can't have too much cheese, in my opinion)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp salt

salt and pepper to taste

a couple tablespoons chopped basil

cherry tomatoes (halved, optional)

Bring water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp salt, oil and garlic to the water. Add pasta and boil until pasta is cooked al dente...(about 10 minutes)

While pasta is cooking, put butter into a small saucepan over medium heat.  The solids will separate from the oil in the butter. (At this point, the oil is clarified butter, but you want to keep going). Continue to heat, watching until all the solids have separated and the oil turns carmel in color.

 Remove from heat until all solids sink to the bottom of the saucepan.  You can try to pour out only the oil (the browned butter) or you can use a coffee filter to separate the solids from the oil (that's what I did and it was much easier).

Drain pasta and transfer back into the warm pan that you boiled it in.

Pour browned butter over the pasta and toss until pasta is completely coated.  Add cheese, salt and pepper.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Garnish with chopped basil and tomatoes if you prefer.

I hope you all try this and tell me what you think!  Happy Cooking! :)

The "Famous" Beans (Gluten Free!)

These are my "famous" beans....if you've ever come to my house for our carne asada nights, you've had these beans. They are super easy to make and always a big hit. They also freeze really well. This makes a big batch, so there's always leftovers and they taste even better the next day. I love refried beans, too, but these are the beans I usually make to go with Carnitas and Carne Asada.....they are delicious by themselves with some sour cream...mmmmm....or in a burrito...really, I've seen my friends eat them in some very creative ways...lol

The "Famous" Beans

1 white onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound bacon, cut into small pieces
2-14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 giant can pinto beans (108 oz. Teasdale Brand is my favorite, but you can use any canned pinto beans) If you can't find the giant can, get 6-16oz cans of beans)
1-4oz can diced green chiles (HOT)
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder

Saute onion and garlic about 5 minutes. Add bacon and saute until completely cooked.

Add remaining ingredients. Let simmer at least 30 minutes, but the longer, the better.  Yesterday, I made these and I brought it to a light simmer for the first 30 minutes, then I turned it on low until we were ready to serve, which was about 5 hours....they just get better!

Gluten Free AuGratin Potatoes with Ham

I made these for our family Easter get together. I didn't want to make plain ol' scalloped potatoes, so I decided to try a different cheese combination and also added ham and green onions. I think they came out super duper delicious!

Gluten Free AuGratin Potatoes with Ham

10 medium russet potatoes sliced thin...(I used a mandolin to make sure they were all the same thickness)

2 1/2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

1/2 cup diced green onions

1 cup diced ham

1 stick butter

8 Tbsp gluten free flour

3 cups milk

Peel and slice the potatoes. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add gf flour and mix with a whisk to make a roux. Cook until it's light brown, about 3-4 minutes. Don't burn it! Add the milk and stir with whisk until the mixture thickens. 2 cups cheddar and 1 cup gruyere cheese to the milk mixture.  This will be your cheese sauce.

Put one layer of the potatoes into a large baking dish. Add a little of the remaining cheese, some of the ham and some green onions. Add another layer of potatoes and to that layer, add some more cheese, ham and onions. Keep layering until you run out of room...it depends on the size of your dish. I used a large casserole dish and made 3 layers, but it took 2 hours to cook.

  If you use a 9x13 baking dish, you will probably only be able to make 2 layers. Just divide it equally.  You can also forget about the layering and add all the cheese, onions and ham to the milk mixture and just pour it over the entire dish. It's totally up to you. It all ends up mixed together anyway....

Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half. I covered it for the first hour, then let it cook without the cover the remainder of the time. 

These are definitely not low fat, but totally worth the calories!!! And the hardest part is slicing the potatoes, so if you can invest in a mandolin, which can be as cheap as $20, it will save your sanity...lol.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

 Clam chowder is one of my favorite soups! I love the Manhattan clam chowder because it's lighter and so flavorful.

Manhattan Clam Chowder (Gluten free!)

8 slices bacon, cut into small pieces

1 white onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup bell pepper, diced

4 large red potatoes, diced

2-8oz cans diced tomatoes

2-8oz bottles of clam juice

3 cups water

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

4 cans chopped clams

1/2 cup white wine

Saute bacon until slightly crispy. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, carrots until onions are translucent. Add clam juice and water. Bring to a simmer. Add remaining ingredients except for the clams and the wine. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add clams and white wine and simmer another 10 minutes.

Serve with warm french bread! Yummmmy!

Bacon Fried Rice

Bacon Fried Rice

2 cups medium grain white rice

4 cups water

1 lb bacon cut into small pieces and cooked thoroughly
6 eggs, beaten

1 cup green onions

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

Take the peas out and thaw or put in microwave for 30-45 seconds. Cook the rice as directed. I use a rice cooker, it's way easier. While the rice is cooking, cook the bacon until crisp. Put it on a paper towel to drain the oil. Scramble the eggs in a nonstick pan. Cut the green onions (I use the whole onion, but some people prefer just the green part.)  Put about 1 tablespoon oil into a large saucepan.( I use the bacon grease from the pan I cooked the bacon in.)  Add the rice and "fry" on medium heat just for a couple minutes. Add the bacon, eggs, onions, peas, soy sauce, cayenne and black pepper and mix until everything is evenly distributed.

My kids love this fried rice and my youngest is super picky!

Juliane's Chili

Sunday was a cold, rainy day....my friend and I decided to have an impromptu "chili cook off"......luckily we made two completely different types of chili and they both rocked! This is my chili recipe......

Juliane's Chili

2 Bell peppers, diced
1 White onion, diced
8 Cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup parsley
1.5 lb ground beef
1.5 lb ground pork
1/3 cup chili powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 can beer
2 small cans tomato sauce
1-28 oz cans diced tomatoes
3-3.5 lbs pinto beans (canned)

Saute the bell pepper, onion, garlic and parsley in about 2 tbsp oil until the onions are transparent.

To that mixture, add the beef and the pork. When the meat is cooked thoroughly, add the chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper. Add the beer to the mixture. Then add the beans, the tomatoes, the beef bouillon cubes and bay leaves.

This chili can be simmered for an hour or all day....it really just gets better. It's also even more delicious the next day, if that's even possible! lol
I served it with cheddar cheese and sour cream....YUMMMMMMMMY!

Gluten Free Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs!

If you love meatballs and want to make a moist, delicious meatball that melts in your mouth, this recipe is for you! I was watching Unique Eats on the Cooking channel and they were talking about a restaurant that serves a meatball stuffed with ricotta cheese and herbs. I'm not a huge fan of ricotta cheese, although, I do use it in my lasagna. I thought mozzarella cheese sounded way yummier. This is what I came up with. I served them with my homemade marinara sauce......yummy!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

1 lb ground beef 

1/2 lb ground pork

1/4 c. finely diced onion

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1/4 c. gluten free panko bread crumbs(then more to cover each meatball) I got them at Whole Foods.

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 Tbsp worcestershire

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 c. milk or heavy cream

2 eggs

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 tsp Pappy's seasoning (if you don't have it, the meatballs will still be amazing without it)

10 Mozzarella balls (I used Mozzarella Fresca, marinated)

Combine the ground beef and pork. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. To the eggs, add remaining ingredients, except for the mozzarella balls, and gently mix using your hands. (It's messy, but, really, the only way to make sure all the ingredients are equally distributed in the meat.)

Take about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture and form a little "nest". Put one mozzarella ball into the "nest" and cover with a little more of the meatball mixture. Roll the meatball in more panko breadcrumbs and place on parchment paper in a baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until meatballs are cooked completely. The mozzarella will melt and spill out of the meatballs if you overcook them, so keep an eye on them.

 Delicious!!