Revised

I swear this onion thing is not a joke. It really is a legit video, but for those of you who have computers that do not want to show the video when you go to the blog, here is a link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwGBt3V0yvc If you still can't see it after this, I am not quite sure what to say to you . . .

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

Oh my goodness this was good! Refreshing and light. Perfect with some bread and balsamic/olive oil for dipping. I really liked it!

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

Pancetta (Italian bacon) is available in the deli section of many markets.
4 SERVINGS
PREP: 40 minutes
TOTAL: 40 minutes
Recipe by the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen
Photograph by Craig Cutler
May 2010

Ingredients

12 ounces fettuccine or penne
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained, or frozen peas (do not thaw)
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

Preparation
Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.
Meanwhile, cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add vegetable mixture, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley, and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley, and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese.

Country-Style Whole-Wheat Pita

Makes sixteen 6-inch round flatbreads

2 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon salt
3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3-3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, pour in 1/2 cup of the water. Sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the surface of the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl using a whisk or in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining water, olive oil, salt, and whole-wheat pastry flour. Beat hard until creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add the unbleached flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, shaggy dough that just clears the sides of the bowl is formed. Switch to a wooden spoon when necessary if making by hand.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface with a plastic pastry scraper and knead until soft and springy, 1-2 minutes for a machine-mixed dough and 3-5 minutes for a hand mixed dough, dusting with flour only 1 Tablespoon at a time, just enough as needed to prevent sticking. Leave the dough moist and soft yet at the same time smooth and springy. If kneading by machine, switch from the paddle to the dough hook and knead for 2-3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and springy and springs back when pressed. If desired, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead briefly by hand.
4. Place the dough in a lightly greased deep container. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1- 1 1/2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees with a baking stone set on the bottom rack. Parchment-line several baking sheets, or, heavily flour a peel. Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Cover half with plastic wrap or a clean towel to prevent forming a skin. Divide into 8 equal portions and form each into a ball. Let rest 10 minutes while dividing the second half of the dough. Dust the work surface with whole-wheat pastry flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the balls into 6-inch circles about 1/4 inch thick. Loosely cover the circles. Do not stack, as they will stick together. If the dough does not roll out easily, let it rest for 10 minutes. Move the dough circles by draping them, one at a time, over a flour-dusted rolling pin and place them on a floured dish towel before transferring them to the peel or baking sheets. Let rest 15 minutes.
6. Transfer the circles to a peel or baking sheet. With a quick action of the wrist, slide the pita rounds from the peel directly onto the hot stone. Four will fit on it at once. Or place the baking sheets, one at a time, on the bottom rack directly on the hot stone. Do not open the oven door for a full 4 minutes. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until fully puffed and very light brown. Watch carefully that the pitas do not overbake or burn. The baking sheet pitas will take longer to bake than the stone-baked ones. Remove the puffed hot breads with a wide metal spatula and stack between clean dish towels.

Variation: Substitute 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour for the whole-wheat pastry flour. (Do not use bread flour; it will make the pita too tough.) Substitute 1/3 cup of a specialty flour, such as soy, barley, chestnut or brown rice flour for an equal amount of the whole-wheat pastry flour. For sesame pitas, sprinkle sesame seeds on the work surface and roll the dough ball into them, coating all surfaces, before rolling out the pita.

Recipe courtesy of The Bread Bible

Southwest Chicken Salad

Yum....especially if you have the time and motivation to MAKE pita bread.

Southwest Chicken Salad

12 ServingsPrep/Total Time: 30 min.
Ingredients
4 cups cubed rotisserie chicken
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers
1 cup chopped red or sweet onion
1 cup minced fresh cilantro
DRESSING:
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons Crisco® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
SALADS:
Torn mixed salad greens and sliced almonds
PITAS:
Whole wheat pita breads, halved and lettuce leaves
WRAPS:
Whole wheat tortillas and sliced ripe avocado

© Taste of Home 2009

Learn to Love Chopping Onions Again

I have made no new amazingly good recipes worth posting about lately, but I figured this needed a spot on the blog. I don't know how many times in the past I spent a long time (more than a minute) chopping a single onion. I don't like using the Pampered chef chopper because the onion gets stuck in it and it is a pain to clean. Why did I put up with that for so long when there is an easier way??? Maybe all of you chop onions like this, but if not, here is the ultimate quick way. Use it, love it, share it.

P.S. I also don't know why I didn't do this until recently, but in the past if I had extra chopped up onion, I would just throw it away. Dumb. Now I just stick it in a Ziploc and freeze it and use it in a later recipe.

Vanilla Cranberry Smoothie

This recipe accidently happened yesterday. It was super delish and my family loved it. Don't the best recipes often happen when you're just throwing stuff together?

1 small carton vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup frozen cranberries
about 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3 rings pineapple
1 frozen banana
juice from 1/2 lemon
4-6 cubes ice
sweeten to taste with agave nectar, honey or sugar

Blend and enjoy!

Honey-lime Chicken Enchiladas

Genene gave me this recipe a few weeks ago and it was quite delectable. The flavor is fresh and unexpected. I don't know if she'll ever get around to posting it, so here it is:

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb shredded or finely chopped chicken (cooked)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Monterey Jack Cheese-grated
(2) 10-ounce cans green enchilada sauce
approximately 8 flour tortillas

Mix honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder in bowl. Soak chicken in mix for 30 minutes (no skimping on the soaking time-it is essential to the flavor). Spray pan with PAM. Pour 1 can enchilada sauce into bottom of 9x13 pan. Fill tortillas with meat and sprinkle about 2 Tablespoons grated Monterey Jack Cheese inside before rolling up. Place filled tortillas in pan and cover with remaining can of enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with desired amount of cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Broil for a few minutes at the end to brown and crisp tops of enchiladas. Oh.....so good! Serve topped with tomatoes, olives, lettuce, etc. Excellent with black beans on the side.

Questions??? Call Genene :)

The BEST Baked Beans

I kid you not, these baked beans are fantastic. I took them to the family Easter Egg hunt and they were a big success. Here is the recipe:

1 lb bacon (cooked until super crispy and broken up)
1/2 lb hamburger -cooked(optional; I didn't put it in mine)
2 large (27 ounce) or 4 small cans pork & beans
1 large (27 ounce) can stewed tomatoes (blended to eliminate chunks)
1 large onion-chopped and sauted in 1 Tablespoon bacon grease
1 cup brown sugar
1-3 teaspoons prepared mustard (to taste)
1/2-2 teaspoons liquid smoke (to taste)
fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Mix all of the ingredients in large bowl. Pour into 9x13 pan and bake, uncovered, for 1-1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.