Tyler's New Fish Board

Tyler loves the idea of smoked fish on a wood board, so he bought one the other day (cedar) and decided to try it out! It was fun to make and turned out great! He also made a homemade rub for the fish and I made a homemade Italian salad dressing!! Here are the pics from the process...

Wood Plank has to sit in water for an hour before using!

Fresh Salmon before rub

Ingredients for Tyler's rub

Italian Dressing

Almost done with the salad

Salad ready to go

Happy Spring!

Ready to eat!

Fettuccine with Parsley Pesto and Walnuts

I might try and make this one for friends that are coming over this week!

Fettuccine with Parsley Pesto and Walnuts

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 pound fettuccine
• 2 cups packed fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup walnuts, plus more chopped for serving
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5 ounces baby spinach

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.
2. In a food processor, puree parsley, walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water until a paste forms. With machine running, add oil in a thin stream; process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
3. To pasta in pot, add pesto, 1/4 cup pasta water, and spinach; toss to combine. Thin with pasta water as needed. Serve sprinkled with walnuts and Parmesan.

Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Pasta

A different flavor for pasta, I love it!

Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, in juice
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 pound linguine
• 1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces, plus extra leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
2. Make sauce: To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add tomato sauce, shrimp, and basil; season with salt and pepper, and toss. Serve immediately, garnished with basil leaves, if desired.

Baked Ravioli

Yum!! I love Ravioli and this recipe looks so good!

Baked Ravioli

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme or oregano
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 2 pounds store-bought frozen ravioli
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot.
3. Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Pappardelle Pasta with Olives, Thyme and Lemon

Tyler LOVES olives, so I think this dish looks like something he would like me to make!!

Pappardelle Pasta with Olives, Thyme and Lemon

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for water
• 8 ounces dried pappardelle, or other long, flat pasta
• 16 Kalamata olives, pitted
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Zest of 1 lemon, coarsely chopped
• One 3-inch piece orange zest, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pappardelle, and cook until pasta is al dente, following label directions. Drain in a colander, reserving 1 cup cooking water.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine olives, parsley, olive oil, thyme, lemon zest, orange zest, and red-pepper flakes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until a chunky puree forms. Transfer to a warm serving bowl large enough to accommodate cooked pasta.
3. Add pasta, and toss to combine. Add 1/4 cup cooking water, and toss to combine. Add more water if necessary; pappardelle has a tendency to absorb liquid quickly, so more water may be needed. The sauce should cling to ribbons of pasta but should not be dry. Serve immediately.
   Recipe found on Martha Stewart's website

Manicotti with Tomato Sauce

Sticking to the Italian food theme, I saw this recipe (also from Martha Stewart) that looks like fun to make!

Manicotti with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, (about 15 halves)
• 6 sheets no-boil manicotti
• 1 sixteen-ounce container nonfat ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped plus 1 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce Tomato Sauce
• 3 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive-oil, cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes in small bowl; cover with 1 cup boiling water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Dry with paper towel, and cut into 1/4-inch dice; transfer to medium bowl.
2. Fill baking dish with very hot water; place manicotti sheets, one at a time, in water. Let stand 10 minutes until softened.
3. To tomatoes, add ricotta, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil, egg yolk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and mix well to combine. On a clean work surface, place one sheet of manicotti lengthwise. Spoon about 1/3 cup ricotta mixture along front edge; roll to form cylinder. Repeat filling-and-rolling process on all manicotti. Spray 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive-oil spray; spoon about 1/4 cup tomato sauce on bottom.
4. Transfer manicotti to the dish in a single layer; cover with remaining 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover with foil; bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with remaining teaspoon parsley.

Baked Pasta with Tomato, Cream and Five Cheeses

I am so excited to try this dish! It looks super yummy and comforting!

Baked Pasta with Tomato, Cream and Five Cheeses

Here is the one I made, a casserole instead of individual portions.. it was soooo good!

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
• 1 pound imported conchiglie rigate, (shells)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup canned pureed tomatoes
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese, (1 1/2 ounces), plus more for garnish
• 1/2 cup coarsely shredded (1 1/2 ounces) Fontina cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, (1 1/2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
• 6 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup very thinly sliced scallion, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.
2. While pasta is cooking, place cream, tomatoes, cheeses, salt, and basil in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add cooked pasta to cheese mixture, and toss to combine.
3. Divide among six to eight shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 cups in capacity). Dot with butter, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pecorino Romano and scallions. Serve immediately.
   
   
   **Recipe found on Martha Stewart Recipes**