Lord, I come into your presence to say a special prayer for my husband. Thank
you for the blessing of a godly life companion. I pray that You would continue
to grow in him a deep and abiding love for You. Guide him, I pray, as he guides this family; give him wisdom and understanding. Invigorate him with the
knowledge of Your grace, and refine him with Your truth. I pray that I would be a helper, a source of encouragement; and I pray that he would find this home to be a place of rest and refreshment.
Monday, May 2, 2011
A relatively easy Italian dinner . . .
Found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine. It was one used by Iron Chef Mario Batali for an Iron Chef competition. I feel rather 'special' that I actually made an Iron Chef dish!
Kosher salt
6 ounces or about 8 cups baby spinach
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling the pasta
3 large eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Bring three quarts of water to a boil and add one teaspoon salt. (I didn't have kosher so used regular salt) Set up a bowl with lots of ice and water right next to the stove. Blanch the spinach in the boiling water for about two minutes. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and put immediately into the ice water. Drain the spinach and squeeze dry. I used several sheets of paper towel and repeated it twice more to insure I got a good amount of water out. Set aside.
Combine the flour and spinach in a food processor and process until evenly green. With the motor running, add the eggs and cheese and process until smooth and forms a ball.
Dust a large board with flour, turn out the dough and knead a few times. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll dough out and cut into thin strips. A pizza cutter works great on this. Dust well with flour and lay them on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper or parchment paper. Keep the strips lightly dusted to prevent sticking.
To cook, put pasta in pot of boiling water and cook about three or four minutes. Fresh pasta cooks fairly quickly. Drain, and serve. It goes well with regular pasta sauce or Alfredo sauce.
It's a good way to get lots of vegetables into the family, too!
Kosher salt
6 ounces or about 8 cups baby spinach
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling the pasta
3 large eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Bring three quarts of water to a boil and add one teaspoon salt. (I didn't have kosher so used regular salt) Set up a bowl with lots of ice and water right next to the stove. Blanch the spinach in the boiling water for about two minutes. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and put immediately into the ice water. Drain the spinach and squeeze dry. I used several sheets of paper towel and repeated it twice more to insure I got a good amount of water out. Set aside.
Combine the flour and spinach in a food processor and process until evenly green. With the motor running, add the eggs and cheese and process until smooth and forms a ball.
Dust a large board with flour, turn out the dough and knead a few times. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll dough out and cut into thin strips. A pizza cutter works great on this. Dust well with flour and lay them on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper or parchment paper. Keep the strips lightly dusted to prevent sticking.
To cook, put pasta in pot of boiling water and cook about three or four minutes. Fresh pasta cooks fairly quickly. Drain, and serve. It goes well with regular pasta sauce or Alfredo sauce.
It's a good way to get lots of vegetables into the family, too!
A cheerful thought to remember . . .
"If you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with the rain."
-Dolly Parton
-Dolly Parton
Must be craving Asian Food Today! Pot Stickers!
This is a family favorite and I like it because it can be made with freshly-cooked meat or you can use up leftover shredded chicken, beef, or pork. I usually serve them with Jasmine rice and gingered carrots - Sort of an American-Chinese meal! Good for that few days before the next paycheck hits the checking account!
Pot Sticker Dough
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup boiling water
In 2 separate bowls, place 1 1/2 cups flour
Add cold water to one bowl and stir to form a soft dough. Add boiling water to second bowl and stir to form a dough. Combine two doughs and knead until smooth, about
15 minutes. Cover with a damp towel (use paper towel) and let rest 15 minutes.
Pot Sticker Dumplings
1 pound shredded cabbage (I usually look for the bagged cole slaw cabbage for this. It's in the produce section)
1/2 pound ground pork, cooked
2 scallions, mined
3 slices of fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon dry sherry (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Pot Sticker dough
Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the 1/2 cup oil. You can roughly chop it or process it slightly. Refrigerate 30 minutes to meld the flavors.
Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into a long thin sausage about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut each dough sausage into 12 pieces. Roll each piecebetween palms to form a smooth ball. Sprinkle with flour and roll each one into a 3-inch round pancake. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on each pancake.
Dampen the edges slightly and gather towards the top to form a 'bag'.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place the dumplings into the skillet with just barely touching. Cook until bottoms of dumplings are lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. All at once, add enough cold water to almost cover the dumplings. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high heat. cook until tops of dumplinga are waxy and cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Drain off the water, return to heat, and crisp bottoms about two minutes. Repeat if you had more dumpling than room the first time around.
__._,_.___
Pot Sticker Dough
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup boiling water
In 2 separate bowls, place 1 1/2 cups flour
Add cold water to one bowl and stir to form a soft dough. Add boiling water to second bowl and stir to form a dough. Combine two doughs and knead until smooth, about
15 minutes. Cover with a damp towel (use paper towel) and let rest 15 minutes.
Pot Sticker Dumplings
1 pound shredded cabbage (I usually look for the bagged cole slaw cabbage for this. It's in the produce section)
1/2 pound ground pork, cooked
2 scallions, mined
3 slices of fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon dry sherry (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Pot Sticker dough
Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the 1/2 cup oil. You can roughly chop it or process it slightly. Refrigerate 30 minutes to meld the flavors.
Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into a long thin sausage about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut each dough sausage into 12 pieces. Roll each piecebetween palms to form a smooth ball. Sprinkle with flour and roll each one into a 3-inch round pancake. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on each pancake.
Dampen the edges slightly and gather towards the top to form a 'bag'.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place the dumplings into the skillet with just barely touching. Cook until bottoms of dumplings are lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. All at once, add enough cold water to almost cover the dumplings. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high heat. cook until tops of dumplinga are waxy and cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Drain off the water, return to heat, and crisp bottoms about two minutes. Repeat if you had more dumpling than room the first time around.
__._,_.___
My favorite Comfort Food . . .
When I'm craving something hot and tasty, I often turn to chicken soup of some sort. My favorite version is the traditional Asian Chicken Soup with eggs streamed in to form wonderful threads of protein!
Here is a basic recipe although I do like to enhance it with finely chopped carrots and celery from time to time.
4 cups chicken broth or stock
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 -2 green onions, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few drops of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated, fresh ginger
Place everything in a pot EXCEPT for the green onions and eggs. If you are using minced vegetables, simmer until they are tender. Bring the broth to a simmer and swirl in the eggs, stirring gently to form threads. Don't worry if they get a little clumpy as it doesn't change the taste.
Sprinkle each serving with some of the minced green onions and serve immediately. You won't need a fortune cookie to tell yourself how lucky your are to have a bowl of this in front of you!
Here is a basic recipe although I do like to enhance it with finely chopped carrots and celery from time to time.
4 cups chicken broth or stock
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 -2 green onions, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few drops of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated, fresh ginger
Place everything in a pot EXCEPT for the green onions and eggs. If you are using minced vegetables, simmer until they are tender. Bring the broth to a simmer and swirl in the eggs, stirring gently to form threads. Don't worry if they get a little clumpy as it doesn't change the taste.
Sprinkle each serving with some of the minced green onions and serve immediately. You won't need a fortune cookie to tell yourself how lucky your are to have a bowl of this in front of you!
When thinking about the 2012 election . . .
http://www.youtube.com/user/RealCatholicTV?feature=mhum#p/u/0/9D15XwAKMS0
It pays to read . . .
My daughter was working at her college library and going through some donated books. Much to her surprise, she discovered a secret compartment in one of the books filled with money! She turned it over to the head librarian who said that it was a case of finders/keepers so she got a bonus to her salary today. The amount? $70% Believe me, on a student income, that is a great boost for food allowance this week! God is good and knows just when to step in and help out.
I used to enter contests and have even won a few over the years. Most of the prizes were things like small appliances, teddy bears, tickets, etc. No matter, it was always exciting when your postcard and postage increased in value like that. One day, I was agonizing over the bills and exclaimed to myself, "Come on, God! I need some help here. Don't You even have an extra dollar you can send my way!" A few minutes later, the postman brought the mail to the door. In the mail was a check from a contest I had won . . . for one dollar! Be careful how you phrase your requests!
I used to enter contests and have even won a few over the years. Most of the prizes were things like small appliances, teddy bears, tickets, etc. No matter, it was always exciting when your postcard and postage increased in value like that. One day, I was agonizing over the bills and exclaimed to myself, "Come on, God! I need some help here. Don't You even have an extra dollar you can send my way!" A few minutes later, the postman brought the mail to the door. In the mail was a check from a contest I had won . . . for one dollar! Be careful how you phrase your requests!
End of a decade?
The news reporting was interesting last night. First, I got news alerts on my e-mail saying the president was going to make an important announcement. I guess his news leaked before I then got dozens of reports that Osama Bin Laden was dead. Naturally, I turned on the news and it was on practically every channel. They reporters basically had nothing to add to the fact that he was dead so they jabbered on and on about old news to fill in the time until the president came on. And guess what the president told the country? Osama Bin Laden was dead.
There was so much rejoicing over this fact and I found that difficult to comprehend. Yes, he caused the death of many, many people and, most likely rejoiced over such accomplishments. It seemed we were acting much like him in this respect. Yes, he needed to be taken, dead or alive, but high fives and grins didn't seem respectful of his human factor. I'm not saying this act of war was wrong. I'm just thinking that we should be more grown up in our actions after the fact.
I'm sure there is a sense of relief but death doesn't always bring the closure we are seeking. We certainly need to keep focused on our prayers in the face of what the world keeps bringing to our door.
There was so much rejoicing over this fact and I found that difficult to comprehend. Yes, he caused the death of many, many people and, most likely rejoiced over such accomplishments. It seemed we were acting much like him in this respect. Yes, he needed to be taken, dead or alive, but high fives and grins didn't seem respectful of his human factor. I'm not saying this act of war was wrong. I'm just thinking that we should be more grown up in our actions after the fact.
I'm sure there is a sense of relief but death doesn't always bring the closure we are seeking. We certainly need to keep focused on our prayers in the face of what the world keeps bringing to our door.
Our government is taking the last quote to heart!
"We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over."
-- Aneurin Bevan
"If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome; if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent; if you believe the military, nothing is safe."
-- Lord Salisbury
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
-- Douglas Adams
"Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them."
-- Paul Valery
-- Aneurin Bevan
"If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome; if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent; if you believe the military, nothing is safe."
-- Lord Salisbury
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
-- Douglas Adams
"Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them."
-- Paul Valery
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