Blueberry Pasta... say wha?!?

Last Christmas I received a pasta attachment for my KitchenAid.  I've been making all sorts of pasta egg pasta, beet pasta, spinach pasta, etc.  I wanted to make a pasta that could somehow incorporate Alaska, therefore tundra blueberry pasta.

To get this vibrant purple color you have to use tundra blueberries also called bilberries similar to huckleberries.  Blueberries from the grocery store just won't cut it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup tundra blueberry puree
• 2 tbs. sugar
• 1 tbs. lemon juice
• dash cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a your Kitchen aid mixer and finish off with your dough hook or used a food processor to blend all ingredients so that it forms into a solid ball.  
2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.
3. Roll out dough or wind through your pasta machine.
4. Cut into strips or wind through your pasta machine.
5. Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente…it will only take 3-4 minutes if the pasta is fresh.

You can use your blueberry pasta in just about any recipe that you would use any other type of pasta.

Here I've made a dessert pasta using my blueberry pie filling recipe.

You will need cooked blueberry pasta, topped with blueberry pie filling and almond flavored whipped cream.  I finished it off by sprinkling some ground cinnamon on top.  I will admit texture was a little weird at first because I was expecting pie crust but it was yummilicious.  The kids scarfed it up.
 
For Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbs. corn starch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cup tundra blueberries
• 1/2 teas. ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, mix together the water, cornstarch, and sugar.  Add in blueberries and bring to a boil at medium heat, stirring constantly for about two minutes or until mixture is thick.  Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon.  Pour into a pint size jar and set aside.

For Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbs. sugar
1/2 teas. almond extract

Directions:

Chill a medium mixing bowl and the beaters from your electric mixer.  Combine all the ingredients into your chilled mixing bowl, and use chilled beaters to beat the mixture till soft peaks form.


I had so much fun making this blueberry pasta that I even threw it in with some left over garlic shrimp.  All I did was saute some peeled an deveined shrimp with butter, minced garlic,  Johnny's garlic seasoning, dash of salt, and tossed in the pasta.  The blueberry flavor in the pasta is a bit mild so that this pasta could go with just about any pasta dish.  

Enjoy.

Tender Charred Pork Roast

If you are looking for a moist sweet and savory fall-apart tender pork roast... this is it!

I made this pork roast for a Sunday dinner gathering, it was so good that 3 weeks later we had to have it for Christmas dinner too.  

Scroll down for the recipe.

Ingredients

1 (8 to 10 pound) pork shoulder blade roast

2 tablespoon Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika
1 large yellow onion, quartered
1/4 cup Yoshida's Teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Pierce the roast all over with the tip of a paring knife Sprinkle on all sides with seasoning salt, garlic powder, and paprika and rub into the meat.  Place roast in a shallow baking dish (I used a 9x11 ceramic baking dish) preferably fitted with a roasting rack (though not necessary).  

Refrigerate seasoned roast uncovered overnight or at least 8 hours.  Remove from refrigerator and bring roast back to room temperature (30-60 mins).  Rub all sides of roast with Yoshida's Teriyaki sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  Put roast back on rack in baking dish with fat side up.  Add the quartered onion and enough water or chicken broth to come 1-inch up the sides of the baking dish.   Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and loosely cover roast with aluminum foil tent. Continue to cook until very tender, about 4-5 hours total cooking time.  Approximately 30 minutes per pound or until internal temperate reads 160 degrees F with a meat thermometer.  Remove from oven and let the roast rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.

Serve with a mushroom gravy or cranberry sauce.
 

Left overs are great for pulled pork sandwiches just add your favorite barbeque sauce, hamburger buns, and some coleslaw.  Hope you enjoy this roast as much as we did.

BEST TURKEY RECIPE EVER!

Citrus Chinese Spiced Turkey

This is the best turkey recipe ever!  Well at least in my opinion. Possibly even better than my Photastic Vietnamese Turkey recipe.  This turkey was so juicy and tender.  There is a lot of prep work but you will end up with an amazing turkey that your guests will rave about.  I started off with a Citrus Chinese spiced brine and glazed the turkey with a hoisin glaze. 

Ingredients:

• 1(16-20-pound) fresh turkey, rinsed & patted dry, with neck & giblets reserved for stock.

 For the Chinese Spiced Brine:

• 12 cups (3/4 to 1 gallon) apple cider
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 whole bay leaves
• 8 whole star anise pods
• 3 Tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 1 Tablespoon allspice berries
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese 5 spice powder
• 3 4-inch cinnamon sticks
• 12 cups (3/4 to 1 gallon) chilled water

For the Citrus Onion Aromatics:

• 2 large oranges, cut into wedges with rind intact
• 2 large lemons, cut into wedges with rind intact
• 2 limes, cut into wedges with rind intact
• 2 medium yellow onions, cut into wedges with skin intact 

 For the compound butter:

• Zest from one large Orange
• 1/2 cup soft butter 

For the Hoisin glaze:

• 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder

Equipment:

• 1 12-quart stockpot, with lid
• 1 large roasting pan, without lid
• 1 large brining bag
• 1 meat thermometer
• aluminum foil

Preparation:

Prepare the Chinese Spiced Brine: In a large 12-quart stock pot, bring (12 cups) apple cider, salt, garlic, herbs and spices to a boil. Stir occasionally to dissolve salt. Remove from heat. Add (12 cups) chilled water to cool liquid slightly. 

Prepare the Brine with Citrus & Onion Infusion: After the Chinese Spiced Brine has cooled somewhat (no longer very hot, but still very warm), squeeze citrus wedges into the liquid adding each rind after expelling juices. Next, add onion wedges and stir. Cover stockpot and allow the brine to steep. Cool to room temperature. (This will take a few hours.) If preparing brine the day before brining turkey, chill brine in refrigerator until ready to use. 

Assemble the Turkey & Brine in Brining Bag: Open zip-top brining bag wide and insert into large roasting pan with high sides. Using a large liquid measure (I use my 2-cup glass measure), scoop some of the brine and place it into bottom of large brining bag. Insert the turkey over the brine breast side up. Using a slotted spoon, place some citrus and onion wedges into the cavity of the bird and continue to add the remaining brining liquid over the turkey in the brining bag. Carefully close zip-top and expel as much air as possible. (It helps to have two sets of hands at this point.) Gather top of brining bag and twist. Secure brining bag at the top so that brine covers entire turkey, tie bag closed. Transfer roasting pan, with turkey and brine in brining bag, to refrigerator. Soak turkey for at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. 

Prepare the Turkey for Roasting the Night Before: The night before you plan to roast your turkey, remove it from brining solution; discard brine and brining bag. Pat the bird thoroughly with paper towels to dry completely inside and out.  Loosen skin on breast of turkey being careful to not break the skin evenly smooth compound butter over turkey breast under skin, refrigerate it overnight uncovered in the roasting pan.

Roasting: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.  Loosely place onion and orange wedges (use your zested orange) into turkey cavity. Place a loose foil tent on top of turkey.  Roast turkey till internal temperature reaches 170 degrees at it's deepest point (part of the thigh, nearly to the hip joint, but taking care not to touch the bone).  Remove turkey from oven, remove foil tent and baste with hoisin glaze.  Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place uncovered turkey back into oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes.  Reglaze if necessary and cook for another 10-15 minutes.  Let turkey rest for at least 1/2 an hour before carving.

Enjoy!

Apple of Roses Cream Pie

I found a beautiful pie on Pinterest and created my own recipe inspired by a lady named Yoli from Bulgaria.  I had to translate her recipe to english, change some measurements, and used substitutions. I made this pie for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit.

 For the dough:

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1 egg
• 1 cup finely ground almonds (almond flour)
• 1 cup flour

For the cream:

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 5-6 apples
• apricot jam

Directions:

1. Beat soft butter with powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange peel. Add egg and ground almonds. Add flour gradually to make a soft dough.
2. Dust a 9 inch greased round pie pan with flour. Spread the dough evenly in it. Place in refrigerator while preparing the cream.
3. For the cream, in a sauce pan mix the flour with vanilla and orange peel. Add yolks and a little milk. Stir until smooth. Pour in the remaining milk and apple cider. Bring the cream slowly to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened, then let it cool.
   
4. With a vegetables peeler cut the apples in long strips.
5. Wrap the strips into apple roses.
6. Pour the cream on top of the dough and arrange the apple florets close to each other.
7. Glaze the roses by lightly brushing them with the warmed apricot jam. Bake pie in preheated oven at 300 degrees farenheit until the dough is baked and apples become golden.  
8. Let pie fully cool before serving.
   
   

   

 This pie is so delicious and light tasting too. Enjoy!

Bunny Rolls... Check Out My Buns-ies

I just had to share these cute bunny rolls that I made for Easter dinner.  Everyone loved them they were a huge hit.  The dough recipe is from a previous post by my sister, Lynn, and since the recipe has been pinned over 250,000 times why use another?  She calls it Best Rolls Ever. 

Now, I can't claim that I came up with the bunny design all on my own.  Nope that's what Pinterest and Google are for.  Bunny design came from Taste of Home.

Though the design and a different recipe is used at Taste of Home they didn't have pictures of step by step instructions which I will include here.

After you make Best Rolls Ever recipe you will need to let your dough rest for 30-60 minutes. Punch down your dough and with a rolling pin roll out your dough to at least 20 inches long one way (see picture below). Using a pizza cutter you will cut horizontal 1/2 inch strips.  Then cut the strips vertically 10 inches, 5 inches, two 2 inches, and then one inch.  Body, head, 2 ears, and tail.

You can see from the picture below that I formed the 10 inch strip into the body, 5 inch for head, two 2 inch strips for ears, and then 1 inch for cotton tail.

Let rise for 15-30 minutes.

 

 Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

Oh YUMMY!

The Easter bunny was pleased too.

Okay okay we didn't give any to the Easter bunny but if we did I'm sure he would approve.

 Enjoy!

Chicken Curry Pita

This recipe was inspired by my friend Kim Grimmer when we were out fishing in the cold rain with our husbands and I brought a lame lunch with me and she shared her chicken salad pitas with me. Oh it was sooo good. This isn't her exact recipe but was inspired by her.

 

6 oz    canned chicken breast (drained)
1/4 C  light mayonnaise
1 t      curry powder
12      green grapes (halved)
1 C     alfalfa sprouts (divided into fourths)
2        Pitas (halved to form pockets)

Mix chicken, mayonnaise, curry powder together.  Add grapes and lightly mix.  Divide chicken salad into fourths.  Stuff each pita half with mixture and add alfalfa sprouts into remaining pocket space.  Serves 4.

177 calories per serving.

 

Red Velvet Cookies

Beautiful Red Velvet cookies that are easy to make and delicious too.

1 package of Duncan Heinz red velvet cake mix

1 large egg

1/4 cup of oil

1/4 cup of water

1 cup of white chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Combine cake mix, egg, oil, and water. Beat until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredient(s).

Drop by tablespoon full about 2 inches apart on to parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 11-13 minutes or until done.

makes about 3 dozen cookies.