Italian Herb Bread

This is a top of the line, family favorite! We don't make it often because when we do we can't stop eating it.  Dip it in Balsamic vinegar and be ready to be dazzled!

Italian Herb Bread

1c + 2T water
2 T butter or margarine softened (use 1 Tbs of olive oil for a more rustic flavor)
3 c bread flour
.5 tsp dried sage or 2 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tsp dried basil or 1 T chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T chopped fresh oregano leaves
.5 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 T dry milk
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp yeast

*If you don't have fresh herbs on hand, then substitute 1/2 tsp dried sage and thyme, and 1 tsp dried basil and oregano.

Place ingredients in bread machine pan as recommended by manufacturer (mine has you put in all wet ingredients first, then dry, and yeast last).

For rolls select the dough cycle, remove from pan when cycle finishes. Form into balls of the desired size (I make 12 rolls with this recipe). Cover and let rise in a warm place for an hour or until about double in size. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Watch that they don't get too brown. Butter tops.

Gnocchi

Gnocchi isn’t a meal that I order – I’m more a pasta girl, but I have seen Hubby eat it from time to time and he’s always pleased.  When I saw this recipe I decided to make it to impress my man, but it impressed me too.  This was fun to make and the freshness of homemade gnocchi pleased my palate just as much as my man's.

What’s great about gnocchi is its versatility.  I just went with a simple marinara meat sauce, but these could be made with pesto, alfredo, with primavera veggies, or in soups.  This recipe will be a repeat in our house for sure.

Gnocchi (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

• 1 cup dry potato flakes
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Place potato flakes in a medium-size bowl. Pour in boiling water; stir until blended. Let mashed potatoes cool pushed to the side of the bowl. In the vacant space in the bowl add the egg and beat lightly, then add salt, pepper, and cheese.  Blend everything together until evenly dispursed.  Add flour, about 1/2 c. at a time, until the dough becomes fairly stiff.  Knead lightly until smooth.  Divide dough into small sections, then roll them out until they are as thin as an uncooked breadstick.  Use a sharp knife (floured if dough sticks) to cut small bite size chunks of dough.  Repeat until all dough is cut.

 

*If you aren’t going to cook these right away, they can be stored until dinner time covered in your fridge, but I’d recommend not stacking them very high and spraying them with a little cooking spray between layers so that they pull apart easier when it’s time to cook them.

 

To cook:  Boil water in a large pot.  Place gnocchi in boiling water (do about 1/4 of them at a time). The gnocchi are cooked when they float to the top. Remove from water with a slotted spoon. Serve warm with sauce of your choice.

 

*If your water is at a rolling boil it is hard to tell when the gnocchi are actually floating.  My first batch were a little tough (over cooked), so on the second run as soon as I saw some rising to the surface, I removed the pot from the heat, waited for the floaters to rise to the top, scooped them away, then put the pot back.  I kept doing that rotation until they were finished which gave me much better results.

Crock Pot Lasagna

This is a super easy way to get real lasagna without the heat from an oven, or big pots of boiling water.

Crock Pot Lasagna

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce
• 2 c. cottage cheese
• 2 c. mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
• 6 regular lasagna noodles – UNCOOKED
• 1/4 c. water

In frying pan, brown ground beef and drain fat. Add water and pasta sauce, reserving a small amount of sauce to line bottom of crock pot. Stir until well blended. Line crock pot with very thin layer of sauce, then top with 2-3 uncooked lasagna noodles that are broken to fit shape (some overlap is fine). Cover noodles with half the cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese, then top cheeses with half of the meat mixture. Repeat layers with the other half of the ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Kim’s Special Note: If you noticed the plastic lining in the pictures, that is a Reynold’s crock pot liner. You cook your meal in it just like normal, but then after serving the bag removes for virtually no clean up. If you want to try them, they are at the grocery store near the foils. I’m addicted to these things!

Pizza with Naan Crust

Naan pizza is a fantastic way to “healthify” a favorite comfort food of mine.  Naan is oil free, I use turkey pepperoni, and went light on the cheese, giving me ALL of the glorious taste without grease puddles to mop up.  Heaven!

To try this: Make Naan as directed (recipe HERE), but break it up only into 3 sections.  Roll them out, place on a sprayed cookie sheet for the second rising.  After the second rising, top dough with your favorite pizza ingredients, and bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes (or as long as it takes to cook through and lightly brown the edges).