Artichoke Pasta

Good Afternoon, or Good Morning to me.

I hope everyone is having a lovely day. Today's dish is inspired by a friend. She made something similar to this one day we had an all day affair making Tamales. Have a great lunch. =]

Artichoke Pasta

Cooked Pasta

Olive Oil

Onion

Garlic

 Marinated Artichokes, quartered.

S&P

Parmesan 

1. Cook your pasta. ( If using Spaghetti or Angel Hair, break into thirds before boiling) Rinse in cold water.
2. In frying pan fry up Onion and Garlic with Olive Oil. Add Artichokes to frying pan.
3. Combine Pasta and frying pan contents when all is heated.
4. Season with S&P and Parmesan.

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I did not measure anything because I was cooking for myself. And Mushrooms are good in this too. 

Oh! and this is what the Potato Soup turned out. 

Last Night's Pizza Pie and Apple Mango Pie

I made pizza once again for dinner. This time with the company of the "Hand Mixer" and a rolling pin. =]. This made life quite a bit more easier when in comparison from before. Half of the pizza is Pepperoni, Mushrooms, and Black Olives. The other half is Mushroom, Black Olives, Red Onion and Yellow Mild Peppers. One note Kroger Brand Mozzarella Cheese is not the best for pizza. For the recipe for pizza pie click here -----> http://anamateursattempt.blogspot.com/2011/02/its-pizza-pie.html

First step to making anything; read the directions. I searched the internet for an hour looking for a recipe that combined apples and mangos. The combine the two in candy why could I not in a pie? To tell you the truth, it is good. But, my not thinking everything through mind, I only had one apple and one mango. YES one apple and one mango. That is why it is soo flat. But alas, it is my first pie. Please give it a little respect. 

Pie Crust

2 1/2 Cups of all- purpose Flour, plus extra for rolling

1 Cup or 2 sticks of unsalted Butter

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

6-8 Tablespoons of Ice Water

1.       Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.

2.      Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.

3.      Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

4.      Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

5.      Add filling to the pie.

6.      Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.

Recipe from:Perfect Pie Crust Recipes

Apple Mango Pie

Single Crust,

Pecan Crumb Crust,(I didnt use)

3 Mangos,

7-10 Granny Smith Apples,

1/2 cup brown sugar,

2-3 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp cinnamon,

1/2 tsp nutmeg,

1 tsp lemon zest,

Juice of 1 lemon. 

1. Cut up the mangos and Apples. How to Cut a Mango 
2. Grab a large bowl and mix your apple slices and mango pieces together.Grab the rest of your ingredients: 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 2-3 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp lemon zest, the juice of 1 lemon.
3. Mix all your dry ingredients together and then mix it in with your fruit. Add your lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Allow to juice for up to half an hour, and while it's juicing, prepare your crumb crust.(Which I did not use) Preheat your oven to 400°F.
4. Grab your crust and your fruit mix.
5. Place your fruit mixture in your crust and grab your crumb mixture you prepared earlier.
6. Crumble your crumbs over your pie. If you feel your pie filling is too liquidy add more crumbs to soak it up. Place in your oven. Ideally you'd do this half way through your bake time.

I found this recipe at PieADay.com.

Restuarant Reviews: Blackstone's & Lucky's

Recently, we have gone out to eat to celebrate one occasion or another. The following are just as honest as the rest of this blog. I don't get paid to advertise. 

Blackstone's Pub & Grill- http://www.blackstonesgrill.com/

      Imagine. Valentine's Day. Cold Windy. Dark. The BF parallel parked the truck in downtown Flint. The city, I hear is so horrific, is now quiet and illuminated. Just as we are about to get out of the vehicle a bum has the audacity to try to beg for change. That was the only one I seen all night. Hand and hand we briskly walk out of the alleyway listening to my heels clink with every step. Freeing our bodies from the chill we step into the restaurant. Quickly the hostess seat us at a dirty table. Not once did someone come by and clean the table. Other tables all around us are dressed with the proper holiday trimmings. We took off our coats and also noticed quite the draft. Not a word comes out of our mouths. We watch individuals attempt to parallel park on the cobblestone street. The most entertaining part was two people hitting other vehicles. Our food arrives. Nice and warm. Chicken Piccata and Sirloin Steak. I know the name sounds amazing, but low and behold the food was not the best. Honestly. For the Chicken Piccata dish, the noodles were extremely dry, and to find the capers and artichoke hearts a person would have to dig quite deep into the dish. The breaded chicken was delightful. The Steak meal. Oh the Steak. Was cooked to perfection, with the exception of the extremely salty sauce they topped it off with. If it was for the waiters exceptional customer service, I would have been Highly irate. Just saying. It was Valentine's Day.

Lucky's Steak House of Clio- http://www.luckyssteakhouse.com/index.htm

Not being Valentine's Day I don't have so much detail to remember. But we did wait close to 1/2 hour in an extra large waiting area that could have been used for more dining area. (We had just left Menards with a flooring project in hand wanting to eat some good fast food.) The food was AMAZING! The BF got Grilled Salmon, and I Maryland Chicken. (Can you tell I do not fancy red meat?) Parmesan crusted chicken baked with shrimp and crab meat, grilled asparagus and lobster cream sauce. UMMM =] I was way too busy in heaven to try the Salmon. The alcoholic owner didn't do bad picking this one out.

O' Charley's Potato Soup

Cheap and easy to make. Potato Soup is always a hit here no matter what recipe I choose.
Pictures will be later this week.

O'Charley's Potato Soup
Serves 8

1 Package of Bacon

5 Med Potatoes

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) Butter

1/2 Cup all-purpose Flour

4 Cups Half and Half

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Chicken Stock

1 Pound Velveeta Cheese, Melted. (YUCK! use Cheddar) 

White Pepper

Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Hot Sauce

1/2 Cup chopped Fresh Parsley

Garnish:

Cheddar Cheese

Chives

Parsley

1. Dice Bacon and cook in a skillet until all the fat is rendered. Drain, and set aside.
2. Cut Potatoes into 1/2-inch dice and put them in a pot with water to cover. Boil for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.
3. Melt butter in heavy stock pot and add Flour, whisking constantly until the paste is smooth, Gradually add the Half and Half, Milk, and Chicken Stock, whisking constantly. When the sauce begins to thicken, add Cheese, whisking frequently.
4. Add Potatoes to the Cheese Mixture. Season to taste with White Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Hot Sauce. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
More of America's Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas

Mrs. Field's Applesauce-Oatmeal Cookies

I was craving something sweet this weekend and I had planned on making an apple pie, but this desert was just as good. =]

Mrs. Field’s Applesauce-Oatmeal Cookies

2 ½ Cups of all-purpose Flour

1 Cup Rolled Oats

½ teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves (I omitted, fresh out)

2 teaspoons Grated Lemon Zest (I omitted, fresh out)

1 Cup packed Brown Sugar

12 Tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

1 Large Egg

½ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce (mine was sweetened, but homemade)

½ Cup Honey

1 Cup finely chopped peeled Apple (about one large Apple, I used a Granny Smith)

1 Cup Raisins (Omitted)

½ cup Rolled Oats

1.      Preheat Oven to 300 deg F.

2.      In a Med mixing bowl, mix together Flour, 1 cup Rolled Oats, Salt, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Cloves, and Lemon Zest.

3.      In a Large mixing bowl, beat Brown Sugar and Butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. With the mixer running, add Egg, then Apple Sauce, then Honey. (The “Hand Mixer” was amazing with its lazy Suzanne at this point.)

4.      Gradually add dry ingredients, 1 Cup at a time, Mixing well after each addition; then add the chopped Apple and Raisins and mix until they are just combined.

5.      Drop by round Tablespoonfuls, about 1 ½ inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle remaining oats on to uncooked cookies. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the bottoms are slightly golden brown.

 Recipe was discovered in More of America's Most Wanted Recipes By Ron Douglas.