Start From Scratch

Any stay at home mom would tell you, stress in inevitable. Anyone who owns their own business would tell you the same thing. Low and behold, I happen to fall under all accounts, and since I come naturally with a slightly shorter fuse then most, my snappy responses tend to flourish. Not to mention I come form a long lineage of smartasses. It seems to compound the closer we get to the end of the month when the bills are coming in and the cupboards starts to look- well- inventive, all on top of the normal household and business chores.

$275.00

That is the food budget for our household each month. For a family of five it is a challenge each and every month to stay in that range. Following a trend of fellow young mothers, I have become an avid couponer and watch the weekly ads vigorously. But the things that really ad up each month, like produce, dairy, and meats generally do not come in the Sunday SmartSource. Growing up I came from a family that has a majority of it’s income from a “cowboy” way of life, so steak and lobster were never on the menu. This lifestyle for me is not unmanageable, but the foodie in me gets very tempted by the beautiful cuts of wild salmon and the bags of organic fresh basil.

So here we are, once again at the end of the month and there aren’t a lot of very inspirational items in my cupboard that lean towards that fabulous meal you want to remember next week. The Food budget was gone 3 days ago, the dogs peed on the carpet, you just added up the bills for the month and your over your usually budget by three hundred bucks….

Woohoo….

The release of stress for some is a long hard workout, for other a tub of ice cream while vegging on the couch. Maybe for you it’s a long soak in a bath with the radio drowning out the sound of your kids in the other room. All of those sounds pretty tempting, but for me it’s a recipe, made from scratch and completely uninterrupted. So the end of the month, with only the basic ingredients, I needed a mommy time out, giving me the inspiration today to go gung-ho! Here is what I made:

Home Made Pasta

Serves 6-8

4 eggs

Pinch of salt

10 oz. flour

In your kitchen aid add eggs and salt first and then flour. Mix until dough comes together and is well blended. With lots of extra flour, knead dough by hand for 10 minutes.

At this point I used my pasta rollers, which if you have a kitchen aid, and like to cook, I highly recommend getting them. They make a great gift idea for those times when someone asked you what you want for Christmas/ birthday and you have absolutely no idea what you want. I for one got them for my birthday7 years ago. Pasta can be extremely finicky. If you over work the dough, it can be tough. If underworked it can become mushy and not hold together. It truly takes years to master but the pasta rollers really help, and with a little time in the kitchen you can get a feel for what you are looking for.

After feeding it through the pasta roller enough times to get to the thickness wanted, I then laid out the pasta and cut it into long lasagna style noodles. Then lay them out on your cookie wire racks to dry out. The longest I would suggest is several hours before putting in an air tight container for later use (3-5 days) or you can freeze in an airtight container for use in later weeks.  I used mine later in the evening to make lasagna from scratch.

 

Home Made French Bread

5 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 Bobs red Mill Gluten Flour

2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.

Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.

With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Home Made Marinara/ Spaghetti sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 green bell pepper, diced small

2 cloves garlic minced

½ of a medium onion, diced small  

3-14.5 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes, juice included

½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Additional water

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pot over med. heat. Once heated, add the peppers, garlic and onion and sauté until softened and aromatic. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Cover and let cook for 2 hours over medium low heat. Taste sauce and add desired seasoning. Cook an additional 2 hours uncovered on low heat. If  the sauce reduces too much, add a small amount of water until desired thickness, tasting along the way to make sure you are not deluding the flavors.

Home Made Lasagna

1 large cottage cheese carton (small curd, whole milk)

3 eggs

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage, cooked

1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Homemade pasta

Homemade marinara

 In a large bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs and basil until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside, meanwhile cook your ground beef or sausage and begin to boil a large pot of salted water for your pasta. Drain meet from drippings and set aside. Once water is boiling, add fresh pasta to water and cook for 2-5 minutes, just bringing the noodles to a desired texture- al dente. Remove from water and place in a ice cold water bath to shock them. Remove once cool enough to touch, and lay on tea towels until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 375°. Using a 9x13” pan spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom. Place one layer of noodles side by side, even ripping to fit if necessary. Add a layer of the cottage cheese mixture, followed by meat, more marinara and shredded mozzarella. Continue this pattern until coming to the last layer; once placing the pasta, top with marinara, mozzarella and 1/3 c. grated parmesan. Place in oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

There is no better feeling, then putting your heart soul and time into a homemade recipe, that took literally all day to cook, and finding your families plates completely clean. Then to top it all off your husband turns to you and says “honey, this is the best lasagna I have ever tasted”

Now if that isn’t a stress reducer, I don’t’ know what is