Recipe: Cheesy Orzo

Mmmmm...comfort food.  Serve it at your next party, it's delicious and is especially a hit with the kids!

Cheesy Orzo
Rachel Ray

Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth or stock
• 2 cups orzo pasta (enriched rice may be substituted)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat an 8-inch pot with a tight-fitting cover over moderate heat.  Add oil, onion, and garlic and saute for 2 or 3 minutes.  Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and return broth to a boil.  Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until liquid is absorbed and pasta tender.  Remove lid and stir in cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to your taste.  Your favourite fresh herbs may also be stirred into the orzo or rice to strengthen the flavor.

Enjoy!!!

♥ Vesna ♥

Recipe: Bucatini All'Amatriciana

Are you having a dinner party and don't know what to serve?  Below is a recipe for Bucatini All'Amatriciana (via Epicurious).  I am a huge fan of Italian food so, naturally, it is something that I recommend.  Trust me, you are going to love it! 

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

Ingredients:

• 2 tbls. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 oz. thinly sliced guanciale, pancetta, or chopped unsmoked           bacon
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• One 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes with juices, crushed by hand
• Kosher salt
• 12 oz. dried bucatini or spaghetti
• 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino (about 1 ounce)

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add guanciale/pancetta/unsmoked bacon and sauté until crisp and golden (about 4 minutes). Add pepper flakes and black pepper; stir for 10 seconds. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until soft (about 8 minutes). Add tomatoes, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 2 minutes before al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

Add drained pasta to sauce in skillet and toss vigorously with tongs to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and cook until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente (about 2 minutes). Add a little pasta water if sauce is too dry.  Stir in cheese and transfer pasta to warmed bowls

♥ Vesna ♥

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

If you're carving pumpkins in the next couple of days like I am, you will want to make sure to save those seeds!  Most people are unaware of how to prepare seeds for roasting.  The most important thing to do (that most people don't do), is to remove the shells from the pumpkin seeds.  This is definitely time consuming, but well worth it.

1.  Rinse seeds in a strainer with warm running water.

2.  Lay the seeds out flat on a cookie sheet (note: do not lay them down on a paper towel as the seeds will stick to it when it dries).  It will take a day or two to completely dry.

3.  Remove the shells from all the pumpkin seeds (this is absolutely necessary for this special recipe - it could take a day or two as well, depending on how much time you can dedicate).

4.  Preheat oven at 350ºF.

5.  Very lightly, coat all the seeds with oil and salt.

6.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they start to brown.

Enjoy!

♥ Vesna ♥

Halloween: Pumpkins

Halloween is just around the corner, so if you haven't already picked your pumpkins, time is running out!  Remember, you have to make time for carving the pumpkins, as well as removing all the seeds for baking - at our house we even remove all the shells before they are baked (no, we do not have a lot of time on our hands, but we sacrifice it for the delicious flavour) .

Halloween is one of my favourite times of year and I just wanted to share some of our pumpkin photos, as well as ones that I have come across in my travels or on the Internet.

♥ Vesna ♥

Recipe: Pumpkin Shake

Move over Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, and make room for a delicious, inexpensive, home-made, Pumpkin Shake!  So quick and simple!

Here's the recipe:

Mix ½ cup of pumpkin puree with 1 cup of vanilla ice cream, and ½ cup of milk.  Top it off with some whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon.

Enjoy!!

♥ Vesna ♥

Party Checklist

I know that planning a party can be a little overwhelming, so I've created a checklist to make your life easier.  The point of a party is to have fun, and being organized and well-prepared is the best way to approach your special day with minimal stress.  Visit www.partyideaspage.com to view my party checklist.