Pesto Pasta

This recipe tastes good and its easy!  What more could we ask for.  It gives you a creamy texture without any heavy cream.  It's one of my go-to recipes when I can't think of anything else to make for dinner or if I forgot to take something out of the freezer. 

Pesto Pasta:

8 oz pasta (I use angel hair)
1 cup milk
3 heaping tablespoons pesto (I use store bought but if your ambitious, make your own)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (I call this Italian cream cheese only it's lighter)

Cook the pasta until it's al dente. 
While the pasta is cooking, combine the mild, pesto, salt and pepper and set aside.
In a saucepan, heat the evoo and sprinkle the flour over it.  Whisk together and cook for 2 minutes.
Slowly add the milk/pesto mixture and cook for a few minutes to thicken, stirring constantly.
Remove the sauce from the heat and add the cheeses. 
Drain the pasta reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water. 
Toss the sauce and the pasta together.  If the pasta and sauce seems too thick for your liking, then add some of the pasta water, one tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistancy. 

I know some people shy away from pesto because it has a strong flavor.  In this recipe, the pesto does not overpower the dish.  It gives the pasta a fresh, subtle flavor. 

Enjoy!!!
Love,
Beth

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

When most people think of the south they think of the smoky flavor of barbeque.  Some go in search of the very best, trying every pulled pork and brisket in town.   When I think of the south I think biscuits.  I LOVE them.  The very best I have tasted is at the Loveless Cafe in Nashville, where they are famous for melt in your mouth buttery biscuits.  I know I'll never be able to get close to making biscuits this good, but I tried, for the very first time, to bake them.  They were pretty good!  Brad and I enjoyed them a lot, although we both know they will never take the place of our favorite Nashville cafe!!

Buttermilk Biscuits:

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chilled vegetable shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add shortening and using a pastry cutter blend until mixture looks like course crumbs.  Add buttermilk to center of dry ingredients and fold together.  Dough will be sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and fold over 3 or 4 times making layers.  Roll dough to 3/4 inch think.  Using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut biscuits into rounds.  Transfer to baking sheet, preferably non stick.  Brush the top of each biscuit with melted butter and bake at 400 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes until golden brown.  

  

I think next time I'll make them a bit thicker.  I like my biscuits thick.    Enjoy!!

Love,

Beth

Artichokes

I think one of God's most perfect foods is the artichoke.  I love the taste, color and texture of them and they're so much fun to eat!  Some in my house disagree, namely my husband, who thinks that eating food shouldn't require so much work.  He feels the same way about lobster.  I on the other hand feel that something that tastes so good is very much worth all the work!! 

Here is one of my recipes:

Stuffed Artichokes

2 large raw artichokes
1 1/2 cup italian flavored bread crumbs
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix together the bread crumbs, garlic, cheese, parsley and oil in a small bowl and set aside.

Trim the artichoke and cut off the first inch.  This is what it should look like. 



With your fingers, spread the leaves gently apart. 

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the two artichokes and then take the stuffing and put a small amount between each of the leaves.  Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and place in a pan with a lid.  Put enough water in the pan to go about half way up the artichoke.  Simmer with the lid on for approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes.  When the leaves pull out of the artichoke easily, they are cooked. 

Before serving drizzle with a touch more olive oil. 

Enjoy!!!

Love, Beth

Welcome :)

Hi all,
Welcome to my new blog!!  I've started this because cooking is my passion.  If I could quit my job and devote my life to cooking, that would be my dream.  However, cooking won't pay the bills so I have to continue to cook as a hobby.  My intention with this blog is to publish pictures, recipes and reviews of the food I cook.  I hope that as you read it you will make comments and ask questions.  My hope is to share with you the wonderful world of easy cooking.
Love
Beth
P.S.  The title of my blog is "Beth's kitchen" in Italian, which is my heritage and my cooking style.