Friday, July 29, 2011

M is for Mascarpone and Manicotti

Maybe you speak Italian and don't need a translation.
 
But for those that don't, and do the Master of this Mad-house (me) can help you out.

-Mascarpone is simply Italian cream cheese. It is lighter/thinner than the cream cheese, and it also has a much more mild flavor. Where cream cheese packs a punch, Mascarpone slightly slaps.

-Manicotti is just a GIANT pasta noodle. It looks like penne pasta on steroids.

Now, before we get to the recipe I wanted to make sure that you entered the giveaway. I'm giving, GIVING, away a hilariously magical mustache corkscrew/bottle opener. All you have to do is 1) Follow ALPHAbiteICAL by clicking on the right, "Join this blog" and 2) leave a comment on the giveaway post. That's it! Do both of those things and you are entered to win!

Movin' on to the food:

Three Cheese Manicotti
  • 5 cooked Manicotti 
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 5T olive oil
  • 1/2t salt
  • 2T sugar
  • 1 6oz. container of Mascarpone 
  • 3 oz. goat cheese
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup diced sun dried tomatoes
  • 1 1/2t Herbs de Provence 
  • 1/2t black pepper
Coat a medium sized skillet with olive oil and heat to medium heat. Stir in onions, salt and sugar. Caramelize the onions by periodically stirring them on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Put a few onions to the side, and combine caramelized onions, Mascarpone, goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes, pepper and Herbs de Provence in a large bowl. Stuff your Manicotti shell with your cheesy mixture carefully so you do not break the shell. Grate a little Parmesan cheese on top and spread your reserved onions and bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees.  The cheese on top will be melted and the cheese inside the manicotti will be bubbly.

Make it for dinner Monday...after you win the mustache corkscrew of course.

-J

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

M is for.....GIVEAWAY!

Mesdames and Messieurs it is time for my first ever giveaway! 
 Reaching the middle of the ALPHAbite is a good enough reason for me. 

On a recent shopping trip, me and the Mrs. stumbled upon this merry little mustache corkscrew. We purchased one for ourselves and one for a magnificent follower of the blog.You can monkey around with your favorite bottle of merlot. Maybe you will earn a new nickname like we all did.
Master of this Mad-house
Mrs. Mischief Maker

Mysterious Mutt
If you prefer to monkey around with a micro-brew rather than merlot, the curl of the mustache is also a bottle top opener!
"Tell 'um how to enter!"
"I'm getting there. Mind your business."
How To Enter: 
1. Follow the blog.
(To follow click "join this site" under the Followers heading on the right-hand side of the page. If you are already a follower, and want to enter move to step 2.)
2. Leave a comment on this post.

The Rules:
To be eligible you must follow and comment. Entrees will be accepted up until Sunday, July 31st at 7:00 p.m. One winner will be chosen at random by random.org's random number generator. I will contact you via email informing you of your win. The giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada. This is due to by ability to ship the magical mustache corkscrew. :(Sorry Jamie):
**One entry per person. (Sorry Jordyn)
Alright I think that is it, good luck everyone I hope that you win! Now I'd love to stay and chat but I really mustache.
-J

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

L is for Lima Beans

Limas getting the limelight!
or rather, the limalight (nudge nudge....)
I've been thinking about Lima beans since last week. Through our church, the Mrs. and I have made some great friends, Dan and Kelly being two of them. They invited us over for dinner and along with some delicious cobia they served, you guessed it, Lima beans.
I thought to myself, "I haven't had a Lima in a long time." I still liked them and lamented the fact that I have not been eating them on the reg.

Thank you so much for dinner Dan and Kelly, and thanks for leading me to the Lima bean for this post.

Before we go any further, I have a confession to make. The first time that I tried to cook these Lima beans, I messed it up. I did not follow the directions on the back of the package and it was not pretty. I left the kitchen, frustrated, and went back to the store and bought another bag of beans. No Lie.


I made two dishes with my correctly cooked Limas, and if you are going to cook these at home you will need a 1 pound bag of baby Lima beans. Follow the directions on the back of the package; save yourself trip back to the store and $1.42. 

Let's get cooking!

Lima Bean Ravioli

  • 2 cups cooked Lima Beans
  • 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
  • 1/4 cup milk 
  • 3T fresh parsley
  • 2T olive oil
  • 1 1/2t black pepper
  • 1t anchovy paste
  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped
  • Won-ton wrappers
  • 1 egg, plus 2t water
Place the Lima beans, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk, parsley, olive oil, anchovy paste, and garlic clove into the food processor. Pulse all of that together until you get a thick paste. If it is too thick, add more olive oil and milk. If it is too thin, add a few more Limas.
 Next it is time to fill your ravioli. Set up our counter in an assembly line having your Lima bean mixture, won-ton wrappers, egg wash, and plate to put filled ravioli all in a row.
How to fill a ravioli
Place a small amount in the middle of the wrapper

Brush two adjacent sides with egg wash

Fold into a triangle, and don't trap any air inside.

Fold over the middle to make a Pop's hat.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the ravioli for about 5-7 minutes and serve! 
I made a quick sauce while my ravioli were boiling. It was just 2T butter, 1 1/2T flour, 3/4 cup of store bought marinara, and 2 egg yolks. Melt the butter with the flour and sauce on medium heat. Stir in 3T of heated sauce into the yolks, and then add back to the sauce on the stove. Cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened. I also topped my ravioli with a little bit of bacon. 

Lima Bean Salad

  • 3 cups cooked Lima Beans
  • 1 16oz. can of yellow corn, drained and rinsed
  • 3 scallions, finely sliced
  • 2T fresh cilantro
  • 2T olive oil
  • 2T apple cider vinegar
  • 1t poppy seeds
  • 2t slat
  • 2t black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently. Place in the refrigerator overnight and let the flavors all meld together. Serve cold. 

Mmmmmm.....that was de-Licious! What can we make for "M"?

-J