Buttery Garlic Green Beans

 These were so good. 

1 lb fresh green breans

3 Tbsp butter

3 garlic gloves, grated or minced

lemon juice

pepper and salt to taste

1. Place green beans into a large skillet and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans just start to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Drain and return to the skillet. Add butter and stir until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add garlic; cook until tender and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Season with lemon juice, pepper and salt before serving.

Garlic Knots

 

Ingredients

Homemade Dough

• 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (between 100–110°F, 38–43°C)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Yeast 
• 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
• 3 Tablespoons (45ml) olive oil or melted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder*
• 3 and 1/2 cups (about 450g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface

Topping

• 5 Tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, melted
• 3 garlic cloves, minced; or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• optional after baking: 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• optional after baking: 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula in the next step.
2. Add the olive oil (or butter), salt, garlic powder, and half of the flour. Beat for 15 seconds, then add the remaining flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 5 minutes (for a visual, watch me do it in the video). The dough can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it, but you can certainly use the mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed instead. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
3. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray—just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1–2 hours or until double in size. (Tip: For a warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it’s doubled in size, remove from the oven.)

1. Shape the dough: Use the video tutorial and step-by-step photos as your guide for this step. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Using floured hands on a lightly floured work surface, shape the dough into a 16×5-inch (13x41cm) log. (5-inch width really isn’t as important as the 16-inch length here—no need to be exact.) Using a very sharp knife, pizza cutter, or bench scraper, slice into 16 1-inch strips. Roll each strip into 8-inch ropes. Tie each into a knot. You can tuck the 2 ends of the knots underneath or leave them out—that’s up to you. Arrange the knots on 2 baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
2. Lightly cover the shaped knots and let them rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 45 minutes. They will slightly puff up during this time, producing softer rolls.
3. Towards the end of the rise time, preheat oven to 400°F (204°).
4. Make the topping: Stir the melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt together. Brush on the knots. Reserve some of the topping for when the knots come out of the oven.
5. Bake for about 20–23 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and brush the warm knots with remaining garlic butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and/or parsley, if using.
6. Serve plain or with marinara sauce for dipping.
7. Cover and store leftover knots at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze baked and cooled knots for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter, then reheat as desired. (I usually just microwave them for a few seconds.)
8. Credit: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com

Creamed spinach

When I made this I used 2 - 10 oz bags of fresh spinach. I also cut the sauce in half. 

Ingredients:

• ▢4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢1 medium yellow onion , minced
• ▢3 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢4 teaspoons Kosher salt , divided
• ▢1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• ▢1/2 teaspoon nutmeg , freshly grated
• ▢1/4 cup flour
• ▢3 1/2 cups half-and-half
• ▢2 1/4 pounds fresh leaf spinach , or one pound frozen
• ▢1 cup mozzarella cheese
• ▢4 ounces cream cheese
• ▢1/2 cup Parmesan cheese , grated

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil with two teaspoons of salt.
• Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute.
• Drain the spinach in a strainer or colander.
• Rinse with cold water until cool and squeeze the water out of each fistful of spinach.
• Chop the spinach bundles into a ¾ inch width.
• In a large skillet melt the butter with the garlic and onions.
• Cook on medium low for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
• Add in the remaining kosher salt, black pepper and nutmeg.
• Add in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon over low and cook for 2-3 minutes until the aroma is a bit nutty.
• Add the half an half and cook until boiling.
• Add in the mozarella cheese and cream cheese
• Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
• Add in the spinach and the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

Credit: https://dinnerthendessert.com/classic-steakhouse-creamed-spinach/

Italian Tomato Sauce for pasta

 Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 5 cloves fresh garlic (not in a jar, dried, powdered, or frozen) preferably grown in USA/Europe
• small bunch of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (my family likes to use parsley in sugo)
• 1 (28-32 oz) about 800g carton/jar of whole, chopped tomatoes or puree (like Mutti, or Bionaturae) any tomatoes listed on the Greatest Tomatoes from Europe site will be fantastic or about 1 lb of fresh tomatoes (San Marzano, Roma or cherry tomatoes are great)
• about 1 1/2 level tsp sea salt
• 3 or 4 large leaves of fresh basil, more to add to each plate, if desired

Instructions

1. Pour the oil into a large saute pan (not a deep pot) over medium high heat. Crush the garlic and add it to the oil (if you want a spicy sauce, you can add some hot pepper, fresh or flakes, at this point). Saute the garlic until it just starts to brown, then add the parsley.
2. Turn the heat up to high. Now add the tomatoes, and quickly cover with the lid for about 30 seconds, until the squirting subsides. Stir with a wooden spoon and lower the heat a little. It is important that this sauce is cooked at a fast simmer, as it is cooked briefly.
3. Add the salt and continue to simmer at a fast pace, and stir often.
4. The sauce will thicken quickly, so do not overcook it, and have it become too thick; about 5 to 7 minutes should be sufficient.
5. Taste the sauce, if it doesn't taste delicious, it probably just needs a little more salt. Turn off the heat and add the fresh basil (I tear mine into pieces). Also, unless absolutely necessary, do not wash your basil. Wipe it with a damp paper towel instead, so the water doesn't ruin the flavor and aroma.
6. Use as desired.

Credit: christinascucina.com

Pizza sauce recipe (No Cook)

 Ingredients

• 14 oz (400g) can of European tomatoes (preferably pomodoro pelato S.Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino D.O.P) THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT-do not use inferior quality tomatoes or home grown tomatoes (skinned and seedless)
• 3 Tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• a few pinches of dried oregano
• 2 or 3 leaves of fresh Italian basil, torn into small pieces
• (optional: a clove of fresh garlic, minced) 

Instructions

1. Pour the can of tomatoes into a bowl. If it is pomodorini or whole tomatoes, crush them with your hands, or you can roughly cut them with kitchen shears.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Taste for salt and add if needed. (Don't add a lot of sauce to the pizza dough; you don't want to drown it.)

Chicken Kebab Marinade

Chicken Kebab Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt 2% or full fat
• 6 cloves garlic minced or grated
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano dried, or 1 tbsp fresh
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste)

• Combine all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken and vegetables if using, and toss until they are well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F (or 230°C). Prepare a baking tray by lining it with aluminum foil or any broiler-safe material (for grilling instructions, please see the notes below). Or you can use the BBQ grill. 
• Thread the marinated chicken and vegetables onto a set of metal skewers, and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 165°F (or 74°C).
• Switch the oven to broil and cook for another 2-3 minutes for a lightly charred finish. Garnish and serve with your preferred sides dishes. Enjoy!

I like to add Onions, peppers and zucchini to the skewers. 

Credit: Cookerru.com