I'm now on Facebook!

Lori's Culinary Creations is now on Facebook! Please click here Lori's Culinary Creations and like my page.

Updating and Improving the Blog

Hello Readers

Just working on making this blog not only more user friendly, but also more robust. Like a good recipe, the blog is getting "spiced up" to make way to start hosting giveaways and reviews.

Stay tuned. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Just comment on this post.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. God Bless.

Pasta Primavera with Ham

Tweet

Have I mentioned how much I love to cook? Well, I do and garlic is one of my favorite ingredients. I keep it in this super cute garlic holder. I got this probably 30 years ago from my Aunt Gladys. It has travelled over state lines and has been a staple in my kitchen since I got it. Isn't he cute?

I just love pasta. It's easy, versatile and you can whip it up quick and it makes great leftovers. This recipe is great because you can substitute any veggie for what I've listed here. I guess you can always call it my "what's in the fridge that needs to be eaten" pasta. My husband thought it was wonderful!!!

Lori's Pasta Primavera with Ham

Serves 6  

You'll be tossing the pasta, vegetables, and sauce in the same pot you used to cook the pasta, so use a pot that holds at least 8 quarts.  

2   teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1   Ham Steak. I used the Kirkland brand from Costco 

3   medium garlic cloves, minced ( you can use more if you love garlic)

3   fresh tomatoes, medium to large 

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional) 

1   cup low-sodium chicken broth 

1/2 cup heavy cream      

1   tablespoon of Italian Seasoning 

12  ounces pasta. I used thin spaghetti 

1   pound asparagus spears,tough ends snapped off, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch pieces (about 3 cups) 

2   medium zucchini (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 3 cups) 

1   6-ounce package baby spinach (about 8 cups, loosely packed) 

2   tablespoons chopped fresh green onion 

1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves     

Ground black pepper     

Shredded romano cheese 

1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in large pot for cooking pasta.  

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced ham and cook about 5-8 minutes.

3. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, 

broth, italian seasoning and cream.  

4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium,and cook at rapid simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid

 is reduced by half,10 to 12 minutes. 

5.  Add spinach and salt to taste. 

6. Cover sauce to keep warm. Add a tablespoon of flour if you want your sauce thicker. Add some parmesan if you like it a bit cheesy.

7. Add 2 teaspoons salt and noodles to boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. 

8. Add asparagus and zucchini and cook until pasta and vegetables are just al  dente, 2 to 3 minutes more

9. Drain pasta and vegetables and return them to empty pot. Add spinach, peas, and ham-tomato sauce. Toss to coat all ingredients with sauce.  

10. Stir in onion and basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, passing cheese at the table. 

Private Selections Margharita Pizza

I am a member of bzzagent (www.bzzagent.com) and am given the opportunity to try products for free. I've been a member for years and they are a wonderful company to work with and I have had the pleasure of trying really great products. Private Selection, Kroger stores specialty frozen foods, is one of them.

I received three product coupons; one for pizza, one for a dessert and one for an appetizer. They also gave me some coupons too. Last weekend, my husband and I were watching the Broncos' (GO TEBOW) game and needed a snack. I had purchased the Margharita Nepolitana pizza with my coupon and it was perfect for a game day snack.

The pizza looked pretty good when I took it out of the box, but it seemed a bit small compared to the box size as you can see below. In any case, it was going to be a quick cook, about 8-12 minutes at 425 degrees. Because some of the mozzarella balls were all bunched up below, I broke them up and spread them across the pizza so they were equally distributed.

After what seemed to be an eternity (we were pretty hungry), it was ready. Boy did it look and smell good!!!

Mark and I each had two slices. It was amazing good. Probably some of the best frozen pizza I've ever had. The cherry tomatoes were not mushy at all. They tasted fresh picked and full of flavor. The pizza had just enough cheese and the fresh mozzarella balls were a nice touch. The crust was perfect. Thin, crispy and flavorful, not like some that taste like the box you just removed it from. Nice herbal flavor, and each half was enough for Mark and I. I highly recommend this product to anyone who wants a quick and tasty snack. Or if you pair this with a side salad, it's a nice light meal.

Pastitsio!!!

When in Arizona in September, my husband and I went to the Greek Restaurant, Posiden. Had Pastitsio for the first time and it was awesome. Since I love to cook and love to try new recipes, I just had to make this for myself. I finally did it last night. It is a long process so make sure you have lots of time to get it together. I'm lucky to have a big kitchen to do this in. So first, get everything out so you have all the ingredients at your fingertips.

Notice I have to have my wine there too. First off, chop 3 medium yellow onions, 2 stalks celery, 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley and 2 cloves of garlic. Saute in 3 Tbsp olive oil for about 5 minutes and set aside.

Take 2 lbs ground beef and saute in 1 Tbsp olive oil and cook about 10 minutes. Add 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes, , 1 Tbsp of tomato paste, 1/2 cup red wine, 1 tsp allspice, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp cinnamon, dash of salt and ground black pepper. Simmer 40 minutes.

While that is cooking, take 1 lb of ziti and cook in a large pot with water and a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Drain and set aside. Just when you have 8 minutes left on the meat mix, start the bechamel sauce. In one sauce pan, heat 4 cups of milk with 2 bay leaves and a 1/2 tsp of allspice berries. In another saucepan, melt 8 Tbsp (1 stick) of butter. Add 1 cup flour in the butter mix and whisk till thick. Slowly pour the milk into the flour butter mix (remove the bay leaves and berries) and whisk constantly until thick. Add 3 Tbsp Kefaloytri cheese or fresh shredded parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg. By now your meat sauce is also done simmering.

In a large bowl, take 1 cup of the bechamel sauce, 2 lightly beaten eggs and mix it with the ziti till it's coated.

In a 9x13 baking dish, spray the bottom and sides with Pam. I use butter flavor Pam to add to the taste. Be sure to do this as the noodles and meat will stick for sure if you don't. Layer 1/3 of the noodles, 1/2 the meat sauce, another 1/3 of the noodles, then the other half of the meat sauce. Top it with the final layer of noodles. Then cover it with the remaining 3 cups of bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the top lightly with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and 3-4 Tbsp of Kefaloytri or parmesan.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let it set 10 minutes before serving. This yields 12 servings of deliciousness. I served it with a Greek salad and red wine.

I cheated with the salad. It's just 1 large cucumber, 3 roma tomatoes, 1/2 medium red onion, 2 Tbsp capers, whole olives tossed in Kraft greek dressing then I sprinkled it with regular feta although you can use tomato basil or garlic & herb.

Wonderful meal and my husband loved it. Except olives... he hates those. SALUT!

ARM & HAMMER(TM) Simply Saline (TM) Neti Pot Kit

ARM & HAMMER(TM) Simply Saline (TM) Neti Pot Kit: Thx Simply Saline(TM) 4 my free Neti Pot kit! Chk out the how to video http://bit.ly/tSVV9Y *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

PAM Cooking Spray

PAM Cooking Spray: Thanks PAM for my free can of cooking spray! Be sure to check out #PAM on Facebook. http://on.fb.me/od4C5b *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

Google Plus

Well, I finally did it.... created a Google + account. I have no idea what I'm doing so if anyone out there has any tips, please comment!