DANIELLE AT HOME

St. Patrick's Day

Spring Vegetable Pasta with Ricotta Cream Sauce

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Fresh pasta and spring vegetables tossed in a creamy and cheesy sauce…

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I’m a serious pasta lover and I’m really surprised I haven’t shared more pasta recipes on the blog yet. I have shared a few, lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs, but that’s just not enough carbs! We’re going to change that. Today’s recipe contains tender and delicious spring vegetables, a ricotta cream sauce and fresh linguini. It’s perfect for spring.

The vegetables in this pasta are the true star. Asparagus, snap peas and english green peas. The asparagus and snap peas are sautéed in olive oil with minced garlic and shallots. This gives the vegetables a delicious flavour. Toss the frozen english peas in at the end to warm through and infused with delicious flavour.

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Now the sauce is super simple. It’s just a few ingredients warmed together and reduced slightly. The sauce is just milk and ricotta cheese that is liberally seasoned with salt and pepper. Once the sauce vegetables and pasta are combined that’s when the magic happens…. and the magic is parmesan cheese and pasta water. It is the ONLY way to pull a pasta dish together. Toss a bit of pasta water in with your pasta and sauce to loosen and have all the components combine. The parmesan cheese melted into the pasta takes the flavour over the top! It takes things from delicious pasta to NEXT LEVEL delicious pasta!

Ok now run to the store get your ingredients and get cooking. I promise this recipe will deliver!

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Spring Vegetable Pasta with Ricotta Cream Sauce

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces Snap Peas
  • 8 ounces Asparagus, trimmed and sliced in half
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 cup English Green Peas (fresh or frozen)
  • Shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 12 ounces Linguini (I used fresh but dry also works great)
  • 3/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Milk (I used whole but 2% would also work)
  • 2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a sauté pan over medium low heat sauté shallots, garlic, snap peas and asparagus for 5 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Toss peas with the other vegetables until heated though, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta according to package instructions. Before draining remove one cup of pasta water and set aside.

Meanwhile add ricotta and milk to the pan. Heat for 10-15 minutes until warmed though, simmering and slightly reduced. Season with salt and pepper.

Add vegetables and cooked pasta to the sauce. Toss until combined. Depending on how dry your pasta is you will need to add pasta water. I always add at least a 1/4 cup but typically add about 1/2 cup. In addition to the pasta water add the parmesan cheese. Toss the pasta until the water in combined with the sauce and the cheese has melted. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve immediately and top with additional parmesan cheese if desired.

Adapted from Pasta Primavera with Asparagus and Peas.

 

 

Irish Whiskey Sour

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A classic cocktail with an Irish twist!

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Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day, so I’m sharing a little last minute cocktail inspiration. A Whiskey Sour is a fantastic classic cocktail that I think everyone should learn how to make! It’s a delicious balance of sweet and sour. And that is the key! Balance!

Now you may be looking at this cocktail and going wheres the foam!? I get it! But hear me out, the foam you typically find topping a whiskey sour is made with egg whites and that’s just not for me. It’s one extra step and I never trust that my eggs are fresh enough.

If your a die hard foam in your whiskey sour fan I’ll teach you how down below.

Another note about this recipe stick to these exact proportions, taste, and then adjust the sweetness. It’s easy to start tweaking things before you taste, but then you’re likely to end up with a weak cocktail. And I know none of you want that! I made the portions in this cocktail work with Jameson Irish Whiskey, since this is a St. Patrick’s Day recipe, but you could defiantly use the traditional bourbon or Canadian Whiskey. If you use a different variety of whiskey you need to adjust your proportions of sweet and sour to suit your palette and whiskey. It’s not an exact science.

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Irish Whiskey Sour

Yields: 1 cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces Jameson Irish Whiskey
  • 1 ounce Lemon Juice, fresh
  • 1 ounce Simple Syrup (buy at the liquor store or make it – so easy!)
  • Optional: Fresh Egg White
  • Garnish: Maraschino Cherry and Lemon Peel

Directions:

If using egg whites add whites to an empty cocktail shaker. Dry shake the egg white for about 30 seconds to break them up and create froth.

Add ice, whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup to the cocktail shaker. Shake well, about 30 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with ice. If using egg whites I recommend a double strain.

Adapted from 31 Dover.

Irish Whiskey Sour - A twist on a Classic for St. Patrick's Day!,/div>

Guinness Shepherd’s Pie

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Seriously delicious and very comforting!

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St. Partick’s day is just over a week away. On Wednesday I shared my St. Patty’s party fav’s and now I’m sharing the perfect meal to serve at your party! It also has Guinness in it which adds a nice festive twist! Not only is this recipe great if your hosting people for St. Patrick’s day, but it’s also amazing for dinner year round. It’s delicious, filling and comforting.

When I was a kid my mom used to make shepherd’s pie out of leftover roast beef. It’s so good that way but today I’m using ground beef since it’s easy and readily available. Did you know that technically when you use beef you’re making cottage pie. Seriously lamb is traditionally used in shepherd’s pie. It gets it’s name from the shepherd’s who tend to the sheep. But since I know it as shepherd’s pie that’s what we’re going with.

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The first time I made Shepherd’s pie it was a failure. It was dry and tasteless. Since then I’ve discovered a few very important secrets to making a delicious Shepherd’s pie. First things first you need to make a thick flavourful gravy. Nothing is worse than dry filling. Cook down onions, garlic and carrots to create a flavourful base. brown off your ground beef add flour to thicken and then deglaze with Guinness. Seriously this creates an insane amount of deep flavour. Then add beef broth to create a thick luscious gravy.

The other tip I have is to make a super flavourful spreadable mashed potato. You need pretty loose mashed potatoes. You want them to still be soft and smooth when you eat them. Since they have to go in the oven if you dont add enough butter and milk they will really dry out. Also adding parmesan or another cheese can’t hurt either!

This recipe is seriously delicious and a must make for St. Patrick’s day, or any day!

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Guinness Shepherd’s Pie

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

Filling:

  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 2 Carrots, diced
  • 1 tsp Dried Thyme
  • 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
  • 1.5 lbs Extra Lean Ground Beef
  • 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
  • 1/2 cup Guinness
  • 2 cups Beef Broth
  • 1 Beef Bouillon cube
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup Frozen Peas
  • 1 cup Frozen Corn

Mashed Potato

  • 2 lbs Russet Potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 3/4 cup Milk (I used 2%)
  • 1/4 cup Butter, melted

Topping

  • 3 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • 2 tbsp Butter, melted

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat warm oil. Add onion, cook for 1 minute. Add carrots, cook for 1 minute until starting to soften and brightening in colour. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes until vegetables are soft.

Turn heat up to medium high and add ground beef. Break into small pieces and cook until browned.

Add flour, stir and cook for one minute to remove the raw four taste. Add tomato paste, bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and rosemary. Mix seasoning into meat until well distributed. Deglaze the pan with Guinness. Scrape brown its off the bottom of the pan until the beer cooks don and the pan becomes mostly dry again.

Add beef broth to the pan. Continue to scrape the pan to release the brown bits. Bring the mixture to a simmer, turn down the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, string occasionally. A thick gravy will develop. Taste gravy, add additional salt and pepper if desired. Stir in peas and corn. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes to defrost the vegetables.

Cool the mixture and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, season with salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.

Drain potatoes. Leave in the colander to dry for 5-10 minutes. In the mean time melt the butter in the microwave and measure out the milk. Return the potatoes to the pot. Using a potato masher or a hand mixer mash the plain potatoes. Add half the butter and milk to the potatoes, mash together. Check the consistency. The potatoes should be looser then regular mashed potatoes. They should be spreadable but not runny. Continue to add milk and butter until the mashed potatoes reach the desired consistency.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour filling into a 9×11 inch baking pan, spread evenly. Spread mashed potatoes out evenly to cover the filling. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the potatoes evenly. Spoon melted butter evenly over potatoes. Bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes to make serving easier. Serve with peas or a side salad.

Adapted from RecipeTin Eats.

Guinness Shepherd's Pie - St. Patrick's Day Favourite, so delicious!.jpg

Kale Caesar Salad

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We eat a lot of kale in my house. We sauté it, we put it in smoothies, and it into soups and casseroles. And of course we make salads out of it. When it comes to kale salads I am partial to a creamy dressing since kale can be such a tough green.

For a while I was buying a creamy parmesan dressing from the store for my kale salads. Making a creamy dressing at home seamed fussy and intimidating, but now that I’ve made this recipe I can’t go back to the bottled stuff again.

Now this salad is not a week night salad for me. I can handle making the dressing, but on a weeknight I skip the bacon and use store-bought croutons. It’s still delicious, but if you have the time to make your own it will be so much fresher and tastier!

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I love to serve this salad in the summer with grilled chicken, steak, or my BBQ-less Barbecue Chicken. In the winter I love to serve this along side lasagna, spaghetti or any roasted meat.

I also love kale because it’s the only salad you can toss in advance. I like to wash and prep my kale, and then toss it in dressing a few hours before serving. Then just before serving I’ll toss in the croutons and bacon. This helps the kale soften and not be as tough.

In addition to dressing the salad in advance I like to massage my kale. I know it sounds funny, but it makes your kale more tender. Once you kale has been washed, dried and chopped. Massage the leaves with your hands until they become a bright green colour. Then coat the leaves with dressing, this will make your kale more tender.

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Even if you are not a kale salad lover, you’re going to love this salad!

What’s your favourite salad?

Yields: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

  • 1 Bunch Kale
  • 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
  • 2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 Gloves of Garlic
  • 1 Teaspoons Capers
  • 4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
  • 4 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
  • 2 Lemons, juiced
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • 4 Strips of Bacon
  • Optional: Additional parmesan cheese for topping

For the Croutons:

  • 4 Slices of Seeded Multi Grain Bread
  • 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

Method:

In a blender combine, olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, garlic, capers, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Wash, dry and chop the kale. Place in a large salad bowl. Massage the leaves until they are bright green. Toss the kale in the dressing and set aside. If prepping the salad in advance, cover the tossed salad with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.

Cook the bacon using your preferred method until crisp. Blot off excess grease and allow to cool completely. Once cool crumble the bacon, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, place the bread on a sheet tray. Drizzle olive oil over the bread and toss to coat. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper over bread and toss to coat evenly.

Bake the croutons for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Be careful to brown the croutons and not burn. Allow the croutons to cool fully as they will continue to harden and crisp as they cool.

When ready to serve, add bacon, croutons and parmesan cheese (if using) to the dressed kale. Toss the salad together. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Jillian Harris

 

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Guacamole

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Today I’m sharing with you my favourite recipe for guacamole. There has been a lot of trial and error to get here. On this mission I once dumped about a tablespoon of salt into a bowl of guac 5 minutes before party guests were to arrive. Everyone politely told me they liked salty guac, but it was barley eaten so I know they were a bunch of liars! But I have finally nailed it and we have been enjoying this recipe along side of our favourite Mexican dishes all summer.

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I like my guacamole to be fresh and cooling with a hint of heat, but feel free to add extra jalapeños if you like yours extra spicy. I also don’t add cilantro to my guacamole since I am in the percentage of people who hate cilantro and think it tastes like soap. It actually makes me sick. When I was in high school I was a cashier at a grocery store and whenever I would ring through cilantro I would hold my breath because even the smell made me feel sick, crazy right. Of course if you are a cilantro lover go for it! I wish I could join you!

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This recipes is the perfect amount for 2-4 people, I like to serve it with chips, hot salsa, fajitas and a margarita.

So do you love or hate cilantro?

Servings: 2-4 people

Ingredients:

  • 2 Medium Avocados
  • 1 Jalapeño, stem and seeds removed, minced (more or less to taste)
  • 2 Tablespoons Red Onion, minced
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • Dash of Cumin
  • Optional: 1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

Directions:

In a bowl mash together avocados, minced onion, minced jalapeño, lime juice, salt, cumin and cilantro if using. Mix together until well combined and reaches your desired consistency. Serve with tortilla chips or alongside your Mexican favourites.

Adapted from, Saveur

Lemon Parmesan Green Beans

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Today I’m sharing with you my favourite veggie side dish. These green beans are tender and fresh with a cheesy bite. They are also super fast to wipe up, so they are not just for dinner parties.

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In this recipe I use french green beans, my favourite are by Manns. I like using french style green beans because they are smaller and more tender then traditional green beans. They also cook quickly which is perfect for a week night.

I par cook the beans in boiling water before pan frying in butter and seasoning with lemon juice. At the end I top the beans with freshly grated parmesan. It really is as easy as it sounds.

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What is your favourite easy and delicious side?

 

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1 lbs Fresh French Cut Green Beans
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Optional: Chili Flakes

 

Directions:

Place the beans in a wok or fry pan, cover with water. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain. Over medium heat add butter, beans, salt, pepper and chili flakes to the pan. Sauté the beans for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and continue to sauté for 2-3 more minute until beans are tender and begin to crisp. Transfer the beans to a serving dish and top with freshly grated parmesan.