Where is my rolling pin? Cheese Bread

My dinner tonight

In the move I lost my rolling pin. Well, I didn't loose it exactly, it's hiding in one of those unpacked boxes, that in a hurry I didn't sign. The rolling pin didn't fit in any well signed kitchen stuff boxes, so I left it to be placed in some other box of appropriate size.
Which one of those still unpacked boxes hide my rolling pin? Give me a hint, please?! 
I have a dough rising and very soon I'd be desperate for a rolling pin! OK, no rolling pin, let me see what I can use to flatten the dough. Hands? Yes, I can try flipping the dough from one hand to the other like those cooks in pizza places do to show off their skills. Or maybe just to show off... No, most definitely skills, which I am lacking at this time: my dough wanted to land on the table more often that on my hand. 

What else I can use to roll the dough? Oh, a bottle of wine, it looks like my rolling pin anyway, well, if it had one handle missing. But when I am missing a whole rolling pin that could also work.

Not perfect yet rolled... :)

then spread the filling on it...

roll,

and let it proof.

Slowly but surely I did roll the dough, made a cheese bread, and left it rise while I went to a store to buy a new rolling pin. And what a pin it is, check it out yourself... A treasure... My new old rolling pin...

I wander how old is this price?

to make more savory breads...

Bread recipe is here. 

See you,
Marina

Cheese Muffins

A few posts ago I teased you with some photos, and now it's time to share the recipe for those muffins many of your were so fond about. They are easy to make, and no stand mixer required. I personally do all mixing by hand. 

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Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

3 cups  (470 g) plain flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup (150 ml) olive oil
1 cup (250 ml) milk
1 cup (100-125 gr) shredded cheese (I used Swiss, Pecorino Romano, Feta, Mozzarella)
1 Tablespoon dried dill (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with butter.

2. In a large bowl combine together the flour, salt, baking powder, and dill. Stir and set aside.

3. In another bowl , whisk the eggs, then add oil and milk and whisk again. 

4. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, add the egg mixture and shredded cheese (any cheese of your choice), and mix all ingredients. Do not overmix! 

5. Fill the cups with the batter, and level it with the rim.

6. Place in the middle rack in the oven, and bake 20-25 minutes.

When muffins are golden brown in color and springy to the touch, insert a toothpick in the center: it should come out clean. 

Cool it for 5 minutes (if you can), and enjoy with butter or raspberry jam. 

* This recipe was highly adapted from The WS Baking Book.

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See you,
Marina

Pasta (homemade)

Carrot-apple-ginger juice - for energy!

This post was written a few months ago when my parents still were here. Things have changed since, and you can see how from the crossed text. 
Remember Happy March 8th! post? It's not just a holiday, for us it is a big holiday, like another Christmas, which means some gifts. I got a few. 
Do you want to see some?

That made me happy!

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For many years a word "pasta" gave me a shivering. Nothing "pasta" would raise my appetite, on contrary I would rather eat just a plain bread than pasta. Needless to say, I rarely cooked pasta at home, just when kids were asking bagging, not that often though.
Why is that? Many reasons, I would say, main being that pasta doesn't taste good. Didn't taste good to me until I discovered a home made pasta. Apparently, my taste buds were in dormant stage for the store bought pasta.
And then mom came to the rescue. 
And then to everybody's happiness pasta found a place in this home. 

Fettuccine (my favorite)

Pasta dough is easy to make even for a teenager.
Flour-eggs-pinch of salt-water-oil-mix-rest-roll-cut-cook-enjoy! See how easy, right?

Smooth dough

My mother's homemade pasta recipe:

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups of all purpose flour or 2 cups of all purpose and 1 cup of semolina flour
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp cold water (she actually uses eggshell to measure water, so did I)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mother said that this recipe she has learned from her mother, and it was always done by hands, but I use my food processor or a stand mixer (lazy me!). 
Mix all the ingredients and knead the dough for 10 minutes (even I do it with my hands!) 
Form a ball and cover it with plastic wrap for a minimum 30 minutes.  

Wrap the dough

Then knead it again and ... here I wish I had a pasta dough roller...  I let the Kitchen Aid pasta roller attachment to roll the dough until it has required paper thin desired thickness.  
Cut the dough and toss it with a little corn or regular flour (to prevent it from sticking).  

Spaghetti (son's favorite)

Boil a large amount of water, add salt and 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, add pasta, and cook 2-3 minutes (this is the time for the fresh pasta. Dry pasta needs to be cooked longer, about 5-7 minutes). 
I set the kitchen alarm for 2 minutes and taste it. 
Some like it "well done", we like it al dente (firm to the bite). 

Plain pasta

Then pasta is dressed with vegetables, sauses, or just olive oil and garlic and served hot.  
That is pasta I love, we all do.

Pasta with Feta cheese and olive oil: I ate it all!

Today I made it with parsley "pesto": 
I just put in the blender a handful of parsley, a handful of walnuts, 2 cloves garlic, and a small piece of Pecorino Romano cheese (my favorite!). 
I gave it a couple of pulses and added freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1,5 lemons) and a tablespoon of a very good olive oil. 
Pulsed again, and pesto was done. 

Pasta with parsley "pesto"

When my work was done, for a moment I imagined myself in Italy... 
Music, roses, pasta...

A-ve Ma-ri-aaaa!!!

Until next time,
Cowboy Country Vegetarian