Who doesn’t love tater tots?! Seriously… They are so good. Little bites of crunchy potatoes! Well now they are even better!

These are going on the super bowl menu this year for sure!

Why we love this tater tot appetizer recipe…

• super easy to make
• comfort food to the max
• filling for those days when you eat an appy as a meal
• melted cheese and bacon… need we say more?
• easy and quick to make a lot of these
• the perfect game day appetizer

Ingredients

1. Tater Tots – you can find these at any store.
2. Ground Beef – this beef will be cooked with onions and taco seasonings. So good!
3. Bacon – thick cut is our preference.
4. Cheese – we like a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheese on these skewers
5. Green Onions – for the top!
6. Sour Cream – for drizzling/dipping

Other ingredients you could try

• try pickled/chopped jalapenos! Yum! (I don’t know why I didn’t do this to start with)
• you could use ground pork or chicken if you don’t like ground beef
• ranch seasoning sprinkled on top of the tater tots or ground beef
• or serve with ranch dressing for a dip

How to Make Tater Tot Skewers

This tater tot appetizer is so simple to make!

1. First your going to want to cook up your tater tots. We recommend using a sheet of parchment paper for easy clean up!
2. Then make your meat. Cook a diced onion, add your ground beef, season generously with salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder. Break it up till its nice and small. Cook until its fully browned.
3. At the same time, cook your bacon. You can either cut it into pieces and then cook it or cook it in strips and then chop it later. We usually cut it and then cook it. It cooks faster. Cook till its fully cooked but not overdone or too hard,
4. When the tater tots are done, skewer them with wooden skewers. 4-6 tots on a skewer. Lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the ground beef. Add a good amount of shredded cheese.
5. Bake them till the cheese melts and when they come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle with bacon and green onions.
6. Drizzle them in sour cream and serve with more sour cream for dipping.

Tips for Making These Perfect

• crispy tater tots are the best! Don’t over cook them to get them crispy, just spray them lightly with oil before cooking.
• make sure your ground beef is on the dryer side. Not dried out, but not wet otherwise it will make your tater tots soggy.
• cook your bacon so its crispy but not too crispy. You don’t want it to be hard.
• you can use whatever cheese you like, but make sure it melts nicely. We like cheddar and mozzarella, but there are many that would work.
• to make your sour cream easier to drizzle, mix in a tsp of coffee or whipping cream till you get the consistency you desire

Our Favorite Tool for Cooking Ground Meat

You may have noticed a tool in the pictures above. Its a meat chopper and its fricken awesome! We like our meat chopped small and it can take a fair amount of elbow grease, but this tool makes it so much easier!

Its inexpensive and awesome. You can get your meat chopper here.

Common Questions:

Can you make tater tot skewers ahead of time?

You can, but they won’t be as good. You can do some things ahead of time though. Cook your ground beef and bacon and store them for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

You can also grate your cheese ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

But its best to cook your tater tots and then assemble the skewers right before you serve them.

How do you make tater tots extra crispy?

To make tater tots extra crispy, give them a light spray of oil before baking in the oven.

Can you make tater tots in the air fryer?

Yes! Just make sure to give them a stir now and then and don’t overcrowd the fryer.

Can you microwave tater tots?

We are going to say no. This will just make them mushy.

Other game day appetizers you might like:

• crispy oven fried pickles
• the ultimate baked onion rings
• smash burger sliders
• whiskey beef sliders
• taco chili cheese dip

If you’ve tried this Taco Tater Tot Skewer recipe then we would love it if you could rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you! 

We also love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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Taco Tater Tot Skewers

Tater tot skewers loaded up with taco spiced ground beef, melted cheese, bacon and drizzled in sour cream. This tater tot appetizer is so easy and so good, you are gonna make this all the time!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword game day appetizer, tater tot appetizer, tater tot skewers

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 15 skewers

Calories 273kcal

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

• 15 skewers
• 1 bag tater tots
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1.5 cup cheddar cheese shredded
• 1.5 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 0.5 lb bacon chopped and cooked
• 1 bunch green onion
• sour cream

Instructions

• First cook up your tater tots according to the instructions on the bag. We recommend using a sheet of parchment paper for easy clean up!
• While the tots are cooking, make your meat. In a large skillet, cook a diced onion, add your ground beef, season generously with the salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder. Break it up till its nice and small. Cook until its fully browned.
• At the same time, cook your bacon. You can either cut it into pieces and then cook it or cook it in strips and then chop it later. We usually cut it and then cook it. It cooks faster. Cook till its fully cooked but not overdone or too hard,
• When the tater tots are done, skewer them with wooden skewers. 4-6 tots on a skewer. Lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the ground beef. Add the shredded cheese.
• Bake them at 350 degrees till the cheese melts. This will take about 8 mins or so. When they come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle with bacon and green onions.
• Drizzle them in sour cream and serve with more sour cream for dipping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1skewer | Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 934mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 371IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Taco Tater Tot Skewers appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

This recipe is likely the ultimate brunch recipe. It checks all the boxes. Wow factor, tastes, fun and easy to make, and options to customize.

We give you an option below to make this recipe a little more billowy and reach greater heights in your pan!

A Dutch Baby or German pancake is a great choice for mothers day brunch, valentines breakfast in bed, brunch with the girls and any time you want to have breakfast for dinner!

These skillet pancakes are no ordinary pancakes!

Why we love them:

• this recipe is so so easy and the batter takes just a few mins to whip up
• it bakes up so easy and quick in the oven.
• the toppings are endless!
• they look incredible!
• no throw away test pancakes to make sure you have the exact pan temperature required to create the perfect browned crust.
• No flipping or trying to pour the batter in so the pancakes don’t crowd each other in the pan.  

Your brunch guests, or your family, will be super impressed.

What is a Dutch Baby?

Dutch babies are also sometimes called German pancakes, skillet pancakes, or oven pancakes because they are made in a skillet and baked in the oven till they get all beautiful and puffy.  They can be eaten plain or with any number of toppings.  

These oven pancakes can be made savory or sweet or even a combination of these (like our peach, brie, and bacon Dutch baby). They are excellent either way. Here are some options for topping yours:

Savory Topping Variations

• bacon and a poached or fried egg
• shredded cheese and sliced ham
• burratta and proscuitto
• tomato, basil and feta or cheddar
• sauteed spinach, ham and cheese

or any variation of the above ingredients that works for you!

You could also add herbs or cheese directly to the batter!

NOTE: if you make a fully savory version, omit half the sugar from the batter.

Sweet Topping Variations

• fresh fruit, blueberries, raspberries, sautéed apples
• sautéed peaches or fresh
• butter and jam
• whipped cream
• butter and maple syrup
• lemon juice and sugar
• lemon curd (or other citrus curd)

The possibilities are endless!

How to Make an Extra Puffy Dutch Baby!

If you want extra heights on your oven pancake all you have to do is add an extra egg to the batter! Its super simple and if will make the edges extra impressive!

Give it a try!

Tips for making a perfect oven pancake:

• make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature when you mix the batter
• use a blender or food processor to blend the batter. You could also use an immersion blender. If you have to use a whisk, make sure you whisk it good. You don’t want any lumps.
• preheat the skillet in the oven before pouring the batter in. This will ensure a nice puff on the pancake.
• DON’T open the oven door until it’s finished cooking! If you have to look, use the oven light.

Why did my Dutch Baby go flat?

If your Dutch baby goes flat, your skillet was probably not hot enough. It needs heat right away to create steam that will lift up the edges. If it puffed up nicely and then fell flat, you likely took it out of the oven too quickly.

Can you make a Dutch baby without a cast iron?

You can! It just must be made in an oven safe skillet. Stainless steel works great.

Tools you will need:

1. Cast Iron Skillet – A cast iron skillet works best for this recipe.  We like a 10 inch skillet.  This one also comes in tons of pretty colors!  We love that
2. Stainless steel skillet – you can also use a stainless skillet.
3. Blender – You can use any blender, but honestly, a blentec or vitamix are so great for this recipe and so many others that you cant go wrong with either of them.
4. Food Processor – you can also use a food processor if you would rather.  We think a blender is easier though.

Other brunch recipes you might like

• simple breakfast skillet with potatoes & sausage
• the easiest eggs benedict recipe you’ll ever make
• ultimate guide to create a beautiful brunch grazing platter
• 30 min breakfast tarts with baked eggs & hollandaise sauce
• dutch baby pancake with peach and bacon (sweet and savory)

If you’ve tried this Dutch Baby recipe then we would love it if you could rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you! 

We also love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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Classic Dutch Baby

This Dutch baby pancake recipe is billowy soft, super easy to make and a very impressive brunch dish to share with friends and family.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Keyword dutch baby, german pancake, oven pancake, skillet pancake

Prep Time 5 days days

Cook Time 15 days days

Servings 4 servings

Calories 152kcal

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

FOR THE DUTCH BABY

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk or plant based milk
• 3-4 large eggs
• 2 tbsp sugar omit if making a savory dutch baby
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Place the flour, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a blender or food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend well and then scrape down the sides after a few seconds. Blend for another 10 seconds. The batter will be quite loose and liquidy. Let the batter sit for 20 mins. This gives the flour a chance to absorb all the liquid
• When you are ready to make the dutch baby, heat the oven to 425°F. Then heat your skillet on medium heat. When its hot, add the butter and swirl the pan to melt the butter and coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
• Pour the batter on top of the butter. Tilt the pan if needed so that the batter runs evenly to all sides. Add any toppings that you want to bake with the Dutch baby. Place the skillet in the oven.
• Bake until the Dutch baby is puffed, lightly browned across the top, and darker brown on the sides and edges, about 15 mins.
• Add any toppings you would like to serve with it. Serve from the pan or transfer the Dutch baby to a serving platter.

Notes

Savory Topping Option

• bacon and a poached or fried egg
• shredded cheese and sliced ham
• burratta and proscuitto
• tomato, basil and feta or cheddar
• sauteed spinach, ham and cheese

or any variation of the above ingredients that works for you!

You could also add herbs or cheese directly to the batter!

NOTE: if you make a fully savory version, omit half the sugar from the batter.

Sweet Topping Options

• fresh fruit, blueberries, raspberries, sautéed apples
• butter and jam
• whipped cream
• butter and maple syrup
• lemon juice and sugar
• lemon curd (or other citrus curd)

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 356mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Classic Dutch Baby Recipe appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

We first tried butternut squash ravioli at the Cactus Club and it was melt in your mouth delicious! Debbie now orders this dish almost every time she goes to Cactus Club and because she loved it,  we had to create a copy cat recipe for the blog.

Making this butternut squash ravioli at home is definitely more time consuming that ordering off a menu, and a hell of a lot messier!  But let me tell you, it is just as good (if not better) and you get to eat as much as you want lol.  Its well worth the effort and I must say, we have given Rob Feenie a run for his money with this one!

Steps Involved in Making this Recipe

Making homemade pasta can seem a little intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. I think breaking down the steps helps it to be less daunting. Here we go:

1. Make the Pasta Dough – you can do this by hand or with your mixer. We like to use a mixer just because it can take a fair bit of kneeding. We use this recipe for homemade pasta.
2. Make the Filling – this is easy. Cook the butternut squash and onions and then blend everything up in your food processor.
3. Make the Ravioli – this is the only part that can be a touch tricky, but a little trial and error and it becomes easy too.
4. Make the Sauce, Prawns and Sage – the hardest part is making sure the sage doesn’t burn.
5. Put it together and serve!

Tools You Need to Make Ravioli

1. Hand Crank Pasta Roller – you need this to get your pasta sheets nice and thin.  It comes with 4 attachments to make fettuccine, spaghetti and others too.
2. Ravioli Maker – this makes awesome ravioli and its the one we used for the ravioli in the pictures of this post
3. Food Processor – you need one of these to make the filling.
4. Kitchenaid Pasta Roller – If you have a kitchen aid mixer, you can get this attachment to make the pasta sheets
5. Kitchenaid Ravioli Attachment  – another mixer attachment that makes a lot of smaller, perfect ravioli.  A little pricy though… 

Make the Pasta Dough

You can find a detailed description of how to make homemade pasta here.

This dough can be made the day you make ravioli or even a day or two ahead of time if you like. The dough must rest for a bit in the fridge so making it ahead of time is always a good idea. Though you can also let it rest while you make the filling for the ravioli.

Make the Filling

The filling for the ravioli can be made ahead of time too. It will store in the fridge for a couple days.

1. Peel and chop the butternut squash. Spread it on a pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 25 – 30 mins until squash is fork tender.
2. Meanwhile sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil till soft and translucent.
3. When the squash is done, place 2 cups in a food processor with the sautéed garlic, chopped onion and mascarpone cheese.  Puree till its smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and move to the next step.

Make the Ravioli

This part can be a little tedious, but once you give it a try, it gets easier.

1. Take your dough and separate it in to 4 equal sections. While working with one section, keep the others covered.
2. Shake a little flour on that section and run it through your pasta roller on the widest setting. Sometimes we do this setting 2 or 3 times till the dough gets into the right shape.
3. Run the dough through the roller on the next smaller setting. Keep doing this till you get a long, thin sheet of pasta. Keep in mind that you don’t want it too thin or too thick. This is where you will have to see what works best for you. For us, its the second thinnest setting that works the best.
4. Use your ravioli maker to make the ravioli. For the one shown here, you drape the pasta sheet over the ravioli mold, fill each section with filling. Don’t use to much or it will squish out and not seal properly. Cover the filling with another sheet of pasta and using your rolling pin to seal the edges and cut the ravioli by pressing down.

See, not too hard and once you do one set of ravioli, the rest will be easier. Repeat these steps till you have the amount of pasta you need.

We often make extra because it freezes really well!

Make the Sauce, Prawns and Crispy Sage

1. Combine the vinegar and white wine in a saucepan on medium to medium low heat. Reduce until the liquid forms a light syrup.
2. Reduce the heat to low and add the teaspoon of cream. I often heat the cream first because I find that it curdles less if you heat it first. I hate it when things curdle… Don’t be tempted to use light cream, it is more likely to curdle.
3. Whisk in butter, one cube at a time until well incorporated. Make sure it doesn’t start to simmer.
4. Add lemon juice, and truffle oil.  Do not substitute the Truffle Oil. It wont taste how it should. The oil makes this sauce.
5. Heat another pan on medium low. Sauté the prawns in about 1 tsp of butter, 1 to 2 minutes per side, until they are orangey, pink.
6. Melt the remaining butter in a pan. Add the sage leaves and fry till crispy.

This dish is not exactly healthy, especially when the buttery sauce is poured on top! But its oh so good! Lick the plate good. I’m not joking… Plates were licked. Yet another benefit of making this at home.

Tips for Making this Dish

• We suggest getting a pot of boiling water going just before you start making the sauce and get the prawns cooking.  Then you can drop in the ravioli and saute the prawns as you make the sauce so they are ready at the same time. 
• Make the fried sage leaves first.  They don’t need to be hot.  

How to Cook the Ravioli

Boil some water, add some salt and throw in the ravioli. When it floats, it’s done!

Can I Use Canned Butternut Squash?

Yes you could, if you can find that. However, freshly roasted butternut squash will taste a million times better.

Can you freeze butternut squash ravioli?

Yes! This homemade ravioli freezes really well. We usually make more than we need just so that we can freeze it and keep it on hand for when you need it quick or have a craving! To freeze, lay it on a tray lined with parchment paper. Then when its frozen, put them in a ziplock bag to store. This keeps them from sticking. When you are ready to use them, there is no need to thaw, just cook from frozen.

Serving to Guests

This is such a great recipe for an appetizer or a main course when entertaining.  Its so damn good, but in addition to that, we love that you can prepare the butternut squash ravioli the day before and then make the sauce and the toppings just before your company arrives or just before you eat.  I guarantee you will get rave reviews!  

Looking for another appetizer to serve with these, check out our beef carpaccio recipe, another restaurant inspired dish.  

Other Homemade Pasta Recipes to Try

• Asparagus & Lemon Pasta Fonduta with Pan Fried Scallops
• Sausage, Spinach and Wine Fettuccine Recipe
• Short Rib Ravioli with Truffle Sauce
• Mushroom Ravioli with Limoncello Sauce
• Salmon Pasta Chowder

If you’ve tried this fresh homemade butternut squash ravioli recipe then we would love it if you could rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you! 

We also love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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Fresh Butternut Squash Ravioli with Prawns, Fried Sage and Truffle Oil Sauce

Fresh butternut squash ravioli stuffed with creamy squash and mascarpone cheese, drizzled in a buttery truffle sauce and topped with a pan fried prawn and crispy sage.

Course Appetizer, Main

Cuisine Canadian, Italian

Keyword butternut squash ravioli, homemade ravioli

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 8 minutes minutes

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

For the Pasta Dough

• find the recipe for the fresh pasta dough here

Ingredients for the Butternut Squash Filling

• 1 large Butternut Squash
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped Onion
• 4 tbsp Marscapone Cheese
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Ingredients for the Truffle Oil Sauce

• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon heavy cream (whipping cream)
• 1/4-1/2 cup cold unsalted butter , cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp black (or white) truffle oil

The Garnish

• x – amount of med-large prawns (1 for every ravioli you are serving if serving as an appy. If you are serving as a main, do 1 for every 3 ravioli or so)
• x – amount of Sage leaves
• 2-4 tbsps butter to fry the sage

Instructions

• Peel and chop the butternut squash. Spread it on a pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 25 – 30 mins until squash is fork tender.
• Sauté onions and garlic in a little olive oil till soft and translucent.
• Place 2 cups of the squash in food processor with sautéed garlic, chopped onion and marscapone cheese.  Puree the shit out of it. Make it smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and make ravioli.

Make Ravioli

• Make ravioli squares using the ravioli maker of your choice.  Follow the instructions according to the maker you are using.  Here is how we use ours.
• Take your dough and separate it in to 4 equal sections. While working with one section, keep the others covered.
• Shake a little flour on that section and run it through your pasta roller on the widest setting. Sometimes we do this setting 2 or 3 times till the dough gets into the right shape.
• Run the dough through the roller on the next smaller setting. Keep doing this till you get a long, thin sheet of pasta. Keep in mind that you don't want it too thin or too thick. This is where you will have to see what works best for you. For us, its the second thinnest setting that works the best.
• Use your ravioli maker to make the ravioli. For the one shown here, you drape the pasta sheet over the ravioli mold, fill each section with about 1 tbsp of filling. Don't use to much or it will squish out and not seal properly. Cover the filling with another sheet of pasta and using your rolling pin to seal the edges and cut the ravioli by pressing down.
• Pop out the ravioli and repeat with the rest of your pasta dough and filling.

Cook the Ravioli

• When you are ready to cook the ravioli, heat a pot of boiling water. Salt the water slightly and drop in the ravioli. When they float, they are done.

For the Truffle Oil Sauce

• Combine the vinegar and white wine in a saucepan on medium heat. Reduce until the liquid forms a light syrup.
• Reduce the heat and add the teaspoon of cream. I often heat the cream first because I find that it curdles less if you heat it first. I hate it when things curdle…
• Decrease heat to low and whisk in butter, one cube at a time until well incorporated. Do not boil.
• Add lemon juice, and truffle oil.  Do not substitute the Truffle Oil. It wont taste how it should. The oil makes this sauce.
  
  

For the Garnish:

• Saute the prawns in about 1 tsp of butter, 1 to 2 minutes per side, until they are orangey, pink
• Melt the remaining butter in a pan. Add the sage leaves and fry till crispy.

Notes

Tip: we suggest getting a pot of boiling water going just before you start making the sauce and get the prawns cooking.  Then you can drop in the ravioli and saute the prawns as you make the sauce so they are ready at the same time. 

Make the fried sage leaves first.  They don’t need to be hot.  

To make the Ravioli:

If you have a pasta maker, use it to make two thin strips about 5 inches wide. Then use the ravioli maker to make the pasta, or lay one piece down and drop spoonful’s of the Squash filling evenly spaced (about 2 inches apart) and two spoonful’s across. Then place the other strip of pasta over top and press down around each spoonful to make a sealed pocket. Then cut into ravioli squares.

If you don’t have a pasta maker, just roll the pasta by hand into at least a 10 inch wide rectangle and then cut into 2 strips that are 5 inches wide each and follow the directions above.

Cook the ravioli by boiling salted water, throw a bunch of Ravioli in (don’t crowd the pot) and cook for a few minutes until they float. Drain and assemble the dish. Eat and savor!

Assembly to serve:

As an Appy: assemble 3 or 4 ravioli on each plate, place one sage leaf on each ravioli and one prawn on top. Drizzle a spoonful of the sauce over each one.

As a Main: place a number of ravioli on each plate, sprinkle a few sage leaves and prawns on top. Drizzle the sauce over the whole works.

You are going to love these! You will be so glad you made these at home, because you can just make yourself another plate

Nutrition

Serving: -11g

The post Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli with Prawns, Fried Sage and Truffle Oil Sauce appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

Flank steak is often overlooked and cast aside for fillet minion or rib-eyes, and mind you, those cuts are great, but for those of you who have had a properly prepared marinated and grilled flank steak, you know it won’t be your last.

Typically a tougher cut of beef, if its marinated and cooked to medium rare and then cut on the bias (against the grain), it becomes so flavorful, tender and versatile.

Why this Recipe Works

• Its got a ton of flavor! Both from the steak, the marinade, and the sauce!
• Its very easy to make, even for novice cooks.
• It makes an impressive and delicious dish to serve to guests with minimal work, and that’s what we like around here!
  

Ingredients You Need

For the Marinade

• soy sauce
• citrus juice (orange juice, pineapple juice or a mix works too)
• garlic 
• grated ginger
• brown sugar or honey

For the Chimichuri Sauce

• cilantro
• parsley
• garlic
• lime juice
• ground cumin
• cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil

How to Make the Chimichuri Sauce

This sauce is so easy to make. You literally throw everything in a blender and your done! Or you can also use a food processor.

• Fill a blender or food processor with the cilantro and parsley.
• Then add the lime juice, garlic, cumin and cayenne, and salt.  
• While the blender is on, add the olive oil slowly. 
• Keep blending until it is well pureed and somewhat smooth.

Marinating the Steak

Marinating steak is super easy and it really upgrades the flavor of your flank steak. There are a few things to remember when marinating:

• You can use a sealable bag to marinate your steak, however we prefer to use a shallow dish as it reduces plastic waste and is just as effective. You just want to have a lid or a cover for the dish. You will also want to turn your steak over in the marinade so that you can make sure to coat all sides.
• Always marinate in the fridge. You don’t want to leave your steak out on the counter as it could grow some nasty bacteria.
• Marinate your steak for 2 to 24 hours. The longer it marinates, the more tender and juicy the steak will be after grilling.
• When you are done, discard the used marinade. It no longer good for consumption unless you were to boil it in a pot before using it for anything.

How to Cook Flank Steak

• Bring your steaks to room temperature or at least let it sit on the counter for about an hour. Having your steaks at room temperature when you cook them means that they will cook evenly.
• Turn the grill to medium-high heat. Add the steaks. Cook on each side for 3 minutes or until outside is browned. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook the steaks to the desired doneness. Mine took about 10 minutes flipping 3 times to get a medium well.
• Top with butter and garnish with the chimichurri sauce.
• Make sure to let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes covered on a cutting board. This will let the meat relax and distribute the juices within the steak. And then cut across the grain in very thin strips.

Cooking Temperatures for Steak:

Learning how to cook steak the way you like it takes a little practice. It’s best to under cook your steak a touch and then it will continue to cook a bit as its resting. Using a meat thermometer is key to cooking your steak perfectly!

• Rare: Temperature: 115°F; Remove when it reaches 110°F
• Medium-Rare: Temperature: 125°F; Remove when it reaches 120°F
• Medium: Temperature: 135°F; Remove when it reaches 130°F
• Medium-Well: Temperature: 140°F; Remove when it reaches 135°F
• Well Done: Temperature: 150°F; Remove when it reaches 145°F

We prefer our flank steak medium-rare or medium.

Expert Tip

• When cutting your flank steak, remember to cut across the bias, or essentially, against the grain. The lines in the meat are the direction you want to find and cut opposite of those lines. This will enhance the flavor of the meat as well as keep it tender. To see the grain, look at the steak and you will see that it has parallel lines running in one direction – cut across the lines, in the opposite direction. It makes a huge difference in how tender your meat will be when you eat it and trust me, you can definitely tell the difference when you’re chewing juicy and super tender steak instead of chewy tough flank steak.

Ways to eat this grilled flank steak:

• as is with the chimichuri sauce
• the most amazing steak sandwiches
• steak tacos are amazing with grilled flank steak too
• make these cheesesteak stuffed portabellos with your leftovers!

If you’ve tried this grilled flank steak recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you!

To save this recipe for later on Pinterest, click here!

We love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri sauce

This grilled flank steak is amazingly tender and flavorful when marinated, grilled to med-rare, cut on the bias, and covered in fresh and fragrant chimichurri sauce.  Great for feeding a crowd on a budget and for leftover steak sandwiches! 

Course Main

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes minutes

Resting time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 36 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 430kcal

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

FOR THE MARINADE

• 2 lbs flank steak
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup citrus juice (I have used orange juice, pineapple juice and a mixture of citrus juice)
• 4-5 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 3 tbsp brown sugar or honey

FOR THE CHIMICHURI SAUCE

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 limes juiced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

MARINATE THE STEAK

• Place everything in a container with a lid or ziplock bag and marinate the flank steak at least 4-5 hour or overnight is best.
  
  

MAKE THE CHIMICHURI SAUCE

• Fill a blender or food processor with the cilantro and parsley. Then add the lime juice, garlic, cumin and cayenne, and salt.  While the blender is on, add the olive oil slowly.  Blend until it is well pureed and somewhat smooth.

COOK THE STEAK

• Heat your barbecue to medium-high heat.  Wait for it to get nice and hot.  So you can’t hold your hand over the grill for more than a second.
• Throw your steak on the grill and cook for 3 mins. Then turn slightly, a quarter turn, and cook for another 3 mins. This will get you beautiful criss-cross char marks on your steak. Then turn it over and do the same on the other side.
• Take the steak off the grill and tent (cover) it with foil for 10 mins to let it rest and the juices redistribute.
• With a sharp knife, slice the steak in thin slices against the grain. Serve with more chimichuri sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Notes

If your flank steak is less than 1 1/2 inches thick, reduce the cooking time slightly.   Don’t close the lid while the steak is cooking. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving without the chimichuri sauce | Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 2095mg | Potassium: 695mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 567IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4mg

The post Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

Debbie has been making this amazing ranch nuts and bolts recipe for a long ass time.  I think I was probably 16 or so when I first tasted them!  Loved them then, love them now and so does everyone else that tries them.  Both Debbie and I make these often for a party and its a given for Christmas.

We always have people ask us for the recipe.  Always!

Debbie calls it her crack nuts and bolts recipe because you just cant stop eating them.  Ever.  Till they are gone. And then you still want more.  It’s a million times better than any nuts and bolts mix that you can buy in the store and once you see how easy it is to make, you will never buy it again.

What are Nuts and Bolts?

The name comes from the “nuts and bolts” commonly found in a handyman’s workshop. It became widely popular as Chex Mix when the company added the recipe to the side of the chex box. This holiday snack mix usually features pretzel sticks – the bolts, and nuts – the Cheerios and mixed nuts.

Many families have a traditional recipe that they make over and over again and pass on through the generations. This is ours!

Why We Love this Recipe

• its No Bake! This is one of the things that sets our recipe apart from others. Most others call for baking. This one just needs to sit for a bit.
• its got great flavor. The ranch seasoning kicks the regular chex mix ass. Sorry, but it does…
• everyone LOVES this mix. Everyone!
• its so easy to make
• it stores very well
• this mix transports well. It’s so easy to take to a party to share with friends.
• its a little on the healthier side than other mix recipes as its made with olive oil instead of

What goes in the Party Mix?

This is no side of the cereal box Chex Mix. This is something very different, but it starts off the same. With a ton of box cereal and pretzels. You can choose whatever you like best. Here are some options:

• cereals: chex, life, shreddies, cheerios… 
• honey nut chex, shreddies, or cheerios – I recently tried adding a sweet cereal and it was soooo good! Don’t do too sweet though.
• pretzels or pretzel sticks
• cheeze itz or cheesy goldfish
• bugles or corn chips
• nuts: walnuts, cashews, pecans, peanuts…  go for unsalted if you can or they might turn out too salty with the seasoning mix added.
• raisins or dried cranberries – we haven’t tried these but they might be good
• make it spicy with some added chili powder
• olive oil or other vegetable oil- our mix is not made with butter like many other recipes

You know how some people just pick at their favorite parts of the nuts and bolts mix?  Well I’m one of those people and my favorite parts of this one are the chex, life cereal, cheeze itz and the pretzels, so pretty much every time I make this nuts and bolts recipe, I only make it with chex, life, cheeze itz and pretzels lol.  Smart right?

Can you make it gluten free?

Yes, you actually can. There are lots of gluten free cereal options out there now! You can use gluten free cereal like rice chex and gluten free honey nut cheerios. Glutino makes gluten free pretzels and pretzel sticks. So do Snyders now I believe. There’s a lot of options. You can also use an assortments of nuts to go with.

Homemade Ranch Seasoning

We used to make this recipe with pre-packaged ranch seasoning.  However, as you may know, most pre-packaged seasoning has MSG and a bunch of other things I cant pronounce so we started making our own. 

We tried a couple recipes and all the recipes said that they would taste exactly like ranch.  But they didn’t.  There was always something missing.

All the homemade recipes were missing the ‘tang’.  At first we thought it was salt, but it was more like a citrus tang.  The missing ingredient is citric acid!  It’s a naturally occurring acid found in citrus fruits and also a natural preservative.   You can find it at health food stores in powdered form or here on amazon.

It’s the key to a tangy ranch dressing!

How to Make this Snack Mix

• First make your ranch seasoning.  Mix all the herbs, spices, and seasonings together in a mason jar or similar.  Give a a good shake to combine.
• Add the oil, measured ranch seasoning, extra dill and garlic powder to a bowl and give it a good whisk to combine.  Set aside.
• Add the cereal and pretzels (or whatever combination that you choose) to a large bowl or container.  Pour some of the oil mixture over the dry mix and stir really well.  Continue to pour and stir in batches until the oil mixture is gone.
• Let the nuts and bots recipe just sit for a while to absorb the oil.

Tips to Make it Perfect:

• You just have to make sure that you make it at least a couple hours before you are wanting to serve it.  Even the day before.  
• It needs to be mixed well a number of times to coat all the goodies in the seasoning really well and the oil needs time to sink in and dry.  You don’t want an oily mix. 

But don’t kid yourself, you will be stealing from the bowl before its good and ready.  Mark my words!

When to Make Nuts and Bolts

In our family this party mix recipe comes out in full force at Christmas. However, Debbie and I also make it for other events:

• Super Bowl or other Big Game – this is a great game day snack and it goes excellent with beer
• Birthday Parties – kids love this stuff and so do the big kids
• Camping – this party mix stores well so its easy to transport, but make sure you take it in a hard container so it doesn’t get smushed.
• Any Old Party – I made this for a NASCAR party we had in my husbands shop the other week. It was devoured!
• To Give as Gifts – fill a large mason jar or tin box and give as gifts during the holiday season.
• Bring it to a Potluck – every potluck needs snacks

Tools You Need:

1. BIG Mixing Bowl – as this is a lot of cereal and you need to be able to mix well, you will need a big ass bowl!   We love this one because it has a lid AND its pink!
2. Cute weck jars – we love these for storing extra ranch seasoning or anything else you like

Other Appetizer Recipes You Might like:

• hot cheese dip with onions and gruyere
• how to create the perfect cheese board
• short rib flatbread pizza
• whiskey beef sliders

If you’ve tried this crack nuts and bolts recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you!

To save this recipe for later on Pinterest, click here!

We love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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Crack Nuts and Bolts with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Nuts and bolts with ranch seasoning that’s homemade and really tastes like ranch! Everyone at your party will be addicted and asking for the recipe.

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

FOR THE RANCH SEASONING

• 1 tbsp parsley
• 4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp minced dried onion
• 2 tsp dill weed
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp citrus acid powder (don’t leave out)

FOR THE NUTS AND BOLTS

• 4 tbsp ranch dressing powder
• 1/2 cup olive oil or any vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp dill weed
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 8 cups of cereal and nuts if you want (pretzels, cheerios, chex, life, shreddies, gold fish, cashews….)

Instructions

FOR THE RANCH SEASONING

• First make your ranch seasoning. Mix all the herbs, spices, and seasonings together in a mason jar or similar. Give a a good shake to combine. Taste it.

FOR THE NUTS AND BOLTS

• Add the oil, measured ranch seasoning, extra dill and garlic powder to a bowl and give it a good whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Add the cereal and pretzels (or whatever combination that you choose) to a large bowl or container. Pour some of the oil mixture over the dry mix and stir really well. Continue to pour and stir in batches until the oil mixture is gone.
• Let the nuts and bots recipe just sit for a while to absorb the oil.  Let it sit for an hour or so and mix again.  Continue this pattern till the mixture starts to get dry and all the pieces are well coated.
  

Notes

1. You can also use pre-packaged ranch seasoning if you want to. You would use two packages for this recipe.

2. Taste the seasoning before you mix it for the nuts and bolts cuz you might want to add a touch more salt or a little more citic acid if you want it a bit more tangy. 

3. You can also use this Ranch Seasoning to make a salad dressing and best of all NO MSG or other crap! Just mix with some mayo and a little coconut milk. We havent done this yet so we cant give you exact measurements yet.
2 tbsp. of this mixture = 1 pkg. hidden valley ranch

 

The post Homemade Ranch Nuts and Bolts Recipe (No Bake) appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

The layered salad idea isn’t a new one. Its a side dish that has been to every kind of potluck you can think of from funerals, baby showers and backyard barbecues. Many families have their own version of how they make this favorite and this is ours.  

We always make this recipe with turkey dinner and often when we do a ham and scalloped potatoes dinner. We are sure it will become your favorite salad too. Trust us and give it a go!

What You Need

• a glass bowl to make the salad in so you can see all the layers
• long serving tools (spoons or forks)
• a pot for making the hard boiled eggs

What makes the layers in layered salad?

Our version tends to lean toward traditional, but its “always” done this way because its so damn good.

• 1st layer (on the bottom): crispy romaine lettuce
• 2nd layer: buttery hard boiled eggs
• 3rd layer: sweet little peas
• 4th layer: then a layer of dressing
• 5th layer: my favorite Gruyere cheese (of you can use what you like)
• 6th layer: crispy bits of smoky bacon
• 7th layer: fresh chives.

Then when you take a portion and put it on your plate, it all gets mixed together and the combination of flavors is outstanding. It’s quite a pretty salad too and the dressing couldn’t be easier.

Layer Tip: If you want to add onions, you would add them before the hard boiled eggs or the peas.

Layer Options

Don’t think that you have to stick to the layers that we always have in our salad. Feel free to experiment a bit if you like to suit your own tastes.  Some options for layers are:

• iceberg lettuce
• tomatoes,
• red onions,
• avocado,
• peppers,
• mushrooms,
• carrots,
• celery…
• ground beef or turkey
• add chopped ham instead of bacon

The list could go on, but you get the drift.  You can also change up the cheese if you like.  Gruyere is my personal favorite, which you know if you read this blog often, but you could go with cheddar,  monterey jack, emmental, or anything else that you can easily grate.

Can You Make It Ahead of Time?

Yes!  One thing we love about this salad is that you can make it ahead of time and throw it in the fridge. It won’t get soggy or wilted since the dressing is separated from the greens.

This makes it an idea salad for any dinner party you are hosting. Anything you can do ahead of time is golden!

We don’t recommend making it more than 1 day ahead of time though. Any longer and things wont taste as fresh.

How Long Will It Last?

As long as you don’t mix the layers, a layered salad will last up to 24 hour and still be super crisp and perfect. There’s a good chance it will last a little longer, but its best within 24 hours.

How To Serve This Salad

Don’t mix it up. This is one salad that you don’t toss! You just serve it with two spoons and tell people to dig down to the bottom to get a little bit of all the layers. Then it will mix on their plate!

Since the layers don’t get mixed, this salad makes pretty good leftovers too! I personally love this salad the next day too!

I wouldn’t be surprised if this salad, or some variation of it, becomes a staple at your family dinners too.  Enjoy!

Best Dish for Serving

You want a glass bowl preferably with straight or semi-straight sides. These are great:

• trifle dish – this dish also looks fancy on a table.
• glass salad bowl – this is like the one in these pictures.

Other Salads You Might Like

• spinach salad with warm bacon dressing
• pickled beet salad
• grilled romaine caesar salad with homemade caesar dressing
• taco salad
• broccoli salad

If you’ve tried this layered salad then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you!

We love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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Seven Layer Salad

This seven layer salad is a staple at all our holiday family dinners. It's so good, so easy, and you can make it ahead of time so its great for saving time or when you are asked to "bring a dish".

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword layered salad, seven layer salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 hours hours

chill in the fridge 4 hours hours

Servings 10

Calories 297kcal

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

• 5 cups romaine lettuce hearts washed and chopped
• 4 hard boiled eggs sliced
• 3/4 cup peas
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
• 5-6 slices cooked bacon diced, cooked and fat drained
• 3-4 tbsp chives or green onions

Instructions

• Get out a large glass bowl. Its best if the sides are at least 6 inches high.
• Place the chopped romaine in the bowl first.
• Slice up the hard boiled eggs in rounds and arrange them on top of the romaine in a layer.
• Sprinkle the peas on top of the eggs.
• Place dollops of the mayonnaise around the salad on top of the peas and then spread it to cover the whole top of the pea layer.
• Sprinkle the salad with the cheese, bacon and chives or green onions.
• Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

The post Seven Layer Salad (Make Ahead!) appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

Tomato soup is one of those classic soups that a person starts craving as soon as the leaves start changing and the days get colder. Debbie and I usually have a bunch of tomatoes left from in our gardens around this time so the clear answer for using them is to make tomato soup.

Even if you don’t have garden fresh tomatoes, this homemade version is WAY better than anything you will get in a can and so easy to make. If you love tomato soup then go grab your self some tomatoes and lets do this!

Why We Love Homemade Tomato Soup

• its so damn easy to make
• it tastes to much better when its homemade (with love)
• its a great way to use up any tomatoes in your garden (it freezes great)
• it tastes so good with a grilled cheese for dipping
• its a warm and cozy fall dinner
• its healthy too!

If you have never made tomato soup at home before, you are in for a treat.

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients for this soup and most of them you will already have on hand.

• olive oil
• tomatoes
• garlic
• onions
• carrots
• herbs: basil and thyme
• chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• heavy cream or coconut cream

TIP: Debbie and I both always have organic better than bullion on hand for those times that you don’t have the broth you need in a box. It’s the next best thing to liquid broth and it comes in:

• chicken better than bullion
• vegetable better than bullion
• beef better than bullion
• ham better than bullion
• lobster better than bullion

(This is not sponsored, we just like and use them ALL the time)

Things You Will Need

• a large soup pot – this Lodge 6qt enameled pot is our fav and is a work horse in our kitchens and very reasonably priced!
• a roasting pan – this Nordic half sheet is perfect for this
• an immersion blender or a good blender like a blendtec or vitamix

How to Make this Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe

How to Roast Tomatoes

Roasting the tomatoes is as simple as slicing them and placing them, the garlic, and thyme on your baking tray. Or you can roast them right in your enameled cast iron pot if that’s what you are using.

Toss the veggies with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and then roast them at 350 degrees for about 45 mins.

The tomatoes will get nice and jammy and your house will smell amazing!

Make the Rest of the Soup

The rest is even easier!

While your tomatoes are roasting, sauté your onions, carrots, and celery till they are nice and soft. Then just add the roasted tomatoes to your sautéed veg, add the chicken broth and simmer them together for about 10 mins covered.

Use your immersion blender and blend the soup till it is smooth and creamy. You can also use a stand up blender for this if you choose.

Finally, add the cream (this is optional) and fresh chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Common Questions:

What tomatoes are best to use for soup?

The freshest and fully ripe tomatoes are the best. Roma tomatoes are great, after that, look for heirlooms which are usually nice and sweet when they are ripe. Beefsteaks will work nicely too. Don’t choose cherry tomatoes, they have a lot of seeds.

If fresh tomatoes are not available, you can use whole canned tomatoes, but go for the San Marzano ones for the best flavor.

Do you have to roast the tomatoes?

No you don’t, you can just simmer them for an hour, but you will get the best and sweetest flavor if you roast them.

What if my tomatoes are tart?

If your tomatoes are overly tart, you can also add a touch of sugar to your soup. The carrots in this tomato soup recipe are meant to add a touch of sweetness as well so wait until the very end to add any sugar.

If you end up adding sugar, only add a teaspoon at a time!

Can you freeze tomato soup?

Yup, you absolutely can. Just put it into an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

These silicone bags are great for freezing!

What to Serve With this Tomato Soup

Here are a couple ideas:

• homemade croutons – these are no ordinary crouton. They are so good and so easy to make
• grilled caesar salad – the perfect side salad!
• pear, beet, and asparagus salad – to complete a nice light meal!

Other Soup Recipes you Might Like

• broccoli and cauliflower soup
• homemade mushroom soup
• celeriac soup with gruyere & truffle oil

This is Debbie’s recipe and since I have recently sampled several different kinds of tomato soup, I can tell you that this one is where it’s at! Silky and smooth with that intense roasted tomato flavor that could never come from a can.  Slightly sweet and a little earthy = absolutely delicious.

We hope you love it as much as we do!

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Roasted Tomato Soup

Homemade roasted tomato soup that's so quick and easy to make!  Curb that tomato soup craving with this silky smooth soup with intense roasted tomato flavor that could never come from a can. 

Course Soup

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword homemade tomato soup, roasted tomato soup, tomato soup

Prep Time 15 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 338kcal

Author Cooks with Cocktails

Equipment

• Lodge enameled cast iron pot
• handheld blender
• Nordic half sheet

Ingredients

• 3 lbs roma tomatoes or whatever tomatoes you have
• 1 head garlic
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 large onion , diced
• 2 carrots , shredded
• 2 stalks celery , diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup basil , chopped
• 1 cup cream or coconut cream
• 3 cups chicken broth

Instructions

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Slice the tomatoes in half and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Add the peeled garlic and thyme to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes.
• While your tomatoes are roasting, sauté your onions, carrots, and celery till they are nice and soft. Then just add the roasted tomatoes to your sautéed veg, add the chicken broth and simmer them together for about 10 mins covered.
• Use your immersion blender and blend the soup till it is smooth and creamy. You can also use a stand up blender for this if you choose.
• Finally, add the cream (this is optional) and fresh chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Garnish with feta. parmesan or cheddar cheese and drizzle with balsamic vinegar if you like.  Serve!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Sodium: 133mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g

The post Homemade Roasted Tomato Soup appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

These salmon cakes can be made small and served as an appetizer or medium sized and served as a first course. They are crispy and delicious on their own with just the sauce. This is how we usually eat them.

Or… You could make them a little larger and eat them as a salmon burger! Served on a brioche bun with onions, a little crispy lettuce and a tomato, these are divine!

Tools You Need

You don’t need much to make these salmon patties, but one thing that will take them from good to great is that crispy crust on the outside! For the best crust you need to use a stainless steel pan or a cast iron pan. Non stick cookware, just doesn’t cut it after you have used better. Here are our favorites:

• stainless steel pans – Debbie and I both have these and they are amazing. These ones are also not as expensive as some of the other All Clad cookware. These pans are worth the investment and will last a lifetime.
• cast iron pan – another favorite of ours, especially for getting a nice crust on meat. These pans will also last a lifetime if they are cared for.

What Salmon to Use for Salmon Cakes

The best salmon to use for this recipe is fresh cooked salmon. This recipe is great for leftover salmon and that is what usually happen in our houses with leftover salmon.

Here on the West Coast, fresh salmon is readily available from April to September.  Our favorites are the Chinook for the silky texture that melts in your mouth or the Sockeye for the deep red color and fantastic flavor.

That said, if you don’t have fresh (or frozen) salmon, you can use canned salmon for this recipe. We recommend RainCoast Trading canned salmon. It tastes way different than any other canned salmon we have had plus they only use sustainable fishing practices.

We are not sponsored by them, we just really like their products. You can sometimes find them on amazon too. I believe wild planet canned fish is good as well.

How to Make Salmon Patties

These cakes are so easy to make!

• Simply take your leftover salmon and break it up into small chunks.
• Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix them gently. Hands work great for this.
• Separate the mixture into balls about the same size and then form patties with your hands.
• Cook these salmon patties in a little bit of oil in a hot pan.

Tips to Make These Perfect

• make sure your pan is hot before adding oil. Otherwise your oil will smoke and create a mess. Add it 30 seconds before you put the salmon cakes in.
• make sure your pan is hot enough! If your pan isnt hot enough, you wont get a nice crust on your cakes. Medium heat is a good heat to use, but each stove is different.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I keep my salmon patties from falling apart?

We have never had an issue with this. The egg and the mashed potato works as a binder to hold them together.

Are salmon cakes healthy?

Yes! They have lots of protein and good healthy fat. These don’t even have too many carbs if you are watching your carb intake. But the potatoes are healthy carbs anyways.

What goes good with salmon cakes?

We like to pair these cakes with a salad for a light lunch or dinner, but you could also eat them as a burger. Here are a couple ideas:

• warm spinach salad
• cheesy stuffed zucchini
• grilled caesar salad
• summer corn salad
• pan fried brussels sprouts
• corn salad with peppers and black beans

Why are my salmon patties dry?

If your patties are dry, add a little more mayo to the mixture.

Is canned salmon cooked?

Yes! Canned salmon is fully cooked so if you use it for this recipe, you don’t have to worry about raw salmon.

We hope you love these salmon cakes as much as we do! If you are a salmon lover, then we’re sure you will!

Other Salmon Recipes You Might Like:

• perfect pan fried salmon
• miso-dijon salmon
• salmon pasta chowder
• salmon and prawn ceviche
• bbq salmon

If you’ve tried this salmon cake recipe then we would love it if you could rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you!  

We love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce

These delicious salmon cakes are bright, fresh and packed full of healthy nutrients and protein. Mixed with a green salad, this is truly an easy 15 min meal.  Gotta love that!

Course Appetizer, Main

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword salmon cakes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 7 patties

Calories 130kcal

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

FOR THE LEMON DILL AIOLI

• 3/4 cup mayo
• 2 – 4 tbsp fresh dill chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 – 2 tbsp lemon juice

FOR THE SALMON CAKES

• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 2 cups salmon canned or cooked
• 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
• 1/4 cup green onion chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1 large egg beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil for cooking

Instructions

MAKE THE SAUCE

• Mix all the lemon dill aioli ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge till your ready to use it.

MAKE THE CAKES

• Chop the green onions, dill and sundried tomatoes in tiny pieces and place in a medium sized bowl. Mince or grate the garlic and place in there too. Add the lemon juice, egg, mashed potatoes and the salmon. Mix gently till combined. Your hands work great for this.
• Make patties by first separating the mixture into same size balls and then flatten and round the edges. Season the outsides of the patties with salt and pepper if desired.
• Heat a frying pan to medium heat, add olive oil and place patties in pan. Cook till nicely brown on one side and flip. Brown the other side. They will take about 2-3 mins each side, depending on your pan. Remember that everything is cooked already so you only need to brown the patties.
• Serve with a good dolop of the lemon dill aioli on top.

Notes

Nutritional Facts are approximate and are for 1 patty without the sauce.  

Nutrition

Serving: 1patty | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g

The post Salmon Cakes (or Salmon Patties) with Lemon Dill Aioli appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

Bold claim, I know! We’ve got a few secret hacks that can turn lasagna into a quick weeknight meal for your family that’s also delicious enough to serve to your most discerning lasagna loving friends and family.

I have been making lasagna since I was 15 or so, cooking in my moms kitchen. It wasn’t nearly this good then, but my recipe has been steadily improving.

It took a turn for the better when I went for lunch at a little Italian restaurant in Burnaby, BC where I took a chance and ordered lasagna. It was the BEST lasagna I’ve ever had and I am usually disappointed by restaurant lasagna.

Since then, I’ve had the lasagna there many times and when I told Debbie about it, we had to tweak our homemade lasagna recipe accordingly. and this is what we have come up with.

Whats the Secret

I won’t make you read any further to tell you the secret to the best homemade lasagna recipe. There are two things:

• fresh noodles – you know the pasta sheets that you find in the cooler section of the grocery store? Use those! There’s no pre boiling and the taste is far superior! They are so tender. Try them and you will never buy hard lasagna noodles again.
• cream – rather than go to the trouble of making a separate white sauce, dirtying another pot, and just adding 15 mins to your preparation time, just add cream to the meat sauce! I’ve used both whipping cream and coconut cream and both work great, but whipping cream is my favorite.

Of course you have to have a good flavorful sauce and use good cheese, but these two things eliminate two of the usual steps (boiling the pasta and making a bechemel sauce) and at the same time, make your lasagana taste amazing!

Do I have you convinced to try our recipe? Good, pour yourself a glass of wine and lets get started!

Tools You Need

• a big skillet with a lid – a big braiser works the best for this, you don’t want your sauce spilling out everywhere when you stir it. Speaking from experience….
• a casserole dish – this links to the one I have. Here is a slightly smaller one too. But you can use glass, ceramic, enameled, whatever works.
• a good cheese grater

A Word about Some Ingredients

A few ingredient choices can turn your lasagna from good to great. Here’s a few things:

The Fresh Lasagna Noodles

So far, we have just bought our noodles from the grocery store. You can find them in the cooler section. They make a world of difference in taste and texture compared to the dry noodles that you boil.

They are tender and they have flavor. Plus, they require no boiling ahead of time. You just take them out of the package and build your layers. Easy and better is a no brainer.

However, I told Debbie that next time I make lasagna, I’m going to make my own noodles. If store bought fresh is that much better, and it is, homemade would be out of this world good!

It’s actually quite easy to make your own pasta, and a million times more delicious, but it won’t be super quick like buying them. If you are as ambitious as me, try our fresh pasta recipe to learn how to make your own.

If you can’t find fresh noodles in your grocery store, you can buy them off amazon using this link.

The Cream

You have a few options for the cream in this recipe. You can use whipping cream, light cream, a mix of whip and light, or even coconut cream.

If you choose to use coconut cream, you can sometimes find it for sale, but for us in Canada, its tough. We can get coconut cream off Amazon here, or we can use canned coconut milk and scoop the cream off the top when you open the can. Don’t shake it first, you just want the thick cream.

We usually use an organic whipping cream that’s super thick and creamy. It makes my sauce taste amazing. But we have used coconut cream before and it was amazing as well.

The Mozzarella Cheese

Whatever you do, please don’t use the pre-shredded mozzarella. It’s actually got a coating of something on it (so it doesn’t stick) and it makes the cheese melt funny.

For lasagna, look for pizza mozzarella or another that has a high fat content. I’ve tried some that don’t melt nicely, but I’ve had pretty good results with any pizza mozzarella.

You can also try fresh mozzarella, this is on my list to try. It just melts so well! You would have to slice it, I think, as it may not shred that well.

How to Make Homemade Lasagna

Ok, lets get started. There are basically 4 layers to this lasagna:

• homemade bolognese
• ricotta
• fresh noodles
• mozzarella cheese

The first thing you have to get started is the bolognese.

How to Make Bolognese Sauce

Bolognese is an Italian meat sauce. It’s easy to make and a million times better than buying a jar of sauce!

• It starts off with a combination of onions, carrots and celery sauteed in some butter or oil. We like butter! You cook these till they get nice and soft.
• Then you add the meat and make sure to keep breaking up the ground beef until the pieces are quite small. This can take some work, but it makes the sauce better.
• Add the seasonings to the meat while its cooking to make the meat very flavorful.
• Add the tomatoes and paste and simmer on low for 5 – 15 mins.
• When your done simmering the sauce, add the cream at the very end.

Tips for the Best Bolognese

• make sure to cook the onions, carrots and celery enough so that they just melt into the sauce. You don’t want the sauce to have any bite to it from the veggies.
• season the meat liberally. Be a little careful with the salt, but go buck wild on the onion and garlic powder. Don’t be stingy with the salt either, but just don’t go crazy.
• spend the time and the elbow grease to break the meat into very small pieces. I don’t know why, but it makes the sauce taste better.
• taste for seasoning at the end of the cooking process. If it tastes like it “needs something” then just add a touch more salt and retaste till you get it how you like it.
• you want your sauce for this lasagna to be have lots of liquid because the noodles will absorb some of the sauce and you don’t want it dry. This is why we don’t say to simmer for longer than 15 mins. If your sauce gets thick, add some water.
• for the cream, start with 1/2 a cup and then taste. Add up to 2 cups depending on your tastes. We like somewhere around 1 cup.

Wine in Bolognese Sauce

If you want to add wine, go for it. Wine is in classic bolognese sauce, but we’ve actually never tried it in our lasagna recipe. I think I might next time, just to see.

If you want to use wine, add it to the pan after the meat is cooked and before the tomatoes go in. Use red or white, whichever you prefer. I have used both white and red in my sauce (not for lasagna) and both are very good.

Making the Layers

Once your sauce is ready, your ready to put your lasagna together!

• Start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom so the noodles don’t stick.
• Then add your first layer of noodles. If your casserole dish is larger than the noodles, cut some of the noodles so you cover most of the layer. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
• Next add a thick layer of sauce and spread it over top.
• Another layer of noodles, then sauce.
• Somewhere in the middle, add a layer of ricotta. On top of the ricotta, add a thin layer of sauce. We like only one layer of ricotta.
• Then more noodles.
• Repeat with the sauce and noodles till your dish is full. Finish with a thin layer of meat sauce.
• Grate your cheese and spread it over the top. We like a thick layer of cheese, but its up to you.

Lasagna Questions Answered

Here are some frequently asked questions that you might have when making lasgana.

Do I have to use ricotta cheese?

Nope. If you don’t want to, don’t use it. If you prefer cottage cheese, go for it. If you want to leave it out all together, that’s find too.

Do I have to use bechamel sauce in lasagna?

Nope again. However, to get the best lasagna you need to either use bechamel or just add cream like we do. Adding cream is so much easier than making the bechamel sauce though.

Do I cover lasagna while it bakes?

Yes! If you don’t cover it, it can get dry. Cover it for the first 30 mins in the oven and then uncover for the last 15 so the cheese gets browned.

What can I use to cover my lasagna in the oven?

If you don’t have a casserole dish with a lid, you can use foil. Those work the best. In a pinch, you can try parchment paper wrapped tightly around it.

Can you make lasagna ahead of time?

Yes! You can make it ahead of time, then just cover and keep it in the fridge till you are ready to bake. Don’t leave it more than 2 days though.

Can you freeze lasagna?

Definitely. You can freeze it before cooking or after, but before is much better. Save yourself some time and make two lasagnas at once. Then cook one and freeze one. Then you just have to cook it when a craving strikes! Make sure to wrap it well when you freeze it though.

And there you have it. That’s all you need to know about making the best lasagna recipe. Honestly, it’s so good that even just writing this post makes me just want to go make it again.

Other Pasta Recipes You Might Like

• fettuccine pasta with sausage, spinach and wine
• beef pasta bake with mushroom & jalapeno
• gluten free sweet potato gnocchi with brown butter and parmesan
• fresh butternut squash ravioli with prawns, fried sage and truffle oil sauce
• homemade ravioli with goat cheese & mushroom and a limoncello sauce

If you’ve tried this homemade lasagna recipe then we would love it if you could rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you!  

We love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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The Ultimate Homemade Lasagna Recipe

This lasagna recipe is the "ultimate" because it tastes like my favorite Italian restaurants lasagna, and it's easier and quicker to make than your other favorite lasagna recipe!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword homemade lasagna, lasagna

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 10 people

Calories 517kcal

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

• 1-2 packs fresh lasagna noodles
• 750 g ground beef you could also do 500g
• 1 large onion diced
• 1/2 cup carrots diced
• 1/2 cup celery diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1.5 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp italian herb blend or 1 tsp each thyme, oregano, basil
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 24 oz crushed tomatoes
• 24 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 – 2 cups whipping cream, half & half or coconut cream add to taste
• 500 g ricotta cheese
• 500 g mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Make the Bolognese Sauce

• Add some oil or butter to a big skillet with sides, or a pot.  Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until they have softened. Add the ground beef and then the seasonings:  salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, herbs.  Sometimes I like to add half the seasonings, then stir, then add the rest.   Cook till its browned.  Make sure to break up the beef as good as you can.  The smaller the bits of beef, the better it tastes (in my opinion!) 
• Add the garlic and stir it in a bit. Add the cans of tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a simmer and cook for a few mins or up to 15 mins.  Add the cream or coconut cream if you are going to add it.  As much or as little as you want.  Finally, add the water then remove from the heat. 

Make the Layers

• If you are cooking your lasagna right away, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom so the noodles don't stick. Then add your first layer of noodles. If your casserole dish is larger than the noodles, cut some of the noodles so you cover most of the layer. It doesn't have to be perfect. Next add a thick layer of sauce and spread it over top. Another layer of noodles, then sauce.
• Somewhere in the middle, add a layer of ricotta. On top of the ricotta, add a thin layer of sauce. We like only one layer of ricotta. Then more noodles. Repeat with the sauce and noodles till your dish is full. Finish with a thin layer of meat sauce. Grate your cheese and spread it over the top.

Bake the Lasagna

• Place your lasagna dish on a baking tray to catch any drips while baking. Cover your dish with a lid or foil and bake your lasagna at 375 degrees for 30 mins. Remove the cover and bake an additional 15 mins or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Notes

Tips for the Best Bolognese

• make sure to cook the onions, carrots and celery enough so that they just melt into the sauce. You don’t want the sauce to have any bite to it from the veggies.
• season the meat liberally. Be a little careful with the salt, but go buck wild on the onion and garlic powder. Don’t be stingy with the salt either, but just don’t go crazy.
• spend the time and the elbow grease to break the meat into very small pieces. I don’t know why, but it makes the sauce taste better.
• taste for seasoning at the end of the cooking process. If it tastes like it “needs something” then just add a touch more salt and retaste till you get it how you like it.
• you want your sauce for this lasagna to be have lots of liquid because the noodles will absorb some of the sauce and you don’t want it dry. This is why we don’t say to simmer for longer than 15 mins. If your sauce gets thick, add some water.

Nutrition

Calories: 517kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g

The post The Ultimate Homemade Lasagna Recipe appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.

There’s not a lot that is more satisfying than homemade pasta. The store bought “fresh” pastas are ok, but nothing compares to homemade.  This is a basic pasta dough recipe that we have used many times for ravioli and fettuccine, but it would work well for any type of pasta you would like.

Truth be told, there is a small learning curve to using the pasta making machines, but you will get the hang of it quick and be cranking out pasta in no time at all.

Making your own pasta for when you have company is a sure fire way to have your guests raving about the meal. That said, we suggest practicing at least once before you do this for guests. You don’t want to be in a rush or create stress the first time.

Pasta and wine are a match made in heaven so why not drink wine while making pasta? Right?

Tools You Need

• a mixer – this is optional, you can also make your dough by hand, but the mixer makes it pretty effortless.
• a simple hand crank pasta machine – this machine makes things quick and easy and its the one that I have.
• or a kitchen aid pasta roller that attaches to your mixer and you don’t have to crank it. Debbie has one. Both work great!
• pasta drying rack – we need one of these things, but you will see how we improvised below…
• ravioli maker – this one is the best in our opinion. Super easy to use.

Ingredients You Need

To make pasta dough, you only need a few ingredients:

• flour
• eggs
• oil
• salt

Best Flour for Making Pasta

I have been using Anita’s organic pizza and pasta flour for the last while and it works fantastic. Its a 00 soft white flour. Anita’s is a local company that makes a great range of organic and sprouted flours. If you have a local flour company around you, I highly recommend trying their pasta flour.

Here is another 00 soft white flour you could try. We prefer it over the semolina, but that is just our preference. Otherwise any all purpose flour will do.

Many recipes call for semolina flour which is a heartier flour and it is great if you have it and your preference is a hearty pasta. Any flour will do except we don’t recommend using cake and pastry flour.

Mixing the Dough

You can mix the dough by hand or you can use your mixer. I use my mixer because it does take a little bit of kneeding to get the dough smooth and its easy with the machine. Totally doable by hand though.

Mixing pasta dough with a mixer

• add your flour, salt, eggs and just a touch of oil to the mixer
• use the dough hook and mix
• let the mixer knead the dough until it is nice and smooth and all tucked in a nice ball.
• wrap it in plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and rest it in the fridge.

Mixing pasta dough by hand

• measure your flour and dump it onto a flat surface with some room. Make a well in the center of your flour.
• add the eggs, salt and a touch of oil to the well.
• mix up the eggs, salt and oil with a fork
• using your fork or your fingers, start bringing the flour into the well and mix it with your egg mixture. Keep doing this until all the flour is mixed in and you have a craggly dough.
• then you must knead! Knead the dough for about 10 mins until your dough gets nice and smooth.
• wrap it in plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and rest it in the fridge.

Tips for Making the Dough

• don’t add water or more liquid! If the dough seems dry at first, thats ok. Just start kneading. If after 5 mins in the mixer or 10 mins by hand, the dough still is craggly and dry then add just a touch of water or oil.
• if you add water, spraying with a bottle mister works the best. That way you don’t get too much and its dispersed nicely.
• remember that this dough is meant to be quite stiff.

Resting the Dough

Either way you mix your dough, you must rest it for about 30 mins before you roll out your pasta. Resting allows the gluten to relax and the flour to hydrate completely.

Resting makes for a much easier time when you roll the dough. Rest for 30 mins up to 2 days.

How to Roll Your Pasta

Alright. We are ready to roll! Don’t get frustrated if at first, things seem a little awkward and tricky. You will get the hang of it quick. Soon, you will think its easy! I promise.

Take your dough out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut it into quarters. Take one quarter to roll and rewrap the rest. It can dry out quick if you don’t keep it wrapped. When your pasta roller is ready, make sure you have some extra flour on hand and then this is how you proceed:

• lightly dust the dough with flour before you try to roll
• roll through level 1 a couple times before going to the next number
• fold the dough into a rectangle after the first pass to try to make it a little more rectangle in shape (this is optional)
• change to level 2 on the roller and roll through
• keep going up a level on the roller until you have your desired thickness.

For spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine and lasagna noodles, don’t go past level 5 or 6. (if your roller has 7 settings like mine). For ravioli, I go all the way to 7 so my layers are thin.

If you are cutting your pasta into noodles, you will usually need to add an attachment to your roller. My hand crank roller has an attachment that fits on when you are ready to cut. Debbie’s kitchen aid one has to be changed out for the cutter. They don’t fit together.

When you cut your pasta, you just take your thin sheet and run it through the machine and bang, your done.

Hang your pasta to dry slightly before cooking or if you are planning to store it. You can get a nice little pasta drying rack like this one, or you can improvise like we did

Tips For Rolling Your Pasta

• Slightly flour your pasta roller before you start rolling the pasta. This will help it not stick.
• If your pasta sticks to the machine, dust it with flour again. It means its too sticky.
• Pasta must be thin. If its not thin, it will take a long time to dry and it can get clumpy when you cook it. But not too thin!
• Don’t wash your pasta machine. Leave the flour on it for next time.
• When making noodles, you might want to cut your thin sheets in half before cutting so you don’t end up with extra long noodles like I did.

How to Cook Fresh Pasta

This is the easy part! Boil some water, salt it generously, add your pasta and they will be done in 1 – 3 mins. They cook quick! I usually cook mine for about 2 to 2.5 mins. Don’t cook much longer or they will get mushy.

Drain the noodles and add to your sauce!

Storing Pasta Dough

You can store your pasta a few ways. If you haven’t rolled it out, you can wrap the unused dough and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

If you have cut your pasta and you didn’t use it all, you will want to dry your pasta for about an hour. Then transfer it gently to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Dry it on a pasta dryer or like we did below. I’m sure they do this in Italy, no?

And there you have it. You have made pasta! Just wait till everyone goes crazy for it when they dig in!

Yes, I am still drinking wine…

Homemade Pasta Recipes to Try

• Butternut Squash Ravioli
• Asparagus & Lemon Pasta Fonduta with Pan Fried Scallops
• Sausage, Spinach and Wine Fettuccine Recipe
• Short Rib Ravioli with Truffle Sauce
• Mushroom Ravioli with Limoncello Sauce
• Salmon Pasta Chowder

If you’ve tried this fresh homemade pasta dough recipe then we would love it if you could rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card and let us know how it turned out in the comments below.  We love hearing from you! 

We also love to see your creations!  Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM

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Fresh Homemade Pasta

Make delicious homemade pasta dough fresh in your own kitchen. Its easy, tastes amazing, and it will take your pasta game to a new level. 

Course Main, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword fresh pasta, homemade pasta, pasta dough

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 233kcal

Author Julie & Debbie

Ingredients

• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

• With a mixer and a dough hook, add the flour and salt add mix for a second. Then add the oil and 1 egg at a time while mixing. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Knead till smooth and then cover and let rest for 30 mins. You can remove from the mixer and kneed with your hands too if you like. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you are ready to make the pasta.
• Cut dough in quarters and cover the rest so it doesn’t dry out. Flour the counter and press flat to put in the pasta machine on the widest setting, do this 2 or 3 times then after turn the dial to the next setting getting thinner as your turn the dial my machine starts at 1 and I go to 4 on the dial.
• Once you have a thin sheet of pasta, cut or shape the pasta in whatever form you desire.

Mixing pasta dough with a mixer

• Add your flour, salt, eggs and just a touch of oil to the mixer, Use the dough hook and mix. Let the mixer knead the dough until it is nice and smooth and all tucked in a nice ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and rest it in the fridge.

Mixing pasta dough by hand

• Measure your flour and dump it onto a flat surface with some room. Make a well in the center of your flour. add the eggs, salt and a touch of oil to the well. Mix up the eggs, salt and oil with a fork. Using your fork or your fingers, start bringing the flour into the well and mix it with your egg mixture. Keep doing this until all the flour is mixed in and you have a craggly dough. Then you must knead! Knead the dough for about 10 mins until your dough gets nice and smooth. Wrap it in plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and rest it in the fridge.

Resting the Dough

• Either way you mix your dough, you must rest it for about 30 mins before you roll out your pasta. Resting allows the gluten to relax and the flour to hydrate completely.

Roll Your Pasta

• Take your dough out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut it into quarters. Take one quarter to roll and rewrap the rest. It can dry out quick if you don't keep it wrapped. When your pasta roller is ready, make sure you have some extra flour on hand.
• Lightly dust the dough with flour before you try to roll. Roll through level 1 a couple times before going to the next number. Fold the dough into a rectangle after the first pass to try to make it a little more rectangle in shape (this is optional). Change to level 2 on the roller and roll through. Keep going up a level on the roller until you have your desired thickness.
• For spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine and lasagna noodles, don't go past level 5 or 6. (if your roller has 7 settings like mine). For ravioli, I go all the way to 7 so my layers are thin.

  If you are cutting your pasta into noodles, you will usually need to add an attachment to your roller. My hand crank roller has an attachment that fits on when you are ready to cut. Debbie's kitchen aid one has to be changed out for the cutter. They don't fit together.
• When you cut your pasta, you just take your thin sheet and run it through the machine and bang, your done. Hang your pasta to dry slightly before cooking or if you are planning to store it.

Cook the Pasta

• This is the easy part! Boil some water, salt it generously, add your pasta and they will be done in 1 – 3 mins. They cook quick! I usually cook mine for about 2 to 2.5 mins. Don't cook much longer or they will get mushy. Drain the noodles and add to your sauce!

Notes

Tips for Making the Dough

• Don’t add water or more liquid!
• If the dough seems dry at first, thats ok. Just start kneading. If after 5 mins in the mixer or 10 mins by hand, the dough still is craggly and dry then add just a touch of water or oil.
• If you add water, spraying with a bottle mister works the best. That way you don’t get too much and its dispersed nicely.
• Remember that this dough is meant to be quite stiff.

Tips For Rolling Your Pasta

• Slightly flour your pasta roller before you start rolling the pasta. This will help it not stick.
• If your pasta sticks to the machine, dust it with flour again. It means its too sticky.
• Pasta must be thin. If its not thin, it will take a long time to dry and it can get clumpy when you cook it. But not too thin!
• Don’t wash your pasta machine. Leave the flour on it for next time.
• When making noodles, you might want to cut your thin sheets in half before cutting so you don’t end up with extra long noodles like I did. 

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2.6mg

The post Easy Fresh Homemade Pasta Recipe appeared first on Cooks with Cocktails.