Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

I have never made biscotti before, but then again I don't bake much. I've also been of the mind that biscotti is hard to make, but I think I might have just been intimidated by the exotic sounding name. Either way, the boys proved to me that baking is perhaps not as much a science as everyone else makes it out to be. (Don't hold me to this statement for baked goods that are not biscotti!) They totally forgot to cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl prior to adding the dry ingredients. They somehow also managed to add eggs before the recipe called for them to add eggs. I was worried, but the biscotti turned out just fine in the end. It smells wonderful as it's baking - like churros!

Here's another recipe from allrecipes.com; check it out.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the 2/3 cup sugar and butter. Beat in 1 egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients.
3. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into two pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 9 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place logs on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Brush with the beaten egg.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden and firm to the touch. Cool for 15 minutes.
5. On a cutting board, slice each log crosswise at a diagonal into 1/2 inch slices, using a serrated knife. Place back on the baking sheet, cut side down, and sprinkle with a mixture of the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Return to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until toasted. Cool on wire racks, and store in an airtight container.

Chicken Cacciatore

Looking for a simple one-dish meal? This is it. I would say that this is probably the simplest of the recipes from yesterday's Dinner Meet. Toss everything in, cook, and serve over rice. Voilà! Dinner is served. Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com again; clearly, this is where Mike likes to go for recipes! Below serves six.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 medium green pepper, julienned
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Hot cooked rice

Instructions:

1. In a skillet, cook the chicken, onion and green pepper in oil until chicken is lightly browned and vegetables are tender. Add tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice.

Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Sauce

This cherry tomato sauce was my favorite out of all the recipes from last night. It was super flavorful, and the combination of the naturally sweet tomatoes with the distinctive saltiness of the olives was pure perfection. Again, the recipe comes from allrecipes.com; the one change we made was substituting half of the cherry tomatoes required with chopped Roma tomatoes since Mike's cherry tomato plants couldn't give us more. :-) I always thought gnocchi would be hard to make, but what do you know - they sell them premade at the supermarket. We just cooked them like regular pasta. This sauce will go well with other pasta, too, so you should give it a try even if you can't find gnocchi. The below recipe serves four.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 minced red chile pepper
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2/3 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 (16 ounce) package fresh gnocchi
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and chile pepper; cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, and stir in the cherry tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes have lost their form and are beginning to make a sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.
2. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the fresh gnocchi, and cook until the gnocchi float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently strain out the gnocchi and place into a serving dish.
3. Stir the basil and olives into the simmering sauce, and cook for one minute. Pour the sauce over the drained gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Pasta Fagioli

Here's a tasty, yet simple recipe for a delicious soup! It has a zesty, fresh taste to it that really opens up your palate. It's hearty enough to serve as a meal on its own. Mike got the original recipe from allrecipes.com, and I think the only change we made to it was to use rotini pasta instead of the spinach pasta mentioned in the recipe. The below serves four.

Ingredients:

2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked spinach pasta (we used rotini)
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, with liquid

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper and salt until onion is translucent. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes. (Simmering a bit more is okay; that way all the veggies get nice and soft, especially the celery.)
2. Add pasta and cook 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
3. Add undrained beans and mix well. Heat through. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.