My Cooking Wonders

A quick and easy pasta recipe yet so tasty and very filling. Not bad for a weekday huh?..Give this a try :) Ingredients 1/2 pound pasta 1 cup tomato sauce or 2 14oz cans of diced tomatoes made to paste 1/4 cup milk 2 cloves garlic minced 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 10 cherry tomatoes halved 1/2 medium onion sliced hand full of spinach teared (or any vegetables of your choice to make up to a cup) 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Salt to taste 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp of pine nuts or silvered almonds Method Cook pasta according to package directions. While cooking the pasta once the water comes to a boil add a tbsp of salt and give a good stir before dropping in the dry pasta. Let it cook and drain the pasta into the colander. Just before draining the pasta into a colander, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta, put back in the empty pot and keep aside. Heat oil in a p...

Today I made a rich, silky and decadent Panna Cotta with a side of light, sweet and tangy strawberry compote. Panna Cotta is a Italian dessert which can be prepared in 15 minutes or less. I have to give you a heads up though. Even though it take 15 minutes to prepare, it will take at least 5 hours to set :).. I usually make this at night before I go to bed and set in the refrigerator so that it will be ready for me by the time I wake up in the morning. That way I will not peek at it every second to see if it set or not.. Jajajaja.. Try this dessert when you have small gatherings as these can be made ahead of time and will take no time to assemble. I bet for sure this will be the star of the party. Alright, It is Panna Cotta time for me --Ciao :) Ingredients 1 cup whole milk 1 1/2 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin 3 cups whipping cream 1/2 cup honey 3 tablespoon sugar For Garnish Small strawberries Strawberry Compote Method Take the milk in a small bowl. Spr...

I made pesto sauce to clean my refrigerator. To make use of Pesto I made pasta for dinner. This fresh tasting dish is as good and filling as it is easy. The recipe goes like this..   Ingredients 1/4 cup Pesto 1/4 pound pasta of your choice(I used rotini) 2 tomatoes chopped (If you have time on hand oven roast the tomatoes) handful of spinach roughly chopped Salt per taste 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 clove of garlic minced Dash of lemon(about 1/2 tsp) 1/2 tbsp of Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese for garnish Method Cook pasta according to package directions. While cooking the pasta once the water comes to a boil add a tbsp of salt and give a good stir before dropping in the dry pasta. Let it cook and drain the pasta into the colander. Just before draining the pasta into a colander, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta, put back in the empty pot and keep aside. Once you drop the pasta into boiling water, heat oil in ano...

Pesto is a sauce originated in Italy which means pound or crush. Typically Pesto is made in mortar pestle. Traditionally Pesto is made with Basil and pine nuts. But today I am making the pesto sauce with ingredients that are sitting in my fridge for couple of days. I chose to use combination of spinach and basil leaves with walnuts. I added in the green chilli which is not at all a traditional ingredient in Pesto. There are gazillion different things that can be done with this sauce - couple of them being pasta sauces, spread for bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza sauces and the list goes on :).. Below is the recipe for Pesto with couple of my additions and changes.. Ingredients 2 cups fresh basil leaves
 1 cup Spinach 3 cloves garlic
 3 tablespoons walnuts 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 green chillies (Optional) Method Wash the basil leaves and spinach, discard the stems, and dry thoroughly. In a blender,...

Well..It is cold outside and I am in the mood for some yummy comfort food....I am really in a good mood for cooking :)..On my way back home from office I stopped for grocery shopping...Wandering in the aisles figuring out what should I be cooking for dinner, these oven ready Lasagna sheets caught my eye...Voila ..There you go...Chicken Lasagna it is!!! Ok..enough of my story..Below is the recipe to make my version of Chicken Lasagna. Ingredients 12 lasagna noodles (12 oz) 1 tablespoon butter 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper(I used assortment of green, red and yellow bell peppers, 1/2 of each) 5 cloves garlic (sounds like a lot but trust me it tastes yum) 2 Jalapenos 2 cups spinach 3/4 cup chopped onions (1 1/2 medium) 1/3 cup milk 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup 1 jar alfredo sauce (15oz) 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1 teaspoon pepper 1 container (12 oz) Ricotta cheese 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz) 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz...