Walnut Pralines!

I got this recipe out of an actual cookbook. WOW. I changed it a little, but the basic concept is there. I would never have bought a cookie cookbook, because, well, I’m pretty solid on cookies… but the book came with a silpat. And I needed one of those. And a silpat is usually $20 and the set was $15. So I totally scored. And got a praline recipe.

What you need:

• 1/2 cup (one stick) Butter
• 1 cup Brown Sugar (packed down)
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (swing for the real stuff)
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 cup Chopped Walnuts

How to do it:

1. Preheat the over to 375 degrees
2. Soften the butter. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and the baking powder and blend together. Then add the vanilla and the egg and blend some more. Then add the flour (either mix this in with a spoon, or, if you are using an electric mixer, be real careful – put it on the lowest setting).
3. Stir in the nuts.
4. Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet (or silpat) in little balls about a teaspoon big, about 2 inches apart.
5. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes
6. EAT EAT EAT
7. Eat some more.

Lemon Garlic Pasta

 

This is a modified version of a recipe that I used for a cooking competition.

What you need:

• 1/2 box Angel hair pasta… Not entirely sure how much that is.
• 4 tbs butter (melted)
• juice of 2 lemons
• 4 cloves of garlic – chopped
• 3 tbs basil (chopped)
• 2 tbs chopped almonds (just take a handful of almonds and chop them by rocking the knife back and forth.

What do you do? I’ll tell you!

1. Start the water boiling to cook the pasta – follow the instructions on the box to cook it.
2. Melt your butter, juice your lemons, chop your garlic, nuts, and basil.(this is a part of the cooking process called mise en place – getting everything in its place)
3. Wait until the butter starts to separate (if you used fake butter or margarine this will never happen so don’t sit there and wait).
4. Add the lemon juice and the garlic and stir with a fork.
5. For every serving: place the noodles in a bowl, and pour some of the lemon sauce on it. – make sure to get some of the garlic that will sink to the bottom. Toss it a little bit, then top it with a good amount of the chopped nuts and basil (use lots of basil it makes it yummy)
6. MMMMMMM