Food, Glorious Food

I have tried 2, count 'em: 2, new recipes this week.

Both were so easy that I was left to shake my head at myself, and think "WHY did I wait so long to try that??".

The first was noodles. We received a pasta machine as a wedding gift, and while it has travelled with us from state to state and kitchen to kitchen, it has remained nestled in its box, napping peacefully, just waiting for the day when I would begin to think "homemade noodles: it's what's for dinner".



It's not that I have an aversion to either noodles or kitchen gadgetry. In fact, one glance at my soft delicious center, and you will clearly see that I am a lover of noodles and other carb-filled delights such as french bread and pancakes. Mmm..... pancakes.

Wait, what were we talking about?

Right, noodles. And kitchen gadgets. I love me some kitchen gadgets and take much pleasure in using a variety of kitchen tools. I own a microplaner, for pete's sake!

I always had the impression that noodles required some culinary secret I wasn't privy to. Not so, my friends. Inspired by the noodles my MIL made for our last dinner in Oregon, last week I finally worked up my courage and cracked open my kitchen bible: How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. The recipe consisted of ingredients found in the most pedestrian of kitchens. Flour, eggs, a pinch of salt, a dash of water. Blend in a food processor, roll through the pasta machine and boil for 3 minutes. Delicious! Seriously, this is going into the regular dinner rotation.

Cooking Tip: If you want to make a large amount of noodles, or specifically spaghetti, use a laundry drying rack to dry the pasta.

My second culinary adventure was pizza. I know, pizza! Again, I've been skittish around yeast doughs, reading much about how temperamental they can be. I do not like failure, especially when it involves a valuable commodity such as food for my family.

I'd been mulling over trying pizza for a while, and once again Martha Stewart gave me the encouragement I needed. I recently subscribed to Everyday Food magazine ($12 for the year!), and always find something to try. January's edition featured a whole-wheat pizza dough, and it seemed easy enough that even I could pull it off.

An hour and a half after I started, I pulled a bubbly, cheesy, tangy pizza out of my oven. It was delicious! Tonight we took the easy way out and covered it in jarred tomato sauce, pre-shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, mushrooms, and olives. My mind is spinning with possibilities. Artichokes! Roasted garlic! Fresh mozzarella! Roma tomatoes!

Scratch off our Friday night pizza from Papa John's. Mama Amy's Carb-Loving Kitchen is now open for business.

On that note, I think I'll be making another trip to the fridge to carve off a small slice of leftover pizza.