2012 Kitchen Bucket List Challenge: A Recap

Alright – so it’s mid- October and I haven’t posted a final recap of my Summer 2012 Kitchen Bucket List. In my defense, I live in Florida and it still feels like summer. Well, here we go.

The Winners

I successfully roasted a whole chicken and would definitely do it again. One friend pointed out that buying a rotisserie chicken costs about the same as roasting one yourself, but I did get a deal of satisfaction pulling that beautiful, golden bird out of the oven.

I learned to make pasta from scratch. In fact, I am pretty good at making pasta and will likely do it in the future.

I figured out quinoa and it is now a regular part of my weekly meal plan.

I gave up on the idea of making my own smoothie. I would swoon every time I assembled the long list of green smoothie ingredients and run directly to big bottle of Naked Green Drink. It’s only $6 at the warehouse store and just worth it.

The Losers

Polenta and bread did not get made from scratch. Their future is not bright.

Three more soup recipes were not secured. Friends did send me some great recipes and I am hoping the winter months provide inspiration to tackle this bucket list item.

I did not learn how to perfectly poach an egg. We have a machine that perfectly poaches eggs. This eroded some of my motivation.

Souffles were just not in the cards. I actually forgot that was on the list until right this second. Now I wonder what the heck I was thinking.

Figure out how to freeze my own skillet meals – This I am still going to do. I saw it on Top Chef and I want to recreate the challenge at home.

A Draw

Figuring out a go to fish dish. I did not figure out a good fish dish, but my husband and I started eating a lot more fish. I consider that an overall win for our health, but we still need something to show off at a dinner party.

So how did you do on your Summer To Do List?

How to make pasta from scratch

This week I attempted one of my 2012 Kitchen Bucket List : Making Pasta from Scratch.

Check out the video for the process.
NOTE: This is the first video my husband and I have filmed like this so be gentle! Also - if you grew up with homemade pasta - my methods may be a smidge different. I went for quick and easy.

I decided just to wing it. I had heard on a cooking show that you just take 100g of flour to one egg mix it, let it rest, and roll it out. That's exactly what I tried to do. I measured the flour into a bowl. It seems that everyone digs a hole in the middle for the egg and then stirs it around until the flour and egg combine. After I did that, I noticed that my dough seemed a little dry so I added olive oil until it came together. I kneaded it four or five times on the cutting board.  Then I let it put it back in the bowl with a towel on top while I assembled the ingredients for the pasta dish I was making:

Linguine with Chickpeas and arugula from Everyday with Rachel Ray Magazine.

I didn't have arugula or lemons so I changed the recipe just a bit.

2 TBSP butter
1 red bell pepper - diced
1 can of chickpeas rinsed and drained
3 cloves of garlic - minced
1 tsp of dried pepper flakes (or to taste)
3 tsp of salt (2 tsp for the pasta water and 1 tsp for the dish)
Greens - anything Swiss chard, spinach, arugula. I like the super greens packages that supermarkets are carrying these days.
Grated Parmesan

It took me about 10 minutes to pull that together. Then I put a pot on medium high heat so that it would be close to boiling when I was ready for it. Also - set out your bowls. At the bottom of each bowl, place a handful of greens.

Then I took out the dough and began rolling it with a rolling pin. I rolled it until it was as thin as I could get it. I cut it into strips that were narrow enough to fit through the KitchenAid Pasta Attachment about about the length I wanted my noodles to end up.  Then I just fed it through - starting on setting one, then two, then three. At this point,  I switched to the cutting attachment and cut the pasta into noodles. I carefully laid the noodles side by side on the edge of a bowl so they wouldn't clump together.

Now, if you don't have a Kitchenaid don't worry. Just roll out the dough as thin as you can and use a knife or cookie cutter to make the noodles. Call them "rustic" and everyone will think you are a super chef!

While the pasta was drying out, I turned up the heat on my water and added 2 tsp of salt.  I sauteed the chickpeas and red peppers in the butter for about 5 - 7 minutes - until the peppers softened. I added the garlic. Now the water was boiling, I added the noodles. The noodles only take 2 - 3 minutes to cook. Seriously. You'll notice a slight change in the noodle's color. Use tongs or a strainer to take the noodles out of the boiling water and put it into the pan with the chickpeas. It's okay if some of the pasta water drips in - this will help make a little sauce. Add the pepper flakes and 1 tsp of salt. Stir everything together for a couple minutes. Take the pan off the heat. Spoon the mixture into your bowls and then add Parmesan to the top. Let it rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. This will allow the greens to wilt a little bit. 

This dish is great. The  dried peppers spice up the meaty chickpeas and the greens and peppers help balance both. The homemade noodles make a huge difference.

Storing the extra uncooked noodles: First you'll need to dry them out. I laid out each noodle on parchment paper or wax paper on my dining room for just over an hour. They will feel dry like the ones you get from the store. Place into a Ziploc bag and refrigerate or freeze.

Verdict: THIS WAS SO EASY! I feel silly having been intimidated for so long. I'll definitely be making more!

At Home: The Griddler

The Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler is probably my favorite kitchen appliance because it is so versatile. It's a grill! It's a griddle. It's a panini press. It's a flat press. It's amazing! Actually the most amazing part is that the grill plates go in the dishwasher so clean up is a snap. That's really why it is my favorite.

At Home: Go to Kitchen Utensils

Today, I wanted to feature three of my kitchen must-haves: a strainer spoon, a pastry scraper and a nylon whisk:





WMF Profi Plus Fine Mesh Strainer is perfect. I hate having to pull out the big, in the sink strainer when making pasta. With this little gadget, I just dip into the pot, and the strain and transfer the noodles into the sauce right there on the stove.  I have also used it strain meat and bacon. It is great for blanching vegetables. It has a larger surface area than a traditional slotted spoon so you can move a lot more food around.





Oxo Good Grips Nylon Balloon Whisk is the savior for my nonstick pans. We have a lot of non-stick pans. Recently, I noticed I was scratching them with my regular whisk as I made sauces, soups, ice creams, etc. This was the perfect solution. A solid whisk that is safe for non-stick pans.







Oxo 73281 OXO Good Grips Pastry Scraper is so handy. If you have ever found yourself unsuccessfully trying to shove all your chopped vegetables into your hands to transfer to the pot, then this is for you. I love being able to load up the scraper and then transfer everything to the bowl. It is really good for tomatoes. Now, I don't think this is really what you are supposed to use this for, but it works for me!

At home: Travel Websites

My husband and I do a lot of travel and many people have asked what websites we use to find our great deals so I thought I would share:

http://www.travelzoo.com/ - You can sign up for a weekly newsletter that sends you the Top 20 deals on the Internet any given week. We have found a number of great hotel, package and cruise deals this way.

http://www.kayak.com/ - This site lets you compare prices for airline, hotels and rental cars both from the company's website and services like expedia, orbitz, etc. It truly is one stop shopping.

http://www.friendlyplanet.com/ - This an international tour operator. I have taken two of their tours and am signed up for another next spring. The prices are incredible for what they include and I have had a fantastic experience.

http://www.gate1travel.com/ - I haven't taken a trip with them yet but the deals on International look fantastic. As soon as I see an email from them in my inbox - I know I am going to start dreaming about heading to another terrific location.

http://www.lastminute.com/ - This used to be site59.com and I used it a couple times to get great last minute hotel and airfare deals to go visit friends. It's fun to go look and see what's out there for an upcoming weekend.

What about you? What travel websites do you use?

At Home: Personalized Soaps

This past weekend, I was honored to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding. She got each bridesmaid a gorgeous basket filled with personalized handmade soaps from The Soap Shoppe.

The smells are so good. The soaps were handmade with all natural ingredients and had fabulous flavors.

 I loved how each item had a label memorializing the wedding.

The Bath Salts

The yummy soap

The Salt Scrub

Then on the back contained a quote about love or marriage.

I even got a set of travel sized soaps for all my travels.

It was a terrific present.

At Home: Arena Football

My husband and I decided to check out Arena Football this year and we got season tickets to the local team. Last night was the first game of the playoffs. We have really enjoyed going to all the games. Here's a breakdown of the games:

The game begins with a big whoop-de-doo. A long line of motorcycles parade through the arena leaving a noxious smell of gasoline behind. We were a little shocked the first time they roared through, but now we have come to enjoy it.

We have the star spangled banner.

Then the play begins. Note the field is only 50 yards long. This leads to a lot of offense and not a whole lot of defense. Before this season, the league didn't allow having dedicated defensive players. Everyone had to play both offense and defense. Now, there is dedicated defense and it makes for very exciting games because an inception is very easy to run back.  Also note the side walls. Nothing is out of bounds except if you are over the wall.

The field goal is very small. It's the small rectangle in the field. The other two large rectangles are used at kickoff. Kickers can bounce the ball off the screens. This delays the catch - allowing the defensive line to reach the catcher.

And this leads to very high scores.

Purses and bars are incompatible - until now!

After picking up my purse or its contents off the sticky floor of a bar one too many times, I went out in search of a solution and found this:

The purse hanger. It really is a genious invention.


It comes in this small fake velvet pouch that can fit neatly in pretty much any handbug.

You open it up.

Unfurl it.

And then hang your handbag.

This little gadget has worked at pretty much every bar I have visited. The only challenges are when the bar or table ledge is too thick. It doesn’t leave enouch clearance for the handle to clear the hook. I get complimented on it everywhere I go.

I found a few online you might be interested in:

At Home: The Microplaner

So I have to honest. Before I met my husband, I had no idea what a Microplane Grater/Zester was - yet alone how to use it. And now, I just can't cook without it! I use to it to zest citrus and grate Parmesan. The best part is that when you zest or grate - the raised edges of the microplaner keeps all your newly grated deliciousness in one place so it's easy to carry to the pot or bowl. I have also used to "mince" garlic. I know it's not properly mince - but it is really hard to cut up that tiny clove of garlic into super tiny pieces so I cheat with the microplane as my accomplice.

What about you? What's your kitchen gadget that you just can't cook without?

Mi Casa Su Casa

My husband and I love having overnight guests. We love planning the menus and the activities and figuring out ways to make our friends and family feel at home. Recently, we had a chance to stay at our friends’ Dallas home*. They made us feel so at home that I am adapting some of their tips.

The greatest thing was a beautiful basket of goodies in the bathroom. Travelling is such a pain these days with the 3-1-1 rules. It was great to see all the things we had left at home waiting for us. Based on this basket of goodies, I have pulled together a “must-have” list for visiting friends:

- Shampoo and conditioner
- Spare toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash and floss
- Body and hand lotion
- Soap and body wash
- Q-tips
- Cotton balls
- Nail file and nail polish remover
- Hair spray
- Plenty of towels

I also like to put magazines or books that our guests would like in their room.

So what am I missing? What else are must-haves for visiting guests?


*Yes, these are the napkin people.

The Best Rolling Pin in the business

At Williams Sonoma the other day, I stumbled up the best rolling pin ever. As the number of baking and tortilla making adventures have increased so has my need for a real rolling pin. The muddler just wasn’t cutting it. Yes, I was using a muddler to roll out dough. Don’t judge.

My frustration with rolling out dough has been not knowing how thick it was. You know those recipes that say roll out to 1/16th of an inch. Huh? Well, now I have the answer.

The Joseph Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin with 6 Adjustment Discs has saved the day.


The rolling pin has three adjustable pins. You just unscrew the top and bottom.

Then put on the disc with the appropriate dough thicknes: 1/4",  3/8", 1/16".

When the sides hit the counter, you know you have your desired thickness! How awesome is that! You can also use it without any pins so then it’s just a regular rolling pin.

I know, I know, your life is never going to be the same. You can thank me later.