Posted on

Angela’s Super Easy Marinara

Print

Angela's Super Easy Marinara

This is a stripped down version of my original marinara sauce. It is surprisingly close to Alex Guarnaschelli's recipe! Just a few ingredients and some time is all you need. I leave in the seeds and tomato pulp since I give it a little whiz with the stick blender. I like the texture. It is vegetarian; leave out the butter and it is vegan.
Course Main Course, Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Keyword marinara, vegetarian marinara,
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 cups
Author misangela

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, about 1/3 cup, grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 small carrot, microplaned, about 1/4 cup use a box grater's fine side if you don't have a microplane
  • 1 tsp dry basil I like it lurking in the background
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt To taste
  • 1 28oz San Marzano tomatoes, whole, canned DO try to find San Marzanos, whole gives a better texture to the sauce
  • 1 14oz crushed tomatoes, canned You can use 100% SM if you like.
  • 1-2 tsp sugar, to taste, to adjust the acidity
  • 1 Tbl butter this helps with acidity and mouthfeel
  • 2 Tbl fresh basil, whole leaves or roughly chopped Optional, but adds some freshness and is traditional. I skip most of the time.

Instructions

  • In a large 3-4 qt pot over med low heat, add oil, onions, garlic, carrots, basil and s/p. You want the oil to just barely bubble the onions, not brown them. Low and slow.
  • Let this base cook for about 10 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.
  • Add in the crushed and whole tomatoes, crushing the whole tomatoes by hand.
  • Bring this up to just a minimal bubble. Low and slow. Let it go, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes.
  • When the sauce has reduced for the 40 minutes, check it for salt. If the acidity is high (and it likely will be), add sugar until you are happy with the acid level. Make sure the salt is adequate. Add in the butter (if using) at the end. This is a base sauce, so all you want is just a well balanced sauce bursting with tomato flavour.
  • This sauce freezes very well. It can be used anywhere red sauce is called for.

Notes

This is a base sauce, so there are not many ingredients, nor are there any strong herbs. 
If you want a more involved sauce, search for Angela's Marinara. 
Posted on

Angela’s EASY Madeleines

Almond Madeleines recipe is here.

Print

Angela's Easy Madeleines

This is a plain Madeleine recipe - which is actually LEMON! There is also an Almond one on this site. I've taken the rather fussy Julia Child recipe and made it super easy.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword easy madeleines, lemon madeleines, madeleines
Servings 36 MINI Madeleines
Author misangela

Equipment

  • Two MINI Madeleine pans or regular sized pans. This recipe is for MINI, you'll get about half as many (18) regular ones. SEE NOTES.
  • Gallon ziplock or pastry bag with large plain tip.
  • Cooling rack.
  • Wire strainer to sift confectioners sugar.

Ingredients

  • 2 Large eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups A/P flour
  • 4 oz butter (one stick), cut up
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice only about 1 tsp juice needed and a Tbl of zest
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • confectioners sugar to coat after baking

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Whisk together sugar and flour.
  • Put butter in microwave dish and melt - do not boil, use half power. When mostly melted, whisk briskly to ensure it's all melted and it will cool properly. It takes about 1-2 minutes.
  • Beat eggs.
  • Using a strong spoonula, stir together flour and eggs. Stir for a couple of minutes. Add extract, lemon zest, lemon juice and stir again.
  • Make sure butter is just WARM (if not, whisk it a bit and it'll cool down) and stir into batter. Stir thoroughly until batter is fully smooth and integrated.
  • Put batter in freezer for about 10 minutes to cool. Remove, stir again, put back in freezer for about 5 more minutes.
  • Thoroughly spray Madeleine pans with food release OR brush with butter.
  • Put batter into a gallon ziplock (or pastry bag with plain large tip) for easy dispensing into the madeleine pan. Fill madeleine cups about 3/4 - about 2 tsp for a MINI pan or about a Tablespoon for regular sized pan.
  • Make sure oven racks are in the center two. Put one pan on each rack. Set timer for 10 minutes for MINIs and 15 minutes for regular sized. Rotate pans at halfway point for even cooking.
  • When madeleines are browned to your liking, put on a cooling rack and cover with confectioners sugar. (Use a wire strainer to shake sugar through.)

Notes

If you have regular sized Madeleine pans, this recipe will make about half as many (~18 or so).  The cook time will be at least 15 minutes, perhaps more if you like them medium brown like I do. 
There is another recipe on this site for Almond Madeleines. 
Posted on

Oven Risotto with Mushrooms

This recipe is not really risotto, but it’s LIKE risotto! Risotto is a method and this recipe does not follow that method very much. But it is still a nice nod to labour intensive risotto and has good flavour. Enjoy!

Oven Baked Risotto
Print

Easy Oven Risotto with Mushrooms

This is a spin on a recipe I ran across at Epicurious. Theirs was way too fussy, so I stripped it down and made it easy! If you love risotto and are intimidated by the fussy recipes, try this one! It's easy and really delicious! Butternut squash variation in notes!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked risotto, mushrooms, risotto
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author misangela

Equipment

  • Shallow dutch oven roasting pan or oven proof skillet
  • sheet pan

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed & cut into 1/2" pieces sub cremini, but shiitake has better texture
  • 1 Tbl olive oil to lightly coat mushrooms
  • S/P to lightly coat mushrooms
  • 1 large shallot, quartered then sliced sub 1/2 cup small diced onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced about 1 Tbl
  • 1 Tbl olive oil
  • 2 Tbl butter salted
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice reserve juice
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves about 2 tsp, sub 1 tsp dry thyme
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or more if you like
  • 1/2 tsp each S/P
  • 1 cup arborio rice (risotto)
  • 1/2 cup dry vermouth sub white wine
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth sub veg broth to make vegetarian
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped sub 1 tsp dry basil
  • 1 Tbl fresh parsley, finely chopped try to use fresh herb here

Instructions

  • This recipe can be made in one pot if you have a skillet type dutch oven or an oven safe skillet with a lid (or you can cover with foil). If you do not have these, you can start the risotto in a saucepan, then transfer to a 9x9 square dish or pie plate to bake, covered in foil.
  • Preheat oven to 375ºF.
  • Prep mushrooms and toss in olive oil & S/P on a sheet pan (use parchment paper or cover pan in foil for easy clean up). Put in oven to roast for about 20 minutes.
  • While mushrooms are roasting, prep the rest of the veg.
  • Put vessel over medium heat and add olive oil and butter. When hot, add in shallot, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes and lemon zest. Cook shallots until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Do not brown, just sweat.
  • Add rice and S/P. Stir and turn heat up to Med Hi. Stir rice for about 2 minutes then add vermouth. Stir another 2 minutes then add chicken stock and turn up heat to Hi.
  • Bring to fast simmer and cook rice for about 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. The broth should reduce by about 1/3. Check mushrooms; you want them roasted and a bit dry, but not burnt. If done, remove from oven.
  • Turn off heat and add parmesan, basil, parsley and half the reserved lemon juice. Stir thoroughly.
  • Mushrooms should be done by this point. If they were not before.
  • Risotto should still have some broth on top. If not, add just a bit more broth for the baking. If using a skillet, dot mushrooms on top of risotto and cover. If using a saucepan, put risotto in oven proof dish, add mushrooms and cover with foil.
  • Bake (in the 375º oven) for 20 minutes. Check midway to see if risotto has gotten dry, if so, add just a little broth to keep moist.
  • Risotto is done when the broth has been absorbed, but it is not dry. The grains should be cooked either al dente (half way) or all the way. I like mine cooked through, but not mushy.
  • Check for seasoning and drizzle the last of the lemon juice over the top. Dot with more fresh parsley if you like and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

This risotto can be a side dish, but I like it as the main. It is Italian mac n cheese and SO satisfying!  Although it's not really risotto, it is close enough for the ease of preparation! 
The mushrooms can be left off this dish, but they do offer a nice textural element.
If you'd like to add butternut squash, simply add about a cup of small diced butternut squash to the roasting pan with the mushrooms. Add to risotto with mushrooms. Easy! 
The trick to risotto is keeping it moist. It should be loose enough to pour, but not watery. If your risotto is too dry, add stock; if it's too loose, bake uncovered for a bit longer.
Cooking the risotto in a saucepan first is the method I used for this recipe. I then poured into a pie plate and baked, covered with foil. If you use the one skillet method, your cook time on the stove and the stock amount may vary. The stovetop cook time could be a bit less since the risotto has more surface area and it may require up to 3 cups of stock. Keep this in mind.
As always, DO try to use fresh herbs and do try to use shiitakes. Both will give you a better end product. But, use what you've got! Better to substitute than not cook at all. :)
Posted on

It Was Nice Knowin’ Ya, America!

It is January 7, 2021 and this country has survived rioting that was incited by the soon-to-be-EX-President of the United States.

I’m going to shove all my commentary on the events of the last few days into one big post. Starting with the GA runoff elections, which were WON by Democrats, thereby flipping GA to a BLUE state.

I’ll admit, I had low expectations for the Presidential election and expected the hillbillies to keep their Saviour in office. But when we managed to stave that off, it gave me a little bit of hope. I held low expectations for the GA runoffs for Senate, but yet again, we all pulled together and made it happen. Of course, I knew the hillbillies and their fascist leader would try to say it didn’t happen.


Well, hillbillies IT DID HAPPEN and WE now have control. So FUCK YOUR FEELINGS. Isn’t that the response we got four years ago?

Then the POTUS calls the GA Attorney General and tries to coerce him to “find votes”. It was recorded. It is FACT. Here is the WaPo story AND the audio file.

At another point, Trump said: “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”

Transcript and audio file is here also.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, the Congress gathered to count the electoral college votes and make the election final. Meanwhile, the POTUS is inciting violence on Twitter (all the inciting violence tweets have already been removed, sadly):

The hillbillies descended upon our Capitol and were met with zero resistance. They rioted and stormed into the Capitol more or less uncontested. Cops moved barriers for them and there were no rubber bullets or tear gas. Why? Because they are white and they are MAGAts, that’s why. Most cops and military are MAGAts, remember. Capitol security were taking selfies with the rioters:

All T**** had to say was:

It took HOURS for any sort of law enforcement to arrive – and it wasn’t from DC, either, it was from VA. The request was initially DENIED (because T**** filled the DoD with his toadies):

Finally, law enforcement started cracking heads and gassing the terrorists out of the capitol. Four were killed and only about 50 were arrested (because: white). One hillbilly [reportedly, still looking for sources] tased himself to death IN THE BALLS while trying to steal a painting. Which is hilarious. ::cackle::

Peace was reinstated late January 6 and into early January 7, this morning. Here is a good article about the whole incident.

The rest of the world is looking at us like “What the ACTUAL FUCK, America??” And I am deeply ashamed to be an American. All republics fall, eventually, and this one is on its way down. No doubt about it. We are no longer leaders in producing goods, military, education, healthcare or overall standard of living. We have a fascist Hitler wannabe POTUS and he’s got millions of devotees who’ll riot for him. The country is divided and this is not going away.

The slobbering masses of intellectual zeros who are terrorizing our Capitol and our country will not be dissuaded by logic, facts or figures. They are slavishly devoted to their Saviour and there’s little we can do about it. They will continue terrorizing this country. Last week, one of them blew up a city block in Nashville, TN. There is little press coverage because it was a white guy and he is not being called a terrorist for the same reason. This sort of thing is going to continue.

I’ve said this before, but seriously, as soon as we are allowed to enter other countries (can’t now, because on top of the civil unrest, Covid-19 is running rampant) anyone who CAN leave, SHOULD leave. Things are not going to get better around here.

I am ashamed to be American. There is nothing I can say that would make any of the events of the last four years and especially the last few months sound sensible or civilised to anyone. NOTHING. I live in a country full of ignorant assholes who think Hitler was a hero and will resort to violence to prove their point. It’s too late for the guillotine. The madness has infected the populace. We’ve gotten political control back to the left, but I really think that T**** has pushed the hillbillies too far. They have a taste for it, now.

I sincerely hope that we can get the fuck out of here before true civil war erupts. It could be a year or it could be 10 years, but I believe it will happen. Gilead is a real possibility. As is a new Nazi regime. I just don’t want to live my twilight years in a fucked up bullshit country. Is that too much to ask? I want healthcare and QUIET. It appears that this country is not the place for either of those things any more. Such a disappointment.

Posted on

2021 Reading List

Welcome to the 2021 Reading List! The list is in chronological order of when I read the books, but the first SIX are the ones carried over from 2020. Photos of books below the list. Books are moved up into the list as I read them.

Bird Box, J Malerman. The book is very close to the movie, but in several ways I think the movie was better. The movie put events in more of a linear fashion, which is easier to follow. But I’d say a good 85% of the book is represented in the movie and the movie is more suspenseful.

Sharp Objects, G Flynn. I liked this book a lot. I think the book is complementary to the mini-series on HBO with Amy Adams. The book is written from the main character’s (Camille, portrayed by Amy Adams) point of view, so you get a LOT more context about her. I also like the tweaks that the series made with Amma – she had MUCH more depth in the movie than she did in the book. Overall, a good read and excellent companion to the mini series.

Dry, Shusterman. This is a what-if type story: what if Southern California’s water really did run out? That’s the backdrop, but the story is about a small group of teens who must survive the breakdown of society that occurs in short order once the water stops. It’s a good paced read and all the action is in the space of just a few weeks. It ends on a good note, so it’s not one of those disaster books that leaves you wishing you’d not read it. Which is important at this point in time, I think.

I read 35 books in 2021! More behind cut! Continue reading “2021 Reading List”