How to Impress The World with Your Cooking

Knowing how to cook can improve your social life as well as your health. Knowing how to cook includes making good food that tastes delicious, not dumping a can of ramen noodles into a pot of boiling water or microwaving Campbell’s soup.

I cannot say I have mastered cooking, but I continue to learn how to make delicious homemade meals. Knowing how to make homemade pasta has brought me closer to my family and friends. It is so much fun spending a night cooking with my family and bonding over a delicious meal we made together. When I’ve had friends over we have occasionally made pasta together. I show them how to use the machine and they get the pleasure of making their own meal. It is truly an enjoyable and unique activity.

Friends and family will appreciate your meals and if you are single, knowing how to cook might help get you a date! Dinner time is a perfect time to bond with family, so why not bond over a delicious healthy meal?

Being able to cook for yourself also makes you independent and prevents you from spending more money. Going out to dinner every night can be very expensive, you need to pay for a prepared meal as well as tip your waitress or waiter. Knowing how to cook for yourself saves time, money and it makes your more independent.

By making homemade pasta you are sure to impress your guests. The food tastes great, you put in the time and effort and you know what is in your food!

Your path to being a good cook starts here! 

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF PASTA

Spaghetti directly after cooked.

 

After all this talk on how to make homemade pasta, what ingredients to use and how to make it healthy, I have come to my ultimate conclusion for this entire blog, THE IMPORTANCE OF PASTA.

Pasta makes us happy! It is present in many different dishes from cultures all over the world. It provides us with necessary whole grains and energy from complex carbohydrates. Pasta is the base of thousands of dishes. With the right sauce and ingredients it can be savory, spicy, sweet, salty or  any taste you can imagine.

Pasta is my favorite food because it is in numerous dishes, including Italian dishes which bring me closer to my heritage. Making homemade pasta provides me with a creative outlet and it keeps me healthy.

Ask yourself what pasta can do for you and what you can do WITH pasta.

For more information on the importance of pasta for your health, here is a credible article from The Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science.

Make Your Own Ravioli!

E ‘il momento di fare i ravioli!

It is time to make Ravioli!

You’ll need organic eggs, Semolina flour and olive oil.

Now that you have your ingredients, kitchen-aid pasta maker and ravioli cutter you need to decide what you want to stuff into your ravioli.

Some delicious stuffings include ricotta cheese, mozzarella, goat cheese, spinach, beef and lobster if you’re feeling fancy.

 

Just like with your other pasta, use the Semolina Flour Egg Past recipe, unless you decide to make whole wheat pasta.

For a healthy and basic vegetarian dish I recommend stuffing your ravioli with ricotta cheese. Here is a great homemade ricotta recipe from Food Network’s Ina Garten.

Once you have made your pasta and have put it through the Pasta Roller, take out your Norpro Ravioli Maker.

If this is your first time using the ravioli maker follow these directions on how to use it from my last post.

 

• Fill each ravioli valley with about two teaspoons of ricotta.
• Make sure to glaze the pasta with egg whites, so when you attach the top layer of pasta the layers stick together.
• Align the top layer of pasta above the bottom.
• Take your roller and roll over your Norpro.

*In my experience I had a difficult time getting the Norpro to cut the ravioli. Make sure you press hard when rolling.*

When the Pasta is pressed enough with the roller, the serrated edges should cut through the pasta. Then you should be able to peal off the left over scrapes of dough and push out your ravioli squares.

Cook the ravioli in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then Bon Appetite!

Why We Love Williams-Sonoma

When I walk into a Williams-Sonoma store, I instantly feel like I’m home. The crisp atmosphere, modern colors and kitchen aesthetics makes me feel like I am a Food Network star. The logo is a pineapple which symbolizes friendship and hospitality.

  

At Williams-Sonoma you can buy the best cooking appliances, from the Kitchen Aid to kitchen towels. Williams-Sonoma offers food samples, unique organic food and the best product finds. One visit and you will want to be a professional cook or chef.  They have great sales and they stand by their products. They offer warranties and if you ever need assistance the employees are always happy to help. Even the Food Network stars shop there!

Visit the Williams-Sonoma website to check out their inventory!