$5 Spaghetti Dinner

3 Ingredient Sauce:

If you have a stick of butter and an onion in your possession you are only one ingredient shy of the tastiest, easiest marina sauce known far and wide. With the inexpensive addition of crushed tomatoes you've got an easy, delicious, sauce for pasta, pizza, bread-sticks... whatever you care to dredge in this stuff! The recipe is from my new favorite haunt smittenkitchen which I type shyly considering how it is everything I ever dreamed a food blog could be: resplendent photos, witty, digestible prose, excellent recipes. And well... if you are reading this you can see why I might feel a little intimidated. Regardless, the sauce has been getting rave acclaim for some time, apparently, but seeing as how I'm new to this sort of thing it is news to me! My only regret: where was this when I was still an undergrad?

I have two spindly basil plants living on my windowsill so I added a handful of leaves (as many as the poor little plants could spare). I sliced them thinly, sprinkling them over the past just before serving for a bright finish. Not to say the sauce doesn't taste as rosy and fresh as it looks but I love basil, and basil plants, so I couldn't help myself. Shaves of fresh Parmesan would also be nice.

Ingredients:
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
5 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion
Fresh basil leaves, torn

Preparation: (it will blow your mind)
1. Peel the onion and cut it in half.
2. Put the onion, crushed tomato and butter in a deep sauce pot. Heat over medium heat until simmering.
3. Lower the heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cook for 40-45 minutes or until thickened. Little bubbles of butter should be shiny and visible on the surface.
4. Discard the onion (if you can bring yourself to do it) and toss with up to a pound of pasta. Refrigerate left over sauce. Dress with basil and Parmesan.

Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Soft, Chewy yum yums:

I love oatmeal cookies. I, me, who is obsessed with healthy foods and who has been known to comment on how bird seed looks appetizing loves a soft, slightly chewy and sweet oatmeal cookie. It goes without saying that I am always trying to find a recipe that does not result in little rock hard cookies peppered with dried raisins reminiscent of animal droppings.

It has taken a while but I think I have found the recipe. I made some changes to the original, adding the banana and reducing the sugar slightly to prevent scorched, sickeningly sweet cookies. Hopefully with continued testing (yum!) I can make the measurements more standardized. The original recipe is from the "Cooking Light" website. But don't worry, no fat-free cream cheese or wheat flour here I promise. This recipe is easy and produces very yummy, chewy cookies with a residual flavor of the banana pancakes my Mother made most Saturday mornings before words like "hang-over" or "8 am Final" meant anything to me.

Note on Ingredients:
If you have never toasted nuts before see the easy to follow guidelines below for the perfect pan of toasted pecans.

Don't skimp on the maple syrup. It is worth it to buy a bottle of something really pure and wholesome.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oats (rolled or instant are both fine)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon good maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 of a large banana, mashed
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350, a little under if yours (like mine) is a little over zealous as far as temperature goes. Grease a cookie shit and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a separate bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat the sugars and butter in a bowl with an electric mixer (or by hand if you don't have one). Add the vanilla, egg and syrup. Beat well.
4. Toast the pecans*. Remove the nuts from the heat, cool slightly. When the pecans are cool enough to handle chop them roughly.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine, being sure not to over mix. Stir in the pecans and raisins if you are using them.
6. Drop by tablespoon fulls onto the greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely. Makes 2-3 dozen depending on how generous you are. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.


Toasting Guidelines-
*Nuts are typically toasted in a dry pan over low heat. This means you do not need to add any butter or oil to the pan. The key is to keep an eye on them, tossing them periodically. The smell, like the taste, will be more pronounced as the nuts heat up. They will smell toasted but not burnt. If you burn nuts toss them out and start again. Do NOT try and salvage a pan of burned nuts as they will be bitter.

Brunch Watch: Cinnamon Raisin Biscotti

Simple, Semi-sweet treats:

I found this recipe in "La Dolce Vita" and I am happy to say it is the easiest, most satisfying biscotti recipe! The fact that it uses only 1 2/3 cups flour means that the "cookies" are slightly less crumbly than some versions but still very dry and crispy. It also bakes up a big bang for your buck, roughly 2 dozen biscotti per batch. They will keep in air tight containers for up to two weeks.

For an easy addition to brunch bake up a batch at the beginning of a weekend and serve them with coffee or, if you are feeling especially traditional, a glass of wine. I must admit, I've never tried biscotti with wine but I'm imagining a really delicious almond and apricot variation paired with a sweet, late-harvest Riesling. Not up for brunch? Bake a batch anyway and have one or two with a glass of milk or a cappuccino on your way to class. With most standard coffee houses charging as much as $3 a biscotti you will save money and time. The recipe below is for a "Cinnamon Raisin" variation that is extremely popular with friends of my family. They are beautiful served in an over-sized coffee cup or bundled up as gifts in little cellophane bags. Disclaimer: this recipe is in no way strictly traditional. The beauty of a biscotti is not just in the way it tastes! Feel free to explore your own palette, using this recipe as a guide.

For more history on this delectable Italian staple check out The Nibble

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2-2/3 cup raisins, according to your preference
1 teaspoon cinnamon, rounded
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon water
Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Grease and flour a sheet of waxed paper roughly the length and width of a cookie sheet. Place the sheet on a cookie sheet and set aside.
3. In a bowl beat the 2 eggs and sugar with a whisk until very pale and thick. Add the vanilla. Sift in the flour, salt and cinnamon, mixing to combine.
4. Fold in the raisins and walnuts.
5. With wet hands (this helps handle it without sticking) divide the dough in half and form two loaves (roughly 12 inches long). Place the two loaves side by side on the greased and floured sheet of waxed paper.
6. In a small bowl separate one egg. Whisk the yolk with a teaspoon of water. Using a pastry brush (if you've got one) or your hands, brush the yolk mixture over the loaves. Smooth any bums or ridges with your finger tips.
7. With dry fingers sprinkle the loaves with a little sugar. Alternately, you can use a little milk in place of the egg wash. The sprinkle of sugar is a trick to getting a slightly shiny crust with a little extra crunch. My mother finished her pies this way and I find myself drawn to it's nostalgic value in my own baking. During the holidays I use colored sugars for a festive touch.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The loaves should be starting to turn golden.
9. Remove from oven (leaving it turned on) and cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove the loaves from the pan and slice diagonally (about 1/2 inch slices), making them as large as you like. The greater the angle the longer the biscotti.
10. Remove the waxed paper from the pan and place the biscotti upright in rows, trying not to crowd them too close together. I think of them as little legionaries at this point and, accordingly, give them space to maneuver. Bake for 10 minutes or until sufficiently toasted and dry.
11. Cool on a wire rack before storing. Enjoy!