Once a Brownie, always a Brownie

Before I became a 'Brownie' I was in Spark's. I got that pink shirt and I was a committed member. I wore that thing every day and the only time my mom could wash it was when I was sleeping. As an adult I feel obligated to share my most recent food creation. The Girl Guide Cookie Blizzard!

No skill required:


Step 1 - Find a Girl Guide, and buy a box of her cookies
Step 2 - Chop the cookies into little pieces
Step 3 - Mix the cookies into your favorite brand of vanilla or chocolate ice cream

You may need to let the ice cream sit a while before you mix in the cookie. Then, if you have a moderate amount of patience, put the blended mix back into the freezer to harden before serving.

Enjoy

Fettuccine with Mushroom, Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce

After a three week trip to Italy we were dying to make some authentic Italian food. Armed with cheese smuggled past Canadian Customs (they took my meat) we settled on a homemade Fettuccine with mushroom, Gorgonzola cheese sauce.  We're familiar with making our own pasta so it wasn't a trip out of our comfort zone. It's amazing how good some eggs, flour and a little moldy cheese can be.The prep time varies but the entire meal can be completed in a couple hours.

First the Pasta:

This is a Basic Egg Pasta recipe summarized from our KitchenAid "Pasta Sheet Roller and Attachments" instructions and recipes.

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbs water
• 3 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients into the mixer bowl.  Using the flat beater mix for 30 seconds. Exchange the flat beater for the dough hook and knead for 2 minutes. The dough will look fairly dry but will be the perfect consistency for using the pasta rollers and cutters. Remove from bowl and hand knead for a couple minutes (this way you will be really impressed with yourself for not totally relying on machines). Let the dough sit for 20min. We usually cover it with a damp paper towel. Afterwards run it through the roller attachment followed by the cutter attachment.

Here are the photos:

 While we prepared the sauce we put the pasta in the fridge - use parchment paper so that it doesn't all stick together.

Mushroom, Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups mushrooms
• 2 tbs flour
• 3 cups heavy cream
• parsley (garnish)
• salt and pepper to taste  
• 1 1/2 cups Gorgonzola cheese
• splash white wine

Directions:

Fry the mushrooms in butter or oil until they release liquid and shrink up a bit. Hit them with some wine to de-glaze the pan. Add the flour and let it heat up. Pour the cream in and add the cheese.. Let this simmer for a bit.

After the sauce is simmering, boil water and cook the pasta. Drain the pasta add some parsley as a garnish maybe some extra cheese, crack a bottle of Vino and enjoy. This served 4 with some leftovers for lunch.