Rating: 💋💋💋💋💋
I mean, could it be anything but?
Late October to early December crams in four of my family's six birthdays. It is a glorious time filled with celebrations. We could not have any real parties this year, but we made it fun just within our household.
As soon as Reilly returned from college, we threw her a belated birthday. Regular readers will know by now that Reilly is the Pasta Queen. As luck would have it, my mom knows how to make homemade spaghetti. One guess as to what Reilly requests for her birthday dinner every time, without fail.
This recipe is made using the Kitchen Aid Pasta Roller and Cutter Set. You can also use kitchen scissors or a pizza cutter to slice up your pasta.
Homemade Egg Pasta Recipe:
Makes 1 1/4 lb dough
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp water
- 3 1/2 lb all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Prepare:
- Mix all ingredients with flat beater attachment on mixer. As it gets thicker, after about 30 seconds or so, exchange flat beater for dough hook.
- Knead pasta with dough hook for about 2 minutes.
- Take dough out of mixing bowl and hand knead for 2 more minutes.
- Let dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Divide dough into 4 sections. Flatten each section with your hands, and then process through sheet roller attachment. Put each section through the sheet roller about 3 times.
- Replace sheet roller attachment with fettuccine or spaghetti cutter attachment and process each section through the pasta cutter.
* Variation: You can also make the dough, flatten it through the sheet roller, and then use a glass to cut out circles of dough. Top the middle of half the circles with ricotta, place other pasta circles over top, and press ends of dough together tightly - you've got ravioli!
Another birthday tradition: my dad gets his girls a bouquet of flowers. Our brother Conor's name is also included on the little message slip, but I have my doubts about his involvement. In any case, my dad always picks out a gorgeous selection. This tradition, as well as my history with dance recitals and shows, has conditioned me to absolutely adore receiving flowers. I know that they die. I simply do not care. They are the best gift for any occasion.
The autumn-inspired bouquet Reilly received this year was so beautiful and served as a great centerpiece. Due to our seating arrangements, according to Reilly, the whole night it looked like my voice and arms were coming out of the flowers. I am glad this amused her so much.
I think it is fair to say the Pasta Queen was pretty happy. My parents make the homemade sauce in an inherited pot straight from Italy, so it has all those good flavors from our ancestors cooked right into it. Also, do not forget the meatballs! I cannot share the recipe due to family interests, but I will say my mom makes a mean Greek pork meatball. Ladle the sauce and meatballs over the fresh spaghetti, sprinkle some grated Parmesan on top, and you are good to go! We had butter lettuce with champagne vinaigrette on the side to give us a refreshing, crisp contrast to the heavy pasta. Be careful - the spaghetti expands in your stomach! I had to wave my white flag. As much as I wanted to finish my plate, I simply could not. It was a very happy food coma though. I have no regrets. I enjoyed my dinner with a glass of Pouilly-Fuisse - my flavor of the month in the wine realm. My parents went traditional with an Italian red, which is just a no brainer with this dish. Last but certainly not least, we had homemade garlic bread on the side, as per Reilly's request. I love garlic bread, so I was living it up.
Reilly models the Ugly Cake for us. Gorrrr-geous!
Ugly Cake is an incredibly mouthwatering chocolate cake with a hint of coffee in the batter, and I dream about it during the birthday off-season from April to September.
The important thing about Ugly Cake is, it must not be cute. One year, Conor's turned out remarkably beautiful, and he was terribly indignant about the whole thing. My mom probably is not going to be pleased that I shared these photos, but it is the Ugly Duckling we know and love! Check that 5 o'clock crumb shadow on the one side. Remember, inner beauty is what really counts. This cake has plenty of that in all its delicious glory.
The birthdays start coming and they don't stop coming. From Reilly's birthday we headed right into my mom's. It was this past Monday, so happy birthday to the Goddess herself! My dad got this great cake from the Carlo's bakery location near us: chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. My mom's prefers chocolate over vanilla cake (much agreed here) and we found that the Carlo's chocolate frosting was light enough to complement the cake rather than dominate it. Some chocolate on chocolate cakes are really heavy, but this one struck a fine balance. Everyone left the table happy.
Next up: Shannon's birthday, but we will have to wait for 2021 for that one.
I hope you all have a great week!
XX,
MK
P.S. Be sure to check out this art gallery before it closes next month! It explores the Self and human connections and conversations, which has been a great comfort in this socially distanced time.
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