This weekend I decided to make an Irish feast to practice for St. Patrick’s Day.

But I have to admit — even though I have some Irish in my family, and had a blast traveling there a few years ago to visit my sister when she studied abroad in Dublin, I have only only spent a wee bit o’ time trying out Irish recipes!  So for my feast, I decided to defer to some of my friends’ recipes that fall in the more “tried and true” category.

The first recipe for traditional Irish soda bread is from my friend Christin.  She and her family have been making it for decades, and she swears this recipe is the best.  And more importantly, that this recipe is foolproof (which is good for this girl who only succeeds about half the time with baking homemade breads)!

Sure enough, the dough was super easy to make, and the bread baked up beautifully!  Granted, I probably should have cut the “X” a little deeper to make the shape pucker up perfectly.  But overall, I was quite pleased, and it tasted delicious!!!  I thought it was much better, actually, than some of the dry, bland bread we had in Ireland.  It was moist, sweet, and I loved the extra pop of raisins.  And as Christin said, it’s “the best when served warm with good butter”.  Definitely agreed.

Stay tuned for more fun Irish recipes to follow for your own St. Patrick’s Day feast!

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried currants
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a small cookie sheet.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut in butter with a fork (or with your fingers) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in raisins and buttermilk until the dough is evenly moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead gently until smooth.  Shape into a 6-inch ball, place on a cookie sheet.  With a sharp knife, cut a 1/4-inch deep cross on top of the dough.

Bake 30-40 minutes, or until dough is just cooked through and the top is a light golden brown.

Ali’s Tip:

To save a step, you can also begin making the dough in a food processor.  Just be sure to stir in the raisins and buttermilk by hand.

Source: 

My friend, Christin.

Ok, I know I just did a post about making 2011 a healthy new year.   But hey…traditions are traditions.  :)  And this is one of my all-time favorites!  So allow me to present to you…the famous….monkey bread!!!

I admit that I only allow myself to make this utter deliciousness three times a year — for Sunday brunch on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter weekends.  And I only make it when lots of friends/family are coming over to help eat it (and spread out the calories!).  But my friends and I eagerly look forward to it every year!

For anyone out there who has never tried monkey bread before, you must. This buttery, cinnamon-and-sugary goodness is wonderfully irresistible!  (I’m pretty sure we have never had leftovers!)  It’s also quite simple to make too — perfect especially for any kiddos who like to help out in the kitchen.  And it only calls for 5 ingredients.  Always a nice plus.  :)

So for anyone out there who has never tried monkey bread, or for anyone who’s looking for an excuse to try it again (“all things in moderation!”), here is my favorite tried-and-true recipe.  I guarantee you’ll love it!

Monkey Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large cans (16 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (be sure that clumps are broken up)
• 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• (Optional: 1 cup pecan halves or walnuts)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan generously with non-stick spray.

Prepare two dipping bowls.  In the first, pour the melted butter.  In the second, whisk together the sugars and cinnamon until well-mixed.

Place the biscuits on a cutting board, and use a large knife to cut them into quarters.  Then dip each piece first in the melted butter, then transfer it to the second bowl and roll it in the sugar until well-coated on each side.  Then place each piece loosely in the bundt pan.  (Don’t press the pieces together — they will expand when baked!)  Repeat.  If you would like to add in pecans/walnuts, just add them in with the dough at random.  Then pour the extra butter over the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top springs back when touched. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully invert onto a plate, and serve immediately.

Ali’s Tip:

Be sure that your butter stays well-melted and thin during the dipping process.  If it begins to cool and thicken, just pop it in the microwave for another 10-15 seconds to warm it up.

My cabinets may or may not have an unusually plentiful supply of pumpkin this year…

Ha – I can’t seem to help myself!  Ever since last year’s pumpkin shortage, an extra can always seems to make its way into my grocery bag whenever I pass by it in the store.  Apparently my subconscious is worried I might have to go another (gasp!) two months without pumpkin this winter.  Oh well, I guess my hoarding habits could be worse… :-)

So suffice it to say, we’ve been enjoying quite a few pumpkin recipes this season!  One of my recent favorites was a pumpkin pie biscotti recipe adapted from Jamie at My Baking Addiction. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be one of my favorites.  It’s everything I love in a biscotti — lots of great flavor (and pumpkin pie spice!), only 2 Tbps. butter in the entire recipe, and easy to make!  Since I also have a bad habit of drizzling white chocolate over my biscotti, this batch also received an extra touch of sweetness – yum.

I shared this one with some friends and family, and they all said to tell you it’s a keeper.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Pumpkin Pie Biscotti Recipe
(Adapted from My Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (see tip below for substitution)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla paste (or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract)
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup melted white chocolate, for drizzling or dipping (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl; stir well. In another bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla, stirring well with a wire whisk. Slowly add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Mixture will be very crumbly; it will gradually become moist after stirring.)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until nuts are browned. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Knead or gently stir cooled nuts into dough. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 portions. Lightly flour hands and shape each portion into a 2 x 10″ long log.  (Or I just made one large 8″ x 16″ log.) Place logs 3″ apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 24 minutes; cool logs 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F.

After some cooling, move a loaf to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2″ thick pieces. Do the same to the other loaf. The interior of each biscotto should still be just a little moist (while the exterior is nice and hard). The crust of the loaf will probably be quite hard, so use a large serrated knife such as a bread knife for this job.

Place the biscotti with a cut side facing up on a half sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pan and flip all the biscotti over so the other cut side is now facing up. Bake for another 7 minutes. Set all the pieces on a wire rack to cool making sure that none of the biscotti are touching each other. If the biscotti are placed too close together, they could get a little soft or soggy as they cool.

Once the biscotti have fully cooled, they can be consumed as is, or white chocolate dipped or drizzled.  To melt the chocolate, pop it in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds, then stir.  Then continue heating in 15-second increments (carefully) and stirring in between until chocolate is melted.  (I usually add in a little shortening to help it melt and avoid burning.)  Then just dip a fork in the chocolate and swish it over biscotti to drizzle, or you can pour it in a Ziplock or pastry bag (with a tiny corner snipped out) and squeeze it out.

The biscotti tastes best during the first few days, but will keep for up to a month in a sealed air-tight container.

Ali’s Tip:

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute in:

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

I love sweet breads.  And I love savory breads.  But I especially love sweet and savory breads!

So of course I wanted to give this new recipe a try.  I ran across it online last week, and realized I actually had all of the ingredients on hand to give it a try.  So even though I was a little doubtful about how well the ingredients would taste together, I pulled out my food processor and mixer and gave it a go.

Within an hour, my house smelled amazing and I had a remarkably beautiful (loved the flecks of apple and sage!), moist, and delicious loaf of bread ready to go.  I know some may not be as big of fans of sweet+savory, but I ended up loving the flavor.  You could definitely taste each of the ingredients — the apples, cheddar, sage, all sweetened with some brown sugar — but I thought they made a great combination.  And with the food processor’s super-speedy help in grating the apples, it ended up being fast and easy too!

So if you’re looking for a new bread to enjoy this season, give this one a try!

Apple Cheddar Bread Recipe
(Adapted from Cook And Be Merry)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 8 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature & fork beaten
• 2 cups apples (any favorite), unpeeled & finely shredded
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2-3 Tbsp. minced sage, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9” loaf pan with cooking spray. (Insert parchment paper overlapping over the long sides if you’d like.)

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar until light and fluffy.  Then beat in the eggs until combined.  By hand, mix in the flour mixture.  Fold in the apples, cheese and sage. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake until risen and a wooden skewer comes out of the center clean, about 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Ali’s Tip:

Next time I try this, I’m going to use smoked cheddar cheese.  I’m thinking that extra smokey kick would be delicious!!

I don’t know about you, but often it seems that however I begin the day — with a healthy or not-so-healthy breakfast — can usually set the tone for how I continue eating the rest of the day.  But since I’m not one to rise and shine any earlier than need be, and often end up having my hot tea and breakfast during my 25-minute commute to work, anything healthy in the “grab and go” category is always much appreciated!

So when I recently saw a recipe for these healthier apple crumble muffins — made with (mostly) whole-wheat flour, honey, yogurt, pecans, and some yummy crisp apples — I couldn’t wait to give them a try.  I noticed that they also called for apple cider, so was excited to add in some from my first homemade batch from last week as well.  :)

Not surprisingly, they turned out to be delicious!  Definitely not quite as sweet and buttery as normal crumble muffins (that are often loaded with butter/oil and sugar), but I thought the healthier twist was still completely satisfying.  I especially loved the crunchy pecans in the topping — delicious, and a perfect touch of protein to begin the day.

So cheers to having (at least part of) your apple-a-day for breakfast!  Enjoy!

Apple Crumble Muffins Recipe
(Adapted from Friday Delights)

Ingredients:

Muffin Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unbleached whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup apple cider, storebought or homemade
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 2 peeled, cored, apples (I used Granny Smith), diced to 1-cm cubes

Crumble Topping Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 4 Tbsp. (half stick) cold butter
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (feel free to use less)
• 1/4 cup oats

Method:

Muffin Instructions:

In a large bowl combine each flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl mix egg, honey, yogurt, apple cider and butter. Pour liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Gently fold in the sliced apples.  Then scoop into pre-lined (or greased) muffin tins, filling until 2/3 full.  Top with crumble topping (instructions below), and then bake muffins in a preheated 375 degree oven until golden, about 25 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).  Remove muffins from pan and cool completely.

Crumble Topping Instructions:

In a food processor blend first five topping ingredients until it resembles a crumbly mixture.  Add oats and pulse 2-3 times until just combined.  Sprinkle each muffin with the crumble topping.

Ali’s Tip:

If you’re like me, and can’t get through an entire batch right away, muffins also generally freeze very well!  Then you can just pop a few out when you’re ready, and with a quick pop in the microwave to defrost, they’re ready to go in an instant!

Move over cinnamon rolls!  There’s a fabulous, new breakfast treat in my kitchen!!!

Meet…….these adorable cinnamon bun pie pockets.  :)  The name pretty much describes them.  All of the cinnamon-sugar-and-cream-cheese goodness of cinnamon rolls, tucked in between some delicious (pre-made!) pie crusts, and then drizzled with a little extra glaze…DE-LISH!

Even better, they’re 100% easy and fun to make, and would be a perfect project for kids to help out with on a Saturday morning!  Check out my tip below for some yummy (fruity!) twists on the recipe as well.

Really, run out and buy the ingredients today.  I know you’ll love them!  :)

Cinnamon Bun Pie Pockets
(Adapted from Picky Palate)

Ingredients:

• 2 refrigerated 9-inch pie crusts
• 1 brick (8 oz.) softened cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (1/2 for filling, 1/2 for topping)
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp. milk or heavy cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Unroll both pie crusts and place onto a lightly floured surface.  Using a 3″ round cookie cutter, cut rounds out of crust until all crust is used.  You should get approximately 12 rounds per pie crust, re-rolling scraps one time if needed.

In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, brown sugar and (1/2 tsp.) cinnamon until well combined.  Place half (12) of the rounds onto a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet.  Using a small cookie scoop, scoop a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mixture onto the centers of the 12 crusts.  Lightly brush water around outer edges of the filled dough then place remaining rounds on top of filled rounds.  Gently press edges to seal.

Place sugar and (1/2 tsp.) cinnamon into a small bowl and mix to combine.  Brush tops of pies with melted butter then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops of pies are golden brown.  Once pies are cooled, whisk powdered sugar and cream until mixed well and a desired drizzling consistency.  Drizzle over tops of pies.  Serve warm.

Ali’s Tip:

A fun variation on this would be to mix some diced/mashed fruit into the cream cheese mixture, such as:

• bananas
• apples
• apricots
• blueberries
• blackberries
• peaches

Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?  Actually, I do!  His name is Steve.  :)

He happens to be my good friend, a brilliant physical therapy professor, and the baker of his famous “medley” muffins.

It’s true.  Every now and then, Steve posts on Facebook that he’s making another enormous batch, and inevitably he gets tons of requests (including from Yours Truly) to please save people a few!  And of course, this is why Steve is famous for his muffins — because he will!

The first time I had a delicious bite, I remember immediately asking what he’d put in them.  And I was surprised when he listed off bananas, pumpkin, and oatmeal.  And then I was even more surprised when the list went on with wheat flour, cranberries, almonds — oh my!!!

It’s definitely the r-a-r-e occasion that I ever make a recipe with more than ten ingredients.  But this week, the muffin craving hit.  And when I surveyed my pantry, realized that I surprisingly had all of the ingredients on hand.  So I pulled a “Steve” and made a massive double batch, and oh my word – heaven.  Healthy, hearty, delicious…heaven.  :)

Trust me, they’re worth it.  And in honor of Steve, please share.  Your friends will love you.

“Medley” Muffins Recipe
(From my friend, Steve)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups wheat flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup wheat germ or flax seed (optional)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 can pumpkin
• 1/3 cup milk (can use soy milk)
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 egg
• 1 cup oatmeal (quick or old-fashioined)
• 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 1/2 cup almonds or walnuts (I used a mixture of whole and sliced almonds)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare 18-22 muffin tins with paper cups, or lightly grease.

In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking soda, and wheat germ (or flax).  Set aside.

In mixing bowl, mix together the next eight ingredients (butter through egg) until combined. Then slowly add in the flour mixture until combined.  Then stir in oatmeal, cranberries and almonds.

Pour the mixture into the baking cups, so that each is about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool for a few minutes, and serve.  These also freeze well.

Ali’s Tip:

If you want to be extra-healthy and include an extra 1/4 cup of wheat germ (or flax), feel free to just leave out 1/4 cup of the wheat flour.

To kick of a morning of meetings on Mardi Gras, I decided to bake up these delicious sticky buns for my coworkers!  YUM!

I have actually had a lovely surplus of puff pastry sitting in my freezer this month, after stocking up from a $0.99 sale at Aldi (wahoo!).  So was excited to put a box to use — especially on a Barefoot Contessa recipe!  I’m telling you — the woman is brilliant.  Still have yet to find a recipe of hers that I don’t immediately fall in love with.

Sure enough, they were a-ma-zing.  Thanks to the wonder of puff pastry, the total time from the pastry start to that ooey gooey finish was just 40 minutes.  Love it!  But the best part, of course, was that classic cinnamon, butter, pecan, (and now) soft, flaky puff pastry goodness.  Absolutely irresistible.  :)

Definitely a perfect (and appropriately extra-buttery) way to celebrate Mardi Gras!  But I’m pretty sure these will be gracing my kitchen many more times this year.  Thank you…..Ina!

Easy Sticky Buns Recipe
(Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa – Back To Basics)

Ingredients:

• 12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped in very large pieces
• 1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the filling:

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (to catch any butter that may ooze over!).

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful – they’re hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Ali’s Tip:

Don’t worry at all if your little unbaked rolls are lopsided, or if the pastry is at all cracked in places.  Once they bake, any “imperfections” will turn into delicious perfection. :)

Once upon a time, there were two friends who moved in together as roommates just after college.  One was continuing on with a master’s degree in therapy.  One was beginning a new job at a church (the size of a small town) leading a vocal ministry.

Exciting times.  Fun times.  But often, overwhelming, frustrating, and stressssssful times.

So when the going got rough, or when it was time for a celebration (or…just when the craving hit :-)), these two friends hopped in the car and drove across town to “The Lobster” for the best of all indulgences…

Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

If you have ever tried these heavenly little delights, you understand why they always brought a smile to the two friends’ faces.  And why they always asked for seconds.  And why they were worth every calorie.  :)

So even though these two friends now live hours apart, the memories of great times at “The Lobster” forever live on.  And thankfully, the recipe for the biscuits do as well.

The end.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
(Adapted from Joyful Abode)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix (such as Bisquick or Jiffy)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together biscuit mix, cheese and garlic powder.  Add in milk, and stir until well mixed.  (Heads up – the dough will get very sticky!)

With a spoon or with your fingers, shape the dough into biscuit-sized clumps, and drop onto the baking sheet.  (Note that the dough will pretty much hold its shape when baked, so feel free to pat down random peaks in the dough if you’d like them to look more uniform!)

Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until biscuits begin to brown slightly around the edges.

While the biscuits bake, prepare the warm butter mixture by mixing together the melted butter, oregano and garlic salt in a small bowl.  As soon as the biscuits are removed from the oven, brush the biscuits (while they are still on the baking sheet) with the mixture until they are well-coated.

Serve warm.

(*This recipe usually makes about 15 biscuits for me.*)

Ali’s Tip:

If you’d like to actually see more of the grated cheddar in the finished biscuits, opt for the more thickly grated cheddar (rather than the super-fine stuff!).  Both of course taste exactly the same, but I love seeing the little whisps of cheddar when enjoying these guys.  :)

A few winters ago, I had a craving for Panera’s chicken noodle soup.  I remember the day — it had just practically blizzarded (is that a word?) in KC, everyone was home from work and school, and my car was frozen shut with a few inches of snow and ice.  It clearly was not going to be my day to drive over to Panera…

However, realized that I actually had all of the ingredients for the classic soup at home.  But somehow, those flimsy, thin little egg noodles in the pantry just didn’t seem like they would cut it.  So I took advantage of the extra time indoors and tried my first batch of homemade noodles.  For some reason, the idea had always totally intimidated me.  (Visions of professional pasta chefs in Italy seemed to dance through my head…)

But I gave them a try, and L-O-V-E-D them!!!  Holy cow!  Not only does the recipe call for five common ingredients, and take less than 5 minutes to pull together — they were totally fun to make!  You can of course roll them out and cut them however thick/thin you’d like, but for soup I love going Panera-style — nice and thick.  :)

So get out your flour, salt, eggs, milk and butter (I told you common ingredients), grab your pizza slicer, and have oodles of fun with these noodles!  (Plus, this recipe makes a double batch — so feel free to use half and freeze half for the next soup or noodles day!)

Homemade Egg Noodles Recipe
(Adapted from AllRecipes)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
• Optional: 1-2 tsp. Italian seasonings

Method:

With mixer: Mix eggs, milk and butter together on low speed until combined.  Then add in salt and flour.  Mix on medium speed until combined.

By hand: In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8″ or 1/4″ thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes with a pizza slicer (or a knife). Allow to air dry (ideally at least an hour) before cooking.

To cook fresh pasta, in a large pot with boiling salted water cook until al dente.

Ali’s Tip:

Remember that fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta!  So keep a close eye on these guys as they cook.  They’ll be al dente before you know it!  :)