New beginnings again! And fettuccine nests.

Aah, yet another year plus has passed without a post!  What can I say, life has been full.  Work picked up speed, free time went to maximizing our last year as a family of two, and now any extra time is spent resting and catching up on chores while our little monster sleeps.  The cooking and baking hasn't stopped, though the degree of difficulty and experimenting has sure plateaued.  Hopefully it'll slowly pick up speed again.  I'm inspired by my many mom friends (of multiple kids!) who still seem to cook and bake just as much as pre-kid days!

In the meantime, we were at Costco last week and saw this new item: Spinach and Egg Fettuccine Nests by Monte Pollino, made in San Francisco.

Bag of fettuccine nests from Costco

Each 3 lb bag comes with 8 fettuccine nests for $8.99.  Two nests were the perfect amount for dinner for the two of us, though the husband eats double portions (and loves pasta) so two pasta nests could probably feed 3-4 average eaters.  We really enjoyed this pasta!  We cooked it with a lemon garlic spinach sauce so I couldn't really taste the egg or spinach flavor as distinctly.  The noodles are slightly thicker than normal fettuccine, thus giving it a great bite or "QQ" texture.

This might be a local SF Bay Area Costco product and possibly seasonal.  It's a little more pricey than the standard Costco pasta, almost 3 times the cost actually since you can get almost 9 lbs of spaghetti for $9.99.  If this were a regular product I would probably alternate between this and the regular pasta.  Since it might be limited though, I'll be picking up another bag if I see it again next trip. :)          

Review of Costco Hawaiian Poke in California

Hawaiian Poke at California Costcos

By now most of you in California (at least in the Bay Area, Orange County, or San Diego) have probably noticed Hawaiian Poke making appearances at your local Costco.  The list of stores seems has been growing since my initial sighting in April and it sounds like their test period has been successful - the poke bar may be here to stay.  A recent trip revealed that poke prices run around $16.99/lb to $17.99/lb for varieties of ahi tuna poke and $11.99/lb for shrimp poke.  The poke bar may or may not be a stable addition to your local Costco.  I've seen some places carry it consistently each week and other places carry it only occasionally whenever the blue seafood kiosk is in the store.

Poke in the Bay Area

So, how does the poke compare?

Roasted Carrots & Carrot Top Pesto

Lately I've been picking up bunches of organic carrots at Sprouts that still have their leafy tops attached to them.  After a quick search to check that carrot greens are indeed edible (though somewhat bitter if eaten alone), I decided to make a pesto out of them.  I've been using this pesto on pasta, scrambled eggs, veggies, pork - so many things can go with pesto!  Be sure to wash your carrot greens well since they tend to be quite sandy.

Keep your carrot greens and make pesto!

Basic Biscotti

Basic Biscotti Recipe

Biscotti are oblong twice-baked cookies or biscuits, originating from Italy.  Their dry texture makes them the perfect dunking companion for a cup of coffee.  I picked up this recipe from an old roommate several years ago and since then have modified it only slightly.  This is a pretty simple and basic biscotti recipe.  I like that the base has only a hint of sweetness and it's incredibly versatile with your choice of mix-ins.  I typically make my biscotti with chocolate chips, toasted almond slivers, and dried cranberries - simply because those are staple ingredients in my pantry.  It's important not to get overly ambitious with your mix-ins or else your dough won't hold together. Try to keep your mix-ins to a total of 1 cup.  Some other combinations that would work well include:

Favorite Lemon Bars

Favorite Lemon Bars

I've shared this recipe before with a coconut variation, but here it is again in its pure and simple form. After making these for work, I'm reaffirmed that they really are my favorite lemon bars.  I doubled the recipe this time and baked it in a 9x13 pan.  The crust to filling ratio comes out to 1:2 and I think it's a great balance.