There are affiliate links in this post. I get commissions for purchases made through these types of links in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Last week I was in Portland and for a few days the week before that I was in Seattle. Portland was for work. It was really good to see some of my co-workers and even meet a few for the very first time. Since I work from home, I hadn't gotten to meet some members of my team. It was awesome to get to hang out with them and I ate very well and even hung out with an awesome friend.

I was in Seattle before Portland for the BlogHer Food conference. I had a lot of fun eating, meeting new friends and seeing old friends.

While I was in Seattle, I got these panic texts from Curtis, the washer was broken or he actually said “I broke the washer”. He thought he had overloaded it but I kept texting back saying I'm sure it's just old. It was really really old.

Fast forward to last week (or wait rewind), and I get a text message from Curtis with a photograph of some chicken lo mein. He had made a frozen dinner and he said he couldn't wait for me to come home to make dinner again.

It was so sweet and before you go thinking, he should be able to make his own dinner. He should and he would but he is currently beyond stressed out halfway through a year-long online certificate program for GIS (he makes maps for a living). All his idea and his company is covering the costs. He regrets it about every other day because he remembers how much he disliked school. I can go on and on about this.

I felt terrible, I left for a week and a half and he has to deal with the puppy, a broken washer, work and school on top of all of it. I promised I would make this cheese steak sandwich recipe and DoubleTree cookies when I came home.

But not the day I came home though; it was a red eye flight. NO MORE red eyes for me. I just can't hack it. I don't sleep very well on planes due to my sleep apnea…I don't know why I tried it for so long but no more.

What Steak for Cheesesteak

The second day after I came home, I made these cheesesteaks. This is Curtis' perfected recipe. We have been making this for a few years now. We used to make it with sliced roast beef and one day, my former co-worker Kevin, said that Philly cheesesteaks were made with ribeye…that was enough for Curtis to want to give it a try.

And perfection.

If you don't want to leave your house and have amazing ribeye steaks delivered to you. You should check out this deal on Perdue Farms!

Deal alert: check out this Niman Ranch Bundle from Perdue Farms that's 40% off!

They offer free shipping for orders over $159.99 too!

How to Make Philly Cheese Steak

Slice the beef ribeye steaks across the grain in thin slices. Once sliced, rough chop all of the beef several times going in rows and then columns. You want to have small pieces of beef when you're done so your cheese steaks are easy to eat!

In a heated non-stick skillet with 1 tablespoon butter, cook the mushrooms and half of the onions.

All done! Remove mushrooms and onions from the pan and put them on a plate for now.

I wipe the pan out with a paper towel and add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and saute the peppers and onions.

All done! Remove the onions and peppers from the pan and add to the plate with mushrooms & onions or onto a separate plate depending on preference.

Once again, I wipe the pan with a paper towel and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add half of the ribeye steak and cook just 2-4 minutes.

Cheesesteak Sandwich for Pepper Lovers

Then, add the onions & peppers or if using all of the ingredients – half of the onions/peppers/mushrooms mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then divide in half.

Now the cheesesteak magic happens! Add cheese on top. Curtis likes to mix up Provolone and Muenster cheeses so you'll see them above.

Allow the cheese to melt and add to sliced hoagie rolls. More pictures on that below!

Cheesesteak for Mushroom Lovers

Once again, I wipe the pan thoroughly especially the cheese so it doesn't burn. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the 2nd half of the ribeye to the pan. Cook for 2-4 minutes and then add back the onions and mushrooms or the remaining veggies. Divide in half as pictured above.

I prefer provolone only. Add the cheese on top!

Allow the cheese to melt for 1-2 minutes.

Assemble the Cheesesteak Sandwich

And now the fun part, place beef & cheese & veggies onto hoagie rolls.

Doesn't the steak and cheese look amazing? Now I'm craving another one of these.

I love how the cheese gets mixed in completely so every bite has melty, irresistible cheese in it.

And we're ready to roll the cheesesteak sandwiches up.

How to Reheat Cheesesteak

Roll them up tightly in foil. These pictures don't really show you how small we roll them up. The diameter of the cheesesteak ends up being almost half of the diameter of the hoagie roll originally.

Put them into the oven at 250 degrees and allow the meld to happen for about 10-15 minutes. (Don't you just love my blue oven? I had no ideas that ovens could be different colors inside. For the record, I'm using the top oven of my KitchenAid double oven range.) To reheat cheesesteak sandwiches, you'll pop them in the oven for just a little bit longer.

What you end up having is cheesy, greasy goodness. The hoagie is not too soggy but wet enough from the juices from the meat and beat up looking from being tightly rolled. It is perfect. Oh and I had my cheesesteak with a root beer float and some chips. Total perfection.

I like to give Curtis a hard time for what he likes to cook (hot dogs, chili and chili cheese dogs, see the pattern?) – he doesn't cook much and he said the other day, never in a million years did he think I was ever going to blog one of his recipes. I guess I need to do it more often, huh?

Check out the video I made, it shows you how easy this recipe is!

*Just a note: this recipe is based on both of our preferences. I prefer mushrooms and onions on my cheesesteaks and Curtis prefers green peppers and onions. If you want green peppers in all four cheesesteaks – increase the amount of bell peppers to a whole bell pepper. The amount of mushrooms can stay the same or be increased just as well.

Print

Cheesesteaks

Use two ribeye steaks for this cheesesteak recipe and you can't go wrong.

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 hoagie rolls sliced (We love the Publix hoagie rolls!)
• 1/2 green pepper sliced
• 1 large white onion cut in half and sliced thick
• 8 oz mushrooms sliced
• 1.25 to 1.5 pounds beef ribeye steaks sliced thinly across the grain and then chopped roughly again so they are small pieces
• salt & pepper
• 3 1/2 Tablespoons salted butter
• 8 slices of cheese Provolone or Muenster

Instructions

• Prepare 4 sheets of foil and slice the hoagie rolls and set aside. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Heat a non-stick skillet with 1 Tbsp butter on medium high heat. Add mushrooms and half of the onions and cook 5-8 minutes or until mushrooms are browned and onions are cooked down. Remove and place on a plate.
• Wipe the skillet with a paper towel and add 1/2 Tbsp of butter and return to the stove. Cook remaining onions and bell peppers for 5-8 minutes or until peppers start to brown and blister and the onions are cooked down. Add to a separate plate (unless everyone likes peppers/onions/mushrooms then add to the plate with mushrooms & onions).
• Wipe the skillet again with a paper towel and add 1 Tbsp butter and return to stove again. Season half of the steak with salt & pepper and add to the skillet. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 2-4 minutes. Add in peppers & onions or half of the veggie mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes. Divide the meat & veggies in half as pictured above. Add 4 slices of cheese on top and allow the cheese to melt for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the cooked meat & veggies and melted cheese to two hoagie rolls. Inside one sheet of foil, roll the hoagie roll tightly and place inside the oven for 10-15 minutes.
• Repeat the process with the remaining steak & veggies or like I did with the mushrooms and onions – for the last two hoagie rolls. Serve fresh out of the oven with chips or your favorite French fries.

Notes

Notes: If you have leftovers (if that's possible), refrigerate inside a zippered plastic bag inside (don't remove it from the foil). Reheat the cheesesteaks in the foil in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

*Okay another note, I didn't call these Philly cheesesteaks okay? I have never had a cheesesteak in Philly even though I have been to Philly before (as a kid). I have only tasted a cheesesteak made at supposedly authentic shops here in Florida. Hope these are close but I know it's inevitable someone will say, these aren't anything like the original! And there's no way they can be since we don't have access to those amazing Amoroso rolls.

Edited to add: I am able to purchase Amoroso rolls at Aldi and it's the best way to make this cheesesteak recipe!

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Originally shared on June 19, 2012. Was updated in 2019.

The post Cheesesteak Recipe appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Originally published on May 24, 2013, I updated this post to include step by step photos.

There are affiliate links in this post. I get commissions for purchases made through these types of links in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cookies! Okay, sooo I have an obsession with cookies and chocolate chip cookies. Each one I have made, I call them the best ever! Now everyone thinks I'm lying. I guess I have to say I have three favorite recipes. The recipe I'm sharing with you today is now in the top three too.

Have you stayed at a Doubletree Hotel before? They give you these fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and they are heaven. I'm so happy to have found a recipe in my searches, so I can make them at home! And I have to say, these taste even better at home. Once you make them for family and friends, they will ADORE you!

I made these cookies for our food blogger bake sale this year! Huge thanks go out to all of the bloggers who participate this year: Katie’s Cucina (my co-organizer! here's her recap), Kokocooks, Forkful, Live Pretty, Simply Southern Baking and My Sweet Zepol. We raised almost $700 for Share our Strength! And huge thanks go out to the Winter Garden Harvest Festival — they let us combine our bake sale with their festival which was a blast!

There's our great group! What a lovely bunch of ladies!

First things first, pulse the oats in a food processor.

I usually will pulse at least 2 cups worth and store the rest in a jar in the pantry so I have some ready to go the next time I'm making these DoubleTree Hotel chocolate chip cookies again!

I measure out and mix the oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together with a rubber spatula.

In another mixing bowl, add both sugars and the butter.

Cream them together, they will look like this.

Squeeze the lemon.

Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and eggs, mix until smooth.

Add the flour mixture in two batches.

And mix together until just combined. (Don't overmix.)

Add the chocolate chips and the chopped walnuts.

Again don't overmix the dough.

And then portion out the dough using a cookie scoop. I used to make them huge (like you see above) but I like my dough to go further and make even more cookies for sharing or for those late night cravings. So I use a medium sized cookie scoop now (1.5 tablespoons).

Portion the dough out because this makes your life easier. The dough has to chill and I hate trying to scoop out portions when the dough is rock solid from the refrigerator or the freezer. Chill the dough for a few hours and then bake to your heart's content!

And about this DoubleTree cookie recipe…please make them! I put a quick video together on how to make them too! Enjoy!

These chocolate chip cookies are to die for…they are my absolute favorite…I measure all cookies up to these ones!

Print

DoubleTree Cookie Recipe

Having made these cookies a bunch of times, my favorite semisweet chocolate chips for this recipe are Ghirardelli miniature ones.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 28 -30 large cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter two sticks, softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips you can use regular-sized chocolate chips instead
• 1 cup chopped walnuts optional

Instructions

• Pulse oats in a food processor until semi-fine or fine.
• In a small mixing bowl, add the oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly together with a rubbers spatula or wooden spoon.
• To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add butter, both sugars. Cream together using an electric hand mixer. Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and eggs. Mix until you have a smooth mixture. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bottom of the bowl with a spatula at least once.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula, being careful not to overmix. Drop in the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until both are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough. Again, be careful not to overmix or they will have a cake-like texture.
• Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons or you can use a medium-sized one to make even more cookies), scoop cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet. Freeze or refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 to 4 hours or overnight even.
• To bake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cookie dough portions onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 13 to 14  minutes or until desired doneness (for smaller cookies, bake for 12 to 13 minutes).
• Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack if storing. Store in a sealed container with a slice of sandwich bread to ensure softness of cookies.

Notes

Tip:  Freezing your cookie dough for later, let's you have fresh baked cookies anytime you want them! Here are some tips on how to freeze cookie dough.

An update: I make these cookies ALL the time! I find that miniature chocolate chips work even better than regular-sized. And above is how I first freeze the dough right after making the cookie dough. Check out how to freeze cookie dough.

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The post DoubleTree Cookie Recipe appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

This recipe was originally published in February 2011. I just updated the photos and added some recipe notes based on the many comments and questions I have received over the years. This recipe is a family favorite of ours and I hope you'll enjoy it if you try it!

My friend piqued my curiosity when she told me about her co-worker bringing in a slow cooker to work making crockpot whole chicken it for an entire day.

She often brought her crockpot in with some kind of concoction so she could bring dinner over to her friend's house who was going through chemotherapy treatment.

What a great friend, I'm sure her friend appreciated it. My friend told me their office often smelled really good during these days.

(Original photo this recipe was posted with in February 2011)

So when I was on the hunt for a chicken slow cooker recipe, I googled and found this one.

Why I love this recipe for Crockpot Whole Chicken

It's incredibly simple and the chicken goes into the crockpot in minutes. I added my own twist to it and guess what? The chicken is wonderfully moist and it's very simple.

After the chicken is done, you can put it in your broiler to crisp up the skin.

Carving the chicken is so easy because it just wants to fall apart. The breast comes right off the bone and is very easy to cut up. The chicken is really tender and flavorful and much easier than roasting a chicken in the oven.

I use a 3.5 to 4.5 pound chicken and it fits just fine in my slow cooker. I added the carrots and vegetables and the chicken rests nicely on them. Also, I added garlic and lemon.

My favorite roast chicken recipe calls for garlic and lemon inside the chicken so I do the same when I make it in the crockpot.

This makes a wonderfully easy meal you can serve with mashed potatoes or rice and your favorite vegetable alongside the carrots and celery if you wish. And  I make chicken pot pies with the leftover chicken.

Can I roast a chicken in a slow cooker?

Yes, you can totally cook a whole chicken in a crock pot. I use a 4 lb chicken in the crockpot. It's really easy to prep and honestly, I don't even bother roasting chicken in an oven anymore!

After the chicken is done in the slow cooker, I crispy the skin in my oven broiler so it's a slow cooker roast chicken with crispy skin!

If you want to roast a turkey as well, you can try this crockpot turkey recipe. If you still want to roast a chicken in the oven, try this recipe for perfect roast chicken.

How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot

Using the ingredients listed below for my crockpot whole chicken recipe, you want to rub garlic on the outside of the chicken. Then, put the spices on the outside and inside of the chicken.

Add a cut up lemon inside the cavity of the chicken and then lay the chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker.

Crockpot Whole Chicken Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 to 5 carrots
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 whole lemon
• 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds whole chicken

How long to cook chicken in a crock pot?

It will take four to eight hours on low to cook a whole chicken in a crock pot. It really depends on the size of your chicken. When I made a 4 pound chicken, it took about 6 hours.

Do I need to add water when making crockpot whole chicken?

There's no need to add water when making my recipe for slow cooker whole chicken because when the chicken is cooking in the crock pot, it creates a broth. Definitely use that broth to flavor the meat and keep it moist for when you save it for leftovers.

Can you cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker from frozen?

No, you shouldn't put a frozen chicken into a crock pot. If you want to use my recipe for crockpot whole chicken, you'll want to fully defrost the chicken first. But you can roast chicken from frozen.

Let me show you the step by step for making crockpot whole chicken

I put the vegetables in the slow cooker first. Then, prep the chicken.

Pat your chicken dry with a clean paper towel. Rub the outside of the chicken with garlic and place the garlic inside.

Fold the wings back below the chicken.

Add the rub to the outside and inside of the chicken. And place the lemon quarters inside.

I try to put the insides of the lemons up against the insides of the chicken, see how the outsides of the lemon quarters are touching?

Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.

When making this slow cooker whole chicken recipe, place the chicken on top of the vegetables. This creates the best cooking situation for the chicken.

Cooking a whole chicken inside of the slow cooker creates a lot of broth and resting the chicken on top of veggies keeps the chicken from failing apart too much.

I use turkey lifters to remove the chicken from the crockpot carefully.

Place chicken in an oven safe dish or roasting pan & in the broiler for just about 4-5 minutes.

But it's inevitable, the chicken does fall apart a little bit. The meat is so moist and tender and it's honestly, the only way we make a roast chicken these days!

Crockpot Whole Chicken Video

I show you how easy it is to put the slow cooker whole chicken recipe together in this video below.

Print

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker Recipe

It's incredibly simple and the whole chicken goes into the crockpot in minutes.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

Rub Ingredients for the Chicken

• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Crockpot

• 1 cup chopped onion approx 1 medium to large onion
• 4 to 5 carrots scrubbed, no need to peel, chopped in halves or thirds
• 4 celery stalks cut in thirds
• 2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
• 1 whole lemon quartered
• 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds whole chicken

Instructions

• Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Prep the vegetables and place inside the slow cooker (I use a 7 quart oval one like this one.)
• Remove chicken from packaging and remove neck and pouch with organs. Discard or reserve for later use in another recipe. Pat your chicken dry with clean paper towels.
• Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken. Put garlic inside the chicken. Put the rub all over the outside and inside the chicken. Add quartered lemon to the inside of the chicken.
• Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours. (When I used a 4 lb chicken, it took about 6 hours. The time will depend on the size of the chicken and your slow cooker.) Cook until the internal temperature of the leg is at 160 degrees F or use a pop-up thermometer as the original recipe calls for.
• Remove chicken and place in a 9x13 glass or ceramic baking dish. Place baking dish in the oven under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Allow chicken to rest after removing it from the broiler for 5-10 minutes.

Notes

Frequently asked questions:

Do I need to add water to the crockpot?
Nope no water needed. This recipe actually makes broth while it's cooking the chicken. You can strain it and use it for a later recipe if you want!

How do I get the skin crispy?
After it's done in the crockpot, see the instructions in the recipe to crisp up the skin in your oven broiler.

Can I cook this recipe skinless?
I have never tried it but I have seen other bloggers post a recipe where they did it. If you want to, definitely try it! I can't guarantee it will turn out the same as with the skin (moist and tender) since I haven't tried it myself.

Can I make this recipe with a frozen chicken?
I wouldn't do this. Be sure to thaw your chicken first and then place it in the your crockpot using the instructions above.

Modified and adapted from food.com.

I have made this recipe so many times now that I can't even count. It seriously is the best recipe for making slow cooker whole chicken! I can't believe it's taken me this long to blog about it. I even make chicken pot pies with the leftovers!

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More Crockpot Whole Chicken Recipes

Lemon Pepper Roast Chicken in a Slow Cooker

Other Slow Cooker Recipes

Crockpot Turkey
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Pulled Pork Sliders 
Slow Cooker Ham
Free Slow Cooker Recipes eBook 
Kale Soup Crock Pot
Crockpot Spinach Dip 

Tools I use to make Crockpot Whole Chicken:

• Crock-Pot 7 Quart Slow Cooker – We use our slow cooker at least a few times a month if not more. It's easy to use and I have had one that doesn't have bells and whistles forever and it works just fine.
• OXO Fat Separator – Super easy and super durable, get rid of the fat from the chicken juices so you can make a sauce or use it as a broth.
• Italian Bakers -I love these baking dishes for this recipe and for making scalloped potatoes!
• Turkey Lifters – I have a similar set I bought years ago that we use every Thanksgiving and every time I make this recipe. The best way to remove the entire chicken out of the slow cooker in one piece. (Amazon | Williams-Sonoma)
• Anchor Hocking glass baking dish – We have a cobalt blue one that we have had forever. It's great for this recipe, potatoes. You can never have too many baking dishes because of holiday baking!
• Carving Knives – We have had a similar set for years now and love it. Love this brand, we have cheese knives from them that are amazing too! (Amazon | Williams-Sonoma)
• Glass Prep Bowls – These were given as a gift to us from my in-laws and I use them EVERY DAY. So convenient for prepping meals and we use them as storage in the refrigerator too!

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post – that means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I make enough for a cup of coffee or two. Thanks!

The post Crockpot Whole Chicken appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Can we have a heart to heart now? It's the end of August which also means we're onto Labor Day weekend (here in the US). Where has the time gone? I'm not ready for the end of summer yet. See? I'm still making pesto with the basil from my kinda sorta pathetic herb garden. I'm actually going to need to cut my plant back more and make even more pesto. Into the freezer it will go!

I keep seeing posts on twitter and facebook about pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks. I'm not ready yet. I'm still into pesto and tomatoes. And I even have a couple of more pesto-related recipes to share with you next week. This Florida girl is holding onto summer as long as she can.

Have you ever made pesto before? Then, you know how easy it is. If you haven't, it's soooo easy, here's a video too! I used my KitchenAid 12-Cup food processor but I even tried it with my blender and it worked great!

Do you remember your first time eating pesto? Growing up, I'm first generation American, we had a lot of Vietnamese food at home so I don't remember having pesto pasta until I graduated high school. I received a scholarship from a really nice family who tragically lost their son his sophomore year of college in a drunk driving incident. The other car's driver was driving drunk and unfortunately Chad Bogan lost his life. The scholarship was named in his honor and I was honored to receive it. Chad's parents took me out to dinner because they wanted to meet me in person and to present me with the check for the scholarship. They took me to a really nice restaurant and I ordered pesto pasta. It was amazing and that started my love for pesto. It's amazing how some food memories are tied so deeply with a life moment, accomplishment or a memory…I wonder if that's the same for you? I remember that meal so well and the kindness and thoughtfulness that Chad's parents showed me. Their generosity in the midst of tragedy has stayed with me all of these years.

I only started to make my own pesto at home a couple of years ago and it's incredibly easy as long as you have plenty of fresh basil. Serve it over your favorite pasta (or even try homemade pasta) or make my pesto caprese fried wontons. Look out for more recipes coming at you soon made with pesto!

I used walnuts in my recipe because A. walnuts are less expensive than pine nuts and B. because we found out Curtis is allergic to pine nuts a few years ago.

Recipes you can try with pesto sauce!
Pesto Caprese Fried Wontons
Pesto Guacamole
Whole Wheat Rotini with Meyer Lemon and Arugula Pesto
Pesto Pasta Stuffed Tomatoes
Pesto Meatballs
Sundried Tomato Polenta Bites

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Basil Pesto with Walnuts Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 1/4 cups approx.

Ingredients

• 3 cups packed basil leaves
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 2/3 cups olive oil

Instructions

• Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor. If you're using a blender, add the olive oil and then the other ingredients.
• While hitting the pulse button, stream in the olive oil until completely processed. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Add a layer of olive oil on top to prevent the pesto from browning.
• Add to your favorite pasta and serve with parmesan cheese.

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.

The post How to Make Pesto (Video) appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Warning warning: very long post ahead! with tons of pictures that will hopefully help you make homemade ravioli! There's a video too. And also check out my contributing post on the KitchenAid blog — more ways to use your KitchenAid stand mixer!

I told you some months ago how obsessed I am with making homemade pasta and you had to know that would translate into making homemade ravioli!

It's really straightforward to make and I love making it. For this recipe, I made a spinach & ricotta filling and we have experimented with a chicken sausage and asiago cheese filling that Curtis loves…must share that with you soon!

I am glad to share that I have been moving through my list of five things I was scared to make and pasta being one of them! I honestly can tell you it's so easy. I use my KitchenAid 7 Quart Stand Mixer and the pasta attachment and it makes it so simple.

Hopefully my video will help you agree with me!

I used King Arthur Flour's semolina flour for this recipe. I love their perfect pastry flour for pasta too!

First, mix the ingredients in the stand mixer with the beater attachment. Once it's incorporated…

switch to the dough hook and mix until it turns into a ball like this. Sometimes, if your dough is too dry, you may need to add a little bit more water.

This is what the pasta dough looks like after coming out of the mixer. Knead it with your hands for a couple of minutes and then shape it into a ball.

And cover and allow to rest.

While the dough is resting, I work on the ravioli filling. This time I made a spinach and ricotta filling. I have made a chicken sausage and asiago filling that Curtis loves and keeps asking for. I need to make it for him again soon!

I used frozen spinach but I want to get ALL of the water out of so my filling isn't too wet. I put the defrosted spinach into a tea towel and twisted it and rung out the water.

Chop up the spinach as best as you can.

Mix the ricotta & parmesan cheeses, spinach and salt & pepper and cover and stick in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

These two things: the KitchenAid® Pro Line® 7-Quart Stand Mixer and KitchenAid® Pasta Roller Set…make my life so easy. Seriously, you just run the dough through the pasta sheet roller a few times on different settings and then you have pasta!

I use my left hand to hold the sheet as it's coming out and my right to feed it through. Pasta life is easy.

One tip is to flour both sides of your pasta dough/sheet each time before running it back through the roller.

Aren't they pretty? I show you how to use the ravioli maker in the video!

Stick them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and freeze them for 15-20 minutes and then throw them into a zippered plastic bag and use them when you want to.

I love these breading trays my sister, Connie, got me for Christmas a few years ago. I use them so much. Beat two eggs in the left tray. Put breadcrumbs, etc. in the right one.

I use my left hand to dip them in the egg and then use same hand to throw in the right try and use my right hand to deal with the breadcrumbs. No more batter claw hands.

These are ready to fry.

These go into the oven!

Baked or fried, baked or fried? I love them fried…in olive oil and butter. The baked ones are good too but I prefer fried anything. Serve them with your favorite tomato sauce and it's a great appetizer!

Of course, you can boil these raviolis and serve them for dinner too!

Supplies I used:

• White Marble Pastry Board
• KitchenAid® Pro Line® 7-Quart Stand Mixer
• KitchenAid® Pasta Roller Set
• Ravioli Maker With Press
• King Arthur semolina flour
• Wooden rolling pin similar to this (I can't seem to find the one I have online but I think a smaller one would be a lot easier to work with for this!)
• Small Baking Sheet (fits in my freezer nicely!)
• Parchment Paper

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Homemade Spinach & Cheese Ravioli Recipe

Servings 48 to 50 raviolis

Ingredients

Ravioli Pasta Dough

• 4 large eggs
• 4 Tablespoons water
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for preparing
• 1 3/4 cups semolina flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling

• 1 cup of frozen spinach defrosted, drained and chopped
• 3 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
• salt & pepper

Baked or Fried Ravioli (this makes enough for about 18 to 20 raviolis for an appetizer)

• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
• salt & pepper

Baked Ravioli

• non-stick cooking spray

Fried Ravioli

• 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• Tomato Sauce for serving

Instructions

Ravioli Pasta Dough

• Adds eggs, water, flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the flat beater attachment, beat for 30 to 60 seconds on speed 2 and mix for 30 to 60 seconds. Add more water if the dough is too dry, in 1/2 Tablespoon increments.
• Remove flat beater and change with the dough hook. Knead for 2 minutes on speed 2. Remove the dough and knead by hand for 2 minutes on a marble pastry board. Allow the dough to rest covered for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Cut dough into four pieces before processing with pasta sheet attachment. Work with one piece at a time, be sure to cover the other pieces of dough. Take one piece and flatten into a rectangular shape. Add flour to both sides. Attach the pasta sheet roller to your stand mixer and set it to #1. Turn on the stand mixer to speed 2 and run the pasta dough through the pasta sheet roller. While on #1, fold the dough in half and run it through again. I do this several times. Add flour to both sides as needed during this process.
• Add a little bit of flour on each side of the dough/sheet between in pass through the pasta sheet roller, change setting to #2 and pass the pasta dough through the sheet roller twice. Change to #3 and pass the pass the pasta through twice and then the same for #4.
• After rolling the pasta out, I get my ravioli maker out and lay the pasta sheet on top of the filler (white plastic). Push the pasta sheet into the ravioli cavities and adjust the sheet as needed. Fill each ravioli with about a teaspoon, I use my fingers to ensure it gets all the way in there and there's no air pockets.
• After you're finished filling your pasta, add another pasta sheet on top and using your hands, you're going to push down to ensure the sheets are pressed together; you don't want any air pockets.
• Then cut the pasta sheet at the end with kitchen shears.
• Once again, press down with your hands and pat it a little, we want to make sure to seal the raviolis. Flip the ravioli filler and remove the filled pasta sheets. Then put the ravioli cutter on the ravioli sheets and line it up correctly. And then flip it over with the ravioli sheets. We're going to use this to cut the raviolis. Run a rolling pin over the top, back and forth. Gently pull apart the raviolis and you're done.

To make baked or fried ravioli appetizers, see below. When boiling your ravioli pasta, it only needs 5 to 7 minutes to boil, for frozen pasta just add a couple of minutes longer.

Baked or Fried Ravioli

• Put the beaten eggs into a shallow dish. Into another shallow dish, add breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley and salt and pepper and mix to combine.
• With one hand, dip one ravioli in the egg and place into the breadcrumb mixture. With your other hand, add breadcrumbs and shake off excess. Place on a plate and repeat.

Baked Ravioli

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place a baking rack on top. Spray raviolis that have been covered in breadcrumbs with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place raviolis on top of baking rack on the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and then flip and bake for another 5 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately with your favorite tomato sauce for dipping.

Fried Ravioli

• Add butter and olive oil to a non-stick pan and heat on medium. Cook in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side (4 to 5 minutes if frozen).
• Remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Optional: sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

Pasta recipe slightly modified from KitchenAid Pasta Attachment Manual. Ravioli Filling & baked/fried recipe from The Little Kitchen.

 

Disclosure: I did receive flours from KAF for review. I also received the KitchenAid items referenced in this post for the purpose of review earlier this year but I was not asked to write this post. All opinions are always my own. There are affiliate links in this post!

The post How to Make Homemade Ravioli (Video) appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

What's going on with you? I hope these cupcakes bring a smile to your face like they do mine!

By the way, do these cupcakes look a little familiar to you? If they do, it's because I did a blue and chocolate swirled version last year and included a quick tutorial on how to do it. A reader (I believe it was Amber) had asked for a video on swirling the cupcakes and it's been on the back of mind to do one ever since. And then I got the sweetest comment ever on this other video. It pushed me to finally do a video tutorial and because I wanted to show you how easy it is to make these super fun, beautiful and professional looking cupcakes!

And let's talk about this cupcake recipe. I changed up the usual recipe I use from Jamie's site (less oil and used strong strong coffee this time) and went further and added mini chocolate chips! These cupcakes are officially amazing and you must try them. That's why these are called triple chocolate cupcakes! I'm having a Bunko party tonight and it was requested that I make them so they can taste test them!

Let's go a little backwards and start with how easy it is to frost these cupcakes. The secret is to have two smaller decorator bags inside a bigger one and a nice big star tip!

Here's that video, I promised you. If you're interested in seeing more of my videos, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I have this lofty goal of trying to do one video per week. My goal with the videos is to show you how easy it is to make something. I want them to be quick and short and hope you find them helpful! I would love to hear your feedback on them!

Why triple chocolate? Because I'm using a chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding and mini chocolate chips in these cupcakes!

First thing I do is coat the chocolate chips in 3 Tablespoons of the cake mix so when you mix in the chips, they don't sink to the bottom.

Mix all of the ingredients together with an electric mixer and then mix in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.

This batter looks like pudding to me. I have to resist from eating the whole bowl.

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop batter into a lined cupcake tin. Bake 18 to 20 minutes and allow to cool before frosting them.

You'll be in chocolate heaven! The wonderful thing about the swirled frosting is you can do whatever color combination you want! You can your team colors or colors that coordinate a wedding or a baby shower. Have fun with it. Next time, I want to try green and pink together!

Tip: If you're making a color combination with chocolate, make the vanilla buttercream first and you won't have to clean your stand mixer bowl when you go to make the chocolate buttercream.

Print

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes with Pink & Chocolate Swirled Frosting

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 26 to 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 18.5 ounce devil's food cake mix (I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme)
• 1 3.9 ounce box instant chocolate pudding
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee cooled
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips I used Nestle

(Vanilla) Buttercream Dream

• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup 1 stick salted butter, softened
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 pounds confectioner's sugar
• 3 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 to 5 Tablespoons milk cold

Chocolate Butterceam

• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup cocoa or 6 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 pounds confectioners' sugar
• 8 to 10 Tablespoons milk cold

Instructions

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F and line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners.
• In a small bowl, mix the mini chocolate chips with 3 tablespoons of cake mix and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining cake mix and pudding mix. Using a rubber spatula, mix together. Add vegetable oil, sour cream eggs, coffee, water and vanilla and mix together with a spatula. Using an electric mixer, mix the batter thoroughly until ingredients have incorporated. Occasionally use the rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add chocolate chips and stir with rubber spatula, just to combine.
• Using a large cookie scoop, scoop batter into cupcake liners and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until poking the center of several cupcakes with toothpick results in a clean toothpick. Allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes in the cupcake tin. Carefully remove from cupcake tin using an angled spatula and allow cupcakes to cool on a cooling rack.

(Vanilla) Buttercream Dream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add both butters and shortening and cream together at a medium speed. Then, add vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
• Add half of the confectioner's sugar with the stand mixer turned. Mix well at a low speed. Then, add the rest of the confectioner's sugar. The mixture may look crumbly or curdled. With mixer on at a low speed, add milk one tablespoon at a time. Add more for creamier and thinner frosting, use less milk for thicker frosting. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Once milk has been added, turn mixer to medium speed and allow to mix for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Store in the refrigerator when not in use. Allow to sit on the counter for about 15 to 20 minutes and whip with angled spatula before adding to piping/decorator bags. Sometimes, I add a little bit of water to it while I'm whipping and it gives a nice creamy texture.

Chocolate Butterceam

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and shortening and mix together on a medium speed. Add cocoa and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined. Add half of the confectioner's sugar and mix on a low speed. Add the rest and the mixture will probably look crumbly. One tablespoon at a time, add the milk until you get the consistency you want. Mix on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes. Same with the vanilla buttercream, store in the refrigerator when you're not working with it.

Assembly

• Set up your decorator bags I put my decorator bags inside a glass (I used a stemless wine glass). Measure out one cup of frosting and fill the bag with an angled spatula. Then, do the same in another decorator bag for your other color. Then, cut the tips of both bags at the same spot. Add rubber bands to the tops of both decorator bags, so the frosting doesn't go out the top when you squeeze them.
• Fit your 16 inch decorator bag with a large open star tip. Add both color frosting bags to the larger one and make sure both of the frosting colors match up inside the star tip.
• To frost the cupcake, lace the tip at a 90 degree angle on top of the cupcake off to the side. Keeping the same angle and with an even pressure, squeeze the decorator bag while moving in a clockwise motion about two or three times. When you're near the end, pull away and stop squeezing to get the finished swirled frozen yogurt look. Repeat for the remaining cupcakes.
• This will frost about 5 to 7 cupcakes depending on how much frosting you use. To frost the rest of the cupcakes, you'll need to remove the smaller bags and refill them. It may get a little messy and you may need to clean the inside of the start tip or use fresh new 12 inch bags.
• For a quick demo of frosting these cupcakes, check out my video.

Notes

Chocolate Cupcake recipe modified from My Baking Addiction. Buttercream Dream recipe slightly modified from Cake Central. Chocolate Buttercream recipe from Wilton.

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. That means if you click on it and purchase anything, I make a little bit of money. Thank you so much!

The post Triple Chocolate Cupcakes with Pink & Chocolate Swirled Frosting appeared first on The Little Kitchen.