Tomato sauce with tuna and ricotta

This sauce is very rich. Serve with your favorite pasta.

4 tomatoes or 1 can of diced
1/2 c. Butter
1 can tuna
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 c. Grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

If you are using fresh tomatoes, you should blanch them to remove the skin, then dice them. Over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Stir in tuna and ricotta. Pour over pasta. Add cheese on top of the pasta.

My soft choloate chip cookies

Really good as big cookies. I make mine with a medium size scoop (about 2 tsp.).  It took me a while to figure out how to make these cookies soft. They stay soft after baking for up to 3 days. Cookies haven't stayed around longer than that so I can't tell you if they will stay soft longer than 3 days.
Want it less soft? Use only 1 T. milk and 2 T. less flour. Enjoy.

2 1/2 c. Plus  1-2 T. Flour
1 t. Baking soda
1 1/4 t. Salt
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c. Brown sugar
1-2 t. Vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 c. Milk
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and splash of milk.  Add baking, soda, salt. Then add flour. Add the chocolate chips and nuts. Bake 9-12 minutes depending on the size.

Blueberry Muffins

I like using frozen blueberries because they hold their shape better. Please make sure the bag doesn't have ice in it.

lemon rind
1/2 cup sugar plus a little more for the topping
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 canola oil
1 egg
1-2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375. Zest the lemon. Add sugar, buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla Add baking soda and baking powder. Then add the salt and flour. Fold in berries gently.  DO NOT OVER MIX. Grease muffin pan. Fill muffin pan 2/3 full, then top with the sugar (If you have the larger crystalized sugar, you can use it.).

Bake for 23 minutes.

Moms homemade pasta

The dough can be used to make ravioli as well. Makes 3/4 lb.

1 1/2 cup all purpose Flour
1 egg
1 egg white
1 T. Olive oil
1 t. Salt
 A few drops of water

Pour flour in a heap on a pantry board, make a well in the center of the flour. (for spinach pasta  see below**) Put the egg, egg white, oil and salt. Mix together with a fork or your fingers until dough an be gathered into a rough ball. Moisten my remaining dry bits of flour with a few drops of water and add to the ball.

Knead the dough on a floured board, working in a little extra flour if the dough seems too sticky. After 10 minutes of kneading, the dough should be smooth, shiny and elastic. Wrap it in wax paper and let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes before rolling it out.

Divide dough into 2 balls. Place 1 ball on a floured board and flatten it with your hand into an oblong shape about 1 in. thick. Lightly dust the top with flour.  Using a heavy rolling pin, start at one end and roll it out lengthwise, away fom yourself to within an inch or so of he far edge. Turn the dough crosswise and roll across its width.  Repeat, turning and rolling the dough, until it is paper thin. If the dough begins to stick, lift it carefully and sprinkle more flour under it.

To make tagliarini, fettucine, tagliatelle and lasagne, dust the rolled dough lightly with flour and let rest for about 10 minutes. Gently roll the dough into a jelly-roll shape. With a long sharp knife, slice the roll crosswise into even strips- 1/8 inch wide for tagliarini, 1/4 inch wide for fettucine or tagliatelle, and 1 1/2 to 2 inches for lasagne. 

To make ravioli, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape so that you can cut three 3 inch squares by eight 3 inch squares across (you will end up with twenty-four 3inch squares or 12 ravioli.)

**Note:  to make spinach pasta, take 1 bunch fresh spinach  and add to the boiling salted water. When he spinach goes limp, drain and take out as much excess water as possible. Cutt off the stems. Chop the leaves into small pieces. When you make the well, add spinach with the eggs, olive oil, salt.