"So what are you making for dinner?"

Chicken Pot Pie

2012-02-01T20:27:00.001-05:00

Happy February! Let's start with an oldie but a goodie. Chicken Pot Pie. Recipe from RealSimple.com. I used leftover roasted chicken but I followed their recipe for the sauce. And it was good! But honestly the best part of this was the crust. I made a Pate Brisée and added some thyme to the dough. I used cookie cutters for the steam vents!

What we ate for dinner a year ago...
Stir-Fried Beef with Onions and Ginger

What we ate for dinner 2 years ago...
Manicotti with Chicken Sausage

Winter Vegetable Torte

2012-01-31T20:30:00.000-05:00

Do you ever just stop and stare when you see a photo of food? Well I do. Even before I saw the photo, I saw the name of this dish in my blog roll and saw that it was posted on the Proud Italian blog. I knew it something I would have to try.

I roasted extra sweet potatoes on Saturday night and while the oven was going I threw in some butternut squash and cauliflower to roast. I did add meat to this, some spicy Italian sausage.

Not your hum drum daily fare!

I am going to start adding a feature which I first saw on Smitten Kitchen. I always thought was a very cool idea. Smitten Kitchen was the first food blog that I read. When I saw read the blog I was blown away. I thought it was an amazing idea. At the time I did not think I could ever have a food blog.

What we were eating a year ago...
Peppers Stuffed with Chicken Sausage and Brown Rice

What we were eating 2 years ago...

Ghirardelli Chocolate Caramel Turtle Brownie & Red Lentil and Leek Soup

What we were eating 3 years ago...

Oh I wasn't blogging then!

Pasta Fagioli

2012-01-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

Back in October I made Pasta Fagioli. I had some in the freezer and all I had to do was add the cooked pasta. We had almost no leftovers! I brought some over to my Dad's. I am pretty sure he will like this.
We had some of the bread I made yesterday. This batch came out much better than the last time I made this bread. Practice, practice practice.

And speaking of bread you may notice a new button over there on the right. BYOB-Bake Your Own Bread. This is going to be fun! I love baking bread. I just wish I had found out about this earlier in the month. I could have posted the Marble Rye and Pain l'Ancienne. And the English Muffin Bread. Oh well there is always next month.

Sausage with Ratatouille Sauce Subs

2012-01-29T19:32:00.000-05:00

Ratatouille Sauce! Yes you read it correctly. I was at the Food and Wine site the other day and found the recipe, Linguine and Ratatouille Sauce. In the description of the recipe it is mentioned that the sauce would go nicely "on a hero with sausages." Bingo. Sunday night dinner! Wow it was good. Messy but good.

Oh I did a little baking today...

Pain a l'Ancienne

and for breakfast Lemon Cranberry Muffins.

Caramelized Pork and Sweet Potatoes & Baked Onions

2012-01-28T21:30:00.000-05:00

Lets start with the Caramelized Pork and Sweet Potatoes. I found this recipe at RealSimple.com. We loved this. The pork was so flavorful. My thought is if you put Dijon Mustard on anything it will be good!

Now on to that onion. I found this recipe at Saveur.com. Onions Baked with Rosemary and Cream. Neither of us had ever had a baked onion. What an amazing thing. It melts in your mouth. But one large onion was too much for both of us... don't worry I have plans for the leftovers. Stay tuned!

Grilled Cheese with Roasted Onions and Peppers

2012-01-27T21:30:00.000-05:00

Keep it simple Friday. The onions and peppers were roasted on Sunday and went very nicely with the rye bread and cheese. Some Dijon mustard on the side was all the sandwich needed.

We also had some Italian Wedding Soup that I had in the freezer. Love the little meatballs!

Happy Friday!

If it's Thursday... Pasta with Meat Sauce

2012-01-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

Okay so I am driving to work today and what do I see...

Yes that is the brand of tomatoes I use in my mom's meat sauce. See blog entry from January 5.

And dinner tonight was my mom's pasta sauce with penne.

I work with group of creative women. One of them, Becky has a blog, Fighting Finn. She has documented some of the inventions that have come out of our lunch breaks. (But seriously would a glass of wine be that bad for someone close to the end... unless they prefer vodka. That was a note to any of my nieces or nephews who may be caring for me when I get older. And please let's make it Grey Goose!)

Baked Eggplant Sinatra Florentine

2012-01-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe on What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine. I love eggplant. I love spinach. I love ricotta. And who doesn't like Sinatra!

And Happy Birthday Jack!

Minestra Maritata

2012-01-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

About a week ago I was checking out food blogs and I stopped in my tracks. There was a photo of a bowl of Minestra that looked exactly like what my mom use to make. I was very happy because I did not have a copy of her recipe.
I used a beef shank, pork spare ribs and a nice end piece of prosciutto. The greens were escarole and swiss chard. It tasted just like my mom's.
I am so glad I found this recipe on Cooking with Giuseppe. And I was glad I could share with Chris a dish that I grew up eating.

Calzones

2012-01-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

Kind of an important game tonight. More on that later. These calzones came out great. The crust was delicious and the fillings were perfect. I roasted red peppers and onions this morning and I sauteed some spinach and fresh tomatoes. I made one calzone with peppers, onions and bacon and the other with peppers, onions, spinach and tomato.

Now back to that game... The Giants win! The Giants win!

Panko-Coated Chicken Schnitzel & Acorn Squash Farro Risotto

2012-01-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to make the Acorn Squash Farro Risotto for some time now.
Today I happened to have all the ingredients in the house. Of course I thought that it would not be enough to have just that for dinner. So I also made the Chicken Schnitzel.
The Acorn Squash Farro Risotto was more time intensive, about and hour, so the Chicken Schnitzel was a perfect recipe. It took only 15 minutes. And I used one half of a chicken breast so the amount was just enough.
Now back to the Acorn Squash Farro Risotto. I cut the recipe in half... except for the farro. Making only one squash, the recipe calls for two, I should have used half the amount of farro. We ended up sharing one of the acorn squash halves, they are very filling. We loved the nutty flavor of the farro. And I have enough for a couple of lunches... unless we have it tomorrow night!

And it snowed today! First snow storm since October. When it snows I have to bake bread. I do not know why but I just do. I tried a new recipe today. English Muffin Toasting Bread. I found this on the King Arthur Flour site. Mine did not rise as much as the bread in the photo on the King Arthur site but I loved the taste. It tastes like an English Muffin!

On a different note... Are there any knitters or crocheters out there. Well I found this very cool site. Biscuits and Jam. There is a Stripe Generator! You pick out your colors and the number of rows you want and it shows you what your striped pattern will look like. Very cool.

Pappardelle Pasta with Swiss Chard, Bacon and Ricotta Cheese

2012-01-20T21:00:00.000-05:00

For some reason I wanted Swiss Chard for dinner tonight. So I googled Swiss Chard and pasta and found this recipe on Cinnamon Girl Recipes blog. I could not find the pasta at the store so I made my own. I used the recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Pasta. There is nothing better than homemade pasta.
Here is the recipe. I cut this recipe in half and there was plenty for the 2 of us.

3 cups all purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Place the flour in the bowl of a food processor. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the salt and olive oil to the eggs and stir to combine. Add the egg mixture to the food processor with the flour and pulse to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides once or twice. Continue, with the machine running. until the liquid is evenly distributed, about 1 minute. The dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers and be cornmeal yellow in color. Some of the dough will be clumping together, but it will not form a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough into a ball and knead gently until the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes before rolling and shaping as desired.

Lucy loves to watch me make pasta!

So for the rest of the dinner I followed the Cinnamon Girl recipe. Only change was I added some bacon, you welcome Chris! Did it need the bacon? No! We both loved the meal. And with Lent coming up and we try not to eat meat on Fridays this recipe will be repeated, no bacon of course!

And when you visit Cinnamon Girl Recipes check out the Recipe Index! Yum...

Hearty Minestra with Butternut Squash

2012-01-16T19:34:00.000-05:00

The recipe is from Lidia's Italy site. I made the Minestra base a while back and put it in the freezer.
I picked up a butternut squash at the store and cut it into 1/3 inch pieces. I added it to the base which was put in a pan and brought to a boil. Covered the pan and cooked for 30 minutes.
Perfect meal for a January night. And yes we will be having the leftovers tomorrow night!

Baked Penne with Tiny Meatballs

2012-01-15T19:01:00.000-05:00

Have you checked out the site Cookstr yet? It is a site that is a collection of cookbook recipes. Between that site and Pinterest I could easily get lost for a few hours! So I found this amazing recipe on Cookstr. Baked Rigatoni with Tiny Meatballs. This recipe is from Marcella Hazan.
The changes I made were using Penne instead of Rigatoni, not a big change. This was a rib sticking meal. Very filling. Perfect for a cold winter's night in front of the TV watching the Giants beat Green Bay (but sadly I had to say, "Maybe next year for the Saint...").

Go Giants!

Shrimp with Couscous

2012-01-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

Okay they can't all be winners. This was not bad. But I can say it. It was boring. The shrimp were tasty. Unfortunately I had to use frozen mixed vegetables, no time to run to the store to buy fresh ones which I am sure would have made all the difference. And the couscous was very good. I tried a different brand. Lundberg Roasted Brown Rice Couscous. I liked the nutty taste. And their website has a lot of recipes to try!

My Mom's Meat Sauce Recipe

2012-01-12T19:30:00.000-05:00

Okay. Here it the deal. During the winter, once a week we have Pasta with Meat Sauce. Not just any meat sauce. The sauce is the sauce my mom taught me how to make. Last week I announced my choice in canned tomatoes was the same as what my mom had used, Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes.
I have been going through the blog posts and looking to see if I had ever posted my mom's recipe. I don't think I have.
Well here it is.

My Mom’s Meat Sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. sweet sausage
1/2 lb. hot sausage
4- 16 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
tomato paste
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tbsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup red wine

Heat olive oi in large pot. Add garlic and chopped onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add all the meat. Cook over medium heat until browned. Meat does not need to be cooked through. Add tomatoes and simmer covered 30 minutes to 1 hour. Add tomato paste to thicken, adding 1 tbsp. at a time as needed. Add herbs, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Add wine, cover and simmer 10 to 20 minutes. Remove clove of garlic and let cool completely. Remove any grease from the top of the sauce. Freeze extra sauce in containers or zip log bags.

Sweet Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

2012-01-11T19:04:00.000-05:00

I had a half day at work today so I was able to throw this one dish wonder in the oven before Chris got home and 45 minutes later dinner was served.
The bread I served with this, and you have to have bread as the sauce is amazing, is the bread I made on Sunday. Yum!
Do you need this Jamie Oliver recipe? Well Click Here!
Did you you know today was National Hot Toddy Day?

Beef and Barley Soup

2012-01-10T18:56:00.000-05:00

So it was the day after Christmas and I was looking at a lot of leftover Roast Beef. I was in the same situation a couple of year ago on the day after Christmas. What did I do... I looked at my archived recipes on this blog! I found this recipe from back in January 2010. I made enough for a couple of meals and put them in the freezer (!!!).
Fast forward to tonight and dinner is served!

Meatballs with Quinoa

2012-01-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

Once again the freezer is my friend. I made this meal on New Year's day and popped in the the freezer.
I found the recipe for Beef and Quinoa Meatballs on the Whole Foods site. I had all that fantastic sauce leftover from the Osso Bucco. Meatballs were the perfect addition.
And this recipe seemed like a good way to stretch the meat ($$$) and also cut down on the amount of meat we are eating. And we both like Quinoa.
This got two thumbs up from both of us.

Pizza and a Few Loaves of Bread

2012-01-08T19:17:00.001-05:00

Let's start at the beginning. This past week I was on the Food52 site and came across a bread recipe. Pain a l'Ancienne. I had to make it. So I started the dough yesterday morning. The first two loaves did not come out as nicely shaped as I would have liked but the next to were spot on. This dough had great texture. And I liked the addition of Wheat Germ.

Then there was a recipe on another blog. Food Wondering and Marbled Rye Bread. Yes I made this today. It looks so cool. Hopefully Chris will like it in his lunch tomorrow. Such an easy recipe to follow.

So what was for dinner... well seeing I was into the flour I made pizza dough. Half of the pie was just canned tomatoes and cheese. The other half was the leftover tomatoes from last night's chicken and some roasted cauliflower. We ate the whole thing!
And someone liked having me in the kitchen today...

Chicken Cutlets with Tomato Sauté

2012-01-07T22:15:00.008-05:00

Kind of an important game tonight so I wanted an easy meal. Chicken Cutlets with Tomato Sauté was easy and delicious. I found it on RealSimple.com.

For a side dish, keeping with the easy game plan, I had a dish of Chris's amazing stuffing in the freezer. And I really like Roasted Cauliflower so...

Roasted Cod and Scallions With Spiced Potatoes

2012-01-06T20:41:00.002-05:00

From Real Simple. I loved this. Chris loved this. But Archie... he was in heaven. He was definitely into the fish. And yes the fish was great. But I liked the potatoes, of course!

Under the heading of too cute. I got a photo of Lucy waiting for Chris to come home!

Pasta with Meat Sauce

2012-01-05T21:16:00.010-05:00

This could be wordless Thursday. But I will type a couple of words. My mom's recipe for meat sauce. Gosh I can't think of anything else to say. Oh one thing. I have finally decided on a canned crushed tomato to use in this sauce. Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes. It is the brand my mom used and I have tried all the other brands but Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes gives me the taste I remember. Gosh I think I did my first product endorsement!

Shepherd's Pie

2012-01-04T20:58:00.011-05:00

I knew I was going to be making this on Saturday when I made the mashed potatoes.
I thought ahead and made sure I had enough leftovers for this dinner. This is so simple to make. It's just browned ground meat and then add veggies. Usually I use frozen mixed vegetables but I did not have any! So I chopped up some carrots and those leftover green beans from Saturday night and the lonely zucchini.
Sauteed it, seasoned it and put it in a pie plate. Topped it with the mashed potatoes and baked. See I told you it was simple.
Today would have been my mom's 91st birthday. She often made Shepherd's Pie for me. When Chris and I were first married we ate her food at least twice a week. She would pack up "care packages" for us. She was too funny! And I do miss those "care packages".

Chicken Cacciotore

2012-01-03T20:53:00.004-05:00

Wow it is cold out! I was so glad I was able to walk in the house and find a pan of Chicken Cacciotore on the stove. I made it this weekend along with a few other meals (love the freezer). This is the first time this year, okay it is only the 3rd of January, that I have made this. By year I meant this fall-winter season. I seem to cook different things in the fall and winter. I would never make Chicken Cacciotore in July. That is when we grill. But I digress...

The recipe came from La Cucina, The Regional Cooking of Italy cookbook. Yes more red peppers. They were on sale this week.

The pasta may look familiar. It was leftover from Sunday night. We had it last night too with the Sausage and Peppers. No waste this year.

Roasted Sausage and Peppers

2012-01-02T20:39:00.002-05:00

Day 2 of the New Year and this is my favorite dinner so far. Some Italian bread and red wine. Delicious!

Pasta e Lenticchie (Pasta and Lentils)

2012-01-01T19:24:00.003-05:00

So the story goes that it is good luck to eat lentils on New Years Day. I figure why not, it certainly can't hurt! I did a quick Google search and found Pasta e Lenticchie on the Splendid Table site. I was going to make homemade pasta but I did a lot of cooking today - sauce, meatballs, chicken cacciatore, shepherd pie... so when I looked at the recipe and it said writer's mother would use up bits of extra pasta she had I was very excited. I had at least 3 opened packages of pasta. Linguine, shells and elbows. Loved this recipe.
Happy New Year everyone!

Beef Osso Bucco

2011-12-31T20:42:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

What a delicious end to 2011. Beef Osso Bucco. Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans.

And an amazing wine.

We had some visitors this morning at the feeders.

And I got to see my niece Makena today at my Dad's house. He was trying to convince her that Jerri the Giraffe should stay at his house. She was not buying it!

Happy New Year!

Cinghiale in Umido

2011-12-30T23:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had dinner at my sister's house. All I can say is wow. It was so good. We started the some Bruschetta Con Pomodorini (Toasted bread with carmelized tomatoes and ricotta). Did not get a photo.

The main course was Cinghiale in Umido with pappardelle pasta from Vino Italiano The Regional Wines of Italy.

There was a vegetarian dish for my nephew and his wife, but I had to try it. Farrotto Con Porcini E Pecorino ( Risotto style farro with porcini and percorino) from Rustic Italian.

And as usual a wonderful bottle of wine.

And of course Chistmas Cookies!
If I do a Top 10 Meals of the year this is on that list!

Vegetable Frittatta Wraps

2011-12-29T19:16:00.000-05:00

For Christmas dinner I made Vegetable Bundles. Carrots and Zucchini tied together with Scallions. There were leftovers. There was also some cheese from the Antipasto tray and a little leftover sauteed spinach from the Polenta and Vegetable Stacks. So in my effort to have no food be wasted we had a frittatta with all the above mentioned leftovers. I picked up some whole wheat wraps and dinner was served. This was one of the most tasty frittattas I have made. And I think I know why... no meat!

Wordless Wednesday.

2011-12-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

Well just a couple of words... World's Best Soup!

Deviled Bones

2011-12-27T20:06:00.002-05:00

Yes once again we had my favorite post Christmas dinner. Deviled Bones.
Tomorrow night and the following night we will not be eating meat... I just can't.

Today would have been my parent's 68th wedding anniversary. I had done a web site for them on their 60th wedding anniversary. A couple of the images are missing(???), but it's fun to look at the old photos.

French Dip Sandwiches

2011-12-26T21:00:00.011-05:00

Yes we have some leftover Roast Beef. I found a recipe for the Au Jus at Food.com.

We had the leftover roasted potatoes too. They were better the second night!

The Christmas Feasts

2011-12-25T22:59:00.094-05:00

Feast Number 1 is Christmas Eve Dinner at my sister's house. This is my favorite meal of the year. Once again my sister, Lenore, and her husband, Ralph, did an outstanding job.

Feast number 2 is Christmas Day Dinner at our house.

At 12:15 this morning I was setting the table thinking, "I don't know if I am going to pull all this off!"
The roast was taking longer than anticipated and I was getting nervous. But of course everything worked out perfectly. Ah the magic of Christmas!

Biggest hits of the day... my sister's soup and the Cheddar Olives, sorry forgot to take photos of all the dishes. But fortunately my sister came to the rescue by grabbed the camera and started snapping away.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Merry Christmas to All!

2011-12-22T21:30:00.000-05:00

Yes we did have dinner this week but no time to post. Just taking a few days off to enjoy the Christmas season. I hope you all have a Merry and Happy Christmas.

Weekend Wrap Up

2011-12-18T06:36:00.000-05:00

It's time for a review of what we had for dinner this week.

Tuesday - Italian Wedding Soup

Food Styling by Chris

Wednesday - Baked Escarole and Beans

Thursday - Boeuf Daube

I made this back in November and had enough for a meal for the freezer, thank goodness!

Friday - Bacon and Cheese Omelets

Did you ever have one of those days were the work day just does not seem to end. Well at 7:15pm Chris made dinner. What did we have in the fridge... not much. I meant to take something out of the freezer but I did not. He made the most delicious Bacon and Cheese Omelets.

Saturday - Fettuccine with Peppers and Sand

A twist on a recipe I made quite often from the Frugal Gourmet. Dinner does not get simpler than this.

We also had some Seafood Polpettes, they are test run for next week. As I was taking this photo I thought I should put these on a white plate. But that would involve putting another dish in the sink!

Christmas Cookie Time!

2011-12-12T21:48:00.013-05:00

What was for dinner....

Why did we have pizza from Petrillo's tonight...

Yep I baked Christmas cookies from 7AM until 5PM.
What kind did I make? Well let's review.

Striped Cookies. I have made this recipe for years. I found it in a holiday issue of Martha Stewart Magazine. It had to be back in the mid 1990's.

Triple Orange Pecan Biscotti. I made these for the first time this year. I wanted to make something that wasn't chocolate and I had all the ingredients for the recipe in the house. Well except the Grand Manier. I substituted Tuaca.

Snowballs, my mom's recipe. The first Christmas cookie I bake every year.

Whiskey Balls, my mom's recipe. Today when I ran downstairs to get the whiskey I remembered the year my mom and Aunt Marie were making a large batch of Black Russians for the party after my sister's wedding. The two of them got pretty tipsy. Ah memories.

Back to the cookies. Coconut Shortbread. Fairly new recipe, to which I added chocolate shots. Coconut and Chocolate should always be served together.

Crackle Top Cookies, my mom's recipe.

Jelly Bellys, my mom's recipe.

Cinnamon Sticks. I found this in a magazine years ago and it is one of every one's favorite.

Gingerbread Straws. Found this online this year. Wow I love these. In addition to the straws I decided to do cut out with some of the dough. Gingerbread men... heck no...

Gingerbread Cats!

Cranberry-Orange Braised Beef

2011-12-11T19:14:00.001-05:00

How many days until Christmas? Well we got our tree today. While we were decorating the tree I had dinner in the oven. The recipe came from the Whole Foods site. Loved this... but I did like the potatoes the best!
Not sure if it was the tree or dinner in the oven but it smelled like Christmas in here today. And I am becoming a fan of slow cooking! The potatoes which I roasted were supplied by my dad! And I have decided to serve Roasted Potatoes instead of Scalloped Potatoes for Christmas. Check that off my list.

And our tree is up and is very nice!

And isn't Archie the cutest little boy!

The Simplest, Best Shrimp Dish Ever

2011-12-10T21:53:00.019-05:00

Mark Bittman's recipe is so easy. Perfect for a busy Saturday. For side dishes we had Aborio rice and Zucchini.

Chris delivered some Christmas presents to the cats at Forgotten Felines. That is were we adopted Lucy from. I heard the cats loved them!

Chicken, Caramelized Onions and Leeks with Ravioli

2011-12-09T22:11:00.006-05:00

Let me start by saying this was delicious! I came up with this recipe as I was standing in front of the freezer this morning.

I took out a single chicken breast from the freezer along with a container of caramelized onions & leeks that I left over from when I made the Kale and Butternut Squash Pie. I do love my freezer.

I cut the Chicken breast into small medallions and sauteed them in olive oil and butter. Then I added salt, pepper, fresh parsley, sage and rosemary and also dried thyme. Kind of reminds me of a song... Sorry could not resist.

After the chicken was cooked through I added the onions and leeks, about 1/2 cup of white wine and let that cook down a bit and then added a 1/4 cup of heavy cream. I finished it by adding the cooked ravioli.

Welcome to Ham Week

2011-12-09T20:27:00.015-05:00

Yes I do have a blog. No I have not posted all week. So here is a quick recap... Not sure week why this was exhausting. Perhaps the 4 days of rain had something to do with it. Well enough excuses.

Monday - Ham Steak with Green Beans and Aborio Rice
No photo. We have not had this for dinner for a while. It was good but actually I ended up eating the leftover Chicken Piccata from Saturday night!

Tuesday - Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup & Kale and Butternut Squash Pie

Okay no ham tonight. Last week I was at my Dad's and he had 2 bags of carrots that he was not going to use. So I took them. No idea what I was going to make with them I found a recipe for Carrot and Parsnip Soup. Quite good. Chris added a extras to his bowl of soup.

The Kale and Butternut Squash Pie was from the Proud Italian Blog. I had made this before using puff pastry and this one was made a couple of weeks ago and put in the freezer. I do like it with the phyllo dough better than the puff pastry.

Wednesday - Bacon, Onion and Pepper Calzones

I was so hungry I almost ate the whole thing. We had homemade Marinara Sauce with them.

Thursday - Baked Ham and Rice Casserole.

No idea why I pulled so many Ham meals out of the freezer. But I did so... This dinner was from Every Night Italian by Giuliano Hazan. It is delicious and I love having a dish of this in the freezer.

Chorizo, Chickpeas and a Grasshopper?

2011-12-05T17:13:00.004-05:00

I love the Mark Bitman recipe for Chorizo and Chickpeas. His recipe calls for spinach.
I think it was the last time I made it that I added escarole and swiss chard instead. I recall liking the flavors better than the spinach so on Saturday I picked up Escarole and Swiss Chard.

Sunday as I am thoroughly cleaning the Escarole, washing each leaf and trimming off the spine I come face to face with a grasshopper. Pause for a scream...

Chris was not at home at the time so I managed to maneuever the rascal under a glass bowl. Pause for another scream. And sorry Dad but I did throw out the Escarole.

Back to dinner preparation, on the other side of the kitchen. The Swiss Chard was closely examined and washed and the finished dish was quite good.
Now back to the grasshopper. When Chris got home he put the little guy out on the deck (I did not give him a name).

Fast forward to Monday morning... Our little friend made it through the night.

Chicken Piccata

2011-12-03T20:54:00.000-05:00

Oh sorry another quick post... Christmas cookies are calling...

Chicken Piccata, Abororio Rice and Zucchini Patties, they were in the freezer.

Pasta with Meat Sauce and Meatballs

2011-12-02T20:36:00.003-05:00

The photo says it all.

Leftovers and

2011-12-01T19:26:00.001-05:00

So we had the leftovers from last night and meatball sandwiches. The meatballs, were made on Sunday. And wow were they delicious. I would go so far as saying they tasted like heaven. Yes I said it. And we have enough to add to our sauce tomorrow night... do the leftovers ever end!

Hearty Minestra with Butternut Squash and Kale

2011-11-30T21:22:00.040-05:00

Let me start by saying that this was so good we are having the leftovers tomorrow night. The recipe is from Lidia's Italy. My mom use to make Minestra when I was a kid. The difference in her recipe, which of course I do not have written down, was that I do not remember her adding tomato to the base.

Lidia's recipe is fairly easy, it just takes time. This time, I made this about a year ago, I remembered to soak the beans the night before and I had bacon to make the Pestata.

The squash was from my sister's garden. It was very large. When I tried to weigh it whole I kept getting an error message!

Creamy Turkey Dijon Soup and Panini

2011-11-28T05:53:00.004-05:00

Last night we had that turkey breast so tonight we had Turkey Dijon Soup. I liked the soup better than last night's turkey breast, but enough about me and turkey. This soup was suggested by Chris. When we were dating we worked at a restaurant, Nancy Lee's. She made an incredible Turkey Dijon Soup. I had never made the soup before so I googled it and found this recipe. Chris said it was very good, and he loved Nancy Lee's soup, so that was a nod of approval for me!

Creamy Dijon Turkey Soup

1 cup celery chopped
1 cup onion thinly sliced
3 Tbs margarine
1 Large clove garlic minced
3 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
2 tsp reduced-sodium chicken bouillon crystals
2 cups cooked turkey cubed
French bread

1. In 3-quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, saute celery and onions in margarine 5 to 6 minutes or until celery is tender and onions are golden brown. Add garlic and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in flour, salt and pepper and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and slowly add milk, stirring constantly.

2. Return pan to medium-high heat, mix in mustard and bouillon; cook and stir 5 to 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in turkey and heat 1 to 2 minutes.

The panini were made with Roasted Red Pepper, Arugula and Provolone cheese.

Did I mention that Archie loves turkey...

Thanksgiving Again

2011-11-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

Chris makes an incredible stuffing. Next year we will just do the stuffing and the sides. I am really not a fan of turkey. A turkey club, fine but Thanksgiving turkey never really grabbed me. I was more of a stuffed artichoke person. Anyway, tonight we made a turkey breast (boring), acorn squash (very good), mashed potatoes (always good), cranberry sauce (the jury is still out on that one... I added orange zest!) and my first attempt, believe it or not, at gravy (not bad, after Chris adjusted the seasonings).

The star of all this, the reason we even decided to make all this food was the stuffing. Apple, celery, carrot, onion, sausage, croutons, apple juice... seems like I am forgetting something. Well it is pretty amazing. In my opinion it is right up there with the stuffed artichokes.
Archie on the other hand is all about the turkey.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

2011-11-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

Okay so it's Saturday. Haircut at 9am. Over my Dad's after that. Grocery shopping with him and then lunch afterwards. Lunch consisted of an eggplant Parmesan (made by me) and roasted peppers (made by my dad, and they were great) sandwiches.
After that I had to get going, still needed to make one more stop and then home to try to catch up with an online class I thought I would have time for (when will I learn... no pun intended).
Anyway this is a long explanation as to why I used a jarred sauce for dinner.

I felt so bad about it that I decided to make a salad in addition to the pasta.
But what jarred sauce did I use... Silver Palate Vodka Sauce. Why that brand? Their cookbook was one of the first I purchased, and I received The New Basics as a shower gift. And it was on sale. We both loved the sauce.
And the salad consisted of arugula, tomato, olive, Asian pear, Gorgonzola and pomegranate seeds.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:26:00.001-05:00

A perfect Thanksgiving Day. We had wonderful meal prepared by my sister, Lenore and her husband, Ralph. A nice time spend with family. And that is what I am thankful for this year - to be seated at a table with people I love. Eating, drinking wine and laughing. To quote my nephew Andrew, "That's all I need." Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the photos...

Butternut Squash Soup and Subs

2011-11-23T22:33:00.014-05:00

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and we knew what that meant. Tomorrow will be a day filled with a lot of food. So we kept it light tonight.
I had Butternut Squash Soup in the freezer. I had forgotten how delicious this recipe was. Chris picked up a Chicken Parmesan sub and an Eggplant Parmesan sub. Perfect. Soup on a rainy night and half a sub. I really wanted to eat the whole sub but I did not.

And Happy Birthday Dad!

Chicken Pot Pie

2011-11-22T21:30:00.000-05:00

Let's keep it short tonight. The crust was amazing. I got a little creative with the decorations. And the filling... this is what comfort food is all about.

A Big Spinach Salad

2011-11-21T21:15:00.000-05:00

After 3 nights of eating out I wanted a salad. Actually Friday night we were planning on having salads when we walked into Friend's and Company. Then we saw their specials board.
So tonight we made a salad of spinach, grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olives, chippolini onions, almonds, sunflower seeds and pomegranate seeds. Also added some blue cheese after the photo was taken.
For dressings I picked up Marzetti Simply Dressed Balsamic and Pomegranate dressings. They were very good and I liked that they are in small bottles that way they don't linger unused the refrigerator forever.

Happy 95th Birthday

2011-11-20T20:40:00.000-05:00

My dad's 95th birthday is Wednesday. But like every year we take him out on the Sunday before his birthday, holiday cooking takes place later in the week. We went to Lorenzo's for dinner. I have had food to go from there but was never in the restaurant. Quite a nice surprise.

We started with Fried Calamari, Stuffed Mushrooms and Clams Casino. I had Cavatelli with broccoli rabe, sausage and cannellini beans. Chris had Cavatelli with roasted peppers and something else, can't remember. For dessert we had a cannoli cake from Lucibello's. It was a lot of good food and a lot wine and a lot of fun with the family.

Veal Matesse & Gnocchi and a Book Suggestion

2011-11-19T22:19:00.078-05:00

Today is my husband's birthday so for dinner we went to Quattros. We started with Grilled Calamari, tender squid rings grilled, sauteed with crispy bacon, light hot cherry peppers and asparagus tossed in a white wine sauce. For dinner we both had our favorite meals. Chris likes the Veal Matesse, topped with jumbo shrimp, fresh Mozzarella and sauteed spinach in a white wine sauce. I am a huge fan of the Gnocchi, homemade potato pasta, sauteed with fresh diced tomatoes, asparagus in a light cream sauce. Light as air. We even had dessert, Coconut Sorbet. No leftovers!

Are you looking for a good book to read? My sister-in-law, Ann Lombardi, has written Campfire Chronicles. Today she had a book signing at the North Haven Library. This would make a lovely gift for any readers on your gift list!

Here is an overview from Amazon:
Ann White Lombardi's literary endeavor, Campfire Chronicles, follows the travels of Alva, a nearly two hundred and four year old woman, with her quest to return to the sparkling waters of her birth. Her harrowing and heartwarming journey with a small group of strangers, leads them into the alien society of the future and plays a part in their destiny. With the premise that the more things change, the more things stay the same, this science-fiction fantasy is written with attentive descriptions that allow the reader to travel along on the journey. "There was a silence in the air that felt crushing. Amidst the soundless circle were all of the faint yet distinct noises; the bird in the bushes hopping from twig to twig, the sound of a small animal scurrying through the dried grasses, the babbling of the nearby brook as the cold, fresh water tumbled over the smooth stones, the sound of tree toads singing in the distant swamp, and the crackling of wood in the fire pit as the flames came to life. All of these sounds set the stage for the evening's storyteller, Alva".

I am about a third way into the book. It is very good!

It is now available online at www.iuniverse.com (bookstore), as well as, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. It is available as a hard cover, soft cover and ebook.

Friends and Company

2011-11-18T21:49:00.037-05:00

I usually work from home on Friday's. This week I was off on Monday, then came home early on Tuesday when I was not feeling well so I thought I would go into the office to work today. It's November, how bad can the Friday night traffic be... 1 hour and 45 minutes! Yeah not good. I got a call from Chris at 6:45, I had just reached the Q Bridge, and he suggested we meet at Friends and Company for dinner. Perfect. We were planning on just salads. That was until we saw the specials board. There was Fried Calamari which was nice and light with hot peppers fried with it. I loved the caper marinara sauce served on the side. Chris had the Cider Braised Pot Roast served with potatoes, carrots, onions and celery. I had Seared Tilapia with tomatoes, red onion, mushroom and capers tossed in a lemon white wine pan sauce served over a roasted zucchini risotto cake. Yes it was delicious. The meal made me completely forget the hideous traffic I had been sitting in.

Italian Wedding Soup

2011-11-17T20:55:00.009-05:00

Have I mentioned that I love my freezer. Last night I took out some Italian Wedding Soup I had made a couple of weeks ago. Chris heated it up along with the leftover Eggplant from last night. Perfect meal to come home to after a long day. And this is an awful photo of the soup... just too tired to get the camera so I used my phone... sorry.

Eggplant and Country Bread Lasagna

2011-11-16T21:39:00.005-05:00

I was looking at the Lidia's Italy site and found this recipe. It sounded delicious and it was. There is something about frying eggplant as opposed to baking it. It just tastes better. I will probably try this again but baking the eggplant slices and perhaps adding some meat, perhaps prosciutto. Sorry about no photos, but trust me it was a lovely looking dinner.

Escarole and Bean Soup

2011-11-15T19:43:00.000-05:00

Today I came home from work very early feeling a little under the weather. The cats were delighted to have someone to snuggle up next to for a long nap.

Fortunately I had made Escarole and Bean Soup this weekend. Perfect comfort food. The chicken broth was so deliciuos. We also had some leftover frittatta from last night.

Now it's back to bed. Chris in on clean up tonight. Thank you Chris!

Zucchini, Pepper, Onion and Prosciutto Frittatta

2011-11-14T19:42:00.000-05:00

I had a vacation day today and had planned on being home a little earlier than the time I got home. I was going to make, well let's save it for another day... Anyway when I got home Chris suggested one of the meal's I had made for during the week. Wonderful idea. So the Zucchini, Pepper, Onion and Prosciutto Frittatta was for dinner. We made sandwiched with it and boy were they delicious!

Chicken Trombino

2011-11-13T21:43:00.005-05:00

Today was a busy Sunday. So busy that I forgot to start dinner. I had found the recipe for Chicken Trobino the other day on Lidia's Italy. So it's 6:30pm. 20 minutes later I am calling downstairs to Chris that dinner was served. This chicken was so flavorful. The sauce was amazing. I used canned plum tomatoes. And I was looking for the Provola cheese yesterday but could not find it so I used mozzarella.
For a side dish I had made Baked Polenta with Vegetables earlier in the day so that I just heated that up.
Delicious!

Cacio e Pepe

2011-11-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

I had planned on making something completely different for dinner tonight but time flew and this was the next best thing. Cacio e Pepe. I had seen this recipe on The Italian Dish blog this morning. I have made this before and Chris and I love it. I first heard of this dish on the Anthony Bourdain show, No Reservations. The pepper taste is wonderful especially with the bottle of Ruffino, Chianti Superiore 2009 that Chris brought home.
And don't forget to watch the Simpson's tomorrow night. Marge starts a food blog!

Baked Flounder with Tomatoes and Basil

2011-11-11T21:36:00.004-05:00

I got this recipe from the September issue of Bon Appetit. Baked Flounder with Tomatoes and Basil was fantastic. It was so easy and only 272 calories! I made sauteed spinach and minute rice as side dishes. The whole meal took 30 minutes to prepare!

And did you thank a Veteran today...

This is my husband's dad, Sgt. Jack Borzillo US Army 822nd EAB Korea 1951

And this is my dad during WWII at Camp Shanks, NY.

Pepper, Onion and Bacon Calzones

2011-11-10T21:33:00.003-05:00

I made these a couple of weeks ago and put them in the freezer for just a night like this. The peppers were purchased on sale and I roasted them in the oven. The onion was sauteed and the bacon was... the precooked variety, I am not a fan of the smell of fried bacon in the house. The calzone dough was from Jim Lahey's My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method. We topped them with homemade marinara sauce.

Autumn Vegetable Bread Soup

2011-11-08T19:34:00.000-05:00

We have a new favorite soup. I got home from work at around 2:30, half a day vacation day, and started the soup about 2:45. It was done by 3:45. I made the poached eggs and put them on ice. I broiled the bread, which was the No Knead Bread. At 6pm I put it all together and popped it in the oven. This soup was amazing. Even without the bread, the eggs, the cheese, it would have been good. And I have enough for another meal. Do you want to try this? Visit the Soup Addict. Trust me you won't be disappointed.

Spahetti Squash Gratin with Chuncky Tomato Sauce

2011-11-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

First let me start with an apology. I saw this recipe somewhere. It was linked to the myrecipes.com. I can not remember where I saw this recipe. Here is a link to the original recip e.
Of course I did make a change to the recipe. Here is why. I was not going to be home for dinner tonight. I was going to RJ Julia bookstore to hear Marissa Guggiana talk about her new book, Off the Menu. When I am not going to be home I like to leave Chris a decent meal. It is just what I do.
So I added ground meat to the Gratin. I sauteed it and seasoned it with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and oregano. I added it to the layering of the Gratin. Topped it with Panko bread crumbs and baked for about 30 minutes. All Chris had to do tonight was heat it up.
So I walked in the house and it smelled good in here. I tried a small bite and wow it was great!
So what did I have for dinner... a small order of McDonald's fries! Eek! I was running late. I needed to eat something before going to the bookstore and it has been at least 6 years since the last time I had an order small fries. Well they were darn good. I knew with each bite I was doing harm to my body but it has been 6 years! I am not a saint...

Boeuf Daube

2011-11-06T22:26:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe in our weekly paper. The article was written by Lee White. It was entitled "Best Beef Ever". Perfect title. Click here to read the article and see the recipe.
I liked this recipe because the prep work was not too time consuming and I put it in the oven and it roasted for about 3 hours. Chris loved this!
Did everyone enjoy their extra hour today? I spent mine knitting and catching up on that new show, Once Upon A Time. I found it quite addicting.

Dinner at L'Orcio

2011-11-05T23:02:00.009-04:00

Amazing dinner.
I should elaborate a little. We ate at L'Orcio tonight. My sister and brother-in-law have eaten there before but it was our first time.

The evening started of nicely. We found a parking space right in front. We were seated upstairs in a nice airy room. (The hostess had on very nice black boots, yes I complimented her on them!)

We started off with drinks. My sister and I both drink Stoly gimlets. At L'Orcio they add Agave Nectar along with the lime juice. Nice touch.

We ordered appetizers for the table. Antipasto Dell'Orcio which consisted of Prosciutto di Parma, Wild Boar Salami (can I get more of that), Pecorino cheese, Ricotta honey walnut spread (loved it) & Homemade Italian flatbread.
I wanted to try the Sardine Ripiene, Pan fried stuffed sardines, mixed salad, lemon vinaigrette. Everyone tried a taste but I was able to have most of the plate myself.

For dinner my sister and I both had the Ravioli Di Rapine, handmade sausage and broccoli rabe ravioli, creamy roasted garlic sauce and Pecorino Romano. The broccoli rabe added a nice taste. Chris and Ralph both had the Pappardelle al Ragu' Di Cingiale. I had a taste some and love it. Of course I do love the homemade noodles.

For dessert Chris and I shared a Hazelnut Gelato, yum and my sister had the Lemon Tart, very good too.

The wine was Selvapiana Petrognano Pomino 2006. Good choice.

Would we go back? Yes definitely! I can't wait.

Cod Grenoble-Style

2011-11-05T06:09:00.001-04:00

Tonight we turn to Essential Pepin. Page 208 to be exact. First let me start by saying I had intended this cookbook to be a gift. But as I flipped through it I found myself saying, "Oh I want to make that!" quite a few times. So I am now the proud owner of this cookbook.
The recipe is called Halibut Steak Grenoble-Style. Chef Pepin suggests that Cod is a good substitute.
Wow, the flavors were wonderful. The crispy croutons and the lemon that was topped with browned butter. And I haven't even mentioned the fish. And the prep time was good, under 30 minutes!
A note on the writing style of this book. It reminded me of the way my mother would tell me how to make a recipe. It was not pretentious. It was simple and easy to follow. It reads as if Chef Pepin is speaking directly to you. This recipe serves 4 as presented below.

Halibut Steaks Grenoble-Style

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 slices firm white bread, crusts trimmed and cut in to 3/4 -inch cubes, about one cup (I used sliced Italian bread and kept the crusts on)
1 large lemon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 halibut steaks (I substituted Cod fillets)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
8 tbsp butter
3 tbsp drained capers
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in large skillet until hot. Add the bread cubes and cook, turning with a spoon, until uniformly browned on all sides. Drain and set aside.
Using a sharp knife, remove the rind and white pith from the lemon. Cut the flesh into 1/2 inch cubes, removing the seeds as you go. (You should have about 1/3 cup.)
Sprinkle the salt and pepper on both sides of the fish and dip the Cod in the flour to coat on all sides; shake off any excess flour.
Heat 3 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. oil in large skillet. When the mixture is foaming, add the fish and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. With a wide spatula, turn the fish and cook for another 3 minutes, or until browned and crusty on both sides.
Arrange the fish on a serving platter with the nicest side showing. Sprinkle the croutons, lemon and capers on top and set it a warm place (such as a 150 degree oven - or 170 degrees which is as low as my oven goes!)
Melt the remaining 5 tbsp. butter in a skillet and cook until it takes on a hazelnut color. Pour the hot butter on top of the fish, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

One other thing... Does anyone else read Eater? Well there was a story about an upcoming episode of the Simpsons, November 13, entitled "The Food Wife". Click here for more details.

Pasta with Meat Sauce

2011-11-03T21:20:00.000-04:00

Let's just let the photo do the talking...

Baked Stuffed Peppers

2011-11-02T19:18:00.000-04:00

I had made this a couple of weeks ago and popped them in the freezer. The peppers were from my Dad's garden. Did I mention that my Dad's 95th birthday is coming up?
Anyway I made the stuffing my mom use to make. So easy. Rice, sauteed ground beef, salt, pepper, parsley, Parmesan cheese and oregano. We topped them with homemade Marinara Sauce, that was in the freezer!
Oh and the best part - we had bread from Friends and Company. We ate there on Halloween and I was walking out with my doggy bag and the host said that Chris should be walking out with something too... and gave him a loaf of bread!

Butternut Squash Soup

2011-11-01T19:01:00.002-04:00

To the freezer we go! Made this back in September. Love the freezer.

Happy Halloween and some amazing treats...

2011-10-31T21:19:00.001-04:00

Archie with an evil look on his face.

But at work today what an array of sweets...

Happy Halloween!

Pasta & Fagioli

2011-10-30T20:46:00.000-04:00

It's official. Even though this is the first time of the autumn/winter season that I have made Pasta Fagioli, I have found my favorite recipe. I found it at Cucina di Barbara. I have been looking for sometime now a recipe for Pasta Fagioli that I really liked. This is it. The recipe on the site made enough for 2 meals. I did not add the tomato paste to the portion I froze, I'll add it when I reheat it. And I also did not add the gnocchi to the freeze bound portion. When I make that portion I can add any pasta. Really happy that I found this recipe.
Oh and we did get a a bit of snow last night -

Proscuiotto and Bleu Cheese Focaccia and Snow

2011-10-29T21:49:00.001-04:00

I walked into Costco today with my Dad and it was a cold October morning. A Nor'easter was predicted for later today. We were in the store for about an hour, maybe longer and when we walked out it was blizzard like conditions.

Here's the deal. When it snows I need to bake bread. Not sure why but it just happens. I had started the No Knead Bread this morning but that would not be baked until tomorrow. I had seen a recipe in the Bon Appetit for Bacon and Bleu Cheese Focaccia. And I thought I had all the ingredients in the house. I put the yeast and honey in the water and let that sit for 10 minutes. I mixed the 4 1/2 cups of flour with the salt and pepper. I checked the recipe again and realized I did not have mashed potatoes. I do not even have boxed mashed potatoes! Great. After some thought, and rearranging the pantry, I decided to add polenta. Yes that's right I made polenta. It was about the same consistency of mashed potatoes so I figured it might work. The texture of the dough was very nice to work will. I let the dough rise and moved on to the next step in the recipe. Cook the bacon. I look in the fridge. I look in the freezer. I look in the freezer downstairs. No Bacon! Oh heck I have Prosciutto. So I proceed with the recipe and the result was very good. The dough was crisp and the prosciutto, well of course it was good.

For dinner, well lets just say it was like beat the clock. Before I started dinner the lights were flickering. Chris and I looked at each other and had visions of Hurricane Irene. I made the fastest dinner ever. Chicken Piccata, sauteed carrots and zucchini and mashed, yes mashed sweet potatoes. A nice bottle of Chianti and dinner was perfect. And the lights stayed on!

Friends and Company and Jacques Pepin

2011-10-26T22:00:00.001-04:00

Fried Calamari with Tomato Caper Sauce. Veal Saltimbocco wrapped in Prosciutto, Sage and Asiago Cheese over Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Polenta with Madeira Sauce. Pork Chops and Apple Chutney with Honey Cranberry Butternut Squash. Doesn't that sound wonderful. Well it was quite wonderful. We ate at Friends and Company before going to see Jacques Pepin speak.
Jacques Pepin was promoting his latest cookbook, Essential Pepin. He has lived in Madison for over 30 years. Someone in the audience asked him what he thought of the food that is served in schools. He said 30 years ago he went to the school board and asked if he could show them how to make soup. They told him they were not interested. Could you imagine! He also said that you really don't need to spend more than $10 one a bottle of wine. Good to know.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-10-25T20:00:00.001-04:00

That's right I made Chicken Stock. Quite a large pan of it. I made is on Sunday and froze most of it in 2 cup portions. I kept some out to make tonight's meal. I added noodles and some of the meat from the chicken that was used to make the broth. Also tossed in some frozen mixed vegetable. Oh and fresh spinach! What a delicious meal.

So for $8 I bought the chicken and the only other ingredients in the broth was celery, carrots, onion and parsley. I ended up with a lot of stock. So why do I by the canned stuff?

This broth tasted so clean. I know that is not a term usually used for food but it had no canned taste to it. It reminded me of my sister's chicken broth. And she does make the best broth.

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

2011-10-24T19:57:00.001-04:00

Where to start? Okay I had leftover risotto and did not want to waste it.

So I made rice balls. Yum!

Our main dish was from EatingWell. I had never used the "shelf-stable gnocchi" before. It was not bad. We both loved this meal. And it was meatless. I had some beet greens from the beets I roasted the other night and added them to the Swiss Chard.

Chris picked up a bottle of Fratelli Grati 2008 Chianti to go with dinner. Nice.

So have you heard about Pinterest. It is a fun site to spend some time looking around.

Stuffed Crust Pizza

2011-10-23T21:30:00.000-04:00

When I first saw the commercial on TV for a stuffed crust pizza I thought to myself how could anyone eat that. Well I was making pizza tonight and I had the crust hanging over the side of the pan and thought why not put some shredded Mozzarella cheese on the pie and fold the crust over it. Not a bad idea. Other than that I topped the pie with leftover pork from last night, and some of the roasted peppers I had made. The crust is from My Bread by Jim Lahey.

Today I made pot of Chicken Stock. The house smelled so good

and I had someones attention...

Pork Chops With Roasted Beets and Oranges

2011-10-22T07:39:00.000-04:00

Don't you love roasted vegetables? I found this recipe on RealSimple.com. Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges. Simple to make. The pork was delicious, loved the thyme and oregano flavors. The beets were fantastic. I had some Arugula that did not get used in last night's meal. And I never thought to roast an orange. For another side I made polenta. It was a very nice meal.

Today my sister and I took my Dad to the Knights of Columbus Museum to see the exhibit Full of Grace, Crowned Madonnas from the Vatican Basilica. There was also the Papal Gallery. And what caught my attention...

A pair of the Pope John Paul II's Papal Shoes!

Risotto With Chicken and Arugula

2011-10-21T21:49:00.001-04:00

Not just any Risotto, Low Maintenance Risotto. This was a combination of 2 recipe from the Real Simple site. I don't ever make risotto. I make Aborio rice as a side dish but not as risotto. Why? Time. But now it is quite quick and easy. I was able to make a cake while the risotto was cooking! The addition of the Chicken and Arugula came from another Real Simple recipe. Have you ever taken the meat off of a rotisserie chicken with a cat in the same room. Archie was barking at me for meat.
Anyway Chris loved this dish. It was really creamy and the arugula gave it a nice peppery taste.

Now about that cake. My mom's Apple Cake. It's just the 4 Egg Cake with sliced apples and cinnamon on top. When I was growing up we had dessert every night. Right after dinner, even before the dishes were done. We don't eat like that anymore, except when we go out to eat. Sorry I digress... the cake looks perfect. I am bringing it over to my dad's tomorrow.

Grilled Roasted Pepper, Prosciutto and Provolone

2011-10-20T21:29:00.000-04:00

Well the title pretty much sums it all up!

Well except I roasted the peppers myself (they were on sale!).

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T21:24:00.000-04:00

Okay just a couple of words. Pasta with my mom's meat sauce.

Lentil Soup

2011-10-18T20:11:00.000-04:00

A quick post tonight... I have a lot of knitting to do... Another super easy and super delicious meal. Lentil soup from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything App.

Photo styling by Chris!

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.1 onion, chipped
1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup lentils, washed and picked over
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken stock
Fresh ground pepper
Salt

Steps
Put the oil in a large deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until soft, just a minute or two. Add the carrot and celery and keep cooking and stirring until brightly colored and hot about 2 minutes.
Add lentils, bay leaf and stock; sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Sweet Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

2011-10-17T20:03:00.000-04:00

The first time I posted this recipe it my 5th blog post. Quite a while ago. Still this is a wonderfully easy meal.
And Happy Birthday to my sister Lenore! Yes she is the one that makes the best pie crust ever!

Pizzette with Cauliflower, Tomatoes and Oregano

2011-10-16T20:29:00.001-04:00

Do you ever bookmark a recipe and then hope that you will actually make it. Well I bookmarked this recipe back in March of 2010. Wish I had made this sooner. Yep it was quite good.
Pizzette with Cauliflower, Tomatoes and Oregano. Loved the flavors.

BBQ Ribs and Pie

2011-10-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

This is a recipe I have made before. It is from cooks.com.

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
2 lb. pork spare ribs
1 onion

Sauce:
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. red pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/3 c. ketchup

Place spareribs (meat side down) in roasting pan. Cover meat with thinly sliced onion. Pour sauce over meat. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until done. Last 10 minutes of cooking you can remove cover to "crunch up" the top slightly.

So where is the photo? Well sometimes a photo is not necessary. Okay I took a photo but it was so zoomed in it looked rather ugly. So let's just move on...
I made Roasted Rosemary Potatoes. That photo came out ok -

The Pie! I made my usual Pate Brise crust and sliced the apples. Mixed the apples with some sugar and cinnamon. Put the apples in the center of the crust, dotted it with some butter and folded the crust over. Baked at 350 degrees for ... okay I didn't time it. It seemed like an hour but the ribs were in at the same time so the timer was set for them. Damn it. Does not knowing the cooking time make me a bad baker? Heck no! The pie tasted wonderful!

Scallops with Citrus and Quinoa

2011-10-14T20:38:00.001-04:00

I found this recipe on the Food Network site, Scallops with Citrus and Quinoa, when I googled Scallops and Quinoa. I know we had Quinoa last Friday night but what can I say. We like Quinoa.
Tonight's recipe was lovely. Nice and light citrus flavor. Chris cooked the scallops. They came out perfect!

Eating BC

2011-10-13T20:02:00.001-04:00

BC as in Before Chris. Tonight Chris had to go out to dinner for work leaving me to eat anything I wanted to. I looked in the fridge and there was not much to work with. There was leftover rice, white and brown. I found some frozen peas in the freezer and that was dinner. Before I met Chris that is pretty much what I would eat for dinner. I used the Success Rice bags, I could not make regular rice to save my life. I would use either frozen or steamed veggies. Add a little butter, some cheese and crushed red pepper and that is what I lived on... well except when I would go by my parent's house and mom would have "Care Packages" ready for me!

It was 20 years ago today...

2011-10-12T19:41:00.000-04:00

Well it was 20 years ago today,
Sargent Pepper taught a band to play,
They've been going in and out of style,
But there guaranteed to raise a smile...*
Oh sorry, it's just that whenever I start with the phrase "It was 20 years ago today..." I just break out in song.
20 years ago today I married Chris. Amazing isn't it. It does not seem like 20 years. Anyway we ate out tonight. We went to our usual place for such occasions, Friends and Company. Always a good meal.

We started with drinks and Crab and Corn Fritters. They were so light. For dinner Chris had the New York Strip Steak Gorgonzola and I had Panko Coated Oven Roasted Cod. We both enjoyed our meals, yes we cleaned our plates.

*The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beef and Bean Chili

2011-10-11T19:23:00.000-04:00

I signed up with Cookstr recently (if you have not visited the site you should, very cool site) and this is the first recipe I have tried. Chili Three Ways. I ended up freezing half of the chili base. I think next time I may try the vegetarian...

Chicken with Bacon and Leeks

2011-10-10T20:44:00.000-04:00

I met Chris when we were both working at a restaurant called Nancy Lee's. He was the bartender and I was a waitress. It was a small American bistro. The food was amazing. One of Nancy's dishes that I loved was Chicken with Bacon and Leeks. Nancy finished her's with cream... 20 some odd years later I am leaving out the cream.

Cut the chicken as if you are making scallopine. Dredge in flour. Heat butter and olive oil in saute pan and cook the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pan, keep warm. Add a little bit of oil and saute the leeks and bacon. Return the chicken to the pan. Add some white wine, season with salt and pepper, cover the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes.

For side dishes we had brown rice and steamed beans and carrots. The beans were picked today from my Dad's garden.

Mom's Meat Sauce with Cheese Ravioli

2011-10-09T19:57:00.000-04:00

First big pot of sauce of the season. I feel like I a squirrel storing away nuts for the winter. We had cheese ravioli with the sauce. The recipe was my mom's and I love this sauce. It always tastes so familiar.

Ingredients
2 large onion, chopped
olive oil
2 # ground beef

1# ground pork

1# sausage links, optional
4 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
tomato paste
parsley

basil
oregano
salt
pepper

Method - Heat oil and saute onion until translucent. Add the meats. Cook until meat begins to brown. Drain off any fat from the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 2 to 3 hours, depending on the type of meat that is used. If the sauce is thin add tomato paste. Season with parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.

It was an enjoyable Sunday afternoon for all of us.

Bufalina - Wood Fired Pizza

2011-10-08T20:41:00.001-04:00

I am trying to come up with words to describe tonight's dinner. Delicious keeps getting stuck in my head. We got dinner from Bufalina in Guilford, CT tonight. The owners are the authors of The Italian Farmer's Table: Authentic Recipes and Local Lore from Northern Italy. The pizza shop is very cute. A few spots at the counter were full and the operation runs like a well oiled machine. They have not been open long but they seemed to be finely tuned. And the pizza... well did I mention delicious?

We had the Rossa which was tomato, oregano and crushed red pepper and the Porri which was caramelized leek, pancetta and scamorza. Wow. The crust was crisp and had the flavor was very nice. Both pies disappeared quickly. Fortunately I also got the Arugula Salad. Wow the Cipollini onions were fantastic. And I do love shave pecorino.

So from someone who was raised on Zuppardi's Pizza in West Haven, then Pepe's and Sally's and Modern in New Haven, and we can't leave out DePalma's in East Haven, I think this is a really good pie. And it seemed different from the other pies. I know this sounds corny but it tasted authentic. No grease just crisp bread with toppings.

Toasted Quinoa Salad with Chicken & Snow Peas

2011-10-07T20:14:00.000-04:00

Tonight's recipe is from Eating Well. The original recipe called for scallops but chicken is listed as a substitute. Seeing as the scallops were $15 a pound I opted for the chicken. We loved this recipe. Of course I forgot to get the scallions. The only other change I made was adding crushed red pepper to spice it up a bit.

Peppers, Prosciutto and Ricotta Salata Frittatta

2011-10-06T21:30:00.000-04:00

Okay so it was Peppers, Prosciutto and Ricotta Salata and a couple of zucchini that I had in the fridge. The peppers were from my Dad's garden, not sure if there will be more this year. The combination of peppers and eggs has always been one of my top choices at a sub shop. The other choice would be Eggplant Parmesan. The eggs have to be cooked, not runny, but that is my own taste. I do not eat a lot of green peppers, I prefer the red ones. But these were nice and small so the flavor along with the seasonings I added ended up as a tasty dinner.

Italian Wedding Soup

2011-10-05T19:41:00.000-04:00

Tonight I made a recipe that I saw on the Girlchef blog - Italian Wedding Soup. I am trying to refill our freezer. We lost a lot of food because of the power outage when Irene hit. I am attempting to make one big batch of soup a week so we can have a nice selection of soups in the freezer. So far I have Butternut Squash Soup. After today I also have Italian Wedding Soup. 3 bags of soup in the freezer. That's not counting what we had tonight!
The recipe says you should end up with 100 meatballs... okay I made mine a little bigger then they probably should have been, but they were so good! And I used kale for the green. I had a lot of kale that I did not use in the Pork and Beans dish for Saturday night.
Italian Wedding Soup is and shall always be one of my favorite soups. So what is my favorite soup?
My sister knows!

Right after I posted this entry I received the headline news from everywhere that Steve Jobs had passed away. I am typing on an Apple computer, I work on an Apple computer. I have an iPod and an iTouch. My husband has an Apple computer and my dad just got an Apple MiniMac. We have always been and shall always be an Apple family. Rest in peace Steve Jobs. Your were a true visionary and one of my heroes.

Baked Winter Squash Falafel

2011-10-04T20:55:00.001-04:00

Something quite different for us. I found this recipe on Cara's Cravings blog. I made the Falafels on Sunday and tonight Chris made a Spinach Salad to go with dinner. I had made the Tahini Dressing this morning before work. What a nice meal. Really like that the Falafels were baked and not fried. We actually stuffed the salad and the Falafel in the Pita bread. Messy but very good.

Leftovers!

2011-10-03T05:42:00.000-04:00

Tonight was leftover night. Usually I bring the leftovers for lunch but there was enough for the two of us. So it was the leftovers from Saturday night and last night. And they were just as good as the first time we had them.
When I was growing up it seemed like we were always eating leftovers. My mom was a big batch cooker. We use to say she only knew how to cook for an army. Actually she was smart. She only had to come up with one or two different meals a week... not a bad idea!

Fusilli col Buco with Neapolitan Ragù

2011-10-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

I got this recipe in an eblast from La Cucina Italiana Magazine. There is something wonderful about this recipe. The sauce cooks for about 4 hours and the house smelled quite good. The flavors were delicious. The meat cost a little over $8 and we have enough for two meals.