Food T.V. and Chicken Marsala

Posted on February 27, 2012 by

We all go through phases I suppose.  I still do.  Right now, I am in my “I going to write an amazing blog and get rich and travel like Bakerella and Pioneer Women” phase.  If only it were that simple, right?  Anyway, about seven  years ago, I went through a long phase of unemployment and boredom, which led me to another phase of daily marathon watching of The Food Network, which in the end, I and my family are very grateful for.

This was back when The Food Network was good.  There were no “Next Food Network Star” competitions.  It was all the originals.  Emeril, Paula, Giada, Alton, Tyler, Bobby, Mario and Rachael, just to name a few.  Giada, Paula, Alton and Tyler were my faves.  I liked some, more for their recipes and cooking techniques than their personalities.  Racheal was always entertaining to watch, but I could never get past that irritatingly raspy voice, and most of her recipes that looked great, I tried, and were terrible.  Emeril, also very entertaining, but once I watched one of those “Behind the Scenes” shows and saw how many people it took to run his show and prep everything for him, I lost respect and interest.  It seemed ridiculous that so many people had to do so many minute tasks just to produce one episode.  I was sure I could do just what he did with far less.

I chose my favorites for various reasons.  Giada, for her recipes and techniques, Tyler, for his down-to-earth personality and style, Alton for his ability to teach science and cooking at the same time, along with showing us all those cool kitchen gadgets, and Paula, for her butter.  I think I made more dinners from Giada’s show than any other.  Everything I ever made of hers was amazing, and today’s recipe is no exception .  She cost me a small fortune in specialty items though, Thank God I had a Trader Joe’s one block from my house at the time.   Do you have any idea how expensive 8 oz of Mascarpone Cheese is?  Or where to find a nice loaf of quality, fresh, crusty Italian bread?  I couldn’t drive to Cortina’s every day.

So of all the recipes I have collected from these fine, talented chefs and cooks, one came out ahead as the most requested by my family.  I have to say, although the recipe says it is “easy” to make, I beg to differ.  The steps are not difficult, but because they are all done in succession, within a short time frame, and there are so many, I find it to be more medium to difficult on the scale. It gives me no time to clean up as I go along either, which makes  it more work in the end, and  the oil splatters from the pan only add to that. It definitely takes me longer than 30-50 minutes to make, and I am a very experienced cook with better than average skills.  But in the end, well worth it all.

So without further adieu…Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce.

To start, I like to prep all the herbs and veggies first.  That way, I can at least clean up that mess before I heat up the pan and start cooking.

First it’s the Shallots, 3/4 cup
(The recipe says onion,
which is fine too, but I like the shallots)

 

 


The mushrooms are a breeze because I use these pre-sliced Crimini mushrooms.  Baby Bellas are the same thing if you find those.  You can slice them yourself if you prefer, thick is best, but I would not use any other type, like a regular button mushroom.  They have very little flavor by comparison.  1 lb. mushrooms.

 

Lastly is the Italian, flat leaf parsley. 2 tbsp.
I chop it coarsely and leave a couple of sprigs for decoration.
I, for one, am very picky about how I chop my parsley and other stemmed herbs.  I have a peeve about stems in the mix.  I really hate when I am eating a nice dish somewhere and I bite into a stem.  The flavor is overwhelming and the texture can be difficult to chew.  It represents laziness by the chef to me and completely ruins a beautiful dish the way arrogance makes an otherwise good-looking man, ugly. That goes double for things like jalapeno or pepperoncini stems in my sandwiches from Subway or Togos.  No one wants to eat those things, so pick them out!

I think I have said before, I like the Foster Farms boneless, skinless, breasts from Costco.  They are packaged two to a bag with six bags per pack.  They don’t have hormones, or fillers, so they are plump and juicy and don’t shrink up like other brands I have tried.  Sprouts and Henry’s also have good chicken breast when on sale.  I just prefer the Costco pack because it’s so easy to freeze, defrost, portion and use.

The recipe says to cut the breast into three pieces, but I prefer large diced pieces.  It goes farther.  I use four breasts for this dinner, but I am feeding 6-8 people on any given night.  Two is probably sufficient for most.

I could seriously kick myself for not remembering to take pictures of each step along the way.  I didn’t think of it until I have cooked the chicken and sautéed everything.

So what you missed was heating the oil in the pan (2 tbsp), salt and pepper the chicken before dicing and browning the chicken.  As you can see in the chicken pics above, I remove the cooked chicken and then add a couple pats of butter (2 Tbsp.) and the shallots, followed by the pressed or chopped garlic, then finally the mushrooms.

So here’s what it looks like at this point.
Yum, right?

I also start a large pot of water to cook the fettucine noodles in.  I don’t add salt or oil to my water now, but I usually do add a good amount of Kosher salt once it’s boiling, just before I drop in the noodles.  Adding the salt before the boil can cause boiling to delay, and adding oil at any stage will keep the sauce from sticking to your noodles.

Now we just add the Marsala wine (1 cup) and let it simmer for a few minutes until it’s reduced by about half.  The recipe calls for Dry Marsala wine, but I have tried both and much prefer the Sweet Marsala.

While the Wine is reducing,  the water for the pasta should be boiling. I add the Kosher salt (about 2-4 tbsp), then the fettucine noodles (1 lb box), and stir around for a few seconds so they don’t stick.

So now I add the Mascarpone cheese (1 cup, or 8 oz.).  You can substitute for cream cheese,  but it really is not the same.  Just add it to the pan with all the mushroom, chicken goodness and stir until creamy. You should really try the Mascarpone some time.  It’s used to make Tirimisu,which I have also made from scratch, but I like to make individual portions in ramekins or small dessert dishes.  I love to take a small spoonful of Mascarpone and dip it in sugar, then eat it.  It’s unbelievably good.

Once you have incorporated the Mascarpone, you can add the dijon mustard if you wish (2 tbsp).  

It’s good with or without it, but the mustard does add a noticeable zing to the overall flavor of the dish.  The one time I didn’t add it, I kind of missed it, but I think some of my kids liked it better without the mustard.  I should note that two of my kids hate mushrooms, and two love them, but they all love this dinner.  Because it’s a little harder to make, a little expensive and more time-consuming, I usually reserve it for a special occasion.

So I guess we are just about done.  I’m tired from just blogging about it.

I strained fettucine noodles returned them to the pot, stirred in 3 tbsp of butter and a little salt.  Then I put them gently into the serving dish and poured the contents of the pan over it.  You can pre-mix it all together if you like, but I prefer it this way.  lastly, I top it with the sprigs of parsley I reserved.

Here’s the finished product…

I added some fresh grated Romano just before serving, but it’s completely optional and unnecessary.

So that’s my version of Giada’s Chicken with Mustard and Mascarpone Marsala Sauce.

I hope you try it and enjoy it.


Until then…Enjoy your food, cherish your family,
and savor every last crumb life throws at you.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Ghosts of Christmas’ Past and Present

Posted on December 31, 2011 by

Growing up, Christmas was always a multicultural experience for me.  It began every year with a long trip (5 doors up the street) to spend Christmas Eve with the Anderson family, the Swedes.  In fact,  I was the brown haired, brown eyed outcast in the sea of blonde and blue.  It didn’t really matter though, there were 8 of us grand kids, and we were all relatively close in age.  I don’t think we were more than 10 years apart from the oldest to the youngest, so we had a lot of fun together playing games, trying out our new toys.  We spent time before dinner listening to Grandpa Ernie’s transistor radio to find out where Santa was, and looking for his sleigh flying through the stars.

After dinner, down came all the folding tables and chairs occupying the small living room area.  We all gathered back in to the small space, adults on the sofa and in chairs, kids on the floor. First, Grandma Helen passed us our stockings that Santa had come and filled early for us.  They were simple, felt stockings with our names written on them in permanent marker and they lasted year after year. An orange was always stuffed in the toe, followed by a bag of nuts, a candy cane, some assorted candy, and maybe a lip balm or small toy in the mix. Afterward, we sorted the gifts that lie under the very modest, fake Christmas tree, adorned with many years worth of vintage ornaments and strategically placed in the large picture window, looking out the front of the house.

We didn’t have any order of opening, we all just opened our gifts at the same time, peeking around to see what everyone else got, was it better than mine?  Did I want to be the first to play with my toys, or open slower so it looks like I am still opening because I got more? It was simple, you could even say a little plain, but it was tradition, and I loved it for all of it’s simplicity and just being together.  No formalities, just family, food and fun.

The one tradition I loved most about our Christmas, was also the thing I hated the most.  One of my Grandmother’s gifts to us, which she spent hours upon hours, painstakingly crocheting.  A dress for each of us, usually full-length and with a matching hat.  Most were a dark green color for Christmas.  Sometimes with a red, crocheted flower.  My sister and I always matched.  I really appreciated each and every stitch of it, I know how hard she worked making them, but hated wearing them.   They were so itchy and hot!  All I wanted was a pretty, red, plaid, taffeta dress, but alas, I was made to wear the wool.   It didn’t last forever though.  Grandma eventually developed arthritis and gave up crocheting them.  We got crocheted blankets and quilts instead, which I much preferred over the outfits.  But I know it made her a little sad that she could no longer see us in her creations she worked so hard to make.

Kutv

The food was equally as casual as the rest, standard American fare as well as a few bits of our Swedish heritage sprinkled in here and there.  Roasted Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Red Beans, Baked Ham, Scalloped Corn were among the standards.  Then there was the Swedish food.  Kutv (pronounced, “cut-iv”) a Swedish sausage, was mixed and hand cranked into fresh, natural casings by hand by my Grandma Helen, Grandpa Ernie and whoever happened to be visiting to help that year.  Usually one of my Aunts or my Dad.  It’s difficult to describe Swedish food, and Kutv is no exception.  I guess you could say it has sort of a grainy texture when cooked, and when it’s cut into cut into, it sort of crumbles out of the casing slightly.  It has a meaty flavor, although I’m not sure which meat.  It also has a herb flavor, sage I think it was,maybe some allspice.  I know it had ground pork, ground beef and potatoes for sure.  Probably some chopped onion and salt and pepper.  In later years, my Dad liked to add fresh diced jalapenos for a spicier version he served alongside the traditional one.  I enjoyed watching my family work together to prepare the food.  It gave me a sense of pride in my family, and made me feel a part of something different and special.

Lutefisk. Yuk!

The one dish I could have lived without and never ate was Lutefisk (“loot-fisk”).  The smell is forever engraved in my brain.  Lutefisk is this diabolically disgusting, gelatinous, dried fish concoction that is made with lye.  That’s right, lye, as in sodium hydroxide, a.k.a., drain opener, oven cleaner, used to make bio-diesel fuels.  Okay, so it isn’t completely uncommon to use in food preparation, it is also used in everything from mandarin oranges to green olives, and pretzels.  The fish smell that came out of that oven from the Lutefisk every Christmas Eve was terrible and overpowering.  It attacked all your senses at once and made it impossible to enjoy anything else within a 50 foot radius.  Needless to say, I was forced to try it once as a child and never returned to it.  Even Andrew Zimmer says it is the most disgusting thing he ever ate.  And he has eaten EVERYTHING in just about every country!  I don’t know how the Norse came up with their food.

Ostkaka with Lingonberry Syrup

My favorite Swedish dish on Christmas Eve was the Ostkaka (pronounced “oh-sta-caca”).  It is commonly referred to as Swedish Cheesecake, but is in no way like any cheesecake I have ever had, as it is served out of a casserole dish in squares.  My Grandmother always made it from scratch, “old world” style, she used raw milk and added to rennet tablets to “curdle” the milk herself.  It’s pretty rare nowadays for people to make it this way because it’s so much more difficult and time consuming.  Raw milk can be hard to find and even outlawed in some states.  Cottage Cheese has become the new tradition and has worked fine as a stand in, although not as good as it’s original.   It is a slightly sweet, custard dish.  Because the cheese it curdled, it has a chunky yet creamy texture.  It also has a light almond flavor to it, as in almond extract, not from the actual nuts.  My Grandmother did however, add one almond into the casserole, and it was said whoever found it had good luck for the year.  We traditionally topped our portions with Lingonberry or Marionberry jam or syrup for an extra sweet touch.  Here’s a recipe for the easy version.  Just make sure to add 1 tsp. of Almond extract in addition to the vanilla. Try it, even if you aren’t Swedish, you’ll enjoy it.

So you must be wondering by now why I said my Christmas was multicultural.   It’s because I had a Swedish-American Christmas Eve, but a very Italian Christmas night.

My Christmas day was always started at home opening up presents from Santa and my parents, just a few doors down from where I spent my Christmas Eve. My home in Vista, CA., where I grew up.  I loved my home and my family.  I loved growing up with my Grandparents just up the street.  I loved my Christmas mornings.

Christmas 1975. Mom, my sister, Heidi and the back of my 5 yr old head.

It wasn’t long after we opened our presents that morning that we had to get ready for Christmas dinner.  We barely had a few minutes to play with our toys before we had to leave them.  We got all dressed up, and an hour and a half car ride later, we were in Garden Grove at Grandpa Jim’s and Grandma Rose’s, having a proper Italian Christmas dinner.  The food was amazing, but the experience was a stark contrast to the Eve before.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved spending time with them.  They were wonderful Grandparents and although Grandpa Jim is now gone and we miss him dearly, Grandma Rose is still with us and a blessing every day.  But when was a child, visiting their home was like visiting a museum.  You didn’t touch ANYTHING!  No footprints on the carpet in the living room until we all adjourned there after dinner, and you eat everything on your plate, like it or not.  There were no other kids, no cousins.  Just our Uncle, who at the time, was a terminal bachelor.  It was all very grown up and formal.  Adults sipped cocktails, the egg nog was spiked and therefore off limits.  There was always a Hickory Farms cheese ball served with crackers, but it was covered in nuts and contained port wine, which to me, meant off limits as well.

We did get to watch cable in their den, a huge treat for us since we lived in a rural area that had no cable at the time.  The t.v. had a remote that turned the t.v. off and on, but didn’t change channels or turn up or down the volume.  Those weren’t quite invented yet.  In fact, the remote was not infrared like today’s.  It was plastic and full of air with a whistle plug in it.  Every time you squeezed it, the “remote” made a whistle noise that turned the t.v. off and on.  I don’t know how it worked, but it was so fun to us at the time.  It also worked for lights in their home that were plugged into a special device that responded to the whistle noise.  Speaking of lights, you had better not leave a room, even for a minute, and leave the light on or you were in BIG trouble.

Manicotti, Meatballs, Sausage and Roast Pork Covered in Marinara Sauce

Dinner was great.  I liked everything!  Homemade Manicotti (we pronounce it “man-a-go-ta” NEVER “man-i-cot-tea”), homemade Italian meatballs, Sweet Italian Sausage, and roast pork all drenched in my Grandmas homemade, rich, tomato sauce. We also had my Mom’s famous Anise Bread and a small salad with Italian dressing and  Sicilian or Greek, Kalamata olives.  The olives were fun to eat because they had pits in them and I got to spit them out, which seemed so wrong in such a proper environment where children were to be seen and not heard.

 

We did always get nice gifts though.  They were all perfectly, in fact, professionally wrapped under the huge, gorgeous tree, covered in lights and dripping with beautiful gold ornaments as well as a few traditional candy ones.  The gifts were much pricier than the ones we got Christmas Eve.  Usually some expensive clothes and shoes.  One time a Rabbit Fur coat (which I feel terrible about now). A leather jacket from Wilson’s or some fancy boots.  I cannot recall a toy ever, but I could be wrong.  It was quiet, very strict and not much fun for a kid, but I still loved it because it was my Christmas.  I felt like a different person there, like a little grown up.  There were lots of rules, but for one night it was nice to be away from the norm and with family.  As the years went on and we got older, grandchildren came and my Grandparents became more and more relaxed.  Many rules were tossed aside and kids were now allowed to be heard, and were even talked to.  Quite often in fact.  The focus shifted from the adults, and the kids eventually took over.

To this day we have the same exact dinner.  Only the past few years have been harder for Grandma Rose, so we make the Manicotta, and this year the meatballs, sausage, pork roast and sauce.  It was a joint effort of my Sister, Heidi, my nephew, Jason, my son, Noah and myself.  We made the manicotta and meatballs several weeks ahead and froze them.  Heidi made the sauce, and browned and cooked the pork roast and sausage in the sauce, the day before Christmas.  Grandma Gerrie, made the salad and the Anise bread.  ”Many hands make light work”, my Mother has always said.  I would say Heidi had much more though since she hosted        24 of us in her home this year!

 

Five Generations. 87 years down to 5 months.

Things are much more relaxed on Christmas Day than when I was a kid.  For one thing, we are now 5 generations with 15 cousins, first, second, through marriage and even a girlfriend or two. They range in age from 27 down to 5 months.  So lots more people and kids mean a lot less rules, a lot more noise, more toys and more fun.  More like my Christmas Eve was growing up, only we are all much closer.

So basically, my two Christmases have become one.  And I guess if there is anything I have learned through the years, it’s whether it is done simply, a formal production or somewhere in between, it’s to make sure the Holiday is special for everyone.  Not just the adults, not just the kids, everyone.  Because it’s everyone’s Christmas, we all look forward to, all year long.

So until next Christmas…Enjoy your food, cherish your family,
and savor every last crumb life throws at you.

Posted in Family, Food, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Bacon! That’s All.

Posted on November 10, 2011 by

Well,  I have been doing a lot of pinning lately.  If you are not familiar with Pinterest, consider yourself lucky.  Once you have discovered it, nothing else matters.  It really doesn’t look like much at first.  Big deal, a bunch of thumbnail pictures of random things.  Shoes, Clothes, Jewelry, Holiday Decor, Food, Flowers, Kid Stuff, Crafts, the list goes on and on, and on.  That’s the problem, it’s never-ending. I had gotten wind of it through friends on Facebook, sounded different. Curiosity got hold (as always) and before I knew it, I was typing in the URL, Pinterest.com.  I thought, “What the heck, I’ll sign up and try it.”  Turns out, you have to be invited to join.  What! I was actually pretty offended by this.  I felt like I was standing outside the club with the wrong clothes on, rejected by the door man.

Despite being offended, I decided to go ahead and “Request an Invitation” by entering my email address and submitting. I thought a few minutes, maybe hours and I would see my invite, well, nope.  Days went by, then weeks, then a month, nothing.  I had actually forgotten about it for a while until I saw something pop up again on Facebook.  So I meandered back over to Pinterest and give it another go.  Again, days, weeks, a month.  Nothing.  Finally, after two long months, I decided to vent my Pinterest frustration via Facebook, is there a better venue?  Immediately I had two friends asking for my email to send me an invitation, and  within minutes, I was pinning, and my house has never been more of a mess!

When you sign up, you get these virtual bulletin “boards”. So you look through the pages and start finding pictures of things that interest you, or as I like to say, “Pinterest” you.  When you click on them they open up and you can see the person’s board they pinned it on, and you can “follow”, aka “stalk” their pin board.  You can also “like” and “comment” the pins. The more people you follow, the more pins you see.  At this point, if the item was pinned correctly, you can click on it again, and it should open up a new tab with the original site the item came from.  A DIY site, order site, blog, etc.  It’s addicting, it’s hard to tear myself away from it and take care of business.  It’s not the first of its kind, Pinterest.  Tumblr, StumbleUpon, etc. are out there too.  I can only do so much though.

Well, by now you are probably wondering, “What the heck does this have to do with bacon”?  I’ll explain.  While pinning the other day, I came across the most fascinating picture.  Basket woven bacon! WTH!  Why?  Three letters, B.L.T..  One of my faves (except hold the “T” for me).  So I pinned it to my “Deliciousness” board and vowed to get bacon and make this.  And I did. So here are my pictures of my woven bacon experience.  Again, please excuse the terrible photography, a new camera is on my birthday/Christmas list.  That and a Kindle Fire.  Wishful thinking never hurt anyone, right?

So I started with my favorite bacon, Farmer John, which I buy at Costco in bulk, 4 lbs for $13.65 currently.  (I remember when it was $8.50 for the same package, that was only two years ago.)  I used to buy this here in CA and take it back with us to AZ when we lived there because it was hard to find and when I did it was only available in a 12oz package for like $6.00 ea.I usually search through every package until I find straighter bacon.  It’s harder to work with when it’s all bendy and crooked like this one, but I was in a hurry that day and it was too crowded, plus the bacon was right next to one of those sample tables where everyone stops, parks their cart right in the way of everyone else and any pathway through,  Then they  wait, oblivious to the current traffic situation they are creating, for whatever tiny sample is cooking.  BTW, I only do this when Dietz and Watson are in town with their wonderful Buffalo Style Chicken Breast and their amazing Jalapeno and Cayenne Cheddar Cheese.  So worth the dirty looks!  This is also when the Costco clothing dept comes in handy, or as I like to call it “The Costume/Disguise Department”.  Because one sample isn’t enough, neither are two or three by the way.

Anyway, on to step two.  First, After opening,  I cut the entire package of bacon in half, straight down the middle.      I covered my pan with parchment paper, only because I was out of my Reynolds Non-Stick Foil.  I love that stuff!

Then I began the weaving.  It’s really easy.  Three strips down, side by side.  Then start weaving in the three pieces the other way.  I just lifted up the pieces I needed to and laid the bacon strip across.  As you can see it made four “bacon blocks” with a couple of extras.  Next I put them in the oven at 425 degrees.  It took about 20 min to cook and I turned them over once, but I don’t think you need to.

Here’s what I got.  I don’t know what the black is, but it didn’t hurt it, and it never does this on the foil. The pic below looks better.  Aren’t they cute?

I think they look pretty good.  So I got the bread, lettuce and condiments ready.

Nothing fancy here, just simple mayo and yellow mustard.  I save the garlic herb aiole and the stone ground deli mustard for my paninis and fancier sandwiches.

My bread of choice, if you’re wondering, is always Milton’s Healthy Whole Grain Bread.  I use it for almost everything.  I get two loaves at Costco ($4.39) for less than one in the grocery store ($4.99 at Vons/Safeway). None of the pics below turned out good, but the sandwich didn’t last long enough for retakes.

So here it is. Yum!  I love my B.L.-Ts.  I wish I liked raw tomatoes, I really do.  I have tried and tried, but they just aren’t for me.  I do like them in salsa though, and as long as they are cooked, I like them, so that’s good.

You are probably wondering why you should go through all this trouble just for a B.L.T, and I’ll tell you.  The bacon stays put and I got a nice big piece in every bite.  Usually I am struggling with the bacon sliding out with every bite, I am constantly readjusting my bacon (that sounded wrong).  Anyway, it was the best B.L.T yet, well worth the work, not that it was hard.  I think the prep took all of 5 min,which is two more than usual.  I also used one less slice of bacon than usual, saving money, calories and fat.

So I found out people do this weaving thing with full strips.  Like an entire package or two.  They use it to cover hams, turkeys, etc and cook them together.  Heres a link of some pics for more bacon weaving ideas. BACON WEAVING.  Oh, and if you don’t have a Pinterest account already and you really want one, comment on this post and leave me your email address, and I will send you an invite!

In the meantime…Enjoy your food, cherish your family

and savor every last crumb life throws at you.

Posted in Food, Fun | Leave a comment

Halloween Goodies and Family Fun

Posted on October 23, 2011 by

You know, I often find myself browsing through various blogs, googleing images of things I want to make and am astounded by the talents of others.  I can’t wait to recreate these things with my children, add my own flair, take amazing close-up pictures and post them here in my blog to share with others.  The reality is that I can’t recreate these things, they are nearly perfect.  Mine, not so much.  I get frustrated when I look at the final product and it looks nothing like I imagined or expected.  My pictures are blurred, the lighting is all wrong and I can’t seem to get any of the setting right to get a decent shot.   I don’t have fancy plates, backdrops, or tablecloths.  And my camera, let’s just say if I were taking the pictures under water, they would be great.  It’s a little Canon that takes amazing under water shots, but above water, not so much.

So I have to take a moment to think.  Why am  I doing this?  Am I doing this to try to prove something?  Am I trying to impress anyone?  Do I expect to be the next Bakerella or Pioneer Woman?  And the answer is unequivocally, No.  I am not trying to prove anything or impress anyone.  The chances of me being the next Pioneer Woman or Bakerella are slim to none.  What I am doing right though, I am spending quality time with my kids.  Time, to me that is precious and rare.  Time that I won’t always have.  Kids grow so fast and mine are no exception.  We are making amazing memories, and we are having fun making each and every one, together.  And that’s what matters most.

This week we made Caramel Apples and Halloween cupcakes together.  I found myself especially watching my 18 yr old daughter, Hollie, and thinking about how much she has changed over the years.  I could picture her decorating these same cupcakes when she little.  I watched her meticulously ad sprinkles one by one, paint on special touches, etc..  It was as if she was still nine, and nothing had changed. But it had.  Now my youngest, Zoe is nine and I watch her and pray that we can still do this together when she is 18and Hollie is 28.

So here they are, our “not so perfect” Candy Apples and Halloween cupcakes, as shown by my “not so good” photographs of them.  Someday, I will get a better camera and my pictures will be better, but I hope our caramel apples and our cupcakes and everything else we make are never perfect, just great fun.  I see how my kids look at their finished product and they are proud of them, and that’s all that really matters.  So if you come here looking for a perfect cupcake or candy apple or anything else that’s perfect, this is the wrong site.  But if you are looking to be inspired to spend more time with your family having fun, you are welcome any time.

 

 

 

So in retrospect, I would never have used the lollipop sticks for the apples.  They definitely need wooden sticks.  The paper sticks were bending from the weight as we tried to eat the apples.  It was a challenge, but still tasty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything about the cupcakes was good.  Everything.

Next week we make more Halloween goodies.  A tasty Halloween Snake and a Marble Halloween cake.

In the meantime… Enjoy your food, cherish your family and savor every last crumb
life throws at you.

Posted in Family, Food, Fun, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

New Beginnings in Old, Familiar Places…

Posted on October 8, 2011 by

Okay everyone, I know it has been forever since I posted anything on my blog here.  I apologize.  It has been a very busy 6 months.  We are now back living in Sunny California and loving every minute of it.  We missed our family, friends and the familiarity of “home”.  It is so good to be back.

Since my last post, Hollie gave birth to our beautiful granddaughter, Athena Lily on July 4th.  What a surprise she was.  Imagine, there we are, it’s about 11:15pm on Sunday, July 3rd.  We are all ready for the big family BBQ the next day and settling in for the night, younger kids all in bed sleeping.  Hollie and Kevin and I are still up watching one of our favorite movies, “What Lies Beneath”.  Hollie is sitting next to me on the couch with her

bottle of Dasani. Kevin is sitting in the chair next to her.  All of the sudden, Hollie stands up and I see water on the couch and the floor.  I’m thinking she spilled her bottle of Dasani, but nope, her water broke, and it kept on going, and going and going all the way to the hospital and into the delivery unit.  After about 13 hours of labor, Athena Lily came into our lives.  She is a healthy, happy joy to our whole family.

 

So here we are again, and I couldn’t be happier.  I plan on adding a lot of new recipes and pics very soon.


This week I am working on Halloween treats.  How about some mini caramel apples or Grandma Helen’s famous Halloween Popcorn Balls?  They are amazing.  Also, Next month is my annual Soup Week.  A weeks worth of delicious soups and stews.  I use my trusty Crock Pot a lot that week.

So keep checking in or subscribe for instant updates, and if you are my Facebook friend, I’ll let you know as soon as I post my next entry.

In the meantime… Enjoy your food, cherish your family and savor every last crumb life throws at you.

Posted in Family, Food, Fun, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Cookbook Review: The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches

Posted on April 20, 2011 by

One of the perks of having a blog is getting to review all things food.

One of my favorite food bloggers, Susan Russo of foodblogga.com, just released her first book, The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches.

May I just say, this book is AMAZING!  Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I already love sandwiches.  They are truly the most versatile food ever.  Susan’s book is everything a cookbook should be.  It has a great layout, is alphabetized by sandwich, (As you would expect from anything called an encyclopedia), and the pictures, oh, the pictures.  Matt Armendariz of mattbites.com, another one of my favorite food bloggers, did all the foodtography in the book.  He is a true genius at his craft.  A beautiful, virtually edible picture of each and every sandwich is included.   Page after page of glorious sandwich, deliciousness.

Susan did an amazing job of choosing all of the 110+ sandwiches in the book. It starts off in the breakfast arena with the “All-in-One Breakfast Sandwich”.  Not because it’s the first meal of the day, but because it simply starts with an “A”.  It incorporates two square,  fresh buttered waffles filled with eggs of your liking, bacon strips, and crisp hash browns, drizzled lightly with maple syrup.  It also includes many variations of the sandwich from using pancakes or French toast instead if waffles and incorporating such fillings as chicken-fried steak and eggs with gravy to baked apples with syrup and nuts, or bananas and honey.

As a trivia nut, what I like best are the stories, history and bit of humor humor injected into each and every recipe.  I want to know who invented the “Spiedie” and it’s historical roots.  Which I may add is easy to find since I only need turn to the “S” section to find it.

Some of my favorites I can’t wait to try are the “Classic Club” (pictured right), and the “Croque-Monsieur”.  A grilled ham and cheese, French style.  It’s basic, rich ingredients are what make it so simple and yet so delectable.  2 tbsp of clarified butter with white bread, Dijon mustard, 2 think slices of baked ham, Gruyère cheese and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  One of my favorite sandwiches of all time.

Another sandwich I look forward to trying is the “Fried Green Tomato BLT”. I fell in love with Fried Green Tomatos after first trying them at Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ in Brea, CA.  One of my favorite restaurants of all time. Anyone who knows me knows I love me some real Southern BBQ.  I would choose a great Pulled Pork sandwich or a sticky, smoked, Rack of Baby Back Ribs over a juicy Porterhouse or fresh, Maine lobster any day of the week, month or year!  So to incorporate something I love so much into something I love so much, well, it’s just pure love!  Can’t wait for the FGT (Fried Green Tomato) harvest in the fall!

Next on my list is the ‘Grilled Portabella Sandwich”.  As you may haveguessed, I am not a vegetarian, in fact, what I love the most about a big Portabella mushroom, is the meaty flavor and texture that can be gained by marinating and grilling one of these big, beautiful, beauties.  (Sometimes I feel like a Portabella, big, beautiful and marinated just perfectly, HA!.) Susan’s recipe does not disappoint.  A simple and easy to read recipe, the mushroom cap is marinated in Balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes and is then grilled and placed onto a fresh Ciabatta roll with a freshly made Basil Aeoli, topped with fresh mozzarella and a roasted, jarred, red pepper.  A great summer sandwich, just in time!

Of of the more interesting sandwiches I can’t wait to try, and I am sure my pregnant daughter, Hollie would agree with me, is the ‘Potato Chip Sandwich”. Sliced bread spread with creamy peanut butter, topped with sliced dill pickles and topped off with your favorite plain potato chips.  I know it sounds weird, but the “Elvis” does too, and yet it works and is so delicious. It’s like Pepperoni Pizza dipped in Mayonnaise.  Sounds gross, but don’t knock it til’ you try it. It may surprise you.

 

 

Stop by Susan’s website foodblogga.com and read more about “The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches” and Susan’s blog.  Also, hop on over to Matt’s blog, mattbites.com before Friday and enter his contest to win a beautiful box of fresh, California Avocados.

 

 

To get your copy of this incredible book just go to Amazon.com.  It’s a bargain and makes an incredible gift for even the most novice cook, not to mention, looks very intriguing on any coffee table. Also, check out the Quirk Books site for more great books from your favorite food bloggers, foodtographers and more.

 

Surprise!
To all my readers who are subscribing to my blog, I will be raffling off a copy of this incredible book to one of you.  Just post a comment below, and I will choose, at random, one of you to receive your very own copy I will purchase directly from Amazon.com , just for you.  You have until midnight on Easter Sunday, April 24th to enter.  I will announce the winner shortly after.

In the meantime… Enjoy your food, cherish your family and savor every last crumb life throws at you.

Posted in Food, Fun | 1 Comment

To Dip or not to Dip…That is the question.

Posted on March 29, 2011 by


I say Dip!  In fact, I prefer to double dip.

Okay, before you get grossed out, I am not talking about chips and dip, or veggies and dip.  I am talking about one of my kids’ favorite dinners.  It takes me about 15 minutes of prep time, cooks all day without turning on the oven or wasting copious amount of expensive, natural gas, and is so delicious and easy to clean up, it’s incredible.  I am referring to French Dip Sandwiches, and my Crock Pot.

Some people refer to it as slow cooker or a dutch oven, (that one always makes the immature child in me giggle, a lot), but thanks to the Rival corporation who coined the name “Crock Pot” when I was merely a year old, to me, it will always be my Crock Pot. Whether its covered in chili pepper graphics (R.I.P my chili pepper Crock Pot) or bright metallic red as my new one.  It’s my Rival Crock Pot, and I love it!

When people think of using their Crock Pots, they often think of Fall and Winter, soups, pot roasts, and stews.  They rarely see the kitchen counter during Spring and Summer.  As good as they soups and stews are that come from mine, I say Spring and Summer are actually the ideal time to use your Crock Pot.

This is the time of year I want to be outside exploring, enjoying the nice weather, the green grass, sunny beaches and tree-lined parks.  The last place I want to be is in my kitchen with my oven or stove on, adding extra fervor in my home, I have to pay to “pump” out.  My air conditioning is already spinning my electric meter wheel faster than a Disneyland Teacup.  Getting outdoors, while my dinner cooks safely in a warmed pot at home, using about as much electricity as my generic, Target alarm clock is just what my bank account ordered.

I love when we have been out all day, and I walk into the house and it hits me.  That overwhelming wall of scent that sends my salivary glands into overdrive the moment it hits me.  The smell of a home cooked meal, waiting for me.  I already paid for it, pennies on the dollar compared to eating out, it’s already done, and it smells amazing!  My favorite part is the sound the kids make as they walk in the door one by one. ” “Ohhh yum, that smells so good”, or, ” Oh my gosh, Mom!  Did you make French Dip?”, and my favorite, “Oh Mommy, did you make those sandwiches I love?”  Salivary glands start yet another pool in my mouth as I recall that scent again.

I know what you’re thinking, “So enough of the “Will Write for Food” mumbo jumbo, when are you gonna show us how to make this???”  Well how about now…

The first thing I have to say is when I suggest to you a specific brand, it’s usually because I have tried other options and they failed.  This is why I suggest certain brands.  I don’t get paid anything or get any advertising kickbacks,(speaking of, click on my ads.  I get paid, and it costs you nothing.) it’s just that using something else is a risk I have taken and it backfired on me.  Recently I experienced this with Low Sodium Soy sauce.

It started out the usual way,  I was trying to save a buck. Need I say more? Well I will, it was the Kroger brand of Lite Soy Sauce, and it was terrible!  It was an over fermented nightmare.  It didn’t even taste remotely like soy sauce of any kind.  Zoe tried it on her brown rice, which she loves to eat as an after school snack.  (p.s. trader Joe’s Frozen, microwaveable, Brown Rice is my favorite, not the organic kind though.) She had to throw the whole plate away!  Of course, I had to sample it before I let her do this, and immediately concurred as I spat out my portion and tossed the remains of the entire bottle in the trash.

I’m not saying don’t buy generic stuff, I’m just saying, try it out on something else before you use it in a recipe.  Like cracking your eggs individually before adding them to the entire batter. You do that, don’t you?

Anyway, onto the recipe.  here’s what you’ll need.

A 3-4 lb. Chuck Roast ( Eye of Round works as well)
3/4 to 1 cup of Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce
1 packet of Herb-Ox Beef bullion granules (See more info below on it)
2 Fresh Rosemary sprigs or 1 tbsp. of dried, crushed Rosemary
1 tbsp of Garlic powder or three crushed, fresh cloves
1 Bay leaf
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
2 Tbsp Crushed Peppercorns
Enough water to cover the roast.

8-12 Hard rolls or Kaiser rolls
8-12 deli slices of provolone cheese

That’s it!

Here are some pics of the ingredients I used.

The Herb Ox granules can be difficult to find.  The only place I truly know of that always has them in stock is Albertson’s.  I have tried Von’s, Ralph’s, Stater Brother’s, Fry’s and Safeway, and I have only found them at Albertson’s.  They are the best, and they last awhile because it comes with 8 packets.  The reason I like them so much is because they are gluten-free, contain no msg and are completely sodium free.  It leaves  me with all the control over the  flavoring with the herbs and spices.  The lite soy sauce has enough sodium anyway, aside from salting the meat.  As explained earlier, I don’t even try different soy sauce now.  I have heard Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Soy sauce is good, but I am happy with my LS Kikkoman.  Incidentally, I usually find the best bargain on this one at Von’s, aka Safeway here in AZ and sometimes at Albertson’s as well.  The whole reason I ended up with that terrible bottle of Kroger brand was because they only sell Kikkoman’s in a tiny bottle for like $4.00.  I get this big 20 oz bottle for around the same there when on sale, which is like every other week.

Onto the prep… for the roast, I don’t even bother to brown it in a pan first.  This dish has so much flavor on its own, it’s not necessary.  I have tried it with and without browning and could not even tell the difference, so I of course, opt out of dirtying a pan, adding oil and turning on my stove.

You can trim the roast if you like, but I prefer to take the fatty pieces out at the end so I can capture all that flavor for dipping in the au jus.  Sprinkle some kosher salt and grind some fresh pepper on both sides. Now this is hard part…Turn your crock pot on the hottest setting and drop the roast into the crock pot.

Now all you have to do is sprinkle the Herb Ox granules on it, pour the soy sauce and water over it, toss in the garlic and herbs, and you’re done!  Well, for now anyway.  If you like, you can put this all together the night before and just pour the water over and add it into your pot the next morning, but it’s best to do this in a separate container. Your crock pot could crack or break if it is too cold when you start turn it on.

Here’s what mine looked like when I was done putting it all together.  I usually use the dried rosemary, but was out and had some fresh on hand.  I think it looks pretty.  That’s hard to do with raw meat you know!

It takes mine about 7-8 hours on high to cook to the way I like it, so set your pot accordingly.  If you are gone longer than that and have one of those nifty programmable ones, I suggest you have the temp lowered to the “warm” setting after 8 hours, or to “low” after 7 hours.

Here’s a pic of what it looked like after three hours…

Looking tasty!

You can remove and slice at this stage if you want to take the time and like it better sliced.  Just put the meat back into the juices after slicing.

Another pic after six hours…

Getting ugly now isn’t it?

And finally…The last step after I have removed the fatty pieces, which took me about five minutes.  (My dog loved them!)  I shred or separate the meat here a little and let it stew in those delectable juices for a few minutes while I slice the rolls and get the cheese ready.  BTW, the hard rolls can be substituted only by  some other kind of tasty roll that has a hard, crisp exterior followed by an airy, light interior to soak up all those juices.  Kaiser rolls work great as well.  Just don’t waste your money and time by using some brand name, plain Jane, French rolls that came off a shelf in the bread isle.  Head straight to the bakery section, tell them what you’re making, and they should know what you need.  They are about the size of a large dinner roll, and if you happen to find them in the day old section for half-off, that’s fine, just make sure they are worthy of the meat and your time.

 

I know it looks really gross, but trust me.  It looks fine once it’s assembled, and tastes even better.  I never said it would be pretty anyway…at least, not yet!

Now it is.  Here’s what it looks like all assembled on my plate.  Yum, Yum, Yum!!!

 

See I told you. I wish you could smell it.  Now grab your self some of that au jus and just go to town!

It is so good, I could just eat a couple of these alone, but the kids like the sides, so you can serve this with a lot of different things if you wish.  The kids love steak fries with it.  I love to toss them in a little fresh crushed garlic, flat-leafed parsley, shredded Romano cheese and a butter/olive oil mixture after the fries crisp in the oven for a bit.  But since the whole point is to be oven free, you can serve with a little potato salad, bag of chips, a nice Carnegie Deli dill pickle on the side, or you could just pick up some of those delightful potato wedges your grocery store’s deli has been nursing under that orange light for few hours.  The main thing is the sandwich, and it’s worth every bite, penny, minute, whatever you put into it!

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you.  This stuff freezes and reheats amazingly well!  Just put into an airtight container, Ziploc freezer bags, etc.  What I like best is being able to remove some of the fat in the juice after it freezes.  It rises to the top in a solid, white layer.  Just pick it off after its defrosted a little, but isn’t melted yet.  It saves calories, but the flavor is still intact.  This works if it is refrigerated overnight as well.

Here are a few sides we like with it.  The Carnegie deli pickle spears are so crisp and cold with the perfect amount of tang.  They are better than Vlasic and they came from Costco in the deli section, the Miss Vickie’s chips are from Sam’s Club in a multi flavor pack.  I love these chips and was ecstatic to find them at Sam’s as I have had to quell my cravings for them over the years with a trip to Togo’s for a hot pastrami sandwich (poor me, no really, poor me.  My blood pressure skyrocketed!). Although I can make the steak fries at home, these are Red Robin’s…Yum!

So, I had this whole story cooked up about the history of the French dip sandwich and how it’s not really French at all, but I’ll just let you Google that one on your own if you’re interested.  Okay fine, being the trivia geek that I am…I’ll give you the link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_dip_sandwich.  There!  Are you happy now? FYI..My vote is for Cole’s.  Their story makes more sense to me.

Future news:
So, this coming weekend we are celebrating our family’s Greek Easter.  It’s a little ahead of schedule as it actually falls on the same day as regular Easter this year, April 24th, which also happens to be my Grandma Rose’s birthday. But I get to head out to California and see my niece and nephew-in-law I haven’t seen in almost a year!  They moved to Michigan the same week we moved to Arizona last year and we miss them sooooo much!  Looking forward to seeing you Stacey and Garrett!  I can’t wait to come back and fill you all in on all the great food and fun of the weekend!

In the meantime… Enjoy your food, cherish your family and savor every last crumb life throws at you.

Posted in Food, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Red Robin…Yum? Well Usually Anyway.

Posted on March 24, 2011 by

Okay, so I know I promised some more Italian food, but I have been battling my Fibromyalgia symptoms and have basically been sleeping through my pain for days now.  That’s what happens when you lose your good health insurance and are reduced to generic drugs that well, like I told them already, don’t work on me.

So today, I crawled out of my hole and braved the world.  I felt slightly better and decided I owed my family some face time.  Hollie is now 22 weeks pregnant, and aside from her early Popsicle cravings which were basically fueled by her morning sickness and lack of ability to eat much else, she hasn’t really complained about any other cravings that she HAD to have…until now.

It seems that Red Robin has really increased their advertising around here lately and it certainly has had its effect on all of us, especially our pregnant one.  Cruel is what it is.  Showing us their beautifully juicy and decadent burgers, and those endless, refillable steak fries  (The garlic fries are my personal favorite).   Every time we sit down to decompress in front of the boob tube, there they are, torturing us again.   As if it wasn’t bad enough that for the past month, those darn Girl Scouts, with their cute little faces and uniforms, hocking their cookie perfection, attacking our every sense whenever we run to the store for a simple gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. Enough already!  I’m broke now and have gained 5 lbs.  Go away until next year!

So, as I owed Hollie her face time with me,  I decided surprise her and take her to Kohl’s to look at baby clothes and to Red Robin to fulfill her craving. Why oh why is it, that when you have been dying for something soooo long and you finally are able to get it, it is such a, well, you judge for yourself.

We arrived first at Red Robin, Hollie was ecstatic!  What a surprise!  We walked in and were immediately greeted by the friendly, if not overly friendly hostess who proceeded to walk us around the entire restaurant before seating us about where we started.  We passed about five dirty, vacant tables before landing at our spot.  Not a very appetizing beginning.

About two minutes later our server came to greet us.  An odd-looking burley grey-haired man, probably in his late 40′s, early 50′s.  Mostly odd, because it looked like he had just ended a long drinking bender and hadn’t shaved for a week. Again, NOT appetizing.  He was pleasant enough though and politely took our order.  I opted out of having a burger for financial reasons, and instead chose a side of cheese sticks and Arizona’s finest water, ha! (Where we live in Arizona has about the worst water aside from Mexico.) Con Limon, por favor!  Oops, sorry, this is Arizona, not California.  With lemon, please.

So as we waited for our food, we were slightly interrupted by a waitress who decided that she would keep busy by dusting all the shelves and plants around us.  Really???  Is now the best time to do this?  Perhaps, just maybe AFTER the restaurant closes and people are no longer eating or drinking might just be a better time.  Or even in the morning, before you open?  I know you want to look busy for the boss, but perhaps checking the ketchup bottles, refilling the salt and pepper or cleaning some tables might be better?

So finally, the maid/waitress leaves us to spread dust all over other people and their food.  Just then, our food arrives.  Hollie was VERY happy that her burger arrived as requested.  You see, ordering with Hollie is a lot like ordering with Sally.  If you have ever seen, When Harry Met Sally, you know exactly what I am talking about, and if you haven’t, shame on you, put it at the top of your Netflix que now!

So ordering with Hollie is exactly like this…”I’d like the Bonzai burger but plain with just the cheese and the pineapple, and I’d like the teriyaki sauce on the side, but only if it’s warmed, if it’s not warmed, then on the burger is fine, but extra sauce please.  and I would like the fries extra crispy and a plate on the side for the burger and plenty of extra napkins.”  The only difference is that I usually have to do the ordering, as Hollie is still very shy about this.  I’m easy.  When I can order it, for me it’s the Whiskey River BBQ burger, no tomato and a side of garlic fries.  Simple enough.

So as I was saying, Hollie got her burger and was so far happy as it arrived as requested.  It was unfortunate that as she is currently preggars, all her food must be cooked thoroughly.   We requested no pink, and we did get it as we requested, so her burger was small, dry and a little charred.

Bonzai Hollie!

Bonzai Hollie! (She didn't get this, so Karate Kid is in our Netflix que now.)

In retrospect, I think the carcinogens from the charring are probably much worse for her than a little pink, but too late now.  She also stated her bun seemed a little hard, so I gave it a little finger push and found it to be kind of tough as well.  I wonder if the order wasn’t sitting up there a few extra minutes longer waiting for the waitress to finish her dusting.

I have had plenty of fried mozzarella cheese sticks in my time, far too many I’m sure, but never any quite like Red Robin’s, and I can’t say I would ever recommend them to anyone.  There are certain flavors that go well together, fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce, Peanut Butter and Chocolate, you get it.  So,  I expected your usual Italian breadcrumb batter, but instead, I got this peppery, odd beer batter.  I could see this on maybe a pepper jack or a sharp cheddar, but it was just plain wrong on mozzarella.  Hollie laughed at me as I peeled it off and ate just the cheese.

Red Robin Cheese SticksIt was about this time that the lovely cleaning lady with the waitress uniform came by with her trusty broom.  REALLY????  Is there NOT a better time???  That did it for me and eating, I actually could only stomach two of them and brought the rest home, for what I don’t know.  Thank God, they were somewhat protected by paper cone they were served in along with a side of marinara (which had a nasty, dark sort of crust on top, more proof of the waiting for the dusting thing) and good ole ranch dressing (which came in quite handy for the fries I snuck from Hollie’s refillable basket and hid in the cone for further protection from the “elements” and the waiter).

In any case the entire $15.00, with tip, trip, temporarily satisfied Hollie’s craving for Red Robin, at least until the next commercial.  For now, I have completed the online survey of our experience, and expect a Manager’s Call any day.  I will let you know how our subsequent visit is once we get our complimentary return gift cards in the mail.  Perhaps we will use them at San Tan in Gilbert this time, or maybe wait until we can go to our favorite one in Cypress, CA next to Costco.

Oh, and if you were wondering, our trip to Kohl’s, although much less exciting, was very successful.  I managed to exchange yet another pair of Noah’s ripped Levi’s for a new pair, no receipt, no questions asked.  Gotta love Kohl’s!

Auntie Onesie

From Zoe to Anastasia

 

ELLIE

So Stinkin' Cute!

Not to mention some adorable things for the baby to come.   Oh and I even found a great, big bottle of bubbles for Zoe.  She and Hollie are happily playing with them outside now, waiting for me.

FYI…If you were to go to a Red Robin anytime soon, this coming Saturday, March 26th would be the day to go!  TIP a COP is taking place at all participating Red Robin restaurants in the U.S..  This Saturday, your meal will be served by a police officer and all tips that go to them are directly given to the Special Olympics!  It is one of my favorite causes and I think it’s great that law enforcement officers are doing something to actively benefit a cause outside of their normal job duties.  We see a lot of Fireman and Military do this, but we rarely get to see law enforcement.  I will personally spare them the experience of dealing with my family, and will donate to the Special Olympics directly through  their website.

See you again soon.

In the meantime… Enjoy your food, cherish your family and savor every last crumb life throws at you.

Posted in Family, Food, Fun | Leave a comment

Today, It’s all about Italian, Baby!

Posted on March 19, 2011 by

Okay, so I’ve obviously been watching waaay too much Kitchen Boss lately.  My daughter, Casey and I have been watching Buddy Valastro on Cake Boss on TLC for several years now.  We have spent countless hours together in the kitchen since she was very young as she shares my love of all things food. I have taught her everything I know. She even has great knife skills. Casey is really turning out to be a very talented baker and cake decorator, and she’s only 12!

We were so excited when we found out Buddy was branching out into a new cooking show all centered around Italian food.  Needless to say, we have not been disappointed.  My Italian roots come from Sicily where The Valastro’s family roots are as well.  The recipes buddy makes are so close to my family’s, and every bit as delicious.

One of my first jobs was working in a pizza restaurant, Upper Crust, formerly Stuft Pizza in Vista (I wonder if Frank DiStefano is still the manager?).  My best friend since junior high, and fellow Greek, Helen Rodittis-Hanlon and I, worked together there.  We helped make pretty much everything from scratch.  We used to roll out the dough balls and toss them in the air like a real Italian pizzeria.  We made Calzones, Pasta Salads, Italian Subs and so much more. We had one of those great, big ovens with the rotating shelves inside.  The thing got so hot and we had to use the wooden paddles to put the pizza’s in and take them out.  After doing that for a few hours every day, your hands get really dry and your nails get very brittle.  It was a good time and we ate well. Man,  am I craving an Hombre Calzone right now.

To this day, I make Stuft Pizza’s Pasta Salad and bring it to family occasions and serve at parties.  It is still always a hit and I get at least one recipe request every time I make it.  Today I am going to share the recipe with you.  It is the easiest thing you will ever make, and makes a great addition to almost any meal and is especially good for picnics as it has no mayonnaise or anything in it that will spoil easily.

First you will need:

1 lb box of Tri-Color Rotini Pasta (I prefer Barilla or Ronzoni)
1 bottle of Girard’s Italian Dressing (It MUST be Girard’s Italian)
1 can of medium black olives
1/2 cup of peperoncini pepper slices
1 cup of fresh-cut broccoli crowns
1 large red bell pepper cut into 1 inch long strips
1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts drained and coarsely chopped
1 jar of marinated button mushrooms (if desired)

Cook the pasta as directed (a little more al dente is perfect)
Drain pasta and rinse with cool water to stop cooking
Allow to drain for about 3-5 minutes and move to large bowl
Pour in the Girard’s Italian dressing and toss
Add in all other ingredients and toss again
Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours

The Salad tastes best when it has sat in the fridge a couple of days, stirring occasionally, if you can get it to last that long.  It will keep good for about a week in the fridge.  I doubt it will last more than a day though.  This is the one thing my daughter, Hollie always wants and has constantly craved and eaten throughout her 20 weeks of pregnancy so far.

Here’s what it should look like when you are done.

Best Pasta Salad Ever

Yum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s what it looks like when we are done.

Empty Plate of Pasta Salad

Super Yum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best part about this salad is you can change just about anything you want.  Add some sliced or diced onions, cubes of cheese, salami or pepperoni.  Add some cherry tomatoes, grated Pecorino Romano or some fresh basil or Italian flat-leaf parsley.  The main thing I never change is the dressing.  It’s what makes the salad great. Here’s a picture of the dressing so you know what to look for.  It can be pricey, but for this, it’s worth every penny.

Girard's Italian Salad Dressing

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family has many for years.

By the way… later tonight for dinner we are making more Italian goodness, so I’ll post as soon as I get the pics ready and we enjoy.

 

 

In the meantime… Enjoy your food, cherish your family and savor every last crumb life throws at you.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Food | 4 Comments

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted on March 17, 2011 by

Green Bagel St. Patrick's DayNot being Irish, I’ve never been much for celebrating St. Paddy’s day. Other than wearing green to avoid the ever obnoxious pinching routine from the “leprechauns”. I’ve never cared much for beer, so green beer appeals to me even less. I did once buy a dozen green bagels for my kids and make some ready-made Pillsbury shamrock cookies from the store.

Shamrock shakes were never my thing being that anything Spearmint flavored makes my stomach turn from a bad Titrilac, experience as a child. My Mother thought a couple of chewable Titrilac pills would help alleviate my flu symptoms.  Quite the contrary, they sent me running to the bathroom. Now anything spearmint brings me right back to that day and how horrible I felt. Incidentally, just the smell of corned beef and cabbage pretty much does the same, no experience required.

So you probably are wondering, why would I wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day if the thought of all things “Irish”, or at least as Irish as it gets here in America, make me ill. I’ll tell you. My husband, Kevin Dougherty. As if the name weren’t Irish enough. My husband and his family are full-blooded Irish and celebrate all things as so. St. Paddy’s day is their biggest day of the year. Of course no self-respecting Irish person needs an excuse to drink, but today is the one day where they are expected to.

I’m not much of a drinker, and thankfully for me, my husband no longer drinks either. Recovering Irish we call him. Our plans for today were to celebrate by taking the kids out for some good old-fashioned Irish fun out at Tempe Town Lake to listen to Flogging Molly live, eat some street fair food, and avoid the all the, Irish for a day, drunks.  Well, drunk or not, Flogging Molly always puts on a good show, not to mention, the local street fair foods never disappoint. Unfortunately, we will be able to do none of this.  So now we have come full circle. My daughter and I both have the stomach flu, and as much as us getting sick in the streets today may seem normal to any bystanders who believe us to be equally as drunk as they are.  We prefer to stay home, suffer in silence, and stay away from the Titrilac.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Shamrock Cookies

Posted in Family | 2 Comments