Nana's Fabulous Life

Super Soup, Super Fast: Tortellini Soup

2011-10-19T15:05:00.000-04:00

It has been a rainy Fall here in SNJ. And today, as the rain poured down and my sweet girls battled a cold, we had to have homemade soup.

This soup is so quick and easy. I usually keep the ingredients on hand to whip up whenever the skies pour and the coughing begins.

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Premade Tortellini (I used a bag of frozen tricolor stuffed with cheese; but you can use dried or fresh, filled with whatever you like!)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups fresh baby spinach (or frozen, if you use frozen, let it thaw for 20 minutes on the counter)

Make it:

In a dutch oven or large soup pot, warm olive oil on medium heat. Add chopped onion, stir until softened about 5 minutes.
Turn heat to low, put a lid on the pot. Let the onions cook further, about 10 minutes.
Add broth. Bring to a boil
Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.
Chop fresh baby spinach into chunky pieces. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup to the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle the hot soup on top. Season with salt/pepper.

Favorite Things: Back to School Goodies

2011-09-06T12:14:00.000-04:00

I love Back-to-School shopping. Even during the years when no one in our house was going to school, I've used this time of year as an excuse to shop (and buy!).

This year, Lily is starting Kindergarten--the big time. She has been in Pre-K for two years, but this year feels different.

Here are my favorite finds for back to school organization and of course, fabulous-ness (is this a word?!). Please share your favorites in the comments section!

1. The Lunch Cube (by Klip It, available at Sur La Table)

The Lunch Cube, middle right

The Lunch Cube, retailing for just $6, is a great Bento-style lunch box solution. The top compartment is perfect for a sandwich and the bottom has two sections for sides. And the best part: it fits right inside of most lunch boxes--so your kids don't have to sacrifice their style (Lily would die if she could not carry her Tinkerbelle lunch box to school everyday). I also grabbed the 6.7 oz size for snack time ($3) and the 11.8 oz split size (one side for yogurt and the other for granola). It is all eco-friendly and wallet friendly.

2. FooDoodler
This might be the last year that Lily is not embarrassed by love notes in her lunch box--so I am taking advantage. The FooDoodler markers are adorable and perfect for writing on sandwiches, crackers, bagels and cookies. Plus, my kids love them. The Food Doodlers actually write like regular markers--making them fun for an afternoon food craft. I grabbed my pack at Sur la Table, but they are also available from Amazon.com. Prices vary $7-$10.

Edible love notes.

3. Cold Packs from Pottery Barn Kids
I grabbed a couple of these cold packs at the PBK store for $2 each during the Labor Day sale. They are just the right size to slip in Lily's lunch bag and well, they are cute to look at. Bonus: the cold packs work great on bumps and bruises too.


Available at PBK

4. Retro Barrette Craft--from Disney Family Fun

Love re-living my childhood in hair!

Remember these fabulous braided barrettes? Since Lily has to wear a uniform everyday--the hair is where we have fun. This craft is super easy (and cheap--a 6 pack of barrettes was $3 and ribbon was 50-cent a spool at JoAnn fabric). We've already made a bunch in a rainbow of colors.

5. Little Kids Sigg Water Bottle
We are Sigg fans in our house and love the Little Kids Water bottle (we have Paddington Bear on ours). These water bottles never leak, ever. And they last forever--without getting grimy. You can find Siggs at Whole Foods or online for about $17.99 (or less).

Jersey No-Cook Pasta Sauce

2011-08-09T11:33:00.000-04:00

All summer long, I've been covering the Blackwood Farmer's Market for the Gloucester Township Patch. It has been pretty much a dream, combining two of my favorite things: food and writing.

One of my favorite things is finding out everyone's favorite recipes. One of the weekly vendors, Dave Monteleon Farms, is always bursting with tomatoes, fairy tale eggplant, beets, corn, peppers, peaches, basil and everything under the Jersey Summer Sun. Doris Monteleon shared her favorite summer pasta recipe.

The recipe uses Juliet tomatoes, which sort of look like mini-plum tomatoes. You can truly use any tomato you like--I used Juliets plus a few tomatoes from our own backyard garden. To my recipe, I tossed in a few cloves of fresh garlic (Doris did not include this ingredient in her original recipe).

This sauce is bursting with garden goodness--you can taste the sunshine and the rain in every bite. It sort of makes you believe that miracles do happen--after all those tomatoes just started with a tiny seed in a green house way back in the dark days of winter.

The leftovers (if you have any) are great cold. I am eating some right now. ( :

The goodies:
1 pint Juliet tomatoes, plus 2 or 3 medium tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
handful of fresh basil
3 T. olive oil
salt/pepper
1 pound curly pasta noodle, such rigatoni or cellentani
1 ball fresh mozzarella, diced

The work:
1. Quarter the smaller Juliet tomatoes and coarsely chop the larger tomatoes. Place in a large bowl.
2. Grate or mince garlic. Coarsely chop fresh basil. Combine garlic, basil, tomatoes, olive and salt/pepper.
3. While the tomatoes mixture is sitting, cook pasta according to package instructions.
4. Drain cooked pasta. Add mozzarella to tomato mixture. Top the pasta with the cheese/tomato mixture. The cheese melts, the tomatoes release a little juice and the basil sings.

It is THAT good!

Lily and Chloe's Fabulous Life: Glitter Play Dough

2011-07-14T15:14:00.001-04:00

When I was a kid, my mom and I tried to make play dough with lackluster results. The end product just was not fun. Or particularly colorful.

Once (or more likely a dozen times), I attempted homemade play dough with my best girl Jessie Del Mar (we are the original, albeit overlooked, creators of the Hot Pocket, but I digress). I believe our recipe was baby powder and water. (we made it in the bathroom to avoid detection). As you can imagine, the results were just, well, a disaster.

Lily, Chloe and I have been experimenting with various concoctions for a while. Edible play dough, while intriguing, is just revolting (reminiscent of sweaty peanut butter). Some recipes required exotic ingredients that I had to Google. But the best ones required a little cooking to get that-bought-from-Target level of fabulousness.

I have no idea where this recipe came from, it was just scribbled on a scrap of paper in my to-do pile. Lily (with Chloe in agreement) insisted we use the "good" gel food coloring from Wilton and of course, glitter was required.

The dough keeps great in an airtight container and is truly a fab summer activity. We plan to add a couple colors to our stash each week.

The Dough-stuff:
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Food coloring gel
Glitter

Mix all ingredients with the exception of the glitter in a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a ball (sounds cryptic, but you will know when it happens). Remove from heat, but dough ball in a large bowl. Add the glitter and knead until smooth and uniform. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cooking with the Kiddos: Kale-tastic Kale Chips

2011-07-11T15:09:00.000-04:00

Kale-tastic Lily.

The first time I made kale chips the results were interesting. . .

And relatively disgusting. Some chips were crisp, others were mushy, some were burnt and then the rubbery kale, well, that is just gross.

But, I really wanted to like kale chips, so we experimented. And it really is easy, but took a little finessing.

Lily loves these chips (and she eats nothing). Chloe, not so much. But both girls had fun helping. And it was nice to have them by my side.

Kale before.

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt

Steps:
1. Wash and dry kale (super critical, the kale should be totally dry before baking)

2. Preheat oven to 300F.

3. Cut the kale. Remove tough stems, cutting away the leafy parts. The tough stems get enou tougher and are completely yucky when baked. So, save the stems to make vegetable broth.

4. Cut all leafy parts into uniformly sized pieces. (ensures even cooking!)

5. Toss the leafy pieces in a large bowl with olive oil. I eyeballed it--every bunch of kale will vary in size, slightly. The idea is to coat each piece of kale with olive oil. Start with a tablespoon and add more as needed.

Perfect crispy kale.

6. Now add in balsamic vinegar. I used about 1 tablespoon and tossed it with the olive oil coated kale.

7. Line a baking sheet with either a sil-pat mat or parchment paper. Evenly distribute kale on cookie sheet.

8. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, until Kale changes from bright green to a deep olive color. Kale should be crisp to the point of breaking.

9. Remove from oven and salt to your liking.

10. Storage: if you have kale leftover, let it cool completely before storing in an air tight container. If it is stored warm, it will loose its crispness.

South West Jersey No-Tortilla Soup

2011-07-05T19:46:00.000-04:00

This soup is heavenly.

My biggest complaint about tortilla soup: often the chicken on top is an after thought. It is either leftovers (I am not really a fan) or rotisserie chicken.

I have been been dreaming of sweet, juicy, pristine shreds of chicken on top of a spicy, veggie filled soup forever.

And finally, my South West Jersey No-Tortilla Soup. As the name implies, there are no tortillas (although feel free to add). And I used lots of local fresh ingredients--local white onion, a prehistorically gigantic zucchini (courtesy of Miranda), fresh Jersey corn, backyard garden cilantro, a Duffield's jalapeno, local honey from High Trail Honey and Jersey Fresh canned crushed tomatoes (a pantry staple around here).

The poached chicken is juicy and tender. Use leftovers (i can dig these leftovers) the next day for chicken salad or a wrap.

It all comes together in under an hour (I swear, and in my hour, I had a dog and a 5 year old, helping).

And not to get too Next Food Network Star, but MGD Lemonade is the perfect beer pairing for this unconventional summer soup.

For the soup:

Honey and Lime Poached Chicken, shredded, broth reserved(recipe below)
2 T. olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeño, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
5 cups (approx) reserved stock from poached chicken
Salt/pepper
2 ears of grilled corn, cut from cobs (if you don't have it grilled, just use cooked)
Handful of cilantro
1 avocado sliced
zest of one lime
1 green onion, sliced

1. Prepare poached chicken. Reserve stock.

2. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat.

3. Add veggies in layers. First carrots, for about 3 minutes, then onion, garlic and peppers. Last, add zucchini. Cook together until soft, about 7 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes, stock and salt/pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

5. Stir in corn.

6. Serve it up: top with avocado, shredded chicken, cilantro, green onion and a little sprinkle of lime zest.

Honey and Lime Poached Chicken

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
3 tsp. dried cilantro (or 3 T. fresh, chopped)
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. honey
1 lb thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. Whisk all ingredients (except for the chicken breasts) together in a large pot.

2. Bring to a boil; add chicken.

3. Reduce heat, poach until chicken is cooked through 4 minutes.

4. Use tongs to remove chicken. Reserve poaching liquid. Shred chicken.

Breakfast Tostada

2011-05-06T17:00:00.001-04:00

Tostada means "toasted" in Spanish. For this breakfast tostada, you toast a flour tortilla with some gooey cheese in a skillet and then top it with eggs, black beans, avocado and other delights.

This recipe is the perfect solution to a fun breakfast-for-dinner night or a perfect Sunday Brunch. The recipe below makes 4 tostadas. It can easily be halved (or quartered!) or doubled. I sprinkled some chopped red pepper, sweet onion and romaine on the side. If you don't have these in your produce draw--don't fret. Use what you have.

Ingredients:
4 flour tortillas
1 cup of Cheddar-Jack shredded cheese
Non-stick cooking spray
8 eggs
1 T. Olive Oil
salt/pepper
1 cup canned black beans (I love Ortega brand with jalapenos-grab a can in the Mexican aisle)
1/2 cup of diced vegetables--red pepper and onion (or whatever you have)
1/4 cup lettuce shreds (any variety, even spinach!)
Your favorite tomato salsa
1 avocado, halved, peeled, sliced
4 black olives

The work:
1. Heat a medium sized skillet over high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Place flour tortilla in skillet, cover and turn heat to low. Give it five minutes or until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas, in between making the eggs.
2. Heat 1 T. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Beat eggs until fluffy and light yellow. Season with salt and pepper. Add to skillet with 1 cup of black beans.
3. Cook eggs (scramble with a spatula as you go) until firm. Remove from heat.
4. Assemble your tostadas: place egg/bean, mixture on top of melted cheese, then add avocado slices, a spoonful of salsa and a black olive. Sprinkle peppers, onions and lettuce on the outside edge of the tostada.

Room Service French Toast

2011-05-06T16:49:00.000-04:00

This french toast recipe is better than Room Service and infused with oranges that will delight your taste buds. The recipe can be made with a fresh baguette or one that is stale, making it a great way to use up fresh bread (and it is way yummier than croutons). It can also be frozen and warmed up on a cookie sheet--making it a make ahead go-to recipe for special occasions or for the everyday.

Top it with your favorite jam (or whatever you have on hand). Apricot jam is my favorite topper.

The stuff:
1 french baguette, sliced to about 1/4”
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten until frothy
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon nutmeg
1 orange--the juice, plus zest
Vegetable oil for frying

Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in large skillet on medium-high heat
Combine milk, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, orange juice and zest in dish.
Dip the baguette slices in the egg mixture. Allow excess egg to dip off slices.
Fry baguette slices on both sides until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes.
Top with your favorite jam.

Grilled Asparagus Soup with Brie Toast

2011-04-26T12:50:00.000-04:00

Asparagus is my favorite vegetable.

When I was a kid, we never, ever had asparagus on our table. My father grew up next to an asparagus farmer during the Great Depression (my Dad is nearly 91). According to my Pop, he had asparagus for breakfast, lunch and dinner all Spring long--and well, he hasn't had a spear in 60 years.

I, on the other hand, love Asparagus--on its own in, in a salad and of course, in soup! Jersey asparagus is in-season now. I found some at Duffields last week. It is so great grilled--and you can grill one enormous batch and use it in recipes all week long. Eat on the side, pop it on a pizza and use some to make this yummy Spring soup, perfect for rainy days.

I started with a homemade veggie broth base--this time around it included leek tops, asparagus bottoms, leftover sliced tomatoes, red onion garlic, parsley stems, salt pepper, bay leaves zucchini ends and other odds and ends from my produce drawer. You can use any store bought veggie broth or even chicken broth. I would just stay away from any broth that is tomato based--I think it messes with the natural asparagus flavor.

The stuff:
2 leeks, just the light green and white parts, quartered and sliced thin
1 shallot diced
2 cloves garlic diced
3 T. butter
1 T. olive
1-2 lbs of grilled asparagus, tips cut off and reserved. Stems, diced.
6 cups broth of your choice
1 cup heavy cream

For the brie toast:
Six 1/2 slices from a fresh baguette
Six 1/4 inch slices of brie

Get to work:

1. Butter 3 T butter into 1 T olive oil
2. Add shallot and garlic, cook until soft over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
3. Add bottoms from grilled asparagus. Cook 1 minute, until warmed through
4. Add broth. Bring to a boil, simmer 15 minutes.
5. While soup is simmering, preheat your broiler.
6. Place baguette, with one piece of brie on each slice under broiler. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until cheese melts and edges of bread are browned.
7. Season soup with salt and pepper. Stir in heavy cream.
6. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.
8. Stir in reserved asparagus tips.
9. Serve immediately with brie toast on top.

Only here for the food: Asian Inspired Super Bowl Menu

2011-02-06T14:21:00.001-05:00

I am not so much an NFL fan--in fact, I did not even know which teams were in the Super Bowl until church this morning and Reverend Bill's children's message.

However, I love mini food--appetizers, sliders, small bites of this and that--it is all novel and absolutely delicious. And I love any opportunity to cook and eat mini bites.

Lily helped me with this last minute Super Bowl Sunday menu. We don't have big plans; just the four of us hanging out. I expect oodles of leftovers--perfect for mid week snacking and delicious left overs. The Asian inspiration just sort of happened and I love the idea of having a theme--Lily says it makes it fancy!

Click on the links for the recipes!

Our Menu

Honey Mustard Chicken Wings and Drumsticks
I love Rachael Ray's recipe--it is slightly sweet and slightly spicy. Plus it way healthier than the traditional hot wings. Instead of serving with celery and carrot sticks, slice up some cucumber. The recipe is here.

Lily's Mango Salsa
Lily and I learned this easy and kid friendly version of mango salsa at a Wegman's cooking class. It is so simple, chop the following: 1 mango, 1/2 red pepper, 1 shallot and a couple leaves of fresh mint. Mix together with 2 tablespoons of apricot jam and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Serve with multigrain chips.

Mini Salmon Burgers
I adore a good burger. Try this recipe for soy glazed salmon burgers and make the patties mini. Serve on buns or go naked (I vote go naked leaves more room for other stuff.)

Black Bean Wontons with Green Salsa
Black Bean Wontons rock and they freeze great! Snag a pack of wonton wrappers, 1 cup of prepared black beans (homemade or from a can), and some feta. Mash up the beans. Then, put 1 teaspoon of black beans and a sprinkle of feta in the middle of each wonton wrapper. Follow the directions on the wonton package to fold. Then fry or bake until golden. Serve with either jarred green salsa or my favorite Green Salsa from the fabulous Beekman Boys .

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Nana was not Italian Wedding Soup

2011-01-18T14:07:00.001-05:00

My Nana was Danish. And despite living in South Jersey for at least 40 years, did not really cook Italian. I honestly cannot remember one lasagna or one spaghetti and meatball meal at her table. And her recipe boxes, while filled with food from around the world, make no mention of anything remotely close to marinara.

However, I grew up completely fascinated by all things Italian. My father would share stories of his travels to Venice and Sicily during World War II. I would gaze endlessly at photos of Roman architecture, planning someday to write or build or create something Roman. Once a week we had spaghetti and meatballs--homemade slow cooked red sauce with homemade meatballs. And Mike and I honeymooned in Rome, savoring the food, the wine, the architecture, the churches and the leather. I love Italian!

Italian Wedding Soup is a classic and so many of my friends, whose Nana's were actually Italian, shared their tips and tricks for this recipe. My recipe is like a wedding of all that heritage and knowledge and culinary genius.

Some notes: I had a big bag of baby spinach, so I used it in place of escarole. I also used orzo, but as Mike's Aunt Lydia suggested, those tiny little ball pastas, Acici de Pepe, would be excellent in place of the orzo. One old school addition is to drop a couple eggs beaten with Parmesan cheese into the hot soup and stir with a spoon until thin strands appear. I did not do this for my recipe, but think I will try the next go around.

The stuff:
Olive oil
3 large carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups orzo, cooked as per package
4 cups baby spinach

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 clove of garlic, grated
1/2 Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 grated locatelli or parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
2 T. Olive oil

Grated locatelli or Parmesan cheese for serving

1. In a large soup pot, heat about 1 T. olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, garlic and onion. Cook, stirring, until onion is softened and garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make meatballs. Combine beef, eggs, garlic, breadcrumbs and cheese in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Form mixture into small meatballs (1/4 - 1/2 inch in diameter).

4. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, warm 2 T. of olive oil. Gently add meatballs to frying pan and brown on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove meatballs from frying pan to simmering broth.

5. Heat meatballs in broth until cooked through about 10-15 minutes.

6. Stir in orzo and baby spinach. Stirring to wilt spinach. Top with a sprinkle of locatelli cheese.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunday Dinner: Lemon Rosemary Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots

2011-01-16T22:59:00.001-05:00

The first time I made a whole roast chicken, it was a massive disaster. First, I think my chicken may have been partially frozen. Second, I was following some complicated French recipe that appeared to be written in Franglais--a hybrid of French and English that was impossible to decipher. And finally, I was in a rush and charred the outside beyond recognition. The result: a charred, raw, inedible bird. I still feel bad for the chicken gave who gave his life for that complete catastrophe.

However, the kitchen is a forgiving place and luckily, my oven easily forgets. After much obsessing and planning, I finally made this juicy, savory, lemony roast chicken which may be worthy of place on a French country table. The recipe is simple, but does have oodles of steps--which is why this is a meal ideally prepared on a Sunday.

On the side roasted potatoes infused with lemon and carrots, plus a yummy green salad with pan fried croutons and dijon vinaigrette. Grab a bottle of French wine and you will send all you will send all your dinner guests swooning.

Dedicate some time to this recipe and savor a nice, slow meal with all your favorite people next Sunday!

The Stuff
One 4-4 1/2 lb chicken, giblets removed
4 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 whole lemon
6 cloves garlic, peeled
Zest of one lemon
2 T. Unsalted butter, softened
1 T. dried Rosemary; plus 1 T.
1 T. Honey; plus 2 T.
Salt/pepper
1 t. dried thyme
1 cup baby carrots

The Work
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Salt and pepper inside and outside of chicken. Let rest at room temperature.
3. Boil 8 cups of water in a large pot. Add potatoes, whole lemon and whole garlic cloves. Boil for ten minutes.
4. While potatoes are cooking, prepare an herb butter. Mix butter, lemon zest, 1 T. Rosemary and 1 t. Honey.
5. Rub herb butter underneath chicken skin, loosening as you go.
6. Drain potatoes. Remove lemon and garlic. (set potatoes aside) Poke holes in lemon with a fork and stuff inside chicken cavity, along with garlic, 1 T. Rosemary and 1 t. thyme.
7. Cover outside of chicken with remaining 2 T. of honey.
8. Place chicken and 1 cup baby carrots in a roasting pan. Cook 45 minutes.
9. After 45 minutes, add potatoes to the roasting pan and spoon juices over top. Roast an additional 45 minutes or until potatoes are golden and chicken is cooked through.
10. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Serve with a simple greens salad and pan fried croutons. (recipe coming soon!)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Grocery Store Tourism: Houston

2011-01-12T23:13:00.001-05:00

While to some, grocery shopping while on vacation may seem completely contradictory to the very concept of vacation, for me it a much anticipated piece of my itinerary. I've brought pasta from Italy, spices from Greece, deli meat from New York, deep dish pizza from Chicago and tortillas from Texas. I love foraging the spice aisles for items I've never seen and perusing the bakery to see what fresh breads I can grab.

There is no better way to get to know the locals than to check out what they eat at home. From local wines to fresh bread, prepared specialities and local, super fresh produce, the local grocery store and farmers market are both prime tourist spots for the aspiring ecotourism interested in getting to know everything through the eyes of those who live there.

One of my favorite grocery destinations is Houston. We lived there for a summer when Lily was a proton radiation patient at MD Anderson. My mother in law, Olga, was the perfect tour guide, introducing me to all the many amazing Tex- Mex delights. There are barbecue sauces and rubs, a plethora of hot sauces, a multitude of Mexican seasonings and my favorite: fresh made HEB tortillas.

HEB, which stands for "Here Everthing's Better," is a stellar combination of Whole Foods and for those of you blessed to be in the north east, Wegmans. There are amazing prepared foods, beautiful, local produce, great meal ideas and of course, my beloved Tortillas. For a little over $3, you can snag a 20- pack of warm, tender, flakily melt in your mouth tortillas. Olga also have a stack waiting for me-- and I can eat these beauties straight out of the bag. And I always bring back a supply, to keep me remembering all that delicious Texas food.

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Snowed-in: Macaroni and Cheese

2010-12-27T15:14:00.001-05:00

I absolutely adore a good snowstorm. Snowstorms are the perfect opportunity to pause and be home.
Unfortunately, the latest snowstorm hit as we were about to depart for a week in Texas; stranding us at home with relatively empty cupboards.
Okay, so there is always something to toss together or grab from the freezer in my house--but, another fab thing about snowstorms is the opportunity to cook something comforting and hearty.

I gathered the ingredients for this creamy, italian-esque macaroni and cheese from my pantry and some odds and ends in the refrigerator. Perfect for a snowy day or any day when you want to pretend to be snowed in and hide out at home.

The Goods

1 lb of penne (or whatever pasta shape you've got)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 canfuls of water
2 cups mozzarella cheese shreds
1 cup cheddar cheese shreds
1 tablespoon dried garlic seasoning (I used Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic)
Non-stick cooking spray
Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

For the topping:
1 cup chopped grape tomatoes OR small can of chopped tomatoes, drained
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (I always have a basil plant on my kitchen windowsill--it is a life saver!)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt/pepper

Grated locatelli or parmesan cheese

The Work

Preheat oven to 350F

Boil water and prepare pasta according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking make cheese sauce by mixing mushroom soup, water (use the can to measure water), cheese and garlic in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until cheese melts.

Spray a 9x12 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Drain and add cooked pasta. Pour in cheese sauce and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a thin dusting of breadcrumbs. Then, spray the top with cooking spray.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

While it is baking, prepare the topping. Mix tomatoes, garlic, basil, vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Top finished macaroni and cheese with tomato mixture and a heaping spoonful of locatelli cheese.

Nana's Back!

2010-12-27T13:48:00.000-05:00

Nana is back after a holiday hiatus! Stay tuned for a fab 2011--big things are planned including new guest bloggers, vegetable garden planning, amazing recipes, the return of quiche-tactic Monday and much, much more.

Wishing you all a fabulous 2011!

Uncle Allan and Aunt Ginny's Mushroom Pie

2010-11-23T13:23:00.000-05:00

Aunt Ginny, Uncle Alan, Nana and Granddad

I love mushrooms and often, I wonder if this love is somehow genetic, as most of my family shares my love affair. In the Fall, I find mushrooms to be so seasonal--the rustic, forest-y flavors are a perfect compliment to hearty dishes like stews and roasts.

My Uncle Allan and Aunt Ginny make this mushroom pie every Thanksgiving and apparently, my Nana (mother to Uncle Allan) loved it and had seconds! I will be bringing this to the Thanksgiving feast at my Mom's house this year.

Uncle Allan says he typically makes it the day before and then warms it up after the Turkey is finished and resting. It is a great dish to make for your own feast or to bring along to a potluck.

Mushroom Pie

Makes eight servings

Filling:

8 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms

2 cups chopped onions

1 t. dried thyme leaves

1/4 t. salt

1/4 cup light cream cheese

Crust:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour (reserve 1 tablespoon to roll crust

1/4 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup nonfat sour cream

1 T. low fat milk

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

To prepare filling: Spray large non stick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring frequently, 4-5 min^s until tender. Stir in mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, 2 min^s. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with thyme and salt, cook, stirring frequently, 4-5 min^s until mixture is tender. Add cream cheese; stir until cream cheese is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare crust: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; blend. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sour cream, stir until mixture forms a soft dough.

Sprinkle clean work surface with reserved 1T of flour; roll 2/3 of dough into a 12” circle. Fit dough into a 9” pie plate. Transfer filling to crust-lined pie plate.

Roll remaining dough into a 10”x7” rectangle about ¼” thick. Cut into 10”x1” strips. Weave into lattice over filling; pinch edges of crust and lattice together; flute rim. Brush lattice topping and crust rim evenly with milk; bake 30-40 min^s until crust is golden brown.

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Dill

2010-11-23T11:32:00.000-05:00

Kristine, with Oscar, my nephew and muse.

This recipe is from my dear and crazy friend Kristine. We used to work together at CBRE in the marketing department. I think we ate lunch together every day for at least a year--enjoying all the fantastic food that Center City has to offer.

I love this side--especially the beautiful Fall colors of the carrots and parsnips. Pop these in the oven about 15 minutes before your Turkey is finished. The dish will cook while your turkey rests and waits for carving!

The good:

2 pounds carrots, unpeeled

4 pounds parsnips, peeled

6 Tbsps. good olive oil

2 Tbsps. Melted butter

2 Tbsps. kosher salt

3 tsps. freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbsps. minced fresh dill (you can use more or less, depending upon your love of dill)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

If the parsnips and carrots are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise. Slice each diagonally in 1-inch-thick slices. The vegetables will shrink while cooking, so don't make the pieces too small. Place the cut vegetables on a roasting pan. Add the olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper and toss well. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the largest piece is fork-tender, tossing occasionally. Sprinkle with dill and serve hot. (yields 8 servings)

Nana's Fabulous Stuffing

2010-11-23T11:08:00.000-05:00

The original recipe

My Aunt Ginny reminded me that I come from a heritage of Thanksgiving stuffing. While I still believe there is absolutely no shame in Stove Top (or canned cranberry sauce or pre-made gourmet side dishes); my heart yearns to make homemade, moist and carb-tastic stuffing. The best part of this recipe is that is so easy and with a little dramatic flair, you can make it spectacular!

Every year I make this recipe--straight from my Nana's recipe box. There are four different variations that I have made:
1. The recipe, straight up
2. The recipe plus mushrooms to make: Wild Mushroom Stuffing
3. The recipe plus sausage to make: Sweet and Savory Sausage Stuffing
4. The recipe plus bacon and oysters to make: Oyster Stuffing

Pick your favorite or come up with another addition--it is so yummy, you might just make it year round!

Nana's Fabulous Stuffing-the straight up version
1/2 lb of butter (Nana's says or margarine, but I feel margarine is criminal)
1/2 cup minced onion

Me and my Nana, November 1977

12 cups cubes of bread (you have two options: grab a loaf of italian bread and cut it up the night before. or buy a bag of bread cubes in the stuffing aisle)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 cup celery diced
4-6 Tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup of milk (my favorite) or stock-turkey/chicken
1 egg

Melt butter. Add onion & simmer until it is partly cooked. Add chopped celery and cook until nearly tender. Add salt, pepper, parsley and poultry seasoning. Blend well and add bread cubes.
Beat egg into milk or stock. Add egg/liquid mixture to stuffing. Stuff your turkey and/or spread into a buttered casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes (covered) and an additional 30 minutes uncovered, until heated through.

Variations
For Wild Mushroom Stuffing:Stir in 2 cups of sliced, mixed mushrooms (white, shitake, oyster, whatever you love) with onions. Follow the rest of the recipe

For Sweet and Savory Sausage Stuffing: Brown 12 oz of bulk sausage. Drain, but reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in pan. Melt butter in drippings and follow recipe. Before adding the egg/liquid mixture, stir in browned sausage. Bake as directed.

For Oyster Stuffing: Brown 1/2 pound of chopped bacon. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings in pan. Melt butter in drippings and follow recipe. Before adding the egg/liquid mixture, stir in 1/2 cup chopped oysters. Bake as directed.

Jessie's Fab Rum + Pecan Sweet Potatoes

2010-11-18T12:16:00.001-05:00

So, this is so yummy! Try this great pecan-topped sweet potato casserole from my friend Jessie. I've known Jessie for 25 years--since Kindergarten. She is a fabulous cook and comes from a cooking family. Enjoy this delicious rum and pecan sweet potato casserole--a very grown up version of the marshmallow topped sweet potato concoction.

I think this would be great with either clear rum or a yummy spiced rum like Captain Morgan's.

Jessie's Mamie cooking for Thanksgiving

Rum + Pecan Sweet Potatoes
4 large sweet potatoes (to equal 3 cups when mashed)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temperature/softened, if needed, so it will blend well)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 tsp ginger
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp allspice

Cook potatoes until tender. Peel and mash potatoes. Combine with all other ingredients.
Put in buttered-casserole dish (or similar - we use a rectangular glass pan).

Melt the following ingredients for topping.
First melt 1/3 cup butter,
then add 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Pour topping over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Serves 10 people.

Allergy notes: Can be made with non-dairy butter + any non-dairy milk (we've used soy, rice, and coconut) + any non-wheat flour. Tastes the same. Same cooking time.

Brine it, baste it, behold it: My Favorite Turkey-Part 2

2010-11-18T00:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, so if you've brined your Turkey, you are so ready for Part 2. If you choose not to brine, you can still follow this portion of the recipe.

The morning of Thanksgiving, remove your turkey from the brine, pat it dry with paper towels and let it stand at room temperature for 2 hours. My Mother, the public health nut, always panics when the turkey is sitting out and I have to restrict her access to the kitchen; but trust me, the 2 hours is okay. The turkey skin dries a little, the turkey warms up and it all plays into the fabulous end result.

With "drying", cooking and post cooking standing time, you will need to allow 6 1/2 hours to get your bird ready to eat.

Ingredients
Brined Turkey
2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup of butter, softened
1 cup of white wine, I typically use a pinot grigio
Stuffing--if you stuff your bird OR if you prefer stuffing separate, one onion, halved
Large piece or two of cheesecloth

1. After your bird warms for 2 hours, preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Stir together melted butter and wine in a large bowl. Fold cheesecloth so that it is big enough to cover most of your turkey. Immerse the cheese cloth in butter mixture and soak it for a few minutes.
3. Place the turkey, breast side up on rack set in a roasting pan. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff with your stuffing OR onion. Tie the legs together with twine. Fold neck flap under and then rub the turkey with softened butter. Season the outside with salt and pepper.
4. Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture and wring out. Lay cheesecloth over turkey. Reserve butter mixture.
5. Place turkey, legs first in oven. Roast 30 minutes and baste the cheesecloth with reserved wine and butter mixture. Reduce temperature to 350F
6. Roast and brushing every 30 minutes for another 2 1/2 hours.
7. Remove cheesecloth and baste with pan juices until a temperature reads 180F, about an hour.
8. Transfer to a plate or cutting board. Let turkey stand at least 30 minutes before carving.

Brine it, baste it, behold it: My Favorite Turkey-Part 1

2010-11-17T23:53:00.003-05:00

Behold it!

This my favorite roast Turkey recipe. It has its roots in Martha Stewart (who I think should adopt me) and in my own brand of cooking alchemy. This year will be my sixth year roasting this juicy, golden yummy piece of Thanksgiving heaven.

The brine has simple ingredients. The turkey is basted in butter and wine as it roasts--it is picture perfect and tastes beautifully as well.

Plan on ordering a fresh turkey from a local farm in early November. Or picking up your frozen turkey from the grocery store a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Pickings can be slim in the days right before the big day. A good rule of thumb is to provide 1 1/2 -2 pounds of turkey per person. If your turkey is frozen, start defrosting it early and allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.

Some things you need before you dive in--a brining bag or a super large stock pot that your turkey plus brine can fit in; space in your fridge for stock pot; cheese cloth; a roasting pan with a raised rack; a silicon oven safe brush and a meat thermometer.

Brine it

Brine it!

Brining results in moist, flavorful meat. It works, apparently, through reverse osmosis and diffusion. I could pretend to fully understand this (this is why Nana needed Granddad and my Uncle Allan--for these techie issues), but I just know it works and the meat is tender, juicy and yummy. Cooks Illustrated has a fabulous explanation; just don't get caught up in the fears of non-crispy skin--we will get to that later.

You will make the brine on Wednesday morning, let it cool, and then put the turkey in the brine and refrigerate until Thanksgiving morning.

Here's what you need:

Your turkey--I usually get a 15-18 pounder. This recipe will work for more or less weight.; remove the giblets, save if you are into that and keep the tag from the turkey that lists the weight
3 cups coarse salt
5 cups sugar
2 medium onions, skins on, washed and coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, leaves on, coarsely chopped
3 bay leaves
Couple sprigs fresh thyme
Handful of fresh parsley
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns

Grab your enormous stock pot and put all ingredients (EXCEPT FOR THE TURKEY) in with 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat, let the brine cool completely.

Grab your bird and place the turkey breast first into the stock pot (or toss the whole caboodle in a brining bag) with the brine and cover (use the lid or plastic wrap). Place everything in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Next up: Part 2--Baste it and behold it!

Take a Time Out!: Thanksgiving Place Mat

2010-11-17T22:03:00.001-05:00

So, I love this from the new Blog, Take a Time Out! A great craft if you have a bunch of little one's to keep busy on Thanksgiving. Adorable!

Take a Time Out!: Thanksgiving Place Mat: "Looking for something to occupy an hour or so of your child's time? Here is a great Thanksgiving craft idea that helps show your child all ..."

Ain't no shame in Stove Top: Eight simple steps to a fabulous Thanksgiving!

2010-11-17T12:18:00.001-05:00

Chloe's first Thanksgiving in 2009-my little sleeping Turkey.

Anyone who knows me that I am both disorganized and highly creative--a toxic, yet super fun mix. Cooking and feasting and celebrating, however, bring out my inner-organizational diva (even if she is wearing mismatched socks). Whether at my house or my parent's home, I cook the Thanksgiving feast every year with the help of anyone who isn't scared of being bossed around and who won't comment on my unique sock choice.

Try these eight simple steps to a fabulous and organized Thanksgiving and you have plenty of energy for Black Friday shopping!

1. Brainstorm your menu
Gather a stack of cookbooks, magazines, recipe boxes, entries from your favorite websites and blogs and of course, all the yummy food on Nana's Fabulous Life! Ask yourself--who are your guests? What dietary restrictions am I up against? How many are coming? What foods are must-haves? Make a list. Be sure to include appetizers, beverages, main entrees, sides, bread, dessert and even ideas for using leftovers. Make your list big--later you can pare it down.

2. Turkey or Tofu?

Lily, Thanksgiving 2008, feet up.

A big roast turkey is the obvious choice for a main dish--but maybe something else suits your guests or you just don't like or want to prepare an entire turkey or you want some variety or you are a vegetarian. Other fabulous Thanksgiving options include: fried turkey, the scary and fascinating Turducken, ham, tofu turkey, baked ziti, macaroni and cheese, turkey breast, turkey london broil or even something totally different. The options are endless--pick what appeals and serves you--not what is traditional.

3. Ain't no shame in Stove Top

Take a critical eye to your list and turn it from brainstorm to menu. Decide what items you will cook, what you will ask guests to bring and what items you will buy pre-cooked or nearly pre-cooked. There are so many great and simple options--like Stove Top. Who cares whether you chopped up the stale bread for stuffing or opened a box and added water--it is good. And don't be afraid to ask guests to bring something for the meal--your Great Aunt's famous sweet potatoes will make the meal a family meal and save you valuable time.

4. Raid your pantry

Now you've made a list. raid your pantry--see what you already have on-hand and can incorporate into a menu. Check your freezer, refrigerator and spice cabinet, you will be surprised at what inspiration and ingredients you already have. As you go, feel free to edit your menu a little--maybe you have a boat load of string beans and can swap out the roasted carrots.

Also check your china cabinet and kitchen for serving platters and the necessary cooking gear. If you are missing something critical--like say, a roasting pan, add it to your shopping list. If you plan to have a formal table setting, check on your cloth napkins, silverware and dishes--make sure you have enough for all your guests.

Cooking in my PJS. No socks this year.

5. Plan your time
Look at your menu and your shopping list and make a timeline of shopping and preparation. Don't leave everything until Thanksgiving eve or morning or 1 hour before dinner. Work cleaning and catastrophe into your timeline--you need a clean kitchen to function and a cushion for when you accidently light something on fire or the dog steals the turkey, etc.

6. Prep for leftovers
I know this sounds overwhelming--but really it saves a load of hassle and Black Friday grocery shopping. When planning your Thanksgiving shopping list, make sure to add plastic food storage containers (great for you and great for guests to take away leftovers) and any special ingredients you may need to make your leftovers work for you. I always make Turkey Clubs for lunch the next day, so I make sure I have bacon, bread, lettuce and tomato. If you plan to make broth from the turkey bones, grab what you need to make the stock and the soup. Think through your leftovers and make it part of the plan.

7. Let go of your "Darlings"
My favorite college professor, Dr. Marra, always told me that I needed to let go of my "darlings." He was talking about those fine little details and lovely little bits that I had trouble editing out of my writing. For Thanksgiving, let go of all your "darlings-" let go of the expectation that everything will be perfect, let go of last minute and maybe unnecessary items on your shopping list, let go of everything homemade and embrace the Stove Top. It will all be okay and much more fun.

8. Give Thanks
Cooking, organizing and cleaning are really time consuming and exhausting and can be stress inducing--but you have a meal to cook, a menu to organize and a house clean. So many others don't. Give thanks, first, last and everywhere in between. And laugh. Really, if life was a sitcom, a towel on fire and a dog who consumed an entire 23 lb turkey would be really, really, really funny. And you will be thankful for the chance to laugh.

Check out all of Nana's Fabulous Life Thanksgiving recipes, tips and crafts! Click Here

Kitchen Quickie: Key West BLT

2010-10-20T22:34:00.001-04:00

Lily, 13 months old in Key West (not in a bar).

When Lily was a baby, Mike and I went to Key West. I clearly remember our first meal--in a bar on Duval Street with, well, our baby. It was ridiculous. But we were hungry after a long day of travel and bar food fit our appetites. I ordered this amazing Shrimp BLT--it was perfect--a Key West spin on a classic.

This makes a great lunch and takes just a few minutes to pull together. Since I am a bit of a food diva, I love that this meal is a little extra special--who wants a plain jane sandwich?! I always seem to have some shrimp in my freezer that I can defrost under cold running water quickly.

The recipe makes one sandwich--you can up size it to accommodate your crowd!

Ingredients:
Crusty bread (try sour dough or something else fun)
6 medium shrimp, defrosted, peeled and tails removed
1/2 of one lime
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 slices of uncured turkey bacon
3 thick slices of beefsteak tomato or other slicing tomato (I used an heirloom yellow beefsteak)
4 leaves of romaine or leafy green lettuce
Mayo

Put it together:
1. In a grill pan or skillet, cook bacon. Crack some black pepper over top of bacon (makes it yummy!)
2. Toss raw shrimp with the juice of the lime, kosher salt and pepper. Grill/sauteed shrimp along side bacon, about 3 minutes a side, until cooked through.
3. Toast the bread. Smear each slice of bread with mayo, top with a slice of lettuce, tomato slices (sprinkle with kosher salt), pile on shrimp and bacon.
4. Cut in half. Grab a beer. And enjoy!

In Season: Squash Ravioli in Sage Brown Butter

2010-10-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

I first laid eyes on the Kitchen Aid mixer pasta maker attachment when Mike and I were registering for wedding gifts. Frankly, it frightened me. I had visions of mangled pasta dough in a rainbow of colors stuck to the ceiling--a nightmarish scene in which the cat and I were entangled in sticky, inedible dough. There was flour everywhere and well, no one was going to eat homemade pasta anytime soon.

Seven years later and I am still without my pasta maker attachment--so a good Nana-in-training must improvise. For this ravioli recipe, you just need a package of won ton wrappers. For about $3 or less, you can get 50 of these handy little squares of dough that are perfect for wontons, dumplings and of course, homemade ravioli.

For the filling, I made use of squash puree from our Galeux d'Eysines squash. You can use any winter squash you like from butternut to pumpkin. You could even skip the fresh puree and use a can of pumpkin puree (although it won't taste as fresh!).

And the best part: you can make a bunch quickly and freeze it--it cooks up in a few minutes and makes it a great meal to bank in your freezer. This recipe yielded about 30 ravioli.

Ingredients:

1 cup squash puree

1 large egg

1/4 cup romano cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

pinch of nutmeg

Salt/Pepper

60 won ton wrappers (which is about 2 packages)

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of fresh, chopped sage leaves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Steps to yumminess

1. Place squash puree, egg, romano and ricotta cheese and nutmeg in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Make your ravioli, filling each with 1 heaping tablespoon of squash filling. Follow directions here (Ravioli making 101). Freeze ravioli (flat) for at least 30 minutes. You can leave any ravioli that you don't intend to cook in the freezer.

3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add ravioli and cook until it floats-about 3 minutes. Keep an eye on it--the ravioli will explode if you overcook.

4. While ravioli is cooking, melt butter over high heat (in a large pan). Add sage and cook until butter begins to brown and sizzle. Remove pan from heat, whisk in balsamic vinegar.

5. Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove ravioli from cooking water and place directly into brown butter sauce. Serve immediately.

A fab side for Squash Ravioli: I died and went to Rouge Salad.

Techniques: Homemade Ravioli 101

2010-10-19T11:51:00.010-04:00

Making homemade ravioli can be super fast and super impressive using store bought won ton wrappers. These handy little packages of dough squares are inexpensive.

Here are step by step instructions on filling your own, homemade ravioli.

1. Grab your won ton wrappers, a couple cookie sheets, a small bowl of water, parchment paper and the filling of your choice.

2. Line each cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay out won ton wrappers in a single, non-overlapping (no touching!).

3. Then add a scoop of your filling--typically about 1 tablespoon-2 tablespoons a wrapper. Place the filling right in the center of the wrapper.

4. Moisten a finger tip with a small amount of water. Draw a line on water on the outside edge of each won ton wrapper. Just do a couple at a time (you don't want the water to dry out before you top it!

5. Then place another won ton wrapper on top, smoothing the edges right up to the filling. Try to gently smooth out any air. Moisten your finger tip again and trace along the outside of the top won ton, to seal. Continue until all raviolis are filled and sealed.

6. Place cookie sheet of completed raviolis in freezer for at least 30 minutes--the longer the better. When raviolis are frozen, you can remove from cookie sheet to cook in boiling water (3-4 minutes until floating and remove with slotted spoon) OR freeze on cookie sheet overnight and then place in freezer bags for a future meal.

Kitchen Quickie: I died and went to Rouge Salad

2010-10-12T10:12:00.005-04:00

Back in college, Mike worked at the swanky and marvelous restaurant Rouge on Rittenhouse Square. Mike learned so much about food and I got to partake in amazing, gourmet meals. One of my favorite dishes: the Bibb and Endive salad. This salad was topped with crunchy, spicy cashews and creamy roquefort cheese. It is simple and yet tastes complex and well, to quote Lily, "fancy!"

My version of this salad pulls together in less than 5 minutes! It is a quick and sophisticated side dish--perfect for Fall meals and for company. Instead of cashews, I use pre-packaged sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joes. I love these pecans--they retail for $3.99 in South Jersey and really add a wow to the salad. You can find various sweet/spicy nuts at your local grocery store if there is not a Trader Joes nearby.

Ingredients:

Spring Mix (I love the versions of pre-bagged spring mix that include fresh herbs. Trader Joes has a version as does Earth's Best Organic)
Dried cranberries
Sweet and Spicy Pecans (from Trader Joes or substitute something you find locally!)
Gorgonzola cheese (or you can use plain jane bleu cheese. Not a fan of the bleus, try feta)
Balsamic Vinaigrette or, if you want to be super fancy, truffle oil and balsamic vinegar

Pile a generous handful of Spring Mix onto your salad plate. Top with a sprinkling of cranberries, pecans and cheese. Drizzle about 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette on top OR drizzle with truffle oil and balsamic vinegar. Salt/Pepper to taste.

Quichetastic Monday--Chicken and Asparagus Quiche

2010-10-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

Of course there is a story behind my Chicken and Asparagus Quiche. I made a verison of this quiche for Lily's first birthday party in 2007. The theme: Pink Poodles in Paris (she has always been fancy!) and the menu was French inspired with quiche, Nicoise Salad and other goodies. As usual I made way too much and had to freeze one of the quiches.

The quiche did not reappear until 2 months later. Lily was at CHOP and we were living in the pediatric ICU while she recovered from a brain tumor resection. Olga, Mike's mom, was here running our lives while we fought for Lily's and making sure we ate healthy food. Being the resourceful mama that Olga is, she dug through our freezer and found the quiche.

When we ate it for dinner, reheated in the PICU communal microwave and dished up paper plates--I traveled elsewhere. In my mind we were back at Lily's very first party--back singing and celebrating and enjoying tastes of simple, delicious food.

The second time I made this quiche was for Karen--my childhood bestie. This August, I had the joy of visiting and celebrating the birth of her son, Andrew. Of course, I cooked--soup, stuffed peppers and this quiche.

The original recipe for this quiche came from a french cookbook I borrowed from my dear friend Tracy. My verison may differ slightly (I misplaced my copy of the original.). It pulls together super quick and can easily make two (you will have left over chicken and asparagus). Make two and share one with a friend!

The Stuff

1 pre-made pie crust

Asparagus--8 full spears plus 1 cup diced asparagus

1 cup of diced rostierrie chicken ( breast and thigh meat, save the extra meat for another quiche or salad; save the bones/carcus for making chicken broth)

4 eggs, beaten until frothy and fluffy

3/4 cup milk

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 T dried mustard

1cup grated swiss cheese

Salt/Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Carefully roll out pie crust into pie pan and score the bottom

3. Sprinkle diced asparagus onto bottom of pie crust. Then sprinkle diced cooked chicken.

4. Fold 1 cup milk, garlic, mustard, swiss cheese and salt/pepper into the egg mixture.

5. Pour egg/milk mixture on top of asparagus chicken. Arrange remaining asparagus spears on top of uncooked quiche

6. Bake 45 minutes or until firm and slightly browned.

Staple recipe: Roasted winter squash puree

2010-10-10T10:34:00.008-04:00

As I mentioned in my Coconut Lemongrass soup recipe, Mike and Lily grew a successful crop of Galeux d'Eysines--a beautiful, bumpy heirloom winter squash that looks like a warty pumpkin and tastes like a slice of squash heaven.

We love squash in our house--mashed,roasted,pureed or in a pumpkin pie--we will eat it! Part of our addiction is purely superficial--squash is gorgeous. It comes in greens, oranges, creamy white, yellow and in smooth,bumpy and ridged textures. I love the shape of butternut squash--it reminds me of a bell and of course, I adore the stringy insides of spaghetti squash--nature's low-carb answer to pasta. Sweet sugar pumpkins are adorable in their perfectly rounded symmetry.

When I was doing a little research for this blog post, it occurred to me that I had no idea if squash was a fruit or a vegetable or something entirely different like a legume. Botanically speaking, squash is a fruit. In cooking, squash is used as a vegetable and it is a fantastic substitute for meat.

Lily helped with every part of this recipe--she helped plant, water, nuture and then reveled in the end result--a warty, orange beauty that would be transformed into delicious recipes for our family. I had Lily help me make the puree and taught her a little French along the way. Galeux d'Eysines translates to mean "Warts from Eysines (a town in France)," a detail Lily found endlessly fascinating. Lily now has a little French in her tool kit (as every fancy girl should) and I have the sweetest memory of my little girl Bonjouring, Oh La Laing and cooking with me. When we eat something prepared with this puree, we eat a little of Lily's first French lesson--I can't think of anything more delicious.

Try this staple recipe with any winter squash you like and then use the puree to make fabulous things like squash soup, pies, squash ravioli or squash souffles--stay tuned to Nana's Fabulous Life for oodles of great recipes.

Buy locally--it is a way to be sustainable and help your local farmer continue to bring you beautiful, nutritious produce for years to come.

To make and freeze the puree you will need:

2 or more pounds of your favorite winter squash; olive oil; some brown sugar; parchment paper; baking sheets; a food processor or blender; quart sized-freezer bags

The work:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Select your squash, cut in half and remove the seeds and cut squash into chunks about a couple inches in size.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place squash, flesh side up on the paper. Drizzle with olive oil and then rub a small amount of brown sugar into the flesh of the squash.

3. Turn the squash face down and place in oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes until skin is easily pierced with a fork.

4. When squash is cool enough to handle, use a soup to scrape it into your food processor. Puree in batches until smooth.

5. Pour in 1 cup increments (I eyeball it out) into freezer bags. Label, date and freeze flat. Use in your favorite recipes (and soon to be faves!).

Soupy nights: Autumn mushroom and wild rice soup

2010-10-05T13:04:00.006-04:00

While dark chilly rainy days can wear on the soul, I love the potential it brings--potential for soup, tea, red wine, an afghan and a book (or a movie or some knitting or all three all at once for people like me who cannot sit still, even when sitting). It is a delicious, cuddly time of year.

This soup is super earthy and grounding. The rich broth and meaty mushrooms pull you right back down to your plate. With each hearty bite, you can taste Fall and the harvest. And it is an easy way to go meatless--the mushrooms and wild rice are super filling.

Allow about an hour to prep and cook the soup. You can use any combination of mushrooms you like--I used shitake, baby bellas, white buttons and baby petites (which I left whole). My girls helped by washing the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.

If you don't have vegetable broth, but do have chicken broth, feel free to substitute. You will find dried porcini mushrooms in or near the produce department. If you can't find porcinis, try any other dried mushroom.

Soupy stuff:

1/2 ounce dried porcinis

kosher salt/pepper

1/2 cup wild rice

EVOO, a few tablespoons

10 cups assorted mushrooms (My combo: 5 oz shitake, sliced; 8 oz, baby bellas, sliced, 6 oz baby petites, left whole; 8 white button, sliced)

3 leeks, white and pale-green parts (save the tops for broth!), quartered length wise and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup chianti

3 tablespoons soy sauce

7 cups homemade vegetable broth

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1. In a sealed ziploc bag, crush up the dried procini mushrooms, until they are a coarse powder.

2. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to boil, then add a pinch of kosher salt and wild rice. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low. Cook under tender, 45-50 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. In a large pot, heat about 1 tablespoon of EVOO over medium-high heat. Begin cooking the mushrooms in batches (1/3 at a time) with salt and pepper until browned and tender, about 7 minutes, per batches. Add more EVOO before adding a new batch of mushrooms. Set cooked mushrooms aside.

4. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Melt butter, added sliced leeks. Cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent about 5 minutes. Stir in porcini mushroom powder, cook 1 minute. Add chianti and soy sauce, cook 1 minute more.

5. Add vegetable broth to pot; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, reduce heat to medium and cook 20 minutes. Stir in wild rice, heavy cream and parsley. Serve with crusty bread

Squash Soup 1: Coconut and Lemon grass

2010-09-28T10:10:00.008-04:00

We have a bumper crop of this gorgeous heirloom squash called Galeux d'Eysines. The name means "embroidered with warts from Eysines (a small town in France). " These warts are actually produced from the sugar in the squash.

Mike grew squash because we eat it often-roasted, on salad greens and in soups. I made this fabulous Coconut and Lemon grass soup last week--the perfect transition from Summer to Fall. The coconut and lemon grass are reminiscent of a tropical, beach-y meal. There is nothing more "Fall" than creamy smooth squash.

While I used our Galeux d'Eysines, you can use any variety of winter squash or pumpkin for this soup. To make your life easy, pick up a package of pre-cut and peeled butternut squash in the produce department.

Lemon grass add a light citrus flavor to the soup, balancing the richness of the coconut milk and squash. You can find fresh lemon grass in the produce department. Find a great guide on the use of lemon grass here. I could not find fresh lemon grass, but found prepared lemon grass, in a tube, in the produce department at Wegmans. Use either option--although the tube option is quick and easy to use!

This soup cooks quick and freezes great. The recipe below serves 4. Serve with some garlic Naan or a baguette.

The ingredients:

3 cups squash--peeled, cut into 2-3" chunks (any variety, butternut, acorn, pumpkin)

1 tablespoon EVOO

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 shallot, diced

1 whole jalapeno

1 inch of fresh ginger root, peeled and diced

1-2 stalks of fresh lemon grass, yellow/fleshy section, chopped OR 2 tablespoons of prepared lemon grass (in a tube, source: Wegman's produce department)

15 oz can of coconut milk

1 cup vegetable broth

Fresh cilantro

Get soup-y

Preheat oven to 400F. Place squash chunks in a large baking dish, toss with olive oil and salt/pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes or until it is soft, with some brown caramelized edges.

After squash is cooked, remove form oven and put aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot. Add to butter shallots and ginger, cooking over medium heat and stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until shallots are translucent and ginger is fragrant.

Add WHOLE jalapeno and lemon grass, stir. Cook 2-3 more minutes.

Add cooked squash, stir.

De-glaze the pan with can of coconut milk and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove jalapeno.

Using an immersion blender, puree in pot until smooth. Or, puree in a blender in batches.

Top with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

Broth Making: Homemade vegetable broth

2010-09-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

The other night, I was all set to experiment with a squash soup recipe I had bouncing around in my head, but I realized I was totally out of vegetable broth.

What's a Nana-in-Training to do? Well, make homemade broth, of course! Homemade vegetable is easy, delicious and economical freezer staple. To make broth you will need a selection of vegetables, herbs, spices and water. You can really use any mixture of vegetables. Use up those vegetable ghosts of recipes past and make this fantastic freezer staple.

Vegetable broth is great in soups and other recipes. Swap out chicken broth and make your vegetable soup, truly vegetarian. Use it instead of water for rice or couscous.

This batch yielded 22 cups of broth!!

The goods

1 bunch of celery--washed, stalks separated, leaves on (I used celery left over from bloody mary's)

5 red potatoes-washed, skin-on, quartered

1/2 cup mushrooms--any variety (I used plain jane white mushrooms)

1 bulb garlic, roughly chopped

1 large onion--washed, skin on, quartered

1 cup carrot (I had left over shreds. You can just toss in a couple whole carrots cut into chunks)

Stems from one bunch of broccoli (who eats the stems anyway? save the tops for dinner!)

3 Bay leaves

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Fresh herbs--I used the stems from one bunch of cilantro, 2 stems of basil. (The stems have flavor too, perfect for broth!)

2 inches of ginger, un-peeled, roughly chopped

Gear

Large stock pot, preferably a large pasta pot with strainer insert

Plenty of freezer bags

Liquid measuring cup

Permanent marker

Stock-making

Put all ingredients in your pasta pot with the strainer insert in place (or in a large stock pot). Cover completely with water. Put lid on and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 1-2 hours, until stock is fragrant and rich in color (should be like a caramel color).

Remove from heat. Let stand and cool at room temperate for another hour.

After broth is cooled remove strainer insert from pot. Or if you used a stock pot, strain broth into a large bowl or pot.

Use liquid measuring cup to measure broth in 1 or 2 cup portions. Pour into freezer bags, label, date and freeze flat. Yield: 15-20 cups

Solutions: Address stampers and calling cards!

2010-09-21T14:39:00.005-04:00

I remember the first time I had to fill out a form for Lily--it was her first pediatrician appointment. At the time, it seemed so exciting to be able to do things for my baby--it made Lily a real little person with a real identity.

Then came day care, later more doctors, school, horse back riding, art classes, choir, ballet and then a baby sister--who had activities, school and doctors and needed all the forms filled out. In these first two weeks of September, I've filled out about 35 forms. Sometimes, I need to fill out a nearly identical form-twice-for the same activity. It actually makes me want someone to install a microchip in my hand, so I can just scan in and be done.

This great solution comes from my husband's Aunt Lydia. Lydia--who cans and cooks and crafts and works full time--has creative solutions! Lydia suggests buying a rubber stamper with your address on it and use this on your children's forms. Keep the address stamper in your purse and voila, you have at least part of the tedious form complete in minutes!

And as luck would have it, Vistaprint has a free address stamp offer going now! Each stamper allows for 3 lines worth of text--which I fit in our last name (figuring that I will use the stamper for all of us and just write in the first name), our address (all on one line) and home telephone number.

And while you are shopping, grab 250 free business cards! Whether you have business card for professional purposes or not, personal "calling" cards are great. Use them when you meet a new mom or a potential babysitter or anyone you want to keep in touch with. Tuck one in your kids backpacks and use as luggage tags. Vistaprint has oodles of cute designs.

All you pay is shipping--which amounts to about $6.

A fabulous deal and effective solution that gets the Nana seal of approval!

Cooking together: Peachy Keen Salsa by Trish & Miranda

2010-08-20T10:32:00.017-04:00

I love my girlfriends--especially as I plunge headfirst into motherhood and my 30s. This week, I had the joy of cooking with one of my favorite Nana's-in-Training Miranda (author of the fab blog At the Cookery). We cooked and canned up a batch of Peach Salsa--it is sweet and spicy and oh so peachy.

While we chopped (and I made her chop the jalapeno, sort of a hazing into the Nana program), cooked and canned; we chatted. It made me think of women everywhere--those of today and those of centuries ago. Whether it is women working together in an office to build a corporation or two fabulous Mommas preserving summer in jar--it is the sharing of stories, tips and laughs that makes the end product special.

In each jar of our Peachy Keen Salsa, there is laughter and love and friendship. There is the background noise of our children--Max, Emma, Lily and Chloe--laughing and throwing toys around the room. When I eat this salsa, I'll always savor the taste of my girlfriend and our day together.

Let me tell you a little about my girlfriend Miranda. Miranda is absolutely a Nana-in-Training. She loves finding authentic solutions for her family--whether it is monthly meal planning, cooking for the season or planning a meal that even a picky 3-year-old will eat--Miranda is a solution oriented momma. She is way more analytical than I could ever be-

-which is a wonderful complement to my wayward and wandering ways.

Our Peachy Keen Salsa is tomato-less. Even though I love tomatoes, I really wanted to make something that showcased peaches. We produced 20 half-pints. You could halve (or quarter) the recipe and just make a batch for your refrigerator too. If you don't can it, still simmer it together--the heat softens the peaches and melts their natural sugar into the spice of the jalapenos and cayenne. Also feel free to adjust the heat of the salsa--adding less or more peppers.

We snuck some from the pot and tried it with tortilla chips. Miranda can't wait to try it on shrimp. I think it would also compliment a firm white fish--Mahi Mahi (which will be our dinner tonight!) or even pork.

Here's the recipe we followed (based on something I found online called Katie's Peach Salsa).

Peachy Keen Salsa

18 peaches-diced, skins left on

3 small-medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)

8 jalapeno peppers chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup lime juice (if you can, use bottled lime juice. if you are not canning, you can use either fresh or bottled)

4 tablespoons local honey

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne

Toss everything in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. If processing, pack into hot jars and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Eggplant Prep--salt, sweat and rinse

2010-08-15T20:21:00.003-04:00

A common complaint amongst eggplant or aubergine lovers is the sometimes bitter flavor.

Most smaller varieties of eggplant (japanese, fairy tale, etc) do not become bitter when cooked. The larger eggplant varieties can be bitter. (The seeds contain something related to the tobacco plant that produces that bitter flavor when cooked).

To reduce and avoid bitter taste, slice and salt the eggplant (using kosher salt). Let the salted eggplant sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The eggplant slices will "sweat" and then you can rinse the slices, removing the bitter flavor.

Salting and sweating the eggplant will also reduce the amount of oil absorbed when frying or sautéing. It is a quick, fabulous step that will ensure the rich flavor of the eggplant shines through!

Triple mini tomato bruschetta

2010-08-13T18:59:00.002-04:00

Tomato bruschetta was the first grown up dish I learned to make. Over the years, I've played with my recipe a bit and finally, I think I've stumbled on the most brilliant variation using food from the season.

I am absolutely loving the variety of summer tomatoes. You will love this triple mini tomato bruschetta made a mixture of yellow grape tomatoes, purple cherry tomatoes and red teardrop tomatoes. The variety of mini tomatoes infuse this bruschetta with sunshine and soil. It is absolutely fantastic. Bruschetta is great on fresh bread or use to top a salad, as a no-cook pasta sauce or on chicken or fish.

The good stuff:

About 1 pint--mixed variety of mini tomatoes (grape, cherry, teardrop), cut into quarters

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small red onion, chopped

1 cup of fresh basil leaves, snipped/chopped into thin strips

1/4 cup EVOO

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Kosher Salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

2 baguettes, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces

Mix tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, EVOO, vinegar and salt/pepper (to taste). You can serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with sliced baguettes.

Weekend meals: World's Best Chicken & Shrimp Skewers with Balsamic Grilled Vegetables

2010-08-13T18:44:00.007-04:00

We've had a fair share of weekend company this summer and since our patio is bigger than our dining room, I always want to grill. This dinner is so easy--just takes some advance cutting and marinating. The cooking time is short and with veggies, chicken and shrimp--there is something for everyone to enjoy!

Serve it up with fresh corn-on-the-cob and maybe my Triple mini tomato bruschetta . If there are any leftovers--make salads or sandwiches the next day.

Chicken and Shrimp Skewers

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch chunks

1 lb peeled/deveined raw shrimp (medium to large in size)

4 cloves garlic--shaved across a micro-plane to make a paste

4 lemons-juice and zest

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons of fresh herbs, chopped (I typically use basil and parsley--but use what you have)

Salt/pepper

Mix garlic, lemon, oil, herbs and s/p in a large bowl.

Put the chicken and shrimp into separate large ziploc bags (or tupperware containers). Pour half of the marinade into each ziploc bag. Place in refrigerator and marinade for 30 minutes-1 hour. Don't marinade too long--the citrus cooks the chicken and shrimp.

Thread chicken and shrimp onto skewers. Don't mix--the shrimp takes about 5 minutes to grill and the chicken slightly longer. Grill over medium-high heat outside (or inside on a grill pan). Place chicken on first--after about 3 minutes, add the shrimp. Grill both until cooked about 10 minutes for chicken and 5 minutes for the shrimp.

Balsamic Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients:

You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand--this was what was in my veggie drawer.

2 eggplant--sliced 1/4" (see note about salting and rinsing eggplant)

1 zucchini--sliced long way, 1/4" thick

1 yellow summer squash-slice long way, 1/4" thick

1 red onion-sliced 1/4" rings

2 red peppers-quartered

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt/pepper

1 cup feta cheese

Place vegetables in a large plastic bag or dish. Pour vinegar and oil over vegetables and toss to coat. Add s/p to taste. You can let the vegetables marinate or grill immediately.

Grill over medium heat on stove top (in grill pan) or outdoor grill. Grill in batches, cooking about 2 minutes per side. Vegetables are done when slightly softened and caramelized on both sides. Removed cooked vegetables to a platter. When all vegetables are cooked, top with feta cheese and serve immediately.

In a pickle: garlic-dill pickles

2010-08-12T22:00:00.002-04:00

I am a pickle fiend. When I was turning 9, I begged my Dad to bring me home a large vat of pickles from Southampton Estates (where he worked as an overnight security guard). He did and I ate those hamburger dills until I was ill. My Nana always put out a pickle and olive tray with dinner. Nana typically included Heinz sweet gerkins. Yum. Sometimes she would include her homemade Bread and Butter pickles-which are sweet and sour and simply perfect.

Mike and I met in high school. One day after school, I tried a batch of his Grandma Rudko's pickles. Those pickles were soaked in a garlic-dill brine and topped with oak leaves (so old school and marvelous!). After one bite I decided that I would marry Mike--if only to get more of those pickles.

I love our shared family tradition of pickling. Mike's Uncle Vic cans pickles every year--and now, so do we. Mike and I have played with many recipes and finally, I think we came up with our own version of garlic-dills. This year Lily helped me the first batch.

The best part of pickling is working together. Lily is a pro at packing the pickles and pretty good company as she serenades me with whatever song is stuck in her brilliant little head!

You can use any size pickling cucumbers (which are available at farm stands and markets all over this time of year. It seems the small pickles can be hard to find--so sometimes I make batches of spears or chips (if I can't find enough small whole pickles to fill a jar).

As you jar these up, if you run out of brine, just make more. This yielded about 4 quarts and 6 pints. Have enough supplies to make more than you think! Pickles are such fun gifts during the holidays--we pass out to neighbors, friends, teachers and anyone who mentioned that they love pickles!

If you aren't up for the whole canning process--you could halve the recipe and just make this pickles in your refrigerator.

Ingredients:

Pickling Cucumbers (4-5 pounds), washed

6 tablespoons kosher salt

4 1/2 cups water

4 cups white vinegar

2 large bunches of dills, washed

2 bulbs of white garlic-cloves separated, peeled

Mustard Seed

Bay leaves--a bunch

The process:

1. Wash, clean and sterilize your canning jars, lids and rings. If you need more instructions on how-to can, take a peak at the Ball website.

2. Fill your sink or a large basin with ice and water. Place cucumbers in ice bath. They will soak in ice bath for about 10-20 minutes, while you get everything else together. The ice bath helps ensure a crispy pickle. You can soak the cucumbers whole and then if you want to cut into spears or chips, do so right before you pack the jars.

3. Combine salt, water and vinegar (this will be the pickling brine) in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Heat water in your canning pot (or, we use a large pasta pot for processing).

4. While the brine and processing water heat, pack your jars. Place whole or cut cucumbers into jars--filling in the larger spaces with cucumbers (it is sort of like a puzzle). Leave 1/4 inch of head space.

5. To each jar add: 2 full stalks of dill, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon mustard seed and 3-4 cloves garlic.

6. Fill each jar with hot brine, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

7. Cap and process 15 minutes in boiling water.

Store pickles in a cold dark place (like your basement or pantry). Label and date!

Fresh Tomato Tart

2010-08-11T17:45:00.005-04:00

I think garden fresh tomatoes are quite possibly manna from heaven. I love all the varieties--especially the heirloom tomatoes Mike grew this year. I can't stop myself from popping the tiny teardrop tomatoes in my mouth (every five seconds, like they are candy) and from slicing up the larger beefsteak varieties, topped with salt and pepper. I am always on the search for new delicious ways to use up our crop.

I missed the boat on Quiche-tastic Monday this week, so I had some extra pie crusts. I've always wanted to make a Tomato Tart--it sounds so French. This tart is so easy--it takes minutes to put together and about 20 minutes to bake. Serve it along side a green salad and it is a perfect meal!

The goods:

Refrigerated pie crust (or make your own)

2 tablespoons hot or dijon mustard (I used Nance's Hot mustard; but a good dijon would be great)

2 medium-sized tomatoes

handful (about 6) teardrop, grape or other small tomato

Salt/Pepper

1 garlic clove, sliced extra thin

Dozen fresh basil leaves, sliced

4 oz goat cheese

Olive Oil

Make it:

1. Preheat oven to 450F

2. Roll out pie crust into a tart pan. Pitch the sides to make a nice edge.

3. Evenly spread mustard onto bottom of tart crust. Let sit while you slice tomatoes--medium tomatoes should be sliced into 1/8 inch slices; small tomatoes, slice into thirds.

4. Evenly distribute larger tomato slices on bottom of pie crust. Fill in any gaps with the small tomatoes.

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, basil and garlic slices

6. Slice goat cheese (it won't slice neatly like other hard cheeses) and distribute on top of the tomatoes and herbs.

7. Drizzle a little olive oil on top. Bake for about 20 minutes.

8. Let sit for 5 minutes and slice. This is great room temperature or even cold.

Quiche-tastic Monday: Ham & Cheddar Frittata

2010-08-05T09:33:00.001-04:00

I know a frittata is it's own beast and is perhaps closer to an omelette than a quiche. But in spirit, it is still an "egg pie" and a delicious option for breakfast (or lunch or dinner!).

Frittata's look super impressive; but cook up super quick. Like a quiche, you can fill them with anything. I used what I had--some leftover deli ham from a picnic on the beach, cheddar cheese (a staple) and parsley from my herb garden.

I made this for my in-law's last morning in town. Served with some cantaloupe--it is the perfect meal for company. Frittata's are great reheated too--make one on Sunday and have the leftovers for a quick breakfast before your work day.

The goods:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup of deli ham diced (this equals about 8 slices)

6 eggs, beaten until light yellow and fluffy (use an immersion blender, takes 2 minutes!)

1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon hot mustard (or dijon)

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook it:

1. Preheat the oven to Broil.

2. In an oven proof skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Tilt the skillet so the melted butter coats the sides and bottom of the skillet.

3. Add the diced ham to the skillet and let cook until crispy at the edges (my mom always called this "frizzled ham," because the ham would curl up at the edges). This should take 1-2 minutes.

4. Add parsley, mustard and salt and pepper to beaten eggs.

5. Pour egg mixture into the skillet with ham. Egg mixture should evenly coat the bottom of the pan.

6. Cook over medium heat until the bottom is set, about 5 minutes.

7. When the bottom is set, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Place skillet in oven under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on the frittata. It is finished when the top sets and gets all yummy and bubbly.

8. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut frittata into wedges and serve.

Three Princesses from New Jersey

2010-08-03T17:56:00.007-04:00

This week Lily's best friend is moving to Illinois. We adore

Maddie, Caroline and Chris. It is hard to loose them geographically--but we are friends for life. The Menold's are the sort of friends that are family. They are three of the greatest people I've ever known. Lily, Maddie and Chloe are like sisters.

The top picture of Lily and Maddie was taken 2 years ago. It was the beginning stages of their friendship. I love the tiaras. It seems these two were born in tiaras, dress up clothes and with endless imaginations. The lower left photo was taken this past Sunday at Lily's 4-H horseback riding exposition. The girls always support each other in style--fancy is the dress code!

Spending time with the Lily and Maddie is like jumping back into my childhood. Chloe adores her two older sisters. I love the love between the three. It always reminds me to love my girlfriends more fully and completely.

In my Nana's spare bedroom, she had a low shelf full of children's books. I loved when I slept over and could explore all the treasures on the shelf (plus there was always some fun trinket from my Nana's travels on the upper shelves). There was one book that was personalized for me (my name was misspelled "Trisha", but I loved it anyway). The main character had my name and I loved to read it. I always felt the story was really about me and my imaginary adventures.

Lily helped me write a fairytale about the Three Princesses from New Jersey. We had a blast writing it and throwing in some personal details and memories from the past. (Like the growling, one day Maddie was upset about something and had no words and was uttering a low noise. Caroline said, "Maddie, no growling." I nearly died laughing. ) I've never written a children's story before--but I think there might be more stories about my three princesses in the future.

I added the surprise ending and gifted my three favorite girls with a special pink rock. (Read the story and you will understand. . .). Feel free to share with your favorite princesses (put their names in the story).

Three Princesses from New Jersey

by Trish Adkins

Once upon a time, in the far away kingdom of New Jersey, there were three princesses. Maddie, the oldest princess, was beautiful, brave, kind and strong--so strong she could swim across a river just like Pocahantas. Maddie also liked to live dangerously.

The middle princess was Lily, who was beautiful, brave, kind and very courageous--so courageous that she could face a very scary VooDoo man and not not even shiver or cry, just like Princess Tiana. Lily also loved to dress in disguise.

The littlest princess was Chloe, who was beautiful, brave, kind and sweet--so sweet that she could charm all the forrest animals just like Sleeping Beauty.

The three princesses were best friends. They were so close, that they were really like sisters. They loved to do everything together--pick strawberries, visit with other princesses, make new friends at Build-a-Bear, clean, cook, avoid eating, dance, put on shows and go on adventures.

One day, Princess Maddie found out that she had to move to another far away kingdom with her family. All three princesses were very sad.

“Oh Princess Maddie how will I ever keep it fancy without you?” cried Princess Lily

“Argh Faggle Babablaaaaaahhhhh,” wailed Princess Chloe.

“And who will swim across the river to get us princess dresses, tiaras and glitter glue? WHO?” added Lily, who was now so distraught that she began pulling out her fake hair.

“We will only have our mother’s cell phones and text messages. It is devastating,” moaned Princess Maddie.

“I am so sad and now, Chloe is eating my shoe!” screamed Princess Lily.

Sure enough, in her hysteria Princess Chloe was eating Lily’s shoe. Princess Lily shook her off and went to the corner to continue pulling out her pink fake hair. Princess Lily had no words. She could only growl.

“My real concern,” began Princess Maddie, “Is the kingdom. How will we ever control our mothers and make sure they don’t stop being fancy? Surely someone must be able to help. And I think I know just the person.”

“Bababa?” asked Princess Chloe, spitting out the toy she was chewing on.

Princess Lily paused from growling and hair pulling.

“We must go through the Pine Barrens and visit the Little Mermaid in Atlantic City,” exclaimed Princess Maddie.

“But the Pine Barrens are forbidden and filled with lots of spaghetti. What if we get tangled or worse--forced to eat meatballs?” asked Princess Lily.

“Lily, it is the only way. Chloe, are in you?” asked Maddie.

“Yessssss,” hummed Princess Chloe.

Lily nodded in agreement. “I will begin packing for our journey. We will need Polly Pockets, LIttlest Pet Shops and all our Build-A-Bears. Oh and footie pajamas for an entire week!” declared Lily, getting into the spirit.

The next day the three princesses set off on their adventure through the forbidden Pine Barrens and to Atlantic City. They wore footie pajamas and tiaras everyday to protect themselves from getting tangled in spaghetti. Princess Maddie swam across rivers with Lily and Chloe on her back. Princess Lily bravely guided the trio through the dark. Princess Chloe charmed the meatball trolls with a wink and a smile.

When they arrived in Atlantic City, the three Princesses were starving. So, they stopped at the Rainforest Cafe for french fries and gigantic chocolate milks. After drinking, the trio went to the beach to look for the Little Mermaid.

“I see the pink rock!” exclaimed Princess Maddie.

“YAY!!!” screamed Princess Lily doing a dance.

“WOOHOO!” agreed Princess Chloe.

The girls ran to the glittering pink rock and to the Little Mermaid, who was painting her finger nails.

“Little Mermaid!!! You have to help us!” yelled the three girls in unison.

Princess Maddie told the Little Mermaid the entire story and then got her nails painted.

While giving the girls manicures, the Little Mermaid told the princesses a similar story--about her two best mermaid friends who left Atlantic City to live in Ocean City.

“I was so sad. But, we do girls weekends all the time and we have our special pink rocks,” explained the Little Mermaid, who picked up three beautiful pink stones and handed one to each of the princesses.

“What’s this?” asked Princess Lily.

“This magic pink rock is for each of you. When you hold it, you will always be connected with your Princess sisters. It does not matter where you live or where you go, because you will always be together,” exclaimed the Little Mermaid.

“I love pink!” exclaimed Princess Maddie.

The three princesses took their magic rocks and set out on the adventure back to New Jersey. Princess Maddie went to rule a new kingdom. Each morning, in each of their kingdoms, the three princesses held their magic pink rocks and thought of each other. And they were always best friends and sisters.

The end (or really the beginning! the princesses are only nearly-6, 4 1/2 and 18 months!)

Pattypan Squash and Zucchini butter bake

2010-07-30T18:36:00.000-04:00

The thing I love most about squash is the variety. There are hundreds of varieties. My first favorite has always been acorn squash--cut in half and baked with butter, salt and pepper, until it melts. Or butternut squash roasted and made into a smooth, hearty soup. And then there is spaghetti squash--which is divine when prepared like pasta.

My new farmer's market find is the Pattypan squash. I've seen this little summer squashes before the grocery store--typically about an inch in diameter. The pattypan squash I found was gigantic in comparison; about 5 inches across. It sat in my refrigerator while I obsessed about what to do with it. One crazy Wednesday night (Lily has horseback riding and then I teach), I came up with this delicious butter bake as a side dish for vegetarian sloppy joes (Morning Star crumbles plus sloppy joe sauce).

This recipe is so easy and the squash melts like butter in your mouth. Feel free to substitute any summer squash and to use whatever herbs you have on hand.

The goods:

1 medium to large Patty pan Squash or a handful of small patty pan squash, sliced thin

1 small zucchini, sliced thin

4 tablespoons ghee or melted butter

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

kosher salt

black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh herbs--parsley, chives, basil and cilantro

The cooking:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a baking dish, begin layering as follows:

Pattypan & Zucchini, (to cover the bottom of the pan)

a sprinkle of garlic

a tablespoon of herbs

a tablespoon-ish of butter

Keep layering and top with any remaining butter.

Bake for 20 minutes (or until soft and buttery).

Nana Spotlight: Baking Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies with Olga

2010-07-30T17:54:00.009-04:00

There are few things more precious than baking

chocolate chip cookies with your Grammy. Lily got the delicious treat of baking with her Grammy (a Nana-extraordinaire!) today. On the menu: delicious Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies and memories for a lifetime.

Grammy (or Olga, my mother-in-law) is a wonderful cook. While my Nana, mother and father all influenced my culinary loves, Olga really taught me how to cook. I learned by watching and asking and helping. She has taught me to love food--appreciate the flavors and textures. She has also taught me how to make something out of nothing. All you have is a lime and some steak--well, how about fajitas? Some stale bread--make some french toast that puts room service to shame. Olga exposed me to all the best gear for cooking--from herb snips to the perfect cork screw--the things that inspire me to add more herbs and drink more wine.

I could write a book about Olga--an official Nana (to 5 fabulous kids) and a master home cook!

The recipe below is wonderful! The cookies are light and crispy and chocolately. Lily and Grammy mixed the batch in a beautiful heirloom bowl--the same bowl that Olga's mother, Grandma Rudko, used to mix bread and cookies. There is history in that bowl--and when we eat something mixed in that bowl--we share in the history of the Rudko family.

Bake these cookies with your favorite Nana (or Nana-in-training!)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups rolled oats

9 oz chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large bowl, cream shortening, brown sugar and white sugar. Add eggs and mix thoroughly.

3. Combine the baking soda, salt and flour and stir into creamed mixture.

4. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips and stir until well blended

5. Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Quiche-tastic Monday: Nacho Quiche

2010-07-26T21:38:00.005-04:00

I am a complete sucker for Nachos. No matter how I try to avoid junk food--I just can't go without loaded nachos once in while. I love the cheese, the salty chips and the spicy peppers. Yum!

This quiche is a fabulous fill-in for nachos. It has a crunchy corn tortilla crust, spicy jalapenos, creamy cheese, hearty black beans and flavor out the wazoo. Serve it up with your favorite nacho toppings-fresh avocado, pico de gallo and hot sauce.

Like every one of my quiche recipes--make two-eat one now and freeze the other for later.

The stuff

Cooking Spray

6 corn tortillas

1 cup of cooked black beans

4 eggs, beaten until they are frothy

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon no fat sour cream

1 medium jalapeno

1 1/2 T. fresh cilantro

2 green onions, diced

8 black olives, diced; plus 1 whole olive

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Canola Oil (just a bit)

The crust

Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray. Arrange 5 corn tortillas around the outside of pie plate, overlapping. Place last corn tortilla in the middle. Spread black beans evenly on the bottom on the pie plate (on top of tortilla crust.

Get cooking

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Slice eight thin slices of jalapeno. Remove seeds. Reserve slices for later. Dice up remaining jalapeno.

3. Beat 4 eggs, by hand until pale yellow and frothy. You want to add air to the eggs--this could take 5-10 minutes (it is a fabulous arm workout, like yoga in the kitchen). Beat in

the sour cream and then the milk.

4. Fold into the egg mixture: diced jalapeno, 1/2 cup of the cheddar, all the monterey jack cheese, cilantro, diced black olives and green onions. Add salt and pepper to season.

5. Pour egg mixture on top of black beans in tortilla crust.

6. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Evenly place 8 slices of jalapenos around the outside edge of the quiche. Put a black olive in the center.

7. Brush the exposed outside edges of the crust with canola oil (will help it to brown instead of burn!)

8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until quiche is set. If edges of crust burn too quickly, just cover with foil.

Enjoy!

Quiche-tastic Monday: Go greek with zucchini and feta

2010-07-19T17:48:00.006-04:00

Zucchinis are abundant this time of year. It is a versatile summer squash--but so often I buy a bunch and I am left wondering what to make. One of besties, Rachel, always has an abundance of zucchini from her backyard garden. Rachel came over for lunch today, so I thought I'd give a zucchini quiche a try.

This yummy and summery quiche is filled with fresh zucchini, carmelized onions, fresh tomato and topped with feta cheese. I love feta cheese--it reminds me of a trip I took to Lesvos, Greece. The island was bursting with tomatoes, zucchini and feta. It seemed every meal included a sprinkling of this distinctive cheese (and a gallon of Ouzo).

And like all my quiche recipes--make two at a time and freeze the second--makes for a great meal in a week.

The stuff

2 small zucchinis

1/2 small red onion, sliced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 eggs, beaten until they are frothy

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 T. mixed fresh herbs, chopped ( I used a mixture of parsley, chives, marjoram, basil and mint--use what you have)

1 teaspoon of dried dill

4 cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Crust: make your own OR be lazy like me and use the pre-made kind from the refrigerated section of the grocery store OR go crustless, just spray your pie pan with olive oil before baking.

Get cooking

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Slice eight rounds of zucchini (about 1/8- 1/4 inch thick). Reserve for later.

3. Grate remaining zucchini using a hand grater (it grates up super fast.) Place in a colander and press with a bar mop or paper towels to squeeze out excess moisture.

4. Melt butter in skillet over low-medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook until caramelized (translucent and caramel-y brown at the edges) about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Beat 4 eggs, by hand until pale yellow and frothy. You want to add air to the eggs--this could take 5-10 minutes (it is a fabulous arm workout, like yoga in the kitchen)

6. Carefully unroll your pie crust into a pie pan. Pinch the edges. Indent the bottom of the crust with a fork (let's steam escape).

7. Stir 1 cup milk, shredded zucchini, fresh herbs, dried dill and salt/pepper into beaten eggs. Pour into crust.

8. Top with caramelized onions. Then arrange 8 reserved zucchini slices along the outside edge of the quiche. Arrange the 8 pieces of cherry tomato on the inside ring of the quiche, seed side down.

9. Evenly sprinkle feta cheese on top.

10. Bake for about 45 minutes or until quiche is set. If edges of crust burn too quickly, just cover with foil.

And of course, Eat it!

Garden Girl: Thai-inspired Sunday dinner

2010-07-18T20:48:00.009-04:00

It has been a produce inspired weekend! I love this time of year--meal options are endless with so much in season. I picked up these gorgeous Fairy Tale Eggplants. I could not resist their purple and white stripes and I was enticed by the name. Then, Lily and I harvested Mike's crop of edamame from our backyard garden. So, what to make?

I had no idea what to do with the Fairy Tale Eggplant, so I googled and found a fabulous blog (called Figs with Bri, totally worth a follow!) and

a super yummy recipe for a Vegetarian Thai inspired dinner with Fairy Tale Eggplant, Red Curried Tofu, Basmati Rice and Green Beans.

The meal was amazing. I swapped out the green beans and steamed fresh edamame instead (in the pod, sprinkled with kosher salt). The Fairy Tale Eggplant was super tender and delicious with honey, soy sauce, ginger and serrano pepper. (I am addicted!). The curried tofu was easy to make (I used extra firm, versus firm and dusted the outside of the tofu with pan-searing flour before cooking) and satisfying. The sides of

rice and edamame rounded out the meal perfectly.

It was definitely a 4-pot meal--but it cooked up quickly. I used Uncle Ben's Ready Rice-Basmati, instead of making my own. It tastes great and takes about 2 minutes to warm up.

And there were enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Check out the recipe here.

Summer in a seashell: Beer Clams

2010-07-18T10:48:00.006-04:00

I grew up going to the Jersey shore every summer and with stories of my Father's childhood at the beach. We would always dig for clams as the tide went out at sunset. I was not a fan of eating seafood then--but I loved the thrill of finding a clam under the sand. It was magical.

Now I adore seafood. Clams remind me of summers at the beach--like last year's family vacation with our close friends. We went to Ocean City and had an amazing time. My favorite meal: the night we got steamed clams and other yummy seafood takeout and ate it on the deck of our rental home. Fresh steamed clams taste of the beach; steam them in beer and they are summer in seashell.

Clams are so super easy to make and the final product is awesome. My husband is firm believer that everything is better with beer. I ignored my normal inclination to use white wine and tossed in a can of Yuengling lager instead.

You can pick up fresh clams at your grocery store or local seafood market. Try to avoid buying a pre-bagged batch--instead ask for a fresh bag (that way they can sort through the batch for you, making sure all the clams you get are good). Make sure the clams can breathe-ensure the plastic bag is open at the top. Pop the clams in your refrigerator until you are ready to steam.

I made 3 dozen clams for two of us and it was plenty. However the broth makes enough to steam about 6 dozen clams. Pick little neck or cherrystone clams--the smaller clams are more tender.

The goods:

6 dozen cherrystone or little neck clams (or less, depending on your crew)

Olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 of a small sweet onion, chopped

Handful (like 5 or 6) cherry tomatoes, chopped

Handful of fresh parsley (like 5 springs, coarsely chopped)

1 bottle of Yuengling lager

1 baguette

1 stick of unsalted butter, melted

The work:

1. Place the clams in a bowl of cold water. Under running water, use a brush or a bar mop to scrub the grit of each clam. Place cleaned clams in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Swirl some olive oil in a heavy duty pot. I used my cast iron dutch oven. You can use anything with a lid-a skillet, a pasta pot, whatever you have-it will work. Heat the olive oil on medium heat.

3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the heated oil. Stir constantly until fragrant and to avoid burning--about 2 minutes. Add the onion and tomatoes. Stir and cook for another 1 minute.

4. Add the parsley and stir. Then de-glaze the pan with the bottle of beer. Turn the heat up and put the lid on the pot.

5. Once the broth is boiling, turn down the heat to medium.

6. Add your clams, one at a time, making a single layer of clams. Put the lid on. Let them steam, maybe about 5 minutes. As the clams open up completely, transfer from the pot with a slotted spoon to a serving platter and cover with foil. If you leave the cooked clams in too long, they become tough and overcooked.

7. Add more raw clams as you remove the cooked ones. Serve with melted butter and excess broth on the side (for dipping your fresh baguette!)

Quiche-tastic Monday: Green pea, bacon & monterey jack quiche

2010-07-12T19:51:00.011-04:00

We love quiche (or egg pie, as Lily's calls it) around here. Quiche is sort of like grown-up breakfast for dinner--it is easy, you can toss anything in and it is super filling. And you can easily double this recipe and make two at once. Bake them both and freeze the second one for dinner in a couple weeks.

I love this combination of sweet peas, salty, crispy bacon and creamy monterey jack. Peas just seem like they belong in a chicken pot pie--so they make this quiche extra hearty.

I typically don't make my own pie crust. Even though homemade pie crust is wonderful and relatively easy, it is just another step. I like to get things done quick--since the quiche takes a little while to bake, I compromise with store bought crust.

The stuff

1/2 cup peas (fresh or frozen. If frozen, take out of the freezer first thing, to thaw slightly)

Premade pie crust (grab it in the refrigerated section in the grocery store, take it out of the refrigerator with the peas to warm up slightly)

8 slices turkey bacon, diced (a staple in this house. Substitute any kind of bacon-pork, veggie, whatever)

Olive oil

4 eggs, beaten until they are frothy

1 cup milk (I used whole, because we had it. Use what you've got, just not skim milk)

1 T. dijon mustard

1 T. fresh chopped parsley

1 T. fresh chopped chives

4 oz (or 1 generous cup) shredded monterey jack cheese

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Get cooking

Preheat oven to 400F.

Grab a skillet and heat a swirl or two of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced turkey bacon (if you use pork bacon, you can forgo the

olive oil. For low fat turkey bacon, the olive oil makes it extra crispy). Cook bacon until crispy, about 5 minutes. Crack some fresh black pepper into the skillet.

Remove bacon and drain on paper towels.

Carefully unroll your pie crust into a pie pan. Pinch the edges. Indent the bottom of the crust with a fork (let's steam escape). Add the greens peas and bacon as the first layer, on top of the crust.

Beat in 1 cup milk, dijon mustard, parsley, chives and salt/pepper to taste into eggs. Then stir in shredded cheese.

Pour milk/egg/cheese mixture into pie pan (on top of peas & bacon)

Pop into oven and check after 30 minutes. In my oven and with my pie pan, the quiche took about 45 minutes to finish. You know it is done when the quiche is puffy and slightly browned on top. You can check the center with a toothpick as well.

Eat it

Let the quiche stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with a green salad or fresh fruit kabobs. Leftovers make a great lunch to take to work the next day.

Came-home-from-vacation-and-there-was-nothing-to-eat Taco Salad

2010-07-11T14:38:00.007-04:00

After our fabulous mini-break last week, the last thing I felt like doing was going to the grocery store. I was also sick of take-out and my wallet was sick of paying for a meals out. We always seem to have something rattling around in the freezer and pantry. And this time of year, the garden typically has something to offer.

I went foraging through the reserves and found all the perfect ingredients for this fantastic (and meatless!) taco salad. The best part--you can make this salad with what you have--toss new stuff in or leave out items you don't have.

Ingredients:

Lettuce (we had some romaine in the fridge and some red leaf in the garden), torn in bite size pieces

Cucumber, sliced

Sweet onion (a great cool, dark place staple), chopped

Red pepper (i had a some bit of red pepper that I chopped and froze before we left.

I just took it out of the freezer and thawed it before adding to the salad)

Shredded cheddar (I keep blocks of cheese in the fridge and shred as I need it. keeps me from eating too much!)

Black olives

Morning Star Meal Starter Crumbles (from the freezer. greatest, easiest item ever)

Envelope of taco seasoning

Can of fat-free refried beans

Pico de Gallo or salsa

Tortilla chips

Your favorite vinaigrette (I used Good Seasons Italian)

Directions:

Place lettuce on large dinner plate, leaving a hole in the center (like making a wreath of lettuce).

Sprinkle all veggies, cheese and black olives on top of lettuce. Warm up refried beans. Prepare MS Crumbles according to package directions (swirl of olive oil in a pan, add the crumbles). Then add taco seasoning with water to Crumbles.

Put a scoop of refried beans in the center of your lettuce wreath, add a scoop of MS Crumbles on top, followed by some pico de gallo and garnish with a tortilla chip. Serve with extra tortilla chips and salad dressing on the side.

And enjoy. It rocks and tastes way better than take out!

An oldie, but a goodie: Seven Layer Salad

2010-07-07T23:55:00.002-04:00

This is from my fabulous mother-in-law, Olga, who is living a fabulous life as a Grammy, wife, mother and friend. She is one of my best friends and one of the best cooks I know.

I think Seven Layer Salad is comfort food. It reminds me of potlucks and barbecues. I've experimented with other modernized versions, but nothing quite beats the original.

One note: if you have fresh peas--this absolutely rocks. Just steam the fresh peas and chill them for a couple hours before layering in your salad.

The directions are super easy:

Tear up one head of romaine lettuce in a large bowl and layer over that in order.

1/2c.celery

1/2c.green pepper

1/4c.onion

10oz. frozen peas. Thaw and dry on paper towels (or use fresh, as noted above)

1pt real mayo

2Tsugar

dash of salt

1c. grated cheddar cheese

8 strips of bacon fried crisp and crumb

Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Serve the next day. It rocks!

Fab recipe: Linguine with vodka sauce, pancetta and fresh peas

2010-06-28T20:01:00.005-04:00

For years, I tried to duplicate my Dad's homemade red sauce--with no luck. So, I gave up and came up with some new sauce recipes of my own. This is one of my regulars--the vodka sauce is rich, yet light. When it is topped with crispy, salty pancetta and garden fresh sweet peas, it is divine!

One secret--get (or make) fresh linguine. It makes all the difference and cuts down on cooking time. Fresh linguine takes 2-4 minutes to al dente. I always pick up fresh pasta (and the pancetta and locatelli cheese) at Aversa's Bakery in Turnersville, NJ. While you're there, grab a cannoli for dessert!

The ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cloves of fresh garlic minced

1 can (28 oz or 4 cups) of crushed tomatoes (opt for high quality, spend a buck more and it makes all the difference)

Pinch of red pepper flakes

salt

1 lb of fresh linguine

1/2 cup of milk (whole or 2% or really whatever you have)

1/4 cup of vodka

1/2 cup of grated locatelli (if you can't find this, substitute parmesan)

Olive oil

3 oz of Pancetta-diced

1 cup fresh shelled peas (or frozen)

Few basil leaves, diced

Equipment: pasta pot, sauce pan, skillet

Fill your pasta pot with water a pinch of salt and turn on high. While the pasta water boils, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the diced garlic and stir until softened and fragrant, just a few minutes. Add your tomatoes, the pinch of red pepper flakes and salt. Cover with a lid and let simmer.

Heat your skillet on medium-high heat. Add a couple twirls of olive oil. When olive is hot, add diced pancetta. Cook pancetta until crispy, about 3 minutes. Add peas and cook quickly until bright green. This will only take a minute or two. Remove pancetta and peas to another dish; reserving drippings in skillet.

Add vodka and milk (pour milk in slowly, while stirring) to tomato mixture. Cook until heated through-5 minutes. If your water is ready, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.

Drain pasta, reserving a cup of pasta water. Add drained pasta and tomato mixture to skillet with pancetta drippings. If sauce seems a little thin, add pasta water (a small bit at a time) to thicken. If it seems just right, let it be. Stir in locatelli cheese.

Plate it up: first a large pile of linguini. Then top it with the pancetta and pea mixture and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.

Fab!

Blooming Valentines!

2010-02-12T10:33:00.007-05:00

I think homemade Valentine's are super sweet. Three snow days and lots of glitter inspired this blooming Valentine craft! The project was Lily's idea.

To make this blooming bouquet of Valentines, you just need some basic craft supplies and about 20 minutes.

The simple steps:

1. Make a flower shaped template on scrap paper. Trace on colored paper numerous times. Cut out. (I did this step)

2. On one side of the flowers write To: and From: (if you are giving as a Valentine). On the other side spread glue stick over areas of flower shapes. Sprinkle with glitter. (Lily did this on her own)

3. Use the hole punch to put a hole in the center of the flower.

4. Cut pipe cleaners in half. We used all sorts of colors.

5. Insert cut pipe cleaners through hole in flower. Bend the top of the pipe cleaner to secure it through hole.

6. And voila-a beautiful bouquet of Valentines!

Supplies: Construction paper or card stock in various colors Pipe Cleaners (in various colors) Glue Stick Glitter (in pink, of course!) Hole Punch Scissors