Sunday, October 25, 2020

Sunday Night Pizza in Photos

Bacon and Onion Pie oh My!








 

Friday, October 23, 2020

Mom's Baked Macaroni


Always delicious.


The recipe -
Boil 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
Grease Pyrex loaf pan.
Alternate layers of macaroni and American cheese starting with the macaroni.
Break and beat 3 eggs and pour over macaroni. Fill the baking dish with milk to almost cover macaroni.
Top with bread crumbs, and parsley. Bake 350 degrees until set, usually about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
That's all there is to it. 
You can even freeze the baked dish. Just thaw in refrigerator and reheat.
Enjoy!

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Fried Potatoes, Onions, Hot Dogs and Eggs


Fried Potatoes, Onions, Hot Dogs, and Eggs or as it is known in our house, A Delicious Dinner.

Pure comfort. Crispy potatoes. Fried eggs. The seasonings were fresh chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper. 

Did I mention that it is a 1 pan dish? Oh and a 30-minute meal. The secret to this recipe is to chop the potatoes the same size and make them on the small side.

Sunday, October 18, 2020

International Cooking Club: Puttanesca Sauce




Our library started a Virtual International Cooking Club. We meet once a month and discuss a recipe that was suggested by one of the members. This month was our first recipe. Puttanesca Sauce. I was surprised at how many people had heard of this sauce. 


The last time I made Puttanesca sauce, back in 2013, I used a recipe that I found in From Biba's Italian Kitchen.

Ingredients (Serves 2) -
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 bone-in Chicken Breast halves, washed and dried on paper towels
Salt to taste
2 anchovy fillets, chopped (I omitted the anchovies)
1 garlic clove, minced (I cut it in half so I could remove it)
2 - 2 1/2 cups canned imported Italian crushed tomatoes
Dried red pepper flakes to taste
8-10 pitted black olives, Kalamata, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed

Method -
Heat the oil in a wide-bottomed casserole pan over medium heat. When the oil is very hot, slip in the chicken piece without crowding them. Cook until the chicken is golden on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large platter.

Discard half of the oil in the casserole. Add the anchovies and the garlic and stir quickly a few times (Remember that the oil is very hot and the garlic will turn golden in no time at all). Add the tomatoes and bring to a gentle boil. Season with salt and red pepper flakes. Return the chicken to the casserole, reduce heat to low, and cover the pan partially. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken pieces and stirring occasionally. Add the olives and the capers, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer. If the sauce is a bit thin, transfer the chicken pieces to a large platter, raise the heat under the pan and boil the sauce down to a thicker consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Grilled Cheese and Meatloaf Sandwiches



What is better than Meatloaf for dinner? 

Meatloaf sandwiches on the next night!

I picked up some sliced Italian bread on the way home and pulled out the panni press. 

Crunchy toasted bread, melted cheese, and meatloaf. Perfect.

The secret to golden crunchy bread? Mayo. Spread the top side of the bread. You can thank me later.

Also picked up some coleslaw for a side dish. It was a good match.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Midweek Meatloaf


This was a really good meatloaf. 
There was no recipe to follow. 

Disclaimer: I made this on Sunday so tonight we just reheated it. The sides were prepared tonight. 

  1. Preheat oven to 375˚.
  2. I had a 1/2 pound of ground pork and a 1/2 pound of ground beef. 
  3. I had a leftover heel of Italian bread. I used all of the bread except for the crust and mixed that with milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. After that, I squeezed out as much liquid as I could from the bread.
  4. Mixed the meat in a bowl with the bread and added, sorry no measurements, ketchup, horseradish sauce, A-1 Sauce, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, oregano.
  5. I added some fresh mozzarella in the middle of the loaf, as a surprise!
  6. I put the meat into a greased loaf pan and brushed ketchup on the top.
  7. Then I sprinkled the top with French’s Original Crispy Fried Onions.
  8. Into the oven for about 50 minutes. The loaf needs to register 160 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer before it’s done because any food containing ground pork needs to be cooked to at least 160 degrees to be safe. (From Themormeat.com and Pork.com)
The result was a deliciously moist meatloaf. The green beans were from my sister's garden that I had in the freezer.

Monday, October 12, 2020

Slow Cooker Soy Glazed Beef Ribs.



Have I mentioned that I love the slow cooker? I actually made this dinner on Saturday. Chris just had to pop it in the oven when he got home. Last night I made enough rice for 2 meals. Smart, I know!

I had a super crabby lunch today so I was really looking forward to this and it did not disappoint. The meat was tender and the flavors were mildly spicy. 

Ingredients-
3½ pounds beef short ribs
2 bunches scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal (I forgot to buy these)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup of rice vinegar
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup chili-garlic sauce (see Note)
¼ cup plum or hoisin sauce (optional)
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method-
Trim any excess fat off the ribs. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, brown half of the ribs well on all sides, about 8 minutes total, then remove the ribs to a 4-quart slow cooker (they will fit better in an oval cooker); repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour ½ cup water into the skillet and scrape up all the browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Pour the liquid over the ribs in the cooker.

In a medium bowl, combine half of the scallions and all the remaining ingredients except the sesame seeds, stirring until the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the ribs. Cook, covered, on the low setting for 4 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bones.

In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast the sesame seeds, shaking the skillet and stirring constantly, until they just begin to color. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Remove the ribs from the sauce and place on a large serving platter or on individual plates. Spoon a little of the sauce over the ribs and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the remaining scallions. Serve.

And Happy 29th Anniversary to Us!!


Sunday, October 11, 2020

Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

Chris posted this recipe on my Facebook page. It was delicious. I used Chicken Tenders. The meat was so moist. We both loved this one!
Ingredients-
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thigh tenders or chicken breast tenders
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cashews
Method-
Combine flour and pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken. Shake to coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken for about 2 minutes on each side.
Place chicken in a slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in a small bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice.
If you want like sauce and want to have some to pour over the chicken and the rice, double the sauce ingredients.
Makes 2-3 servings.

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Sausage and Pepper Subs

This past weekend I roasted Sausage, Peppers, and Onions. Tonight we made subs with the roasted sausage and peppers. Super easy cleanup. That is what is most important this week.


 

Monday, October 5, 2020

Scalloppine All'Aceto Balsamico


This recipe was originally on this blog in 2010. Scalloppine All'Aceto Balsamico. Not bad for a Monday night dinner. We had sauteed zucchini and couscous as sides. 

Sunday, October 4, 2020

The Italian Garden Project


Not long ago I found a site call The Italian Garden Project. They were looking for submission about Italians and their gardens. I had to submit my Father's story.

I hope you can take some time to read his story.




 

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Slow Cooker Short Ribs with Pasta and Fried Zucchini Salad



Today I was out with my sister, fabric shopping. I wanted dinner pretty much done by the time I got home. Slower cooker BBQ Ribs to the rescue!



I removed the membrane from the back of the ribs and rubbed them with a blend of Paprika, Ground Mustard powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Into the crockpot and poured 1 1/2 cups of BBQ Sauce. Our house favorite is Stubbs Original. Set it on low for 8 to 9 hours. 

After that remove the ribs from the crockpot and brush the with more Stubbs BBQ sauce. Put them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the BBQ sauce starts to bubble and carmelize. 



The pasta salad was made when I got home from shopping. My sister gave me some green beans and I used them in a new recipe I was trying from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Plenty.
I  used the green beans in place of the edamame.

Ingredients-
1/3 cup sunflower oil

1 medium zucchini cut in 1/4 inch slices (slightly diagonal)

3/4 tbsp red wine vinegar

3/4  cup edamame beans (frozen), or fresh green beans

1 cups basil leaves, coarsely chopped

2tbsp parsley leaves

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

4 oz pasta (penne or strozzapreti)
Zest of 12 lemon
3/4 tbsps capers

4 oz buffalo mozzarella, torn into chunks

Method-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While you’re waiting, in a medium saucepan or skillet, heat sunflower oil over medium-high heat. 

Fry zucchini slices in batches for about 3 to 4 minutes, flipping once, until golden on both sides. 
Drain in a colander, shaking with a couple pinches of salt, then transfer to a large bowl and pour vinegar on top. Set aside.

In the hot water, cook edamame for 3 minutes, frozen peas for 3 to 4 minutes, or fresh peas for 1 to 2 minutes (to taste). Drain and run cool water over until lukewarm. Set aside to dry. 

Leave pot boiling, then cook pasta until al dente in it. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Combine half of the basil and all of the parsley and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta back to the empty pot. Add fried zucchini and any juices, basil-parsley oil, edamame or peas, lemon zest, capers, and mozzarella. 
Stir gently together, then season generously with salt and pepper. 
Right before you serve it, stir in remaining basil leaves