Crispy Baked Quinoa Crusted Chicken Parmesan

I worked a half a day today, so I was able to make a more hands on dinner than usual tonight. This recipe is from Closet Cooking. This was easy to prepare. I happened to have the cooked quinoa in the freezer. That makes it so easy and quick. Usually when I make a grain like quinoa I will prepare enough for 2 meals, freezing the extra.

Click here for the recipe. And this will give you a chance to check out the blog, amazing recipes!

And the side dish tonight was pretty good. Steamed Spaghetti Squash and zucchini in a Marinara Sauce.

The Stuffed Artichoke

I had to make this recipe again. This time I documented the steps. I do not usually photo the process of preparing a dish. Perhaps I will do this more often. The recipe was from FoodBlogga. The end result was as delicious as, dare I say it, as delicious as my Mom's. I am glad I found this recipe because I do not have my Mom's recipe.

The Stuffed Artichoke, in pictures.-

 

Dinner at My Sister's House

Tonight we went to my sister's house for dinner. My nephew was visiting with his son, Andrew, and his youngest daughter, Elenora, our Goddaughter.

Dinner was, as always, a delicious meal. 

 

Chicken Cutlets, my mom's recipe. 

Black Eyed Peas in olive oil and garlic. This was her mother-in-law's recipe. 

Her mother-in-law was my second favorite cook of all times. 

Her Thanksgiving meals were epic!

For dessert, blueberry pie. I have said on a number of times
that my sister's pie crust is the best I have ever tasted.

One of the wines Ralph poured was a Cabernet that my Dad had made. 

It was one of his best wines.

Fettuccine Alfredo

I wanted something simple tonight. I had homemade Fettuccine in the freezer. I used the Alfredo sauce recipe from Epicurouis. It is amazing how light this dinner is. You think of Fettuccine Alfredo and you think of a lot of cream and cheese. Well, there is no cream in this recipe. This is the traditional Roman recipe and they don't use cream.

My rendition of Fettuccine Alfredo, from Epicurious.

Ingredients-
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
Dried egg fettuccine
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)

Method-
Melt butter in a large saute pan.
Cook fettuccine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain fettuccine in a colander.
Immediately toss the fettuccine with butter and salt in the sauté pan, then slowly add 3/4 cup cheese, tossing constantly and adding enough of cooking water to keep pasta moist.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day.

Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions and Potatoes

Roasted Sausage, Pepper, Onion and Potato. Not much to write... Toss the onions, peppers, potatoes and sausage with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano and roasted for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mixed the vegetables and sausage with homemade marinara sauce and heat through. Chris said this was a delicious dinner and he was right! Of course you need Italian bread and at least one glass of red wine to round out the meal.

It seems like it might be getting warm enough to open the grill... Wink wink, nudge nudge!

A Musical Interlude

One of my Dad's favorite singers passed away yesterday. Jerry Vale. My Dad had all of his records, at least the Italian ones. I think Jimmy Rosselli was his favorite, but Jerry Vale was a close second. When my Mom and I would walk home from mass we would get to our street and we could hear the records blaring from our house. Yeah, Dad liked his Italian music loud. Enjoy the music...

Herb-Crusted Chicken With Kale and Pan-Dripping Croutons

Wow. What a perfect Sunday dinner. The recipe is from RealSimple.com. The chicken was moist and the flavors of the rosemary and lemon were the perfect blend. And the baby kale and bread, wow. I did make a little sandwich out of the kale and bread. I was happy. Chris was happy and even a little black cat was happy. Archie loves when I make chicken!

Ricotta Cavatelli and The Stuffed Artichoke Recipe I Have Been Searching For

 

Homemade Cavatelli. Homemade Vodka Sauce, made with Homemade Marinara Sauce. That could have been dinner. We did not really need anything else. 

But I saw the Lyon Artichokes at Bishops, $2.99 each. I had to buy one. One was big enough for both of us with leftovers! But how to stuff it. I have been on quest for a recipe that mirrored what my Mom made. I have tried a few. Some I have posted others I have not. Well, this is it. I found it. When I got home with the massive artichoke I googled Lyon Artichoke. At the end of the informational site I found recipe links. I recognized one of the blog names as the same one I used for an Easter Pie. Food Blogga. The photo looked like what my Mom made so I tried the recipe. I was amazed. It was my Mom's recipe, well close to my Mom's. The instructions were simple and well presented. And the result was something I have been looking for for a long time. Chris was even amazed at how good the stuffing was. Thank you Susan Russo for your amazing blog. This artichoke was the perfect end to a perfect Saturday. And the Cavatelli with Homemade Vodka Sauce was quite amazing too!

That Amazing Lemon Chicken

I love this recipe. I love adding the fresh grated lemon peel to the bread crumbs. I want to eat this at least every other week, well maybe every third week.

On a completely different note, I saw a video on Facebook that I would like to share. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that my Father passed on December 14, 2012. His 10th great grandchild was born a couple hours after he passed. When I saw this video I was taken back to that day. This is a beautiful stop motion video with yarn. Sorry to stray from the food topic, but heck this blew me away.

Click the image to view the video.

Deep Dish Parmesan & A Marinara Sauce Recipe

Tonight's dinner was another of my favorite recipes. Deep Dish Parmesan from RealSimple.com. I made this for the first time back in September. I remember Chris enjoyed the meal so I decided to make it again. The Marinara Sauce is an old family recipe... Well, at least I think it is. A couple of weeks ago I made the Ricotta Cavatelli which was my great grandmother's recipe. At the end of the article was the my mother's cousin, Josephine Signor's Marinara Sauce recipe. I am hoping it was a recipe she may have gotten from her mother. Even it is not an old family recipe it is an amazing sauce. I am sure the white wine has something to do with it. The recipe is posted after the Eggplant recipe.

From RealSimple.com, Deep-Dish Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients-
2 medium eggplants (cut into 1/4-inch slices)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
3 cups marinara sauce
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Method-
Heat oven to 400° F. On 2 rimmed baking sheets, brush the eggplants with 1/4 cup of the oil; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bake until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara in the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish. Top with half the eggplant, half the mozzarella, and half the Parmesan. Repeat, ending with the last cup of marinara. Top with the bread crumbs.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.


Josephine Signor's Marinara Sauce

Ingredients-
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, cut into slices
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
35-ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes in juice, squeezed with your hands to crush
½ cup white wine
10 leaves fresh basil
¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and pepper to taste


Method-
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and the onion. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 7-10 minutes, or until the garlic and onions are lightly browned, but not burned. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to mix. Cover and cook at a medium boil, stirring occasionally for about 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce reduces slightly. Remove bay leaf. Taste for seasonings. Makes about 5 cups.