Sausage and Cherry Tomato Bake

This is an old blog favorite. The first time I made this recipe was for my 5th blog post.  We are coming up on our 10th anniversary very soon!!!!!

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver. Always delicious. The flavors just scream perfection. But remember one thing. You need Italian bread to soak up the delicious sauce. Click here for the recipe and enjoy!

That Chicken Pot Pie Recipe... Again

That Chicken Pot Pie Recipe... Again

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups 1 percent milk

1 lb. cooked chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken   

1 10-ounce package frozen peas 
1 tablespoon fresh thyme 
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper 
1 9-inch store-bought piecrust, thawed if frozen****

Directions 
Heat oven to 400° F.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes (do not let them darken). Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish.
Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

****Please make your own pie crust if you can!!! Click here for the recipe.

Sausage Frittatta

We have Frittattas quite often. Our usual recipe consists of vegetables and either ham or bacon. The frittatta can be altered to use literally anything. Tonight we used a recipe from La Cucina, The Regional Cooking of Italy. 

It was so easy it was scary. Remove the sausage casing and cut into slices. Melt butter in an oven-safe sautée pan, add the sausage and cook stirring often. Spread the sausage into a single layer. Add the beaten eggs, I used 6 eggs that were seasoned with salt, pepper, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The heat is reduced to low. When the underside is done place the pan into a 375˚ oven for 10 minutes. Remove when the top is firm.

We made sandwiches with the frittata. I can say this was better than our usual vegetable version.

Sorry Mom But There is a New Sauce in Town

I can not believe that I have never made Bolognese Sauce before today. I have always made my Mom's Meat Sauce Recipe. For me, there was no other. Until today...

I made Lidia's Bolognese recipe. It was delicious. Truly delicious. Amazingly delicious. And for the pasta I made hand cut Pappardelle using the only pasta recipe I have ever used, the Tide and Thyme Recipe. The pasta was a perfect match for this sauce.

Flavorful and the blend of meats were perfect. It simmered for 3 hours on the stove. The final result was perfect. I hate to say it but this might become our regular sauce... sorry Mom...

Click here for Lidia's Bolognese Sauce Recipe.

Second Friday of Lent

I dined solo tonight. I ate a simple meal that was packed with memories. Pastine with milk, cheese, and butter. It brought me back to the kitchen on Lettney Place. Sitting on the bench with my Mom making me lunch. Funny how one kind of pasta can trigger a flood of warm memories.

The Frittatta

Eggs, meat, vegetables, cheese. The perfect combination for an easy dinner. Disclaimer - I cut up all the vegetables before I went to work this morning.

Red Pepper, Zucchini, Onion, Scallions, Ham, Bacon, some of that Three Girls Vegan Creamery Pepperoni. All of that is sauteed and then the eggs, I used 6 eggs, beaten and added to the pan. Cook on one side until set. The eggs and vegetables are topped with shredded Mozzarella and scallions. Then the pan goes into a 375˚ oven for about 15 minutes.

Serve on toasted Italian bread and at least one glass of wine.

Chicken with Bacon and Leeks

You all the story that Chris and I met when we both worked at a restaurant called Nancy Lee's. This dish was a regular item on the menu. Nancy would have been pleased with the way this turned out tonight.

I dredged the chicken breast in flour and then added them to a saute pan that had been heated up with butter and olive oil. When the chicken was done on the one side, about 5 minutes, I flipped the chicken and nestled in the leeks and bacon. About another 4 minutes and I put the pan in a 375˚ oven to cook through.

Meanwhile, I made a sauce using butter, cream cheese, and milk. I seasoned it with some cayenne pepper to give it a little kick. Here is the link to the recipe, and of course I did not use the recommended garlic.

Pretty good for a Monday night. Just too many dishes!

Meatloaf!

How do I make meatloaf? Simple. I mix ground beef (or meatloaf mix), bread crumbs, 1 egg, ketchup, horseradish sauce, A-1, Worchester sauce, salt, pepper, oregano with sauteed onions and carrots. The mix goes into a greased loaf pan, glass pyrex, and into a 375˚ oven for 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165˚.

Dinner was delicious but Meatloaf Sandwiches for lunch tomorrow is the icing on the cake.

First Friday of Lent

This is our second Lenten meal and again I combined Three Girls Vegan Creamery with Lidia Bastianich. Lasagna by Three Girls Vegan Creamery. Caesar Salad is from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen. It was nice getting home for work and preparing the salad. But it was really nice having the prepared Lasagna that just needed to be heated up.

Caesar Salad Dressing from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen-

Ingredients-
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 cloves of garlic 
4 anchovy fillets
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 hard-boiled egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
fresh ground black pepper 
Romaine lettuce, or anything you prefer

Method-
Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and anchovies in a blender or work bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding some of the 1/3 cup olive oil if there is not enough liquid to move the mixture around the blender jar. Add the mustard, hard-boiled egg yolk, salt, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and remaining olive oil if any.  Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste the dressing; if it's a little too tangy, pour in a splash or two of olive oil and blend until it's incorporated. Pour over greens and toss to cover the lettuce.

Pepperoni and Onion Sauce with Potato Gnocchi

I have to tell you that the first time I walked into the Three Girls Vegan Creamery I felt like I walked into my Mom's kitchen. My Mom was far from vegan. It was more of a portion thing. I walked in the Three Girls Vegan Creamery hoping to try a couple of menu items and I walked out with a week's worth of food!

The Three Girls Vegan Creamery recently opened a new store with more hours (!!!) and I stopped in this past Sunday to pick up some food for our first week of Lent. Pepperoni and some Lasagna.

Back to tonight's dinner. Ash Wednesday. I got my ashes at an Ashes to Go stop at the Madison train station. Seemed very convenient. For dinner, I amped it up a bit. Lidia Bastianich's Basic Potato Gnocchi with Marcella Hazan's Onion and Butter Tomato Sauce with some of Three Girls Vegan Creamery Pepperoni.

Yeah, it was very good. Not a bad start for Lent.