The Best Darn Oven Roasted Taters

So I'm not sure how long this blog is going to last. Rewind to last night. I rush home from work anxious to start whipping up dinner so I can snap some pictures to post to the blog. All is well except from our outside deck Brian peers into our kitchen window to catch me taking pictures of potatoes. Not only does he scare the bejesus out of me, I feel sheepishly embarrassed because he's caught me red handed and looks at me like "why the eff are you taking pictures of potatoes." Now mind you, I casually mentioned this new hobby to him on the train ride home a couple days ago. I'm pretty sure he thought it was a good idea, but did not say much, which is normal for him. I guess he did not realize that pictures would come along with the recipes I posted. So after he caught me I continued to snap away, feeling more comfortable with what I was doing. Dinner was ready but I still wasn't satisfied with the potatoes shots. I'm still getting the hang of this and trying to figure out my new camera. I could feel him rolling his eyes and getting impatient, so I figured I should probably quit while I was ahead, therefore this picture will have to do.

So here's the recipes for my favorite oven roasted potatoes:

Ingredients:
6-8 red potatoes cut in cubes
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tbs of Italian seasoning
1 tsp of kosher salt
3 cloves of garlic minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, seasoning, salt and minced garlic. Toss the cubed potatoes in the dressing. Spray non stick spray on a baking sheet. With a slated spoon, spoon potatoes evenly on the baking sheet. Cook for about 40 minutes or until they are golden brown. Put cooked potatoes back into the mixing bowl with the reserved dressing and toss.

Enjoy!

Pork Milanese My Way

This recipe was inspired by the Pork Milanese I had at Stella's in the South End. It was good but there was not nearly enough sauce for that huge piece of pork! So I made up this recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops
1 cup of breadcrumbs
2 eggs
3 tbs of oil
1/4 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 white cooking wine
2 cans of San Marzano tomatoes
1 clove of garlic minced
3 tbs of pesto (homemade or jarred)
1 tsp of kosher salt.

Pound the pork chops between wax paper until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Dip pork in egg and then coat both sides with breadcrumbs. Put the oil in a frying pan (the bigger the pan the better) and heat. Once the oil smokes, put the pork chops in the pan. Let cook about 10-12 minutes on each side. Once the pork is done place on a cooling rack. Add a little more oil if necessary. Add in the minced garlic and saute until slightly browned and fragrant. Add in the chicken broth and scrap up the brown bits. Add the balsamic vinegar, white wine, tomatoes. With a spatula, chop up the tomatoes so there are little chunks. Add the pesto and the kosher salt. Let simmer on medium heat until sauce thickens.

Mangia!

Delving into the life of blogging

As many people know, I enjoying cooking, and have decided to take it to another level. Mostly, because I get a lot of people who ask for my recipes, although I must admit a lot of my recipes have been given to me from others, like the girls from the SSCC (South Shore Cooking Club).

So I've decided to blog some of my recipes and random thoughts for others to enjoy. Why you ask? Well, mostly because I want to share my love of food with everyone interested and instead of typing out a recipe every time anyone asks for it, I can direct them to this site. Also, blogging gives me a way to store and organize my recipes. And lastly, because I want to step it up a notch in the kitchen department. I'm getting bored with some of my daily recipes, so I figured this will help me spice it up, no pun intended. I promise to reveal my secret ingredients and tips of the trade, unlike my Nana! I can't promise gourmet meals daily, but I'm going to take a shot at it.