And she's back folks - Spaghetti Squash

So I've been on a little blog hiatus. I must admit, I have less than two weeks until I'm off to sunny Mexico and I'm desperately trying to lose a few lbs before I leave. This winter really got the best of me and my thighs. So I've really been cooking grilled chicken and salad pretty much every night and trying my best not to think of all the delicious food I want to be cooking and eating!

Jenn from the SSCC (holla!) suggested I try spaghetti squash knowing that I'm a pasta lover. I had never heard of it and was not even sure that Stop N Shop even sold it. But they did! I have to say, while it's no penne rigate, I was pleasantly surprised. You definitely need a meaty/hearty sauce to disguise the fact that your eating squash. Go here to learn more about spaghetti squash http://www.fabulousfoods.com/features/featuring/spagsquash.html. It's great for dieters (esp South Beach and Atkins folks) or people looking to add veggies to their diets.

And no, Brian did not eat it.

Spaghetti Squash
Cut in half lengthwise. Put a little oil in a pyrex dish and place squash cut side down. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 45 minutes. After the squash is cooked take fork and shred the inside of the squash. Beware cooking the whole squash makes enough for an army.

Meat Sauce
1 lb of ground turkey or ground hamburger
1 can of kitchen ready pastene tomatoes
1 can of hunts tomato sauce
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1/2 sweet onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp olive oil

In a heavy sauce pan, brown ground meat for about 7 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain meat in a colinder to remove fat and oil. Add oil to sauce pan and sautee onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sautee for an additional 2 minutes making sure not to burn garlic. Add both cans of tomato sauce and salt. Let sauce simmer on medium low heat for 25 minutes.

Pork with Sugar Snap Peas

TGIF! Tomorrow, bright and early, Brian and I are leaving for Annapolis. We are going down with my aunt and uncle to visit my cousin, Matt, who is an Assistant Coach of the Naval Academy baseball team. I'm dreading the 8 hour drive, especially since the best part of a road trip is blaring the music and singing at the top of your lungs, and I imagine my aunt and uncle won't be up for that! Brian is probably doing a happy dance about this, because we all know if it were just him and me, I'd be singing for 8 hours straight. My compilation would include a little Madonna, Justin, George Michael, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Latoya Jackson....okay just kidding about Latoya, but you catch my drift. I'd subject him to show tune after show tune, accompanied by jazz hands and dramatic facial expressions to the point where he'd want to get out of the car and start walking to Annapolis. Maybe this is why he's never wanted to go on a road trip with me?

We get back on Tuesday night so stay tuned for pictures from our road trip.

And for those who care about the recipes...here's a quick week night meal that was mighty tasty. I got the base of the recipe from AllRecipes.com but I added some of this and some of that. Next time I'll add carrots, celery and probably red peppers for some color.

Ingredients:
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil

10 ounces fresh sugar snap peas

1 green bell pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 sweet onion, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Hot cooked brown rice

In a nonstick skillet, stir-fry pork and garlic in hot oil for 6 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove from skillet. In same pan, cook onions and peppers for 5 minutes. Add the peas along with the soy sauce, vinegar, molasses, ginger and red pepper flakes for 4 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender. Return pork to pan; cook for 3 minutes or until glazed. Serve over rice.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in our house so I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it. I made this recipe up so I'm not 100% sure of the exact measurements but either way, I assure you this is a tasty dish. I decided to stuff it with goat cheese because Brian doesn't really like goat cheese, I'm lucky enough that I got him hooked on feta. So I can't put goat cheese on a salad, or else he won't eat it, but if I stuff it into chicken, he'll never know....well until he asks and then at that point I say, "it's feta cheese, dear." See the trickery....I'll be fully prepared when we have kids.

Ingredients:
Package of chicken breasts or cutlets
goat cheese
spinach (could probably use frozen)
2 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup lemon (1 lemon)
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbs oil
rosemary
kosher salt
pepper

Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Mix together goat cheese and spinach - add a pinch of salt. If you are using cutlet, you can add a spoonful of the mixture into the center of the cutlet. Roll the cutlet, starting with the bigger end, and then secure it with a toothpick or two or kitchen twine. If you are using breasts you can slice along the side and stuff the mixture in and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle eat cutlet/breast with salt, pepper and rosemary.



In a hot frying pan, add the oil and the breast. Cook for a couple minutes on each side so they get slightly browned. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes but be careful not to burn the garlic. Pour in broth, lemon and wine. Let chicken simmer in sauce for about 15-20 minutes. Take out chicken, remember to remove all of the toothpicks, and boil the sauce for 5 minutes to thicken. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

I served this chicken over orzo but you could use aborio, angel hair, couscous, pilaf, etc.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Since Bri loves potatoes, I'm always looking for a new way to make them. While twice baked potatoes take a little more time and effort, it's definitely worth it. My aunt Pat always makes these and they are delicious. You can add sour cream and chives to the top if you wish, but these potatoes are perfect just as they are.

Ingredients:

5 medium baking potatoes

2 tbl. butter or margarine

1/2 cup each cheddar and colby cheese

1/2 jar of Hormel Bacon Bits or 1/2 crumbled bacon

1 tbl. mayonaise

milk

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and dry potatoes. Pierce holes in potatoes and bake in a preheated oven at 450 for an hour. Don't wrap potatoes - put them on rack in oven. Let cool for 15 minutes. Cut a length wise slice from the top of each potatoes. Discard skin from slice. Scoop out the insides and mash. Add butter and mayo. Beat in enough milk to make a stiff consistency. Add cheese, saving a little for the topping, and bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon mashed mixture into potato shells. Place in a baking dish. Bake in a 425 oven for 20-25 minutes or till lightly browned. Place cheese on top of potatoes, sprinkle with paprika. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or just until cheese melts.

**Please note in the picture above, I left the potatoes in too long at the end so the cheese browned. I was at cooking club, there was wine and an appetizer. What potatoes?

Pasta Caprese

In honor of the birth of Giada's baby girl, Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson, I decided to make this pasta from my Giada cookbook. Okay that's a lie, my aunt called me and told me I had to try this recipe, it was quick, easy and delicious - three words that are music to my ears.

I love most of Giada's recipes, in fact, I think I've said this before, she's my favorite Food Network chef. Yes her voice drives me insane and her shirts seem to keep getting lower and lower, but hey, she's cute, so I can't blame her. Her recipes are always fresh and light - two more words that are music to my ears.

So when I told Brian I was making pasta and sauce on a Tuesday night, the little rat thought I was whipping up a real sauce with meatballs. Um excuse me, that would take me hours. I think I spoil him. So when I'm chopping up the fresh cherry tomatoes, he got nervous. Actually the exact phrase was "I'm scared, is there any left over chicken from last night?" As you know Brian will remove tomatoes from any dish that touches his plate. If you've ever watched him, it's almost like surgery. With a precise steady hand he removes things such as tomatoes, artichokes, olives, onions, etc. I do get mad he wrecks my masterpiece, but as I've said before, I get all the scraps so I consider myself lucky.

About 20 minutes later we were both sitting down and enjoying the FANTASTIC meal. And guess what, Brian loved it! He did pick out the chunkier tomatoes but he did manage to eat a few and he surprised himself by actually enjoying it. I recommend this recipe for a quick week night meal or even for a large crowd. This will definitely be added to the dinner rotation. Next time I make it, I'll use less oil because I don't think it needed that much. I might add even more tomatoes and perhaps some chicken. Brian will love it even more if it's topped with a pile of meat - he's so meat and potatoes!

Ingredients:

1 pound fusilli pasta (I used rigitoni - just make sure it's a hearty pasta the sauce will stick to)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn 8 ounces

fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

I think I'll make this the next time the Corey's come over for dinner. Shout out to Danielle Corey who is a member of the C6. Don't ask me where she's from because I never remember if it's England, Wyoming, Oklahoma or North Carolina. Now she currently resides in Malden with her husband David and two cats, Ralphie and Rufus that she adores despite the fact that they've already destroyed her new furniture. She's absolutely crazy but that's why we love her....

(D - feel better now?)

Spinach Orchiette Soup

Our soup days are coming to an end, although you wouldn't know it by the weather we had this weekend. It's almost April and it feels like January. I can't take it anymore. 7 weeks and counting until we're in sunny Mexico though, basking in the sun and drinking frozen concoctions that will make me forget about this never ending miserable winter we've had in New England.

This healthy soup is a cinche to throw together and you can freeze in serving size portions. It's a Cooking Light recipe that was given to me by Stacey (founder of the SSCC)!

Ingredients:

1 cup water
3 (10.5 oz) cans chicken broth (or vegetable)
1.5 cups uncooked orecchiette (I used Campanelle pasta)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed (or use fresh spinach)
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Bring water and broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add pasta and spinach; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in tomato.

Combine 3 T parmesan cheese, pepper, salt and egg; stir well with a whisk. Slowly drizzle egg mixture into simmering soup, and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with parmesan cheese (to taste). Serve immediately.

Asparagus Risotto

This has been an interesting week to say the least. I'm rarely speechless but this week I am. When you think you know someone and the suddenly find out you really just never know what goes on behind closed doors, it rocks you to your core. So before you start worrying about me, it's not the husband or any of our family members thank goodness. I'll leave it there....

So what I have been able to do this week is eat. Usually when life gets a little chaotic, food becomes my best friend. Sad, I know, but I'd venture to say a lot of people deal with this same problem. If anyone knows me, I've got an obsessive behavior. I made this asparagus risotto on Monday night and I've been dreaming about it ever since. If I had any left overs, I was going to bring it to cooking club on Tuesday, but I was selfish and wanted to hoard the leftovers in the back of the fridge all for myself. It was that good. I found the recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, http://www.elise.com/. I made one change, only because I didn't have shallots on hand, but other than that followed the recipe. It was a creamy delicious meal that just felt good going down. Very comforting.

Although I will warn you, risotto is not the easiest meal to make. It's not a meal you can make while trying to multi task. You must constantly stir to make sure the rice doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. And there's no real measurement for how much chicken stock to use. You just have to keep tasting the risotto to make sure the consistency is right. If there's to much stock or it's overcooked, it can become a startchy bowl of mush. It's supposed to be a little firm to the bite. Even though this is a little more work that regular rice, it's completely worth it and you'll be happy you tried it. You might even become obsessed like me.

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus
3 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots (i used yellow onion since I didn't have any shallots)
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup water)
About 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian option), can substitute some of the asparagus cooking water for stock
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

1. Prepare the asparagus by breaking off discarding the tough ends (about the last inch of the spear). Cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces (tips longer, base shorter). If your asparagus are especially large, cut into even smaller (bite-size) pieces. Bring a saucepan with a quart of water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus pieces to an ice water bath to shock the asparagus into a vibrant green color and to stop the cooking. Drain from the ice water bath and set aside.

2. In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 3 Tbsp butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

3. While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

4. Add the wine. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, and the asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Chips/Fries

I'm not sure what to call these tasty treats - they don't have the crunchiness of a chip but they aren't shaped like a fry either. Anywho - I just kinda made up this recipe. Brian isn't sold yet - he still isn't a huge fan of the sweet potato but it's a healthy alternative to the regular potatoes I usually make so he'll have to get used to it. We're going to Mexico in less than two months and this mama needs to lose some lbs. - stat!

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes

1 tbls of evoo

rosemary

kosher salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and sclice them about 1/4 inch thick. Toss potatoes with the remaining ingredients until well coated. Place on a cookie sheet and cook until they slightly brown - about 25-30 minutes.

Cicco's Calzone

Holla! Ya, I know, it's been a while. Will you forgive me? I've been cooking, just not blogging. Not sure why, maybe it's because I have very little time after work now since I'm addicted to a couple reality shows and with the writing strike over, some of my favorite shows are coming back. YAY!

American Idol has proved to be one of the best seasons ever in my opinion. I did not cry when Amanda was sent packing last night. I wanted to like her, I really did, but every week she screamed the same wanna be rocker tune and it drove me batshit crazy. I was shocked Carly was in the bottom three though, I really like her. I just think she needs to make better choices. So who are my favs you may ask? I lurve Jason Castro....he looks like a guy I would have totally drooled over in high school, with the long hair, big nose and dreamy eyes. And the cherry on top, he sings AND plays the guitar, well giddyup! I also like David Cooke, aka "big forehead guy" in our household, because even though the renditions of some of my favorite songs are not his originals, he sounds awesome. And David A....despite the fact that he licks his lips more often than not I love him. He's cute, he's kinda dorky, and he's got an amazing voice. I almost cried when he forgot his words last week. I think he'll win the whole shabang if you ask me.

Okay, and onto the calzone! Anytime my group of friends has a party, it's pretty much a known fact that Cicco is bringing a calzone. It's also a known fact that the thing will be woofed up faster than you can say oink oink! I think what makes this calzone stand out is the Land o Lakes American cheese. When it melts, the creamy velvety texture just rocks your world. I ain't lyin folks! But beware, there's a bite to this calzone because of the capicolla (hot italian ham) so if you'd like to make it a little less milder use regular ole ham. Oh and one more thing, don't snub your nose to the bologna like I did, you can't really taste it, and I tend to use less than the recipe calls for. Thank goodness D knew better and did not tell me what was in it before I had a chance to fall in love.

Ingredients:

fresh pizza dough (found in the deli/produce/cheese section)

1/4 lb german bologna

1/4 lb capicolla

1/2 lb pepperoni (sliced from the deli)

1/2 lb land o lakes white american cheese (calm down, you won't use it all)

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flour pizza dough and roll out into a rectangle. Layer the cold cuts and then the cheese. You might not need to use it all, depending on how big the regtangle is. Fold over the dough (the long side) in half. Wet your hands and press together the edges. Brush the egg on top of the calzone. Bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Asparagus

Again, apologies for the lack of posts but recently life and a lack of appetite has been getting in the way of cooking! Not much new to report here - most of you may know that Brian's niece was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Prayers and positive energy would be appreciated. She's such a trooper and I'm amazed at her strength and courage.

This is a quick and easy recipe that one of the SSCC gals (shout out to Jenn) passed on to me! It's one of our favorites!

1 bunch fresh asparagus
butter
salt
pepper

Melt butter in a fry pan. Add asparagus, season with fresh ground pepper and salt to taste. Fry to desired crispness (or keep it soft, depending on your taste). Serve immediately

Liss's BBQ Pulled Pork

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but I just got back from Houston where I ate more Mexican food than I should have. I almost popped a button of my jeans this morning, I'm not kidding! It was so nice to be home, warm weather, seeing my dad and friends and best of all, spending time with Shelby. She's the cutest baby and is just so completely happy all the time. I can only hope that our babies will be half as happy as her!

One food I miss from Houston, well besides Mexican obviously, is good BBQ. There are a couple places up here that are comprable, but we rarely go out to eat for BBQ. I've been searching for a good pulled pork recipe andMelissa came to the rescue with this one. I also used her BBQ sauce recipe that she used when she made ribs for the SSCC annual cook out! But if your pressed for time you could also use your favorite bottled BBQ sauce, but you know how I feel about that. Thanks Liss!

Pulled Pork Recipe:

Boneless Pork shoulder (any size) – untrimmed (or any boneless round cut of pork)

1 large vidalia onion

2 cans of low fat/low sodium beef broth (I used three cans)

Cut Vidalia onion in 6 slices, put a layer on bottom of crock pot, sit pork on top of it, then put another layer of onion on the pork, then pour in beef broth till it hits ¾ way up the crock pot. Cook on high for about an hour then turn it down to medium and let cook about 3 or 4 hours. Once cooked, pull meat out, trim off any excess fat and shred. Drain crockpot, then put shredded meat back in, pour bbq sauce over and let simmer.

BBQ Sauce:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup root beer (do not use Dr. Pepper, if will give it a medicinal flavor)
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup dark corn syrup
½ cup molasses
½ cup tomato paste
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining ingredients, except liquid smoke, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is thick and has reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour. Stir in liquid smoke, if using. (Sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 1 week.)

And just for proof that Shelby is the cutest:

The cowgirl loves her horsie:

Asian Beef with Snowpeas

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. I've been sick. Serves me right, as I've been bragging to everyone how I've made it this whole season without catching anything, while everyone around me has been sick two and three times. Damn you winter!

Chinese food is something I rarely get to eat because Brian doesn't care for it. I've never really made any Asian flare dishes so I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. I have to say this recipe was pretty good, although Brian liked it a little more than I did. However, this is a great quick and easy week night recipe. I think next time I'll use sirloin steak because the top round can be a little tough. I found this recipes on allrecipes.com, and added the red peppers to give it more color and flavor.

Ingredients:
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs rice wine
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs minced fresh ginger root
1 tbs minced garlic
1 lb beef round steak cut into thin strips
8 oz snow peas

In a small bowl, cobime soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar and corn starch. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat. Stir fry ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. Add steak and stir fry for 3 minutes or until evenly browned. Add the snow peas and stir fry for an additional 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer until the sauce is thick and smooth. Serve over white rice.

Mexican Sausage Wontons

These little bites of heaven are in high demand. This recipe was given to me by Brian's sister and I've passed it on to many more people as someone is always asking me for this recipe. Watch out though, they are very filling. When I made them for SSCC, we were literally in a food coma by the end of the night because we ate so many of them.

Ingredients:

1 package of regular Jimmy Dean Sausage

1 8oz bottle of Hidden Valley Light Ranch

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of pickled jalenpenos, diced

1 package of wonton wrappers (usually found in the produce section near the tofu and packaged veggies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non stick cooking spray in a muffin pan. Insert wrappen into muffin pan so they form cups. Bake for 5-6 minutes and then remove the wrappers from the pan onto a baking tray. Continue until all wrappers are cooked.

Fry the sausage in a frying pan, breaking it apart with a spatula. Cook until no longer pink. Drain sausage (I usually let it sit on a paper towel for a good 10 minutes to adsorb more of the grease).

Combine cooked sausage, ranch and cheese in a bowl. Fill the wrappers with the mixture and place a small piece of jalepeno on top. I don't put jalenpenos on a couple for those who don't like them. Cook them for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling. If you are brining to a party, just prepare the filled wontons and cook them before you are going to serve them as they are best right out of the oven.

Chicken Piccata

I struggle with posting some of my recipes because when I cook it's usually a little of this and a little of that. I rarely measure anything unless I'm making it for the first time. So when I made chicken piccata the other night I made an effort to watch how much of each ingredient I was using. This recipe was passed on to me by my mother. It's absolutely delicious but the way she makes it clogs your arteries just looking at it. So I've scaled back on the butter and oil a bit, however, it's still not considered "light" by any means!

This recipe is great for dinner parties as well. If I make it in advance I'll use cut up chicken breasts instead of cutlets and I'll reserve the sauce until I'm about to serve it so it does not get dry. I serve it over penne or ziti.

Ingredients:
1 package of chicken cutlets, washed and patted dry
1/3 cup of flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup lemon (usually two lemons)
1/2 cup of white cooking wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp capers (optional)
1 tsp butter

Wash and pat dry the chicken cutlets. Mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Dredge chicken in the flour and shake off excess flour. Heat oil in pan. Put cutlets in pan and sautee until brown, about 4 minutes each side. If you don't have a pan big enough to fry all the cutlets at once, fry them in batches. Place cooked cutlets on a cooling rack (prevents them from getting soggy) or a plate.

Add a little more oil to pan and sautee garlic until lightly brown. Pour in chicken broth and scrap up the brown bits from the pan with a fork. Add wine and lemon and bring to a boil. Add parsley and capers. Let sauce simmer for 1-2 minutes or until thickens. If you want to thicken sauce more wisk in cornstarch a teaspoon at a time. Add the butter. Simmer for another 3 minutes or until butter is melted.

Plate the cutlets over rice or pasta and spoon sauce over.

The House Salad

I make a salad pretty much every night of the week not because I don't know what else to make but because I love salads. But not any type of salad, I love my salad, or should I say my Nana's salad. And it's so simple and fresh. I'm kind of a snob when it comes to salad, I don't do bottled dressings and I don't like salad from a bag. I mean I'll eat it if someone else is serving it but I can taste the difference. My salad spinner gets more use than any other tool in my kitchen - although my microplane grater is a close second. There are a couple basics about salad.

1) Don't reach for the bagged lettuce - sure it will save you some time but you'll definitely sacrfice in flavor. My favorite lettuce is red leaf, romaine being my second choice. The only lettuce I'll buy bagged is spinach. And you'll never see a head of iceburg lettuce in my house!

2) Toss those bottled salad dressing - I hate pretty much any bottled salad dressing. I normally just use red wine vinegar and olive oil, or at least start with this as a base and build from there by adding shallots, garlic, lemon, etc.

3) Red onions - I don't eat red onions and neither does Brian. But they're essential to the flavor of the salad. Once my salad is washed, I'll put the lettuce in the bowl with a couple slivers of red onions and let it sit for a couple minutes before I dress the salad!

4) Sea salt - not regular salt, not kosher salt, SEA salt is a must. Not much, just a little to give it that extra flavor. I have been known to use Crazy Janes salt, which is basically sea salt with additional herbs.

5) Toppings - typically the O'Neil house salad has one topping, FETA CHEESE. When Brian is not looking I'll put goat cheese in there instead to spice it up. But really there are tons of things you can add to this salad - my favorties being avacados and home made croutons.

6) The bowl - it really does matter what bowl you serve your salad in. It might sound crazy but my salad tastes different depending on what bowl I use. The typical salad bowl I use is shallow, which allows the dressing to be evenly distributed, instead of all running to the bottom of the bowl.

I warned you I was a salad snob.

Stuffed Peppers

I'm trying my hardest to reduce the amount of meat Brian and I consume, but let me tell you, it's hard. Brian is very much a meat and potatoes type of guy - and me, well I'm a carb lover. Now that the winter months are coming to an end (hey, a girl can hope, right?) those bikini and speedo days are in sight. So we're back on the wagon, the diet wagon that is.

This stuffed pepper recipe is very versatile. You can add chicken, ground turkey or no meat at all. You can add any type of cheese, feta, goat or mozzarella. I've adapted this creation from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
2 cup water
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.

While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice and cooked chicken, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.

Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Ziti with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto

All I have to say is YUM! This has to be one of my favorite Giada dishes for a couple of reasons. 1) It's light - there are no heavy sauces, not a lot of oil and you can even scale back on the prosciutto if you really want to (although I never do!) 2) It's quick - I can throw this nice meal together during the week without spending hours slaving over a hot stove 3) It's pretty - if you're entertaining, people will definitely like the looks of this meal and probably even ask you for the recipe. And come on...who the heck doesn't like asparagus, smoked mozzarella and prosciutto?

Ingredients:
Salt
8 ounces dried ziti or other tubular pasta
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced (about 1/2 cup)
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ziti and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often. Add the asparagus and cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, and the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the pasta, asparagus, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and the 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid, and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to shallow bowls and serve.

*Note - you can use regular mozzarella but I highly recommend buying smoked if you can. It can be found with all the imported cheese in the deli section of your grocery store.

The Good, Bad and the Ugly...Oh and the Artichoke Dip too!

The Good:

Saturday I had some girlfriends over to celebrate my 31st b-day. We iniciated a new rule this year, we'd throw in $20 each and buy the person one bigger gift instead of 5 smaller gifts. We'd also go out for dinner and do something fun like we've always been doing. So for my b-day I asked for a karaoke machine...kinda half kidding and half serious. I had asked Brian for one but he wouldn't cave, and now I understand why (I've been singing to him non stop since Saturday night.)

They got me pretty good though. Brian started out this week by saying the girls weren't getting me a karaoke machine and he'd buy one for me. I wasn't totally convinced of this. Then on Thursday he said the one I wanted was too much money and they couldn't swing it. I think at one point I suggested he give them some money to help defray the costs, but I digress. Lots of expensive things are going on with my friends - closing on houses, upcoming weddings, etc. so the money thing made sense.

Fast forward to Saturday night. My spirits were already down (wait until you read "the Bad") but I knew my time with the girls was going to be the pick me up I needed (still not believing what Brian was saying). So then Cicco walks in the pizza and a box. A smaller box. Definitely not a box that a karaoke machine would come in. I guess, from what my friends say, my face dropped (and this doesn't surprise me because I have a hard time faking emotions) because I was like...CRAP Brian was right, oh no I already pretty much announced on the blog that my friends were giving me a great present, etc. Then during dinner Rocco says "did we tell her yet that she's not getting her present?" I cut her off right there and announce that Brian had already told me the news, no big deal, I understand yadda yadda yadda. They tell me I got something, just on a smaller scale. I was thinking okay, maybe it's just a microphone or a gift certificate. So anyways, we go on with eating and chatting and finally, present time comes. I start opening the smaller present. Everyone is looking at me saying,"what do you think it is?" I open the box and it's empty! Nothing but tissue paper! Then behind the door DC and Brock roll out this HUGE box and I realize I've been punk'd! Finally, my karaoke machine. From there the fun began.

The Bad:

So rewind to Saturday day. I woke up around 9:30 and start dusting, sweeping, laundry, etc. to prepare for my guests. Around 3:30, I hop in the shower. After, I ask Brian to go down and get the laundry. He opens the basement door and yells some four letter words. There's water in the basement. There's actually a small kiddie pool in our basement. So we get the towels and mop out and start cleaning it up. Brian decides to wash the towels that we just used to wipe up the water. We go on about our business, I guess thinking it was a fluke and it wouldn't happen again. About 2 minutes left on the spin cycle, Brian opens the door to the basement and yells some four letter words. There's water in the basement...AGAIN. I still had to go to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for my artichoke dip so he said he'd clean it up. So I leave for the grocery store. When I get back, the shower is running, and I assumed Brian was in there taking a shower so I start talking to him but there's no answer. From the basement, Brian yells, SHUT OFF THE WATER. So you're probably asking yourself,"how long is it going to take them to figure out they've got a problem?" The answer - a couple times. So Brian HAS to take a shower. So I stay down in the basement while he takes the fastest shower in his life (Brian's usually in the shower for a good 20 minutes.) Sure enough...more water. For shits and giggles, I ask him to flush the toilet. Then the mother load....it's like a fountain of water spewing from the pipe. Thank goodness we had a really BIG bucket. We stop...and think...we've got a problem.

Brian then goes on to tell me I'll have to cancel my party. Fat chance mister...I'm getting this karaoke machine come hell or high water (literally)! So we call the town to see if they can make an emergency house call. I call and leave a message for someone to call me back. Well no one ever does until noon the next day when we figured out the answering service took down the wrong number! I could kill her. We called a couple times and she blamed the town, saying "they must have turned off their pagers." So needless to say, everyone still came over, no one peed and we used paper plates. IMO, the party was still a success.

The Ugly:

What the heck happened to the Patriots? You know - that team that was supposed to go undefeated, 19-0? They did not play on Sunday. I don't know who those men in tight pants were out there but that sure wasn't our beloved Brady. I won't act like I know (or give) to hoots about football. I like the Superbowl for the commercials, half time performances and most of all the food. But I have to say this game kept my attention, I was on the edge of my seat, and could not believe what I was seeing. When the Giants scored the final touchdown, our house went silent, for what seemed like hours. A house filled with about 10 people and you could hear a pin drop. We were, and still are, in disbelief.

and the Artichoke Dip:

And if you are still with me - on to the reason why I blog, the food! I've tasted a lot of artichoke dips in my day and I have to say this is probably the best - well besides the one at Cottonwoods. But it's definitely a close second. Try it and let me know if you like it as much as I do!

The Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

pepper to taste

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach (do not squeeze all of the water out of spinach and artichokes or else the dip will be dry.) Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

And some pictures for those who are interested.

Garlic Green Beans

I was reviewing the recipes I've posted and noticed that I've yet to post any veggie recipes. It's not because we don't eat them, it's just because during the week I mostly serve a salad as our veggie. My taste buds have changed over the years. When I was younger I wouldn't eat any veggies. I blame my mother mostly for this because she would always say "Nikki, eat your vegetables, it'll put hair on your chest." I was scared that I would literally start growing hair on my chest. And to top it off, being Italian, hair was a sore subject for me since I pretty much had to start shaving when I was in the 3rd grade! So to all those moms out there - don't tell your little girl she'll become a hairy beast if she eats her vegetables.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of green beans trimmed

1 tbs minced shallots

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp of olive oil

Salt to taste

Cook green beans in boiling water for about 5-6 minutes. Drain beans and either dump the beans in cold water or just run cold water over them to stop them from continuing to cook. In a pan, sautee garlic and shallots in the olive oil until fragrant - about 1 minute. Transfer cooked beans into the pan and sautee for about 3 minutes. Add salt (kosher salt or sea salt) to taste.

Ma! MEATLOAF!

MMMMAAAA! MEATLOAF...Quick - what movie is that from? Makes me laugh just thinking about it.

I've never really liked meatloaf. I actually have a story about my distaste for meatloaf. You've heard me talk about the SSCC - well it was our second meeting and we were talking about the upcoming months theme. We decided to write everyones favorite dish on a piece of paper and put them in a hat. Whatever dish you picked out, you had to make. No one wrote their names on the dish so you did not know who put what in. So my turn to pick, I open up the little piece of paper and it's MEATLOAF. Of course I make a face and say MEATLOAF....who the blankety blank's favorite dish is MEATLOAF? Now mind you this was our second meeting. I thought Jenn was going to kill me. Thank goodness they let me stick around long enough to find out I'm not a complete b. But seriously, whenever my mom made meatloaf as a kid, I thought of it more like a punishment. Just the word meatloaf grosses me out. Thank goodness, over the years, my taste buds and likes and dislikes have changed. So I made the loaf of meat for SSCC and it turns out, that it wasn't all that bad.

The recipe I'm sharing today though is different. This is Ina's (Barefoot Contessa)Turkey Meatloaf - and if you follow the recipes measuresments (5lbs of meat), it's enough to feed a small army. So I've tweaked the measurements just a tad, because ground turkey usually comes in 2lb packages. The leftovers are just as good - I usually just heat up a drop of oil in a skillet and add some salt and pepper to the sliced meatloaf.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (1 large onions)
1 tablespoons good olive oil
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
4 pounds ground turkey breast (two packages)
1 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

Dill Mashed Potato Casserole

Please God let this week go by quickly. Saturday night I'm celebrating my b-day with my girlfriends. They are coming to my house for what should be a night full of sparkly headbands and blow up instruments. I'm anxiously awaiting my big gift, but I don't want to say anything until it happens. Check back on Monday to see if my dream and Brian's nightmare has come true.

In the mean time, here's a great recipe for mashed potatoes. What's so great about this recipe is you can make them ahead of time and chuck them in the oven to re-heat. Most mashed potatoes taste like crap if you don't eat them right away. This recipe was given to me by my sister in law, Suzie, and it's now an O'Neil staple. I've tweaked it just a smidge.

Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
3 lbs. potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
Dill

Mix together cream cheese, garlic salt, pepper, and sour cream until smooth; set aside. Prepare and boil potatoes, drain and using an electric mixer beat potatoes until smooth. Add a small amount (1/4 cup) milk and sprinkle of salt to potatoes to help soften them. Next add sour cream mixture and continue beating until fluffy and smooth, then add 1 teaspoon dill. Spoon potato mixture into a buttered shallow 3 quart casserole dish and dot with butter and sprinkle with dill. Bake covered in a 400* oven for 25 minutes and then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes.

Barefoot's Pan Fried Onion Dip

This dip is damn good - so good you could eat it with a spoon. If you love onion dip I think you'll enjoy this home made pan fried onion dip by Barefoot Contessa. I love a lot of her recipes but watching her show puts me to sleep. She's monotone and doesn't often get excited about what she's cooking, unlike Paula or Giada.

I put this in a bread bowl, but a dish and sliced french bread would do. It's also very good with plain kettle cooked chips.

Even Brian, who hates onions, ate it. Nuff said.

Ingredients:

2 large yellow onions

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup good mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

Mexican Rice

TGIF! I'm so psyched the weekend is finally here. No big plans, just doing some errands, dinner with friends, watch the Pats on Sunday, which is my kind of weekend. This week I went to see Spamalot for the second time and I'll also be going next week. I know, a little obsessive, but the show is THAT good. Even if you don't love Broadway, this is a show you just have to see, which is why I'm dragging Brian to see it with me next week. I've been listening to the soundtrack all week. Brian pleads with me to turn it off because he wants the show to be a surprise. I just think he's sick of me singing every single words to every song. If they ever need an understudy for Lady of the Lake, I think I might just be that person they are looking for.

Now onto the food....this is a recipe I made up and it's so easy. Instead of using boxed rice try making your own. There's no need for all of those preservatives and sodium. I usually serve this when I make Mexican but really you can have it with just about anything. I find the key to great rice is using chicken broth instead of water.

Ingredients:
2 cups of chicken broth or water
1 cup of white rice
1 tbs of olive oil
1 can of dice tomatoes (regular or Rotel)
1/2 cup of tomatoe sauce
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
Lime (optional)

In a saucepan saute the rice with the olive oil over medium high heat. Stir rice so that it's evenly coated with the oil and does not burn. Once rice is golden brown, about 5 minutes, pour in water, tomatoes, tomatoe sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook rice for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro and maybe about a tbs of lime into the cooked rice and stir.

Caramelized Onion Chicken

This past weekend was beautiful. The warm sun had finally melted the last bit of snow away. Just in time for the Nor'easter. Well if you ask me, and remind you I'm from Texas, the big Nor'easter proved to be a huge disappointment. It started yesterday when Brian and I made a trip to Costcos. It was chaos. You would have thought they were giving away free food (think Super Market Sweep). I knew we were getting snow, but come on people. Then last night they started announcing school closings and I think pretty much every town was shutting down. When I woke up this morning I expected more than what I saw. I mean, sure it snowed, cars were covered, etc but they blow everything out of proportion. Most of the people made it into the office, besides the lucky few who worked from home. Ahhh, the joys of New England.

So here's a Caramelized Onion Chicken recipe from Cooking Light (but it was given to me by Sue). I love pretty much anything with caramelized onions. This sweet and savory dish will not disappoint. I think this is something kids would even enjoy. They can do what Brian does and pick out all the onions. I served this over jasmine rice and thought it was another quick and easy dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken breast or tenders cut into pieces

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup of sliced onion (I used sweet)

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tbs low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp bottled minced ginger

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add chicken to pan; saute for about 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove onion and chicken from pan and set aside.

Add jam and remaining ingredients to pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return chicken mixture to pan. Cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. However, the longer it cooks, the more thicker the sauce gets.

Olive Crostini

To some, I'm known as the appetizer queen. Typically when we are invited to a party people can rely on me to bring an appetizer. I was getting fed up with my regulars so I've added these to my repetoire. I love olives, any kind of olives, probably because of their saltiness. I know there is a fine line, people either love olives or they HATE them. I kinda feel sorry for people who don't like them, especially kalamata olives, because they don't know what they're missing.

So if you, or anyone you know loves olives like I do, they're sure to enjoy this quick and easy appetizer recipe. I found this recipe on my favorite food blog Simply Recipes. The link can be found under the blogroll.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup kalamata olives

1/2 cup green olives with pimientos

2 medium cloves garlic

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 baguette

Chop olives in a food processor. Transfer to medium bowl. With machine running, drop garlic through the feed tube of the food processor and mince. Add Parmesan, butter, and olive oil, and process into a paste. Add butter mixture to bowl with olives. Fold in jack cheese and parsley. Cut baguette into thin slices and spread each slice generously with olive mixture. Cook under broiler until bubbly and lightly browned - about 2 minutes.

Serve right out of oven. Helps to make olive mixture in advance and spread right before you put in the oven. Makes approximately 24 toasts.

Enchiladas Verdes

If you know me, you know that I love Mexican food. I think my first words were "green limes and no beans extra rice." I could eat it morning, noon and night, and I'm pretty sure most Texans feel the same way. I'm convinced that I was a Juanita in my former life. We eat Mexican food so much Brian's dad thinks that our kids are going to be born with a sombrero and a mustache.

But it's hard to find good Mexican, or shall I say, Tex-Mex, in Boston. Nearly impossible. We live up the street from what I thought was fairly decent Mexican restaurant, Mexico Lindo, but when we took my dad there during his visit to Boston, he snubbed his nose at it. I've searched high and low and it's the best I can come up with. So I'm trying to recreate my favorites at home. It's not the same but it'll have to do until my next trip to H-town.

Here's an enchiladas verdes recipe that's become a favorite in our household. When I want to go all out, I make the verdes sauce from scratch. If you don't have the time, you can buy green sauce in the supermarket (La Victoria is my favorite brand). If you forgo the homemade sauce, this is a relatively quick and easy recipe, not to mention good for crowds.

The homemade verdes sauce calls for tomatillos and serrano chiles. I've included a picture for those who don't eat, sleep and dream Mexican food.

Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken breast
1.5 cups of light sour cream
½ cup of thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup of minced fresh cilantro
½ of a white onion
3 cups of chicken broth
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of garlic powder
2 garlic gloves minced
8 flour tortillas
1 cup of cheddar cheese

Verdes Sauce

2-4 serrano chiles (depending on how hot you want it)
1 pound of tomatillos, husks removed
¼ cup of minced cilantro
¼ cup of chopped white onions
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
½ teaspoon salt or to taste

To make the enchiladas:
Sprinkle chicken with salt. Place chicken in a skillet with the garlic and half of a sliced white onion. Pour in 3 cups of chicken broth or enough to cover the chicken. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink inside. Let chicken cool a little and shred with your hands. Put shredded chicken in a bowl with the sour cream, scallions, cilantro, ½ cup of shredded cheese, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix. Spray a baking pan with non stick cooking spray. Put two-three spoon fulls of chicken mix in a tortilla. Roll and place in the pan seam side down. I spread a little extra sour cream on each enchilada. Top with verdes sauce and cheese. Bake covered in a 350 degrees pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. Last 5 minutes remove foil and back uncovered. I used another recipe to base this from but really I made this up so you can add anything you want to it.

Verdes Sauce:
Place chiles in a sauce pan with three cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tomatillos, cover, and continue to simmer for an additional 8 minutes. The tomatillos should be cooked through but not falling apart. Remove chiles and tomatillos from pot and reserve the cooking liquid. Allow chiles and tomatillos to cool then move the stems and seeds from the chiles and cut into small pieces. Place chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, and the onions in the bowl of a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. The sauce should be well blended but still retain some texture. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the content of the blender and ½ cup of the reserved tomatillo cooking liquid and simmer for about 10 minutes. The sauce should firmly coat a spoon. Add the salt and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and reserve. This makes about 2 cups.

Arriba arriba!

Banana Bread

Well it's 60 degrees here in beantown today. No wonder everyone is sick. Riding home on the train today, there's people coughing and sneezing everywhere. Ahh, the joys of public transportation. Not sure which I hate more, the hacking or the lady who decides to gnaw on a hard boiled egg for breakfast in the seat next to me. She seems to park her smelly arse next to me at least once a month and I'm disgusted. Barf.

Okay on to the good stuff. I love me some banana bread. I've never had much luck with any other recipes until I found this recipe. Very moist (I know...I hate that word but I could not think of another way to describe it). I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/3 mashed over ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly greease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until moist. Pour batter into greased loaf pan.

Bake in a preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool for 10 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack.

Yummy!

Pan-Seared Chicken with Artichokes and Pasta

I have to say this is one of my favorite dishes to eat and make. It's fairly easy and it's great if you're having a dinner party. However, Brian hates it. He destroys this dish by picking out the artichokes, olives and tomatoes. It makes me cringe when I see him doing this, although he does give me all his scraps.

When I make this dish I use my huge anodized calphalon pan because I'm able to fit everything in there. If you don't have a pan this size (and once I figure out how to write html, I'll include a link to the picture of the pan) just sear the chicken in a pan and then mix everything together in the pot you use to boil your pasta.

Oh and by the way...this is another SSCC recipe. Shout out to Sue, who I believe got this from a Cooking Light magazine. I make some changes to the recipe which I've noted below.

1 large jar marinated artichoke heart quarters, undrained
about 1 ½ lbs chicken (I use chicken breast but the orginal recipe called for thighs)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups cooked cavatappi or fusilli (I use the whole box)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 tbsp grated fresh parmesan cheese

Drain artichokes reserving marinade.

Dredge chicken in small amount of flour, salt and pepper. In a large skillet cook chicken in olive oil until done and slightly browned. (This is a one pan meal, so the larger the pan the better). Add garlic and onions. Sauté about one minute. Stir in reserved artichoke marinade and wine, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and stir in artichokes, pasta, olives and tomatoes. Cook a few more minutes until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Man, it's ass biting cold here in Boston! For all my fans in other states I envy you right now. Sure it might be cold but I can guarantee you that it's not 10 below with the wind chill. Yes, you heard me right, 10 flippin' below zero! My Nana is coming home from California this weekend and it looks like she's bringing the warm weather with her. On Sunday, it's supposed to be close to 60 degrees. I'm not getting too excited because it's only the beginning of January and we have another 4-5 months before we can hang up our winter jackets. I often ask myself, why the hell I live up here!

But in the mean time, I'll make some of this hot buffalo chicken dip to warm up my insides. This recipe was given to me by a friend of the SSCC (South Shore Cooking Club) and every time I've made it at least 2 people ask me for the recipe. It doesn't look great but it sure does taste good.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breast - boneless skinless
1 8 oz. block cream cheese softened
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
1/2 bottle of Franks Red hot (approx. use to taste)

Cook chicken either by baking or boiling and let cool. Shred by hand. Mix in remaining ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Yes, it's that simple. I serve with the Tostitos Gold chips which are strong enough to dual with this dip.

Blueberry Crumble

I don't love to bake...there I said it. There are a couple reasons why baking is not my bag, baby. One, because everything has to be measured out precisely. When I'm cooking I like to add a little of this and a little of that to create a masterpiece. And secondly, I don't love sweets. I hear you all gasping, but it's true. I'd much prefer salt over sweetness. But when I sit down after a meal with a "nice cup of tea" I do enjoy an occasional fig newton or graham cracker. Nothing too sweet, which I think is why I love this blueberry crumble cake.

The recipe was given to me from my aunt, who enjoys eating sweets as much as she does baking them. When we lived in South Boston she'd always send down a couple pieces of this delightful cake because she knew how much we enjoyed it. Then when we moved, we both started to miss the little treats she would leave us, so now I've started to bake this on occasion. Not too often, because it doesn't last much more than a day in our house and Brian likes to keep svelte. ;)

So here's the recipe....

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
2 cups of flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2 cups of blueberries (I only use 1 cup and it's the perfect blueberry/cake ratio)

Crumb mix:
1/2 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 margarine or butter room temperature

Preheat oven to 375.

In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients for the crumb mix. Mash with a fork to a crumble consistency.

In a separate bowl, blend sugar, margarine on medium speed (or just mix together if you don't have an electric mixer). Add in egg and milk on low speed. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Then add to the wet ingredients a little at a time as you stir. Flour blueberries and then fold into the mix.

Grease and flour a 9x9 baking dish. Spread the cake mix and then sprinkle the crumb mix on top. Bake for 30 minutes.