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Frosty Mocha Milk Shake

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , on July 13, 2014| 2 Comments »

Frosty Mocha Milk Shake

Frosty Mocha Milk Shake

JUST the thought of having this milkshake is literally making my mouth water….If you are a follower of this blog you know I LOVE ICE CREAM!  And that love comes in the form of a cone, a cup, a cake and for sure a milk shake!  Now that summer is really heating up, ice cream is my obsession.  Seriously I would eat ice cream for every meal if I could and wash the meal down with a “malted”.  

INGREDIENTS

4 scoops of coffee ice cream

2/3 cup of whole milk

2 TBS dark cocoa powder, plus extra for garnish

1 TBS instant espresso powder (think of those K cups at your office)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup grated dark chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped for topping (optional) (or Reddi Whip if you must)

DIRECTIONS

In a blender, or using an immersion blender, pulse the ice cream, milk, cocoa powder and espresso powder to combine.

When mixture is smooth, add extracts and dark chocolate.  Blend to combine.

Pour the milk shake into two glasses and top generously with whipped cream. 

Sprinkle some cocoa powder on top

Serve immediately

Recipe from Pure Wow

 

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Two Soups Are Better Than One

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

This Tasty Tidbits Tuesday I have two delicious Spring soup recipes I want to share with you.  The recipes are simple and easy, using only fresh ingredients and you can make them fairly quickly!  Lately in my house, we’ve been discussing eating only whole foods and trying to keep processed food out our diet.  For me, it’s because I truly do believe that your body doesn’t know how to process chemicals and the calories go into fat storage  and in general I think the more chemicals we ingest the more likely we are to get cancer or heart disease.  Anyway, I’m trying to follow the simple rules of not buying anything that has more than 3-5 ingredients and nothing that contains something I or any other cook would not have in their pantry.  

Now that I’ve given my nutrition lecture and believe me, I’m not one to really speak since I love Salsa and that’s good for you BUT I  like it on Multigrain chips and who am I kidding with the word Multigrain in the label!!

Spring Onion Soup

Spring Onion Soup

Spring Onion Soup   Prep time: 10 min. Total time: 60 min  Serves 4

Spring onions look like scallions but have a larger rounder bulb.  If unavailable use yellow onions.

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling

2 lbs spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken stock

2 cups of water

8 pieces of crisp flatbread, for serving

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent but not brown, about 15 minutes.  Stir in salt, stock and water.  Bring to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, and let cool for 20 minutes.  Working in batches, purée in a blender, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, blending until soup is smooth.  Divide soup among 4 bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and serve with flatbread on the side. 

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living 

Spring Green Soup

Spring Green Soup

Spring Green Soup

This soup can be served straight from the blender, when it’s still frothy or well-chilled during warmer months.  Use sorrel as a garnish; its bright, lemony flavor is a wonderful accent.

1 cucumber, peeled

1/2 lb. pencil-thin asparagus, tough ends trimmed**

2 cups cold water

1/4 lb. spinach, rinsed well, tough stems removed

4 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves plus more for garnish

2 TBS lemon juice

3/4 tsp coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

4-6 sorrel leaves for garnish (optional)

Halve the cucumber lengthwise; cut one half into eighths and the other into 1/4 inch dice.  Set aside.  Cut asparagus spears into  2 inch lengths.  Purée in a blender with 1/2 cup cold water.

Add spinach, scallions, cucumber eighths, and another 1/2 cup water.  Blend until thoroughly puréed.  Add avocado, mint leaves, and lemon juice; purée until smooth, adding the remaining water a little at a time until soup is desired consistency.  Add salt, and season with pepper.  Scrape down sides of blender with a rubber spatula and blend 5 seconds more.

Divide soup among four bowls;  garnish each with diced cucumber, and a mint spring (and sorrel if using).  Serve immediately.

** If you can’t find pencil thin asparagus, trim thicker stalks with a vegetable peeler or paring knife.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living

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Hot Italian Sausage and Tomato Pasta – Just Light Enough For Summer

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , , on June 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

hot-italian-sausage_300

I truly think pasta, well of course I meant to say macaroni is my favorite food.  The ways to prepare it are endless and seasonal too.  I know because I make it in all the seasons.  My sister-in-law, Stacey, brought this recipe with her when she and Matt visited us in Ocean Grove.  When she told me to buy just 1# of Gemelli, I thought to myself that we would never have enough food BUT I was wrong.  I was also concerned about the heat because our air-conditioners are not in yet and I was afraid this was going to be a heavy meal BUT I was wrong!

Hands on time – 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb of Gemelli pasta (recipe calls for fettucine)

3 TBS olive oil

1 medium red onion, sliced

2-3 garlic cloves, smashed

4 hot Italian sausages, casings removed – we used hot turkey sausage and used the whole package of 6

1 pint of red or yellow cherry or grape tomatoes

2 TBS red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp Kosher salt – I don’t measure

1/4 tsp black pepper – I don’t measure

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves – we used close to a cup

1 cup of arugula, torn

1/2 cup grated cheese (Peccorino, Parmesan, Romano)

Directions:

Heat oil over medium-high  heat in braising pan or deep skillet.   Add onion and garlic and cook till onion softens 2-3 minutes. Add sausage, using wooden spoon to crumble sausage, cook about 5 minutes.  

Once the water is boiling, add the pasta.

Add tomatoes and cook until the skins burst, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the vinegar, salt and pepper.

Once pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the sausage mixture.  Add in the basil and the arugula.  Toss gently to combine and sprinkle with the cheese.

We used the braising pan as our serving dish (which is why I LOVE my braising pan)

Original recipe from Martha Stewart

 

 

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Linguine with White Clam Sauce – Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , , on June 3, 2014| 2 Comments »

Let me start out by saying YES this was a very tasty meal, I am so proud of myself for making this dish.  Of course many people are probably thinking, “piece of cake” but for me there was something about making the sauce with fresh cockles intimidated me.  I was determined to try and there right near the front of my favorite supermarket, Wegman’s was a big iced display of fresh mussels and clams.  And there was Gus;  Gus is the chef in residence at the Wegman’s store in Ocean, NJ.  He has a station near the front and next to the vegetables and it’s his job to cook tasty bites for customers using Wegman’s ingredients.  He ALWAYS has a great recipe for me so I headed straight to him to get his take on white clam sauce.  He happened to be cooking zucchini squash in a ginger soy sauce – very good!  Gus gave me his recipe and I took some notes, but knew that I was going to tweak this recipe myself.

A photo of clams

Fettucine with White Clam Sauce

Here’s what I did:

Olive oil to cover the bottom of a braising pan

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 to 1 whole Vidalia onion ( I happened to have a half in the fridge)

red pepper flakes 

1 small container of Wegman’s Garlic Cheese Butter

2 cups of chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you are vegetarian) I never thought to use broth, added great flavor,

1/2 cup of white wine

1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1-2 TBS fresh oregano

1 bag of fresh clams

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Shredded or grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 # Barilla linguine (i’m convinced Barilla pasta has a lovely flavor of its own and adds another flavor to the dish)

Prior to preparing the meal put the clams in a basin of cold water with a lot of salt to soak for at least 30 minutes.  The clams will rid themselves of any sand.  I let them sit longer and changed the water a couple of times and put some ice in at one point to keep them cold.  Then I put them in a bowl in the refrigerator.

Put a pot of salted water on to boil.

Heat oil in braising pan on medium.  Add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook till softened and golden.  Add the chicken broth and white wine, raise the heat slightly and cook down about 1/3 to 1/2.  

Add the container of garlic cheese and half of the parsley.  Toss in the oregano.  Add the clams and turn up the heat.  As the clams begin to open in 5-7 minutes, remove the clams with a slotted spoon to a bowl and start to shuck them, leaving as many as many as you would like to remain in the shell.  I tried to pick out the smaller ones to put aside for the pasta.  Once I started shucking I put the linguine in the boiling water.

When the pasta is about a minute away from being done, I put the clam bodies back in the pan. Season with salt and pepper. I reserved a cup of pasta water in case I needed it to add to the sauce.

Drain the linguine and add to the sauce in the braising pan.  Toss well.  Sprinkle grated cheese on top, the rest of the parsley and add the clams in the shell. 

Buono Appetito! Mangia!

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Edamame Spread – Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday on May 27, 2014| 1 Comment »

I found this recipe on Pure Wow the other day – it is a great new alternative to the old stand-by hummus.  I’ve bought garlic hummus, lemon hummus, roasted red pepper hummus and sun-dried tomato hummus to give a little zip and zing to this cocktail party standard.  Hummus is often a Monday night regular at our weekly Mah Jongg game, so I can’t wait to serve this to the ladies next time I am hostess.

Creamy Edamame Spread

Creamy Edamame Spread

EDAMAME SPREAD
A PureWow Original Recipe
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
START TO FINISH: 20 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS
3 cups frozen shelled edamame

1 garlic clove, minced

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

¼ to ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice-water bath. Add the edamame and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the edamame, then shock in the ice water (this helps stop the beans from cooking and keeps them green).
2. Transfer the edamame to the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, scallions, lemon zest and juice and ¼ cup olive oil. Puree until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. If the mixture is thick or chunky, add the remaining olive oil and puree again.

3. Serve with bread, crackers or cut vegetables. The spread can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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Tasty Tidbits Tuesday -There’s More…An Italian Riff on Rice and Beans

Posted in Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I had so many titles in my head tonight, I didn’t know which one to go with…Cheap Eats Tonight, Leftovers Italian Style, Work With What You Have,  Let’s Look In The Pantry, to name a few.  

Here’s the back story;  Sunday night we had Sausage and Pepper Subs for dinner, see previous post, https://pbenjay.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/a-simple-street-fair-supper-from-the-kitchen/.   The sausage was an Italian Hot Turkey sausage and I used red, yellow and orange peppers and Vidalia onions and we bought a small loaf of Semolina Italian bread.  I cooked the whole package of sausages and so there were a few leftover. At the time I didn’t have a plan as to how to use them.

I wasn’t sure that my husband would be home for dinner tonight, so I thought about how to utilize the sausages for a quick and easy meal to make for myself.  Best laid plans…He stayed home and so I ventured into the kitchen to create something.  Looking in the pantry and freezer, a plan came together!

I sautéed a few cloves of garlic in some olive oil and added a couple of slices of Vidalia onion.  While that was cooking, I put a saucepan of water on to boil.  Once it started to boil I added a cup of Farro, turned the gas down and covered the pot.  

I almost always have a large bag of broccoli florets in the freezer and I tossed in a couple of handfuls and let them cook a while.   Then I sliced the sausage links and put them in the skillet.  Looking through the pantry I found a can of Roman Beans and decided to throw them into the mix.  I usually rinse and drain all canned beans but for some reason I thought to read a possible recipe using these beans because I was unfamiliar with them – Have no idea why they were in the pantry cabinet!  Well, the side of the can had a recipe for Rice and Beans and it stated that the beans should be added with their liquid so that’s what I did.  Lastly, I put a few shakes of Herbes de Provence in the pan, put a cover on it and kept stirring the Farro.

GOYA Roman Beans

GOYA Roman Beans

When the Farro was done, I drained it and put it in one bowl and my created mix in another.  Needless to say it was really tasty and I was pleased that I had created the dish.  By the way, I say needless because otherwise I would never post the recipe, LOL.

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Lemony Chicken Fricasse with Shallots and Mushrooms

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday on May 13, 2014| 1 Comment »

A good recipe gets passed along from cook to cook and friend to friend.  A great recipe is one that allows you to tweak it to your own tastes without altering the essential concept.  Having said that, I found this recipe on my cousin’s food blog, I CAN COOK THAT – http://www.icancookthat.org.  and she found it in Food and Wine.  I was immediately intrigued by the title of  the recipe which included the word Fricasse.  Because here I am, a woman of a certain age and beyond, and I wasn’t sure just what fricassee actually meant!  We had Chicken Fricasse in Cuba and that’s the only time I can remember seeing it on a menu and certainly, growing up in an Italian household the word never was spoken!  Maybe some dishes were made in that manner but were never referred to as something fricassee.  

I read through the recipe, delighted by its simplicity and knew the only ingredient I would change were the Morrels.   I used some  Morrels this past year and wasn’t happy with their texture but since I love Porcini mushrooms, I knew that’s what I would use.  Dried Porcini Mushrooms have a rich, earthy (but not dirty) taste and they infuse any dish they are in with a lovely fragrance and flavor.

Lemony Chicken Fricasse

Lemony Chicken Fricasse

Photo from I CAN COOK THAT. org

LEMONY CHICKEN with SHALLOTS AND MUSHROOMS

3 TBS unsalted butter – divided

4 bone-in Chicken thighs

Salt and Pepper

6 small Shallots, roughly chopped

1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup water* plus chicken broth

Juice and zest on one lemon

Reconstitue mushrooms 30 minutes prior to making the meal;  Put mushrooms in a cup of boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes.  Strain mushrooms reserving the liquid.  Roughly chop up mushrooms.

Melt 2 TBS butter in braising pan over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Add to pan and cook 4 minutes on each side till browned.  Add the shallots and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.

Measure the reserved mushroom liquid and if less than a cup, add some chicken broth.  Add to pan and cover and simmer on low heat till chicken is cooked through – 15 minutes.  After chicken is cooked, transfer to plate.  

Add lemon juice and zest to the pan and cook over high heat for 2 minutes.  Swirl remaining 1 TBS butter into the sauce and season with salt and pepper.  

Pour sauce over the chicken and serve OR I like to use my braising pan as my serving dish, so I put the chicken back in the pan  and served it that way.  The sauce was so delicious that I spooned over the mashed Red Potatoes too.

My husband loved the meal and he says he doesn’t really like chicken thighs (ha ha ha).  He also remarked about the sauce and asked me what was in it.  So I told him about the butter and reminded him about Julia Child and her passion for cooking with butter AND the fact that every great chef uses butter and don’t you believe otherwise!

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Super Sunday Supper – Straight From The Pasta Maker

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

For the past several days, I’ve been planning on making the Spring Pasta recipe I posted earlier this week.  However every evening one thing or another prevented me from making it.  And before you read any further, I still haven’t made it!  BUT I did make another pasta dish utilizing seasonal vegetables.  

I gave my husband a choice between a wok stir-fry of chicken and vegetables or pasta.  He picked pasta probably thinking he might get an Arrabiata sauce and meatballs, NOT!  I sent him to Fairway to buy some ingredients but being the non-cooking man/husband that he is, he didn’t put it together that what he bought would be what he ate.

This recipe comes directly from Barilla’s web site and after reading through it I knew it would be easy to make and hopefully tasty  too.  I’m telling you all this because I altered the recipe slightly and will explain along the way.

Rotini with Braised Fennel, Carrots & Scallions

Rotini with Braised Fennel, Carrots & Scallions

Barilla’s Whole Grain Rotini with Braised Fennel, Carrots & Spring Onions

Ingredients

1 box Barilla Whole Grain Rotini (he forgot and bought regular)

4 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 Clove garlic (I used 2 and could have used at least one more)

2 Fennel bulbs

1 Medium Carrot (he brought home a bag of small carrots) (I used several >1 medium carrot)

1 bunch of Scallions

1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (I used all I had in the house but was somewhat short)

1 TBS Fennel fronds chopped (I used a lot of the fronds)

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil

Sauté minced garlic in oil in a large skillet, until garlic turns slightly yellow, about 3 minutes ( I used a large braising pan)

Cut the fennel bulbs in half, then in thin slices – I cut the cores out first

Add to skillet, along with the carrot cut into roundels (rounds) about 1/8″ thick.

Braise for about 10 minutes, covered, over medium high.

Season with salt and black pepper; keep covered and cook through, stirring occasionally. I cooked longer judging when fennel was cooked and slightly softened.  At this point I thought there would not be enough sauce so I added chicken broth or to keep it vegetarian, use vegetable broth.  

Cook the pasta according to box directions

Stir the scallions cut on a bias 1/2″ long, cook an additional 3 minutes. I also added a shake or two of red pepper.

Once the pasta is done (I put aside a cup of the water) and drained, add it to the vegetables and toss to coat.

Stir in the grated cheese and the fronds.

We both thought the dish was tasty but it could have been more so!  It needed the full amount of cheese and possibly more offered on the table. The red pepper gave it some zest and I think it would have been very bland and dry without the chicken broth.  By the second helping we both said how delicious it was.

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Wednesday Is Prince Spaghetti Day!

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Wednesday Is Prince Sphaghetti Day

Wednesday Is Prince Sphaghetti Day

I probably should have saved this for ThrowBack Thursday, I mean who remembers Prince spaghetti?  Growing up in an Italian family, I certainly do remember the macaroni products we had in our home.  My father did buy Prince spaghetti, however I clearly remember the LaRosa brand boxes of shells and I think the family favorite was Ronzoni.   When I was a young married, I always stuck with Ronzoni and because I saw my parents pour the pasta out of the pot and into a colander and then rinse it, I did the same!  I can’t remember now when I learned that was definitely NOT the thing to do!  Rinsing the pasta removes some of its flavorful starch that was released during the cooking process.  Not only do I NOT rinse my pasta, I often save a cup of the water to add to my sauces.  Specifically the pasta water is used in many of my vegetarian pasta dishes to make a thin sauce that may also have some broth, butter or oil.

Look For The Red Rose

Look For The Red Rose

What do I buy now?  I love the taste of Barilla macaroni products although so many of my Italian friends swear by De Cecco.  So recently, I purchased some De Cecco linguine and I swear it didn’t have the same flavor.  De Cecco is made in Italy so I’ll give it a few more tries and see if I like the results.

This Wednesday, even though it is STILL raw and cold outside, not to mention raining,  I thought I would try welcoming Spring into the apartment with a truly Spring-like pasta dish.  To quote Pure Wow , the site where I found this recipe by Erin McDowell; “We had a good run, soups and stews.  But as temperatures rise and flowers bloom, we’re ready to swap rich and hearty for light and fresh”.

PASTA WITH PEAS, ARTICHOKES, LEMON AND MINT

Serves 4-6  Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb bucatini, spaghetti or other long pasta

1 1/2 cups fresh peas

12 marinated artichoke heart quarters, drained

3 TBS unsalted butter

1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese

2 TBS lemon juice

Salt

2 TBS freshly chopped mint for garnish

Lemon zest for garnish

Directions

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water, cook till pasta is al dente, 6-8 minutes (or according to package instructions). One minute before pasta is done, add the peas to the pot.  Before draining, ladle out and reserve 1 cup pasta water. 

Drain pasta and peas in colander and immediately add artichoke hearts.  Toss to combine.  

Return pasta and vegetables to the pot, then add the butter and Pecorino cheese, and toss to coat.  Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to and the lemon juice, and continue tossing until the mixture forms a creamy coating.  Add additional water if needed.  Season with salt to taste.

To serve, transfer pasta to plates, and top with mint, lemon zest and black pepper.

Pasta Peas & Artichokes

Pasta Peas & Artichokes

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Carb Buster Breakfast-New York to Oklahoma and Back Again!

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , on April 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

This morning I made this breakfast for my husband and myself.  It was easy to put together and yummy too!  I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman‘s blog and she got it from the Fireside Restaurant in the Omni Berkshire in NYC!  Ree Drummond,  The Pioneer Woman lives in Oklahoma and when I saw this recipe, I knew it would be great and definitely good for my perpetual  diet.   I printed it out and first tried it out on my daughter when she returned from the hospital with her third child – good for a nursing mom who wants to lose the baby fat.

Carb Buster Breakfast

Carb Buster Breakfast

Ingredients

1 TBS butter or olive oil

1/2 cup Diced Zucchini

1/2 cup Diced Yellow Squash

1/2 whole Medium Onion, Cut into chunks

Salt and Pepper

1 whole Tomato, sliced thick

2 whole eggs

1 tsp vinegar

1 slice Cheese (Monterey, Jack, Cheddar, Swiss etc)

Optional: a couple of links of chicken or pork sausage

Preparation

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until starting to soften.  Add the zucchini and squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir to cook for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Grill the tomato slices on a grill pan or simply sear them in a hot skillet.  Remove and set aside.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a gentle boil.  Add the vinegar.  Use a wooden spoon to carefully stir the water into a circular “whirlpool”.  Crack one egg into the water and allow it to swirl around in the water until the egg begins to set.  Let it stay in the water for 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon.  Repeat with second egg.

Spoon the vegetables on a plate or in a bowl, set the eggs on top.  Lay the tomato slices on the side.  Place the cheese slice on the side so that it starts to soften from the heat.

Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper and serve.

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