“Food Helped Me Forgive”

Posted on April 18, 2010 | 2 comments

“Food Helped Me Forgive”

All this time I have been cooking and now writing about how food is such an integral part of my life and family, never did I expect it to help me forgive the unforgivable.  Two years ago, my son (then in 1st grade) was at soccer practice.  The coaches were pretty intense and were lecturing these little 6 yr. olds on the game.   My son and another boy were bored and started goofing off.  My son tripped the boy (he was fine) and all of the sudden, his raging mother ran on to the field yelling and screaming to the coaches and pointing in my son’s face.  I quickly tried to get control and calm everyone down, including my son who was now scared and crying.  I asked to speak to the woman in private and tried to talk this out.  She went on to verbally abuse me like nothing I have ever experienced in my life.  I had to fight back my tears.  I never pull this card but I told her that my son had some social challenges and that he did not hurt her boy on purpose.  She didn’t care.  I explained that some things were more difficult for him.  She didn’t care.

She continued with the verbal abuse until I told her what she wanted to hear, “I am sorry that this happened and I will talk to my son about it”.  It took all my strength to hold it together until I was alone and then cried harder than I did when they told me my mother had just months to live.  I managed to avoid her for the rest of the season.  About a year later I saw her in Marshalls, my face went white and I could barely move.  I never forgot – two years have gone by and I still get choked up thinking about it.

One of my very dear friends recently had foot surgery and was laid up on the couch, so I went (of course with food) for a visit.  The woman who recommended the doctor felt bad for her and called to say that she was stopping by with dinner.  How nice – they weren’t even close!  I went to answer the door and right in front of me was my abuser “scary soccer mom”.  I managed to somehow open the door and let her in.  We both pretended we never met.  I stood there while she chatted with my friend who thanked her profusely for the kind dinner.  There is NOTHING this woman could have done for ME to make me forgive her.  However, my friend you see, is a young widow with young children, and watching my abuser do something so selfless for HER (out of all people) was a different story – it was at least a start.  As it turns out, “the family dinner” is way more powerful than even I knew.

Tonight…we’re taking the kids out.

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Grilled Scallops w/ Veggie Orzo (One Pot)

Posted on April 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

Scallops on Baseball Night?

You think this dinner is the last thing you make on the night of a baseball game – not true.  We had to be at baseball at 5:15PM so I served dinner at 4:45PM.  Why not – who wants to eat at 8:30PM?  Skip the attack of the snack drawer after school and eat early if you have to.  Another idea for game night – next time you bake some chicken cutlets (find in “chicken” recipes), make some extra and throw them in the freezer for a quick meal.  If you’re really in a pinch, you are better off making the kids scrambled eggs and toast than some processed frozen chemical dinner.  I takes less time and is way better for them.  Ask your two-year old how many ingredients are in an egg – even she can count to one.

Scallops: (Faster than chicken to grill)

  • Pat dry scallops.  Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on both sides.
  • Grill for 3-5 minutes on each size (depending on size).
  • Serve with fresh lemon or squeeze it right on!

Veggie Orzo (Warm, Cold or Room Temperature):  Make some extra, it’s great for leftovers.  You can add a little chicken or soy sauce to it the next day for lunch or toss it into a salad.  Or you can eat it as a snack over your sink (my favorite).

  • Cook Orzo (or any pasta) in salted water according to directions.  Drain pasta and reserve about a cup of pasta water.
  • Use same pot to cook a little garlic in EV olive oil.  Throw in whatever veggies you have in the fridge (I try to use up everything on Thursday night).  I cooked some snow peas, yellow and red pepper for about 10 minutes until cooked (firm but not mushy).  I remove the garlic.
  • Add some (1/4 cup) chicken broth or a little pasta water (and a splash of wine if you like) and some fresh lemon juice.  Stir and cook for a few more minutes.
  • Add pasta into the veggies and toss with a dash of salt/pepper and some parsley. 
  • Serve any temperature.

What Can the Kids Help With?

Did You Know:

  • A scallop “swims” around opening and closing its shell compared to the oyster and clam which anchors itself permanently.
  • Shell Oil uses the scallop shell on all their service station signs.
  • Scallops are shucked from their shells on board the fishing boats.
  • Sea Scallops are the big ones and Bay Scallops are the little ones.  Diver scallops do not refer to the size but rather that they are hand-picked by divers (they do tend to be larger though).

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Posted in Seafood

Tomato Chicken w/Broccoli and Spaghetti

Posted on April 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

Cheddar Sandwiches Again?!

Our kids have no idea how good they have it!   When my dad was a kid he went to overnight camp for one week where the boys played baseball, basketball, went hiking, fishing and other fun and tiring summer camp activities.  Everyday, after a full morning of fun, the boys would line up at the Mess Hall after working up an incredible appetite for lunch.  What did they find day after day after day….sharp cheddar cheese sandwiches- UGH!  But he ate them, what choice did he have – it was that or starve.  It took him 20 years to slowly develop the taste of cheddar cheese again.  Meanwhile, last week I sautéed broccoli rabe in olive oil and garlic for the salad bar at my kid’s school cafeteria for lunch.  But I guess I shouldn’t complain, my mom used to pack me 4 course brown bag lunches for school.  She even wrapped the tomato in separate wax paper because it made the turkey and lettuce sandwich mushy.  Each lunch came complete with a sandwich, fruit, chips, dessert and of course a little love note (“Have a great day Missy! Love, Mom”.  I am incredibly embarrassed to tell you that this continued through high school as any of my Gwynedd friends can attest.  Was I grateful?  Not exactly, I sold my lunch to the highest bidder so I could “buy” once a week.  Go figure.

Tomato Chicken w/Broccoli: 

This is a good dinner to make and then let in sit in the oven if you have something else to do right before dinner.  Also great for a group of 6 people (make about 10 chicken breasts).   I just made this one up as I went along!

  • Heat a little fresh garlic in EV olive oil for a minute or so in a large frying pan.
  • Salt/pepper (thin) chicken cutlets and dip lightly in flour.  Cook chicken in the hot pan on both sides until brown and almost completely cooked through.  Remove and place in a baking dish.  Cook in batches adding more oil if needed until all the chicken is cooked.  You can skip the flour if you like, however, it keeps the chicken moist.  Any kind of flour works.
  • Pour a can of whole peeled tomatoes in the pan and smash with a spoon.  Sprinkle with some basil (fresh or dried), garlic powder, salt/pepper.   I added some broccoli florets (zucchini or spinach works too) to the tomatoes.  Cook sauce for a few minutes and pour on top of chicken.
  • Bake on 350 (until cooked through about 20-30 minutes).

Spaghetti:

  • Cooked some spaghetti in salted water.  Drain and toss with a little EV olive oil.
  • Serve pasta plain on bottom of the dish, then spoon chicken and sauce on top.  Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.

Sweet Beets: 
I had a few beets in the fridge that I wanted to use up.  They added nice color and I could let them sit in the pot after they were cooked (while the chicken was in the oven).

  • Peel and boil yellow beets.  Drain and add EV olive oil (or butter), salt and pepper.
  • They have a great color, a very mild flavor and very nutritious.

How Can Kids Help?

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Grilled Herb Pork Chops, Edamame Risotto and Italian Broccolini

Posted on April 14, 2010 | 1 comment

Bi-Polar or Sicilian?

If you are not italian and you go from complete euphoria to screaming mad in the blink of an eye, they call you “bi-polar” but in my family, we just call you “Sicilian”.  Not sure what I mean?  Let me explain;  any of the women in my family (thanks to our Sicilian genes) can be incredibly sweet, kind, giving and quite thoughtful.  However, quicker than the speed of light we can change on you, for what seems like no reason at all.  It usually happens when somebody else does something stupid or we have witnessed some sort of injustice or maybe we are just tired and cranky.  You wouldn’t think it if you saw us, but it’s true (at least from my dad’s side).  Take my Great Aunt Ida (pronounced “ee-da”), she once went into Termini’s Italian Bakery in South Philly to complain about a cake that was stale.  After a debate with the owner she was basically told, “oh well”.  If you have ever been to Termini’s you know that cakes, cookies and pies are lined up and down the aisle of the store.  Aunt Ida proceeded to leave the store yelling in Italian and knocking EVERY SINGLE BAKED GOOD off the tables on her way out – Bada Bing Bada Boom!  So be kind to those you meet, you never know – they could just be Sicilian.

Grilled Pork Chops:  I use a similar marinade (based on Ina Garten) whether I’m roasting pork tenderloin or grilling chops.  I use all the same ingredients for almost all my recipes.  None of the flavors are too overpowering which is important when cooking “the family meal”.

Put all the ingredients in a large Ziploc bag and marinate the pork chops in for 10 minutes or 10 hours!

  • Mix into Ziploc:  1/2 cup of olive oil with 2 cloves of garlic (or garlic paste or powder), 2 TSP of mustard
  • Sprinkle some rosemary and thyme (fresh or dried) into the bag with salt/pepper, and lemon juice (zest and/or fresh juice from one lemon OR 1/4 cup of bottled)
  • Add Pork Chops and marinate (if longer than 15 mins. put back into fridge).

Grill Tips:  Get the grill super hot to start (the meat won’t stick that way).  Put your meat on the grill at HIGH for a minute or two.  Turn the middle burner off or just turn all burners to MEDIUM.  Flip only ONE TIME.  Lower heat to Low/Medium until cooked through.  Remember if you can put pork chops on a plate and cover with tin foil, they will continue to cook.

Risotto w/Edamame:  This takes about 1/2 hour to make and you have to stay with the pot.  It’s worth the time but make sure you have it for this recipe.  Instead of edamame try peas or asparagus (whatever you have)!   I found this recipe a few years ago in Real Simple Magazine.

  • Cook 1/2 chopped onion in a little olive oil for 5 minutes until soft.  Add 2 cups of Arborio rice and stir.
  • Add 1 cup of white wine (I like to use Sauvignon Blanc) and stir/cook until liquid is absorbed.
  • Add 4 1/2 cups of chicken broth (adding less than 1 cup at a time – waiting until broth is absorbed before adding next cup).
  • Add a little lemon (zest or juice) and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Add edamame (buy it shelled for ease) and salt/pepper.
  • Sprinkle with cheese to serve.

Broccolini:  Broccolini is similar to broccoli rabe but not nearly as bitter. 

  • Wash and cut ends off broccolini.  Boil about 2 cups of water w/ a dash of salt.
  • Cook broccolini for about 5 mins. until tender but still firm. Drain.
  • Return to pot and add some fresh garlic, a drop of EV olive oil, salt/pepper (and a few red pepper flakes) and sauté for a few minutes.

What can the Kids Do?

  • Mix the marinade for the pork chops and shake the Ziploc bag (make sure it’s sealed properly)
  • Squeeze the edamame out of the shells (if you didn’t buy them shelled)
  • Add the broth to the risotto and stir.  Mia told me when the broth when was absorbed and it was time to add more.
  • Dinner Game:  Ask all but one to close their eyes.  One person takes a dish away or eats something off their plate and everyone has to guess “What’s Missing?”.
  • Picture of Edamame Plant:  http://archive.energyfarms.net/files/EdamamePlant.jpg

Salad:  Mix in whatever you have!

  • Mix tomato, red onion, celery, cucumber and yellow pepper.  I had some leftover mozzarella cheese too!
  • Toss with fresh basil, salt/pepper, olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Did You Know?

  • The Arabs brought rice to Sicily and Spain.
  • Arborio rice is used because is has the ability to absorb liquids without over-cooking.
  • Broccolini is often called baby broccoli but it is actually a mixture of regular broccoli and chinese kale.
  • Broccoli Rabe is different from Broccolini.  Broccoli Rabe can be bitter but broccolini is very sweet.

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Pan-Seared Halibut, Stir-fry Asparagus and Pasta w/Squash (20 min. dinner)

Posted on April 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

Aunt Nana, Nanny, Mom, A. Margaret, Grandmom

“What’s That Smell?”

We have this wonderful little Asian Market in Ambler (across from Guiseppe’s pizza) where the variety of fish is expansive and the quality and freshness is incredible (Sunny’s).  My husband, Mike, gets all the fish for the Seven Fishes dinner from there.  He holds a fresh whole branzino right up to my nose and says “Smell it!”.  I take a whiff and say, “I don’t smell anything”, to which he replies, “That’s right, baby!!”.  apparently, the best sign of fresh fish is the smell, or lack there of.  Smell is a funny thing, although it’s a curse if you are italian.  My Aunt Nana (pronounced Nah-Nah) had a scent so strong, she made a bloodhound jealous.  Unfortunately, many of the women in my family were blessed with this gift/curse.  We would be sitting in church or out at a restaurant and my mother would literally and physically start gagging because someone with perfume walked by or a certain cleaning product was being used somewhere nearby.  I sometimes get sad thinking how far removed my daughter is from all the strong female role models that have passed;  my grandmothers, all my great-aunts and my mom.  I wonder how will my daughter ever realize how lucky she is today – my grandmother only went to school until eighth grade and the sky is the limit for my Mia.  Just when I feel that Mia’s genetic connection to these incredible women is as thin as a spider’s web, she turns to me last week in a restaurant and gags “Mommy, what’s that smell?  It’s giving me a headache!”.  I looked at her distraught face and thought, maybe she’s not as far removed as I thought.

This dinner takes less time to make than chicken nuggets and a box of mac n’ cheese.

Pan-Seared Halibut:  I bought a larger piece of Halibut and a small piece of Salmon because Mia said she learned to like it at school (I don’t like Salmon but don’t tell her that).

  • Pat your fish dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt/pepper and dash of sugar (this will help the fish brown nicely in the pan).
  • Brown both sides of the fish in a little olive oil in a non-stick pan.
  • Pop the whole pan in the oven for 5-10 more minutes to cook through.
  • Squirt fresh lemon on it or serve it on the side.

Asparagus:

  • Pan fry asparagus in a pan with a little olive oil, salt/pepper, garlic, and ginger powder.
  • Toss until almost cooked through.  Cover and reduce heat until ready to serve.

Pasta with Squash:  When I am in a rush (Mac had practice at 6PM), I make a quick pasta side dish and throw whatever veggie I have on hand in there.

  • Cook pasta according to directions.  Throw your veggies (I used green and yellow squash) in the pasta water the last 5 minutes of cooking.
  • Drain and toss with olive oil (or butter), salt/pepper, parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice.

    A dash of salt, pepper and sugar

How Can the Kids Help?

  • Mia sprinkled the fish with salt, pepper and sugar
  • Add spices to the asparagus (watch out for the splashing oil when it’s frying)
  • Add salt to pasta water and help cut veggies for pasta (can use a butter knife for squash)
  • Test pasta and set the table
  • Fun Game for Dinner:  Close your eyes while someone feeds you a piece of green or yellow squash;  guess which color!

Did You Know?

  • Halibut has a life span of over 40 years or more – The largest Halibut caught was 459 pounds
  • Fish is high in protein, vitamins, minerals, and omega 3 fatty acids, and can reduce some problems associated with PMS, memory loss, cardiovascular functions, colon cancer, and stroke.

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Turkey Burgers w/Italian Guacamole, Corn on the Cob, Artichoke Pasta Salad

Posted on April 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

 “Best (Food) Memories”

I can’t blame my entire obsession with food on being Italian.  Please tell me that the rest of you agree that some of your best memories involve food in some way.  I think about big boisterous Sunday dinners around the table.  I am convinced that the reason I talk so loud to this day is because I had to shout to be heard at the table (I was the youngest of 4).  I remember coming home everyday after school and my mom saying “How was your day?”  to which I always replied, “Good, what’s for dinner?”.  One of my most exciting memories is white water rafting in Colorado with my ever adventurous sister.  How does food fit into that memory, you ask?  I vividly remember the most delicious dinners cooked by the fire at the campsite by the River Guide.  When we were kids, there were no activities on the weekend.  My parents would load the 4 kids and my grandmother and great-aunt in the station wagon and take a ride “up the country”.   It felt like it took hours just to get few exits up the Northeast Extension.  But, of course, the highlight of the day, the best part of the trip, was when my mom handed out the lunches she made to everyone in the car.   “Food always tastes better in the car” my dad would say as he drove and ate and grinned all the way there.  Where did we go?  I have no idea.

Turkey Burgers: Try with grass-fed beef too.  Make little sliders for the kids – they now have little slider rolls!

Mix all ingredients together and shape into burgers:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. of white meat ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup of Italian Bread Crumbs
  • Dash (1/4 TSP) of: Onion powder, Garlic powder, Poultry Seasoning and Mustard
  • 1 TSP of Worchestire Sauce
  • Salt/Pepper

Form into patties.  Make sure the middle of the burger is pressed down so it cooks evenly.

  • Cook burgers on Medium-High on one side for 5 minutes and flip (only one time) and cook on Med/Low for another 5 minutes.  

    Note:  If cooking burgers in a frying pan; spray pan and cook until browned on one side, flip (only once) and brown 2nd side. Then add 2 TBS of water and reduce heat to Low for 2 minutes to cook through.

 Corn on the Cob:  Cooked in a big  pot or on the grill, you gotta love corn on the cob!  The kids love the old-fashioned corn holders too.

  • If you are in a rush, you can actually microwave all your corn in a glass baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water.  Cook about a minute each ear and then flip them over and cook another couple minutes.

Artichoke Pasta Salad:

  • Cook pasta according to directions (save about 1 cup of pasta water)
  • Heat a little garlic in olive oil in a pan.  Add a jar of artichoke hearts (with juice and cut smaller), cherry tomatoes and some fresh basil.  Cook for a few minutes.
    You can also toss all the ingredients directly into the pasta without cooking anything!
  • Toss pasta with a little olive oil and mix with the sauce.  Add salt/pepper (add a little pasta water if you need it) and sprinkle some extra basil (or parsley) on the top for color.

Italian Guacamole:  I love guacamole on my burger but I never seem to have cilantro on hand to make it.  So for a quick fix, I smash an avocado with tomato, basil, lime juice and onion powder (add salt/pepper too)!  It takes 2 seconds and is sooo good on a burger!

How Can the Kids Help?

  • Teach the kids to shuck corn early (my mom used to send us outside with a bag of fresh corn and an empty brown paper bag).
  • Mix bread crumbs with spices and mix meat with their hands (teach about raw meat and washing hands).
  • Pick apart a basil leaf into tiny pieces for the pasta (in the summer they can go outside and pick from the plant).
  • Test the pasta for doneness.
  • Set the table (outside yeah!) and get drinks.
  • Tell the kids one of your favorite (food) memories at dinner tonight.

Did You Know?

  • Corn is America’s #1 field crop.
  • Corn growing:  http://thingtheory2009.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/corn.jpg
  • Corn is used to produce fuel alcohol. Fuel alcohol makes gasoline burn cleaner, reducing air pollution, and it doesn’t pollute the water.
  • 82% of all U.S. Households own a grill or smoker.

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Posted in Beef, Turkey

Chicken Roll-ups, Roasted Butternut Squash/Brussels Sprouts, Israeli Cous Cous

Posted on April 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

Perfect Food

When I lived in Germany 10 years ago, they didn’t have any shopping bags to carry your food out of the grocery store.  EVERYONE brought their own.  They also separated their recycles into at least 6 categories which had to be carried and dropped in the neighborhood bins (clear glass, green glass, brown glass, plastic, newspaper, and aluminum).  The Germans made fun of America’s apples, they told me that our apples were waxed and shined to look “pretty” and that it made our apples look fake (they thought we were fake too).  How preposterous, I thought!  So many years later, I often think about my German experience.  I wonder why Americans feel the need to cut ugly carrots down into 2 inch segments and repackage them into much prettier “baby carrots”.  I wonder why did our grandparents feel the need to cover their furniture in plastic (and never take it off)?  Why does everything have to look so perfect?  Everybody knows that even if it looks perfect on the outside, things are never what they seem.  So look out next time you bite into your juicy, waxed, perfect-looking apple – you just might find a worm.

Chicken Roll-ups:  This is one of our favorite chicken dinners.  You can make this is in any quantity and prepare ahead of time (just bake when ready).

  • Stir a little olive oil and salt into about 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs in a bowl (should   be   crumbly but not wet).
  • Cut (pounded) chicken cutlets in half on an angle.  Spread breadcrumb mixture on chicken, roll it up and fasten with a toothpick.  Space chicken out onto baking dish.
  • Mix broth and pour on top of  chicken:   1 cup of chicken broth, 1/2 cup of dry white wine, 1/4 cup of lemon juice.  Sauce should cover about 1/2 inch from bottom of dish.  This will thicken after cooking.
  • Bake at 475 for 15 minutes.  Baste chicken and sprinkle a little more breadcrumb mixture on top and bake for another 5 minutes.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts:

  • Wash Brussel Sprouts, cut off the end and cut them in half.  Cut butternut squash into cubes (you can also buy them cleaned/cut).
  • Toss veggies in a baking dish with EV olive oil, rosemary, salt/pepper.
  • Roast on 400 for approximately 45 mins.

Israeli Cous Cous

  • Cook 1/2 onion in a drop of olive oil until soft.
  • Add 1 cup of Israeli cous cous and mushrooms (any kind) and stir for a few minutes – add some parsley for color and salt/pepper.
  • Add 2 cups of water (and/or chicken broth) and cook for 10 minutes.

Beet Salad:

  • Boil some red beets and cut them into cubes.
  • Add grape tomatoes and mozzarella balls (both cut in half) to beets and toss with a drop of olive oil, salt/pepper and rice vinegar.

How Can the Kids Help?

  • Pour the EVOO into the breadcrumbs used in the chicken dish.
  • Find and push the toothpicks into the chicken.  Count the number of chicken pieces in the dish and the number of toothpicks you will need.
  • Help measure and pour the sauce over the chicken.
  • Sprinkle spices on veggies and help toss in the baking dish.
  • Try using a “chopper” to chop onions for the Cous Cous.
  • “Did You Eat Your 5 a Day?”http://foodservices.brevard.k12.fl.us/Wellness-Pdf/5AdayStudentActivities.pdf

Did You Know?

  • You can bake and mash butternut squash and add a little butter, brown sugar and/or maple syrup- YUM!
  • Butternut squash is one of the best-keeping vegetables – you can store it for 3 months in your kitchen!
  • The tradition of lighting candles inside a carved pumpkin at Halloween is originally from Ireland where lit vegetables were hung in the window to ward off Jack O’ Lantern, a wayward soul condemned by the devil to walk the earth for all eternity.

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Keep in Pantry/Fridge

Posted on April 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

“Spice Up Your Life”

In the summer, it’s easy to plant a few fresh herbs (basil, parsley, thyme, sage) in a pot or anywhere in the ground.  I ask my daughter to go out and pick me whatever I need – she loves it!  My Uncle Dennis recently taught me a great trick for keeping parsley fresh for over 2 months!
*   Cut stems a bit and place fresh parsley in a plastic cup of water (a few inches filled) and cover the top with a small grocery bag.  Keep in the fridge and use as needed.

Let’s face it…we all can’t plan our meals all the time. My goal is to have enough in my pantry and fridge at all times so I can whip up something for dinner in a pinch (or in a snowstorm!). You would be surprised how little you need to make most of your recipes.

Pantry

  • Box of organic chicken and vegetable broth
  • White beans and lentils
  • Almond Butter (try Barney butter for a smooth consistency similar to peanut butter)
  • Sweets: Maple syrup, honey, date or coconut sugar for baking
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • Dried Spices:  Salt, Pepper, Rosemary, Thyme, Herbs de Provence, Onion/Shallot powder, Cumin, Cinnamon and (try Taco Seasoning from Penzy’s Spices – http://www.penzeys.com)
  • Box of Gluten-free Pasta (try Jovial)
  • Variety of Grainse (short and long grain brown rice, Arborio and Wild rice, quinoa)
  • Organic Taco shells
  • Alias Gluten-free Italian Bread Crumbs

Fridge/Freezer

  • Lemons (have a back-up jar of fresh lemon juice)
  • Non-dairy cheese (try Almond Mozzarella style)
  • Non-dairy milk (Almond, Flax, Hemp, Pea Protein, whatever you prefer)
  • Constant supply of a few of your favorite veggies (frozen and fresh)
  • Frozen Organic Meat:  Bag of frozen shrimp, individual chicken breasts, ground turkey, organic chicken/turkey sausage

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Posted in Keep in Pantry/Fridge

(Chicken) Cheese Steaks, Carrot Sticks, Mac N’Cheese (Home-made)

Posted on April 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

“Chemists in the Kitchen?”

If you ever want a funny read, just pick up an old copy of “The Joy of Cooking”, my copy from my Aunt Peggy is from 1964.  I reflected on a section I read in the Quick Breads section:  “Housewives often wonder why their coffee cakes and fillings seem insipid compared with some of the more sophisticated commercial products… a touch of yellow coloring..or almond paste are often used in commercial coffee cakes…”.  Readers probably said to themselves, “so THAT’s why I can’t get my baked goods to taste as good as the ones from the store, aren’t they tricky!”.  Today, do you know why you can’t get your baked goods to taste the same?  You are missing a dose of chemicals. 

I played golf with a guy who owned a small Baking business, specializing in a variety of home-made gluten-free treats.  He told me that he attended baking classes alongside “chemists” from some of the largest store-brand name baking companies around the country.  Why would chemists attend baking classes?  He told us that chemists were sent from their labs to learn how to bake so they could best determine how to incorporate chemicals into the baking products to make them taste better.   A far cry from 1964 I’d say.

Chicken Cheese Steaks

This is another version of my fast food before practice.  Check with your local italian market (I like Sam’s) for frozen chicken and “chip-steak” meat for Cheese Steaks.  You can cook them frozen.  The meat is simply cut paper-thin and cooks quickly.  Grab some long italian rolls, or keep some in the freezer for a last-minute meal.  It’s almost like being at Tony Lukes!

  • Heat a drop of oil or PAM in a hot non-stick pan.  Cook your chicken or steak in the pan like scrambled eggs.
  • Add slices of American cheese and slide onto your roll.
  • Cook side of onions, peppers or throw some spinach or mushrooms in the pan to add to your cheese steak if desired.

Carrot Sticks:  I always have these on hand when in a rush – a veggie is a veggie!  Read below for “where do baby carrots come from?”.

Mac N’Cheese:  You can go with a box of organic stuff but it’s so easy to make your own (plus the organic stuff has sugar in it).

  • Cook any kind of pasta according to directions (try 2 cups of elbows).  Drain and set aside in colander.
  • Heat 2 TBS of butter in the pot with a tablespoon of flour
  • Add up to 1 cup of  half and half (or any kind of milk) and up to 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese (or any cheese on hand).
  • Add the pasta into the cheese and stir.  Add salt/pepper to taste.

How Can the Kids Help?

Did You Know?

  • Baby carrots are not exactly what you think they are.  Baby carrots are ugly carrots or “culls” that are peeled and cut down to a uniform size for packaging.  They are not processed like a chicken nugget just cut to look more pretty.  It’s true that they are not nearly as sweet as their longer brothers with the stems on them, but they are more convenient.
  • What Are Baby Carrots?  http://www.wisebread.com/baby-carrots-the-frugal-idea-that-isnt
  • Mac n’ Cheese is originally from China and was brought to Italy by Marco Polo over 500 years ago.
  • 1 Cup of Kraft Mac n’ Cheese has 410 Calories and 19 grams of Fat

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Posted in Beef, Chicken

Pastia (Italian Easter Dish)

Posted on April 4, 2010 | Leave a comment

Wit Wiz?

If you are from Philadelphia then you know the appropriate way to order a Philly Cheese Steak at Pat’s or my favorite, Geno’s.  If you want cheese on your steak you say “…wit wiz” (which is, of course, the all natural Cheese Wiz).  Around Easter in my family the question is the same, do you want your Pastia with or without ricotta cheese.  It’s hard to believe that I am 100% italian and yet I do not like ricotta cheese all that much.  So needles to say that I am part of the “no cheese” crowd.  After spending the morning making Pastia with my Aunt Peggy, I wondered what if I made pastia with just a little bit of cheese instead or all or nothing?  Here’s what I came up with….

PASTIA:  Some italian families make their pastia sweet adding a bit of vanilla and/or anise.  This recipe is just plain and is great as a meal or snack.  You can usually find someone in our family hunched over the sink with the salt shaker in one hand and a piece of pastia in the other, yum!

  • Beat 10 eggs
  • Add 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese (adjust to taste)
  • Add 3/4 cup of ricotta cheese (adjust to taste – the more ricotta cheese you add, the less egg you need)
  • Add 1 TSP of parsley
  • Add 1/2 TSP of pepper
  • Cook 2 cups of penne and about 1/3 box of spaghetti (separately).  Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.
  • Use hands to mix pasta with cheese mixture.
  • Spray loaf pan with Pam.  Use hands to put pasta/cheese mixture into loaf pan evenly distributing the 2 pastas.
    Mixture should be very soupy with liquid almost covering the pasta completely.  If you don’t have enough liquid, you can always beat another egg or two and add it (depends on size of eggs).
  • Sprinkle more parmesan cheese all over the top.
  • Cook on 350 for 1 hour or until knife inserted comes out clean.

How Can the Kids Help?

  • The kids can help measuring and adding all the ingredients
  • This is a good time to talk about traditions or seasonal foods prepared in your family.  What special foods did your mother or grandmother make around each holiday?  How was Easter different when you were little.  Every night when I tuck my daughter into bed, she says “Mom, tell me a story from when you were little.”.  She just can’t get enough. 
  • Happy Easter!

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Posted in Tasty Snack