Turkey Kabobs, Corn Salad, Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato Spears

Posted on April 3, 2010 | Leave a comment

“Because It’s Always Been Done That Way”

Did you hear the story about the mom who always cut off the front and back of her roast before putting cooking it.  When her daughter asked, “Why do you cut the ends off the roast?”, her reply was simply “..because that’s how my mom did it.”.  So she asked her grandmother, “Why do you cut the ends off your roast before cooking it?” and she received the same reply, “..because that’s how my mother taught me.”.  Luckily the girl was persistent and even luckier because her great-grandmother was still alive.  So she asked her great-grandmother, “why did you always cut the ends of the roast off?”.  The great-grandmother replied, “…dear, I had to cut the roast, a little off the front and a little off the back, because otherwise it would not fit in my roasting pan.”. 

Do you ever do something but have no idea why other than because it’s always been done that way?  Sometimes I wonder why I feel the need to scrub my poultry so clean I may as well use bleach.  My mom, my nanny, and my great-aunt all taught me do that.  They all “schkeev” (aka were grossed out by) unscrubbed chicken.  I understand the need for chicken to be clean but to this extent?  Perhaps, just maybe somewhere in my ancestry someone got sick from poultry and created this aversion that now my poor 7-year-old daughter is stuck with in 2010.  Who knows, but the real question is, how long will it continue?

TURKEY KABOBS (also good with chicken):

I like to use turkey because you can get a lot of squares of meat out of just one Turkey London Broil (turkey cutlets work too).  My buddy, “Matt the Butcher” (a culinary school graduate) at Fresh Market cubed the meat for me and explained that a turkey london broil is simply a turkey breast and the tenderloin in one piece.  The tenderloin is extremely tender just like a filet or pork tenderloin.

  • Mix your marinade in a Ziploc bag (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, fresh or dried rosemary or basil)
  • Put your meat cubes in the marinade and leave Ziploc in fridge for 3 minutes, 30 mins. or all day
  • Stick cubes on sticks and grill (I like to grill on tinfoil, it doesn’t char as much – the kids don’t like that “burnt taste”)
  • Grill for 5-10 minutes on each side until almost completely cooked (cover with tin foil on plate to finish cooking)
  • Obviously NEVER eat poultry pink or bloody in any way

If you want to do veggie kabobs I recommend doing them separately so you can vary your cooking times.  The meat will always take longer so if you mix them, your veggies could end up burnt.

Corn Salad:  I usually use fresh corn and cut off the cob (big pain) but I discovered that Fresh Market’s frozen Silver Queen Corn works great!

  • 1/2 bag of fresh/frozen (Fresh Market) corn cooked
  • 2 diced tomatoes
  • Couple leaves of fresh basil
  • Optional:  add 1/2 can of black beans
  • Add a drop of olive oil and rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Broccoli:  You can do this on the grill on tin foil or in the oven

  • Mix drop of olive oil, chopped garlic (or from spice tube), lemon juice/zest and parmesan cheese
  • Drizzle on top of broccoli spears
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes (on 400)

Sweet Potato Spears:  You can do this on the gill on tin foil or in the oven

  • Cut sweet potatoes any shape (I like spears) and toss with olive oil (or butter), a drizzle of maple syrup, salt and pepper
  • Bake on tin foil-lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes (on 400)

How Can the Kids Help:

Did You Know:

  • Hamburgers are the most popular food to grill at 87%, followed by steak 83%, chicken 78%, and hot dogs 76%
  • Ribs must be boiled prior to grilling, because putting them on the grill for the full cooking time will leave them dried out or burned. This pre-grill step can be done up to two days ahead.

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Posted in Chicken, Turkey

Orecchiette Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli (one pot- 15 minutes)

Posted on April 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

“Ready for the Next Atomic Bomb”

How many dinners could you make if, God forbid, you couldn’t make it to the store for days?  What’s in your pantry now?  Go look, really.  Is a jar of pickles really going to help you at 6PM when even the thought of dinner hasn’t entered your mind yet?  There are weeks I am at the food store 3 times and others where I am lucky if I go once.  Of course I only go 3 times because I forget what I went to the store to buy the first 2 times.  However, at any given time, I am prepared to cook for the troops in an emergency should my country call upon me.  I try to keep the following meats on hand at all times:

  • Bag of frozen cooked shrimp
  • Thin Pork Chops and Chicken Cutlets (lay them flat in Ziplock freezer bags to defrost only what you need)
  • 1 1/3 of ground turkey or beef
  • Ham Steak
  • Pork Tenderloin (usually comes in pack of 2 – separate before freezing in case you only need one)

If you keep a couple of bags of frozen veggies (e.g., corn, string beans, peas) and a box of pasta and rice, you are literally ready for battle any night.  Just watch out for the spit balls!

Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli:  You can use any pasta but I happened to have orecchiette.  This pasta looks like little hats made for your fingers.  This is ironic because that’s exactly how they are made.  A little pasta dough is wrapped around the tip of a finger to make the shape just right.

  • Cook broccoli florets in a pot of salted water.  Remove broccoli with strainer and set aside in your serving bowl. 
  • Cook the pasta in the same boiling water.  Drain pasta and set aside. 
  • Heat EV olive oil in the pot with a little garlic (if you like) and cook the shrimp.
  • Add some parmesan cheese, drop of lemon juice (fresh, bottled or zest) and stir.  Add a drop of water or chicken broth if too thick.
  • Pour broccoli and pasta back into the pot and stir everything together.  Add salt/pepper and cheese to taste.

Salad:  Sometimes you just don’t have fresh lettuce so toss some raw baby carrots in a bowl and let the kids dip them in some dressing.

How Can the Kids Help?

  • Fill the pasta pot with water (teach how much) and add salt
  • Pour pasta in pot and set timer (they can tell you when the timer goes off – they think you don’t hear the beeping)
  • Sprinkle dinner with parmesan cheese
  • Put carrots in little bowl and pick dipping sauce
  • Count by 1’s to get the fish to his bowl:  http://www.printactivities.com/Mazes/Math-Mazes/Fish-CountingBy1s.shtml

Did You Know?

  • McDonalds distributes more toys each year than Toys R Us
  • 40% of American meals are eaten outside the home
  • Each day 1 in 4 Americans visits a fast food restaurant
  • French fries are the most eaten vegetable in America
  • Watch “How to make orechiette” on You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk34jkzVZYs

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Posted in Family Dinner, Seafood

Turkey Veggie Chili Macaroni

Posted on March 31, 2010 | Leave a comment

Shut Up, Sit Down!

Some nights I sound like the imitation Howard Stern does of his father yelling at him as a child, “Shut up, sit down!!”.  Getting my children to sit still, butt completely on the seat, feet down and using their utensils properly has been WAY more difficult than getting them to actually eat the food.  How they can get distracted or start arguing even for a few minutes with a plate full of hot food in front of them is beyond me.  I have the opposite problem, the minute that plate hits the table you would think I haven’t eaten in days and I barely come up for air.  At some point during the meal, the phrases “butt on the seat, please”, “napkin on your lap”, or my all-time favorite, “would you sit down!” have become automatic responses (press #1 for sit in your seat….).  At least at every meal after grace the kids will add “…and god bless the cook!”.  Still frustrated, Mike happens to go on a business golf trip where each team is paired with a professional golfer.   At breakfast, Mike looks over at the (famous) Pro who is sitting with his wife and small children looking quite perfect.  Upon listening more carefully, Mike overhears him say to his kids, “Would you sit down!!  Stop that!! Get your butt…”.  We’re all in the same boat afterall.

Chili Macaroni:  If you want to eat more plant-based but just aren’t ready to go 100% yet. Only 1 pound of meat makes a huge pot when you add lots of vegetables. Try this quick and easy recipe that is also flexible with ingredients.  Add more or less spices, veggies and beans according to taste.  It tastes better the longer it sits but can also be ready in about 30 minutes.  You can make enough for 4 or 40!

  • Drizzle a little olive oil in a large dutch oven pot and cook 1 pound of ground turkey.  Add sprinkle of onion powder and garlic powder and chop up until cooked through. Drain if needed and set meat aside.
  • Heat a little olive in the pot and cook 1 small chopped onion and about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of veggies adding the most firm first (carrots, sweet peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, frozen corn) until softened.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 tsp of Pepper.
  • Add 1 large can of diced tomatoes.
  • Add 1 can of kidney beans (or black or 1/2 can of both). Mash them a bit if your kids don’t love beans and they’ll disappear.
  • Add 1 cup of water or more if needed.
  • Add Spices:  2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of turmeric.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne (optional).
  • Bring to boil then cook on low for 30+ minutes.  Keep on low for 1-2 hours if desired.

Gluten-free Macaroni:
Cook macaroni according to directions.  Drain and add a drop of olive oil to avoid sticking and leave in pot.

Scoop grain on bottom of bowl and put chili on top.  Sprinkle some non-dairy cheese and sour cream to taste.

SALAD:

  • Mix up your ingredients and test different types of salad.  Romaine seems to be liked by most kids and is healthier than iceberg.
  • Tonight I used the yellow pepper from the chili, added some sunflower seeds and snuck some alfalfa sprouts on there and the kids didn’t mind (p.s. they have an incredibly broad range of nutrients in them)
  • If your sunflower seeds are not fresh, they get a very nutty smell and taste to them (kids might not like that)

What Can the Kids Help With?

  • Help use your VitaMix to chop all the veggies (no swim goggles or tears necessary)
  • Stir and cook the ground meat
  • Open cans (teach to use the can opener)
  • Add chili powder, salt/pepper – test for how spicy, ask if it needs more spice!
  • Cut (yellow) pepper – teach them to take out all the white flesh, it can be bitter (“what’s bitter?”)
  • Ask “what can we put in the salad tonight?” and help sprinkle ingredients
  • Activity Page “Chilly or Chili?” – http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=25984

Did You Know?

  • Chili did NOT come from Mexico!
  • Legend has it that the first recipe for chili was written by a beautiful nun from Spain in the 17th century.
  • Chili allowed Texas ranchers to serve meat close to spoiling thanks to all the delicious spices.

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Posted in Beef, Family Dinner

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Ravioli and Tortellini with Meatballs and Salad

Posted on March 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

Children’s Food Preference – Nature or Nurture?

Children often look like their parents or relatives which is simple genetics.  But are food preferences genetic?  Research indicates that while genetics do play a role in food preferences initially, environmental factors and exposure to new foods repeatedly do have the greatest impact in a child’s appetite for certain foods.  I guess “nurture” vs. “nature” wins this one.  It’s not surprising that a child’s food preference develops in the early stages of life and shapes their food choices as an adult.  Most of us today are lucky to have good memories of our parents or grandparents cooking real food and enjoying a family dinner.  But imagine that when all our children are grown, we are left with a generation raised on chicken nuggets and processed food with no memory of anything different?  At least we know it’s wrong, they won’t know any better.  Think I am being dramatic?  Ask Jamie Oliver about the folks in Huntington, West Virginia, it’s already happened there.

Ravioli and Tortellini

If you are lucky enough to have an Italian Market (i.e., Sam’s) nearby, it really is worth the trip.  If not, look for the local brands and check the ingredient list of your pasta before buying it.  My kids love ravioli so I made these tonight but also made a bag of the tri-color tortellini to introduce something new with it. Both were a hit.  Just remember this:

  • Use a large enough pot so the pasta has room to boil around
  • Salt the water generously before boiling
  • Do not overcook – test for ‘al dente’

Sunday Gravy (previously made, see “Sunday Gravy…”)

I always freeze my gravy in small containers so that I can defrost them quickly and in the amount I need.  Try to take the containers out of the freezer in the morning so they will be defrosted by dinner.  If you forget, just heat the frozen container in a pot with a little water until you can pop the sauce out and heat it properly in the pot (obviously with no water in it).

Meatballs:  You were waiting for this one I know it.  Keep in mind that you have to be able to really feel the proper texture of your meatball mixture so don’t be too exact with the measurements on this.  My mom used to actually test her meatball mixture raw before cooking it to ensure just the right amount of ingredients.  Me, not so much….

  • 1 to 1.5 pounds of ground Beef/Pork/Veal OR ground turkey OR plain ground hamburger
  • Salt/Pepper
  • 2 ground cloves of Garlic (or garlic paste)
  • 1/4 cup of Parsley
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2 cup of Italian style bread crumbs (or 8 pieces of wet, crustless bread)
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients and roll into balls.  Line baking sheet with meatballs and cook on 350 for 10-15 minutes then plop into your pot of gravy.
 My mother and grandmother always fried their meatballs but I like to bake them and swear that nobody knows the difference.

Salad:  Nothing like a green salad with a simple olive oil/red wine vinegar dressing.  Cut some peppers, carrots and cucumbers for color and nutrition.  Buon Appetito!

How Can the Kids Help?

  • Teach them how much to fill up the pot with water
  • Salt the water
  • Test the pasta for doneness.  If cooking spaghetti, you can even throw a piece on your kitchen cabinet, if it sticks – it’s done!
  • Measure and mix meatball mixture – help roll into balls
  • Teach about raw meat and washing hands thoroughly
  • Pick veggies for salad and help cut (if appropriate)
  • Cut and color paper dolls:  http://www.activity-sheets.com/cutout/world-children/italiangirl.htm

Did You Know?

  • Research by Kansas State University recommends that we offer new foods to our children in small amounts along with other already known foods.  We should encourage the child without fuss or punishment behavior to try the new food and repeat this on several occasions until the food is accepted.  http://www.knackonline.org/news/2008/01/22/shaping-food-preference-and-taste-of-young-children/
  • When Jamie Oliver went to a 1st grade class in Huntington, West Virginia, he brought all kinds of fresh vegetables to test the children’s knowledge.  They did not know what a tomato was, or a potato, or brocoli, or any other vegetable for that matter.  But boy did they recognize ketchup, pizza, and french fries!  How well would your children do on this test?

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Posted in Beef, Family Dinner, Turkey

Chicken w/Mushrooms, Herb Potatoes, Carrots, Cornbread

Posted on March 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker…

Remember the days when you got your meat from the butcher shop, your bread from the baker, and your fish from the fishmonger?  Maybe not, but I do remember my mom getting her meat from “Sam, the butcher” (no his girlfriend was not Alice) and her bread from another Sam at the Italian Market.  Today we have Walmart and Target where you can purchase camping equipment, a new TV and of course, frozen chicken nuggets.

I changed my entire purchasing philosophy.  Fresh Market has an old-fashioned butcher at the back of the store with EVERY type and cut of meat laid out fresh in front of you.  They grind their own Turkey meat on demand if you need more and nothing comes in pre-packaged quantities shrink wrapped with extra god knows what.  They have thin chicken cutlets with almost NO jiggly white stuff on them which is terrific because it saves me the step of vigorously scrubbing them like a scene from a prison shower or radioactive decontamination.

I know that most people don’t think they have the time or money to shop at specialty shops these days.  However, when I focus my purchases on primarily fresh organic ingredients (fewer boxed¸ processed items), I actually spend less overall.  Once a month, I go to a superstore or shop on-line (free shipping) for all my bulk/cleaning items which greatly reduces my impulse purchases.  I also buy a lot of meat at once (preferably on sale) and freeze it.  The only guy left out is the Candlestick Maker.  Oh well, what about, “The Butcher, The Baker….Starbucks”.

 CHICKEN: 

This is very similar to the ‘Lemon Chicken’ but I add mushrooms at the end.

  • Salt and pepper chicken cutlets then dip chicken in flour (of any kind).
  • Heat a drop of EV olive oil and fresh garlic and cook chicken until brown on both sides. Move to the serving platter.
  • Pour some (1/2 cup) chicken broth, (1/4 cup) white wine (if desired), and a squeeze of lemon juice into pan and bring to a boil. Add mushrooms and sauté for 6-7 minutes or so until they are cooked and sauce thickens.  Any kind of mushroom works (baby bellas, white, shitake).
  • Add chicken back into pan to finish cooking. You can cover and put on low until you finish rest of meal. You can serve the mushrooms on top or along the side of the chicken if not everyone likes them.

RED POTATOES (small):

  • Wash and peel only as needed.  Leave most of red skin for color and nutrition.
  • Boil in pot of salted water until cooked through.
  • Toss with EV olive oil, salt/pepper and herbs (I like the ‘Fine Herbs’ from Penzies spices but even just parsley is good).

CARROTS:

  • Peel and boil the carrots.  Toss with a drop of butter, salt and splash of orange juice (a drop of maple syrup works too).
  • It’s nice to splurge on carrots on the stem sometimes, they look so pretty (although usually too thin to roast).

CORNBREAD:  Bought it from Fresh Market – YUM!

SALAD:  Used the romaine and yellow pepper from last night.

How the Kids Can Help:

  • Dash salt/pepper on chicken and shake the chicken in a Ziploc with flour or toss around in the bowl
  • Help wash the mushrooms
  • Roll the lemon to loosen up all the juices
  • Rip pieces of romaine into salad bowl (depending on age, use a butter knife to cut peppers, celery, etc.)
  • Learn about using the peeler (try peeling carrots if ready)
  • Set table, get drink orders
  • Fungi for Kids Pictures and Coloring Sheets:  http://www.northamptonshirewildlife.co.uk/nfungi/fungiforkids.htm

Did You Know?

  • 4600 years ago, many believed that mushrooms had properties that could produce super- human strength, help in finding lost objects and lead the soul to the realm of the gods, therefore no commoner was allowed to eat them!
  • ‘Magic mushrooms’ seem to have been the subject of ancient rock art in caves, proving that this inspiration has been around for over 7000 years.

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Fish Fingers, Butternut Squash, Spinach Orzo

Posted on March 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

Food Disguise

I was doing some research today on “kid dinners” and “family-friendly dinners” and was really surprised.  I was excited when I saw a handful of sites that catered to just this type of cooking.  But upon further review I was a bit disgusted at the menus (really?! Peanut Butter & Jelly Pizza!).  I asked myself, “Why are we trying to disguise our food so much for the sake of our children?”.  Are the taste of sweet potatoes with butter really that offending?  Are green beans with a little olive oil so vile?  God forbid the kids recognize the food they’re eating!  What’s next, Barbie clothes on bananas?

Fish Fingers: 

  • Make one bowl for flour, one for beaten eggs, and one for breadcrumbs (sometimes I mix the flour and breadcrumbs to cut down a step)
  • I cut the fish (I used Cod) into pieces and Mia did the rest (1st dip in flour, then dip in egg, then dip in italian breadcrumbs)
  • Brush a little EVOO on parchment paper and spread out the fish pieces out on the baking sheet.  Brush oil from pan onto top of fish fingers.
  • Bake on 400 for 20 minutes

PASTA (I only had 1/2 cup of orzo so I added 1/2 cup of Israeli Cous Cous to it – both cook 8-10 minutes).  Keep in mind that this type of cous cous is just a tiny pasta pearl. 

  • Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain pasta and leave in the colander.
  • Cook a little bit of fresh garlic in olive oil in the pasta pot for a minute or two.
  • Add some spinach, pepper and a squirt of lemon juice in the pot and toss around.  Add the pasta and a little sprinkle of parm. cheese and stir.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH:  Cut the short ends off and then slice once long ways in half.  Clear the seeds and poke with a fork or knife.  Put each half in a piece of tin foil.  Pour a little EV olive oil or butter on the top, add some salt, pepper and rosemary and close the tin foil.  Bake at 400 for approx. 45 minutes (depending on size).

ASPARAGUS:

  • The asparagus was thick so not only did I cut the ends off but I used a peeler on the bottom part of the stalk too
    (my mom’s trick so they wouldn’t be too stringy).
  • Layer half to the left and half to the right of a baking dish.
  • Toss with EV Olive oil, salt and pepper and bake with fish for 20 minutes.

Salad:  Not enough colors in your dinner?  Add some yellow or red pepper to your romaine salad tonight.  Also, be sure to mix your dressing for everyone – it just tastes better than adding your own!

Dip in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs!

How the Kids Can Help:

  • Teach them how to crack the eggs and beat them with a whisk or fork
  • Help pour breadcrumbs in the bowl
  • I cut fish into pieces and let Mia do ALL the dipping
  • Brush top of fish with leftover oil on baking sheet to get top golden brown
  • Add/stir spinach and lemon juice into pasta (add a special sprinkle of parm. cheese on top)
  • Let all the kids squirt juice from lemon wedges onto fish pieces at dinner
  • Count Total Dinner Colors = 6:  White fish, Orange Squash, Dark Green Spinach and Asparagus, Yellow Pepper, Light Green = Romaine
  • Lots of fish activity and coloring sheets:  http://www.lessonsense.com/fish/downloadfish.html

Did You Know?

  • The English serve their Fish n’ Chips with salt and vinegar on Newspaper wrapped in a brown bag.
  • In 1995, the British consumed an astonishing 300 million servings of fish and chips – that equates to six servings for every man woman and child in the country.
  • The British invented the “Fish” and the French invented the “chips” (aka french fries).

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Posted in Family Dinner, Seafood

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Favorite Snacks

Posted on March 22, 2010 | 2 comments

Sneaky Snacks

I once saw a show, “You Are What You Eat” where the British host forces a woman into a bathtub of pig parts representing all the hot dogs she was eating on a weekly basis.  She then went on to insult the woman, jiggling her fat and telling her how disgusting it is.  Finally, the host evaluates  the woman’s “poo” demonstrating the additional effects of her poor eating.  Only the British on BBC can get away with this one!  Jamie Oliver is a bit tamer while discovering that some elementary schools are serving pizza for breakfast and chicken nuggets for lunch every day AND most of the kids are given chicken nuggets for dinner by their parents.  It’s not the kid’s fault, what do they know?  It’s easy to judge them but I ask you to ask yourself, what’s my kid eating today?  Hey, nobody’s perfect.

Today’s Snack:
How many of your kids gorge themselves on snacks and then don’t eat their dinner?  It drives me crazy.  I would rather my kids eat a bowl of cereal AFTER dinner than spoil the dinner with too many snacks.  Do your kids sneak snacks?  Try filling your snack drawer up only with the snacks you want the kids to eat.  If you don’t want them eating cookies before dinner, don’t put them in the snack drawer or better yet, don’t buy them!  Have ice-cream for dessert….it’s much more difficult to sneak up to your room!

  • Apple or pretzels with peanut butter and chocolate chips
  • Cut up Banana or Strawberries with  bit of natural whipped cream
  • Celery with cream cheese
  • Popcorn (see popcorn recipe)
  • Mix some natural chocolate covered raisins on a plate of fruit
  • Mini Stone-ground Crackers with cream cheese or string cheese
  • Fritos:  Did you know they only have 3 ingredients (whole corn, corn oil and salt) – and gluten free!

What’s Your Child’s Favorite Healthy Snack? Write a comment to share your snack idea!

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Posted in Tasty Snack

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Filet, Shitake Spinach and Baked Sweet Potatoes

Posted on March 19, 2010 | 1 comment

Filet on a Weeknight?
I know you’re thinking “filet on a weeknight?” well before you get too upset at my extravagance, I will tell you that this was leftover (uncooked) from Christmas.   I finally took over Christmas dinner from my mother about 5 years ago.  We always have filet and we always have over 20 family members.  When I first started hosting this meal my parents would buy the filet for me.  They would wait and buy it on sale, wrap and freeze it (up to one month before), and bring it to me defrosted and ready to cook the day before Christmas.  When my mom passed away two years ago, I informed my father that I could handle this filet thing on my own now.  I was all grown up at 37.  I was convinced that only old people with WAY too much time on their hands searched to find meat on sale then took the time to freeze AND defrost it.  Who has that much time anyway?  So, of course, I waited and bought the meat full price 2 days before Christmas, see how easy!  Much to my dismay, I spent a small fortune on my Christmas filet that year (enough to buy over 1000 meals for children in need at www.fmsc.org ).  Now I may still make more than I need, I am italian afterall, but needless to say, I now spend about 60% less on my Christmas filet.  Why are mothers always right?  Is it possible, can your mother still teach you a lesson even if she is gone?  Yup.

FILET: There is only one recipe for filet as far as I am concerned and that is from the Barefoot Contessa herself.

  1. Rub butter, salt and pepper all over your 4-5 lb. filet (of course, it’s Ina afterall)
  2. Cook on 500 for 25 minutes for medium-rare
  3. Take out of the oven and tightly cover with tin foil at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  4. Meat should be about 140 degrees.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES:  I always microwave my potatoes for  about 2 minutes before preparing them for the oven.  It speeds the cooking time a lot!  These are so easy and sooo delicious!

  1. Wash potatoes vigorously and poke 3-4 times with fork for ventilation.
  2. Microwave for 2 minutes each (you can cook 2 at a time, 4 mins.)
  3. Place each potato on a piece of tin foil.  Pour a drop of olive oil and kosher/sea salt on the potato and roll it around.
  4. Bake in the oven with your meat at 500 for 25 minutes (test for doneness)
  5. Cut in half and serve with butter

SPINACH w/ shiitake mushrooms:

  1. Pull the tough stems of some of the spinach leaves (only if necessary)
  2. Heat some EVOO and fresh garlic (if you have it) in a large pan
  3. Add a little chicken broth and white wine and mushrooms and simmer for a few minutes (wine will cook off)
  4. Add spinach to pan, stir and cook about 5 more minutes until soft

Spinach w/shitake- YUM!

BROCCOLI:

  1. Boil or microwave broccoli in a little water
  2. Drain and top with butter and salt (so simple, yet sooo good)
  3. Put lid on to stay warm until rest of dinner is ready

How the Kids Can Help

Did You Know:

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Posted in Beef, Family Dinner

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Ham Steak and Cauliflower Mac n’Cheese

Posted on March 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Forgotten Foods

How many cookbooks do you have?  How about tiny recipe cut-outs floating all over?  If we add them all up, we probably own thousands of recipes and yet why do we resort to the same 5 dinners over and over?  What would be really great is if we all had our 15-20 “tried and true” basic recipes that cover the gamut of vegetables, meats, and starches.  Imagine going an entire month without repeating the same dinner while exposing your kids to a variety of basic foods?!  Imagine going out for dinner and you all eat and share from the regular menu?!  Yeah baby, now I’m talkin’…..

HAM STEAK:  Ham steak with boiled carrots and sweet potatoes was one of the first dinners I gave Mac and Mia at 10 months old.  It’s an oldie but goody and certainly speedy!  Try to get a good ham steak from the butcher or Fresh Market if you can.  It’s already cooked so all you need to do is heat it up.  Simply lay it on a foil lined baking sheet, sprinkle a tiny bit of brown sugar on it and pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  You can also heat it up in a frying pan with a little maple syrup and butter.

CAULIFLOWER MAC N’ CHEESE:  This is so good and if you over-cook the cauliflower a little bit, it has the same consistency as the pasta so it goes literally unnoticed.  

  • Cut cauliflower into small pieces and boil for 10 mins. or so.  Drain cauliflower out and boil pasta in same pot of salted water. Drain pasta.
  • Finely chop onion in a drop of EVOO and saute in pasta pot until soft (onion not required but does add flavor)
  • Simmer 1 1/2 cups of (low-fat) sour cream (1 cup of regular cream plus 1 TBS butter is o.k. too)
  • Stir in 1 TBS of Dijon mustard, 1 1/2 cups of (sharp) Cheddar cheese and
    1/2 cup of milk 
  • Add salt/pepper, take off heat and stir in cauliflower and macaroni
  • Pour mix into sprayed baking dish
  • Top with 1) italian breadcrumbs mixed with a little EVOO OR 2) sprinkle of Cheddar cheese
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes (with Ham steak) on 400.

This makes a huge portion.  Not bad to serve larger family group at Easter with spiral ham.

Keep a bag of frozen string beans, corn and peas from Fresh Market on hand at all times for a quick veggie side.  It tastes like they grow and freeze them in the back of the store!   

How the Kids Can Help:

Did You Know?

  • St. Patrick was actually italian?!  Born in Scotland, St. Patrick’s parents were both Romans so technically, yes it’s true, he was italian.
  • Green Eggs and Ham was published in 1960 and as of 2001 it was the 4th best-selling children’s book of all time.

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Barbecue Chicken (Bone-in), Roasted Zucchini and Beets, Israeli Cous Cous

Posted on March 17, 2010 | 2 comments

Story:  I looked up the definition of “acquired taste” and found this:  “One that is unpleasant on immediate experience or is likeable only after being experienced repeatedly”.  Wikipedia says that “An acquired taste often refers to an appreciation for a food or beverage that is unlikely to be enjoyed by a person who has not had substantial exposure to it”.  Did you like coffee the first time you tried it?  Perhaps you enjoyed the smell or it made you feel ‘all grown up’ when you drank it at first and now it’s a critical part of your routine.  The Korean students visiting our school said that one of their favorite things about America was our breakfast.  Why you ask?  Because in Korea, their breakfast is the leftover dinner from the night before.  Tell that to your kids next time they complain about frozen waffles.

CHICKEN (Bone-in Breast):   If you don’t have time to make your own, I recommend finding one with the fewest ingredients and no chemicals.  They will all have some sugar in them but avoid the ‘high-fructose corn syrup’ if you can.  Also, some brands have a very strong smoky flavor which the kids often don’t like.

  • 1 1/2 cups of ketchup (add a couple TBS of water to it)
  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup of cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of molasses
  • 1/8 cup of Worcester sauce
  • Dash of garlic

Mix ingredients all together and pour/brush onto both sides of chicken, lift the skin up to get sauce directly on the chicken breast.  Lay chicken on foil-lined baking sheet or dish and bake at 400 for 30 mins (chicken temp 160).  Take chicken out and cover with foil to continue cooking while you get the rest of dinner together.  This chicken will be unbelievable moist!

ZUCCHINI:  I usually use the regular sized zucchini but bought the little ones this week. 
They tasted a bit ‘woody’ so I think I’ll go back to the longer kind.  Slice the ends off the zucchini and then slice pieces into about 1/2 inch thick (you can also use a peeler to get off some of the skin).  If the zucchini is very thick you may want to slice it once long ways before slicing each piece.  Place into a baking dish and toss with a little EVOO, salt/pepper and rosemary.  One bowl for prep, baking, and serving – the beauty of roasting veggies!  Roast with chicken at 400 for 30 mins. or until cooked through. Careful not to let them get mushy.

BEETS:  I had some yellow and red beets this week.  Peel them like a potato, chop into cubes and place them in a baking dish.  Toss with EVOO, salt/pepper and rosemary.  Bake with chicken at 400 for 30 minutes or until cooked through.  I swear these have a very mild flavor and consistency – perfect for kids.

ISRAELI COUS COUS (Quick Version):   I needed to make this fast so I skipped frying the onion first.  I mixed 1 cup of Israeli Cous Cous (basically tiny pasta) into a pot with a drop of EVOO and stirred for a few minutes on medium heat.  Then, add 1 1/2 cups of water, salt/pepper, dash of garlic powder, and cover for 8-10 mins.  I added some parsley in a tube from the fridge for color.  The kids LOVE this dish – always a good time to try a new veggie!

SALAD:  Wash some Romaine leaves.  Make sure salad is DRY, use paper towels or a dishtowel.  My mom always wrapped her cleaned lettuce up in a clean dishtowel to stay dry and fresh.  Add tomato for color and some balsamic vinaigrette.

What Can Kids Do?

Did You Know: 

  • The origin of BBQ has not been confirmed.  Some say it originated out west in order to feed a large number of cowboys with a cheaper piece of meat by cooking it at a very low temperature for a very long time (5-7 hours).  Others say it originated from France where the french words “barbe- a- queue” means “from snout to tail” in English.  Another theory is that BBQ comes from a nineteenth century advertisement for a combination whiskey bar, beer hall, pool establishment and purveyor of roast pig, known as the BAR-BEER-CUE-PIG.
  • Beets:  The New Spinach: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/health/nutrition/04recipehealth.html

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Posted in Chicken, Family Dinner