Macaroni & Cheese w/ Chicken

Like Karen Carpenter, rainy days and Mondays always get me down and we have had 3 days of rain. So comfort food was what I needed last night, but this recipe failed me. I really needed a nice creamy, cheesy mac and cheese dish, but I wanted it to be a little more substantial. I came across this recipe and thought it looked perfect. Even though the flavor was wonderful, I doubt I would make this one again. The prep time took too long and there were way too many dirty dishes. It actually would not have been too bad left unbaked, because at the point of oven entry, the pasta was very creamy and substantial. But when it came time to serve the sauce had separated and it was more like a buttered noodle dish. Oh well, it's raining again today, maybe some type of fried chicken would do the trick. Too bad Mom lives in Florida!

Macaroni & Cheese with Chicken

Sauce:

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. Flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp. salt

fresh ground black pepper

Filling:

2 Tbsp. butter

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

pinch of nutmeg

Macaroni:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

4 oz. Gruyere cheese

For Sauce: Melt butter in saucepan; stir in flour cook, stirring 2 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth; stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil and thicken; add cream. Cook stirring, over medium heat, until thickened and smooth, about 10 minutes. Beat yolk in small bowl; gradually beat in some hot sauce. Return yolk mixture to saucepan; stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.

For Filling: Melt butter in large skillet. Add chicken and saute for 7 minutes; transfer to a plate using slotted spoon. Add mushrooms to skillet, saute until tender and lightly browned. Add garlic and and saute for 1 minute. Add chicken and parsley, season with salt and pepper and nutmeg.

In the meantime cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain. Combine macaroni, sauce, chicken mixture and Parmesan cheese. Spoon into 8 x 12 baking dish; sprinkle with Gruyere. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven fro 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is brown and bubbly.

The Mango Room

One of our favorite places to eat is The Mango Room, located downtown at 1111 Main Street. Our friends Dan and Larry turned us on to this restaurant that features Caribbean and Southern Regional Cuisine. The owner is Thelma Oliver, a beautiful and animated woman, who brightens up the place with her brand of hospitality.
On this trip, I started with the Gazpacho, which was a special and a bargain at $2.50 . It was very good , with some spices you normally do not find in this soup and I could not identify. Dan had the Wedge Salad for $6.00, which is a nice wedge of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese and bacon, one of our favorites. I typically order the Fried Chicken($12) and this evening was no exception. You always get a boneless breast , a thigh and a leg and your choice of two sides. I ordered the Coleslaw and Fried Green Bean Bundles, with 10 choices, it's hard to make a choice. Dan ordered the Grilled Salmon ($18) which he always orders. He had the Black Pepper Chedda' Grits and the Fried Green Bean Bundles. The grits are so good and were especially creamy on this visit. They have a great selection of martini's and I ordered the Sagriatini.
The Mango Room is a great place to dine and when the Power and Light District opens, will be very hard to get into. You can go online to www.kcmangoroom.com and check out the full menu. This is a great diversion from all the chain restaurants in Kansas City and definitely worth checking out.

Curry Chicken Salad

Last night I was looking for something light and easy to prepare for dinner and this is what I came up with. I had some frozen chicken that was leftover from a rotisserie chicken and thought chicken salad sounded good. I used white grapes in this recipe because that is what I had, red work well too and add some color to an otherwise plain dish. I served it on top of spelt tortillas with lettuce and topped it with fresh chopped tomatoes.

Curry Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1/2 cup light Miracle Whip

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup seedless grapes, sliced

2 oz. lightly toasted slivered almonds

1 tsp. mild curry powder

salt and pepper

Place first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Another Non-Surprise From the USDA

ALERT - USDA Announcement: Foods Carrying the USDA '95% Organic' Seal Are Now Allowed to Contain Factory Farmed Intestines, PCBs, and Mercury
Press Release For Immediate Release Organic Consumers Association, 6/22/2007 Straight to the Source
CONTACT: Ronnie Cummins 218-226-4164 June 22, 2007
Despite receiving more than ten thousand comments from consumers and family farmers opposing various aspects of a late May 2007 proposal, the USDA has approved a rule that will allow 38 new non-organic ingredients to be allowed in products bearing the "USDA Organic" seal. But the agency says this may just be interim approval, and has offered to extend the public comment period another 60 days (the original public comment period was only 7 days). Take action and send a letter to the USDA here.The Organic Consumers Association filed a petition during the USDA's short seven-day comment period on the issue outlining various problems with some of the proposed ingredients (read full petition here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5225.cfm). The USDA is required to post all such incoming comments online, and 99% of the comments currently posted there show the public opposes the passage of this proposal.
The USDA's passage of this proposal has resulted in the following:
-Anheuser Busch will be allowed to sell its "Organic Wild Hops Beer" without using any organic hops at all.
-Sausages, brats, and breakfast links labeled as "USDA Organic" are now allowed to contain intestines from factory farmed animals raised on chemically grown feed, synthetic hormones, and antibiotics.
-Products labeled as "USDA Organic" and containing fish oil may contain toxins such as PCBs and mercury (note: nonorganic fishoil products have this same risk, but despite the USDA ruling, it is against the National Organic Standards to allow such toxins in organic foods).
"It's disheartening to see how profit motivated businesses like Kraft, Wal-Mart and Anheuser-Busch have more sway over the U.S. Department of Agriculture than family farmers, independent organic producers, and consumers," said Ronnie Cummins, OCA's National Director.OCA's Environmental Scientist, Craig Minowa, noted that foods labeled as 100% organic will still be 100% organic. "This rule applies to products that are 95% organic or less," said Minowa of the USDA's decision, adding that "The ruling is yet another reason for organic-minded shoppers to carefully read ingredient labels, look for '100% Organic' labels, and buy from local family farmers via your area co-op, farmers market or CSA."
Take action and send a letter to the USDA here
.ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION
· 6771 SOUTH SILVER HILL DRIVE
· FINLAND, MN 55603 USA
Telephone: 218-226-4164
· Fax: 218-353-7652
· email: adam@organicconsumers.org; http://www.organicconsumers.org

Pork Tenderloin

I have not done much cooking in the past few days, I have been busy working on the yard instead. I did however, grill a Pork Tenderloin over the weekend and used the leftover Sweet and Tangy Balsamic Grilling Sauce on it after grilling it. I marinated the pork in a mixture of about 1/2 cup of bourbon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 cloves of smashed garlic and about 2 tablespoons of fresh pineapple juice for about 1 hour. The grilling sauce was so good on the grilled pork, I think I may be using that stuff on everything for awhile.

Sweet and Tangy Balsamic Grilling Sauce

Okay folks, this is the best grilling sauce for chicken that I have ever tried. I was worried that it would be too vinegary, because the house sure was smelly after making it, but the flavor was sweet and tangy. I found this one on the Food TV website and of coarse it was from Giada. She is by far my favorite cook from the Food Network, I have yet made a recipe of hers that was not good. The recipe was on their front page under Top Ten Recipes and it was number one. I've placed the link for her recipe here, she also uses it on steak and her process was different from mine. I made the sauce and let it cool before using it. I brushed it on the chicken as I cooked it and saved some for serving on the side, which was a good idea, because everyone loved it. It would be really good on a rib-eye, which I will try at another time.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36958,00.html

Sweet and Tangy Balsamic Grilling Sauce

1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir until incorporated. Simmer until reduced by 1/3, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the sauce cool and use to brush over chicken.

Eden Alley Cafe

I took the day off yesterday to spend with my son Ryan before he headed back home today. We went to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art( http://www.nelson-atkins.org/) to check out the new Bloch building. We were impressed with the new building and the great modern art represented there. We both enjoyed the Hallmark Cards Gallery of photography the most. And no trip to the Nelson would be complete without going up to the 2nd floor of the original building and looking at the Thomas Hart Benton paintings. Ryan and I are both huge fans of his. I wanted to eat at Rozelle Court there at the museum, but Ryan had other ideas.
Since we were close to the Plaza and planning on seeing a movie( the new Fantastic 4 Silver Surfer which sucked) , he thought we should eat at Eden Alley. I was all for it, because I love eating there too. They are a vegetarian restaurant and serve some of the most unique dishes around. They also have a killer Hummus. We both had specials, Ryan the Garlic Grilled Cheese which is incredible! I had the vegetarian taco that was served in kale leaves. While not my favorite dish to eat there, it was good. They are located on the lower level of the Unity temple at the SW corner of 47th and Jefferson. http://www.edenalley.com/

Vanilla Glazed Carrots

I found this package of Earth Exotics Petite Carottes Epluchees (peeled baby carrots) and they had a recipe for Vanilla Glazed Carrots on the package. I was intrigued with the recipe and decided that they would go on the dinner table that night. The recipe calls for a pinch of salt and no pepper, but it needed more salt and definitely needed pepper. It also called for a vanilla bean or 1/4 tsp of vanilla. I opted for the vanilla because I did not want to waste a bean on an untried recipe. The carrots turned out well and I will post the recipe as printed on the package.

Vanilla Glazed Carrots

1 pkg. (8 oz) baby Carrots

1 1/2 Tbsp. honey

1/3 vanilla bean or 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. white wine vinegar

pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a large saute pan. The carrots should form a single layer in the pan. Bring the carrots to a simmer on medium-high heat. reduce the liquid until the pan is just about dry. The carrots should be cooked through, shiny and delicious.

Fresh Tomato Soup

In the past, I've always had a fairly nice vegetable garden with around 12 tomato plants. Last year finally did me in with the lack of rain, deer and squirrel issues and the bugs, that I did not put the garden in this year. I had so many tomatoes that I was constantly trying to come up with recipes. Since Dan hates cucumbers, gazpacho was out. But I wanted an alternative and here is what I came up with. It's a great starter or it works well with a salad for your evening meal. To make gazpacho add 1/2 pound of peeled and seeded chopped cucumber. For a smooth version of the soup, process in a food processor in batches to desired consistency.

Fresh Tomato Soup

1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 lbs. vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 jalapeno or whole hot cherry pepper, finely chopped
fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups tomato juice, chilled

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (3 is perfect).

Green Rice with Chicken,Peas and Almonds

Okay, this is the last recipe that I will try from Rachel Ray. Every time I cook one of hers, I am disappointed. It looked like a great recipe, but it wasn't. It was like the food they serve at the retirement community that I work at, bland and gummy. My son liked it and Dan did not think it was too bad, but he did not get seconds. I followed the recipe just as written, but it fell flat. It could have used some garlic, but I thought all that onion and lime would do the trick.

Green Rice with Chicken, Peas and Almonds

2 medium onions. coarsely chopped

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups long-grain

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 lb. chicken tenders, halved crosswise

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Juice of 1 lime

Pulse the onions and parsley in a food processor until finely chopped. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, add the onion mixture and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side. Add the rice along with the peas and half the almonds. Cover and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls and top with remaining almonds.

Applegate Farms Italian Sausage

I found this Applegate Farms Certified Organic Sweet Italian Sausage at Green Acres Market and thought I would try it on the grill. The label says that it is fully cooked, skinless and made from chicken and turkey. One sausage has 130 calories and 7 grams of fat. It seemed like a good alternative to regular sausage. The problem was that it contains 500mg of sodium per sausage. It was way too salty! The sausage was really not even edible, you could not taste anything else for the salt. In the future I will stay away from this and be more aware of the sodium content in products like this.

Thai Place Northland

The Thai Place has recently opened a Northland location, Yea!!They are located in the old Yia-Yias building at I-29 and NW 64th Street. We were sad when Yia-Yia's left, but are glad that something good has moved into the space. They have changed the decor and reupholstered the furniture. When we walked in , I saw the old pizza oven and thought what a waste. But to my surprise, they offer Asian Wood Fired Pizzas!! I decided on the Chicken Peanut Pizza, but was saddened when the waiter told me no pizza tonight. Oh well, it just gives me a another reason to return.
For a Sunday night, after 7:00 PM, the place was pretty quiet. That's too bad, because the food is excellent. This is the 5th restaurant that they have opened in KC and we typically go to the downtown location, Arun Thai Place Grill. It's great to have something other than a national chain to dine at.
We started with the Springroll Deluxe($7.95), you get 2 springrolls and 2 eggrolls, along with 2 dipping sauces. Both are incredible, but my favorite is the springroll. Dan ordered the Panang Curry with chicken ($12.95), his usual. This dish is a little rich for me, all that coconut milk and peanut sauce goes a long way. I ordered the Spicy Thai Basil fried Rice ($11.95). I asked for it to come a little between mild and medium and boy was it ever spicy. Next time I will stick with mild. The flavor was great, but you could definitely see and taste the hot peppers.
We were happy to see that they have Stella Artois in bottles and that is what Dan had. I ordered a special martini, not typical of me , but it sounded good. It was their own clove infused vodka with apple juice and slivers of lemon grass, very tasty indeed.
Overall, we had a great experience. The service was good, the restaurant was spotless and the food presentation was great. The food was, as always, very good. I will be back to try out the pizza.

Tarantino's

As I've said before, Tarantino's is my favorite place to eat. We go there at least once a week, I get cravings for their calzones. Saturday night, I introduced my friend Shannon to the place. She could not believe how good the calzone crust was. She ordered the #2 calzone that has chicken , mushrooms and artichokes and really enjoyed it. I had my usual, Italian sausage, mushroom and roasted red pepper calzone. Prices are low and food quality is high, the perfect reason to go. Plus, Joe and Trish are the best hosts in the city! You won't get bad service here. They are located 1 block east of Grand at 601 McGee Street, Downtown Kansas City. Below are my previous posts.


Tarantino's Revisited


Tarantino's Gourmet Pizza & Subs

Senor Tequila

Senor Tequila is our favorite Mexican place in Kansas City. Our city has lots to choose from when it comes to Mexican food, but we always end up back at Senor Tequila. The prices are very reasonable and they have great prices on beer and margaritas. They have a 29 ounce margarita for $6.25, which is the price that most places charge for theira regular size. They of coarse serve chips and salsa for free and you can add a really good bowl of guacamole for $3.
My favorite thing to get is Tacos de Carne Azada for $7.99. You get 3 flour or corn tortillas filled with the most flavorful steak. It's served with rice and creamy refried beans. My favorite part is the pico de gallo that they serve to top the tacos with. It is a made from scratch combo of tomatoes, onion and jalapenos that really make this dish. Sometimes I order the Enchiladas Rancheras for $7.15. This dish consists of 3 cheese enchiladas topped with enchilada sauce, incredible pulled pork, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onion and peppers, sour cream and guacamole. It's a heart attack just waiting to happen and I gladly say"Bring it On"!. Dan typically gets the Chicken Fajitas, which are loaded with chicken and cost $9.99. For the most part the service is very good, it seems that all the bad servers have moved on. We try to go on week nights after 7:00. They are not as busy and the food seems to be better. The restaurant is located at 6502 N. Oak Trafficway in Gladstone, Mo. Their phone number is 816-420-0640.

Marinated Flank Steak

Last week I bought a flank steak by mistake. I thought I needed it for a recipe I was going to try, but it was the wrong type of steak. Never cooking with one before, I decided to grill it. I went through the fridge looking for something to marinate it with and this is what I came up with. It turned out really nice and flavorful and I will use it again.

Marinated Flank Steak

1 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 lb. flank steak

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large resealable bag, add the steak. Allow to marinate for 2 hours. Grill steak to desired temperature. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Slice against the grain and serve.

54th Street Grill

Last night we ended up going to 54th Street Grill, it's the closest place for us to eat other than McDonald's or In a Tub. We like to go there because of the varied menu and typically go for a salad. Last night we sat down and opened our napkins and found some pretty filthy silverware. We both have worked in restaurants before and understand that this happens. My problem is that someone is not paying attention, it's one thing to have 1 dirty piece of silver, but 4??!! Whenever we told the waitress, she apologized with a giggle and returned with new silver. Dan's new knife had crusty food on it!! It's like, COME ON PEOPLE, how hard is it to bring out clean silver, especially when you had to have looked at it and the customer has already sent back dirty pieces back. To me, it comes down to a lack of training. This should be such a simple thing, but for some reason some restaurants don't care enough. It makes you wonder about the plate you are eating off of. If a restaurant can't give you clean tableware, what does that say about the kitchen? We ate at the 303 NE Englewood location, north of the river in the Creekwood Commons Shopping Center.

Trader Joes Cake Mixes

I love coming home to packages on the front porch!Some people would say I have an obsession about having things delivered. Well, that is my life, I obsess about everything!! This Saturday we arrived home to a heavy box of goodies from our incredibly good and kind friend, Alicia. She lives in the Phoenix area and sent us a box full of Trader Joe's goodies. She sent us 2 boxes of the Matcha Green Tea cake mix, 1 Brownie Truffle mix, 1 Chocolate Orange mix, 1 Vanilla and 2 bags of peanut butter treats for Gabby. Gabby was also very appreciative and thinks that Alicia is the best kind of person to know.

I made the vanilla cake last night and it was divine!! It has real vanilla bean in it and the cake is so moist. These are perfect cakes for small households.

Thanks Alicia, We Love You!!!

White Bean Dip

This is one of the easiest things to throw together and there is never any leftover. This is another one of Giada's recipes that have been using since her first book Everyday Italian came out. I prepared this last week when Dan and Larry came over. These are ingredients that I always have on hand, so it makes the prep work a little easier. Giada makes her own pita chips, I did at first, but our stores carry a great chip called Yummys that taste great.

White Bean Dip

1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 (loosely packed) flat leaf Italian parsley leaves
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients, except for the oil. Pulse off and on until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil and process until creamy. Season with more salt and pepper if need. Serve with pita chips. This can be made 1 day ahead.

Braised Belgian Endive

Last Thursday, when Dan and Larry came for dinner, braised Belgian endive was one of the dishes I prepared. I also made Oven Roasted Broccoli , in case this was not a good recipe. It was not one of my favorite dishes and I probably would not cook it again. It's a recipe from Emeril Lagasse that I thought looked and sounded interesting, but...

Braised Belgian Endive

3 Tbsp. butter
Pinch of sugar
4 heads Belgian endive, browned or damaged leaves removed and halved lengthwise
3 Tbsp. white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
salt and ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves

Melt butter in large saute pan over medium heat. When butter is melted, sprinkle in sugar. Place endive in butter mixture, cut side down. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn over and brown other side, 3 to 5 minutes more. Turn back over, add white wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add broth, cover and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
Uncover, add lemon juice and thyme and simmer 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add parsley and serve.

Salmon with Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze

This is a recipe I found in Weber's Art of the Grill. The glaze on the salmon is excellent, creating nice crispy, caramelized sides. They cook the salmon on foil, I placed mine on a grill rack designed for fish. Their recipe also uses 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger, which I omitted in my recipe. I also read the recipe wrong, so I added too much honey and butter, but it still tasted great.

Salmon with Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze

1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 whole salmon fillet, about 1 lb.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together. Remove from heat, stir in mustard, soy sauce and olive oil. Allow to cool.
Place salmon, skin side down, on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Trim foil to leave a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the salmon. Coat fish with sauce.
Grill salmon over indirect heat until edges brown and center is opaque 15 to 20 minutes. Serve.

Cream Cheese Pecan Icing

This icing can be made without the pecans if you like, but they do a dd a nice flavor.

Cream Cheese Pecan Icing

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 box, plus one cup powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream cheese, sugar, and butter. Add pecan and vanilla, mix well. Spread onto cooled cake.

Carrot Cake

This is one of my favorite cake recipes. My old boss, Judy, used to make this and I got the recipe from her. It's very moist and it does not have raisins!! I hate raisins. At one time in my life I liked them, but then the government gave them to the schools for free back in the sixties and everything had raisins in them. I think they even tried to put them in fish sticks, which are gross in their own pathetic way. But back to the cake, this is a really good one and it's easy to make.

Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups corn oil
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
3 cups grated carrots

Mix sugar and oil, beat until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until each is mixed in and batter is creamy. Combine flour, salt, soda and cinnamon. Add to creamy mixture. Add carrots and pineapple. Bake in 15 x 18 pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until tests done. Cake can be made in 3 9-inch round pans, baked for 30 minutes. When cool ice with Cream Cheese Pecan Icing .

Dinner with Dan and Larry

Last night our friends Dan and Larry came over for dinner. They are getting ready for a nice long vacation in San Miguel, Mexico and we wanted to see them before they left (we wish we were going along, but the bathroom needs remodeling). I prepared my favorite white bean dip for a starter, then served salad, bread, grilled chicken(a little on the dry side), braised Belgian endive ( is that in-dive or on-deeve, I prefer on-deeve, it seems more cosmopolitan),and oven roasted broccoli. We finished the evening on the screened in porch with brownies and ice cream that Dan and Larry brought over. Larry, who is not a cook, used olive oil in the brownies much to the dismay of Dan, but we thought they tasted great. I did not taste the olive oil and am sure that Italians use it to bake with, I'll check into that. We had a great time and enjoyed the company of good friends, that's what life is all about in my opinion. Anyway, I will post some of the recipes tomorrow when I have more time.

Dirty Risotto

This is another Giada inspired dish. I have made it a couple of times and changed it slightly from her recipe. This is her Italian take on dirty rice. I love this recipe, risotto is my all time favorite food and the addition of Italian sausage just makes it all that better. Topping the risotto with Italian flat leaf parsley really brightens the dish.

Dirty Risotto

1 (32 oz) box of reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
3 oz. pancetta, chopped
2 links (about 8 oz) Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp. Italian Parsley, chopped

In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a simmer. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
In a large heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sausage and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding 1/2 cup a broth at a time, stirring and allowing each addition to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining cheese and parsley.

Foodie Blogroll

If you haven't noticed the icon on the left side of my blog, please check it out. I am now part of the Foodie Blogroll and there are some great blogs out there to look at. I've just gotten started on the list myself and am amazed at the great variety of food blogs on the web. Have fun and check these people out.

Eyes on Darfur

Amnesty International has just launched a new website that hopefully will help some of the people in Darfur, Sudan. The website uses satellite cameras that watch over vulnerable villages that are in the crossfires of the fighting there. They hope that with the world watching, the government there will be on notice. United Nations peacekeepers have not been allowed in for some time now and the situation for the people there is beyond dire. I know it's not much, but together we can help. http://www.eyesondarfur.com/

Gross Fast Food

Here is a funny link with pictures comparing the fast food you see in ads to the fast food you are actually being served. The Wendy's salad is pretty gross, as is the KFC Bowl, which is just plain gross no matter how you see it. http://www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm

Tomato Tart

My tomatoes are almost here! Sadly, this year I have only planted patio tomatoes. I gave up my vegetable garden this year because the last few seasons have been too hot and dry and the deer and squirrels felt the garden was grown for them. This year I will have to rely on the farmers market for my tomato needs, because the store bought ones lack the flavor of a good homegrown one. Here is a great tomato recipe that I adapted from one Martha made on her show. I use a refrigerated pie crust for mine, they taste good and are a lot less hassle. This makes a great dinner with a nice big green salad on the side.

Tomato Tart

1 head garlic
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 refrigerated pie crust, room temperature
1 cup smoked mozzarella, grated
1 1/2 pounds firm but ripe tomatoes (4 medium) cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
salt and pepper
fresh chives, chopped for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic in foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Wrap and place in oven. Bake about 45 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Raise oven temp to 450. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves from their skins into a small bowl; mash with fork and set aside.
Roll out pie crust and place into 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom, press into sides. Trim dough to be flush with edges; transfer to refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
Spread garlic evenly over crust. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Arrange tomatoes over cheese in overlapping circular pattern. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil. Transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees and bake until crust is golden, about 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Caprese

Ahh, summer is upon us and one of my favorite things to serve is a nice caprese salad. Even those these tomatoes were not home grown, they still tasted great. The first time I had a caprese salad was in Italy and it always takes me back when I serve it at dinner. While our tomatoes pale in comparison to what you eat over there, the addition of the oil and balsamic vinegar help with the flavor. I added a handful of mixed cherry tomatoes to the center of the plate, because I had them on hand and it made for a nice presentation.

Caprese

1 lb. tomatoes, sliced thin
8 oz fresh mozzarella sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Arrange tomatoes and cheese on plate, overlapping every other one. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil. Drizzle with oil and vinegar.

Grilled Polenta

This weekend I grilled out steaks. It gave me the perfect opportunity to use up the rest of the Creamy Polenta I made the other night. I had refrigerated it in a plastic container, so it had set up loaf style. I just took it out, sliced it about 1/2 inch thick, brushed it on both sides with olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. I placed it on the grill and let it cook for about 5 minutes on each side. The polenta gets a nice and crispy outside, while maintaining a soft and creamy center. It made a great accompaniment to the grilled steaks.

Gabby in Pool

For all of you wondering "What does Gabby do while Daddy grills?", here is your answer. She hangs out in her pool for as much as she can when its open. She's so cute!

Creamy Polenta

I based this recipe on Giada DeLaurentiis' basic polenta from her Everyday Italian book. In the past I would buy the special box of polenta and follow the directions. I saw Giada make hers with regular ol' cornmeal and thought that's gotta be cheaper and better. Well, you know what, it is cheaper and better. I used the leftover beef broth from the brisket recipe and added water until I had 6 cups. I then topped the polenta with the tomato sauce from the beef.

Creamy Polenta

6 cups water
2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
4 or 5 grinds of black pepper
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt, then slowly whisk in cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in pepper, butter, cream and cheese. Serve.

Italian Beef Brisket

I have been going through my recipe cabinet (I have collected thousands of them over the last 25 years) and am really trying to make the effort to whittle them down some. Here is a recipe from Cooking Pleasures Magazine Oct/Nov '05 that I prepared last night. It's a great recipe, but maybe just a little heavy for a week night, more like a Sunday dinner kind of a thing, if people still do that. It is amazing to me how easy it is to turn out a great dinner in a couple of hours. I serve this with a salad and a nice creamy polenta that I will post after this. I changed the recipe up some and will post my version. The sauce is equally good over the beef and the polenta. This is very tasty!!.

Italian Beef Brisket

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 (2 1/2 to 2 3/4 lb) beef brisket (flat cut or first cut)
2 tsp. herbes de provence
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 onions, chopped
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 (20 oz) can dice tomatoes
3/4 cup reduced- sodium beef broth
Pinch saffron threads, crushed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat heavy large pot over medium-high heat until hot, add oil. Add brisket; cook 5 to 7 minutes, until brown, turning once. Place on a plate, sprinkle both sides with herbes de provence, salt and pepper.
Add onions to pot; cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Increase heat to high. Add wine; bring to boil, scraping brown bits from bottom of pot. Boil 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in tomatoes, broth and saffron. Return brisket to pot; spoon some tomatoes over the top.
Cover; bake 1 hour. Turn brisket; spoon some tomatoes on top. Bake, covered, an additional hour.
Place brisket on cutting board, cover loosely with foil. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, crush tomatoes with potato masher. Slice beef and serve with sauce.